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Trenza de Almudévar
Nut and raisin braided bread
Trenza de Almudévar: Huesca's braided sweet bread filled with walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts and soaked raisins
Almudévar, a small town between Zaragoza and Huesca, gave its name to a braid that is now sold all over Aragon and given as a present at Christmas: a golden plaited loaf, layered with chopped nuts and liqueur-soaked raisins and brushed with syrup until it shines. The town's bakeries use a laminated, puff-like dough that takes a day; this home version uses a buttery brioche rolled around the filling and cut and braided so the layers show. The raisins are traditionally soaked in rum or brandy; use warm orange juice for an alcohol-free loaf. A common mistake is braiding too tightly, which squeezes out the filling and stops the dough rising. Chef's tip: chill the filled roll for 15 minutes before cutting it lengthways; the butter firms and the cut is much cleaner.
- Total time
- 85 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the dough
- ½ cup whole milklukewarm
- 14 oz strong white bread flour
- 2 ⅛ oz caster sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 ⅞ oz unsalted buttersoftened
For the filling
- 2 ⅞ oz raisins
- 3 tbsp rum or brandyor warm orange juice for alcohol-free
- 1 ¾ oz walnutschopped
- 1 ⅜ oz almondschopped
- 1 ⅜ oz hazelnutschopped
- 2 ⅛ oz unsalted buttersoftened
- 1 ¾ oz soft brown sugar
To finish
- 1 eggbeaten
- 1 ¾ oz caster sugar
- 3 ½ tbsp water
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Soak 2 ⅞ oz raisins in 3 tbsp rum or brandy for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
Step 2: Stir ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast into ½ cup whole milk. In a bowl or mixer, combine 14 oz strong white bread flour, 2 ⅛ oz caster sugar and ½ tsp salt, add the milk and 2 eggs and knead for 5 minutes. Add 2 ⅞ oz unsalted butter a little at a time and knead for 10 minutes more, until the dough is smooth, glossy and stretches thin without tearing.
15 minStep 3: Cover and leave in a warm place until doubled, about 1½ hours.
90 minStep 4: Beat 2 ⅛ oz unsalted butter with 1 ¾ oz soft brown sugar until soft. Drain the raisins and mix with 1 ¾ oz walnuts, 1 ⅜ oz almonds and 1 ⅜ oz hazelnuts.
Step 5: Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 40 x 30 cm rectangle. Spread with the sweet butter, scatter the nuts and raisins evenly and press them in. Roll up tightly from a long side into a log and chill for 15 minutes.
15 minStep 6: Cut the log in half lengthways with a sharp knife so the layers show. Lay the two halves side by side, cut sides up, and twist them loosely over each other into a braid, pinching the ends. Lift onto a lined tray.
Step 7: Cover loosely and prove for 45 to 60 minutes, until puffy. Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan).
50 minStep 8: Brush the exposed dough with 1 egg and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until deep golden and the bread sounds hollow underneath. Cover with foil after 20 minutes if the nuts are darkening.
32 minStep 9: Meanwhile boil 1 ¾ oz caster sugar and 3 ½ tbsp water for 2 minutes until clear. Brush the syrup over the hot braid so it shines, and cool on the tray for 20 minutes before slicing.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does trenza de Almudévar take?
- About 85 minutes in total: 50 minutes to prepare and 35 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 whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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