Nazuki

Ingredients

• 1⅔ lbwheat flourbread flour, sifted
• 1½ cupsmilklukewarm, for the starter
• ⅔ ozYeastor about 7 g dry yeast
• 4¼ ozsugarsome of it for the starter
• 5¼ ozbuttermelted or softened
• ½ cupvegetable oilneutral, for the dough
• 2eggfor the dough
• 2egg yolkbeaten, for brushing
• 5¼ ozraisinswashed, dried, tossed in flour
• 1 tspcinnamonground
• ½ tspclovesground or crushed in a mortar
• ¼ ozvanilla sugaror vanilla extract
• ½ tspsalt
• ½ tspcardamomground (optional)

Method

1. Start the yeastDissolve the fresh yeast with a little of the sugar in the lukewarm milk and leave this starter for 10–15 minutes, until it's nicely foamy.
2. Stir in oil and butterAdd the vegetable oil and melted butter to the starter, give it a quick stir and let everything rest for another 15 minutes.
3. Knead the doughPut the sifted flour in a large bowl, add the starter, the eggs, the rest of the sugar and the salt, and bring it all together. Then knead the dough for 10–20 minutes, until it's smooth and elastic.
4. Let the dough riseCover the dough and leave it somewhere warm for 1–2 hours, until it has doubled in size.
5. Work in raisins and spicesMeanwhile, wash the raisins, pat them really dry and toss them in a little flour. Knead the raisins, cinnamon, cloves and vanilla sugar – plus the cardamom, if you like – into the risen dough until everything is evenly spread through it.
6. Shape the oval loavesShape the dough into a log and cut it into pieces of about 200 g. Form each piece into a flat oval, a little thicker in the middle and thinner toward the edges.
7. Second rise, heat the ovenLay the loaves on a baking sheet and let them rise again for 20–45 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180–390 °F.
8. Glaze and bakeBrush the nazuki with the beaten egg yolk and bake for 20–30 minutes, until golden brown.
9. Cool briefly and serveLet them cool briefly on the sheet and serve warm.

Tips and variations

Some people mix the spices straight into the flour or the wet ingredients at the start rather than kneading them in after the first rise – it saves a step and works just as well. If you like things spicier, add cardamom, nutmeg and saffron to the dough, and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar over the freshly brushed tops gives you a sweet, crackly crust. You can also brush with a whole egg beaten with milk instead of just yolk, let the dough rise twice before shaping, or bake two or three big loaves instead of six to eight small ones. Our tip: cut the nazuki into thick slices while they're still warm – that's when they're wonderfully soft inside.