Benoîton

For 16 pieces, you will need:

1 75 g flaked almonds
2 380 g water
3 100 g leaven
4 200 g rye flour
5 300 g plain white flour (French Type 65)
6 9 g fine (or table) salt
7 10 g yeast
8 300 g raisins
9 50 g Pearl sugar
Total weight: 1,424 grams

Change for:

Measures:

How long does it take?

Time required

Preparation	Resting	Cooking	Start to finish
2 hours 25 min.	1 hour 30 min.	37 min.	4 hours 32 min.

Keeping:

A few days in a coth bag.

At what time?

When will I finish if I start the recipe at a certain time?
When should I start for the recipe to be ready at a certain time?

Work this out...

Step by step recipe

Stage 1 - 7 min.

Put 75 g flaked almonds in a non-stick frying pan on high and toast for 5 to 7 minutes. They should only just begin to colour.

Set aside.

You can also do this in the oven at 360°F (180°C): spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast for 8 minutes.

Stage 2

In bread-making, the water temperature is always important. It's not a fixed value, but related to 3 other temperatures: 1) the temperature of your flour, 2) the room temperature in your kitchen, and 3) the basic temperature of this recipe, which is 56-60°C.

You can calculate the temperature of the water for this recipe in one click, using this small calculator.

Stage 3 - 3 min.

Put into a mixer bowl: 380 g water at the correct temperature, 100 g leaven, 200 g rye flour, 300 g plain white flour (French Type 65), 9 g fine (or table) salt and 10 g yeast.

Stage 4 - 12 min.

Knead on slow speed for 12 minutes, adding 300 g raisins and the toasted almonds 2 minutes before the end of kneading.

Note: For the best way to knead, see: A few tips for effective kneading at home..

Stage 5 - 1 hour 30 min.

Gather the dough into a ball and transfer to a large, clean bowl.

Cover with a plastic sheet and leave to rest for about an hour and a half. It's pointage (starting).

Stage 6 - 3 min.

After this time, flatten out the dough by hand, or with a rolling pin, into a large rectangle about half an inch (a generous centimetre) thick. Scatter 50 g Pearl sugar over and press gently into the dough by hand or with the rollling pin.

Stage 7 - 2 min.

Cut the rectangle in half.

Stage 8 - 5 min.

Cut each half into rectangles about 1x4 inches (2x10 cm) and arrange these on a baking sheet.

Stage 9 - 2 hours

Cover with a plastic sheet and leave to rest for 2 hours.

Stage 10 - 30 min.

Preheat the oven to 460°F (240°C) and bake for about 30 minutes.

Note: As when baking any bread, you should ensure that the oven is filled with steam for the first 15 minutes of baking. This page shows you how; it really is the secret of golden-brown, crusty loaves..

Stage 11

Leave to cook on a wire rack.

Remarks

You can vary the fruit content of your benoîton by using pistachios, cranberries, etc.

The name benoîton came no doubt from a nineteenth century play, La Famille Benoîton by Victorien Sardou, which portrayed a nouveau-riche bourgeois family. At the time, it was common to name patisseries after famous plays. Poires Belle-Hélène is another example.

Nutritional information

% are calculated relative to a Recommended Dietary Intake or RDI of 2000 k-calories or 8400 k-joules by day for a woman (change to a man).

How much will it cost?

For 16 pieces : 13.66 €
Per piece : 0.85 €

Note : These prices are only approximate

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	Water: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Houmous, Citrus crunch, Salmon chard rolls, Cornmeal baps for Anne, Stewed apple (compote), ... All
	Raisins: You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Apple Strudel, Pecan fruit rolls , Cramique, Frozen Nougat, Moist cereal bars, ... All
	Plain white flour (French Type 65): You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Mixed seed grissini, Olive and pesto bread, New leavened bread, Ali Baba bread, Jura bread, ... All
	Rye flour: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Gingerbread, Lumberjack turnovers, Jura bread, Fougasse with bacon and Comté, Sandwich bread, ... All

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