Name: Sant Joan Forki Coca
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: Preferment; 100 g medium-strength flour; 100 ml whole milk; 16 g fresh yeast from Paris; 8 g sugar; traditional pastry cream; 4 egg yolks; 500 ml whole milk; 90 g sugar; 20 g all-purpose flour (or pastry flour); 20 g Cornstarch; 1 lemon (the peel); 1 cinnamon (or vanilla)

Sant Joan Forki Coca

The Coca de Sant Joan Forki is a sweet and fluffy bread made with preferment and medium-strength flour, perfect for celebrations and full of tradition and flavor.

Ingredients

Servings:

Ingredients

Preferment
100 gmedium-strength flour
100 mlwhole milk
16 gfresh yeast from Paris
8 gsugar

Ingredients

traditional pastry cream
4 egg yolks
500 mlwhole milk
90 gsugar
20 gall-purpose flour (or pastry flour)
20 gCornstarch
1 lemon (the peel)
1 cinnamon (or vanilla)

Nutritional Information

Per Serving (Approx.)

Calories

519 kcal

Protein

22 g

Fat

13 g

Carbohydrates

83 g

Disclaimer: These values are estimates based on ingredient types and may not be precise.

Step-by-step Guide

Prepare the Dough for the Coques

Using the flour, make a volcano-shaped circle on the kitchen counter. In the center of the volcano, place the eggs, sugar, a pinch of salt, and grated lemon peel. Start mixing the ingredients and work the dough for 15 to 20 minutes. If the dough is too dry, gradually add a few tablespoons of warm milk or water until a suitable texture is achieved.
As you continue working the dough, gradually incorporate the softened butter, ensuring it is fully integrated.
Once the butter is completely integrated, add the preferment. Work the dough thoroughly for a minimum of 20 minutes, stretching and folding it to incorporate air and develop the gluten. Use the palm of your hand to stretch the dough and then fold it over itself. Initially, the dough will be sticky, but it will become more consistent as you work it. Alternate stretching with kneading using the Bertinet method.
Grab the dough from underneath with both hands and bring it towards the center of the dough.
Stretch it towards you while lifting it slightly off the counter.
Throw and slam the dough against the marble from a certain height to stretch it.
The part you hold with your hands is folded over the part that has spread onto the marble, and the process begins again.
Continue combining the two working methods until the dough has a fine consistency and passes the windowpane test. This process should last approximately the indicated 20 minutes.
Shape the dough into a ball until it adopts a rounded form. 2nd Fermentation:
Once the dough is shaped into a ball, let it rest in a bowl covered with plastic wrap for 2 hours, or until it doubles in volume.
If you want to achieve an even better result, let the dough rest for 1 hour at room temperature to increase activity and then store it in the refrigerator until the next day.

Folding the Dough

After 2 hours, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently stretch it so it doesn't lose too much air. Note: If we left it in the fridge the day before, we will take the bowl out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour to 1:30 hours before turning the dough onto the work surface.
Make a double fold in the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes, covered with a lightly floured cloth.
If we are making 2 pastries, once folded, cut the dough into two portions of approximately the same weight and round them again. Let the portions rest for 10 minutes, covered with a lightly floured cloth, before continuing to work on them.
If we want to make a pastry filled with cream, so the cream is embedded and covered, instead of cutting the pastry in half once baked, we must divide the portion reserved for the cream-filled pastry into two halves, one slightly larger (the base) than the other (the cover). Let the portions rest for 10 minutes covered with a lightly floured cloth before continuing to work on them.
Soak the pine nuts in water for at least an hour before garnishing the coca. This will prevent them from toasting too much during baking. If desired, the candied fruits can also be macerated with brandy.
After resting for 10 minutes, gently roll out the dough onto a lightly greased baking paper into a rectangular shape about 1 cm thick. If the dough is tense, continue rolling it out and when it resists, let it rest, covered, for five minutes, then roll it out again if necessary, in several stages.
Place the paper with the coca on the baking tray and perfect the shape using your fingertips evenly.
Add the candied fruit and the pine nuts (previously soaked and drained). DO NOT ADD THE Sugar YET. The sugar will be added just before baking. Note: Do not brush with egg yolk either, because since it needs to rise for 2 hours, we must ensure that the egg does not spoil due to heat.
After resting for 10 minutes, gently roll out the dough base onto a lightly greased baking paper into a rectangular shape about 1 cm thick.
Fill with the pastry cream without reaching the edges with the cream, so you can seal the cake correctly.
Roll out the top layer carefully on a floured surface until it's slightly larger than the base.
Flour the rolling pin. Now, roll the top layer dough around the floured rolling pin and carefully transfer it over the base, unrolling it gently to cover the base.
Seal the edges of the two layers (base and top) by pressing with your finger and forming a cord to seal well.
Add the previously soaked and drained pine nuts. DO NOT ADD THE Sugar YET, it will be added when it goes into the oven. Note: Do not brush with egg yolk yet because it will need to rise for 2 hours, and we must ensure the egg does not spoil from the heat. Note: If you want to make it with a traditional egg cream, it is better to make the whole cake, and once it's baked and cooled, cut it in half and fill it with the cream, also already cooled. Leave the cake in the fridge until it's time to fill it.
Cover the coca with a cloth and let it rest for the third time for 2 hours or until it doubles in volume, ensuring proper fermentation.
When there are 45 minutes left before the fermentation time is completed, preheat the oven to 180ºC to ensure it reaches the ideal temperature when baking.
If possible, place a heat-resistant container inside the oven, where you can later pour half a glass of water to generate steam during the baking of the coca.
Carefully paint the coca with egg yolk diluted with a few drops of water, taking care not to press to avoid deflating, and ensuring the candied fruit is not painted.
Just before baking, sprinkle THE Sugar over the coca to caramelize during cooking.
Bake the coca at 180ºC for 15 minutes, or about 20 minutes if it is filled with cream, preferably with a little steam but without using the fan setting.
Once baked, pour a cup of hot water into the previously prepared container to generate steam and enhance the final result of the coca.
Let the coca cool on a wire rack to prevent moisture buildup at the base, thus preserving its optimal texture.

Preparation of Traditional Pastry Cream

Dissolve the cornstarch and sifted flour in about 50 ml of cold milk. Stir well until there are no lumps and reserve this mixture.
Place the remaining milk, lemon peel, and a cinnamon stick in a container. Heat over medium heat. When the milk comes to a boil, immediately remove from heat. Once it stops bubbling, return it to the heat. Repeat this process of bringing it to a boil a total of three times. This intensifies the flavor of the lemon and cinnamon.
Carefully separate the egg yolks from the whites. Reserve the egg whites for another use.
In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture becomes pale and increases in volume.
Add the cold milk with the cornstarch and the sifted flour, which we had set aside, to the egg yolk and sugar mixture. Stir well until you obtain a homogeneous mixture.
Remove the cinnamon stick and lemon peel from the hot milk. Gradually pour the still-hot milk into the bowl with the egg yolks while stirring constantly to prevent the eggs from curdling.
Transfer the mixture to a clean saucepan through a fine strainer to ensure there are no lumps. Cook over very low heat, stirring continuously with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until it thickens to the desired consistency. Ensure the temperature does not exceed 82ºC to prevent it from boiling.
When the pastry cream has reached the desired consistency, remove from heat and let cool at room temperature before refrigerating.

Pastry Cream Easy Option

Measure 270 grams of the mix for each liter of very cold milk. This amount is suitable for preparing 2 cream cakes.
Measure 135 grams of the mix for 500 ml of very cold milk. This proportion is for preparing one cream cake.
Mix the preparation and the cold milk in a large bowl. Use electric beaters at medium-high speed for 3 minutes, or until the mixture thickens and reaches the desired consistency.

Recommendations & Tricks

To make the coca in a single day, start at 8:00 a.m. to ensure that the entire process, which takes approximately 9 hours, is completed in time for the oven.
If you prefer a more aromatic result without being rushed, opt for a two-day process: on the first day, prepare the preferment and the dough, then store the dough in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, finish and bake the coca.
For kneading, use the Bertinet method, which involves stretching and folding the dough repeatedly. This method ensures that the dough is well-aerated and homogeneous.
If you left the dough in the refrigerator the previous day, remove it and let it rest at room temperature for 1 to 1.5 hours before working with it. This will help relax the gluten and make it easier to handle.
Do not brush the coca with egg yolk until just before baking, as during the rising time (about 2 hours), the yolk could spoil if exposed to heat.
If you opt to fill the coca with traditional cream, it is best to do so when the coca is completely cold. Cut the coca in half and fill it with the cream, also cold. Store it in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
For two cocas, prepare 100 grams of medium-strength flour and 100 ml of whole milk for the preferment. This will ensure that you have the necessary amount for a perfect result.