Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are
- Brillat-Savarin
Every last day of the month, I eagerly wait for one thing. No, not for my salary, silly! For the first of the month to begin so I can find out the month's Daring Baker challenge. This time it was Savarin. Wow, one more new thing to learn and savour.. I was excited.
Natalia of Gatti Fili e Farina
challenges us to make a traditional Savarin, complete with soaking
syrup and cream filling! We were to follow the Savarin recipe but were
allowed to be creative with the soaking syrup and filling, allowing us
to come up with some very delicious cakes!
Savarin is a French cake named after Brillat-Savarin, the famous 18th century gastronome and writer. It is a light ring-shaped cake made with yeast and soaked in liqueur-flavored syrup. The syrup usually includes some type of alcohol, often rum. I soaked my savarin with vanilla caramel flavoured syrup and left it in fridge for a couple of days. I thought it might turn out a bit eggy, but it was delicious! I could have added some more syrup though..
Oh! and I was itching to bake my new fluted 12-cup silicon bundt pan. The savarin didn't stick to the silicon pan. Cleaning up was a breeze. After labouring for hours on the savarin, this was a welcome change.
Oh! and I was itching to bake my new fluted 12-cup silicon bundt pan. The savarin didn't stick to the silicon pan. Cleaning up was a breeze. After labouring for hours on the savarin, this was a welcome change.
Savarin Recipe
Ingredients
2½ cups (350 gm) bread flour
2 tablespoons (30 ml) water, lukewarm
6 (320 gm) large eggs at room temperature, separated
1½ teaspoons (4 gm) instant yeast or 15gm fresh yeast
4 teaspoons (20 ml) (20 gm) sugar
1/3 cup (75 gm) butter at room temperature
1 tablespoon (15 ml) (15 gm) orange and lemon zest (optional)
1 teaspoon (6 gm) salt
¼ cup (55 gm) butter for greasing the work surface, hands, dough scraper & baking pan
Ingredients
2½ cups (350 gm) bread flour
2 tablespoons (30 ml) water, lukewarm
6 (320 gm) large eggs at room temperature, separated
1½ teaspoons (4 gm) instant yeast or 15gm fresh yeast
4 teaspoons (20 ml) (20 gm) sugar
1/3 cup (75 gm) butter at room temperature
1 tablespoon (15 ml) (15 gm) orange and lemon zest (optional)
1 teaspoon (6 gm) salt
¼ cup (55 gm) butter for greasing the work surface, hands, dough scraper & baking pan
Directions:
Sponge
In a small bowl mix 2 tablespoons (30 ml) lukewarm water, 3 tablespoons (25 gm) flour and yeast , cover with cling film and let rise 60 minutes.
Sponge
In a small bowl mix 2 tablespoons (30 ml) lukewarm water, 3 tablespoons (25 gm) flour and yeast , cover with cling film and let rise 60 minutes.
Dough
1. After 30 minutes put the egg whites in the mixer bowl and start working with the paddle at low speed adding flour until you have a soft dough that sticks to the bowl (about 2 cups or 270gm) and work until it comes together , cover with cling film and let rest 30 min
2. Add the sponge to the mixer bowl along with a tablespoon of flour and start mixing at lowspeed (if you wish to add the zests do it now)
3. When it starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl add one yolk and as soon as the yolk is absorbed add one tablespoon of flour
4. Add the second yolk , the sugar and as soon as the yolk is absorbed add one tablespoon of flour
5. Raise the speed a little
6. Add the third yolk and the salt and as soon as the yolk is absorbed add one tablespoon of flour
7. Keep on adding one yolk at the time and the flour saving a tablespoon of flour for later
8. Mix the dough until is elastic and makes “threads”
9. Add the butter at room temperature and as soon as the butter is adsorbed add the last tablespoon of flour
10. Keep on mixing till the dough passes the “window pane test”
11. Cover the dough with cling film and let it proof until it has tripled in volume (2 to 3 hours)
12. You can prepare the Pastry cream now if you chose to use it, and refrigerate it
13. While you wait prepare your baking pan buttering it very carefully not leaving too much butter on it
14. Grease your dough scraper, your hands and your work surface and put the dough on it and fold with the Dough Package Fold two or three times around (5 folds twice or three times). Cover with cling foil and let it rest 15 minutes on the counter
15.Turn the dough upside down and with the help of your buttered dough scraper shape your dough in a rounded bun
16. Make a hole in the center with your thumb and put it in the prepared pan
17. Cover with cling film and let rise in a warm spot until the dough reaches the top of the pan(about 1 hour)
18. Pre-heat oven to moderate 340°F/170°C.
19. Bake the Savarin for about 40 minutes until the top is golden brown
20. Meanwhile prepare the Syrup
21. When the Savarin is done take it out of the oven and let it cool.
22. You have two choices now : you can immerse it in syrup right now or you can let it dry out (so
it will lose some of his moisture that will be replaced by the syrup) and soak it later on.
23. To immerse it in syrup it is a good idea to place it in the mold you baked it in (I’m afraid a spring- form one wouldn’t work for this) and keep adding ladles of syrup until you see it along the rim of the pan. Or you can just soak it in a big bowl keeping your ladle on top of it so it doesn’t float.
1. After 30 minutes put the egg whites in the mixer bowl and start working with the paddle at low speed adding flour until you have a soft dough that sticks to the bowl (about 2 cups or 270gm) and work until it comes together , cover with cling film and let rest 30 min
2. Add the sponge to the mixer bowl along with a tablespoon of flour and start mixing at lowspeed (if you wish to add the zests do it now)
3. When it starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl add one yolk and as soon as the yolk is absorbed add one tablespoon of flour
4. Add the second yolk , the sugar and as soon as the yolk is absorbed add one tablespoon of flour
5. Raise the speed a little
6. Add the third yolk and the salt and as soon as the yolk is absorbed add one tablespoon of flour
7. Keep on adding one yolk at the time and the flour saving a tablespoon of flour for later
8. Mix the dough until is elastic and makes “threads”
9. Add the butter at room temperature and as soon as the butter is adsorbed add the last tablespoon of flour
10. Keep on mixing till the dough passes the “window pane test”
11. Cover the dough with cling film and let it proof until it has tripled in volume (2 to 3 hours)
12. You can prepare the Pastry cream now if you chose to use it, and refrigerate it
13. While you wait prepare your baking pan buttering it very carefully not leaving too much butter on it
14. Grease your dough scraper, your hands and your work surface and put the dough on it and fold with the Dough Package Fold two or three times around (5 folds twice or three times). Cover with cling foil and let it rest 15 minutes on the counter
15.Turn the dough upside down and with the help of your buttered dough scraper shape your dough in a rounded bun
16. Make a hole in the center with your thumb and put it in the prepared pan
17. Cover with cling film and let rise in a warm spot until the dough reaches the top of the pan(about 1 hour)
18. Pre-heat oven to moderate 340°F/170°C.
19. Bake the Savarin for about 40 minutes until the top is golden brown
20. Meanwhile prepare the Syrup
21. When the Savarin is done take it out of the oven and let it cool.
22. You have two choices now : you can immerse it in syrup right now or you can let it dry out (so
it will lose some of his moisture that will be replaced by the syrup) and soak it later on.
23. To immerse it in syrup it is a good idea to place it in the mold you baked it in (I’m afraid a spring- form one wouldn’t work for this) and keep adding ladles of syrup until you see it along the rim of the pan. Or you can just soak it in a big bowl keeping your ladle on top of it so it doesn’t float.
Caramel Vanilla Flavored Syrup:
Servings: 1 savarin
Ingredients
1½ cups (350 ml) water
½ cup caramel flavour
1 cup (240 ml) (125 gm) sugar
one cinnamon stick
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Combine water, sugar and cinnamon stick and bring to a boil.
2. Let boil 5 minutes and remove from the stove. Add vanilla extract, add caramel flavour.
3. When cooled a bit, pour it over the savarin.
Servings: 1 savarin
Ingredients
1½ cups (350 ml) water
½ cup caramel flavour
1 cup (240 ml) (125 gm) sugar
one cinnamon stick
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Combine water, sugar and cinnamon stick and bring to a boil.
2. Let boil 5 minutes and remove from the stove. Add vanilla extract, add caramel flavour.
3. When cooled a bit, pour it over the savarin.
