Recipe : the Berawecka

This week we make you try a speciality called Berawecka, a small bread made of dried fruits and tasted with Brandy! 
Berawecka is most often made with raisins, figs and apricots, but you can of course vary it with dried pears or candied apples, depending on your taste!

Ingredients

(For 5 people) 

Makes 2 loaves 

• 135g (1 cup) dried currants
• 150 g (1 cup) dark raisins
• 75 g (½ cup) diced dried pear
• 75 g (½ cup) diced dried figs
• 75 g (½ cup) diced dried apricots
• 50 g (¼ cup) sugar
• 125 ml (½ cup) kirsch (cherry brandy)
• 1 tsp dry yeast
• 80 ml (¼ cup) warm water
• 275 g (2 to 2 ¼ cup) flour
• 125 ml (½ cup) milk
• 30 g (2 tbsp) butter, melted
• ½ tsp salt
• pinch of ground cloves
• pinch of ground cinnamon
• pinch of ground aniseed
• 50 g (½ cup) slivered almonds
• 110 g (1 cup, 4 oz) walnuts, roughly chopped
• 40 g (¼ cup) candied lemon peel, diced
• 40 g (¼ cup) candied orange peel, diced

If you need help converting the units: https://mykitchencalculator.com/kitchencalculator.html 

How to do the Berawecka ?

1-Combine all the dried fruits with the sugar and the kirsch in a bowl. Cover and let macerate for a day at room temperature.

2-Next day, make your dough. In a large bowl, dissolve the dried yeast in warm water and let stand until bubbles start to form, about 10 minutes. Add half the flour, warm milk, melted butter, salt and spices. Stir everything until well combined. Add as much flour as needed to make a soft dough and knead on a lightly floured surface for a couple of minutes.

3-Place the dough in a buttered bowl, cover and let rise at room temperature until almost doubled in bulk, about 1 hour (the time depends on the temperature of the room).

4-Transfer the dough into another large bowl and add the dried fruit, nuts and candied peels. Knead until the fruit and nuts are evenly distributed. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a fat log, about 30 cm (12 inches) long. Place logs on a baking sheet lined with parchment.

5-Let rise for about 30 minutes more. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 F.

6-Bake the breads until firm and pretty dark, about 45 – 55 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Beraweka keeps at least 3 days at room temperature, wrapped in plastic.

 
C'est prêt! Bon appétit!

A few tips:
Light and fragrant, this bread roll can be served with cheese or jam of your choice. It is also possible to use other kinds of brandy: quince brandy or plum brandy are all great.

Did you know it?
The Berawecka is a sweet between the cake and the bread filled with fruits speciality with dried fruits of Alsatian origin, traditionally prepared at Christmas. Tasty and light, this bread roll is now consumed throughout the year during the aperitif.
Also, "beera" means pear in Alsatian and "wecka" means cake or small bread.

Source : https://www.growntocook.com/?p=3284