Alice Medrich, founder of Cocolat and award-winning cookbook author, has
definitely done it again. Alice hits 'em out of the stands every time she
writes a book.
A Year In Chocolate, is just that - seasonal desserts based around chocolate. Each section includes desserts that can be made any time of year, and those using something seasonal. Fall has Chocolate Cranberry Bread Pudding yet winter has Chocolate Cranberry Babka. I'm not quite sure why, this seems a bit inconsistent (or I'm a bit too literal) but these a very small and caviling points. Alice Medrich's recipes are clear and spare, she tells you exactly what you need to know at each step throughout the recipe. This may sound like stating the obvious, but that's very difficult to do, especially without being wordy or cute. She stresses the importance of attention to detail, which in baking is especially vital, and when working with chocolate, even more so. Chocolate, butter and egg whites are the divas of pastry prep - temperamental and easy to displease. When they're displeased they don't perform well - if at all - and Medrich discusses that and more, very early on in the book.
I tested Chocolate Cranberry Babka, which is made of the course of a 24 hour period, because the babka dough, made like a brioche, needs an overnight resting period. A buttery dough can be sticky and hard to work with. This one was a silken, pleasure. The babka is extremely rich and freezes well, but despite all that it lasted, maybe, 48 hours in a household of two.
Chocolate Cranberry Babka ((Serves 10-12)
Ingredients: Dough
3 cups bread flour
20 tablespoons ( 2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold
1 envelope (1 scant tablespoon) active dry yeast
1 teaspoon plus 1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup warm water (105°-115° F)
5 eggs, cold
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Filling
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoons instant coffee or espresso powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup dried cranberries or cherries
Equipment 8-10-cup tube pan, greased
To make the babka, spread the flour in a wide baking pan. Freeze at least 30 minutes or until needed (Tester's note: Heavy-duty freezer bags work just as well).
Using the paddle attachment of a heavy-duty mixer, beat the cold butter only until creamy, smooth and free of lumps when pinched between your fingers. Scrape the butter into a mound on wax paper and refrigerate. Proceed with recipe right away; a long delay will reharden the butter.
Dissolve the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar in the warm water. Pour the dissolved yeast in the mixer bowl. Attach the dough hook. Add the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar, eggs, salt and flour and mix until blended. Knead the dough on medium speed for 5 minutes. After kneading period the dough will be very soft, sticky and elastic. It will be wrapped around the dough hook. Add the cold creamed butter in several pieces, pushing it into the dough and beat with hook until thoroughly incorporated. Stop several times to scrape the dough from the bowl and hook. Scrape the dough into a bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight.
Mix the filling ingredients and cover.
Up to 24 hours later, scrape the cold dough out onto a floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a rectangle about 18x12x 1/2 inch. Scatter the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch margin on 1 long edge. Moisten the margin with water. Beginning at the long edge opposite the margin, roll dough up like a jelly roll. Press firmly to seal the roll. With seam facing down, cut 18 slices, each about 1 inch thick. Toss the slices gently into the pan, without particularly arranging them. If you lay them flat in the pan, they will not stick together properly. Adjust slices to reach the same level in the pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and rise in a warm place until doubled, about 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Place the pan on a baking sheet. Bake until the top is deeply browned and the bottom of the pan sounds hollow when tapped or an instant-read thermometer measures 200° F when inserted into the center of the bread, 50-60 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack.
(Tester's note: If you had any leftover, this would make an awesome bread pudding).
By Sukey Pett
