I realized the other day that there is not even a single yeast recipe amongst the 100+ which were posted so far in Our Patisserie. What's a patisserie without yeast breads, rolls and danishes, I ask you? Since I wanted to remedy this situation as fast as I could, I decided to make an apple ring with yeast for the ongoing Turkish blog-event featuring apples. Although I accidentally used almost twice the amount of dried apples needed, nobody complained since the filling was still spreadable and the ring turned out very delicious with all that appley goodness. The recipe is from Breads by Cynthia Scheer. (For a fresh apple filling, you can refer to Angelica's recipe under Comments. Thanks, Angelica!)
1 package (2 1/2 tsp) active dry yeast
1/4 c warm water
4 tbs sugar
3/4 c warm milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c butter, softened
3 1/4-3 1/2 c flour
3 egg yolks
1 egg white, beaten with a little water
2 tbs coarsely chopped hazelnuts
Dried Apple Filling (recipe below)
Sprinkle yeast over warm water. Add 1 tbs of the sugar. Let stand until yeast is bubbly (about 5 minutes). Add another tablespoonful of sugar, milk, vanilla and softened butter and mix briefly. Add 2 c of the flour. Mix to blend, then increase speed to medium and beat about 5 minutes. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time. Stir in 1 c more flour to make a soft dough. Turn it onto a floured board and knead until smooth and satiny (10-12 minutes). Add a little more flour at a time as needed to prevent dough from sticking to the board. Put the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel; and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours). While the dough rises, you can prepare the filling. At the end of the rising period, punch the dough, cover and rest for another 10 minutes. Roll dough out on a floured surface to an 18" square. Spread with filling, leaving a 1" margin on all sides. Roll up jelly-roll fashion. Place the roll, seam side down, on a large greased baking sheet and shape into a ring. Cut slits at 2" intervals in dough just to first layer of filling. Let rise for 30-45 minutes. Brush lightly with the egg white, sprinkle (if desired) with the remaining 2 tbs of sugar and the chopped hazelnuts. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 35-40 minutes or until the ring is nicely browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Dried Apple Filling
1 1/2 c water
2 c (6 oz) dried apples (I used more than 10 oz)
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c golden raisins
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Combine apples, water and lemon juice in a pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer until apples are very tender. Drain well and puree the apples with sugar in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl, add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Filling should be thick but moist enough to spread.
