Pinza is a rich egg bread that is made into a special treat for children by braiding it around a hard-boiled egg.
Italians love their pasta, but they're also big on breads -- from the plain everyday loaves to fancy braided breads for special occasions.
For a real challenge -- and a great treat -- try this rich, festive egg bread. It's popular in the area around Venice.
Lidia Matticchio Bastianich
Universal Press Syndicate
MAKING GOOD pinza requires some understanding of leavening and bread making, which I have described below. It also requires patience, because the dough requires several long risings.
Serve slices of pinza on a festive table or with tea or coffee. The loaves keep well for one week at room temperature if sealed in plastic wrap or six to eight weeks in the freezer.
PINZA
1 1/2 cups golden raisins
1/2 cup dark rum
1 cup milk
1 cup granulated sugar
plus 2 tbsp.
4 (3/5-oz.) cakes fresh yeast, crumbled, or 4 (1-ounce) packages instant dry yeast
9 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted
3 large eggs, at room temperature
6 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the bowl of dough
1/2 cup sweet white wine
Grated zest of 2 large lemons
Grated zest of 1 orange
1 1/2 tsps. salt
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp. water
Combine raisins with rum in a small bowl and toss to mix. Let soak, tossing occasionally, while preparing the bread.
In a medium-sized saucepan, heat milk over medium heat until lukewarm. Pour the milk into a large bowl and add 1/2 cup of the sugar and the yeast. Stir until dissolved. Add 1 cup of the flour and stir until mixture is smooth. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until frothy. (If it doesn't get frothy, you will have to start again with fresh yeast).
Stir dough with a fork to deflate it, then let it rise and froth two more items, stirring it down thoroughly and covering it again after each time. Depending on the environment, these three risings can take from 20 minutes to 45 minutes each.
In the bowl of a heavy-duty electronic mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip 2 of the whole eggs, 2 of the yolks, and the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar together at medium speed until foamy and pale yellow. Add 1/4 cup of the butter, wine, zests, salt and vanilla. Beat until small pieces of butter remain. Scrape yeast mixture into the mixer bowl and beat until blended.
Change to the dough hook attachment of the mixer and reduce the speed to low. Add 5 cups of the remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, beating until mixture forms a sticky dough. Wait for each cup of flour to be incorporated before adding the next and stop the machine occasionally to scrape any unmixed ingredients from the sides and bottom of the bowl into the dough. The dough will be quite sticky; form it into a rough ball, clean the sides of the bowl, and cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.
Return the bowl of dough to the mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix the dough at the medium-low speed until deflated. Add the remaining egg yolks and 1/4 cup butter and beat until incorporated. Gradually add about 2 cups of flour to form a firm but slightly sticky dough, stopping the sides and bottom of the bowl into the dough. Add the raisins and rum and mix until incorporated. The dough will be quite wet and sticky at this point.
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Knead the dough, adding as much of the remaining flour as necessary until the dough is smooth, soft, and only very slightly sticky.
Place the dough in a large, lightly buttered bowl and turn the dough to butter all sides of it. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and set the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, 1/2 to 2 hours.
Turn the risen dough out onto the floured work surface and knead until deflated. Cut the dough in three equal pieces and knead each into a ball, gathered and pinching the seam side of the dough together to form as smooth a ball as possible.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place two of the loaves on one of the baking sheets, leaving space between to rise. Place the third loaf on the other baking sheet. With a pair of kitchen scissors, make three
1 1/2-inch-deep, 3-inch-long intersecting cuts that meet at the centre to form a six-pointed star pattern on the rounded top of each loaf. The cuts should be quite deep at least halfway through the loaf. Cover the loaves lightly with kitchen towels and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake the bread for 35 minutes. Whisk the remaining whole egg with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and the water until sugar is dissolved. Brush pinza with egg mixture, return to oven, and continue baking until deep golden brown and a knife inserted into the centre of the loaves comes out clean, about another 20 minutes.
Cool the pinza completely on a wire rack before slicing. Makes 3 loaves.
KATHY KENTER/ Universal Press Syndicate
