Cozonac/Kozunak/Panettone

Cozonac in Romanian (pronunciation: ko-zo-nak) or Kozunak in Bulgarian: is a traditional sweet bread. It is usually prepared for Easter in Bulgaria and mostly for every holiday (Christmas, Easter, New Year) in Romania.

Cozonac is a sweet bread, made of basic ingredients (milk, sugar, eggs, butter, salt, vanilla, and lemon zest) and use of a fillings (raisins,Turkish delight, walnuts, poppy seeds, walnuts and cocoa powder mix whit vanilla or rum flavors).

The dough is flatted with a pin, the filling is spread on top of the dough and then is rolled into a shape. Cozonac may be sprinkled with poppy seeds, walnuts or sugar on top.

In The Italian Panettone is very similar to the basic cozonac, the visible difference being the shapes and Panettone has less ingredients.

Whit the basic recipe I developed my own; I use a bread machine, because making the dough is a very elaborate process, the dough is very sensitive on temperature drafts in the kitchen, usually it is very hard to make, but not for my recipe.

I also use metric system because is more accurate.

For the dough:
750 grams flower                                 6 yolks

225 grams sugar                                 Vanilla essence

200 grams soft butter                          Pinch of salt

450 milliliters milk                                50 grams dry yeast
Lemon or Orange zest (not necessary)

 

Put all ingredients in bread maker and start the machine like is making any French bread whit the exception: do not let the cycles to finish baking; just after the first cycle stop the machine and start it again; do this at least three to four times and stop the machine. I do this because I want more air in my dough. Leave the dough in to rise at least half of hour to an hour the most.

Now is the time to heat your stove at 250 F.

Grease your work surface, put he dough on top, divide it on three or four pieces (depending on the shape you want to give it and trey size).

I use my hands to gently flat the dough in long rectankgle shape( I try to preserve the air in) and I leave it rest again til I prepare the filling.


Now you can grease the pans (meat loaf pans are perfect) and prepare the filling.

The filling can be replaced by topping the dough whit dry fruits (previously soaked in rum or water), Turkish delight, fruit butter, chocolate cream…

For the filling:
4 egg whites

300-400 grams chopped walnuts (you chose how much)

6 table spoons of cocoa powder

150 grams of sugar

1 table spoon vanilla essence

1 table spoon rum essence

Pinch of salt

Beat the egg whites whit a pinch of salt till become stiff (1-2 minutes), add sugar and continue beaten (1-2 minutes) till dissolved, ad vanilla and rum essence to incorporate.

Stop using the mixer, put in the cocoa and chopped walnuts and gently whit a spatula mix them in.

At this point you can spread the filling on top of the dough rolling the dough gently and lift the roll to place it in the greased pan, beat an egg yolk whit a table spoon of water or milk to brush the rolls on topp, sprinkle granulated sugar and/or chopped walnuts, place trays in stove and turn it off (remember is already warmed at 250F) .

You want to leave loafs to grow first for an hour in a warm stove, and then bake it at 400F for 30 minutes

Savory peach pie

 

   4 hard but ripe peaches           1 teaspoon vanilla extract

   6 egg whites                            1 teaspoon baking powder

200 grams sugar                        1 tablespoon vinegar (white or apple)

180 grams flour                          1 pinch of salt

    3 tablespoons of flour

Wash the peaches, cut them in bite size.

 

Mix the 180 grams of flower whit the baking powder.

Grease and flour a pan ( I prefer a 10 inch spring pan because it is easier to take the pie out) but can be any type and shape as long is not to large.

Whisk egg withes and the salt whit the mixer on low speed for 30 seconds (this will allow the air to get incorporated), then continue on the high speed for 2-3 minutes until the egg withes become stiff, then add the vanilla and vinegar while mixing.

 At this point we do not need the mixer anymore, slowly add the flour and baking powder to the stiff egg whites, mixing it in whit the spatula from the bottom up, not loose the air incorporated in the egg whites.

 

Now is the time to heat the oven on 350 F and lightly coat the peaches whit the 3 tablespoon of flour, this will prevent the fruits to sink in (otherwise everything is going to be on the bottom of the pan).

Pour the mixture in the greased and flowered pan and arrange the fruits on top bit by bit. 

Bake them for 40-50 minutes on middle rack. To be sure is ready insert a tooth pick in mixture (not in the fruit) and if it is clean the pie is ready.

You can serve it hot, whit some whip cream, but I prefer to sprinkle it whit powder sugar when is hot, let it to cool down and refrigerate it for at least 2-3 hours. The best is next day, when is very cold and the peachy juice is impregnated in the pie.

You can use other type of fruits like cherries, sour cherries, apricots, apples, prunes or dry fruits (or use your imagination by mixing them up)….