Buccellato - luccan sweet bread

1 loaf

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
ISBN 0-8129-1838-X
A sweet bread from the old walled town of Lucca, it is eaten as a snack or
With strawberries as a dessert (see page 603), and can be made in a regular
Loaf shape or as a ring. Because of the glaceed
1 cup Milk
2 eaches Ounces (4 cakes) compressed fresh yeast or 4 packages
5 eaches Ounces raisins and mixed glaceed fruit, combined
2 cups Lukewarm milk
1 large Orange with thick skin
10 tablespoons (5 ounces) sweet butter
5¾ cup Unbleached all-purpose flour fruit, raisins, and other
Extra ingredients, it requires more yeast than ordinary bread.
You can't stroll through Lucca's marvelous old piazzas without seeing
Someone eating buccellato. active dry yeast
2 cups Unbleached all-purpose flour
pinch Of salt
1 cup Less 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons Light rum
5 eaches Extra-large eggs
⅓ cup Dry Marsala
1½ tablespoon Aniseed

Directions

SERVINGS: MAKES 1 LOAF

SOURCE:THE FINE ART OF ITALY

FROM: SALLIE KREBS

FOR THE SPONGE (FIRST RISING

FOR THE DOUGH (SECOND RISING

To make the "sponge," heat the milk in a saucepan to lukewarm or hot, depending on the yeast you are using. Dissolve the yeast in the milk in a small bowl. Place the 2 cups flour in a large bowl and make a well in it. Pour the dissolved yeast into the well, along with a pinch of salt. With a wooden spoon, gradually incorporate all the flour into the liquid yeast. When all the flour is incorporated, cover the bowl with a cotton dishtowel and leave to rise in a warm place, away from drafts, until the yeast has doubled in size (about 1 to 1½ hours). Soak the raisins and glaceed fruit in a bowl with I cup of the lukewarm milk for 20 to 25 minutes. Grate the orange and let stand until needed. Melt 8 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan set over boiling water and set aside. When the "sponge" has risen, place the 5 ¾ cups flour on a pasta board. Make a well in it and place the "sponge" in the well. Add the sugar and mix well with a wooden spoon, and when all the sugar is incorporated, add the warm melted butter, rum, 4 of the eggs, the Marsala, and aniseed. Mix with the wooden spoon until all the ingredients are well combined. Start adding the remaining warm milk, little by little, incorporating some of the flour from the inside rim of the well. Keep mixing until ¾ of the flour is incorporated, then add the grated orange peel and start kneading the dough. Knead until all but 2 tablespoons of the flour are incorporated and the dough is smooth (about 20 minutes).

Drain the raisins and glaceed fruits, add to the dough, and knead for 5 minutes more incorporating the leftover flour. Shape the dough into a ring. Butter and flour a baking sheet. Place the dough on it, cover with a cotton dishtowel, and let rise in a warm place, away from drafts, until it has doubled in size (from 1 to 1 ½ hours). Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place baking sheet in the oven for 35 minutes, then beat the remaining egg in a bowl and quickly remove the baking sheet from the oven. Brush the top of the buccellato with the beaten egg and return it to the oven for 20 to 25 minutes more.

Remove the buccellato from the oven and let stand until cold (2 to 3 hours) before serving.

Submitted By SALLIE KREBS On 12-26-94

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