10gfresh bakers yeastin the UK Ocado sells fresh yeast, the Bakery section of some supermarkets like Sainsbury’s where you may have to ask for it at the Bakery counter or in Morrison’s near the butter; apparently Polish shops are another good place to find it
1teaspoon
granulated sugar
130gstrong bread flour
Main dough
120gsugar
Zest of a lemon and zest of an orangenot the white part
60gmilksemi or full-fat
70gbutterroom temperature
2eggsroom temperature
20gfresh bakers yeast
30gorange blossom waterBea uses Nielsen-Massey brand from Sainsbury’s
450gstrong bread flouras above
A pinch of salt
1beaten egg to paint the Roscón
To decorate
Flaked almonds
Candied fruit
Candied cherries
Sugar cubes / lumpsbroken in smaller pieces if quite big (dampened in small amount of water to decorate)
Instructions
Add the ingredients from the starter dough and mix 15 seconds at speed 4. Remove the dough from the bowl and shape it into a ball on the kitchen top and put it in a plastic bowl and cover it with warm water until it doubles in size and rises to the surface.
Add to the TM bowl from the list of ingredients of the main dough: sugar, lemon and orange zest and grind 20 seconds speed 10.
With the spatula, scrap down the sugar and add all the ingredients from the main dough plus the starter dough. Mix 30 seconds, speed 6 and then 3 mins interval speed (i.e. closed lid setting and press kneading button in TM31). Without opening the TM bowl, cover the TM bowl with two layers of thick kitchen clothes and leave it until the dough rises to the very top and pushes the lid MC. It takes a long time…. Unless you live in the tropics, it normally takes me 3-5 hours but check from time to time.
Push down the dough with the spatula and mix 1 minute, interval speed. The dough is sticky but don’t panic and start adding flour… I usually put some oil in my hands, take it out of the bowl by pushing the blades down with the TM bowl upside down (just like any other dough). Shape it into a ball on a floured surface and make a hole in the middle and shape it into a thin ring…. Like if you have a big ring in your hands and keep on stretching it until it has a uniform shape…. Roughly a 40 cm diameter hole in the centre.
Put the dough onto a big tray with baking paper, paint with egg, decorate with the fruits, almond flakes, sugar…. And leave it to double in size…. Around 1-2 hours. Choose a warm place free from any draft (like your airing cupboard).
Preheat the oven to 200°C and bake in the centre of the oven for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180°C and bake for 15-20 mins. Take it out of the oven and leave it to cool down on a rack and you can cut it through the middle and fill it with whipped cream (optional and not typical of Easter time roscón) and hide some money coins, little figurine and a bean… All of them wrap up in foil…. Just like we do in Spain! At Christmas, the loser (whoever gets the bean) needs to pay for the Roscón! If you don’t want cream, you can use crème pâtissière.
Notes
Tips
Use orange blossom water, it’s very important. I use semi-skimmed milk but you can also use full fat milk I always leave it to prove properly. The time one it takes to prove the dough can vary and it’s the result that matters not the time allowed.