Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Bread- BBA Challenge #9

I decided to play with this recipe a bit to see if I could develop a deeper flavor. I created a sponge using part of the ingredients. (1/2 cup buttermilk, 3/4 cup water, 1 1/4 cup bread flour, 1 tsp yeast, 4 tsp sugar) I whisked it for 1 minute than covered the sponge with the rest of the dry ingredients minus the salt. (2 1/4 c flour, 1 tsp yeast, 1 1/4 t cinnamon) Typically, I'd let this sit at room temperature for one hour than put it in the fridge over night but I ran out of time so I let this sit at room temperature for four hours before mixing. Below you see the sponge breaking through the flour mixture.

After four hours, I added the egg and shortening and mix with the dough hook for 1 minute to for a rough dough. I covered the bowl and let the dough autolyse for 20 minutes.

After 20 minute autolyse:

I added the 1 1/4 t salt and mixed on KA #4 for 6 minutes

I added the raisins and walnuts in the last minute than finished the kneading by hand.

The dough doubled in 1 hour

I didn't have an 8x4 pan, so I shaped 2/3 of the dough and placed it in my 9x5 pan

Here's the dough after 90 minutes, ready for the oven. To reduce gaps in the cinnamon spiral, I let the dough overproof so I wouldn't have much of an oven spring.

Final bread cut in half

With the extra dough, I made small cinnamon rolls.

Finished rolls.

Rick has been on pins and needles waiting for this week. He loves raisins. He really enjoyed this bread. Rick said the bread was light, chewy and soft with a slight molasses taste.

Cinnamon Rolls - BBA Challenge #8

Here we are at week 8 of the Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge. We are baking our way through Peter Reinhart's book "Bread Baker's Apprentice" in the order recipes appear in the book.

I have been looking forward to this week. So much so, that I even turned my brioche in week 4 into cinnamon buns. I wonder what other doughs I can turn into cinnamon rolls? :-)

I must say, the lemon zest in this recipe made the most wonderful smelling dough ever!

I rolled the dough out into a 12 x 14 square. (that left corner was being a pain)

I spread egg whites over the dough to hold the cinnamon sugar instead of butter. (a tip I learned from Rose Beranbaum) I also used my own cinnamon sugar recipe instead of Reinharts (3/4 c dark brown sugar, 1/4 white sugar, 2 t Vietnamese Cassia Cinnamon, and a pinch of salt)

To avoid distortion, I used a piece of white thread to cut the slices. (slide the thread under the dough, pick up the right thread with your right hand, the left with the left, going over the top of the dough, move the right thread to your left hand and the left to your right hand. Now, at the same time, pull the thread in your right hand to the right and the thread in your left hand to the left)

Violia! A perfect slice

Place the slice piece on a Silpat or parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

I covered them and placed them in the refrigerator until 2AM

I popped them into the oven at 5:30 sharp, baked for 25 minutes then cooled them on a rack for 10 minutes.

I iced them using a poured fondant, snapped a few pictures, then handed them to my husband to take to his 6:15 Bible study. Ummmm. These smell awesome.

I relaxed, thinking I had safely escorted all the calories out of the house but not so. Rick stopped by on his way to work with a left over roll. (he knows they are my absolute favorite. Wasn't that sweet of him to go out of his way?)

Sigh.... I pour myself a cup of coffee, sat in my favorite chair and savoured each calorie. Thanks Honey!

You can find the recipe here (I had to add an additional 6 TBS of bread flour)

Here's a video of using dental floss to cut the rolls:

Caramelized Onion and Herb Ciabatta - BBA Challenge #7

I've been dreading this bread since the beginning of this challange. The thought of working with a wet dough was a bit intimidating. However, it turns out that it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. Isn't that the way it always is? Let's pretend you said yes. We fear the unknown but once we do it, we wonder what the big deal was.

I had the choice of two pre-ferments to use with this ciabatta recipe... a poolish or a biga. I've never made either one so I chose the first one that appeared in the book. The poolish is made a day in advance and cools it's heels in in the fridge overnight while it develops all that wonderful flavor.

My first poolish. Isn't it cute? It's smells wonderful. ...well, for poolish anyway.

While the poolish was warming up from it's over night stay in coolville, I sliced 4 cups of vidalia onions and put them over medium heat to caramelize.

Once the onions started turning brown, I added a couple of TB of sugar, let them carmalize a little more, than added the balsamic vinegar.

While the onions were carmelizing, I chopped up parsley and basil fresh from my herb garden. I tossed them in with the onions and balsamic vinegar until they wilted. I put the mixture to the side to cool while I mixed up the dough.

The dough was fast and easy to mix. Stir the flour, salt and yeast together, add the poolish and water. Mix for 7 minutes. I had to use the maximum amount of water plus 6 more TBs to get the dough to clear the sides but stick to the bottom as Peter describes in his book.

I poured the wet stretchy dough onto a generously floured table.

I pushed it out into a rectangle, floured the top and made the first stretch & fold. I let it rest for 30 minutes.

The book says to fold the onion mixture in at the second stretch & fold 1/4 at a time depending on how many loafs you were making... Ummm, so he's assuming the dough is divided into separate loaves already. Yet the instruction do not divide the dough into loaves until the shaping stage. What to do, what to do? I decided to divide the dough before the second fold and folded in the onion mixture. In the picture below, I have 1/4 of the onion mixture under the flap and 1/4 on top of the flap. I folded the last flap on top of the onions and let it rest 2 hours

Should I have waited to fold the other 1/4 of the onion mixture in at the last stretch and fold after the 2 hour rest? I have no idea.

One more stretch & folded and onto the couche they go. Don't they look cute?

It was a little tricky getting the dough to the pan after the proofing stage on the couche. Next time I will use parchment paper under the dough before putting them on the couche. Since they were so big I had to bake them separately. One loaf proofed for 45 minutes, the other for 65.

The finished loaf

A crumb shot

and another

This was very tasty and had a great chew.

What I learned:

• Use more water for bigger holes
• Use AP flour for bigger holes
• brush excess flour from dough before stretching & folding
• Use a parchment sheet before putting them on the couche
• Cut the recipe in half

For your viewing pleasure, here's someone demonstrating making ciabatta with a different recipe.

I'd like to thank the Academy....

Forgive me for being so cheeky. This is my very first blog award.

"You like me, you really like me"
LOL. Sorry, I just had to quote Sally Field.


This is so exciting for me!!! Okay, Okay, I'll calm down.


I have to say a special thank you to Patricia at ButterYum for presenting me with this awesome award! I really enjoy her blog and all the recipes she shares. I wish she was my neighbor! Yummo! Be sure to check out her blog for beautiful pictures, yummy recipes and to see her beautiful award.


As part of the award, I'm supposed to list 5 things I love, and pass this award on to 5 of my favorite blogs. (just 5? That's just so unfair!)

Aside from the usual top 3 favorite things - God, Rick and Family, Here are five things I love:

Playing card games with Family & Friends

I love the laughter & conversations that abound

Cinnamon Rolls

making them, eating them, smelling them. It's all good. :-D

Baking

I could bake all day. I love everything about it. But my absolute favorite part is sharing the baked goods with others.

My new DSLR camera

What would a blog be without one? Now I just have to learn how to use it.

Coffee

I'm addicted. I've tried stopping many times but I haven't been successful yet. (I'll be blogging on roasting your own coffee soon. It's so easy. Did I mention I was addicted to it?)

Now it's time to pass this award on to my 5 favorite blogs that I really love (yes, they're all food blogs, what did you expect from someone who loves to bake?):

ButterYum

by Patricia

I don't know if I'm allowed to pick her since she gave me this award but she is one I'd choose. She loves God, has a great sense of humor, takes awesome pictures, and has great recipes. She's great with step by step pictures on how to do complex recipes.

Flour Girl

by Heather

I love her quirky sense of humor, her writing style and the subjects she writes about. She is really down to earth and fun. She used to be a newspaper reporter but is now going to pastry school and blogging about it here

Bungalow Barbara

by Barbara

She likes taking a recipe and putting her own spin on it. I love that she shares what works and what doesn't in all the recipes she tries.

Pinch My Salt

by Nicole

Nicole has a beautiful blog with fabulous photography, recipes and useful links at the end of each blog. She's also started the Bread Baker's Apprentice bake-off Challenge

The Other Side of Fifty
by Mags
Another wonderful baker and photographer with a great sense of humor.

If you 5 are too busy and don't have time to do all this crazy blog stuff, just enjoy the award and know your blog is wonderful and I have enjoyed meeting you and treasure your blogs and friendship in this blogging world!

Round Challah: BBA Challenge #6 with French Toast Recipe

This bread is a reminder of how God provided for the Israelites during their flight out of Egypt. The history is documented in Exodus, Chapter 16 starting at verse 4. The round shape symbolizes that the world has no beginning and no end. The sesame seed symbolizes the falling of manna from heaven. Covering the challah with a cloth as it is served at the sabbath meal represents the heavenly dew that protected the manna.
Round challahs are most traditionally used for the Jewish New Year, Rosh HaShanah.

This bread is simple to make. Mix the flour mixture with the egg mixture.

After two rises, divide the dough up in the number of stands you need for your braid.

I needed four stands. I divided the dough into four blobs weighing 204 grams each and shaped them into balls

I let the balls rest 10 minutes before rolling them into ropes

I created a tic-tac-toe form with the four ropes

Follow the directions located here for detailed explanation on creating this form

The top of the finished braid

The bottom of the finished braid

After the final rise, I glazed the dough with egg wash and added sesame seeds. One way to attach sesame seeds is to dip your thumb in water, then place you thumb into the seeds, then touch your thumb to the bread.

Here's the loaf ready to go into the oven

Finished loaf fresh from the oven

Sliced Challah.

Since I had it sliced, I made french toast for lunch using my Dad's recipe.

1 egg
1/4 cup of whole milk
splash of vanilla (~1/8 tsp)
sprinkling of cinnamon

Mix everything together.

Dip each side of the bread into egg mixture.

Fry on medium-high heat until brown.
Bon Apetite!