If you like roasted bell peppers, this is a great appetizer for you. The bell pepper mixture can be made up to 2 hours ahead of time. The original serves 6 - 8 people, so feel free to scale down.
One year ago: Sweet Watermelon with Garlic and Red Chiles
Two years ago: Walnut Muffins with Coffee Glaze
Three years ago: Sausage and Balsamic Tomatoes
Roasted Peppers with Anchovies and Capers (from Big Small Plates)
Ingredients
3 red bell peppers
3 yellow bell peppers
2 ounces anchovies, finely chopped and smashed into paste
1 handful fresh basil leaves, shredded by hand
pinch of fresh oregano, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp capers, rinsed
sea salt and pepper
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
12 - 16 slices baguette or other bread
1. Roast peppers until blackened (on a wood grill or under a broiler).
2. Place peppers in a paper or plastic bag until cool enough to handle.
3. Peel peppers and remove stems, seeds, and membranes. Tear into strips over a mixing bowl to catch the juices and place in bowl.
4. Mix in remaining ingredients except bread.
5. Brush bread slices with olive oil and toast in oven at 375 or on grill.
6. Pile bell pepper mix on each crouton and eat.
Showing posts with label bread. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bread. Show all posts
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Houston-Style Flour Tortillas
It figured that I would finally solve the mystery of why other tortillas didn't taste quite right with a recipe called "Houston-style". The secret ingredient? Lard. It makes all the difference. It gives you a soft, richly flavoured tortilla. The dough itself is also amazingly soft. Not for vegetarians, but so good.
Houston-Style Flour Tortillas (from The Homesick Texan Cookbook)
Ingredients
1/4 cup lard
1 cup water
2 cups flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1. Place lard and water in a pot on medium heat and cook until melted.
2. In a bowl, stir together flour and salt. Pour in melted lard and stir until a loose ball is formed.
3. Place ball on floured surface and need for 2 minutes until smooth and supple. Cover dough and let rest for 1 hour.
4. Divide dough into 8 pieces. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
5. Place each ball on floured surface, pat into 4" circle and roll until thin, about 8". Keep covered until ready to cook.
6. In a dry cast-iron skillet heated on high (I had to reduce to medium), cook each tortilla for 30 seconds on one side, flip and cook for 1 minute until starting to puff, flip and cook for 30 more seconds. Place in basket lined with cloth and keep covered until ready to serve.
Houston-Style Flour Tortillas (from The Homesick Texan Cookbook)
Ingredients
1/4 cup lard
1 cup water
2 cups flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1. Place lard and water in a pot on medium heat and cook until melted.
2. In a bowl, stir together flour and salt. Pour in melted lard and stir until a loose ball is formed.
3. Place ball on floured surface and need for 2 minutes until smooth and supple. Cover dough and let rest for 1 hour.
4. Divide dough into 8 pieces. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
5. Place each ball on floured surface, pat into 4" circle and roll until thin, about 8". Keep covered until ready to cook.
6. In a dry cast-iron skillet heated on high (I had to reduce to medium), cook each tortilla for 30 seconds on one side, flip and cook for 1 minute until starting to puff, flip and cook for 30 more seconds. Place in basket lined with cloth and keep covered until ready to serve.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Parantha
I needed something other than rice to go with my evening curries. This is very similar to naan, but cooked in a frying pan. The method takes a bit of time, but the results are worth it. The following recipe makes 6 breads.
One year ago: Dulce de Leche
Parantha (from 660 Curries)
Ingredients
3 cups flour, plus extra for dusting
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp coarse salt
2 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil, plus more for brushing (use melted butter instead of oil)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup warm water
1. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl.
2. Drizzle ghee over flour.
3. Pour buttermilk over flour and gently stir in.
4. Pour a few tablespoons of warm water over flour, stirring. Repeat until flour forms a soft ball. Knead to form a smooth, soft ball of dough.
5. Cover dough with plastic warp or dampened cloth and let rest for 30 minutes.
6. Roll dough into an 18" long log. Cut crosswise into 6 pieces, shape into a ball, and press each ball to form a patty. Cover with plastic wrap.
7. Tear off aluminum foil and fold over to keep bread warm later. Set aside. Tear off 7 sheets of wax paper and set aside. Place ghee nearby with a pastry brush.
8. Heat a medium-size skillet over medium heat.
9. Meanwhile, roll out a dough patty to form a round, 5 - 6" in diameter. Brush top with ghee. Roll into a tight cigar-shaped log. Shape into a tight coil. Flatten it back out into a patty and reroll to form a 5 - 6" round. Place on sheet of wax paper and cover with another sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
10. Transfer round to hot skillet. Cook until surface has bumps and bubbles and there are brown spots underneath, 2 - 3 minutes. Flip and cook other side 2 - 3 minutes.
11. Brush round with ghee and flip to sear it, about 30 seconds. Brush top with ghee and flip to sear again. Place between foil to keep warm.
One year ago: Dulce de Leche
Parantha (from 660 Curries)
Ingredients
3 cups flour, plus extra for dusting
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp coarse salt
2 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil, plus more for brushing (use melted butter instead of oil)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup warm water
1. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl.
2. Drizzle ghee over flour.
3. Pour buttermilk over flour and gently stir in.
4. Pour a few tablespoons of warm water over flour, stirring. Repeat until flour forms a soft ball. Knead to form a smooth, soft ball of dough.
5. Cover dough with plastic warp or dampened cloth and let rest for 30 minutes.
6. Roll dough into an 18" long log. Cut crosswise into 6 pieces, shape into a ball, and press each ball to form a patty. Cover with plastic wrap.
7. Tear off aluminum foil and fold over to keep bread warm later. Set aside. Tear off 7 sheets of wax paper and set aside. Place ghee nearby with a pastry brush.
8. Heat a medium-size skillet over medium heat.
9. Meanwhile, roll out a dough patty to form a round, 5 - 6" in diameter. Brush top with ghee. Roll into a tight cigar-shaped log. Shape into a tight coil. Flatten it back out into a patty and reroll to form a 5 - 6" round. Place on sheet of wax paper and cover with another sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
10. Transfer round to hot skillet. Cook until surface has bumps and bubbles and there are brown spots underneath, 2 - 3 minutes. Flip and cook other side 2 - 3 minutes.
11. Brush round with ghee and flip to sear it, about 30 seconds. Brush top with ghee and flip to sear again. Place between foil to keep warm.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Refrigerator Dinner Rolls
This recipe comes from a collection of recipes I jotted down while I was in Alabama at my grandmother's house last American Thanksgiving. I had wanted to get more of her recipes while I was visiting, but had a difficult time determining which ones were actually hers (and she didn't seem to want to help with finding them much!), but this one was in an old church recipe collection and had her name on it. Her handwritten notes also adjusted the amount of yeast up from 2 packages to 3. I scaled the recipe in half, uncertain of how it would turn out and knowing that I cook for far fewer people than she did! I was pleased with the outcome and I like the idea of having dough ready in the refrigerator for whenever I want dinner rolls, but I'm not too sure about how practical it is during the week given that the rolls need a 2 hour rise time. Despite all of that, these rolls definitely brought back a few memories.
The instructions were a rough sketch and much more vague than I'm used to seeing with bread recipes. I'm not sure how much of that was my shoddy note taking and how much was due to the original. I've tried to flush it out below, but feel free to use your own judgement.
Two years ago: Raspberry-Topped Lemon Muffins
Refrigerator Dinner Rolls (from my grandmother)
Ingredients
2 cups warm water
3 packages yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup soft shortening (I imagine you could use butter, but you may have a bit more trouble mixing)
1 egg
6 1/2 cup bread flour (I used all-purpose as Canadian flour tends to be higher gluten than American)
1. Mix water and yeast together. (I then let it sit for about 10 minutes so the yeast could do its thing. Most recipes would also start with a smaller amount of water.)
2. Mix in sugar, salt, shortening, and egg.
3. Add flour, stirring, 1 cup at a time.
4. Kneed dough until springy and elastic.
5. Place dough in greased container and grease top of dough. (Grandma recommended an old 5 gallon ice cream container. Use something that will leave enough room for the dough to double in size and has a lid.)
6. Place lid on container, seal, and put in fridge. Punch down dough as necessary.
7. When you want to make rolls, remove dough for rolls 2 hours before baking. (Extra dough can be stored in the fridge.)
8. Shape dough into rolls and put in pan.
9. Let rolls double in size for 2 hours.
10. Bake at 400F for 10 - 15 minutes.
The instructions were a rough sketch and much more vague than I'm used to seeing with bread recipes. I'm not sure how much of that was my shoddy note taking and how much was due to the original. I've tried to flush it out below, but feel free to use your own judgement.
Two years ago: Raspberry-Topped Lemon Muffins
Refrigerator Dinner Rolls (from my grandmother)
Ingredients
2 cups warm water
3 packages yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup soft shortening (I imagine you could use butter, but you may have a bit more trouble mixing)
1 egg
6 1/2 cup bread flour (I used all-purpose as Canadian flour tends to be higher gluten than American)
1. Mix water and yeast together. (I then let it sit for about 10 minutes so the yeast could do its thing. Most recipes would also start with a smaller amount of water.)
2. Mix in sugar, salt, shortening, and egg.
3. Add flour, stirring, 1 cup at a time.
4. Kneed dough until springy and elastic.
5. Place dough in greased container and grease top of dough. (Grandma recommended an old 5 gallon ice cream container. Use something that will leave enough room for the dough to double in size and has a lid.)
6. Place lid on container, seal, and put in fridge. Punch down dough as necessary.
7. When you want to make rolls, remove dough for rolls 2 hours before baking. (Extra dough can be stored in the fridge.)
8. Shape dough into rolls and put in pan.
9. Let rolls double in size for 2 hours.
10. Bake at 400F for 10 - 15 minutes.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Grape Focaccia with Rosemary
Every year, I can't seem to resist buying the Ontario blue grapes. They're my favourite grapes and when the price drops, I can't resist them, even if I have an overload of fruit. While searching for things to do with these delicious little jewels, I found this recipe and was not disappointed with it. The best part about these grapes? Unlike Concord, they don't need to be seeding, saving more than a little bit of time!
The recipe makes two 9" breads, which are entirely too easy to finish in one sitting if you don't watch it.
Grape Focaccia with Rosemary (from Smitten Kitchen, originally Last Course)
Ingredients
3/4 cup (177 ml) warm water (105° to 110°F)
2 tablespoons (30 ml) milk, slightly warmed
1 1/2 teaspoons (6 grams) sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons (5 grams) active dry yeast
2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) salt
6 tablespoons (90 ml) olive oil
1 1/2 cups halved Concord, red or black (or blue!) grapes, seeded
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary needles
2 tablespoons (8 grams) raw or another coarse sugar
2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together the water, milk, sugar, and yeast. Let the mixture sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the flour, salt and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to the yeast mixture and mix well on low.
3. Attach the dough hook, raise the speed to medium-low and knead the dough for 8 minutes longer.
4. Brush a large bowl with a generous amount of olive oil. Scrape dough into the bowl and brush the top with additional oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a cool place until it doubles in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
5. Press the dough down with a floured hand. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide it into two balls.
6. Brush a large baking sheet (or two small ones) with olive oil, place the balls of dough on it and brush the top with more oil. Set it aside for 20 minutes, lightly covered with a kitchen towel.
7. After 20 minutes, dip your fingers in olive oil and press and stretch each ball of dough into a 8 to 9-inch circle-ish shape. It will be dimpled from your fingers. Cover again with the towel and let it rise for another 1 1/4 hours in a cool place.
8. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Brush tops of dough with remaining olive oil and top the sprinkle grapes, rosemary, coarse sugar and coarse sea salt evenly over the dough. Bake for 15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and puffed around edges. Let cool before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.
The recipe makes two 9" breads, which are entirely too easy to finish in one sitting if you don't watch it.
Grape Focaccia with Rosemary (from Smitten Kitchen, originally Last Course)
Ingredients
3/4 cup (177 ml) warm water (105° to 110°F)
2 tablespoons (30 ml) milk, slightly warmed
1 1/2 teaspoons (6 grams) sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons (5 grams) active dry yeast
2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) salt
6 tablespoons (90 ml) olive oil
1 1/2 cups halved Concord, red or black (or blue!) grapes, seeded
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary needles
2 tablespoons (8 grams) raw or another coarse sugar
2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together the water, milk, sugar, and yeast. Let the mixture sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the flour, salt and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to the yeast mixture and mix well on low.
3. Attach the dough hook, raise the speed to medium-low and knead the dough for 8 minutes longer.
4. Brush a large bowl with a generous amount of olive oil. Scrape dough into the bowl and brush the top with additional oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a cool place until it doubles in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
5. Press the dough down with a floured hand. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide it into two balls.
6. Brush a large baking sheet (or two small ones) with olive oil, place the balls of dough on it and brush the top with more oil. Set it aside for 20 minutes, lightly covered with a kitchen towel.
7. After 20 minutes, dip your fingers in olive oil and press and stretch each ball of dough into a 8 to 9-inch circle-ish shape. It will be dimpled from your fingers. Cover again with the towel and let it rise for another 1 1/4 hours in a cool place.
8. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Brush tops of dough with remaining olive oil and top the sprinkle grapes, rosemary, coarse sugar and coarse sea salt evenly over the dough. Bake for 15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and puffed around edges. Let cool before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Cornbread
I've posted a cornbread recipe before, but it was used for cornbread dressing and I wasn't as happy with it on its own. When a friend asked me to bring over some cornbread for dinner Friday night, I went straight to a reliable source ... Homesick Texan. My previous recipe included shortening which I understand has its place, but I don't particularly enjoy cooking with. This recipe doesn't and surprisingly enough, I had everything I needed (including the buttermilk) on hand. Well, everything except a cast iron skillet ... one day I'll buy one.
One year ago: Scrambled Eggs with Broccoli Pesto
Cornbread (from Homesick Texan)
Ingredients
2 cups of cornmeal (yellow or white)
1/2 cup sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg lightly beaten
2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons bacon drippings or vegetable oil
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Put the drippings or oil in a cast iron skillet and place it in the oven for a few minutes until it’s sizzling.
3. Mix together dry ingredients. Set aside.
4. Whisk egg and buttermilk. Mix with dry ingredients
5. Take cast iron skillet out of oven, and pour hot oil into batter, and mix.
6. Pour batter into cast iron skillet, bake in oven for 20 minutes. Cornbread should be brown on top and pulling away from the sides of the skillet.
One year ago: Scrambled Eggs with Broccoli Pesto
Cornbread (from Homesick Texan)
Ingredients
2 cups of cornmeal (yellow or white)
1/2 cup sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg lightly beaten
2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons bacon drippings or vegetable oil
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Put the drippings or oil in a cast iron skillet and place it in the oven for a few minutes until it’s sizzling.
3. Mix together dry ingredients. Set aside.
4. Whisk egg and buttermilk. Mix with dry ingredients
5. Take cast iron skillet out of oven, and pour hot oil into batter, and mix.
6. Pour batter into cast iron skillet, bake in oven for 20 minutes. Cornbread should be brown on top and pulling away from the sides of the skillet.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Pita Bread
Winter does strange things to you. There's a point where just below freezing starts to seem "warm." For me, it makes me incredibly reluctant to go on a quick grocery store run, which means I spend more time improvising. I wanted some bread to go with my soup, but was too lazy to go out to the store (not to mention grocery store pita bread usually isn't that good) and of course had no bread products in the apartment. I'm not sure how authentic this is, but it's good ... as long as you have patience. And for all of you who are afraid of yeast, it's time to get over it. Yeast isn't scary at all. :)
Pita Bread (from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian)
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp instant yeast
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1. Combine flour, olive oil, yeast, salt, and sugar in a food processor.
2. Turn the machine on and 1 cup water.
3. Process for about 30 seconds, adding more water, a little at a time, until the mixture forms a ball and is slightly sticky.
4. Put the dought ball in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until dough doubles, 1 to 2 hours.
5. When dough is ready, form into a ball and divide into 6 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest until they puff, about 20 minutes.
6. Roll each ball to 1/4" thick. Let rest 20 minutes.
7. Choose your cooking method: preheat oven to 350F and bake on a pizza stone or baking dish or use a heavy skillet and fry. You'll probably need 5 - 6 minutes per side.
Pita Bread (from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian)
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp instant yeast
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1. Combine flour, olive oil, yeast, salt, and sugar in a food processor.
2. Turn the machine on and 1 cup water.
3. Process for about 30 seconds, adding more water, a little at a time, until the mixture forms a ball and is slightly sticky.
4. Put the dought ball in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until dough doubles, 1 to 2 hours.
5. When dough is ready, form into a ball and divide into 6 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest until they puff, about 20 minutes.
6. Roll each ball to 1/4" thick. Let rest 20 minutes.
7. Choose your cooking method: preheat oven to 350F and bake on a pizza stone or baking dish or use a heavy skillet and fry. You'll probably need 5 - 6 minutes per side.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Braided Brie and Pear Bread
The bread in this post may seem familiar. Originally I used this to make a bread with raspberry curd and cream cheese. Apparently practice really does improve outcomes because magically this dough rolled out with ease this time around and braided to be a thing of beauty. But don't take my word for it! Exhibit A (pre-baking):
The inspiration for the filling came from a puff pastry package. The package also suggested caramelized onion and Dijon mustard, but I think this was perfect without them.
Braided Brie and Pear Bread (bread from Smitten Kitchen)
Ingredients
Sponge
6 tablespoons warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1/4 cup (1 ounce) unbleached all-purpose flour
Dough
Sponge (above)
6 tablespoons sour cream or yogurt (I used yogurt this time)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs, 1 beaten for dough, 1 beaten with 1 teaspoon water for brushing bread
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Brie filling
100g brie, thinly sliced
1 pear, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1/4 cup walnuts
2 tbsp dried cranberries
1. Make sponge: In a small bowl, combine the sponge ingredients. Stir well to combine, loosely cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to proof for 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Make dough in a stand mixer: Combine the sponge, sour cream, butter, egg, sugar, salt and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add flour and mix with the paddle attachment until the dough is a rough, shaggy mass.
3. Switch to the dough hook and knead on until a soft, smooth dough forms, about 5 to 6 minutes.
4. Place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 60 to 90 minutes, until quite puffy and nearly doubled.
5. Make the filling (while dough rises): With a food processor, blitz the walnuts and cranberries together. Make sure to slice your cheese and pear.
6. Prepare bread: Gently deflate the dough and roll it out on a very well floured counter to a 10″ x 15″ rectangle. Transfer rectangle to a large piece of parchment paper. (I rolled it out on the paper.)
7. With the side of your hand, lightly press two lines down the dough lengthwise, dividing it into three equal columns. Place the brie down the center section, leaving the top and bottom two inches free of filling.
8. Top the brie with the pear and sprinkle with the nut and cranberry mixture.
9. To form the mock braid, cut crosswise strips one inch apart down the length of the outer columns of you dough (the parts without filling). Make sure you have an equal amount of 1-inch strips down the right and left sides. Be careful not to cut your parchment paper.
10. To “braid”, begin by folding top flap down and bottom flap up over the filling. Lift the top dough strip and gently bring it diagonally across the filling. Repeat on the right side, and continue down the entire braid, alternating strips until you are out. You can tuck the last couple that hang off decoratively under the end of the braid.
11. Carefully transfer the dough and the parchment paper to a baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic and set it aside to rise for 45 to 50 minutes, until quite puffy.
12. Bake bread: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush the loaves with egg wash. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
Exhibit B (post-baking):
Braided Brie and Pear Bread (bread from Smitten Kitchen)
Ingredients
Sponge
6 tablespoons warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1/4 cup (1 ounce) unbleached all-purpose flour
Dough
Sponge (above)
6 tablespoons sour cream or yogurt (I used yogurt this time)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs, 1 beaten for dough, 1 beaten with 1 teaspoon water for brushing bread
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Brie filling
100g brie, thinly sliced
1 pear, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1/4 cup walnuts
2 tbsp dried cranberries
1. Make sponge: In a small bowl, combine the sponge ingredients. Stir well to combine, loosely cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to proof for 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Make dough in a stand mixer: Combine the sponge, sour cream, butter, egg, sugar, salt and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add flour and mix with the paddle attachment until the dough is a rough, shaggy mass.
3. Switch to the dough hook and knead on until a soft, smooth dough forms, about 5 to 6 minutes.
4. Place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 60 to 90 minutes, until quite puffy and nearly doubled.
5. Make the filling (while dough rises): With a food processor, blitz the walnuts and cranberries together. Make sure to slice your cheese and pear.
6. Prepare bread: Gently deflate the dough and roll it out on a very well floured counter to a 10″ x 15″ rectangle. Transfer rectangle to a large piece of parchment paper. (I rolled it out on the paper.)
7. With the side of your hand, lightly press two lines down the dough lengthwise, dividing it into three equal columns. Place the brie down the center section, leaving the top and bottom two inches free of filling.
8. Top the brie with the pear and sprinkle with the nut and cranberry mixture.
9. To form the mock braid, cut crosswise strips one inch apart down the length of the outer columns of you dough (the parts without filling). Make sure you have an equal amount of 1-inch strips down the right and left sides. Be careful not to cut your parchment paper.
10. To “braid”, begin by folding top flap down and bottom flap up over the filling. Lift the top dough strip and gently bring it diagonally across the filling. Repeat on the right side, and continue down the entire braid, alternating strips until you are out. You can tuck the last couple that hang off decoratively under the end of the braid.
11. Carefully transfer the dough and the parchment paper to a baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic and set it aside to rise for 45 to 50 minutes, until quite puffy.
12. Bake bread: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush the loaves with egg wash. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Braided Raspberry Bread
I stumbled upon this recipe again recently and realized it would be an excellent way to use up some of the raspberry curd sitting in my fridge (and I had all of the other ingredients on hand!). The original calls for lemon curd. Feel free to use whatever you have on hand. This isn't a quick recipe. It requires a fair amount of dough resting ... the perfect amount of time to do one yoga workout and find some time to do a little surfing online or read a novel.
I don't normally take photos of what I cook. Mostly because I don't have the patience to deal with the poor lighting in my apartment for photographing food and I have a bad habit of manipulating images until they look good, which delays posts. These pictures, however, are not pretty, but I promised a friend I would take pictures if I made this. In the first picture, before it goes in the oven, you can see I need to work on my rolling skills.
I seem to be incapable of rolling things out thinly (I'm going to blame my rolling pin), so the filling was too much for the bread. As I braided, filling came spilling out the sides (you'll also note my braids didn't exactly reach the other side at the beginning). This problem is easily corrected, however, with a spoon. Mmmm, cream cheese and raspberry curd.
Thanks to my sub-par braiding, some of the braids came apart while baking, resulting in a less than attractive bread as seen below:
Oddly enough, the part that I thought looked the worst prior to going in the oven, held its shape the best after baking. Regardless, of the looks, this was delicious. I think it's certainly worth trying again and hopefully the next time around, it will look a little better. Practice makes perfect, right?
Braided Raspberry Bread (adapted from SmittenKitchen)
Ingredients
Sponge
6 tablespoons warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1/4 cup (1 ounce) unbleached all-purpose flour
Dough
Sponge (above)
6 tablespoons sour cream or yogurt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs, 1 beaten for dough, 1 beaten with 1 teaspoon water for brushing bread
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Raspberry cream cheese filling
1/3 cup cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup raspberry curd
1. Make sponge: In a small bowl, combine the sponge ingredients. Stir well to combine, loosely cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to proof for 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Make dough in a stand mixer: Combine the sponge, sour cream, butter, egg, sugar, salt and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add flour and mix with the paddle attachment until the dough is a rough, shaggy mass.
3. Switch to the dough hook and knead on until a soft, smooth dough forms, about 5 to 6 minutes.
4. Place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 60 to 90 minutes, until quite puffy and nearly doubled.
5. Make the filling (while dough rises): Combine all the filling ingredients (except the raspberry curd) in a small bowl, mixing until smooth and lump-free. Reserve the filling and lemon curd until ready to fill the braids.
6. Prepare bread: Gently deflate the dough and roll it out on a very well floured counter to a 10″ x 15″ rectangle. Transfer rectangle to a large piece of parchment paper. (I rolled it out on the paper.)
7. With the side of your hand, lightly press two lines down the dough lengthwise, dividing it into three equal columns. Spread the cream cheese filling down the center section, leaving the top and bottom two inches free of filling.
8. Spread the lemon curd over the cream cheese filling.
9. To form the mock braid, cut crosswise strips one inch apart down the length of the outer columns of you dough (the parts without filling). Make sure you have an equal amount of 1-inch strips down the right and left sides. Be careful not to cut your parchment paper.
10. To “braid”, begin by folding top flap down and bottom flap up over the filling. Lift the top dough strip and gently bring it diagonally across the filling. Repeat on the right side, and continue down the entire braid, alternating strips until you are out. You can tuck the last couple that hang off decoratively under the end of the braid.
11. Carefully transfer the dough and the parchment paper to a baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic and set it aside to rise for 45 to 50 minutes, until quite puffy.
12. Bake bread: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush the loaves with egg wash. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
I don't normally take photos of what I cook. Mostly because I don't have the patience to deal with the poor lighting in my apartment for photographing food and I have a bad habit of manipulating images until they look good, which delays posts. These pictures, however, are not pretty, but I promised a friend I would take pictures if I made this. In the first picture, before it goes in the oven, you can see I need to work on my rolling skills.
Thanks to my sub-par braiding, some of the braids came apart while baking, resulting in a less than attractive bread as seen below:
Braided Raspberry Bread (adapted from SmittenKitchen)
Ingredients
Sponge
6 tablespoons warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1/4 cup (1 ounce) unbleached all-purpose flour
Dough
Sponge (above)
6 tablespoons sour cream or yogurt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs, 1 beaten for dough, 1 beaten with 1 teaspoon water for brushing bread
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Raspberry cream cheese filling
1/3 cup cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup raspberry curd
1. Make sponge: In a small bowl, combine the sponge ingredients. Stir well to combine, loosely cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to proof for 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Make dough in a stand mixer: Combine the sponge, sour cream, butter, egg, sugar, salt and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add flour and mix with the paddle attachment until the dough is a rough, shaggy mass.
3. Switch to the dough hook and knead on until a soft, smooth dough forms, about 5 to 6 minutes.
4. Place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 60 to 90 minutes, until quite puffy and nearly doubled.
5. Make the filling (while dough rises): Combine all the filling ingredients (except the raspberry curd) in a small bowl, mixing until smooth and lump-free. Reserve the filling and lemon curd until ready to fill the braids.
6. Prepare bread: Gently deflate the dough and roll it out on a very well floured counter to a 10″ x 15″ rectangle. Transfer rectangle to a large piece of parchment paper. (I rolled it out on the paper.)
7. With the side of your hand, lightly press two lines down the dough lengthwise, dividing it into three equal columns. Spread the cream cheese filling down the center section, leaving the top and bottom two inches free of filling.
8. Spread the lemon curd over the cream cheese filling.
9. To form the mock braid, cut crosswise strips one inch apart down the length of the outer columns of you dough (the parts without filling). Make sure you have an equal amount of 1-inch strips down the right and left sides. Be careful not to cut your parchment paper.
10. To “braid”, begin by folding top flap down and bottom flap up over the filling. Lift the top dough strip and gently bring it diagonally across the filling. Repeat on the right side, and continue down the entire braid, alternating strips until you are out. You can tuck the last couple that hang off decoratively under the end of the braid.
11. Carefully transfer the dough and the parchment paper to a baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic and set it aside to rise for 45 to 50 minutes, until quite puffy.
12. Bake bread: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush the loaves with egg wash. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
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