Cozonac with coconut and Turkish delight

Name: Cozonac with coconut and Turkish delight
Ingredients: 1 kg sifted white flour; 50 g white flour; 100 ml lukewarm water; 50 g fresh yeast; 1 g salt; 200 g granulated sugar; 400 ml lukewarm milk; 4 egg yolks; 1 teaspoon powdered candied orange peel; 100 ml oil; 2 tablespoons carob powder; 4 egg whites; 1 g salt; 150 g granulated sugar; 200 g coconut; 250 g colored Turkish delight; 2 eggs; 15 g sugar crystals

Dessert - Cozonac with coconut and Turkish delight by Marcheta D. - Recipia

Cozonac with coconut and Turkish delight is a Romanian festive sweet bread, sliced once cool, with a white filling and two-colored dough. The Turkish delight sits in the light-colored part, and the coconut in the part with carob powder, so each slice has two distinct layers. I prefer fine coconut flakes, which spread evenly through the egg-white filling. Prep: 35 minutes. Cook: 50 minutes. Rest: 90 minutes. Total time: 175 minutes. Servings: 20. About 445 kcal and 8 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

For the dough

1 kg sifted white flour
50 g white flour
100 ml lukewarm water
50 g fresh yeast
1 g salt
200 g granulated sugar
400 ml lukewarm milk
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon powdered candied orange peel
100 ml oil
2 tablespoons carob powder

For the filling

4 egg whites
1 g salt
150 g granulated sugar
200 g coconut
250 g colored Turkish delight

For glazing and decoration

2 eggs
15 g sugar crystals

Preparation

1. Bring the eggs and the other dough ingredients to room temperature; the water and milk should be lukewarm. To make the starter, dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water, add 1 tablespoon of the measured sugar for the dough, 1 g salt and 2-3 tablespoons of the weighed flour. Leave it to rise for 15 minutes. 2. Mix in the egg yolks, lukewarm milk, the remaining sugar and the orange peel. Gradually add 85 ml oil and the remaining flour, then knead for about 10 minutes, until you have an elastic dough. Use the extra flour on your work surface. 3. Divide the dough in two and knead the carob powder into one half. Cover both pieces and leave them to rise for 1 hour. 4. Beat the egg whites with 1 g salt and the sugar for the filling until foamy. Fold in the coconut. 5. Divide each half of dough in two. Roll out the two pieces of plain dough on a floured surface and put half of the diced Turkish delight on each. Roll them up. Roll out the two pieces with carob, spread half of the coconut filling on each and roll them up. Twist one plain roll together with one carob roll for each loaf. 6. Grease two loaf pans with 15 ml oil and place the loaves in them. Leave them to rise for at least 15 minutes. Heat the oven to 165°C. 7. Separate the two eggs for glazing. Brush the loaves with the yolks and sprinkle with the sugar crystals. Bake them for 30 minutes at 165°C, then take out the pans, brush the loaves with the egg whites and bake for another 20 minutes. They are ready when a toothpick comes out without any raw dough on it. Carefully remove them from the pans while hot and leave them to cool before slicing.

Notes

I serve them with coffee or unsweetened tea once they have cooled completely. In a cool kitchen, the first rise can take over an hour; I look for a visible increase in size, since room temperature changes the pace. If the Turkish delight is very soft, chill it before cutting so it does not stick to the knife. Two pans of about 30 × 11 cm leave room for both loaves, and fine coconut flakes spread more evenly through the filling. You can replace the Turkish delight with 250 g soaked and drained raisins, and the carob powder with 2 tablespoons cocoa. The dough contains gluten, eggs and milk. I plan to make them a few hours before the meal and keep them wrapped at room temperature.