Chocolate and Walnut Bread (Cozonac)
Ingredients
For the filling:
150 g raisins
230 g walnuts
80 g confectionners’ sugar
25 g cocoa powder
For the dough:
2 tbsp active dry yeast
300 ml warm milk
100 g sugar
100 g butter unsalted, melted
3 tbsp lemon zest
500 g all-purpose flour
3 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla extract
a pinch of salt
For the filling:
Add the raisins to a small bowl and pour water over them. Let the raisins soak up the water about an hour.
In a bowl, combine cocoa powder, confectionners’ sugar and nuts. Set aside.
For the dough:
In a bowl add the yeast and warm milk, stir it a bit. Add vanilla and two teaspoons of sugar and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes to activate. The yeast should bubble up.
After the yeast mixture is ready, add it to a bigger bowl. Add egg yolks, melted butter, lemon zest and stir to combine.
Add the flour, sugar and salt and slowly stir to combine.
Place the dough in a bowl, oiled with butter or baking cooking spray, cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for about an hour and a half (it will double in size).
After the dough has risen, place the bowl in the fridge, for 12 hours.
After 12 hours, remove the dough from the fridge.
Divide the dough in two. Sprinkle flour on a working surface.
Take one piece and roll it out using a rolling pin, into a rectangle that's about 1/2 inch in thickness and the width of your loaf pans. Spread about 1/3 of the nut mixture over the dough. Then roll it up. Place the roll in the prepared loaf pan. Repeat with remaining dough piece.
Braid the two rolls, rolling them around each other, to obtain a braided brioche.
Place into a tin. Let rise at room temperature for 1 hour and a half.
Preheat the oven at 320 ° F.
Brush the bread with egg. Place in the oven and cook for approximately 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Remove the loaves from the loaf pans, transfer them to a wire rack and let them cool completely before slicing into them and serving.
Enjoy!
