Gibassier sweet rolls

Eva, author ofBake-Street , returns to the blog to bring us a delicious recipe for some sweet breads that you will love. They are called Gibassier, a variety of bread with a texture that is somewhere between brioche dough and Roscón de Reyes. Can you resist?

The gibassier was a real discovery for me and I had been wanting to make it for a long time. The origin of its name is not very clear, it is believed that it may have been taken from the summit of El Gibas on the Luberon mountain. This type of sweet bread is traditional from Provence, it is a dough flavoured with anise, candied orange and orange blossom water.

Its appearance may remind us of the traditional fougasse (a type of salty bread that also comes from Provence and is often topped with herbs, cheese, olives, etc.). The version we are going to make is much more tender, I would say it is a mix between brioche and Roscón de Reyes (in terms of flavour and texture) .

Acacia Wood Board MasterClass

It is very common to confuse gibassier with “pompe à l´huile”, another variety of bread with a very similar appearance that is reminiscent of a sweet focaccia and is commonly given as a Christmas gift.

When looking for information about gibassier, you will find different opinions and versions. Some of them are drier, more similar to a biscuit, for example the one made in Lourmarin.

I think this more tender version of gibassier could be a mix of both, taking the tenderness of the pompe à l´huile and the ingredients, aromas and final appearance of the gibassier.

The end result is wonderful, a very tender and incredibly aromatic bread that, when it comes out of the oven, we will give a bath of ghee or melted butter, as you prefer, and sprinkle with extra fine sugar. A real delicacy!

The moment when you will fall at their feet will be while they are baking... the aroma that will envelop the kitchen is simply wonderful.

INGREDIENTS (for 10-12 Gibassier)

FOR THE PREFERMENT:

• 180 g of baking flour
• 110 g whole milk
• a pinch of dry baker's yeast (1/8 teaspoon)

FOR THE FINAL DOUGH:

• 300 g of strong flour
• 100 g of baking flour
• 110 g of egg at room temperature
• 100 g white sugar
• 65 g olive oil 0.4
• 70 g butter at room temperature
• 38 g of orange blossom water
• 25 g of water
• 7 g of dry baker's yeast
• 7 g of salt
• 6 g of anise seeds
• 70 g of candied orange

FOR THE CANDIED ORANGE:

• 2 firm table oranges
• 1 liter of water
• 350 g white sugar

TO PAINT:

• 1 beaten egg + 2 tablespoons of milk
• 100 g of ghee approx.
• extra fine white sugar*

* Extra fine white sugar is the same as white table sugar, but with a less coarse grain. If you don't have it, you can grind a little normal sugar to reduce the coarseness of the sugar.

FOR THE GHEE:

• 115 g unsalted butter

PREPARATION OF THE RECIPE

THE NIGHT BEFORE

1. We wash the oranges and dry them. Using a sharp knife, we cut them into thin slices and set them aside.
2. In a large pot, add enough water to cover the oranges, place over medium-high heat and let it come to a boil.
3. We drain the water, being careful not to burn ourselves with the steam, we cover it again with new water and we repeat the same process. We will do it a total of 3 times. This process will help us to remove the bitterness from the rind.
4. We drain all the water from the last cooking and add the litre of water together with the 350 g of sugar. We place it on a medium heat and leave it until we obtain a semi-thick syrup.
5. Remove from heat and remove the oranges using tongs . Let them cool on a rack or tray lined with baking paper.
6. Once they are cold, we store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

2) We prepare the preferment:

1. In a medium bowl add the milk along with the yeast and flour.
2. Mix to combine the ingredients. Transfer to a work surface and knead until you obtain a homogeneous dough.
3. Place in a bowl, cover with film and let rise at room temperature for 12-14 hours.

Olive wood flour scoop , T&G wooden board , Tokyo Design porcelain bowl and round acacia wood board Masterclass

THE NEXT DAY:

We prepare the dough:

The preferment we made the night before will have tripled in volume. The fermentation time may vary slightly depending on the temperature in our home.

1. We sift the flour together with the yeast. We set aside.
2. In a bowl add the water, egg, oil and orange blossom water and beat until combined.
3. In a large bowl, add the chopped preferment together with the mixture of liquid ingredients.
4. Using a whisk, we mix to dissolve the preferment. We will try to dissolve it as much as possible, in this way we will make it easier to avoid lumps forming in the dough when adding the flour.
5. We add the flour little by little and mixing at the same time.
6. Once we have added all the flour, we add the salt and sugar. We will do the latter in two batches and wait for the first to be completely integrated before adding the second.
7. We knead until the gluten is half developed.
8. Add the butter in three batches. Knead well until it is fully incorporated into the dough before adding the next batch.
9. Once all the butter has been incorporated, we will knead it using the French kneading method for about 10 minutes. We will allow it to rest once or twice, covering the dough, to make this step easier.
10. Add the anise and candied orange in small pieces. Knead carefully, so as not to damage the gluten mesh, for a couple of minutes.
11. Lightly grease a Tupperware, form a ball with the dough and place it in it. Cover and let it rise until it doubles in volume. In my case it took 5 hours (this will depend on the ambient temperature).

We form the gibassier:

1. We line 3 trays with baking paper and set aside.
2. We turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide it into pieces of 95-100 g each.
3. We form the dough into balls and give it a slightly elongated shape. We cover it with a cotton cloth and let it rest for 20 minutes. This will relax the gluten.
4. Using a rolling pin, flatten the pieces slightly.
5. We make three cuts inside the dough and four cuts on the edge. If you notice, the interior cuts are each halfway between every two exterior cuts.
6. We place them on baking trays , cover them with cling film and let them rise until they double in volume. In my case it took almost 3 hours.

We prepare the ghee:

1. In a saucepan, add the unsalted butter and leave uncovered over medium-low heat. Do not increase the temperature.
2. We will observe that the butter solids separate and we will see small yellow balls falling to the bottom.
3. We will leave it on medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent them from sticking and burning to the base of the saucepan.
4. As the water in the butter evaporates, the solids will begin to turn a light golden color.
5. At this point we remove it from the heat and set it aside. The heat from the saucepan will finish toasting the solids without burning them (otherwise they would taste bad), leaving a slight nutty aroma.

We bake the gibassier:

1. Preheat the oven to 175ºC with heat from above and below.
2. We paint the gibassier with the egg beaten with milk and put it in at medium height.
3. Bake for 20-23 minutes. They should turn a light golden colour. To check if they are done, prick them with a digital thermometer , which should read 88-90ºC.
4. We take it out, brush it with ghee and sprinkle it with extra fine sugar.

To preserve them, it is best to store them, once they have cooled completely, in a large zip-top bag or with a clip. They will remain in perfect condition for 3-4 days, don't worry, they won't go away.

These gibassiers are perfect for breakfast, a snack or a between-meal nibble… They are a real delight and a good variety of sweets to prepare at Christmas and surprise the family.

We look forward to seeing your work!