The Befana Focaccia Bimby is a Piedmontese recipe, a leavened dessert prepared to celebrate the Epiphany on January 6th.
It is a flower-shaped leavened brioche, covered with sugar sprinkles and very fragrant. The dough is made with few ingredients: flour, sugar, milk, brewer’s yeast, eggs, and candied fruit.
According to tradition, a single almond or a dried bean, or even better a coin, should be inserted into the dough, actually in a petal, to bring good luck to whoever finds it, just like in the King’s Cake.
The recipe I present is made with the Bimby, perfect for those like me who always have little time available. But don’t worry: the dough can be done by hand or with a mixer.
The dough rises in a couple of hours if kept warm, and creating the flower shape is truly simple, so I’ve thought of leaving you with the step-by-step process!
Shall we prepare this wonderful sweet together to celebrate the Befana? Then, let’s roll up our sleeves and get into the kitchen.
See you soon, Susy.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Rest time: 5 Hours
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 10 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Electric Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Epiphany
- Energy 343.48 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 57.81 (g) of which sugars 20.02 (g)
- Proteins 8.75 (g)
- Fat 9.78 (g) of which saturated 5.69 (g)of which unsaturated 3.43 (g)
- Fibers 1.65 (g)
- Sodium 104.35 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 150 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Befana Focaccia Bimby
- 21 oz all-purpose flour
- 8 oz all-purpose flour
- 7/8 cup semi-skimmed milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter (softened)
- 2 eggs (medium size)
- 3/4 cup candied fruit (orange and citron)
- 1/2 oz fresh brewer's yeast
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 egg white
- as needed sugar sprinkles
Tools
- Pan
- Kitchen Robot
Prepare the Befana Focaccia Bimby
Put the milk and yeast into the Bimby bowl and set it for 3 minutes at speed 2 at 98°F.
Add the flours and sugar, and start for 30 seconds at speed 4.
Add softened butter, salt, and eggs, start for 30 seconds at speed 3.
Add the candied fruit and knead for 2 minutes at the kneading speed.
The dough is ready, turn it onto the worktop and knead for a few minutes. Place it in a bowl covered with plastic wrap, closed in the oven with the light on to rise. I recommend keeping it warm by covering it with a blanket, so it will double in a couple of hours.
After the rising time, spread the dough with your hands. The size should be like the base of the pan. With a knife, divide it into 4 parts, leaving the central part intact, and create 16 petals, twisting them on themselves twice.
Place the focaccia in the pan and let it rise for about an hour again in the oven with the light on. Then brush with a beaten egg white and sprinkle the surface with sugar sprinkles. Bake in a preheated oven at 356°F in fan mode for about 25 minutes, the cooking time is indicative and varies from oven to oven. Once cooked, leave it in the oven with the door open to dry.
The Befana Focaccia is ready to be served.
Happy Befana to all of you!
Storage
The Befana Focaccia should be stored under a cake dome for 2/3 days.
