Recipe - Pane Di Mattina Alla Siciliana

1 teaspoon Olive oil
1 pack Active dry yeast
One half cup +1ts sugar
1 1/3 cup Scalded milk cool to 100F
6 One half cup Unbleached flour;approximate
One fourth cup Dried currents
1/3 cup Golden raisins
1/3 cup Marsala
One half cup Unsalted butter
3 tablespoon Shortening
1 One half teaspoon Fennel seeds
4 Eggs
1 tablespoon Grated lemon rind
One half teaspoon Salt

EGG WASH
1 tablespoon Whipping cream
1 Egg yolk
One half tablespoon Marsala

brush olive oil over surface of a large stainless steel bowl. Put yeast and
1 teaspoon sugar in bottom of bowl add 1 cup of scalded milk and stir to
disolve the yeast. Set aside for 10 minutes then add 1One half cups flour and
remaining milk. Knead by hand or with mixer and dough hook till dough is
soft and silky, about 7 or 8 minutes. Cover and let rise for 5 hours. While
dough rises soak currents and raisins in Marsala for at least 1 hour. In a
small sauce pan over low heat, melt butter and add 2 tablespoons
shortening. add fennel seed, remove from heat and let stand till cool. add
eggs one at a time to the fennel seed mixture and mix after each addition
then add lemon rind and remaining sugar. Set aside. when dough has risen 5
hours add fennel seed mixture and mix well. add salt and begin adding
remaining flour, One half cup at a time. when dough is firm enough to knead turn
out onto a lightly floured board and knead till soft and smooth about 10 to
15 minutes, adding as much additional flour as necessary to keep it from
sticking. During final 5 minutes knead in raisins and currents. form dough
into 2 loaves. use remaining shortening 2 grease 2 nine inch pans place
dough in pans cover and let rise till doubled in bulk. this may take as
long as 3 hours. preheat oven to 375 brush egg wash on bread 5 minutes
before baking. brush again immediately before baking. Bake until loaves are
golden brown and sound hollow when tapped about 35 minutes turn out and
cool. this is Sicily's answer to the moring danish. recipe from The Coles
group's, California Culinary Academy Italian cooking at the academy.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini