Desemenzo Christmas Bread

We can honestly say that at the FavorFlav editorial office, we are obsessed with Desemenzo’s Christmas bread. The pastry cream running through the almond paste is what makes it. With this recipe from the book I Bake Great, and So Do You, you can make it yourself at home.

Method.
Make the dough by kneading all the ingredients for it according to this technique. Make sure your dough has a temperature of 26 degrees. Knead the raisins and hazelnuts into the dough and weigh out pieces of dough of approximately 500 grams.

Shape the dough into balls according to this technique. Let the shaped dough rest for 10 minutes. In the meantime, mix the almond paste with the pastry cream and put it in a piping bag once it has reached room temperature.

Divide the ball slightly off-centre into two parts to make the top and bottom. Use the smaller part for the top. Take the larger part and flatten it on a wet work surface. Keep your hands thoroughly wet and place the dough in the bottom of a small pie tin.

Now pipe the almond-paste mixture onto the dough in a spiral. Make sure to leave 2 centimetres clear around the edge. Arrange the 10 amarena cherries in a circle over the mixture.

Wet your hands and flatten the dough for the top on a wet work surface. Use this to cover the almond-paste mixture, making sure the dough sticks firmly to the 2-centimetre edge of dough left clear. There must be no almond paste between it, otherwise it will come loose during baking.

Sprinkle the whole thing with flaked almonds and leave to rise for another 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190 degrees. After the final rise, bake the bread for 25 minutes.

I Bake Great, and So Do You
Edwin Klaasen
€ 29,50
Eppe-Wolk Holding B.V.