Stollen Wreath - Daring Bakers December 2010

The 2010 December Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Penny of Sweet Sadie’s Baking.  She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make Stollen. She adapted a friend’s family recipe and combined it with information from friends, techniques from Peter Reinhart’s book.........and Martha Stewart’s demonstration.

Here's what I learnt:

• This recipe makes a huuuge Stollen wreath!  If you are only a household of 2, like me, then it's probably best to make 2 smaller Stollen loaves instead of a wreath.
• Sugar in a pan on the stove can burn very very quickly.  I tried my hand at making my very own candied citrus peel.  It was coming along nicely and then I made the fatal mistake of doing something else for a couple of minutes and came back to it to find it completely burned.
• There's many different variations of dried fruits and fillings you could use.  I kept mine pretty true to the recipe below (sans the candied citrus peel) but I wasn't a huge fan of the raisins and glacé cherries.  If I made one again I would try a Cranberry and Pistachio combination.

What you'll need:

• Time!  The Stollen needs to be prepared over at least one night or a couple of days.
• Kitchen Aid with dough hook or strong arms and hands
• Mixing bowl
• Bowl to soak raisins
• Small saucepan
• Sheet of plastic or plastic wrap to cover when proofing
• Bench or pastry scraper (very handy for cutting dough and also cleaning work surface)
• Rolling pin
• Pastry Brush
• A scale - it's important to have when making bread
• Sheet Pan or round Pizza pan
• Parchment Paper

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup / 60ml lukewarm water (43º C)
• 4 1/2 teaspoons / 14 grams active dry yeast
• 1 cup / 240 ml milk
• 10 tablespoons / 140 grams unsalted butter (can use salted butter)
• 5½ cups / 770 grams all-purpose (plain) flour (Measure flour first - then sift- plus extra for dusting)
• ½ cup / 115 gms sugar
• ¾ teaspoon / 4 ½ grams salt (if using salted butter there is no need to alter this salt measurement)
• 1 teaspoon / 6 grams cinnamon
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• Grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
• 2 teaspoons / 10 ml good quality vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon / 5 ml lemon extract or orange extract
• ¾ cup / 135 grams mixed peel (recipe below to make your own)
• 1 cup / 170 grams firmly packed raisins 
• 3 tablespoons / 45ml rum  
• 12 red glacé cherries (roughly chopped) for the color and the taste. (optional)
• 1 cup / 100 grams flaked almonds
• Melted unsalted butter for coating the wreath
• Icing sugar for dusting wreath

Directions:

1. In a small bowl soak the raisins in the rum and set aside. 
2. To make the dough pour ¼ cup (60 ml) warm water into a small bowl, sprinkle with yeast and let stand 5 minutes.  Stir to dissolve yeast completely.
3. In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup (240 ml) milk and 10 tablespoons (150 ml) butter over medium - low heat until butter is melted.  
4. Let stand until lukewarm, about 5 minutes. 
5. Lightly beat eggs in a small bowl and add lemon and vanilla extracts.  
6. In a large mixing bowl (4 qt) (4 liters) (or in the bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment), stir together the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, orange and lemon zests.
7. Then stir in (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment) the yeast/water mixture, eggs and the lukewarm milk/butter mixture.  This should take about 2 minutes. It should be a soft, but not sticky ball. 
8. When the dough comes together, cover the bowl with either plastic or a tea cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.
9. Add in the mixed peel, soaked fruit and almonds and mix with your hands or on low speed to incorporate.  
10. Here is where you can add the cherries if you would like. Be delicate with the cherries or the dough will turn red. 
11. Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin kneading (or mixing with the dough hook) to distribute the fruit evenly, adding additional flour if needed.  The dough should be soft and satiny, tacky but not sticky.  
12. Knead for approximately 8 minutes (6 minutes by machine). The full six minutes of kneading is needed to distribute the dried fruit and other ingredients and to make the dough have a reasonable bread-dough consistency. You can tell when the dough is kneaded enough – a few raisins will start to fall off the dough onto the counter because at the beginning of the kneading process the dough is very sticky and the raisins will be held into the dough but when the dough is done it is tacky which isn't enough to bind the outside raisins onto the dough ball.   
13. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling around to coat it with the oil.  
14. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put in the fridge overnight.  
15. The dough becomes very firm in the fridge (since the butter goes firm)  but it does rise slowly.  The raw dough can be kept in the refrigerator up to a week and then baked on the day you want. 

Shaping the Dough and Baking the Wreath:

1. Let the dough rest for 2 hours after taking out of the fridge in order to warm slightly.
2. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
3. Preheat oven to moderate 180°C with the oven rack on the middle shelf. 
4. Punch dough down, roll into a rectangle about 16 x 24 inches (40 x 61 cms) and ¼ inch (6 mm) thick.
5. Starting with a long side, roll up tightly, forming a long, thin cylinder. 
6. Transfer the cylinder roll to the sheet pan.  Join the ends together, trying to overlap the layers to make the seam stronger and pinch with your fingers to make it stick, forming a large circle.  You can form it around a bowl to keep the shape.
7. Using kitchen scissors, make cuts along outside of circle, in 2-inch (5 cm) intervals, cutting 2/3 of the way through the dough.  
8. Twist each segment outward, forming a wreath shape.  Mist the dough with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap. 
9. Proof for approximately 2 hours at room temperature, or until about 1½ times its original size.
10. Bake the stollen for 20 minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees for even baking and continue to bake for 20 to 30 minutes.  
11. The bread will bake to a dark mahogany color, should register 190°F/88°C in the center of the loaf, and should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom. 
12. Transfer to a cooling rack and brush the top with melted butter while still hot. 
13. Immediately tap a layer of powdered sugar over the top through a sieve or sifter.  
14. Wait for 1 minute, then tap another layer over the first.  
15. The bread should be coated generously with the powdered sugar.  
16. Let cool at least an hour before serving.  Coat the stollen in butter and icing sugar three times, since this many coatings 
17. helps keeps the stollen fresh - especially if you intend on sending it in the mail as Christmas presents! 
18. When completely cool, store in a plastic bag.  Or leave it out uncovered overnight to dry out slightly, German style.

Storage:

• Stollen freezes for about 4 months.
• The baked stollen stores well for 2 weeks covered in foil and plastic wrap on the counter at room temperature.
• One month in the refrigerator well covered with foil and plastic wrap.

Candied Citrus Peel Recipe:

1. Using a potato peeler, peel about 2 cups of peel from oranges and lemons.  
2. Cut the peel into thin strips and place in a heavy pan
3. Cover with 1½ cups (360 mL) of cold water. 
4. Bring slowly to a boil then simmer for 10 minutes or longer to dim the acidy taste.
5. Drain and repeat this process 3 to 5 times, draining well each time.
6. Add to the pan ½ cup (120 mL) of water and 1 cup (240 mL) of sugar.
7. Add the peel and boil until the peel absorbs all of the syrup. The peel will become transparent.
8. Spread on a rack to dry thoroughly (unfortunately I never made it to this step!)

Crostata – Daring Bakers November 2010

The 2010 November Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Simona of briciole. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make pasta frolla for a crostata. She used her own experience as a source, as well as information from Pellegrino Artusi’s Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well.

I was not familiar with Crostata/Pasta Frolla, however the challenge gave a number of different filling options. I decided to bake Crostata con la Crema; Crostata with a pastry cream filling and topped with fresh fruit.

Here's what I learnt:

• Roll the Pastry base out as quick as possible as the warmer it becomes the softer it is and the harder it is to handle.
• When rolling out the Crostata (pastry base) do it between sheets of Glad Wrap. I found transporting the pastry from the bench to the tart pan quite difficult but being able to pick it up with Glad Wrap helped.
• I made this twice and the second time the Pastry Cream had a slight bitter quality too it. I'm not quite sure why, but it may be due to putting too much lemon zest in the Pastry Cream mix.

What you'll need:

• 23-24 cm fluted round tart pan with removable bottom, about 1 inch [2.5 cm] high.
• bowls, as needed
• fork
• knife
• bench (or pastry) scraper
• rolling pin
• 1 pot/pan
• You can use a food processor, however I found it easier to make by hand.

Pasta Frolla Recipe (the pastry base):

• 100 g caster sugar
• 1 and 3/4 cup / 235g unbleached all-purpose flour
• a pinch of salt
• 8 tablespoons / 115 g cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces. I grated the butter first and then put it in the freezer to make it easier to rub into the flour.
• grated zest of half a lemon (you could also replace with vanilla sugar)
• 1 large egg and 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten in a small bowl

Making Pasta Frolla by hand:

1. Whisk together sugar, flour and salt in a bowl.
2. Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture has the consistency of coarse crumbs. You can do this in the bowl or on your work surface, using your fingertips or an implement of choice.
3. Make a well in the center of the mounded flour and butter mixture and pour the beaten eggs into it (reserve about a teaspoon of the egg mixture for glazing purposes later on – place in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to use).

4. Add the lemon zest to your flour/butter/egg mixture.
5. Use a fork to incorporate the liquid into the solid ingredients, and then use your fingertips.
6. Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball.
7. Shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill overnight or at least 2 hours.

Pastry Cream Recipe:

Note: Prepare the Pastry Cream prior to assembling and baking the Crostata.

• 2 extra-large eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar (65 g)
• 500 ml milk (slightly more than 2 cups)
• 3 strips of lemon peel about 3" long and 1/2" wide (using a potato peeler to cut the strips makes it easier to avoid cutting the white part of the lemon)
• 3 tablespoons pastry (or unbleached regular) flour (25 g)
• Fresh fruit of your choice to cover the top of your Crostata

1. Pour the milk into a pan, add the lemon peel and warm up to to well below boiling point.
2. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until the mixture is bubbly.
3. Sift the flour over the egg mixture and beat briefly until it is incorporated.
4. Add a small quanity of the warmed milk to the egg mixture to temper it.
5. Then slowly add the rest of the milk, mixing with a wooden spoon.
6. Pour the entire mixture back into the pan and set it to very low heat, stirring at least every couple of minutes.
7. When the froth on the surface disappears completely, the pastry cream starts to feel slightly thicker. From then on stir almost continuously. When the cream reaches boiling temperature and thickens, cook briefly (1-2 minutes), then remove the pan from the heat
8. Remove the lemon peel, place the saucepan in a cold water bath, and stir to bring down its temperature.
9. While it's cooling, stir it every now and then to prevent the formation of a film over it.

Assembling and baking the Crostata

1. Heat the oven to 180ºC / 350ºF
2. Take the Pasta Frolla out of the fridge and unwrap it
3. To help roll the crostata dough, keep the dough on top of the plastic wrap that you had it wrapped in. This can help rolling the dough and can also help when transferring the dough to your tart pan.
4. If the dough is very firm, start by pressing the dough with the rolling pin from the middle to each end, moving the rolling pin by a pin's width each time; turn the dough 180 degrees and repeat; when it softens, start rolling.
5. Roll the dough into a circle about 1/8th inch (3 mm) thick.
6. If you used the plastic wrap or parchment paper as rolling surface, flip dough over the pan, centering it, and delicately press it all around so the corners are well covered. Peel away the plastic wrap.
7. Trim the excess dough hanging over the edges of the pan. Press the remaining dough around the border into the sides of the pan making sure the border is an even thickness all the way around.  Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork in several places.
8. Cut a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil large enough to cover the bottom of the crust and extend out a bit over the edges of the pan.
9. You can use pie weights or dry beans to blind bake. Place whatever weight you’re using directly on the parchment paper or aluminum foil in an even layer. Although I am told by the French Man however that blind baking isn't necessary if you freeze the pastry shell first and then put it in a hot oven straight from the freezer.
10. Place the crostata shell in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
11. Remove the weights and parchment paper and continue baking the crostata shell until the border is light golden, about 5 minutes (watch carefully to avoid over-baking, which results in a hard shell). In the absence of weight, the crust may rise in the middle: if that occurs, gently push it back down with the back of a spoon.
12. Allow the Crostata Shell to cool completely.
13. Pour the Pastry Cream into the pastry base and using a knife or spatula, evenly spread the cream out into the base.
14. Decorate the top of your Crostata with fruit of your choice.