~ "By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; Through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." ~ "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing" ~ "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." ~ "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."~

Monday, July 21, 2014

Romanian Cozonac... using the tangzhong method.

Romanian Cozonac... using the tangzhong method. I know this is not the time to share a recipe for a sweet bread. Summer isn't for using your oven. But I've been playing with a favorite recipe of mine for some time now. It's interesting, but I find much relaxation when it comes to working with bread doughs. 

In all honesty, I haven't been cooking and baking very much... have kept our meals very uncomplicated with the usual salads, eggs, grilled veggies and sometimes sandwiches. However, I have, at times pulled up old favorites to make... only because necessity required it.... like having guests over:). But it was fun going back to my recipe index and pulling out a few favorites to make again... favorites like the Best Ever Bagels, King Arthur Flour Brownies, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Romanian Mititei, and a few others. 

But several weeks ago, we went to visit a friend and I decided to make some cozonac. Thought it would be nice to bring something sweet to share with a cup of coffee. We all enjoyed it, so I decided to share my new tweaking of the old classic Romanian dessert that's also found in my recipe index.   

Ever since I tried the tangzhong method I've applied it to many yeast doughs because I rather liked the end result. This time I used it again to make my Romanian cozonac. Loved  how soft and fluffy the cozonac came out. Pictures don't do justice, because I sliced it after I had frozen the loaves. But you can see a bit of the fluffy texture in the last photo up on top... 

Now, I need to say that while I've included amounts for the flavorings used in the cozonac, you can easily adjust the flavorings to taste. Don't be put off by not making the cozonac because you may not like the rum flavor... opt to use vanilla instead... or you can even add some almond flavoring. And as for the citrus flavorings, you can stick with just using lemon and omit the orange. My husband loves the orange flavor so I add it, but you can choose to omit or even combine the 2 citrus flavors, which is what I often do. The thing about cozonac, is that you want it to have plenty of flavor, otherwise it just becomes a sweet brioche bread... which isn't necessarily bad:).

In any case, for now, here is another variation to the Romanian cozonac.  I have to say that I am still working on another tweaking that I am excited to try... am hoping to make it again but maybe I'll wait the summer out:). Hope you enjoy...       

Note: The dough is on the sticky side... so don't feel too tempted to add extra flour. If need be, you can add about 1/4 cup extra flour... only if you feel it really needs it.... otherwise, just use oiled hands to work with the dough. 

You will need:

Nut Filling:
10 oz (or about 2 1/2 cups) finely ground walnuts
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
rum extract to taste(I use .5 oz extract) *
1 tsp orange or lemon extract
2 tsp orange or lemon zest
*don't like rum, use vanilla extract

Tangzhong:
1/3 cup bread flour (I use King Arthur Flour)
1 cup water

Sweet Dough:
1 cup milk
3/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2-3/4 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
3 eggs, beaten
3 tsps orange or lemon zest
1 TBS rum extract, or to taste*
1 tsp lemon extract
285 grams + 550 grams bread flour, divided
2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
all of the cooked tangzhong
4 TBS softened butter
*don't like rum, use vanilla extract

Extra:
beaten egg for brushing loaves

Directions:

Make Nut Filling: (I like to do this a day ahead, refrigerate and then bring back to room temperature the day of baking.)

1. Place milk and sugar in a medium saucepan.  Heat pan on medium-low heat and whisk mixture until sugar dissolves.. 
2. Add walnuts and keep stirring every so often... until mixture thickens somewhat (about 10-12 minutes).
3. Add cocoa and continue to cook further until filling thickens even more and becomes paste-like. Add flavorings and stir to combine.
4. Remove from heat and set filling aside to cool....it should thicken even further as it sits.

Make Tangzhong:

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk flour and water well so you don't have any lumps. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring consistently with a wooden spoon, whisk or spatula to prevent burning and sticking while you cook it.
2. The mixture becomes thicker and thicker.... similar to a creme patisserie (thin pudding-like ). You will notice some “lines” appear in the mixture every time you stir and the roux should fall slowly off a whisk ... the temperature should be at 150 deg F.   Remove from heat.
3. Transfer the tangzhong into a clean bowl. Cover with a cling wrap. Let cool to room temperature.  

Make Sweet Dough:
1. In a saucepan, heat milk, butter and sugar. Remove from heat and let cool till just warm.
2. Add beaten eggs and blend to incorporate, then whisk in the flavorings... lemon/orange zest, rum/vanilla. 
3. In mixer bowl, add 285 grams flour, tangzhong, instant yeast and warm milk mixture. Using the paddle attachment mix the batter for 3 minutes on medium speed.
4. Remove paddle and attach the dough hook.
5. Add 550 grams of bread flour and knead for an additional 7 minutes.... speed 2/3 on Kitchenaid mixer. After 7 minutes, with mixer running, begin adding small pieces of softened butter, waiting until each piece is fully incorporated into the dough before adding the next. Continue adding the rest of the butter pieces, one at a time, until all 4 tablespoons of butter is fully incorporated into the dough... this should take another 5-7 more minutes of kneading. Total mixing/kneading from start to finish should be about 15-18 minutes.
6. Form dough into a ball... (dough is on the sticky/tacky side)... and cover with plastic wrap.
7. Place bowl in a warm place(I place mine in a slightly warm oven, free from draft) and let rise till doubled. This usually takes about 1 1/2- 2 hours, or so.



Prepare 2 (9x5) loaf pans by buttering/oiling pan and lining with buttered parchment paper. This will ensure the loaf will not stick in the final baking stage.

8. Lightly oil your counter space and using lightly oiled hands punch dough down and remove from bowl and place on countertop.
9. Divide dough in 4 equal pieces. 
10. Lightly oil a rolling pin and working with one piece at a time(cover the rest), begin rolling the dough into a rectangle(roughly 13x7 inches) and about 1/2-3/4 inch thick.
11. Spread 1/4 of the nut filling evenly over the surface and roll short side of the dough in jelly roll style.  Set aside.
  

12. Take second piece of dough and repeat process until you have 2 filled and rolled dough logs.
13. Twist the 2 logs together and compact the dough from both ends so the length is as close to the length of the baking pan as possible. Quickly lift up the twisted dough and place in a parchment lined baking pan.
14. Repeat the process with the next 2 pieces of dough and fill the second pan. 
Note: Sometimes I like to form the twisted dough in the form of an oval before placing in pan... see photo in collage.
15. Brush loaves with beaten egg and cover with oiled plastic wrap. 
16. Allow to rise for about 40 minutes or until nicely puffed(maybe an inch above the lip of pan... you don't want it to be over-proofed) in a warm environment... 

Preheat oven to 350 deg F... 

17. Place pans on bottom third rack in preheated oven. 
18. Bake for about 25 minutes, and lightly place a sheet of aluminum foil over top of cozonac.
19. Bake for another 20-25 minutes... for a total of 45-50 minutes. Remove foil if not completely browned all the way around the last 10 minutes or so. The foil is there to prevent the dough from burning... use your judgement as when and how long to keep it covered as all ovens are different.
20. Remove from oven and allow cozonac to cool in pan for about 15 minutes or so. Remove from pan and cool completely. 
I love to freeze the cozonac then defrost as needed... and rewarm slightly. Find the flavor is best after it sits awhile.


12 comments:

Ela said...

It looks like delicious !

Ellie said...

Ela, Thank you:)... we really like it!

Magda said...

HI, i am still in love with your vegan cozonac recipe. Will try to adapt it for that way too.

Ellie said...

Mag, That's wonderful to hear:)! Hope you enjoy this version as well. Thanks a bunch for stopping by...

Maryanne said...

I have made your 'traditional' cozonac recipe at least half a dozen times now and it is superb. Your step by step instructions are great and the flavour in the bread and filling is spot on! I'm curious to try this version too so I just made the filling and noticed it was missing something - the espresso powder you mention in the other posts. I just added it later and it really does make a difference. Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful recipe!

Ellie said...

Maryanne, Oh, that's wonderful to hear! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback... I really appreciate it( and it always makes my day to hear someone else enjoys the recipes:)).

This version was a variation off the original... I was more interested to see how the dough plays out. I am glad you like the espresso addition, it's something I like to add, though I know others don't really care for the stronger chocolaty variation. Nonetheless, I'm glad to hear you enjoy it!

Again, thanks a bunch for taking the time to stop by and write:). Have a wonderful day!

Anthony said...

Hello Ellie,
Wonderful blog! I tried some recipes, and what an absolute delight!

I have a question, might sound basic, but how much is 1/3 cup bread flour in grams and how much is 1 cup water in ml for the tang zhong?
I looked it up online but had 2 very different results.

I will be making this recipe as soon as my (home-made) orange extract is ready!
Thank you. x

Ellie said...

Anthony, Thank you for your kind comment... thrilled to hear that you are enjoying the recipes. As for the info: 1/3 cup flour-50grams and 1 cup water-250ml. Hope that helps and have fun baking! The homemade orange extract sounds awesome!

Maria said...

Hello Ellie,

Thank you so much for your Cozonac recipes! I have tried this method 3 times already.

I have a question about this method:
After I let the Tangzhong cool down covered with plastic, there is alot of condensation which makes the Tangzhong watery is this normal? (this has happened twice since doing this recipe).

Also, when I add the 550g of flour after the 7 minutes the dough is very watery, almost like cupcake batter. I added the butter and it still did not get in a more solid form, i proceded to add the 1/4 cup of flour and that seemed to not make a dent. I ended up adding a couple of cups of flour (measured by eye to make it a sticky yet dough consistency to at least stick to the dough hook).

*Also in the recipe it does not say when to add the salt (since i used unsalted butter) I added it before the butter.

The first time I did this recipe (for Easter this year) my Cozonac turned amazing. The second time, it did not rise as much and it was alright (not flakey like the first one). I am currently working on the third time for Christmas and hoping it turns out.

What am I doing wrong?

Ellie said...

Hello Maria, Thank you for stopping by and sharing your feedback. I am glad you had success with this recipe the first time...
To answer your questions.... the condensation onthe tangzhong should not cause too much of a problem... you could let it cool down and then cover it for next time. As for the dough being cupcake like batter, that sounds like you are definitely missing flour. The only thing I can think of is that you forgot to add the initial 285 grams of flour(?) and then add the additional 550 grams. That should give you a total of 835 grams of flour.... with that amount of flour you should not have a cupcake batter. Hopefully that was the issue... because it is an easy one to fix next time😊.

Wishing you success this time around and have a blessed Christmas!

Maria said...

Hi Ellie's!
Thank you so much for your reply. :)
I did add the initial 285 and at that stage it was very watery. Then added the 550 and it thickned it but to the cupcake/muffin batter consistency.but anyway I did add flour to make it sticky doughy consistency.
Good news that the Cozonac I made today turned out great ! I will keep a better eye on the flour (hoping my scale did not get possesed or something) strange that it happened twice in a row with months apart :)
A good present for Christmas I just ate a piece . Thank you so much for putting a recipe with this method for Cozonac! My mom is very picky and has not been able to make cozonac that is good like back home but when I made it she was so surprised and loves it! Now she asks me to make it again for new years.


VA dorim un Crăciun fericit si un an nou plin de fericiri și bucurii !

Ellie said...

Maria, Awww....SO thrilled to hear that the cozonac came out for you!! Not to mention that it is an honor to hear that your mom loves this version. It would be similar to an older Romanian version where " faina(aluat) oparita" was used...
I have a feeling that sometimes the scale can indeed be the culprit😊. Anyway, glad to hear you added the extra flour to get the dough to the right consistency. But sounds to me like you know how to bake!!:).

Have a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!