Nora's Irish Soda Bread

I don't know who Nora is, but when I pulled her recipe off of the internet a year ago, I was really impressed with it.  This recipe is a little different from those typically posted here because it isn't a yeast bread.  Instead, this quick bread (read: EASY!) is made by reacting baking soda (basic) and buttermilk (acidic) to make the bread rise.  Unfortunately I've tasted a lot of really bad soda bread.  It does not keep well, and if the dough is overworked, a game of kickball might put the resulting loaf to better use.  This recipe (while not exactly traditional) produces a really moist, wonderful loaf.  Note that I use regular, all-purpose flour.  This helps to reduce the formation of gluten, which would make the bread tough.

Mix Dry Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 c. all purpose flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 8 oz. raisins, softened (soak in hot water, drain)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp caraway seeds (optional)

Mix Wet Ingredients:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 c. sour cream
• 1/2 c. buttermilk
• 3 Tbsp. melted margarine

Combine wet and dry ingredients; knead together on a floured surface. Add to a greased, floured 9" pan. Cut an "X" in the top. Bake 55-60 minutes at 350 ˚F.

Note:  This will make one big loaf or two smaller ones. You may, scale the recipe up by 0.5 to make two larger loaves.

Golden Raisin Loaf

Today, I decided to keep things simple.  No fancy syrups.  No long fermentation times.  Just a plain wheat loaf with an occasional burst of sweet golden raisin.  I'm imagining that this will be really good toasted with a little bit of butter for breakfast tomorrow.  Of course, I also thought about making to-go french toast sticks... but that would be less simple!

Golden Raisin Loaf

1 c. golden raisins
2 c. water
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 Tbsp. agave nectar (or honey)
2 c. whole wheat flour
2 tsp. yeast
2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. white bread flour

Soak the raisins in warm water for about 30 minutes.  Then, using a mixer equipped with a dough hook, combine the raisins, water (try using the raisin soak water), canola oil and agave nectar.  Add the whole wheat flour, yeast, and salt at low speed.  Next add the white flour in 3-4 portions, until the dough begins to clean the sides of the bowl.  Turn this out onto a floured surface and knead gently until the dough reaches a smooth, elastic consistency.  Let rise, covered, for about 1 hour, until doubled in bulk.  Punch  down and knead again briefly.  Then shape the dough into a loaf and place in a greased loaf pan.  Allow it to rise for 1 hour before baking at 375 ˚C for 35 minutes.  Turn off the oven and let the bread remain inside for an additional 10 minutes.  Remove the loaf from the oven and the bread pan.  Allow it to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

100% Whole Wheat Bread

Last week I had a request for bread that contains no white flour, is vegan, and has no added 'sugary substance'. This recipe is one that I made a couple of times during my blogging hiatus in December.  It draws inspiration from Peter Reinhart's book Crust and Crumb and mostly fits the bill.  While it does not have any added sugar, honey, or syrup, it does contain raisin water.  Raisins are a fantastic source of natural sugar, and raisin juice concentrate can be found in some grocery stores.  I chose to make my own.

100% Whole Wheat Bread

Sponge:
16 oz (about 4 c.) whole wheat flour
2 tsp instant yeast
1 c. cool water

Mix together the sponge ingredients in a large mixing bowl. (It will form a thick paste.) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the sponge to ferment at room temperature for 4-6 hours. It should rise and then fall.

Raisin water:
2 c. raisins
4 c. warm water

Soak the raisins in the water for one hour. Then, puree the combination in a blender or food processor. Strain the puree and collect the liquid. Discard the pulp. Place the liquid in a saucepan, bring it to a boil, then simmer for about an hour. Upon cooling, this will result in a thick syrupy brown liquid.

Dough:
8 oz (about 2 c.) whole wheat flour
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. yeast
1/2 c. raisin water
6 oz. (about 1 c.) cooked wild or brown rice
16 oz (about 4 c.) sponge (from above; use all)

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, yeast, raisin water, and cooked rice.  While mixing, gradually add portions of the sponge. Mix thoroughly to combine, and add flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes, adding more flour as needed. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes, then knead again briefly. Lightly grease a bowl with cooking spray. Place the dough in the bowl, spray it lightly with cooking spray, and cover it with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for 1 hour (or until about doubled in bulk).  Punch the dough down and divide it in half.  Knead each half briefly, shape into a round, then gently roll into an oblong loaf.  Place onto a greased cookie sheet.  Let rise for 30 minutes.  Then, bake at 350 ºF for 20 minutes.  Rotate the loaf for even baking.  Then bake another 20 minutes. Turn the oven off, and allow the loaf to remain inside for 10 minutes more.  Cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing.

Happy Valentines Day: I'm Nuts About You!

This creation was born while distracting myself from grading exams. (My coworkers probably wish that I had to grade exams more often!) The walnut oil made for a very moist, nutty flavored wheat bread. The braided dough (along with the icing drizzle) earned high marks for presentation.

Walnut Bread

1/4 c. walnut oil
1 1/4 c. water
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. yeast
2 c. whole wheat flour
2 1/4 c. white bread flour

1 Tbsp. milk
1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. chopped walnuts

Mix the walnut oil, water, sugar, salt, yeast, and whole wheat flour together.  Let sit for 10 minutes.  Add the white flour 1/2 cup at a time until the the dough pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. Let rise for 1 hour, covered. Split the dough into three evenly sized balls; roll each into a rope.  Braid the ropes together on a greased baking sheet. Let rise for one hour, covered. Bake at 375 ºF for 30 minutes.  Cool completely. Mix powdered sugar with a small amount of milk to make a glaze; drizzle over the loaf.  Sprinkle the walnuts on top.

Ethiopian Supernatural Coffee Bread

This bread is an attempt to pair two of my great pleasures in life: bread and coffee. Just make sure that you let the coffee cool sufficiently (or add a few ice cubes) before mixing the dough so that you don't kill the yeast.  I happened to have Peet's Ethiopian Supernatural roast on hand, but use whatever suits you!

Ethiopian Supernatural Coffee Bread

2 Tbsp. canola oil
2 Tbsp. dark corn syrup
2 1/4 c. brewed coffee (cooled)
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. yeast
5 c. white bread flour

Combine oil, corn syrup, coffee, salt, yeast, and 3 cups of the bread flour. Mix thoroughly. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 c. at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Cover, and allow to rise until doubled in bulk. Punch down and divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a loaf and place in greased loaf pans. Allow to rise until nearly doubled in bulk. Bake for 35 minutes at 375 ºF. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Thank You!

Flickr Photo by psd

Sometimes I get really frustrated with people who make my life difficult by doing their job poorly.  Then I had an epiphany: How often to I thank the people who make my life easier by doing their job well? It's easy to overlook the hard workers who never draw any (negative) attention to themselves. So last week, I decided to acknowledge someone whose work I really appreciate.  This guy runs gobs of mass spectrometry samples for me and does rock solid work.  So, I made him a loaf of bread.  And, I wrote him a thank you note.  

Sometimes the cure for self-pity is to stop focussing on what you don't have and start focussing on what you do. 

Whole Grain Bread

This post is a modification of the Whole Grain Wheat Bread recipe that came with my Kitchen Aid mixer.  The recipe calls for 5-6 cups of whole wheat flour.  I didn't have enough, so I used some rye and some white flour to make up the difference.  Also, it calls for 3/4 cup of powdered milk.  I didn't have that either, so I added an egg. Powdered milk generally functions as a browning agent, and an egg will do the same thing.  Unlike other recipes that I've posted, this one makes 2 loaves.

Whole Grain Bread

1/3 c. + 1 Tbsp brown sugar, divided
2 c. warm water
2 pkgs. (4 1/2 tsp) active dry yeast
3 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. rye flour
2 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
1/3 c. oil
2 c. white bread flour

Dissolve one tablespoon of the brown sugar in the warm water in a small bowl.  Add yeast, stir gently, then let the mixture stand.

Add whole wheat flour, rye flour, salt, and remaining brown sugar to a mixer bowl.  On low speed, gradually add the yeast water, oil, and egg to the flour.  Mix thoroughly, stopping to scrape the bowl if necessary.  Let sit for 10 minutes.

Add the white flour, one half cup at a time, until the dough clings to the dough hook and cleans the sides of the bowl.  Remove from the bowl; knead briefly on a lightly floured surface.  Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour.

Punch dough down and divide in half. Shape each half into a loaf.  Place in a greased loaf pan, cover, and let rise for 1 hour.

Bake at 400 °F for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake 20 minutes longer.  Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks.