This Peach and Ginger Couronne recipe is studded with dried fruit and warm with spice. I’ve used dried peaches and crystallized ginger, both of which are available year-round! No more waiting for fruit that is in season!
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Using Dried Fruit in this peach recipe
Here is another effort to use some of the amazing dried fruit in the gift basket that we received from my Aunt and Uncle. Dried peaches are so soft and delicious and amazing to snack on!
But it also seemed like an amazing chance to do a little recipe development as well!
Last week, I used some of the dried mangoes from the basket in some delicious Mango, Coconut and Macadamia Nut Cookies.
But this week, I wanted to use the peaches that came in the basket. There were loads of both yellow and white peaches so I had plenty for snacking and for baking.
Using fresh peaches in baking recipes can be tough unless you can offset the extra moisture that is introduced by the fruit. The juices may be a good thing if you are making a cake but in bread, extra moisture can be a killer.
Fresh peaches in a couronne like this peach recipe would cause underbaked pockets of dough and gaps where the bread separates around the fruit. But dried peaches are the perfect way to get around the extra juiciness of fresh peaches!
Peach and Ginger make a perfect pair!
The addition of crystallized ginger, as well as some ground ginger, brings a beautiful warmth to this bread. The brown sugar caramelizes as the bread bakes and brings just enough sweetness to the filling and the dried peaches offer a sweet, fresh flavor that complements the warmth and stweetness perfectly.
You can make this bread without a stand mixer if you don’t have one. Just knead the dough by hand on a LIGHTLY floured countertop. Do not add too much flour as this will be absorbed by the dough and the dough will become tough.
Using a bench scraper like THIS ONE makes it a bit easier to move the dough around when it is still sticky and clinging to your hands and the countertop. I have a couple of bench scrapers and I use them for everything from kneading or moving wet dough to cutting bar cookies and cleaning things off of the counter!
You can, of course, substitute other types of fruits into this couronne. Give it a try and let me know what your favorite combination is!
Try more peach recipes!
Mini Peach Pies with Brown Sugar Crumble
Peach and Ginger Couronne
12
servings20
minutes30
minutes1 1/2 hours
Ingredients
- For the Dough
250 grams bread flour
7 grams fast action yeast
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
5 grams salt
50 grams unsalted butter, softened
100 mL whole milk, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature, beaten
- For the Filling
60 grams dried white peaches
60 grams dried yellow peaches
60 grams crystallized ginger, chopped
90 grams unsalted butter, softened
40 grams all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
75 grams light brown sugar
- To Finish
3 Tablespoons apricot preserves
120 grams powdered sugar, sifted
Directions
- To make the dough, place the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the yeast to one side of the bowl and the salt to the other side of the bowl. Add the sugar on top. Using the dough hook, mix the dry ingredients for about 30 seconds on low.
- Add the butter, milk, and beaten egg and turn the mixer to medium-low. Mix for about a minute to a minute and a half, until the dough comes together in a ball around the dough hook.
- **You can make this dough without a stand mixer! Add the dry ingredients to a medium bowl as listed in step 1. Use your hand to mix the ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and use your hand to swirl in the middle, bringing a little more dry mixture into the liquid with each swirl. Keep going until you have a ball of dough.**
- Very lightly flour your countertop and turn out the dough. Knead by hand for 8 or 9 minutes. (You can do all of the mixing in the mixer if you like. But I like to knead by hand to feel when the dough is ready. This is a lovely dough to knead and doesn’t stick to the counter much!)
- Grease a medium or large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and cover with cling film or a kitchen towel. Set in a warm area where it won’t be disturbed for an hour or until it springs back almost all the way when lightly poked. This will take longer if your kitchen is cooler and less time if your kitchen is warm.
- While the dough proofs pour about 250 mL hot water over the dried yellow and white peaches. Let soak for about 10 minutes. Drain and then chop the fruit. Mix the butter, brown sugar, flour, and ground ginger then add the diced peaches and diced crystallized ginger.
- When the dough has proofed (springs back most of the way when poked), dump onto a lightly floured countertop. Punch down and then roll out to about 12 inches by 18 inches.
- Evenly spread the filling mixture over the dough. Roll up the dough on the long side until you have a tube of dough with spiral filling. With a knife or a bench scraper, cut all the way through the roll about 95% of the way to the top – leave one end attached and not cut. Twist the cut strips around each other and then shape the twisted rope into a circle. Wrap the ends together and squeeze to ensure the shape holds.
- Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and set aside to proof for about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400℉.
- When the dough has finished its second proof ( bounces back when prodded) bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the dough temperature reaches 210℉. Be careful not to touch the filling with the thermometer!
- Heat the apricot preserves and 2 teaspoons water in a microwave-safe bowl for 25 seconds or until warmed and runny. Strain through a mesh sieve then stir well. Brush the entire loaf with the preserves.
- Mix powdered sugar with enough water to make a glaze. Start with 2 teaspoons and stir. Add more water until you get the desired consistency. Drizzle on the finished loaf once it has cooled.
I’m so sorry for the omission! I have corrected the recipe block to show 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar.
You mention sugar in step 1 but no sugar is included in this part of the recipe.