Lemon Loaf

This is a yummy recipe I stole from a friend's blog, which she says she found on The Kitchn, which they found on Leite's Culinaria, which is also in this book. Anyways, it looked so delicious on her page, so I had to give it a try!

Here are her directions I followed, which are slighly more baker-friendly than the original :)

Ingredients:

For the bread dough:

• 2 3/4 c all-purpose flour
• 1/4 c granulated sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast (though I used active dry and it turned out just fine)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 c whole milk
• 2 oz unsalted butter (1/4 c)
• 1/4 c water
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 large eggs - at room temperature

For the lemon paste filling:

• 1/2 c granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp grated lemon zest
• 1 tbsp grated orange zest
• 2 oz unsalted butter (1/4 c) - melted

For the icing:

• 3 oz cream cheese - softened
• 1/3 c powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp whole milk
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. Stir together 2 c of the flour, the sugar, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. In a small saucepan, heat the milk and butter over low heat until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat, add the water, and set aside until warm (120 to 130 degrees, about 1 minute). Add the vanilla.

2. Pour the milk mixture over the flour-yeat mixture and, using a rubber spatula, mix until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Attach the bowl to the mixer and fit the mixer with the paddle attachment. On low speed, add the eggs, one at a time. Mix after each addition just until incorporated. Add 1/2 c flour and resume mixing on low until the dough is smooth. Add 2 more tbsp flour and mix on medium until the dough is smooth, soft, and slightly sticky. (I don't have a stand mixer, so I used a wood spoon to mimic the paddle attachment, and then kneaded the dough until it was smooth)

3. Sprinkle a work surface with 1 tbsp flour and center the dough on the flour. Knead gently until smooth and no longer quite as sticky. Add an additional 1-2 tbsp flour only if necessary, though the dough should still be a little sticky in the end. Place the dough in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size (45-60 minutes). While the dough is rising make the filling.

4. In a small bowl mix together the sugar, lemon zest, and 6range zest. Set aside.


To assemble the loaf:

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter or coat a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.

2. Gently deflate the dough. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out to a 20x12 inch rectangle. Using a pastry brush, spread the melted butter generously over the dough. Cut the dough into 5 strips, each measuring 12x4 inches. Sprinkle 1 1/2 tbsp of the filling over one of the rectangles. Top with the next rectangle and sprinkle it with 1 1/2 tbsp of the filling. Continue until all of the rectangles are stacked and the filling is all gone.

3. Slice the stack crosswise to create 6 equal strips measuring 4x2 inches. Fit these layered strips into the prepared loaf pan.

Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until puffy and almost doubled in size (30-50 minutes).

4. Bake until the top of the loaf is golden brown, 30-35 minutes, or until the center reaches 185-190 degrees. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes.



To make the icing:

1. In a medium bowl, using a rubber spatula, vigorously mix the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Beat in the milk and lemon juice until the mixture is creamy and smooth.

2. To remove the coffee cake from the pan, use a knife to gently loosen the bread from the sides of the pan. Place a wire cooling rack on top of the loaf and flip it over so that the loaf is now upside-down on the cooling rack. Carefully lift the pan up and away from the loaf. Use another cooling rack to repeat this process so that the loaf is now right-side up.

3. Place a piece of aluminum foil under the cooling rack. Using a pastry brush, coat the top of the warm cake with the icing to glaze it. Cover and refrigerate the leftover icing (excellent for dipping the bread!). I accidentally let the loaf cool for too long before icing this time. It's definitely better to ice it while it's warm.

4. Serve warm or at room temperature. You can pull apart the layers (way more fun) or you can cut the cake into 1 inch thick slices on a slight diagonal.