Case #8: A TWISTED Poppy Seed Couronne

 

Poppyseed Couronne surrounded by chocolate coins.

As Sherlock Holmes’s landlady, one does get to see a good deal of the seamier side of life. “The Man with the Twisted Lip” was a good example of that. Imagine Mr. Neville St. Clair making such a good income begging on the streets and his wife knowing nothing about it! Now, I believe that the vast majority of people who have to get their money this way are truly in extremis, so I feel a little put out about Mr. St. Clair’s play acting. Fortunately, Mr. Holmes put an end to all that.

Neville St. Clair's theatrical skills turned him into a veritable king among panhandlers, so his recipe will be a crown, or in the baking term borrowed from French, a Couronne. Since much of the action of the story takes place in an opium den, we’ll give this Couronne a poppy seed filling. Adding even more poppy seeds to the dough and a drizzle icing makes for a spectacularly-speckled sweet bread ideal for a coffee break.

Note: Mrs. Hudson, like so many other home bakers, is a devotee of the show “The Great British Bake-off.” This recipe takes its basic dough and method from Paul Hollywood’s famous Apricot Couronne. 

Dough

250 g (1.5 rounded cups) bread flour

1 Tbsp. poppy seeds

5 g (1 tsp.) salt 

7 g  (2 ¼ tsp.) dry yeast

105 g (scant ½ cup) milk, slightly warm

50 g (3 2⁄3 Tbsp.) unsalted butter, softened and cut into smallish pieces

Filling

About 1½ cups poppy seed filling, canned or homemade. I used canned filling and added 1/2 cup of finely chopped walnuts to cut the sweetness.

Glaze

Small amount of heated citrus marmalade or apple jelly

Icing

120 g (1 cup) powdered sugar

1 tsp poppy seeds

1 tsp lemon extract

Enough milk to create a drizzling consistency. 

Method

Prepare the dough. Mix flour, salt and poppy seeds in mixer bowl. In a separate small bowl, add yeast to warm milk. Let it activate, then add to dry ingredients. Mix in a mixer equipped with a dough hook for about 4 minutes, then adding the butter bit by bit, mix for another 6 minutes or so until you have a smooth, elastic dough. (Alternatively, knead by hand.)

Form the dough into a ball, cover and let rise for about an hour. Prepare the filling.

After the first rise, roll the dough out into a rectangle, like this:

Spread filling over the dough, leaving the edges uncovered.

Roll the rectangle up along the long edge, then cut the resulting roll in half lengthwise. 

Braid and twist, keeping the cut side showing the stripes of filling right side up.

Twist ends together and form into a crown. Let rise for another 45 minutes.

Bake at 400°F (200°C) for about 30 minutes until cooked through and golden. Set on a cooling rack and brush with glaze while hot.

When the Couronne is fully cooled, drizzle with the icing and serve.