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Coca de Sant Joan
Candied fruit and pine nut brioche
Coca de Sant Joan: Catalonia's Midsummer brioche with candied fruit, pine nuts and sugar
On the night of 23 June, the Revetlla de Sant Joan, Catalonia lights bonfires, sets off firecrackers on every beach and street, and shares a long oval coca: a soft, lemony brioche topped with candied fruit, pine nuts and crunchy sugar. Bakeries sell thousands, but a homemade one, still slightly warm, is something else. Some recipes add a splash of anise liqueur; this one uses aniseed instead. Chef's tip: give the shaped dough a long, slow second rise; a well-proved coca bakes up light, an under-proved one dense.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour
- 3 ⅛ oz caster sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground aniseed
- 1 tbsp lemon zestfrom 1 lemon
- ¾ cup whole milklukewarm
- 3 eggsbeaten
- 2 ⅞ oz unsalted buttersoft
For the topping
- 1 eggbeaten
- 5 ½ oz candied fruitorange peel, cherries, melon, in strips
- 1 ⅜ oz pine nuts
- 3 tbsp granulated sugarmoistened with a few drops of water
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 3 ⅛ oz caster sugar, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp ground aniseed and 1 tbsp lemon zest in a large bowl. Add ¾ cup whole milk and 3 eggs and knead for 5 minutes into a soft, sticky dough.
5 minStep 2: Add 2 ⅞ oz unsalted butter a little at a time and knead for 8–10 minutes more, until the dough is smooth, glossy and stretches into a thin windowpane without tearing.
10 minStep 3: Cover and leave in a warm place for 1½–2 hours, until doubled.
100 minStep 4: Knock back and roll into an oval about 40 × 20 cm and 1.5 cm thick. Lay it on a lined baking tray, cover loosely and prove for 1 hour, until puffy and a finger press springs back slowly.
60 minStep 5: Heat the oven to 375°F (350°F fan). Brush the dough with 1 egg and press 5 ½ oz candied fruit into the top in a pattern. Scatter over 1 ⅜ oz pine nuts and spoon the damp 3 tbsp granulated sugar in little heaps.
Step 6: Bake for 20–25 minutes, until deep golden and hollow-sounding underneath. If the pine nuts colour too fast, cover loosely with foil. A common mistake is overbaking: take it out as soon as it is golden, or the crumb dries out.
25 minStep 7: Cool on a rack. It is best on the day; wrap leftovers well.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 390 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 61 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does coca de Sant Joan take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of strong white bread flour?
- Plain flour, same amount (the dough will be softer and rise a little less).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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