L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 30 L'Italo-Americano 70 g (1/2 cup) raisins 85 g (3 oz) finely diced candied orange and citron 7 0 g ( 1 / 2 c u p ) f i n e l y chopped almonds or pine nuts 2 tablespoons aniseed 4 tablespoons Vinsanto o r o t h e r d e s s e r t w i n e , limoncello or brandy 1 egg for glazing 3 - 4 t a b l e s p o o n s p o w - dered sugar and lemon juice Make the starter: Combine the 150 g all- purpose flour, the yeast and water in a bowl to make a very soft starter. Cover and keep in a warm place until f u l l y e x p a n d e d a n d t h e n dropped, 1 to 2 hours. Prepare the ingredients: Bring all ingredients at r o o m t e m p e r a t u r e t h e n transfer the 200 g strong flour in a bowl or a stand mixer. Dissolve the brown s u g a r a n d s a l t i n j u s t enough wine or brandy to make a paste, about 1 1/2 tablespoons. Cut the candied citron, orange peel and nuts into s m a l l d i c e . T r a n s f e r t h e chopped fruit and nuts and t h e r a i s i n s ( n o n e e d t o c h o p ) t o a b o w l , a d d t h e aniseed and stir in one or two tablespoons of wine or brandy. Make the dough: Add the sugar and salt mixture to the strong flour, then the olive oil and butter, t h e n t h e s t a r t e r , m i x i n g after each addition. Knead to obtain a smooth and elas- tic dough, about 10 minutes by hand and 5 minutes at s l o w s p e e d i n t h e s t a n d mixer. A d d t h e a n i s e e d - f r u i t mixture and knead briefly. At this stage the gluten is fully formed, and the nuts and fruit might break the strands, which might result in a dense bread. Roll the dough into a log, twist it then pinch it gently into a ring, which should fit into a 25 cm (10 inch) diam- eter springform pan. Line the pan with parch- ment paper. Arrange the bread into the pan. If your dough is very soft, arrange the bread on the parchment paper first, then transfer into the pan. L e t t h e d o u g h r i s e i n warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, 45 to 60 minutes. To assess if your bread is ready to bake, press a finger into the dough. If the mark of your finger remains in the dough, but spring back partially leaving a shallow indent your bread is ready to bake. Bake Preheat oven to 180°C (375°F). Whisk the egg and use it to brush the bread. M i x t h e p o w d e r e d s u g a r with lemon juice to make a thick paste and set aside. B a k e t h e b r e a d u n t i l golden and internal temper- ature measures 94-96 °C ( 2 0 0 - 2 0 5 ° F ) , a b o u t 4 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush the top with lemon glaze. Serve at room tempera- ture. Serves 8-10. Letizia Mattiacci is a c o o k b o o k a u t h o r a n d owner of Alla Madonna del Piatto Cooking School and A g r i t u r i s m o i n A s s i s i , U m b r i a , h t t p s : / / i n c a m - pagna.com. This recipe has been previously published in Mrs. Mattiacci cookbook entitled "Festa Italiana." Torcolo is filled with candied fruits and nuts (Photo: Letizia Mattiacci) "During the celebrations of San Costanzo thousands of torcolo breads are baked in Perugia" Some of the ingredients to make Torcolo (Photo: Letizia Mattiacci) Continued from page 28 LIFESTYLE FASHION FOOD ARTS ADVICE

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