Gubana (coiled Yeast Bread With Nut And Raisin Filling)

———————–SERVINGS: MAKES 2 LOAVES———————–

———————SOURCE: GOURMET MAGAZINE, 02———————

FROM: SALLIE KREBS

The filling in the recipe below comes from Andrea Purinan, who, with
his father, runs 11 Fornaio di Mario Purinan, an outstanding bakery
in the lovely town of Udine, capital of the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia
region. Here gubana and pinza, another sweet yeast bread, are
available year round. When I visited one October, Andrea was starting
a flour and water mixture that would ripen for two weeks. This
“mother,” which raises the dough without yeast, was the first step in
making gubane for Christmas. Andrea also uses a slow four-rise method
for his dough. The following gubana recipe is actually a hybrid,
using Andrea Purinan’s nut filling and Simone Supanz’s dough and
assembly method. FOR THE FILLING: 1 1/3 cups pine nuts 2 sticks 1
cup) unsalted butter, melted 1/2 pound almonds with skins (about 2
cups) 1/4 pound biscotti or butter cookies 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup
raisins 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon 2 tablespoons vanilla 1/2 cup
Marsala, or to taste 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Curacao or other
orange-flavored liqueur, or to taste 1/4 cup grappa or brandy, or to
taste FOR THE DOUGH: 2 packages (about 5 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups milk about 6 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 2/3 cup
sugar 2 large whole eggs 2 large egg yolks 1/4 cup heavy cream or
half-and-half 2 teaspoons coarse salt 1 tablespoon freshly grated
lemon zest 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into bits and
softened AN EGG WASH MADE BY BEATING: 1 large egg yolk with 1
teaspoon water TO FINISH: sugar for sprinkling the loaves Make the
filling: In a heavy skillet cook the pine nuts in 1 teaspoon of the
butter over moderately low heat, stirring, for 5 to 7 minutes, or
until they are pale golden. In a food processor pulse the pine nuts
with the almonds, the biscotti, and the sugar until the mixture is
chopped coarse and transfer the mixture to a bowl. Stir in the
remaining butter, the raisins, the cinnamon, the vanilla, the
Marsala, the Curacao, and the grappa, stirring until the mixture is
combined well, and let the filling stand, covered, for at least 3
hours or overnight. Make the dough: In a small bowl sprinkle the
yeast over 1/4 cup of the milk, heated to lukewarm, stir in 2
tablespoons of the flour and 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and let the
mixture stand in a warm place, covered, for 20 to 30 minutes, or
until the sponge is double in bulk. In the bowl of an electric mixer
fitted with the paddle attachment beat together the whole eggs, the
yolks, and the remaining sugar, beat in the remaining 1 1/4 cups
milk, the cream, the salt, and the zest, and beat the mixture until
it is combined well. Beat in the butter and the sponge, replace the
paddle attachment with the dough hook, and beat in enough of the
remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, to form a soft, moist, and
slightly sticky dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured
surface and knead it, adding enough of the remaining flour to keep
the dough from becoming too sticky to handle easily, for 8 minutes,
or until it is very smooth and elastic. Transfer the dough to a
buttered bowl, turning it to coat it with the butter, and let it
rise, covered, in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours, or until it is double
in bulk. (Alternatively, let the dough rise, covered and chilled,
overnight.) Punch down the dough, transfer it to a lightly floured
surface, and form it into a smooth ball. Let the dough stand,
covered, for 15 minutes and divide it in half. Roll 1 piece of the
dough into a 16- by 11-inch rectangle, spread it evenly with half the
filling, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides, and, beginning with a
long side, roll it up carefully jelly-roll fashion, ending with the
seam on top. Fold in the ends to enclose the filling and, working very
carefully, stretch the pastry lengthwise from the center, forming a
narrow filled cylinder, 24 to 26 inches long. Beginning with one end,
wrap the pastry into a coil and transfer it, seam side down, with
spatulas to a buttered 9- or 10-inch round cake pan or springform pan
(the edge of the coil should come to within 1 inch of the side of the
pan but should not touch it; do not tuck under the end of the coil) .
Roll out, fill, and shape another coil in the same manner with the
remaining dough and filling and let the loaves rise, covered with a
kitchen towel, in a warm place for 1 hour, or until they are almost
double in bulk. Brush the loaves with the egg wash, let them stand
for 10 minutes, and sprinkle them lightly with the sugar. Bake the
loaves in the middle of a preheated 375-F. oven for 20 minutes, put a
sheet of foil, dull side down, over each loaf, and bake the loaves
for 20 to 25 minutes more, or until they are golden and sound hollow
when tapped. Let the loaves cool in the pans on racks for 5 minutes,
remove them from the pans, and let them cool completely on the racks.