Saturday, May 30, 2009

The Very Late Christopsomos - BBA #2

My second week into the BBA challenge and I'm already late. In the span of one week, I have had out of town guests, a 100th birthday celebration (no, not mine), a dinner party for 14, and a visit from my youngest step-daughter (that was the best part of the week). I considered skipping this bread and coming back to it later but my OLDER sister said I had to bake them in order. (She always was a pest) Just kidding Terri. Truth be known, I was the pesky little sister that got into her make-up, her clothes and followed her everywhere. Somehow, she has forgiven me. (I'm guessing it's because senility is setting in ;) I love that she and I are doing this challenge together. (she is mustangterri in San Diego)

Anyway, onto the bread! We had the choice of three different variations of Artos: Greek Celebration Bread. I found the picture of Christopsomos very intriguing, so I choose it. However, after shaping mine, I noticed the author didn't use the dried fruits and nuts in his. He's such a cheater!

Typically, I wouldn't make a bread with raisins. It's just not my thing. But I'm married to a man who loves raisins in everything, so being the awesome wife I am, I made the sacrificed. ;-)


This bread smelled amazing from the moment the spices and zest were added to the flour.

I selected golden raisins, dried cherries and orange zest from a list of options for the bread and I used a barm instead of a poolish. I didn't have allspice or cloves on hand, so I used Anise, (Rick's favorite spice) I'm really going for the extra bonus points here. He'll probably think I put a dent in the car when he taste this. I glazed the bread with a simple syrup enhanced with honey and orange extract. I omitted the optional sesame seeds because I ...um... forgot.

I timed the bread to be ready to slice at the same time I knew Rick would be driving by our house on his way back to the office from a meeting. I asked him to swing by and pick up the bread for an afternoon snack for everyone. (it was enough bread to feed a small army)

So what did Rick think of Christopsomos? He ate 4 huge pieces and ruined his dinner! He said he would do it all over again given the choice. lol (now who's going for the bonus points?) He loved the orange zest but said the bread needed more raisins. (what did you expect from a raisin lover?)

Next: Bagels!

8 comments:

  1. Your NOT late. There is really no schedule to follow time wise. We are asked to do them in order but it it takes a year or two years that doesn't matter. The challenge is most of all to learn and to have fun.
    You did a wonderful job. This has been my favorite bread to make so far.
    Great job and boy you sure have been busy. :)
    Susie

    ReplyDelete
  2. Absolutely stunning loaf Tammy... Gorgeous!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oops, forgot to mention how fantastic your photos look!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks Susie. I was going to skip this loaf and go straight to the bagels but I'm glad I didn't. Rick and his co-workers really like it. I need to follow your lead and bake a couple of weeks ahead.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks ButterYum! I'll be glad when I can take pictures as nice as yours. Thanks for all the helpful tips.

    ReplyDelete
  6. See you need to listen to your wiser sister. No, I'm not referring to Belinda. You would have missed out on this beautiful bread. I did forget to take pictures of my Greek Bread. I have the Bagel sponge in the refrigerator, so they will be started tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  7. LOL. You were right, Terri. I am glad I listened.

    It's easy to forget to take pictures. I find putting the camera on top of the recipe the night before helps me. But I'll occasionally rush out the door without a final shot.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Looks amazing...Good call on Anise. I bet it turned out amazing. Hope you had a bite too. ;)

    Glad I was able to visit you all. It was a real treat (both literally and figuratively!)

    ReplyDelete