Italian Pastry Ring
Earlier this week, I got my copy of Dianne Jacob's Will Write for Food in the mail. I am a regular reader of her blog and enjoy her honest and thoughtful posts. I have known about her book for a while but hadn't given any thought to buying it until recently. Although I don't plan on becoming a food writer for a living, I'm reading her book to gain more insight and knowledge on the craft of food writing and how to hone my skills. It's a fun read so far, full of well-presented information and written in a friendly and encouraging voice. As I go through Dianne's book, I'll be doing the assignments and exercises she designed and putting them to use here on my blog. I hope you won't mind reading my homework.
I have also decided to simplify things in the writing department here on Flavia's Flavors. I've been over-thinking my writing too much and it's made me lose focus and forget just how much I love to write. All the over-analyzing has made some of my posts sound very unlike me. When you read my posts, I want you to hear the same person you would hear if you met me in person. So I'm planning on writing shorter posts, making every word count and keeping my message simple and uncomplicated--just like the food I love to cook.
Italian Pastry Ring
Adapted from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella HazanI love how this pastry ring is not as sweet as most breakfast pastries. Lemon zest gives the rich, crumbly dough a bright fragrance. Sprinkles make it festive since it's an otherwise boring-looking baked good. The dough can be tricky to work with, as there is little moisture added to it, but stay patient and keep working the dough--it will eventually come together. You may need to add a little more milk, but only add 1 teaspoon at a time until you manage to get the dough to hold together.
8 T. (1 stick) unsalted butter + 1 T. for baking sheet
4 cups all-purpose flour + 1 T. for baking sheet
3/4 cup sugar
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. grated lemon zest (from 1 small lemon)
1/4 cup lukewarm milk
2 large eggs
Multi-colored nonpareil sprinkles (optional)Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Smear 1 tablespoon of butter in a large circle in the center of a baking sheet and dust it with 1 tablespoon of flour, tapping off excess. Set aside.
Melt the 8 tablespoons of butter over low heat in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and allow it to cool slightly.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder salt and lemon zest. Add in the melted butter, milk, one whole egg and only the white of the second egg. Next, add in all but 1 teaspoon of the yolk of the second egg. Reserve the remaining teaspoon of yolk--this will be used as an egg wash to brush over the pastry before you bake it.
Thoroughly mix all the ingredients using a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula. The dough will be crumbly for a while. Once the ingredients are incorporated, transfer the dough to a lightly floured board and continue kneading it until it comes together. You may need to add a little more milk if the dough is too dry. Add in any additional milk 1 teaspoon at a time.
Shape the dough into a long, thick roll and then shape it into a ring, pressing the ends together. Transfer the pastry ring to the buttered and floured baking sheet. Brush the top and sides of the ring with the reserved teaspoon of egg yolk mixed with 1 teaspoon of water. Using a small paring knife, score the top of the pastry ring with a few shallow cuts. Add the sprinkles if using.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the pastry ring has doubled in size and is a light golden brown. When the pastry ring is finished baking, remove it from the oven and let it cool on the baking sheet for about 15 minutes before transferring it to a baking rack to cool completely. Store wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 5 days.
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I love that this looks so festive! Too bad I'm a lousy baker, otherwise I'd be all over trying this myself. LOVE the confetti look!
Sounds like a good read! I'll have to check it out! This pastry ring looks delicious.
I love her book and consult it often. I found it immensely useful when we started blogging. Looking forward to exploring Flavia's Flavors!
gck
Flavia, it was so good to connect with you again. I love your blog and plan to make some of the things you have here, like this pastry ring.
This looks delicious! Definitely going on my 'to-do' baking list :)