Kranz

To prepare the kranz, you can start with the brioche dough which must rest overnight in the refrigerator. In a bowl, work the softened butter with a spatula to make it a smooth cream 1, then add the salt 2. Split half a vanilla bean with the tip of a small knife and extract the seeds, which you can add to the butter 3; mix the ingredients carefully and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the previously sifted flours 4, also adding the sugar 5, the yeast (alternatively, you can use 12 g of fresh brewer's yeast) and the honey 6.

Turn on the mixer at medium speed and slowly pour in water at room temperature 7 and the whole eggs one at a time 8. Once you have incorporated all the eggs, add the previously worked butter: add it little by little to the dough, helping yourself with a spoon 9. Add the butter gradually as the previous batch is incorporated.

Once all the ingredients are incorporated, you will have a soft and homogeneous dough 11; transfer it to a small bowl, cover it with plastic wrap 11, and let it rise for 2 hours. After the necessary time has passed, the dough will have doubled in volume 12, and you can place it in the refrigerator overnight.

Start preparing the puff pastry (you can refer to the detailed procedure in the Cooking School section: Puff pastry): start with the preparation of the base dough. Dissolve the salt in water 1, then sift the Manitoba flour together with 100 g of all-purpose flour and place them in the bowl of a stand mixer, add the water in which you dissolved the salt 2 and knead everything with the hook at medium speed for about 8 minutes. You should obtain a dough that is softer and more elastic than bread dough, smooth and homogeneous.

Let it rest, covered with a cloth or plastic wrap in a cool place for at least half an hour 4. In the meantime, start preparing the butter block. Remove the butter from the fridge, cut it into cubes, and place it in the mixer with the remaining 38 g of all-purpose flour: mix until you get a homogeneous and lump-free mixture. Transfer the obtained dough to a work surface and with a rolling pin, reduce it to a square with a thickness of about 1 centimeter (1/2 inch). Place the block in the lower part of the fridge (the coldest) for at least half an hour. Roll out the previously prepared dough into a rectangle of dimensions 10x12 inches, and place the butter block in the center, covering it with the two longer sides of the dough, making them meet (the central dough should overlap to create a box closure effect that will prevent the dough from opening during rolling. Fold the other two sides 5 until you close the block on each side. Take a rolling pin and apply pressure on the dough 6 to make the butter block more pliable. You can then begin to roll out the puff pastry.

Then proceed with the folds: fold the two shorter sides so they meet in the center of the longer side 7: make sure the two edges do not overlap and fold it like a book 8. Once your block is ready, mark it with a finger impression (to remind you that you just completed the first fold), wrap the dough in plastic wrap 9, and put it in the fridge for at least half an hour. Repeat this process at least three more times, always marking the fold with your fingers. After the last fold, place the puff pastry in the fridge for an hour.

After this time, you can form the kranz: squeeze the juice of an orange 1, strain it, and pour it into a small bowl, then soak the raisins in the juice and add a tablespoon of rum 2. Then roll out the brioche dough 3 and the puff pastry into two rectangles measuring 10x12 inches.

Brush the brioche dough with apricot jam 4 and sprinkle with raisins and candied orange peel 5. Then fill with jam, raisins, and candied fruits. Then place the puff pastry rectangle on the brioche dough. Press the two rectangles well to make them adhere and then divide the dough in half with a knife 6.

On one half 7 brush more apricot jam and sprinkle the surface with raisins and candied fruits 8. Then place the other half 9, alternating the layers and making it fit perfectly. You can apply light pressure with the palm of your hand to adhere the layers.

Now that you have finished, transfer the kranz dough to a tray so that you can cut it and recover any filling that may escape. With a pasta cutter, cut strips of 1x5 inches 10 and twist them on themselves 11 forming a spiral. Place the obtained kranz on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper 12, brush them with 1 beaten egg, and let them rise for about 2 hours until they double in volume. Then bake the kranz in a static oven preheated to 350°F for 25 minutes (if using a fan oven, bake at 320°F for 15-20 minutes).

In the meantime, in a saucepan, pour the sugar, then add water 13: dissolve the sugar and bring to a boil until a syrup has formed 14. When the kranz are cooked, take them out and let them cool slightly, then brush them with the water and sugar syrup 15 and serve warm or lukewarm!