As a child there was a pastry shop in the center of Anzio, the Graziosi pastry shop, which sold a large and crunchy Kranz.
Now I do it by myself, having adapted a recipe from the Simili sisters.
Just gorgeous!

Kranz

  • Preparation time: 180 minutes
  • Ingredients for 4-6 servings
  • Difficulty: Difficult recipe
  • Ingredients
  • For the yeast:
  • 3 oz (80 grams) of bread flour
  • 2 oz (50 grams) of slightly warm milk
  • ½ oz (10 grams) of brewer’s fresh yeast
  • For the dough:
  • 8 oz (220 grams) of baker flour
  • 2 oz (50 grams) of sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of brewer’s fresh yeast
  • 1 teaspoon of malt
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 ½ oz (40 grams) of butter
  • 2 eggs
  • For the tournage:
  • 4 oz (100 grams) of butter
  • For the stuffing:
  • 2 oz (50 grams) of melted butter
  • 4 spoons of apricot jam
  • 2 oz (100 grams) of raisins
  • 2 oz (100 grams) of candied fruit (oranges and cherries)
  • Sugar to taste
  1. Instructions
  2. In a bowl, prepare the yeast. Dissolve the brewer’s yeast in the milk, then add the flour. Mix well. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about an hour).
  3. After this time, prepare the dough. In a planetary mixer, mix the sugar with the eggs and the malt. Add enough flour to start stringing the dough (you can see that it starts to cling to the leaf/hook of the planetary mixer). At this point, add the yeast and crumbled yeast.
    Knead until it becomes elastic and smooth.
  4. Now introduce the salt and the butter. Work the dough long enough for it to absorb them.
  5. Leave to rise for about an hour, covered at room temperature.
  6. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
  7. For the tournage, take the butter and put it on a piece of parchment paper. Beat it with a rolling pin to make it plastic-y, giving it the shape of a rectangle. Put it back in the refrigerator.
  8. When the dough and the rectangle of butter are at the same temperature, start assembling. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until it becomes as wide as the rectangle of butter and twice as long. Place the butter in the center of the dough, then fold the two edges of the top.
  9. Now roll out the dough very gently with a rolling pin so as to not break the embedded butter and make the first of four folds. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for at least thirty minutes.
  10. Take the dough back and roll again with the rolling pin to give the second of three [BM1] folds. Put the dough back in the fridge overnight.
  11. In the morning, take the dough out. Wait a bit for it to come back to room temperature.
  12. Put the soaked raisins in a bowl of boiling water, then squeeze them well.
  13. Cut the candied fruit into cubes.
  14. Take the dough and roll it out with a rolling pin, forming a rectangle 3 mm thick. Sprinkle with jam, raisins, and candied fruit.
  15. Roll up from the longer side. Cut this roll in half lengthwise with a sharp knife. Gently separate the two pieces. Turn them, keeping the cut side upwards, then form a braid while making sure that the cut side remains as high as possible. Place the brioche on a baking tray covered with parchment paper and brush it with the melted butter. Leave to rise, covered, until it has doubled in size (about an hour).
  16. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  17. Sprinkle the Kranz with granulated sugar and bake. Cook for about twenty-five minutes.

Tips to ensure the success of the dish:

  • Before introducing the butter, the dough must be elastic. You have to do the “veil test” by taking a piece of dough and pulling it between your hands. If it doesn’t break but stretches to form a veil, it’s ready for the fat to be added.
  • The leavening time depends on many factors: for example, the outside temperature.
  • The timing of cooking in the oven is indicative because each oven cooks differently. The pastry shouldn’t get too dark.
  • This brioche does not keep fragrant for long. It should be consumed within the day.