This is a delicious Italian fruit Christmas bread which is soft and fluffy. It is traditionally enriched with candied orange and raisins. It is a distinct cylindrical shaped bread found in a range of sizes.
Ingredients
1. Maida (flour) – 3 cups
2. Raisins – ½ cup
3. Candied orange – 100 gm
4. Vanilla essence – 1 tsp
5. Orange zest – 1 orange
6. Eggs – 4
7. Unsalted butter – 110 gm
8. Sugar – 140 gm
9. Instant yeast – 1½ tsp
10. Honey – 1 Tbsp
11. Lukewarm water – ¾ cup
12. Almond extract – ½ tsp
13. Orange extract – ½ tsp
14. Vanilla extract – ½ tsp
15. Salt
16. Finely sliced almonds – ¼ cups
17. Warm milk – ½ cup
18. Chocolate chips (optional) – ¼ cup
Preparation
1. Soak raisins in lukewarm water. Keep aside for 30 minutes.
2. In a bowl mix honey, milk and yeast and keep aside.
3. Beat the eggs in a bowl. Add sugar and beat well. Add melted butter, all the extracts and orange zest and mix well.
4. Add the yeast mix.
5. Add flour, little by little and mix until combined.
6. Add the drained raisins to the dough along with candied orange.
7. Mix in half of the chocolate chips.
8. Cover with a plastic wrap and let it rise for 30 minutes.
9. Wet your hands and make 4 folds of the dough.
10. Cover and plastic wrap for another 30 minutes.
11. Repeat folding of the dough for another 3 times leaving gap of 30 minutes in between.
12. Transfer the dough to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight (for 8 – 10 hours).
13. Remove from fridge and keep in room temperature for 2-3 hours.
14. Transfer to a greased mould and make a cross on top with a fine knife.
15. Sprinkle chocolate chips over it.
16. Bake in a preheated oven at 160 degrees Celsius for 50 minutes or until done.
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