Sicilian Lemon And Orange Sweet Bread

Paul Hollywood's Bread

Posted by Bloomsbury

About

This is based on the flavours of a classic Italian celebration cake called Colomba di Pasqua, which is similar to a panettone but shaped like a dove and sold all over Italy to celebrate Easter. Flavoured with almonds and full of citrus flavour, it’s distinctive and delicious with a glass of Vin Santo or a cup of tea or coffee. As with many enriched doughs, this mixture is quite soft and slack and therefore easier to make in a food mixer. Buy unwaxed citrus fruit if possible, as you are using the zest.

SERVES 8–10

For the topping
2 medium egg whites
25g caster sugar, plus
extra for sprinkling
25g ground almonds
50g flaked almonds

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You Will Need (12 things)

  • 400 g strong white Bread Flour , plus extra for dusting
  • 7 g Salt
  • 40 g Caster Sugar
  • 10 g fast-action dried Yeast
  • 100 g unsalted Butter , at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
  • 100 g flaked Almonds
  • 100 g mixed Candied Peel
  • 100 g Dried Cranberries
  • 120 ml tepid full-fat Milk
  • 4 medium Egg(s) , at room temperature, lightly whisked
  • Finely grated zest of 2 Lemons and 1 orange
  • Juice of ½ Lemon

Steps (6 steps, 40 minutes)

  1. 1

    Put the flour in a food mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the salt and sugar to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other. Add the milk, eggs and butter, in small pieces. Mix on a slow speed for 3 minutes, then on a medium speed for 4 minutes, kneading to a soft, elastic dough.
    Tip the dough into a bowl, cover and leave to rise for 1 hour.

  2. 2

    Grease a 23cm round, deep springform cake tin. Mix the lemon and orange zest with the lemon juice, almonds, candied peel and cranberries.

  3. 3

    Add to the risen dough and use your hands to incorporate it well. On a lightly floured surface, shape the dough into a ball. Put into the prepared tin and place inside a large, roomy plastic bag. Leave to prove for 3 hours, until the dough has reached the top of the tin.

  4. 4

    Heat your oven to 200°C. Bake the sweet bread on the middle shelf of the oven for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, for the topping, in a bowl, stir the egg whites, sugar and ground almonds together to make a paste.

  5. 5

    Take out the bread, spread the almond paste on top (some will run to the sides) and sprinkle with the flaked almonds and a little sugar. Lower the oven setting to 180°C and bake for a further 20 minutes, covering loosely with foil towards the end of cooking if it appears to be over-browning.

  6. 6

    Leave the sweet bread to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then release the sides of the tin. Place the bread on a wire rack to cool completely.