250g high grade or unbleached flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
4g dried active yeast ?
1 egg
25ml water
125g butter, softened
50g dried apricots, diced
Sieve the flour onto your work surface or a large bowl. Make a well and add the salt, sugar and yeast. Slowly add the water and 3/4 of the egg, knead the dough for 6 – 7 minutes or until the dough is almost fully developed (it is important to develop the gluten structure before all the egg is added).
Continue to add the balance of the egg slowly whilst the dough is still being kneaded.
Add sufficient egg to achieve a very soft, elastic, very smooth and shiny dough.
Whilst kneading slowly, add the softened butter in small amounts. Knead in all the butter to achieve a smooth elastic silky dough. Do not over mix the dough as this will
cause over heating and the dough will become oily and greasy.
Add the apricot pieces and knead tin.
Transfer the dough into a lightly oiled container covered with glad wrap, give a bulk fermentation time of 1 hour in a warm draft free place. The dough should have
doubled in size.
Gently knock back the dough to expel all the gases, reactivate the yeast and strengthen the gluten structure. Finally push the dough out to a thickness of 5cm and
place into a shallow container, cover with glad wrap.
Place into the refrigerator over night (12 hours). This makes the dough easier to work off and mould since the dough will be cold and firm.
The following day remove the dough from the refrigerator and scale off into 120g pieces and roll into long rope shapes.
Plait into 1 x 3 strand plaits and place onto a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Cover and prove in a warm, draft free place until double in size (2 – 3 hours).
Using a pastry brush gently glaze with egg wash. Place directly into a preheated oven at 200C (410F) for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown in colour.
Remove from the mould after 10 minutes and place on a wire cooling rack.