Chocolate Kranz

I stumbled upon this recipe for Chocolate Kranz in Ottolenghi and Tamimi's Jerusalem cookbook.  I had just received it for Christmas and was devouring the reipes.  Normally, I don't pay a lot of attention to the sweets in cookbooks, but I thought this recipe would be ideal since a lot of people in my family and my husband's family like the Chocolate Babka that I had made in a prior year.  Chocolate Kranz is not a difficult recipe, but it does take time.  Chocolate Babka is not a huge undertaking either, but I really dislike hand chopping loads of chocolate.  My mom-in-law has told me that it works to do this in a small chopper, but when I have tried it, the chocolate just melts....so I wanted to try my hand at the Kranz.  I also am a big fan of nuts with chocolate, so I wanted to try it for this reason as well.

I have to say that though it took some time, it was well worth it.  The results were delicious and worth the effort and planning to make.  My husband also liked these loaves and better than the babka because it wasn't quite as sweet as the babka.

Chocolate Krantz Cakes
Dough:
4 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons fast rising active dry yeast
lemon zest from 1 lemon
3 large eggs
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
oil for greasing

Chocolate nut filling:                                                   Syrup:

1/2 powdered sugar                                                   2/3 cup water

1/3 cup cocoa powder                                               1 1/2 cups sugar

5 ounces dark chocolate, melted

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup chopped pecans

2 tablespoons vanilla sugar

Place the flour, sugar, yeast, and lemon zest in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook on low speed for a minute.  Add the eggs and water and mix on low speed for a couple of seconds.  Then turn it up to medium and mix for a couple of minutes until the dough comes together.  Add the salt and start adding the butter little at a time until it is incorporated into the dough.  Mix for an additional 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.  If needed scrape down the sides and add additional flour.  Place the dough in a bowl greased with oil.  Leave in the refrigerator overnight.

Grease two loaf pans with oil (a mild one preferably) and line with waxed paper.  Divide the dough in half (leaving the second half in the refrigerator while you work with the first half).  Meanwhile make the filling by combing the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, chocolate and butter.  Roll out the dough to 11x15 inches.  Use a spatula to spread half of the chocolate paste over the dough with about a 2/3 inch border.  Sprinkle half the pecans and then the sugar on top of the dough.  Roll up the rectangle (start with the long side closest to you and roll it up).  Seal the end with a bit of water and press to seal.  Rest on the seam.  Trim the edge.  Then take a knife and cut the roll in half lengthwise.  Leave the cut side up and lift one log over the other until you have a braid with the two logs.  Squeeze the ends together and gently lift into a pan.  Cover the pan with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place for about an hour.  The dough will rise about 10-20 percent.  Repeat with the second half of the dough.

Preheat the oven to 375F.  Remove the cloth and bake for about 30 minutes.  A skewer inserted in the bread should come out clean.  When the bread is baking, make the syrup.  Dissolve the sugar in the water over medium heat.  Bring to a boil.  As soon as the bread comes out of the oven brush with the syrup, using all the syrup.  Leave the bread until they are warm and then remove from the pans.  Let cool before serving.

Makes two loaves

Festive Banana Bread

Since I was little my grandma always made zucchini and banana bread.  Some happy accidents made her recipe better and inspired me to try different ways to get a bread to be the way I wanted it to be depending on my mood...sweet, moist and plain....or with chocolate and coconut....or this time with nuts.  I have never been a big fan of nuts in my sweet breads, but with a little roasting, the flavor comes out and compliments the banana much better than not roasted ones.  Plus, I have a thing for crunch.  Sometimes I just want to eat chips or carrots because they have crunch.

I have experimented with different recipes for banana bread since my grandma's recipe.  This recipe that I use now is based on Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything.  I have never toasted the coconut, but that is something that I might in the future.  Plus, because of my experimentation, everyone benefits...guess what is going to accompany as I visit people for the holidays?  Yes, indeed, different versions of my banana bread.

Festive Banana Bread

1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 cup wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

3 very ripe bananas, mashed until smooth

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup toasted pecans

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F.  Line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.  Mix together dry ingredients.  Cream butter until light.  Then add the bananas and eggs to the butter.  Beat well.  Add the dry ingredients until just combined.  Add in the nuts, chocolate and coconut (or any variation of the the three that you choose).  Stir together gently.  Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.  Bake for about an hour, but check with a tooth pick to be sure it is baked throughout the loaf.  The top should be golden brown.  Do not overcook  Cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes before removing from the pan.  Let cool completely before wrapping for storage.  This loaf will be moist for up to three days, but it is also very good toasted (or toasted with peanut butter).