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Here’s the recipe for the traditional Coca de Sant Joan – a festive sweet bread topped with candied fruit and pine nuts, meant to be shared under the stars.Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

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We hope it brings you a little piece of Catalonia this midsummer.
If you share your coca online, tag us @thecatalantable — we’d love to see it!

Have a sweet and sunny Sant Joan!

Traditional Coca de Sant Joan Recipe

Ingredients

Candied Fruit

  • 3.5 oz. candied orange

  • 3.5 oz. candied melon

  • 3.5 oz. candied cherries

Coca Dough

  • 2¾ cups flour, sifted

  • ⅓ cup flour, for dusting

  • ¾ cup sugar

  • 2 eggs

  • Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated

  • 1 cup of milk

  • ¼ tsp. cinnamon powder

  • ½ tsp. salt

  • ¼ tsp. anise powder

  • 8 Tbsp. butter

  • 1⅓ Tbsp. baking powder

  • 1 egg, beaten (for brushing)

  • ⅓ cup pine nuts

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).

  2. Place the sifted flour in a large bowl. Make a crater in the center, and add half the sugar, two eggs, the milk, the lemon zest, and the cinnamon and anise powders.

  3. Whisk the ingredients inside the crater using your hand or a fork, then gradually incorporate the flour until a soft dough forms. Add the lard or butter and the baking powder, and mix everything together until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl.

  4. Lightly dust your work surface. Shape the dough into an elongated oval, about ½ inch thick.

  5. Butter a baking pan and dust it with a bit of flour. Place the coca on it and let it rest for 20 minutes.

  6. Brush the beaten egg over the coca. Sprinkle the rest of the sugar on top, and decorate with the candied fruit and pine nuts.

  7. Bake for 30 minutes.

Chef’s Tips

  • To candy the fruit at home, simmer the fruit in 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar for 30 minutes.

  • You can use any fruit you like. Citrus fruits, cherries, melons, and pears are great options.

  • If you have a stand mixer, you can use it to knead the dough.

Wine Pairing

Étim Ranci by Cooperativa Falset Marçà, DO Montsant
✨ Garnatxa and Carinyena
etim.cat/ca