Sicilian Lemon And Orange Sweet Bread
This delightful recipe combines the sweet aroma of citrus with the crunch of flaked almonds and the burst of flavor from cranberries, creating a beautifully rich bread that's perfect for any occasion. The process of making this bread is a labor of love, but the end result is well worth the effort. With each bite, you'll experience a harmonious blend of textures and flavors that will leave you wanting more.
— Constant Cookbook
Ingredients
- 400g/14oz strong white flour
- 7g salt
- 40g/1½oz caster sugar
- 10g instant yeast
- 120ml/4fl oz milk
- 4 free-range eggs
- 100g/3½oz softened unsalted butter
- 2 lemons
- 1 orange
- 100g/3½oz toasted flaked almonds
- 100g/3½oz mixed candied peel
- 100g/3½oz dried cranberries
- ½ lemon
- 2 free-range egg whites
- 25g/1oz sugar
- 25g/1oz ground almonds
- 50g/1¾oz flaked almonds
- , to sprinkle caster sugar
Instructions
- To make the dough, combine the flour, salt, sugar, yeast, milk, eggs and butter in a food mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on a slow speed for three minutes and then set on a medium speed for five minutes, to work the mixture together into a soft dough. If you havenât got a mixer, mix the dough ingredients together by hand and knead on a lightly floured surface until you get a soft, elastic dough.
- Tip the dough into a clean bowl, cover and leave to rise for one hour.
- For the citrus mixture, combine the citrus zest with the toasted almonds, mixed peel, dried cranberries and lemon juice.
- Add the citrus mixture to the dough and use your hands to incorporate it into the dough.
- Grease a 23cm/9in round deep spring-form cake tin.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place it into the prepared tin.
- Cover, or place inside a large plastic bag, and leave to rise for three hours, or until the dough has reached the top of the sides of the tin.
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6 (in a fan oven) and bake the bread on the middle shelf for 20 minutes.
- For the topping, in a bowl stir together the egg whites, sugar and ground almonds to make a paste.
- After 20 minutes of baking, remove the bread from the oven and spread the paste over the top. Sprinkle with flaked almonds and a little more sugar.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and return to the oven for a further 20 minutes. If it is going to brown towards the end of baking then cover it loosely with foil.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes; then release the sides of the tin. Remove from the tin and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
Cook Time
1H
Yield
Serves 10
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