Orange Marmalade & Almond Italian Bread
This post is sponsored by Emile Henry and Red Star Yeast. I had a great time working with both products and fully recommend them to my audience.
Bread has always been a food that feels deeply-rooted within me. Sitting at the sunny kitchen table eating toasted and heavily buttered white Italian bread is one of my earliest food memories, and I often still crave the taste of the ultra-light, yeasted, crusty loaves sliced thin and sold by the Italian-American bakeries I grew up with. Most of my bread baking these days is focused on whole grain sourdoughs, but when I partnered with Emile Henry and Red Star Yeast to create this post, I knew I wanted to put a twist on the classic Italian loaf of my childhood.
In order to include the more complex flavor of sourdough in this bread without requiring a starter, I opted to use the Red Star Platinum Instant Sourdough Yeast that I was first introduced to at a food blogging workshop at The Feed Feed. This product contains the super reliable Red Star Platinum Instant Yeast, which has added conditioners that professional bakers use in order to create the most silky, beautiful doughs possible, along with real, dried sourdough cultures for an authentic sourdough tang. This bread also rests overnight in the fridge which further develops the flavor, resulting in a truly hearty and complexly flavored loaf. This dough is enriched only with a small bit of butter, but doesn’t contain any added sugar, so the sweetness in the final loaf really comes from the filling and the glaze.
If filling a bread feels intimidating, don’t worry; this one is easy to do! Simply spread your favorite orange marmalade over the chilled and rolled out dough, leaving a bit of space on the edge to prevent leaking during the bake. Top with chopped almonds and roll up the dough along its long side to create a tight, long loaf, and tuck under the ends before placing into the beautiful Emile Henry Italian Loaf Bread Baker. It’s the perfect shape and size for creating a traditional, oblong loaf of Italian bread, and the unglazed ceramic lid interior collects the steam escaping from the bread, key for a crispy crust. A light citrus juice and honey glaze along with more chopped almonds take this bread to the next level, making it the perfect subtly sweet addition to any table for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Join me in indulging my inner child by bringing together the delicious beauty of winter citrus flavors with warm honey and crunchy, crusty Italian bread. I had a wonderful time working with Emile Henry and Red Star Yeast, and I hope you do, too!
Orange Marmalade & Almond Italian Bread Recipe
Makes 1 large loaf
Prep: 30 minutes | Rise: 2 hours + overnight rest | Final Proof: About 2 hours | Bake: 40 minutes
Ingredients
For the bread:
3 1/2 cups (503 g) all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups (350 g) water
2 1/4 teaspoons (10 g) salt
2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter, softened
1 packet Red Star Platinum Instant Yeast or Red Star Platinum Instant Sourdough Yeast
For the filling:
3/4 cup (240 g) orange marmalade
1/2 cup (112 g) finely chopped almonds, plus additional for topping if desired
For the glaze:
1/4 cup fresh orange, tangerine, or clementine juice (use whatever is the most in season and sweetest)
2 tablespoons (42 g) honey
Method
Combine the flour, water, salt, butter, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Combine ingredients with the dough hook attachment on low (stir) speed until everything comes together into a shaggy mass, about 2 minutes.
Turn the mixer up to medium-low and continue to mix until the dough is clearing the sides of the bowl. You can tell the dough is well-kneaded when you can stretch a portion away from the mass of dough without it breaking, and it allows some light to show through like a windowpane. Be patient, as this can take up to 15-20 minutes. When finished, the dough will be soft and smooth, but less sticky than when it started.
Place the ball of dough in a lightly oiled, container and cover, allowing a bit of air flow. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Cover container well and place in refrigerator overnight, or at least 8 hours.
The next morning, remove the dough from the refrigerator and dump onto a lightly floured surface. Pat dough into a rectangle, then roll out until it measures 10 inches by 15 inches.
Try not to introduce too much additional flour here, but use enough so that your dough doesn’t stick to the counter or your rolling pin.
Spread orange marmalade over the dough, leaving a 1 inch border all the way around. Sprinkle finely chopped almonds (reserving some for topping if desired) over marmalade.
Roll the dough into a log along its long side, tightly coiling the marmalade and almonds inside. You will have fewer revolutions but a longer loaf. Gently tuck under the ends and lift loaf into a lightly greased Emile Henry Italian Bread Loaf Baker.
Cover with lid and allow to proof at room temperature until very puffy, about 2 hours. In the last hour of proofing, preheat the oven to 450°F.
When loaf is ready to be baked, use a razor blade or sharp knife to create 3 diagonal slashes in the top of the loaf. Replace the cover and bake, covered, for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove the cover and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until loaf has reached a deeply golden brown color. You can also test the temperature for doneness; the interior should register at least 200°F on an instant read thermometer.
Allow loaf to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. While loaf is cooling, combine orange juice and honey in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Gently cook until the mixture is thick and lightly coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
Generously brush warm honey orange glaze over the bread and sprinkle with reserved almonds, if using.
Run an offset spatula around the edge, gently prying up any bits that may be a bit stuck (this would be due to any marmalade leaking). Remove loaf from pan and set on a rack until completely cool.
Slice and enjoy!
This bread is best enjoyed the day it is made, but it can be toasted the next day, frozen for later use, or used stale for delicious French toast!
