Ingredients
BREAD
GLAZE AND DECORATION
Method
1.Bring the butter and egg yolks to room temperature and sift the flour into a large bowl. Heat the milk until it feels just warm to your fingertip. Chop the candied orange peel into smallish pieces.
2.Sprinkle the dried yeast onto the warm milk in a medium-sized bowl and add a pinch of sugar. Let the yeast soften for about 5 minutes and then mix in 2 Tbsp of the measured flour. Stir with a fork until the mixture is smooth, then cover with a plate and leave on the bench for 30 minutes.
3.Melt the butter over a low heat, and when it has cooled a little, whisk it together with the sugar, the egg yolks and a pinch of salt.
4.Combine these two mixtures and pour them into the flour. Mix it all together with your hands (or the dough hook if you have a stand mixer) until you have a soft, smooth dough. Add a little more flour if you need to, but don’t make it too dry.
5.Turn the dough out onto the bench, flatten it a little, tip on the chopped peel and knead it through the dough with your hands.
6.Make the dough into a smooth ball and put it in a clean, greased mixing bowl. Cover it with a damp cloth or encase the bowl in a large plastic bag and set aside to prove. It should double in size in about 1½ hours. You could also put it in the fridge, well covered, to prove overnight, then remove it in the morning and leave for about an hour to come back to room temperature before continuing with the recipe.
7.Preheat the oven to 190°C. Lightly flour a baking tray.
8.Scrape the dough out onto the bench, flatten it a little and divide it into three equal parts (I use the scales to get an accurate division).
9.On a floured board, using your hands, roll each piece of dough into a long cylinder about 3cm in diameter. My rolls are usually about 45cm long.
10.Plait the three rolls of dough together fairly loosely, press them together well at each end and move the plait carefully onto the baking tray. Cover it with a dry cloth and leave to rise for 30 minutes.
11.Combine the beaten egg and milk and brush the glaze gently over the plait. Push a blanched almond fairly firmly into the top of each mound and then glaze the whole thing again.
12.Bake the bread for 30–40 minutes until it is a dark-gold colour. Cool on a wire rack, then slice. Serve with butter and jam or on its own, with coffee, and save some for toasting the next day.
The whole recipe takes three hours from start to finish. If you let the dough prove overnight, you will need to allow about 45 minutes to make the dough and another two hours the following morning before you can serve it – and eat it! Use the best candied orange peel you can buy, or better still, make your own. If you have neither of these, you can use bought mixed peel but add the finely grated zest of a fresh orange to it.
Note
