Beard On Bread
Page 10
In a saucepan, melt the second stick of sweet butter with the brown sugar and currants. Pinch off enough dough to make golf ball-sized balls. Roll the balls in the butter mixture, line the bottom of the tube pan with them, and continue to arrange them in loose layers. Pour what is left of the butter mixture over the top. Cover loosely with a foil tent and let the dough rise to the top of the tube pan. Bake in a preheated 375° oven for about an hour; it may take a minute or two more. Tap the top; it will sound hollow when the bread is ready. (If the top browns a little too much, don’t worry, because this will be served inverted.) Unmold and let cool thoroughly before slicing, or serve warm and pull apart.
Moravian Coffee Cake
This is typical of the medium-sweet, yeasty coffee cakes that one finds in Pennsylvania and other parts of the country where Moravian groups have settled. It is wonderful served freshly baked, with butter and preserves. It freezes extremely well and can be split and buttered while still frozen and reheated in foil or in the microwave oven until it is piping hot. I recommend it highly.
[2 loaves]
4 to 4½ cups all-purpose flour
2 packages active dry yeast
½ cup water
½ cup granulated sugar
1 stick (½ cup) butter
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
½ cup mashed potatoes (prepared instant can be used)
½ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ cup melted butter
Confectioners’ sugar icing (optional)
Stir together 2 cups of the flour and the yeast. Heat the water, sugar, butter, and salt over low heat only until warm (100° to 115°), stirring to blend. Add to the flour-yeast mixture and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes on the medium speed of an electric mixer or 300 strokes by hand. Blend in the eggs and mashed potatoes, then add 1 cup flour and beat 1 minute on the medium speed of the mixer or 150 strokes by hand. Stir in more flour to make a moderately stiff dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and satiny, about 8 to 10 minutes. Shape into a ball and place in a lightly buttered bowl, turning to butter all sides. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled, about 1½ hours.
Punch the dough down, divide in half, and let rest 10 minutes. Pat or roll each portion into a square to fit into each of two buttered 9 × 5 × 3-inch pans. Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle half the sugar-cinnamon mixture over each coffee cake. Drizzle cakes with the melted butter. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Bake in a preheated 350° oven 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pans five minutes. Remove from pans.
VARIATION
• If you like a sweeter cake, drizzle it with confectioners’ sugar icing while warm.
• Confectioners’ Sugar Icing: 1 egg white, pinch salt, 1 to 1½ cups confectioners’ sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla. Beat the egg white with the salt until it holds soft peaks. Fold in the sugar, and beat until it is smooth enough to spread. Add vanilla.
Cinnamon Bread
Most cinnamon loaves are rolled with raisins and nuts, but this one has the delicate spice flavor kneaded into it. You may adjust the amount of cinnamon to taste, but I find one tablespoon is about enough. In addition to its beautiful aroma, this loaf has a rather unusual color and a nice texture. It makes very good sandwiches, such as raisin and nut, or cream cheese and jam, and is a perfect loaf for toasting.
[2 loaves]
2 packages active dry yeast
⅓ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup warm water (100° to 115°, approximately)
1¼ cups warm milk, approximately
1½ tablespoons salt
½ stick (¼ cup) softened butter
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
Combine the yeast, sugar, and water in a large bowl and let proof for 5 minutes. Heat the milk, and add the salt and butter. Add to the yeast mixture and blend well. Stir in the cinnamon, then add up to 4½ cups flour, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the dough out on a lightly floured board, and knead a good 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic, using enough of the remaining flour to avoid excessive sticking. Shape into a ball and put into a buttered bowl, turning to coat the surface of the dough with butter. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in bulk.
Punch down the dough. Divide into two pieces, and shape into loaves that will fit two buttered 8 × 4 × 2 or 9 × 5 × 3-inch tins. Cover loosely and let rise again until doubled in bulk. Bake in a preheated 425° oven for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350° and continue baking 20 to 25 minutes longer, or until the loaves sound hollow when rapped on top and bottom. Cool on racks before slicing.
VARIATIONS
• One or 2 eggs can be added to this dough, in which case you will have to increase the flour content.
• For a rich, golden top crust, brush with beaten egg just before baking.
Swedish Limpa
Unlike the usual recipe for limpa, which is so popular all through the Scandinavian countries, this calls for beer and extra honey, which gives it quite a distinctive quality. The dough is very pleasant to handle, and the finished bread has great flavor, nice texture, and an attractive appearance.
[1 large free-form loaf or 2 small free-form loaves]
1 package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
¼ cup warm water (100° to 115°, approximately)
2 cups ale or beer heated to lukewarm
¼ to ½ cup honey
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
1 tablespoon caraway seeds or
¾ teaspoon aniseed, crushed
2 tablespoons chopped candied or fresh grated orange peel
2½ cups rye flour
3 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached if preferred
Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water in a large bowl and let proof for 5 minutes. Combine the lukewarm ale or beer, the ¼ to ½ cup honey (depending on how sweet a bread you like), the butter, and salt and stir well. Add to the yeast mixture. Add the cardamom, caraway seeds, or aniseed, and the fresh or candied orange peel. Mix the rye and white flours together. Add 3 cups of this to the liquid mixture and beat very hard with a wooden spoon. Cover with a cloth or foil and let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir down and add enough remaining flour to make a fairly stiff, although sticky dough. Turn out on a board, using ½ to ¾ cup additional flour if needed to work the dough until smooth and elastic. Knead well, and while the dough will not lose its tackiness entirely, it will become much smoother. Shape into a ball, place in a buttered bowl, and turn to coat with butter on all sides. Cover the dough and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Punch down, shape into one large ball or two smaller balls, and place on a greased baking sheet. Brush with butter, cover loosely with waxed paper or plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and preferably 3. Remove from the refrigerator and let sit, uncovered, at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes. Then bake in a preheated oven at 375° until the bread sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, which will take about 1 hour or 15 to 20 minutes more for the large loaf and 40 to 45 minutes for the small loaves. Cool on racks before slicing.
Kugelhopf
This is supposedly a recipe that Marie Antoinette took with her from Austria to France, where it became increasingly popular. It is traditionally baked in a special Kugelhopf mold, which gives it a festive look. Thus it makes a delightful holiday bread. Kugelhopf is an excellent coffee cake or breakfast bread, especially with fresh butter and honey. It can also be served topped with fruit, and it makes delicious toast indeed.
[1 Kugelhopf mold loaf]
1 package active dry yeast
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup warm water (100° to 115°, approximately)
&
nbsp; 4 cups all-purpose flour
1 stick (½ cup) softened butter
1 tablespoon salt
6 eggs
¾ cup light raisins
½ cup sliced almonds
Dissolve the yeast with the sugar in the warm water and let it proof. Sift the flour, putting 2 cups in each of two bowls. Set one bowl aside. Work together 2 cups of flour and the soft butter (this may be done in the electric mixer). Mix in the salt and the eggs, one at a time, beating until very thoroughly incorporated. In alternate batches, add the remaining 2 cups flour and the yeast mixture. Mix in the electric mixer or with a wooden spoon until thoroughly blended and elastic, then stir in the raisins. Put in a large, lightly floured bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in bulk, about 1 to 1½ hours.
Punch the dough down. Heavily butter a standard 10-inch Kugelhopf mold or a 10-inch tube pan and sprinkle half the sliced almonds around the bottom of the mold (the butter will make them adhere). Pour or spoon half the dough into the mold, sprinkle in the rest of the almonds, and add the remaining dough. Let rise again until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Bake in a preheated oven at 475° for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350° and continue baking until nicely browned, about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 3 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a cooling rack.
Verterkake
A very special Norwegian sweet bread baked in round loaves, verterkake takes its name from verterol, or brewer’s wort, one of the ingredients, which is a nonalcoholic beer very popular in Norway. Verterol used to be imported into this country, but since it is no longer available, dark beer can be substituted in its place. The bread is densely textured and has a highly interesting, spicy flavor, but I will tell you at the outset that the dough is difficult to work with. Therefore it is best to prepare it for the special occasions when you want a showoff loaf. It keeps extremely well, and is different enough from run-of-the-mill bread to warrant your mastering it. Serve it thinly sliced and well buttered, along with marmalade or jam.
The recipe comes from the Norwegian Government School for Domestic Science Teachers.
[2 free-form loaves]
2 packages active dry yeast
1 ¼ cups lukewarm milk
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 cups rye flour
⅔ cup lukewarm golden syrup or corn syrup
1¾ cups verterol (brewer’s wort) or dark beer
¾ teaspoon ground cloves
¾ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon salt
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup raisins
Proof the yeast in the lukewarm milk. Add 2 cups flour and stir to make a soft dough. Put in a warm place for 35 to 40 minutes, until the dough has started to ferment and shows some signs of rising. At this point add the lukewarm syrup and the verterol or beer, which has been mixed with the spices, salt, and sugar. Add the remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, until the dough becomes supple, but just firm enough to hold its shape. (This step is crucial, because too firm a dough will not rise well, and too soft a dough cannot be formed into stable loaves.) Cover and place in a warm, draft-free spot and let rise until doubled in bulk.
Punch the dough down, turn out on a floured board, fold in the raisins, and knead for a few moments. Then form into two round loaves. Place on a buttered and floured baking sheet, cover, and let rise until about doubled in bulk. Brush with hot water and prick rather lightly. Bake in a preheated 375° oven for about 45 minutes, until the crusts have become quite shiny (because of the syrup) and the loaves sound hollow when rapped on the top and bottom. Cool thoroughly before slicing, and keep refrigerated until ready to use.
NOTE
If the loaves are brushed with a thin paste made with about 2 tablespoons potato flour and a little water, just before they are taken out of the oven, they will acquire a fine, even shinier crust.
VARIATION
• For an interesting variation, use finely cut oatmeal for a third of the all-purpose and rye flours in the recipe.
EGG BREADS
Challah
Portuguese Sweet
Italian Holiday
Water-Proofed
Water-Proofed Egg Twists
Brioche
County Fair
Challah
This traditional Jewish bread has lightness and a nice color. The loaves are formed with either three or six braids, glazed with egg, and sprinkled with poppy seeds. They emerge from the oven a rich golden brown attractively flecked with the seeds. Challah is not a sweet bread but a delicate, well-textured egg bread of some richness.
[2 braided loaves]
3 packages active dry yeast
1 ⅓ cups warm water (100° to 115°, approximately)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon coarse salt
3 tablespoons softened butter
3 eggs
5 to 5½ cups all-purpose flour
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 teaspoon cold water
Poppy seeds
Proof the yeast in the lukewarm water in a large bowl. Add the sugar, salt, butter, eggs, and 5 cups of the flour, a cup at a time. Beat thoroughly with a wooden spoon or with the hands. Gradually add more flour until the dough is very stiff. Turn the dough out on a board sprinkled with flour. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, approximately 10 minutes.
Place the dough in a very large buttered bowl, and turn to coat the surface with butter. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1½ to 2 hours. Punch the dough down and divide into six equal parts. Roll each portion into a rope about 1 inch in diameter on a lightly floured board. Braid three ropes together to make two loaves. Place the breads about 6 inches apart on a buttered baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in bulk. Brush the tops of the loaves with the egg wash and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake in a preheated 400° oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the loaves sound hollow when tapped with the knuckles. Cool on racks.
Portuguese Sweet Bread
Anyone who has spent time on Cape Cod or Nantucket remembers the delicious light, round loaves of Portuguese bread found there, which resembles the egg bread of other countries. This recipe makes a delicate, spongy bread that is a delight. It has a fine crumb and is excellent for breakfast or tea. It demands the addition of good sweet butter and marmalade, honey, or jam.
[2 round loaves]
2 packages active dry yeast
1 cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
½ cup lukewarm water
1 stick (½ cup) softened butter
½ cup warm milk
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon salt
4 to 4½ cups all-purpose flour, approximately
Combine the yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, and water in a large bowl and allow to proof. Put the butter in the warm milk, add the 1 cup sugar, and blend well. Add to the yeast mixture and stir to combine the ingredients. Add 3 of the eggs, lightly beaten, and salt and mix well. Then add 4 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time, kneading with your hands in the bowl, to make a soft dough. Turn out on a floured board and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, using only enough additional flour to prevent sticking. This should take about 10 minutes. Shape into a ball and put in a buttered bowl, turning the dough to coat the surface with butter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk.
Punch down the dough and divide into two equal pieces. Shape again into balls and place in two buttered skillets—ones that can be used in the oven and that measure about 9 inches in diameter at the top. (Teflon works perfectly for this, but plain omelet skillets will do nicely.) Or you may use two 8½ × 4½ × 2½ bread pans. Cover loosely and let rise again until doubled in bulk. Brush the tops with the remaining egg, well beaten, and bake in a preheated oven at 350° for about 30 minutes, or until the bread is a rich, dark, shining color and sounds hollow when rappe
d on top and bottom. Cool on racks before slicing.
Italian Holiday Bread
This is a rather sweet brioche-type bread, exceedingly light and baked free form. It is a pleasant bread for tea or breakfast, toasts extremely well, and can be used for certain types of sandwiches, such as candied ginger and cream cheese or orange marmalade and walnut. It can also be made as a braided loaf, or baked in a fanciful form; for instance, you could use a flowerpot (well buttered with a piece of aluminum foil on the bottom to cover the hole), clustering three little topknots of dough on top.
[2 free-form loaves]
2 packages active dry yeast
Brown sugar
½ cup warm water (100° to 115°, approximately)