Wednesday 31 August 2011

Peach and Lavender Butter

When my youngest son and I visited our favorite farm a few weeks ago, I bought two different varieties of peaches – Jersey Queen and Sun Prince. Both varieties were juicy and delicious, but as my son so aptly put it, the Jersey Queens were the really sweet ones and the “jammable” ones were the Sun Princes. We enjoyed eating both varieties, but I used most of the Sun Prince peaches for canning.

I started by making a double batch of Lord Grey Peach Preserves.  These preserves are so good I’ve been eating them by the spoonful. I’ve also been giving some away so I don’t eat them all myself.

Even after making a double batch of preserves and sending a bag of peaches with my son when he went back to school, I still had a bunch of peaches left.  I decided it was time to make peach butter.

peach-lavender-butter 009

I found this recipe for Peach and Lavender Butter and had just enough peaches to make it.  Last year, I made Peach and Lavender Jam and I really liked the lavender flavor so I was pretty much sold on this recipe before I even tried it.

 

Peach and Lavender Butter Recipe

Yield: About Six 8oz (250 mL) Jars

Recipe from: Homemade Living: Canning & Preserving with Ashley English: All You Need to Know to Make Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Chutneys & More

Ingredients:

  • 3 pounds peaches (peeled, pitted, and chopped roughly)
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons fresh or dried lavender buds (I used dry)
  • 3 tablespoons bottled lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest
  • 3 cups granulated sugar

 

Directions:

  1. Bring 1/3 cup water to boil.  Place the lavender buds in a small bowl.  Pour in the boiling water; cover, and steep for 15 minutes. Strain the liquid through a mesh sieve and set aside. Be sure to keep the strained lavender buds. 

    peach-lavender-butter 001

  2. Prepare canner, jars and lids.  For more information, visit the National Center for Home Preservation web site.

  3. Combine the lavender water, peaches, lemon juice, and zest in a heavy, stainless steel pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes , until the peach mixture thickens and clings to a spoon.  Remove from heat.

    peach-lavender-butter 003

  4. Once the peach mixture has cooled slightly, puree it in the blender or food processor or press it through a food mill or fine-meshed sieve.  Return the puree to the pot, add the sugar and lavender buds and bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. 

    peach-lavender-butter 004

  5. Stir the mixture continually until the sugar is completely dissolved. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 25 minutes.

    peach-lavender-butter 006

     

  6. Ladle peach butter into clean, hot 1/2-pint jars. Wipe rims, seal, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. 

    Refer to the National Center for Home Preservation web site for more info on canning and to check processing times for high altitudes. 

  7. Remove the canner lid and let the jars rest in the canner for 5 minutes.
  8. Remove the jars from the canner and place on the counter to cool. Let them rest overnight, then move to a cool, dry place for storage.

    peach-lavender-butter 007

 

Here are some of the references I use in my canning adventures.

Sunday 28 August 2011

Vienna Bread: Bread Baking Babes

Astrid of Paulchen’s Foodblog is the host for the Bread Baking Babes and Friends this month.  She chose Vienna Bread as the bread of the month. Vienna bread is a type of bread that is produced from a process developed in Vienna, Austria, in the 19th century. The shape of Vienna Bread is determined by the baker, based on the intended function of the loaf. It is typically twelve inches long and weighs one pound. Some of the BBB bakers chose to make loaves and some made rolls or pistolets. I baked mine in a loaf pan.

vienna-bread 008

 

This version is from Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice and is made with a Pâte Fermentée. I made this Vienna Bread last year during the BBA Challenge. However, this time instead of making freeform loaves, I baked it in a loaf pan and I omitted the Dutch crunch topping because I didn’t care for it too much last time. 

This version is basically a glorified white sandwich loaf. But, you know what they say… you can’t judge a book by it’s cover.  Even though this version is a little humble-looking compared to the version I made last year, it makes for good toast and tastes good paired with tuna salad.

IMG_0408

 

This is the version I made last time.  You can view the process here.  It was a very pretty loaf, but I thought the flavor was a bit lacking.  My taste tester said it tasted dusty.  I think I used too much flour last time so this one probably deserves another chance sometime.

 

If you would like to make some Vienna Bread or rolls, you can find the recipe here.

Happy Baking!

Cathy

Wednesday 24 August 2011

Black Bread

Black Bread is an interesting bread made with sourdough and old bread soaked in boiling water and coffee grounds. The sourdough gives it a bit of a tang and the coffee grounds provide the deep coloring. I didn’t have any new old bread (meaning only a few days old) so I used some rye bread that I cut into cubes and froze a few months back.  I do believe it qualified as old bread. 

black-bread013

Black Bread is the third bread on the list for the Mellow Bakers this month. It is another one of those breads that I was hesitant to make. It didn’t appeal to me at first, but I was curious to find out how ground coffee would taste in bread. So I decided to give it a try. It also seemed like a good way to use some of the old bread I had stashed in the freezer. I only made one loaf so I adjusted the formula accordingly.

 

Black Bread

Makes: 1 Loaf

Adapted from Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes by Jeffrey Hamelman

Ingredients:

Sourdough:

  • 5.6 oz (1 3/8 cup) Medium Rye Flour (I used whole grain rye flour)
  • 4.5 oz (~5/8 cup) water
  • .3 oz (1 T) mature sourdough culture

Old-Bread Soaker:

  • 1.3 oz (3/4 cup) Old Bread
  • .4 oz (3 T) Coffee, ground
  • .4 oz (1 T) Vegetable oil
  • 6.4 oz (7/8 cup) Water, hot

Bread Dough:

  • 4 oz (1 cup) Medium Rye Four (I used Whole Grain Rye Flour)
  • 6.4 oz (~1 3/8 cups) High-gluten flour
  • .3 oz (1/2 T) salt
  • 7/8 tsp instant dry yeast
  • Old-bread soaker, all of the above
  • Sourdough, all of the above (minus 1 T)

 

Bread Method:

  1. Prepare the sourdough and let it ripen for 14 to 16 hours.

    black-bread-sourdough

     

  2. Slice the old bread, put it on a baking sheet and bake it until it is a deep, dark brown.  Try not to burn it because it will give it a bitter taste. Put the rebaked old bread in a large bowl and pour the hot water over it.  Add the ground coffee and oil and stir thoroughly with a spoon until the coffee is dissolved and the bread is completely moistened.  Cover with a lid or plastic.  It’s best to make the bread soaker at the same time as you prepare the sourdough and to let it stand at room temperature until it’s time to mix the dough.

    black-bread-soaker

     

  3. Add the ingredients to the mixing bowl. Mix the dough for 3 minutes on first speed, then about 3 minutes on second.  The high gluten flour will give the dough a perceptible, but not overly strong, gluten development.  The desired dough temperature is 80˚ F.

     

    black-bread-dough

     

  4. Let the dough bulk ferment for 30 to 45 minutes.

  5. Shape the dough into a round or oblong shape.

  6. Final fermentation should take about 50 to 60 minutes at 80˚ F.

  7. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees with a baking stone on the center rack and a steam pan underneath. Bake the loaf for about 15 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 425 degrees and bake for 30 to 35 minutes longer.

    black-bread014

    This bread has been YeastSpotted. Please visit Wild Yeast to view all of the lovely breads in the roundup.

     

  8. Slice and enjoy. 

    black-bread015

    I tried a slice and I actually liked it. The rebaked old bread adds a toasty flavor when soaked and mixed into the new dough. And, the ground coffee gives the bread a bit of a bite as well. The resulting bread is very dark but without the sweetness that you would get from using molasses.

    I gave the rest of the loaf to my friend from Romania. He loves dark breads and it was his birthday so I thought it was only fitting that he should have it. Of course I had to try it first to make sure it tasted okay.

    He enjoyed the bread with tomatoes.  He said it was just the right combination. He also said he couldn’t taste the coffee, but that it kept him up late at night. Not sure if he was just kidding me about that. He said the rye flavor is what comes through the most with a hit of sourdough.

    I just might have to make this one again.  Next time I might try using some old French bread instead of rye.

     

    Mellow Bakers was started by Paul at Yumarama. We’ve been baking breads from Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes by Jeffrey Hamelman.

     

    Thanks for visiting the Bread Experience bread-baking blog.  I hope you’ll join me again soon.

    Happy Baking!
    Cathy

Sunday 21 August 2011

Lord Grey’s Peach Preserves

As I was thumbing through the August 2011 issue of bon appétit magazine, I saw these peach preserves. They sounded unique and tasty so I decided to try them.

 Lord Grey Peach Preserves

 

My youngest son was home for a couple of weeks between semesters so I took him to our favorite farm to get peaches and homemade ice cream. This farm is about an hour an a half away -- just far enough to get away from the city but not so far that it wears you out.

We had the chance to catch up during the drive which was a big part of reason I wanted to take him with me. He got some homemade peach ice cream, and I got some more peaches for canning so all in all it worked out pretty well. 

These Sun Prince peaches are delicious and cling free which makes them great for canning.

Sun Prince Peaches

I didn’t have any Earl Grey Tea on hand, but as luck would have it, my son has developed a taste for Earl Grey and happened to have a stash of tea hidden in his room. He let me use some of it for these preserves. 

He took some of the preserves back to school with him so he got something out of the deal as well.

 

Lord Grey’s Peach Preserves

Makes: 2 Pints

Source: August 2011 bon appétit

I doubled the recipe. I had a peck of peaches that I needed to use and these preserves seemed like a really easy way to can the peaches without too much effort.  My preserves turned out darker than the preserves in the magazine photo, but I think it’s due to the type of tea I used. 

 

Ingredients:

  • 5 pounds ripe peaches
  • 4 cups sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 5 Earl Grey tea bags, divided

 

Directions:

  1. Cut a small, shallow X in the bottom of each peach. Working in batches, blanch in a large pot of boiling water until skin loosens, about 1 minute. Transfer to a large bowl of ice water; let cool. Peel, halve, and pit. Cut into 1/3 inch slices. Combine with sugar and juice in a large bowl. Let stand for 30 minutes.

    Lord-Grey-Peach-Preserves003

     

  2. Place a small plate in freezer. Transfer fruit mixture and 4 tea bags to a large heavy pot. Open the remaining tea bag; crumble leaves slightly; add to pot.

    IMG_0294

     

  3. Bring to a boil, stirring gently, and cook 15-20 minutes. Test doneness by scooping a small spoonful onto chilled plate and tilting plate. (Preserves are ready if they don't run.) Remove tea bags.

    Lord-Grey-Peach-Preserves007

     

  4. Skim foam from the surface of jam. Ladle jam into 2 clean, hot 1-pint jars. Wipe rims, seal, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. 

    Lord-Grey-Peach-Preserves009

    Refer to the National Center for Home Preservation web site for more info on canning and to check processing times for high altitudes. 

  5. Remove the canner lid and let the jars rest in the canner for 5 minutes.

  6. Remove the jars from the canner and place on the counter to cool. Let them rest overnight, then move to a cool, dry place for storage.

    Hopefully, like me, you’ll have some preserves that didn’t quite fit in the processed jars so you can enjoy some and save some for later.

     

    Lord Grey Peach Preserves

     

    These preserves are so good! I love the hint of floral flavor the Earl Grey Tea imparts. I could eat it by the spoonful.  I think it’s time to give some away.

     
    Nutritional Information

    1 tablespoon serving contains:
    Calories (kcal) 39.7
    %Calories from Fat 0.0
    Fat (g) 0.0
    Saturated Fat (g) 0.0
    Cholesterol (mg) 0.0
    Carbohydrates (g) 11.4
    Dietary Fiber (g) 0.4
    Total Sugars (g) 11.0
    Net Carbs (g) 11.0
    Protein (g) 0.2
    Sodium (mg) 0.0

     

    Here are some of the references I use in my canning adventures.

Wednesday 17 August 2011

Slow Cooker Tomato Herb Soup

I’ve been looking for ways to utilize my tomato harvest. I have an assortment of 30+ tomato plants. I planted a lot of Roma tomatoes to make marinara and tomato sauce, but I also have lemon cherry, Virginia Sweets, First Prize, Giant Belgium, Early Girl, Viva Italia, San Marzano, Beefmaster, and Black Russian. Some of them are heirloom and some aren’t, but I started all of them from seeds. I didn’t expect all of the seeds to germinate let alone survive so I am very proud of my babies.

So far this summer, I’ve made salsa, marinara, tomato basil sauce, grilled tomatoes over pasta (a few times) and roasted tomatoes. 

I still have lot’s of tomatoes so I decided to make some tomato soup to freeze for the Fall and Winter. I went online to find a new recipe and found just what I was looking for on the Soup Chick. One of things I really like about this soup is that you don’t have to heat up your kitchen to make it. It’s made in the crock pot. How do you like that? I did…

slow-cooker-herb-tomato-soup2

 

Recipe for Slow Cooker Tomato Herb Soup

You can find the recipe on Soup Chick.  You’ll also find an assortment of other soups that you might like to try.

I used about 60 ounces of fresh tomatoes instead of diced tomatoes, but it’s nice to know that I can make this soup with diced tomatoes when my harvest is gone. I doubled the rest of the recipe.

I was hesitant to use the mayonnaise called for in the recipe because I’m not a big fan of mayonnaise, but then I read the comments about how it’s used as an emulsifier so I decided to include it.  I also had all of the herbs she used, but if you don’t like the combination of herbs she chose, you can use different herbs.

The Soup Chick left some of her soup chunky, but I pureed all of my soup in the blender.  The chunky soup looks good, but I decided I wanted a creamier texture. I also cooked mine several hours longer than she did.

I liked the process for making this soup. I also liked the flavor.  I’m looking forward to enjoying it with some crusty bread this Fall when it gets a little bit cooler.

 

My Tomato Harvest

In case you’re wondering, here are some of the tomato plants that contributed tomatoes for this soup.  This is a photo of my straw bale garden at the beginning of the season. I have (or had)  Roma, Virginia Sweets, First Prize, Viva Italia, and Black Russian tomatoes planted here. They have produced a wonderful harvest, but some of the plants have already gone on to tomato heaven.

 garden-2011 001_thumb[2]_thumb

 

I also have a bunch of Roma tomato plants, Lemon Cherry, Viva Italia, Early Girl and First Prize planted in big pots on my front walkway and on the back deck.  They’re still going strong, but they’ll be winding down soon – I hope.

garden-2011 024_thumb[1]_thumb

 

I’ve been enjoying my tomato harvest this year, but I think maybe I’ll give more of the plants away next time…

 

Thanks for visiting the Bread Experience bread baking blog.  I hope you’ll join me again soon.

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

Sunday 14 August 2011

Grilled Pizza Margherita

I’ve been on a grilling kick so I decided to continue the trend with this Pizza Margherita.  I was supposed to make Focaccia con Formaggio with the rest of the Ciabatta dough (like the other Mellow Bakers did), but I didn’t have any Ricotta Cheese.  Not to mention the fact that my 30+ tomato plants and basil plants have been calling for me to make something with them besides salsa and marinara. So I decided to make use of them and the dough in this pizza.  

grilled-margherita-pizza

I know you’ve been waiting to find out what I planned to do with the other two dough balls from my Grilled Herb Focaccia post so here you go.

 

Grilled Pizza Marguerite Recipe

Makes: 2 pizzas

Dough:

  • 2 dough balls (1 pound each) from pizza dough of your choice. I used the rest of the Ciabatta dough from the Grilled Herb Focaccia.
  • Extra-virgin olive oil (to spread on the dough before grilling)

grilled-herb-focaccia 006

 

Toppings:

  • Sliced fresh tomatoes (I used heirloom tomatoes from my garden)
  • Fresh basil
  • Sliced Mozzarella Cheese
  • Crushed tomatoes
  • Dried thyme and oregano (or your choice of herbs)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

 

grilled-margherita-pizza2

 

Directions:

Take the dough balls out of the refrigerator and let them warm up to room temperature.  I spread the dough balls out on parchment paper, covered them with plastic wrap and let them rest on the counter while I prepared the grill.

grilled-margherita-pizza3

 

I placed a pizza stone on the grates and turned the outside burners of my gas grill to high.  The I closed the lid to let it preheat to at least 450 degrees. The photo is a little fuzzy but you get the picture, right?  I had never used my baking stone on the grill before.  I think I thought it might crack, but then I decided if you could use the baking stone in a 500 degree oven, it should work on the grill, right?

grilled-margherita-pizza4

 

I transferred the dough to the grate using a pizza peel. Then I par baked the dough for 5 minutes or so before adding the toppings.  I left the parchment paper on for the first few minutes but then I removed it so the bottom would finish baking.

I forgot to make slits in the dough so it puffed up like a balloon.  It was pretty funny.  I had to carefully make slits with a fork to deflate the dough.

grilled-margherita-pizza5

 

I removed the pizza from the grill and added the toppings.  First, I spread it with crushed tomatoes and sprinkled it with thyme and oregano and salt and pepper.  Then I added the sliced mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and basil. 

grilled-margherita-pizza6

 

Then I carefully returned the pizza to the grill using a pizza peel and grilled it just until the toppings were cooked and the cheese was melted.  We waited until it cooled just a bit before slicing and eating. We tried to be patient, but it’s really hard when a pizza is just sitting there waiting to be devoured.

grilled-margherita-pizza7

 

This grilled pizza was really good.  I forgot to drizzle the dough with the olive oil. I think it would’ve helped the flavor and texture of the dough if I had done that before grilling it; however, my BF said it was great – awesome actually!

I liked the process and how easy it was to grill it.  It tasted good, particularly the tomatoes and the fresh basil. It’s fun to eat fresh from your garden.

 

Mellow Bakers was started by Paul at Yumarama. We’ve been baking breads from Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes by Jeffrey Hamelman.

 

Thanks for visiting the Bread Experience blog.  I hope you’ll join me again soon.

Happy Baking!
Cathy

Friday 12 August 2011

Grilled Herb Focaccia

Focaccia is one of my favorites.  It’s so simple and rustic, yet very versatile. It can be made with whatever ingredients you have on hand. Focaccia can be flat, raised, round, oblong or freeform. It can be made with plain dough or dough with added oil and herbs. You can keep it simple and only add herbs and kosher salt on top or you can use any combination of cheeses, meats, fruits, vegetables, oils and herbs -– the choice is yours.

grilled-herb-focaccia 009

This simple Grilled Herb Focaccia is made with Jeffrey Hammelman’s  Ciabatta dough.  The dough can be spread (or rolled) out flat or baked in a round baking pan. As hot as it’s been lately, I wanted to avoid heating up the kitchen so instead of baking the focaccia in the oven, I opted to grill it on my gas grill.

I got the idea to use a cast iron skillet from Beau’s Grilled Three Herb Focaccia on Something Edible. I like this method. It makes the dough really easy to handle.

 

Grilled Herb Focaccia

Makes: 1 Focaccia

Dough:

 

Directions:

Lightly preshape the dough into a round and place it seam side down on a floured work surface.  Cover the dough ball lightly with baker’s linen or plastic. Pour 2 tablespoons of good-quality extra-virgin olive oil into the cast iron skillet.

I had more than 1 1/2 pounds of dough so I made 3 dough balls. I placed one ball seam side down in the greased cast iron skillet and wrapped the other balls in plastic wrap and placed them in a Ziploc bag.  The two remaining dough balls went in the refrigerator to be used another day.

grilled-herb-focaccia 006

 

After a 20-minute rest, begin to stretch the dough into a disk.  Try to maintain an even thickness.  If the dough doesn’t want to stretch fully, let it rest for a few more minutes. I just spread it out in the pan rather than spreading it out on the counter and transferring it to the pan.  The oil in the pan helped the process

grilled-herb-focaccia 007

 

Let the dough rise in the pan about an hour or so. While the dough is rising preheat your gas grill.  I grilled some lemon cherry tomatoes in another cast iron skillet so my grill was all set to go when the focaccia dough was ready.  I have a 3-burner grill so I adjusted the outside burners to medium-high and turned the middle burner off.

grilled-herb-focaccia 008

When the dough had risen sufficiently, I used the tips of my fingers to make indentions throughout the dough.  Then I sprinkled the top with dried rosemary, thyme and oregano and some kosher salt.  I forgot to take photo of this part.  I was too anxious to get it on the grill.

 

Place the cast iron skillet on the middle burner and bake the focaccia for about 20 to 25 minutes. Keep the heat at about 450 – 500 degrees throughout the baking process. You may need to adjust the burners to keep the heat consistent.

grilled-herb-focaccia 010

 

When the focaccia is done, it will be nicely browned on top and the dough will have pulled in from the sides of the skillet.  I checked it by lifting it with a spatula.  The side and bottom should be brown, fragrant, and crusty due to the olive oil.

grilled-herb-focaccia 014

 

As Jeffrey Hammelman so aptly put it, “the bright crust and lovely dough, combined with the flavors of the toppings, will be irresistible”.   He was so right!

grilled-herb-focaccia 016

 

This bread made a great accompaniment to roasted lemon cherry tomatoes (from my garden) served over pasta.  The juices from the roasted tomatoes provide the sauce.  So yummy and so easy! 

This was great way to have our bread and eat it too without heating up the kitchen.

 

Mellow Bakers was started by Paul at Yumarama. We’ve been baking breads from Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes by Jeffrey Hamelman.

 

Thanks for visiting the Bread Experience blog.  I hope you’ll join me again soon.

Happy Baking!
Cathy

Sunday 7 August 2011

Cinnamon Raisin Bread with Oatmeal and Sprouted Wheat

Oatmeal Bread with Cinnamon and Raisins is one of the breads on the list for the Mellow Bakers for August. I was really looking forward to making this bread. My youngest son is home from college for a couple of weeks and oatmeal bread happens to be one of his favorites. The timing was great! 

Oatmeal with cinnamon and raisins is delicious and healthy in and of itself, but when you add the combination to bread, you’ve got yourself a pretty awesome treat. I thought this would make some exceptional cinnamon toast so I baked the loaf in a Pullman pan.

cinnamon-raisin-oatmeal-bread 034

 

Instead of using high gluten flour and whole wheat flour as per the original formula, I used Super SproutTM flour and bread flour along with the rolled oats. Super SproutTM is a whole grain organic wheat that has been sprouted using a proprietary method and milled into flour for baking. The wheat flavor of this sprouted flour is deeper, smoother and more well-rounded than plain whole wheat flour. 

As I mentioned in a previous post on Whole Wheat Bread, I learned about Super SproutTM at the Asheville Bread Baking Festival during Peter Reinhart’s workshop.  This flour is milled by Lindley Mills. I’m not sure if it is readily available yet, but it is supposed to be in markets soon.

 

Cinnamon Raisin Bread with Oatmeal & Sprouted Wheat

Makes: 1 Pullman Loaf

Adapted from Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes by Jeffrey Hamelman

 

Ingredients:

  • 12 oz bread flour (plus more for sprinkling)
  • 4 oz sprouted wheat flour
  • 2.6 oz rolled oats
  • 12 oz water
  • 1.7 oz milk
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon honey
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons neutral flavored oil
  • 1/2 tablespoon + 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon instant yeast
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup raisins

 

Directions:

  1. Soak the raisins in water for at least 30 minutes (or overnight) before mixing.

    cinnamon-raisin-oatmeal-bread 003 

     

  2. Place the oats in the mixing bowl.  Add the water and turn the machine on for a moment to moisten all the oats.  Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes to soften.  I soaked the oats and the flours in the water for about 20 minutes.

    cinnamon-raisin-oatmeal-bread 001

     

  3. Add all of the remaining ingredients except the raisins to the bowl. Mix on first speed for 3 minutes in order to incorporate the ingredients thoroughly.  The dough will be moderately loose, with a slight tackiness from the honey. Mix an additional 3 to 3 1/2 minutes on second speed, until the gluten has been moderately developed.  Add the drained raisins and mix on first speed just until the raisins are thoroughly incorporated throughout the dough. 

    cinnamon-raisin-oatmeal-bread 004

     

  4. Let the dough ferment for 2 hours or overnight. I covered the dough and put it the refrigerator overnight.

    Edited 3/27/2013: The original formula indicates that you can shape the dough after a 2-hour bulk ferment, however, some readers have had issues with the dough still being too wet. For this dough, I would recommend placing it in the refrigerator overnight to make sure the gluten is developed completely. Or, let it proof on the counter for 2-3 hours and perform a couple of folds and turns in the bowl (during the first hour) to help develop the gluten. You will still probably need to use a little extra flour for sprinkling when shaping the loaf to keep it from sticking.

    cinnamon-raisin-oatmeal-bread 005

     

  5. The next day, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it warm up to room temperature.  Preshape the dough lightly into a round.

    cinnamon-raisin-oatmeal-bread 006

     

  6. Cover the ball with plastic wrap and let it rest seam-side up on a counter sprinkled with flour until it has relaxed sufficiently.  This should take about 15 to 20 minutes.

    cinnamon-raisin-oatmeal-bread 007

     

  7. Shape the dough into a blunt log and place it a greased Pullman pan.  I think my log could’ve been a little blunter.  It looked more like a batard.

    cinnamon-raisin-oatmeal-bread 008

     

  8. Slide the lid on the Pullman pan and let the dough rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until it reaches the top of the pan. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray the loaf with water and gently press rolled oats into the top of the loaf.

    cinnamon-raisin-oatmeal-bread 009

     

  9. Bake the loaf for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature by 20 to 30 degrees and continue baking for about 30 minutes.  The raisins as well as the milk, honey, and oil contribute to the coloring of the loaf so lowering the temperature partway through the baking will keep it from burning.

    cinnamon-raisin-oatmeal-bread 010

     

  10. Remove the pan from the oven and immediately remove the loaf from the pan to keep the crust from getting soft from the moisture.

    cinnamon-raisin-oatmeal-bread 018

     

     

    Let the bread cool completely before slicing and serving.  This makes it easier to slice. 

    cinnamon-raisin-oatmeal-bread 041

     

I let this loaf cool for several hours, then put it in a plastic bag until the next day. Then I sliced it and enjoyed it toasted. As I suspected, it makes delicious cinnamon toast. My son had 5 slices in one sitting.  His metabolism still works so he can do that and go out and run it off.

 

This bread has been YeastSpotted. Please visit Wild Yeast to view all of the lovely breads in the roundup.

 

Mellow Bakers was started by Paul at Yumarama.
We’ve been baking breads from Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes by Jeffrey Hamelman.

 

Thanks for visiting the Bread Experience bread-baking blog.  I hope you’ll join me again soon.

Happy Baking!
Cathy