Gubana
Description
This loaf is easy to adapt to whatever you have in the pantry. You can use any nuts and dried fruit. If the bake is for children, replace the liqueur with orange juice. Serve warm or chilled. Perfect with tea.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Prepare the ingredients for the dough.
- 2
Step 2
Warm the milk in the microwave for 30 seconds; it should be warm, but not hot. Add the dry yeast and stir.
- 3
Step 3
Sift the flour through a fine sieve into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the sugar and salt. Mix the dry ingredients together. Make a well in the centre of the flour.
- 4
Step 4
Pour the yeast activated in milk into the well in the flour, add the eggs and liqueur, and start kneading the dough.
- 5
Step 5
The dough should be smooth and slightly sticky. Add the chilled butter in several stages, continuing to knead the dough.
- 6
Step 6
Shape the finished dough into a ball and transfer it to a bowl, dusting the bowl lightly with flour. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and leave it in a warm place for 1.5 hours to rise.
- 7
Step 7
While the dough rises, prepare the filling. In the classic version, almond cookies are used, but you can replace them with any other kind if you like.
- 8
Step 8
Finely chop the nuts. Rinse the raisins and soak them in liqueur.
- 9
Step 9
Transfer the cookies into a bag and roll over them with a rolling pin.
- 10
Step 10
Combine the filling ingredients: chopped nuts, cookies, raisins, honey, and cinnamon. Mix well. If the filling seems dry, add a little liquid (liqueur, water, or juice).
- 11
Step 11
Remove the risen dough from the bowl. Dust the work surface with flour.
- 12
Step 12
Roll out the dough into a rectangular sheet, 0.5–0.7 mm thick.
- 13
Step 13
Spread the prepared filling evenly around the entire perimeter of the dough. Roll the dough with the filling into a tight roll along the long side.
- 14
Step 14
Roll the dough roulade into a coil like a snail, seam side down. Transfer the shaped piece to the pan, enclosing it in a springform ring. Leave it for 30 minutes at room temperature. First cover it with a kitchen towel to keep it from drying out.
- 15
Step 15
Before baking, brush the top of the bun with milk. Bake in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for 35–40 minutes. Check doneness with a wooden skewer.
- 16
Step 16
After baking, take the cake out of the oven and, for a glossy finish, brush the top with warm syrup. Let it cool, then remove the springform ring.
- 17
Step 17
Incredibly aromatic filling and a soft, moist crumb!