DIFFICULTY: 3
3 hours
INGREDIENTS PER 6 PEOPLE
Grappa or rum, 1 tbsp
Water, ¼ cup
Hazelnuts, ½ cup
Milk, 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsps
Active dry yeast, 1 packet (2 1/4 tsps)
Sugar, 3 tbsp plus 1 tsp
Unbleached all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tbsps
Rye flour, ½ cup
Fine sea salt, 1/8 tsp
Unsalted butter, 4 tbsps at room temperature
Egg, 1
ried figs, 15 (3/4 cup), stemmed and roughly chopped
Walnuts, 3/4 cup, roughly chopped
Pine nuts, 2 tbsps, roughly chopped
PROCEDURE
Heat oven to 350º F with the oven rack placed on the middle shelf. In a small bowl combine together raisins, grappa or rum and water; then set aside.
Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake until fragrant and lightly golden, for about 5 minutes. Let cool completely, then chop roughly.
In a small saucepan, heat up the milk over medium heat until it is just warm, then remove it from the heat. Transfer the milk to the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment; dissolve yeast and 1 tsp sugar in the milk. Beat until foamy, for about 10 minutes. (If the mixture doesn’t foam, start over with new yeast.)
In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 3 tbsp of sugar, all-purpose flour, rye flour and salt. Using the mixer at medium-low speed, add half of the flour mixture to the yeast mixture. Mix until well blended, then add the remaining flour mixture and butter. Reduce speed to low and mix 5 mins more.
Drain raisins and discard liquid. Add raisins, hazelnuts, figs, walnuts and pine nuts into the dough; mix on low until just incorporated. Then switch to the dough hook and knead the dough until it is stiff and wet.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Then, on the prepared baking sheet, form dough into a 8-inch-long oval loaf. Cover loaf with a lightly dampened clean dishtowel and let it rest, in a draft-free place, for about 2 hours.
Heat oven to 350º F. with oven rack in the middle.
Brush the dough with beaten egg, then bake, rotating the pan once halfway through for about 30 minutes, until the bread becomes deep golden. Let bread cool completely on pan on wire rack, the serve.
Thanks to: Jovina Cooks Italian
