Sourdough Rye & Cranberry Loaf

The Bread of the Month (BOM) for the Artisan Bread Bakers is Sourdough Rye with Raisins and Cranberries.

David, the host for the Artisan Bread Bakers for September, described the bread as, “… a wonderful bread for this time of year, delightful on its own, with a pleasant chew, a tender crumb and a nice crust! You will find it rather joyful!”

 

Unfortunately, the first time I made this bread, the experience wasn’t very joyful. It was a flop!  The dough fermented too long, the loaf didn’t rise very well in the oven and the inside was gummy (see photo below). Needless to say, I was pretty bummed about it. I had decided to move on, but it kept beckoning me to give it another chance.

 

I waited a couple of weeks and tried it again after I got my new kitchen floor. This time, the loaf came out singing and so did I. I took a peek in the oven while it was baking. It was rising beautifully so I did a little gig and said, “That’s what I’m talking about!”

 

The issue with the first loaf was mostly due to timing. I was trying to get things ready before I got my new flooring installed. I was baking in between moving things out of the way. I ran out of time so I let the dough ferment in the refrigerator twice. It didn’t take too kindly to that. I also think my rye sourdough was a bit lazy, but that was not it’s fault.

I gave it some motivation the second time around by adding a little instant yeast. I wanted to make the bread without the added yeast, but this loaf performed better with a little help from a friend – the yeast.

I had a ball baking this bread on my new kitchen floor. Well, I didn’t bake it on the floor, but I stood on the floor and danced around while I was preparing the bread.  All the rooms downstairs have bamboo flooring now so I have a huge dance floor to practice on. I’m loving it!

 

Sourdough Rye with Cranberries & Walnuts

Makes: 1 loaf

I ran out of raisins, so for my second attempt at making this bread, I only used dried cranberries. I really like the flavor with just the cranberries and the walnuts.

The Build:

• 4.8 oz whole rye flour
• 3.85 oz water
• 1 tablespoon mature rye sourdough culture
  

The Soaker:

• 2 oz dried cranberries
• Enough warm water to cover
  

Final Dough:

• All the build
• 10.4 oz bread flour
• 0.8 oz rye flour
• 7 oz water
• 0.3 oz salt
• 1 teaspoon yeast
• All of soaker
• 1.4 oz (1/3 cup) Walnuts, toasted (or not)

 

Method:

1. Prepare the build 14-16 hours prior to baking.

2. Prepare the soaker 30 minutes before mixing the dough.

After about twenty minutes, drain the soaker. Save the water to use in the bread for extra flavor. Just subtract the amount of soaker water from the total water to get a total of 7 ounces.

 

3. Combine the build and water in the mixing bowl and stir for about twenty seconds.  Isn’t the water a pretty color!

 

4. Add the flour, salt, yeast, and mix on first speed for three minutes and then on second speed for two minutes. Add the drained soaker and mix on first speed until combined.

5. Let the dough bulk ferment for one hour.

6. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. with a baking stone on the middle rack and a steam pan underneath.

Shape the dough into a round or batard and proof for forty five minutes or until ready to bake, depending on the room temperature. I shaped my loaf into a batard and placed it on parchment paper sprinkled with cornmeal to proof.  The batard shape is one of my favorites.

 

7. Score the batard down the middle using a lame or serrated knife. If you’re making a round loaf, score it in the pattern of your choice.

 

8. Slide the loaf (on the parchment paper) onto the preheated baking stone and fill the steam pan with 1 cup of hot water. Spritz the oven with water several times at 30 second intervals to create steam. Bake the loaf at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove the parchment paper, rotate the loaf, and reduce the oven to 425 degrees. Continue baking until the loaf is done, about 20-30 more minutes.

9. Cool the loaf on a wire rack.

10. Slice and enjoy!

No gumminess here. Just a beautiful and delicious loaf that tastes great with almond butter or regular butter.

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

Fig and Almond Bread

Phyl of the Artisan Bread Bakers Facebook Group chose this Fig and Almond Bread as the BOM (bread of the month) for September.  This bread is a sneak preview from the upcoming book of breads by Nick Malgieri.  The book is scheduled to be released in Fall of 2012.  If this bread is any indication of the types of breads that will be included in the book, then I’ll have to add it to my list.

Nick got the inspiration for his bread from the Royal Crown Bakery in Brooklyn, New York’s fig and walnut batard-shaped loaf. Although I’ve never been particularly fond of figs, my taste tester likes figs so I thought it would be good to try something new.  I’m trying to step out of my baking box. :)

 

Fig and Almond Bread

Makes: Two small round loaves, each about 8 inches in diameter

Recipe from: http://www.nickmalgieri.com/blog/2011/07/sneak-preview-fig-and-almond-bread.html

Ingredients:

• 1 cup/about 6-7 ounces/230 grams dried Calimyrna figs
• 1 cup/5.5 ounces/150 grams whole unblanched almonds, coarsely chopped and lightly toasted
• 1 3/4 cup/375 grams room temperature tap water, about 75°F
• 2 1/4 teaspoons/7 grams fine granulated active dry or instant yeast
• 3 cups/400 grams bread flour (spoon flour into dry-measure cup and level off)
• 1 cup/135 grams whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon/15 grams sugar
• 2 teaspoons/14 grams salt
• Olive or vegetable oil for the bowl
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, for brushing the loaves after baking

A heavy 12 x 18-inch jellyroll pan (or baking pan) dusted with cornmeal, plus a spray bottle filled with warm water

 

Directions:

1. Snip the stems from the figs; if they’re at all hard or dried out put them in a bowl and cover them with boiling water.  Let them steep for 15 minutes, the drain and pat dry with paper towels before cutting into 1/2-inch dice.

   

2. Pour the water into the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk in the yeast.  Wait 30 seconds and whisk again.

   

3. Mix the flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, and salt together and use a large rubber spatula to stir them into the liquid a little at a time until you’ve used all the flour.  Make sure all the flour is mixed into the liquid and there isn’t any clinging to the side of the bowl.

   

4. Place the bowl on the mixer and attach the dough hook.  Mix on lowest speed until the dough comes together around the dough hook, a minute or two.    Stop the mixer and pull the dough away from the hook; let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

   

5. Increase the mixer speed to low/medium and mix until the dough is smoother and more elastic, about 2 to 3 minutes longer.  Add the figs and almonds and mix another minute to distribute them as well as possible throughout the dough.  They’ll be more evenly mixed after the turns are given to the dough.
6. Scrape the dough into an oiled bowl and turn it over so that the top is oiled.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough ferment until it starts to puff, about 30 minutes.

    

7. Scrape the dough to a floured work surface, flour your hands, and give the dough 2 turns as described below:

   Nick Malgieri’s Method for Turning the Dough: Generously flour the work surface; scrape the dough onto it. Flour your hands and gently flatten the dough to a disk. Fold the two sides in to meet at the middle, then roll the top toward you all the way to the end. Invert (seam side up), flatten and repeat.

   Tartine Method for Turning the Dough: I didn’t use Nick’s method for turning the dough. It was a little confusing to me. I used the Tartine method instead. You don’t even need to take the dough out of the bowl in the Tartine process.  View the Tartine process for turning the dough – includes photos.

8. Repeat steps 6 and 7. Using either one of the methods for turning the dough.
9. Let the dough ferment until it has fully doubled in bulk, about 30 minutes longer.

   

10. To shape the dough into loaves, use a flexible plastic scraper to slide it from the bowl, right side up, to a floured work surface; try to keep from deflating the dough. 

    

11. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces.  Round each loaf by pushing against the bottom of the dough all around with the sides of your hands held palms upward.  The dough will quickly form an even sphere.

    

12. Place the loaves well apart on the prepared pan (or greased parchment paper) and cover them with a flat-weave towel or piece of sprayed or oiled plastic wrap. Let the loaves rest until they start to puff again, about 30 minutes.

    

13. As soon as you cover the loaves, set a rack in the middle level of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.
14. Once the loaves are proofed to about 50% larger than their original size, flour the palms of your hands and gently press to flatten them to about 1-inch/2.5-cm thick.

    

15. Use a serrated knife or lame to cut a deep slash across the diameter of the loaf, and another at a 90-degree angle to it, or cut 4 overlapping slashes to form a square.  Generously spray the loaves with water.  Place the pan in the oven.

    

16. Wait 2 minutes, then open the oven and spray the loaf again.
17. Repeat step 15. Wait 2 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees.
18. Bake the loaves until they’re well risen, deep golden, and the internal temperature reads 200°F. on an instant read thermometer, about 30 minutes.

    

19. Place the baked loaves on a rack and brush them all over with the melted butter; cool completely. 

    

    Serve the same day or wrap loosely and keep at room temperature for a day or so. Wrap and freeze for longer storage.

    Every bread provides a unique experience and this one is no different. I’m glad I tried it. I like the combination of figs and almonds. I guess I like figs after all!

     

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

     

    Happy Baking!
    

    Cathy

Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread: July BOM

This bread is “da bom!”  I’m so glad that Phyl (of Cabbages and King Cakes) chose this Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread as the BOM (Bread of the Month) for July for the Facebook Artisan Bread Bakers Group. I mean what’s not to love about this bread?  It tastes like cinnamon toast, but it’s sticky and gooey like monkey bread.

I haven’t had the chance to bake with the Artisan Bread Bakers in a while, but when I saw this bread on the menu, I knew I had to find the time. I had fun making it and even more fun eating it. It’s yummy, sticky and gooey…a great combination!

 

Tracey’s Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

The recipe for this bread is from Tracey's Culinary Adventures. You can find her version here.  Thanks for the treat Tracey!

Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting if needed)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs

Filling:

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (I added a little more to make it more cinnamon-y)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (I used ground nutmeg)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

 

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, sugar, yeast and salt.

Add the butter and milk to a small saucepan and heat just until the butter is completely melted.

Turn off the heat and add the water and vanilla to the pan. Let the mixture cool until it registers about 115-120 F on an instant read thermometer.

Add the eggs to the mixer bowl and turn the mixer to low. Slowly stream the milk mixture down the side of the mixer bowl. Continue beating until the dough comes together. It will probably be quite sticky - add flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue kneading on low speed until the dough clears the sides of the bowl (it will stick to the bottom). The dough should be tacky, but not so sticky that you can't handle it.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Knead briefly then shape the dough into a ball.

Spray a large bowl with cooking spray then add the dough to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place. Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make the filling by whisking the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a small bowl.

Add the butter to a small saucepan and melt over medium-low heat until it is brown and smells nutty - be patient, it may take a few minutes. Set aside.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Press to deflate then cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 5 minutes.

Roll the dough into a rectangle about 12x20 inches (the dough will be quite thin).

Brush the dough with the browned butter then sprinkle it evenly with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. It's a lot of sugar.  I tried to use it all, but I ended up saving some for cinnamon toast.

Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough rectangle vertically into six equal strips.

I cut my strips horizontally instead of vertically so the pieces were really long.  I compensated for this on the next step.

Stack the strips on top of one another and again cut into six equal stacks.

Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray. Layer the dough squares on top of one another and transfer to the prepared pan. Cover the pan with a kitchen towel and set in a warm place to rise for 30-45 minutes, or until the dough is puffy, but not necessarily doubled in size.

 
Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake the loaf for about 35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. If the top starts to brown too much, you can tent it with aluminum foil; don't be tempted to pull the bread too early or the center may still be raw. (I used an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature.)

I should’ve tented my loaf like the instructions suggested.  It got a little bit too browned on the outside edges. That was a little bit disappointing but all was not lost.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for about 20 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the bread then carefully turn it out of the pan. Serve warm. 

I discarded the outside piece since it was too browned. The rest of the loaf was fine. It tastes great warm, but we also enjoyed it room temperature a couple of days later and it tasted great.

The only problem I had with this bread was refraining from eating the whole loaf myself.  I solved that problem by only eating a couple of slices and giving the rest away.  My BF was planning a camping trip this weekend with a little buddy of his so I sent this Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread with them for breakfast.

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

King Cake: BOM

The March Bread of the Month for the Artisan Bread Bakers is King Cake.  King Cake is usually served on Fat Tuesday during Mardi Gras, but I decided to wait and make it when my youngest son was home for Spring Break. 

The version the Artisan Bread Bakers made sounded really good, but I didn’t have all of the ingredients so I made a Traditional King Cake instead.  I couldn’t find the different colored sugar sprinkles so I made my own.  The purple turned out a little bit dark but it tasted really good.

 

 

Traditional King Cake

Recipe found here: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001152929

This traditional Mardi Gras dessert makes two king cakes each topped with a creamy glaze and festive gold, purple, and yellow sugar sprinkles.  I only made one coffee cake so I halved all of the ingredients listed below:

Yield: Makes 2 cakes (about 18 servings each)

Ingredients

• 1  (16-ounce) container sour cream
• 1/3  cup  sugar
• 1/4  cup  butter
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 2  (1/4-ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
• 1/2  cup  warm water (100° to 110°)
• 1  tablespoon  sugar
• 2  large eggs, lightly beaten
• 6  to 6 1/2 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour (I used an all-purpose mix of white and whole wheat flour)
• 1/3  cup  butter, softened
• 1/2  cup  sugar
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  ground cinnamon
• Creamy Glaze (recipe follows)
• Purple-, green-, and gold-tinted sparkling sugar sprinkles

 

I colored the sugar with yellow and green food coloring and a mixture of red/blue food coloring for the purple:

 

 

Directions:

Cook first 4 ingredients in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring often, until butter melts. Set aside, and cool mixture to 100° to 110°.

 

 

 

 

Stir together yeast, 1/2 cup warm water, and 1 tablespoon sugar in a 1-cup glass measuring cup; let stand 5 minutes.

Beat sour cream mixture, yeast mixture, eggs, and 2 cups flour at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until smooth. Reduce speed to low, and gradually add enough remaining flour (4 to 4 1/2 cups) until a soft dough forms.

 

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes). Place in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top.

Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until dough is doubled in bulk.

 

 

 

Punch down dough, and divide in half. Roll each portion into a 22- x 12-inch rectangle.

 

 

Spread 1/3 cup softened butter evenly on each rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border. Stir together 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle evenly over butter on each rectangle.

 

 

Roll up each dough rectangle, jelly-roll fashion, starting at 1 long side.

 

 

Place one dough roll, seam side down, on a lightly greased baking sheet.

 

Bring ends of roll together to form an oval ring, moistening and pinching edges together to seal. Repeat with second dough roll.

 

 

 

Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 20 to 30 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

 

 

 

Bake at 375° for 14 to 16 minutes or until golden. Slightly cool cakes on pans on wire racks (about 10 minutes).

 

 

Drizzle Creamy Glaze evenly over warm cakes; sprinkle with colored sugars, alternating colors and forming bands. Let cool completely.

 

 

For our Mardi Gras celebration, I made this King Cake and some Jambalaya from the March edition of Bon Appetite.  I didn’t take a photo of the Jambalaya, but it was really good.

Then came time for dessert. All I can say is that I’m glad I didn’t make two of these coffee cakes  It tastes so good!  I sent some home with my BF and some back to school with my son.

 

 

Notes: Prep: 30 min.; Cook: 10 min.; Stand: 5 min.; Rise: 1 hr., 30 min.; Bake: 16 min. This recipe uses bread flour, which makes for a light, airy cake. You still get tasty results with all-purpose flour--the cake will just be more dense.

For a Cream Cheese-Filled King Cake: Prepare each 22- x 12-inch dough rectangle as directed. Omit 1/3 cup softened butter and 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon. Increase 1/2 cup sugar to 3/4 cup sugar. Beat 3/4 cup sugar; 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened; 1 large egg; and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly on each dough rectangle, leaving 1-inch borders. Proceed with recipe as directed.

 

Creamy Glaze Recipe:

Yield: Makes 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

• 3  cups  powdered sugar
• 3  tablespoons  butter, melted
• 2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
• 1/4  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 2  to 4 tablespoons milk

Preparation

Stir together first 4 ingredients. Stir in 2 tablespoons milk, adding additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until spreading consistency.