Marie Frank's Brunsviger with Grapes & Rosemary
The Copenhagen-based pastry chef shares her recipe for this classic Danish cake
Brunsviger is a traditional Danish yeasted coffee cake topped with copious amounts of gooey brown-sugar caramel. Think “love child of sticky buns and focaccia,” and you will get the picture. This is a version of the brunsviger we developed at Det Vide Hus in Copenhagen, a nod to its nickname Danish focaccia, with the brunsviger topped with the classic combination of sweet grapes and rosemary.
—Marie Frank
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Ingredients
Makes 8 servings
For the Dough
2 cups/240 grams bread flour
1½ tablespoons granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
¾ cup/180 milliliters whole milk or water
3 tablespoons/45 milliliters extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing
For the Goo
⅔ cup/130 grams dark brown sugar
¼ cup/55 grams unsalted butter
1 tablespoon whole milk or water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup/160 grams grapes, halved
3 to 4 sprigs of rosemary, leaves only, chopped
Catch Marie talking about this recipe on our baking pod!
Method
MAKE THE DOUGH: Combine the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, and cardamom in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, and mix to combine. Add the milk and olive oil and mix on low speed until the dough is elastic and soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Wet your hands and fold half the dough into the center, turn the bowl 45 degrees and repeat the fold. Repeat for a total of eight folds. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and repeat the stretching every 30 minutes for another 1½ hours, for a total of four stretch-and-folds.
Brush a large bowl with olive oil and scrape the dough into the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and transfer the dough to the refrigerator to proof overnight.
Lightly oil a pie dish or cake pan, then press and stretch the dough to cover the dish. Cover the pan lightly with plastic wrap and proof for 2 hours at room temperature, until doubled in size.
MAKE THE GOO: Combine the brown sugar, butter, and milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the olive oil, lemon zest, and salt.
BAKE THE BRUNSVIGER: Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C.
Use your fingers to press dimples into the dough all the way to the bottom and drizzle with the goo. Place the grapes on top and sprinkle with the rosemary.
Bake the brunsviger for 15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the internal temperature of the bread reaches 200°F/93°C on an instant-read thermometer.
Remove the pan from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before serving.
From More Than Sweet: Desserts with Flavor by Marie Frank. Reprinted by permission of Hardie Grant Publishing.
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