Italian Easter bread
Ready in 1 hour + rising Serves 6-8
½ recipe sticky bun dough (see right) Zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon, finely
grated
FILLING
1 apple, peeled and grated
Zest of ½ a lemon, finely grated
½ cup currants
¼ cup raisins, chopped
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup soft brown sugar
2 Tbsp Amaretto or brandy
¼ tsp allspice
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ cup roasted hazelnuts chopped
120g dark chocolate, roughly chopped A little icing sugar to dust
Have ½ recipe of sticky bun dough ready to use. Sprinkle over the orange and lemon rind and knead into the dough with 10-15 kneading strokes.
Preheat oven to 180C fan bake. Line a 28cm round cake tin with baking paper. Make the filling by combining all ingredients except icing sugar in a large bowl.
Prepare the dough as above. Roll out dough to a thickness of about 1cm to form a 60cm x 30cm rectangle. Spread the fruit and chocolate mixture over the dough, leaving a 2cm border. Roll dough up tightly along the longest edge to create a long cylinder. Form the cylinder into a tight spiral and place it in the lined cake tin. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size (45 minutes).
Bake until golden and hollow-sounding when tapped (30 minutes). Dust with icing sugar to serve.
NOTE: This divine fruit and chocolate laced bread is a much-loved Easter tradition in our family.
Match this with ... Morningcider Hot Cross Bun Cider (440ml 4.5 per cent, $30 x 6pk)
Inside this can (designed by artist Yolanda Bartram from BodyFX in Morningside) is a burst of sweet, mulled spicy goodness. Dried apples, mixed peel, strudel spices and rising dough notes make this a superb sip to wash down lumps of this lovely Italian Easter bread. You could even trick the cider up with a splash of rum for extra saucy warmth, but it’s super-limited, so get in quick.