Jamie Oliver's Easter kulich.
Whoever didn't have time to share a delicious kulich recipe before Easter, I did. But this recipe is very successful and delicious, so, albeit late, I'll post it so you can use it next year. Unfortunately, there are no step-by-step photos, as I was cooking and doing a lot of other things. But from the description it should be clear.
By the way, I – am a big fan of Easter baking. But all my attempts at different recipes can't compare to the taste of my grandmother's and mother's kulich, the recipe for which I've shared on the blog.
.But curiosity sometimes overpowers the desire to go off the beaten path and try a tried-and-true recipe, so this year there was an experimental variant. I saw this recipe on LiveJournal and it was listed as a recipe from Jamie Oliver, although later it turned out to be from another person and was published in the book «Jamie and friends». But I'm keeping the code name for myself so I can easily find it later.
The kulich turns out very tasty, moderately spicy, moderately moist, with a mellow crumb. It's true that the cooking process is quite time-consuming, but Easter is a special day, so sometimes you have to work hard.
Inputs (for 4-6 medium sized pieces):
- cream butter - 125 gr.
- flour - 600 gr.
- active yeast - 2 sachets of 7 g each .
- honey - 1 tbsp.
- fine sugar - 200 gr.
- milk - 250 ml
- egg yolks - 6 pcs.
- raisins - 50 gr.
- sucates - 75 gr.
- almonds - 25 gr.
- 1 tbsp ground cardamom
- seeds of 1 vanilla pod
- Juice and finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- sugar powder - 120 grams .
- salt
Preparation of Easter kulich:
Chop the candied fruits and almonds. Pour hot water over the candied fruits and raisins and let stand for 10-15 minutes.
Pour the candied fruits and raisins over the almonds. Dissolve the yeast and honey in 100 ml of warm (not hot!) water and leave for 10 minutes until foamy.
Dissolve the yeast and honey in 100 ml of warm (not hot!) water and leave for 10 minutes until frothy.
Mix 100g of sugar and 100g of flour in a bowl. Heat the milk, but do not bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, pour into the sugar and flour mixture and mix well. Allow to cool slightly, then pour in the diluted yeast and stir again.
Add the melted butter and stir again.
I do all the kneading in the bowl of a food processor, in my opinion it's faster and better to knead the dough, but I know that many people prefer to work with the dough for kulichi by hand. Do as you wish.
In a separate bowl, beat the yolks with the remaining sugar until white. Stir the yolks into the milk mixture, sift in the rest of the flour, add a pinch of salt and mix gently until the dough is soft and no longer sticks to your hands. Stir in the raisins, candied fruit, cardamom, almonds, vanilla seeds and lemon zest. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for 15 minutes until smooth and glossy.
Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover with a damp towel and leave to rise in a warm place for about 3 hours.
When the dough has risen, transfer it to a floured surface and knead for a few minutes.
When the dough has risen, turn it out onto a floured surface and knead for a few minutes.
Knead for a few minutes.
Lubricate the inside of a kulich mold (one 450g or several smaller ones) with butter, sprinkle with flour and cover the bottom with parchment. I used special paper molds for kulichs, which are sold in the store, and it is very convenient.
Paper molds for kulichs.
Transfer the dough into the prepared mold (it should be filled about a third full) and leave it for another hour. The dough should rise almost to the top of the mold.
Allow the dough to rise to the top of the mold.
Heat the oven to 140C. Bake the kulich for about 1.5 hours to 1 hour 45 minutes, until it is airy and golden. Leave to cool in the mold for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
Cool completely.
Mix the powdered sugar with the lemon juice to make a thick, smooth glaze and drizzle over the still-warm cake. After a few minutes, decorate as desired.
Decorate.
I used chocolate ganache and decorated with candied fruit and nuts.
Good appetite!
