Citrus and Cardamom Twists

These are fabulous breakfast danishes.  A lovely pastry with a citrus flavour.  From Food and Drink Holiday 2015.

1/2  cup sugar
Rind of 1/2 orange, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 recipe Brioche (below)
1 egg beaten with 2 tsp water

LEMON GLAZE
1/2  up sifted icing sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.  In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, process the sugar, orange rind and cardamom until the rind is finely minced.
• On a floured surface, roll the dough to a 12 x 11 inch rectangle.  In from the 12 in h side of the rectangle, lightly mark three 4 inch strips.  Brush the centre strip very lightly with the beaten egg and spread with one half of the orange cardamom sugar.   Fold the left 4 in h strip per the sugared one.  Brush with another thin layer of the beaten egg and top with the rest of the sugar.  Fold the remaining 4 inch strip over the sugar and roll the dough gently lengthwise just to embed the sugar.  The dough should now be 12 x 4 inches.  Transfer the dough to the parchment lined baking sheet and place in the freezer until firm but not hard, about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Place the dough horizontally on the work surface and with a sharp knife, cut twelve 1 inch strips.  Take the first strip, hold one end in each hand, and twist twice by rotating your hands in opposite directions.  Place on the parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat for each strip, placing them about 1 inch apart on the sheet.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap until doubled in size about 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350F and bake the twists until golden brown, 16 to 18 minutes.
• While the twists are baking, prepare the glaze.  Combine the icing sugar and lemon juice and whisk until smooth.  Brush a thin layer of glaze over the twists as soon as they come out of the oven.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  To reheat, place in a 200F oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

BRIOCHE

Sponge

3/4 cup bread flour

1/4 tsp rapid rise instant yeast

2 tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

5 tbsp milk

Final Dough

3/4 cup bread flour

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp rapid rise instant yeast

2 tbsp plus 1 tsp sugar

2 medium eggs

6 tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

• For the sponge, combine the bread flour and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment.  Add the butter and milk, and mix on low speed until well combined and no butter lumps remain, 1 to 2 minutes.  Cover the surface of the dough loosely with plastic wrap and allow to stand for 30 minutes.  The fermentation will begin during this time, but the sponge will not expand to any noticeable degree.
• For the final dough, place the flour, salt, instant yeast and half the sugar in a bowl and whisk to combine.  In another bowl, whisk the eggs just to break them up.  Add the dry mixture along with the eggs to the sponge and mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until the mixture is combined, about 1 minute.  Replace the paddle with the dough hook and mix the dough on low speed for 5 minutes.  Increase the speed to medium and mix for an additional 8 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl and the dough hook 1 or 2 times.  Add the remaining sugar and mix to incorporate.
• Add the butter in 3 additions, mixing until fully incorporated.  The dough will be very soft and shiny.  Wrap in layers of plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• The dough can be held in the fridge for 2 days or frozen for 2 weeks.  Thaw in the fridge overnight before using.