Coca de San Juan

Discover the history of Coca de San Juan.

1. Coca dough

   • 250 gr. strong or bread flour
   • 90 gr. whole milk
   • 50 gr. egg (1)
   • 50 gr. butter
   • 50 gr. vanilla or white sugar
   • 15 gr. egg yolk (1)
   • 15 gr. fresh yeast
   • 5 gr. lemon zest (1/2)
   • 3 gr. salt
   • 1 gr. powder cinnamon

   • In the bowl of the mixer, combine the flour, milk, egg, egg yolk, sugar, fresh yeast, lemon zest, salt and cinnamon powder.
   • Knead on medium speed for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
   • Next, add the cold butter cut into small pieces and incorporate it progressively, kneading on low speed.
   • When all the butter has been added, increase the speed of the mixer and knead for another 5 minutes.
   • Then, make a ball with the dough and place it in a bowl. Cover it with cling film and leave it to rest at room temperature until it doubles in size, for about 2 hours.

2. Pastry cream

   • 200 gr. whole milk
   • 40 gr. vanilla or white sugar
   • 30 gr. egg yolks (2)
   • 20 gr. all purpose flour
   • 2 gr. vanilla

   • Heat the milk and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat until it comes to the boil.
   • Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix the sugar with the egg yolks and the flour and mix well until you obtain a uniform, lump-free mixture.
   • When the milk is about to boil, pour it in a thin stream over the egg yolk mixture and stir it with the whisk.
   • Then return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly with the whisk, until it thickens.
   • Then, turn off the heat, transfer the cream to a bowl and cover it with cling film.
   • Put it in the fridge for at least 4 hours and set aside until ready to use.

3. Assembly

   • Morello cherries
   • 25 gr. toasted pine nuts
   • Egg white (1)

   • When the dough has doubled in volume, transfer it to our work surface, deflate it and with the help of a rolling pin roll it out into an oval shape approximately 1 cm thick.
   • Then take the pastry cream out of the fridge, lightly cream it by stirring with a whisk and transfer it to a piping bag with a 1.5 cm diameter curly nozzle.
   • Next, brush the dough with the egg white and pipe the custard in strips in a diamond pattern.
   • Now place some morello cherries in the centre of the lozenges and spread the pine nuts all over the surface.
   • Place the dough in a warm place or at room temperature and let it double in size for 1-2 hours, depending on the temperature. The warmer it is, the quicker it will rise.
   • The optimum fermentation temperature for this dough is 27º C. If we do not have a fermentation chamber, we can replicate a similar environment in our unlit oven by putting a pan of boiling water in it. In this way we will achieve a suitable temperature and humidity for the correct fermentation of our dough.
   • Finally, bake for 20 minutes at 180º C. Leave to cool at room temperature on a wire rack.
   • Keep in a cool, dry place, covered with cling film. It is advisable to eat it the same day it is baked, or at most the following day, as this type of dough tends to dry out over time.

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