Tag Archives: bread flour

May 21 2012
54 Comments
Bread, Brunch, Chocolate, Yeast Breads

Bread To Convalesce By: Chocolate-Cinnamon Babka

Cut Loaf

2 SlicesWhen a neighbor of ours went in for some major foot surgery – surgery that would leave him house-bound for quite a while – Kel and I thought it would be nice to drop off something comforting to help with his convalescence.  I occasionally send a fresh loaf of whole grain bread this neighbor’s way – the man appreciates a good loaf of bread – but this time I wanted something a little extra special to help with the healing process.

I’m a firm believer in the healing powers of chocolate, the comforting qualities of the smell of cinnamon and the health benefits of fresh- and home-baked bread.  Together those qualities must offer unbeatable rehabilitative properties, right?.  And since I was going to the effort anyway, I doubled the recipe so that Kel and I could comfort ourselves, too.  Thank goodness neither one of us required surgery.

Chocolate-Cinnamon Babka
Makes 2 loaves

Dough:
1 tsp. agave nectar
2 packages dry yeast
1 1/2 cups soy or almond milk, warmed
6 tbsp. maple sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. egg replacer + 3 tbsp. water (whisk together until frothy, then set aside)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups bread flour
3 2/3 cups whole wheat flour
8 tbsp. vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)

Filling:
1/2 cup maple sugar
1 tsp. powdered stevia
6 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz. semi-sweet vegan chocolate, finely chopped (chocolate chips work, too)

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and agave in the warm soy milk and let sit for about 5 minutes.  Stir in the maple sugar, vanilla extract, salt and egg replacer mixture.  Add the bread flour  and about 2 cups of the whole wheat flour and stir until well-blended.  Add the butter and stir again.  You’ll have a very sticky dough.

Now’s the time to knead the dough.  Lightly flour the counter and knead, adding whole wheat flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking too badly to your hands.  You should have a soft, slightly sticky dough by the time you’re done (8-10 minutes).  Place dough in a large bowl that’s been lightly sprayed with oil.  Cover and let rise for an hour and a half, or until doubled in size.  Punch dough down and let rest for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling by combining all of the ingredients in a small bowl.  Line the bottom of two 9″x5″ loaf pans with parchment and lightly spritz the sides of the pan with cooking oil.

Divide the dough in two and starting with one piece (keep the other piece covered), roll it out to a 16″ square.  Sprinkle filling over the dough, leaving a 1/4″ border.  Roll up the dough just as you would for cinnamon rolls.  Pinch the ends to seal.  Holding the roll by the ends, gently twist the dough as if wringing out a towel.  Fit the dough into the pan.  I formed mine into a u-shape to get it into the pan.  It looks funky, but comes out beautifully as it rises and bakes.  Repeat with the second piece of dough.

Cover both pans with plastic wrap or a clean towel and let rise for about 45 minutes.  Preheat your oven to 350F.

Bake the loaves for about 40 minutes or until nicely browned.  The bottom should sound hollow when tapped.  Cool the loaves in the pans for about 10 minutes before removing and allowing to cool completely on wire racks.

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Mar 16 2012
26 Comments
Yeast Breads

By Hand or By Machine: Cranberry Wheat Loaf

Slice of Bread w/ PB

It’s been ages since I’ve posted a bread recipe and if I’m to achieve my goal of getting everyone on earth to at least once bake a loaf of bread – I’d better get moving.  This loaf is the perfect candidate for a novice bread baker as the dough is very easy with which to work and the result – delicious – is all the incentive needed to start…kneading.  It can either be made using a bread machine or by hand.  I strongly urge the latter method to the bread machine, but whatever method gets you in the kitchen to make this is just fine and dandy with me.  If you don’t like cranberries, substitute raisins or tart cherries – or leave the fruit out entirely and toss in a handful of toasted, chopped walnuts.  There’s no law against it.

Cranberry Wheat Bread
One Loaf

1 cup warm water
1/4 cup orange juice
Unbaked Loaf in Pan1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 tbsp. prune puree
1 1/2 cups bread flour
2+ cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cardamom
1/4 tsp. allspice
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
1 cup dried cranberries, softened in hot water, drained and patted dry

By Machine:
Place ingredients in the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer and select Sweet Bread Cycle.  If your machine has a Fruit setting, add the cranberries when you hear the signal – or about 5 minutes before the kneading cycle has finished.

By Hand:
In a large bowl, whisk together the water, orange juice, maple syrup and yeast and let sit for a few minutes – until it gets slightly foamy.  Stir in the prune puree and then add the flours, salt and spices and mix until a wet dough forms.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes, adding whole wheat flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to your hands.  Lightly oil another big bowl and when the dough is smooth and elastic, place it in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Oil an 8 1/2 ” x 4 1/2″ loaf pan and preheat the oven to 350F.  Punch dough down and form it into a log and place in the pan.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until there’s about 1 1/2″ of dough above the lip of the pan.  Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the bread is a beautiful, deep brown on top.  I remove the loaf from the pan about 45 minutes or so into baking and place it directly on the oven rack so that the bottom crisps up.  The loaf is done when it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Allow to cool completely before slicing.

Three Slices from Loaf

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Jan 10 2012
11 Comments
Bread, Crackers and Flatbreads, Yeast Breads

Easy Herb Focaccia

Chunk of Herb FocacciaI return to this recipe for herb-cheezy focaccia again and again.  One of the great things about focaccia is that kneading isn’t required (though stirring is), yet you get an airy, chewy, flavorful bread.  It’s fairly quick to mix together, too, so you can have fresh homemade bread on the table without a lot of fuss.  The original recipe called for garlic olive oil and Asiago cheese.  I’ve omitted the oil and replaced the cheese with nutritional yeast, which is optional if you are not a fan of the flavor.  I also bumped up the quantity of whole wheat flour.  Dried thyme in addition to or instead of the oregano would work really well, too.  This makes a wonderful sandwich bread as well as a straight-up munching bread to pair with soups, stews and salads.

Easy Herb Focaccia
Makes 8 Large Chunks

1 large head garlic, roasted (Cut off top of head, wrap in foil and roast at 425F until soft, about 35-45 minutes.  You can do this a day or two ahead.)

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cups bread flour
Dried Oregano2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp. agave nectar
1 2/3 cups warm water
1 tbsp. kosher salt
2 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
1/4 cup nutritional yeast, optional

In a large bowl, whisk together the water, yeast, agave nectar and salt.  Stir in the flours, oregano and squeeze in the cloves out of the roasted garlic.  Stir the dough – adding water if needed to create a wet, sticky dough – for a couple of minutes so that all the ingredients are well-combined.

Transfer dough to another large bowl that has been sprayed lightly with cooking oil.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise for about 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in bulk.  Meanwhile, lightly spray a 9″ x 13″ baking pan, line with parchment paper and lightly spray with oil again.

When the dough has risen, stir and knead in the 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, if using – and then scrape dough into the baking pan, using wet fingers to spread the dough to the edges.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise again for another hour.  Preheat oven to 450F.

Bake the focaccia for 20-25 minutes.  The bread should be a deep brown on top and sound hollow when tapped.  Carefully remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack before cutting and serving.

(The original recipe with lots of oil and cheese, came from Vegetarian Times.)

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Jan 06 2012
2 Comments
Bread, Yeast Breads

Onion and Mustard Seed Braid

Slices of Onion Mustard Seed BreadHere’s the recipe I promised yesterday.  I was looking for a bread to complement a sandwich I was contemplating and as soon as I saw this one including onions and mustard seeds, I knew it was exactly what I wanted.  The fact that it had a pretty braid made it all the more appealing.  The baked bread has a chewy crumb and crunchy crust and is not overwhelmed by the addition of onions – in fact, next time I’m going to include a whole onion.  A wonderful sandwich bread, but also delicious alongside soup, stew or salad.

Onion and Mustard Seed Braid
One large loaf

Unbaked Loaf Aerial1 tbsp. black (or yellow) mustard seeds
1/2 a large onion, finely chopped
2 1/4 cups bread flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
2 1/4 tsp. dry active yeast
1 tbsp. molasses
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2+ warm water

In a small skillet on medium-high heat, toast the mustard seeds for a few minutes, then add a splash of water or vegetable broth and saute the onions until soft.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together the yeast, molasses and 1/2 cup of the water.  Let stand until foamy.  Meanwhile, whisk together the flours and salt in a large bowl.  When the yeast is foamy, add it to the flour mixture along with the remaining 1 cup of water and the onion mixture.  Stir until a soft dough forms, adding water or flour as necessary.

On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until smooth and elastic.  Transfer the dough to a large bowl that has been lightly sprayed with cooking oil.  Allow dough to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Line a baking sheet with parchment.  Punch the dough down and knead for a minute.  Then divide the dough into 3 equal pieces.  Place the three pieces next to each other on the baking sheet and braid them, tucking the ends under.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and set aside to rise until nearly doubled.

Preheat the oven to 450F.  Slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden on top and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before slicing.

(This delicious bread recipe was inspired by one in Vegetarian Bible, by Sarah Brown.  I believe it’s out of print, but used copies are still out there.  This is a great cookbook and resource, though a touch heavy on the cheese.  Many of the recipes are adaptable to vegan diets.  For this recipe I increased the amount of whole wheat flour and used molasses instead of brown sugar.)

 

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Dec 29 2011
1 Comment
Bread, Yeast Breads

Maple Walnut Wheat Bread with Dried Cherries

Loaf of Maple Walnut Wheat BreadThis recipe has been kicking around since my bread machine days – when I decided I didn’t want it to have all of the fun.  I wanted to get my hands dirty, so to speak.   I’ve made some adjustments to the recipe since those early days: bumping up the amount of whole wheat, using prune puree instead of oil, adding a little bit of orange juice to help even out the flavor, swapping maple syrup for the honey, using cherries instead of cranberries and adding walnuts.  Lots of small changes, but the essence stays the same: a slightly sweet, homey bread.

It’s worth baking this bread for the simple pleasure of a kitchen filled with the toasty, spicy smell of cinnamon.  Happily the resulting loaf is as delicious as the aroma – with a soft texture and crumb and bursts of sweet, juicy, tart cherries and the crunch of toasted walnuts.   Even though it contains whole wheat flour, the dough is very easy to work and the rise is impressive.  An excellent and healthy stand-in for cinnamon buns and a reliable breakfast or late afternoon snack companion.   (As I mentioned on Dough, Dirt & Dye, be careful when adding ground cinnamon to a yeast bread recipe.  You want to keep it at or under 1/2 teaspoon as cinnamon is a yeast-inhibitor.)

Maple Walnut Wheat Bread with Dried Cherries
Makes 1 8″ x 4″ loaf

Rising Loaf2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 packet regular yeast
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 tbsp. prune puree
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
1 cup dried cherries, plumped in warm water and drained
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

In a large bowl, whisk the yeast in with 1 cup water and a little bit of the maple syrup.  Let rest for 5-10 minutes to let the yeast bloom.  Whisk in the 1/4 cup orange juice, remainder of the maple syrup and the prune puree.  Then stir in the flours, salt, spices and the cherries and walnuts.  The dough will be very sticky.  Add flour a little bit at a time until the dough comes together, but is still tacky.  Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes, adding small amounts of flour as necessary, until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for about 90 minutes.

Punch down the dough and transfer to a lightly floured surface.  Form into a log and place in an oiled 8″ x 4″ loaf pan.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until the dough has come up about an inch above the top of the pan.

Place the loaf in a preheated 350F oven and bake for 45-55 minutes or until the underside of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.  About 10 minutes before it’s done, I remove the loaf from the pan and set it directly on the oven rack.  This helps firm up and brown the bottom.  When the bread is finished, the top should be a lovely brown.  Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Loaf of Bread with Slice

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