Sweet Danish Braid

la ricetta in italiano qui

The Culinary ABC of the European Community, created by Trattoria MuVarA, is still in Denmark this week, and we are having some local specialties at home.
I don't know very much about this region, just driven through during our long journey to the snow-covered peaks of Norway in April 2006: we jumped out the ferry in Rødby, it was early morning, dawning and we were tired and still and reached Copenhagen in a sweet succession of low, green and quiet hills, silent tiny houses, nobody on the road, almost like an Andersen's fairy tale!
And then in front of us one of the most fascinating and incredible feats of engineering of this new millennium in Europe appeared in all its magnificence: the Øresund Bridge.
For us Italians, who have been debating for decades without any conclusion about bridge yes or no bridge over the Strait of Messina, this miraculous and spectacular passage between Denmark and Sweden is breathtaking, at least the first time you cross it.
The route is impressive: you get into a tunnel lying on the bottom of the sea about 6 km long, then go back to sea level and gradually climb onto the bridge, with its colossal arches, which also allow the passage of ocean cruise liners.

The Øresundsbron, which costed $ 3 billion, is one of the largest infrastructure projects in European history. Its completion has fulfilled the ancient ambition of connecting Sweden and Denmark via the Öresund, linking Copenhagen, the Danish capital, directly with the Swedish town of Malmö.
The connection is formed by a highway and a double track railway. The road through the link is the European Route E20. It is part of the road axis Oresund, which connects the Danish capital Copenhagen with Malmö in Sweden.
From Lernacken, south of Malmö, starts a bridge long 7845 meters above Öresund. 5.35 km of the bridge are in Swedish territory and the high pylon of 203.5 meters is the tallest in the country. The bridge leads to the artificial island of Peberholm, 4.05 km long, after which it continues with an underground tunnel, and then re-emerges at Kastrup Airport in Copenhagen.
The Öresund fixed link allows to 3.5 million inhabitants of the Copenhagen-Malmö area (whose businesses has been suffering for the long crossing times imposed by ferries) to develop a large northern European center for business, transport , research and education.
Along with the bridge over the Great Belt (in Danish: Storebæltsforbindelsen) it ensures communication between the Scandinavian railway and highway and the European continent.

The Øresund Bridge received the 2002 IABSE Outstanding Structure Award.

In spite of two schedule setbacks – the discovery of 16 unexploded World War II bombs on the seafloor and an inadvertently skewed tunnel segment – the bridge-tunnel was finished three months ahead of schedule! (from Wikipedia).

I made substitutions to make it healthier, but between brackets you will find the original ingredients.

Dough:

330 g all-purpose flour

130 g rice or oat milk (cow milk)
50 g organic cold-pressed sunflower oil (butter)

50 g rice syrup (sugar)
10 g fresh yeast
half beaten egg
(the other half is used to brush the cake before baking)
orange zest 

Filling:

a jar of jam, sugarless strawberries for us
sliced ​​almonds
a tablespoon sugar cane

 

Pour flour in the bowl of the mixer, begin to knead at low speed and add slowly the yeast dissolved in lukewarm milk, rice syrup, oil, half beaten egg and some orange zest.
Knead on low/medium speed until the dough is smooth and homogeneous, then shape into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl (covered) to rise for an hour or until doubled.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured working surface (or directly on parchment paper) into a rectangle about 30x40.
Using a plumcake tin mark the center of the dough (without cutting) and then cut the sides into parallel diagonals strips, as shown in the picture, and make sure you get a small rectangle on top and bottom of the rectangle plumcake mark that will be folded onto the filling to seal tightly the braid.

 

   

Do not cut up to the mark of the mold, better to stop an inch ahead, otherwise when making the braid it should happen to have holes on the sides and the filling coming out once in the oven.
Spread the jam in the rectangle previously marked with the mold and sprinkle to taste with sliced ​​almonds (I had almonds and sliced with a sharpened knife).
Fold the top edge and the lower one over the filling, then alternately cross the strips of dough.
If the last ones are too long, you can trim the excess with the scissors (leftover pasta can be bake as cookies), the last two can be sealed under the braid.
If you roll out the dough on a working surface, with some help gently transfer on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Brush with the remaining beaten egg, sprinkle with a little sugar cane and let it rest about 15 minutes. Then bake at 180° for about 30 minutes, if it gets colored too quickly cover with foil.
Allow to cool on a wire rack, then serve greedily at breakfast or teatime.

My guys suggest to cut it diagonally and alternately, following the braids of the dough: in this way you will not scrambled the cake, it's easier to have proper slices!

 This recipe also goes to Susan's weekly YeastSpotting