Swedish Ring Bread

This is a very pretty, tasty and moist bread that I will definitely make again. It is a ring bread with ground almond and dried fruit mixture filling in it. I am sure it will be equally delicious with other fillings that the baker's fancy. I already planned to bake this again next week, with ham and cheese filling to turn it into a savoury bread. Is the original sweet version better or will the ham-cheese version win more support? I will  let my residential food tasters to be the judge. :)

This recipe came from "The Essential Baking Cookbook" that I brought from the book store few months back at a very good discount. Given that this first recipe that I have tried from this book turned out so well-received, I will definitely refer to this book more often and put it into good use.

Recipe for Swedish Ring Bread

For the bread:

• 7g dried yeast
• 2 tbsp warm water
• 170ml milk
• 60g unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 cups plain flour (I used a mixture of bread and plain flour)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 egg yolk, mixed with 1 tbsp water (for egg wash)

For the filling:

• 30g unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 100g ground almond
• 95g mixed dried fruit
• 100g glace cherries, cut in halves ( I replaced this with another 100g of dried mixed fruit)

Methods:

1. Dissolve yeast in 2 tablespoons of warm water in a bowl. Leave aside for 10 minutes or until bubbles appear on the surface and the mixture is frothy.
2. Heat the milk, butter, sugar and 1/2 tsp salt in a saucepan until just warmed.
3. Sift 250g of the flour into a large bowl. Add the yeast and milk mixture and beaten egg and mix to a smooth batter.
4. Add the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
5. Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl and brush the dough with oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, or until well risen.
6. Meanwhile, to make the filling, cream the butter and sugar, then mix in the almonds and mixed fruits. Set aside.
7. Punch the dough down and give it a knead for 1 minute. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 10 x 18 inch (25 x 45 cm) rectangle. Spread the filling over the dough, leaving 2 cm border.
8. Roll up into a log and carefully bend it to form a ring with the seam underneath. use a little egg wash mixture to seal the ends together.
9. Place the ring on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Use a scissors to snip the outside edge of the ring at about 4 cm intervals. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 45 minutes or until well risen.
10. Preheat oven at 175 degree C. Brush the ring with some egg wash mixture. Bake for 25 minutes or until film and golden. Cover with foil if the ring is browning too much.
11. Remove from oven leave it to cool down (this is the moment when all of us in the house could not resist the sweet and fresh aroma from the bead, especially my daughter who was doing her homework at the dinning table, right in front of the bread)

The bread is still so soft and aromatic in the next morning when we had it for breakfast. Brought a section to share with my fellow colleagues during afternoon tea time. They like it very much too.One of them even ask for a slice to bring home for her mum to try. This is how good it tasted :)