Sweet Angelica is a soft and fragrant Christmas braid, enriched with butter and egg yolks, filled with toasted nuts and dark chocolate. A dessert of great effect for the holidays.
Ingredients for the Lievitino (Pre-ferment)
- 150 g Manitoba flour
- 150 ml lukewarm milk
- 15 g Chenabura Yeast
- 1 tbsp honey
Ingredients for the Dough
- 500 g Manitoba flour
- 100 g sugar
- 100 g softened butter
- 3 egg yolks
- 10 g Chenabura Yeast
- 100 ml lukewarm milk
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- Grated zest of 1 orange
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
Ingredients for the Filling
- 100 g toasted almonds (coarsely chopped)
- 80 g toasted hazelnuts (coarsely chopped)
- 150 g dark chocolate (chopped)
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Prepare the lievitino: dissolve the Chenabura yeast in warm milk with honey, add the flour and mix. Cover and let rise for 1 hour until doubled.
- Prepare the dough: in a bowl mix the flour with sugar, add the lievitino, egg yolks, remaining yeast dissolved in milk, citrus zests and vanilla. Knead adding the soft butter a little at a time. Add salt at the end. Knead for 15 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- First rise: let rise covered for 3-4 hours until tripled in volume.
- Roll out and fill: roll into a rectangle of 40x60 cm. Spread the honey, distribute the nuts and chocolate, sprinkle with cinnamon.
- Shape the braid: roll up from the long side, cut in half lengthwise. Braid the two halves keeping the cut facing up to show the filling. Form a crown by joining the ends.
- Final rise: let rise for 1.5-2 hours.
- Bake: brush with beaten egg mixed with milk, bake at 170°C for 40-45 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil if it browns too much.
Tip: for a shinier surface, brush with sugar syrup just out of the oven.