I buy pomegranate sauce - not the same as pomegranate molasses - at kosher supermarkets.
Makes: 4 loaves
Preparation: 30 minutes plus rising -
1½ to 2 hours minimum
Cooking: 25 minutes
Ingredients
For the dough
● 4 sachets of dried yeast (30g approximately)
● 1.5 kg plain flour
● 150g sugar
● ½ tsp salt
● 4 eggs, beaten and at room temperature
● 150ml milk or soya milk, room
temperature
● 200g butter or margarine, cut into pieces, room temperature
● 12 tbsp pomegranate sauce
● 250g fig jam
● 6 fresh figs, diced
● Two pomegranates, seeds removed
For the glaze
● 3 egg yolks
Method
● Mix the yeast with 120ml of warm water and let it rest for 10 minutes until the yeast bubbles.
● Put the flour, sugar and salt into a food mixer bowl and stir to combine.
● Add the milk and egg, and, using the dough hook attachment, mix them in
until combined. Then add the yeast mixture and keep on mixing. While the machine is kneading, add the pieces of butter one by one. Knead for about 7-8 minutes, until all the ingredients are incorporated.
● If working by hand, start mixing with a spoon and then knead by hand, adding the butter gradually while you are kneading. This will take about 10-15 minutes.
● After kneading, place the dough in a large freezer bag, seal it and leave it to rise for about 1½ hours.
● Divide the risen dough into 4 equal parts. Roll each out into a thin rectangle. Spread with pomegranate sauce and a thin layer of fig jam.
● Scatter with pieces of fig and pomegranate seeds, reserving some to decorate the loaves.
● Roll up like a roulade, halve each one lengthways and plait or twist the pieces together, either leaving them as a long twist or plait, or joining the ends to form a circle - tucking one end under the other.
● Place the loaves on a lined baking tray and prove in a warm place for about 30 minutes.
● Brush with the egg yolk, sprinkle with the remaining pomegranate and pieces of fig and bake in a preheated fan oven
at 180°C for 25 minutes.
