Enriched Loaves for the Holidays: Julekage, Pulla, or Soufganiyot from Stored Dough From Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day (Thomas Dunne Books, 2007)
This time of year, every culture we can think of is making an egg and butter-enriched bread or sweet that pleases everyone at the table. Our basic enriched dough is used in Christmas recipes like Julekage and Pulla. And for Hannukah, traditional fried doughnuts not unlike the French beignets are great favorites. They're all based on this Master recipe for enriched dough. We store eggenriched dough in the freezer after 5 days of refrigerator storage. More recipes at www.artisanbreadinfive.com, where we also answer your bread and pastry questions.
Makes four 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.
1¾ cups lukewarm water
1½ tablespoons granulated yeast (2 packets)
1½ tablespoons salt
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup honey
½ cup unsalted butter, melted (or neutral-tasting vegetable oil such as canola), plus more for greasing the cookie sheet
7 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional, for julekage and pulla)
½ teaspoon ground anise seed (optional, for julekage and pulla)
½ cup dried fruit, such as raisins, cranberries, candied fruit, etc. (optional, for julekage)
Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water)
Granulated sugar for sprinkling
1. Mixing and storing the dough: Mix the yeast, salt, eggs, honey, and melted butter (or oil) with the water in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container. If using cardamom and anise, add them now.
2. Mix in the flour without kneading, using a spoon, a 14cup capacity food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with dough paddle). If you're not using a machine, you may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.
3. Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.
4. The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 5 days. Beyond 5 days, freeze in 1pound portions in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks. Defrost frozen dough overnight in the refrigerator before using. Then allow the usual resting time.
5. On baking day, butter or grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarterturn as you go.
6. Divide the ball into thirds, using a dough scraper or knife. Roll the balls between your hands (or on a board), stretching, to form each into a long, thin rope. If the dough resists shaping, let it rest for 5 minutes and try again. Braid the ropes, starting from the center and working to one end. Turn the loaf over, rotate it, and braid from the center out to the remaining end. This produces a loaf with a more uniform thickness than when braided from end to end.
7. Allow the bread to rest and rise on the prepared cookie sheet for 1 hour and 20 minutes (or just 40 minutes if you're using fresh, un-refrigerated dough).
8. Twenty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 350°F. If you're not using a stone in the oven, 5 minutes is adequate. Brush the loaf with egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
9. Bake near the center of the oven for about 25 minutes. Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in baking time. The loaf is done when golden brown, and the braids near the center of the loaf offer resistance to pressure. Due to the fat in the dough, this loaf will not form a hard, crackling crust.
10. Allow to cool before slicing or eating.
Soufganiyot
Soufganiyot are traditional deep-fried doughnuts that celebrate the miracle of the oil lamp in the Jewish festival of Hannukah. They're remarkably similar to the French-style beignets in our book.
Makes 5 or 6 soufganiyot
1 pound (grapefruitsize portion) pre-mixed enriched dough, defrosted overnight in the refrigerator if frozen
Vegetable oil for deep frying (such as canola oil; do not use olive oil or other low-smoking point oil)
Powdered sugar
Special Equipment
Deep saucepan for frying, or an electric fryer
Slotted spoon
Paper towels
Candy thermometer
1. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.
2. Roll the dough into a ½-inch thick rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut the dough into 2inch squares. Allow the dough to rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, fill the saucepan (or electric fryer) with at least 3 inches of oil. Bring the oil to 360 to 370°F as determined by the candy thermometer.
4. Carefully drop the beignets in the hot oil 2 or 3 at a time so they have plenty of room to float to the surface. Do not overcrowd, or they will not rise nicely.
5. After 2 minutes, gently flip the beignets over with a slotted spoon and fry for another minute or until golden brown on both sides.
6. Using the slotted spoon, remove the beignets from the oil and place them on paper towels to drain.
7. Repeat with the remaining dough until all the beignets are fried.
8. Dust generously with powdered sugar and eat slightly warm
Copyright 2007, Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë Francois. From Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking (Thomas Dunne Books)
