BBB Buddy: Shepherd's Bread

What a difference time and experience make. 



Years ago I bought a bread cookbook that contained some enticing recipes.  I made one that was full of dried fruits and nuts.   

It was a dud.  A veritable lethal weapon.

I was so disappointed.  The cookbook went back on the shelf.  Occasionally, I'd revisit the recipes, but when I remembered the dud, I'd put it back again.

Until recently.  

This month's challenge from the Bread Baking Babes was Shepherd's Bread, and surprise, surprise!  it's in my dud-of-a-bread-cookbook!

Well, all those babes can't be wrong, so I retrieved the book, made the appropriate notes, and forged ahead.


Can I tell you that this is one of my all time favorite breads?  The flavor is rich, the crumb is beautiful, the staying power is great.  I made this loaf one week ago, and it's still good to go.

 
I only made half a recipe because I don't have two giant pots to use, and this bread is a terrific riser with superb oven spring.  I used my 5-quart corning ware pot with lid, lining the bottom with parchment paper to prevent sticking.  The whole process went smoothly and the resulting bread was well worth the time and effort.   

This is definitely a bread I will make again. 




The babe of the month was Karen of Bake My Day.   The bread recipe, Shepherd's Bread, can be found in Bread for All Seasons by Beth Hensperger.  If you're feeling unusually adventurous, try baking it in an open fire (instructions provided).


There's a good chance now, that I will give this cookbook another try.

TWD/BwJ: Pecan Sticky Buns

It's been awhile since I've made either a brioche or a laminated dough.  This recipe, our second May selection for Baking with Julia, contained both techniques.   Really, this is very easy.  It just requires patience and time.   And the results are ever so delicious.

I used just half the finished dough to make these pecan rolls; I'll use the other half for another recipe in the future.  

 

While some bakers had issues with their mixers, I had none.   I used my sturdy, rock-solid KA, aka Silver Sage, who didn't disappoint, no moving; no over-heating.



The final result was a flaky, buttery, cinnamon-nut roll that was worth every minute of effort and every stick of butter.   

Thanks to this week's hostesses -- Lynn of Eat Drink Man Woman Dogs Cat and Nicole of Cookies on Friday.  

To see other results and read the comments, head over to the Tuesdays with Dorie website.

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TWD/BwJ: Hungarian Shortbread

 

I'm running a bit late this month -- buried in work, quilt shows, buried in vegetables, travel.

  

The first of the May recipes was Hungarian Shortbread, chosen by Lynette of 1smallkitchen and Cher of The Not So Exciting Adventures of a Dabbler.

I decided to make a quarter of the recipe.  Because of the richness of this cookie, I don't need to be tempted to consume a full recipe.  The quarter amount fit nicely into my 6" cake pan.

 

Another change -- I used blueberry jam rather than the suggested rhubarb.  Rhubarb is unwelcome here.  Can't understand what the draw is.   

The one strange thing about this recipe was that the cookie part was grated into the baking pan.  I'm curious what the advantage to this is.  It must be rough on the wrists to grate enough to fit into a 9x13 pan; a 6" pan was just right.

That being said, it certainly was a delicious dessert.  While I like the blueberry jam, I think lemon curd would be exceptionally tasty.  


If you want to read other comments or try out the recipe, stop by the Tuesdays with Dorie/Baking with Julia website.

BBD#49: Italian Whole Wheat Sage Bread

Manuela from Cravo e Canela - Uma Cozinha no Brasil is the host of this month's Bread Baking Day. She chose the theme of Pizza or/and Italian Breads.

Of course, I should have written this post when I made the bread, not weeks after, at the last possible moment.  But, there you go.

It was a lovely, tasty bread with a mild sage flavor, and it went well with just about every meal.  I didn't try it with jam, but who knows, it might have worked with that, too.

Manuela will have the roundup posted in the next few days.

As always, thanks goes to Zorra for her inspiration and support of bread baking.  Stop by her blog, too, for delicious posts.

Italian Whole Wheat Sage Bread
(adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Best Bread Machine Recipes)

1 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons snipped fresh sage
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon active dry yeast

Add ingredients to your bread machine according to the manufacturer's directions.  Select the appropriate cycle and push the button.

When the cycle has ended, remove the dough.  Let it rest 5 minutes, then shape into 2 loaves.  Let rise until nearly double, then bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden on top.  The inside temperature should be between 190 and 200 degrees F.

BBB Buddy: Granville Island Beer Bread

Well, Blogger picked a fine time to change its format.  

Being pressed for time (massive project deadline and a trip out of town), this will be a short post.  When I return, I will flesh it out.

This month's hostess for Bread Baking Babes was Natashya, who chose Granville Island Beer Bread, with extra points for using a Canadian beer.   See below:   

A mighty tasty beer, it is, too.
 

For the sausage component, I used a spinach, fontina, and roasted garlic chicken sausage, and for the cheese, Quattro Formaggiio:   

The bread turned out fabulous, with a wonderful oven spring.

I froze one loaf, mainly because I don't need to eating everything at once, and believe me, if it's available, I will eat it.   So, now, I have something to look forward to.

Thanks to Natashya for a delicious challenge.  Stop by her blog for the recipe and to visit the sites of the other Bread Baking Babes.

TWD: Blood Orange Loaf Cake

This episode of Baking with Julia was supposed to feature a lemon loaf cake, but after reading some of the comments on the blog, my perverse side kicked in. While I could have used lemons, either regular or Meyer, I chose blood oranges, freshly picked from my backyard tree. I have lemon trees, too, so there were choices to be made.


One other change I made to the recipe was to rub the zest into the sugar before adding the wet ingredients. This really intensifies the flavor by infusing the sugar with the citrus. I highly recommend it.


From that point on, I followed the recipe exactly.


The cake baked for 60 minutes.

The end result was a light, moist, citrus-y cake that was really delicious. The top had a sugary crust, so it really didn't need any additional amendments.



On the down side, I wasn't too thrilled with the tunneling, but it didn't affect the flavor whatsoever. I'll just remember not to over-fold the next time I make it.




I might even try a lemon version, although I have to say the blood orange one was exceptional.




Our hosts this time were Truc of Treats and Michelle of The Beauty of Life. Stay tuned for May's offerings.

Stop by the Leave Your Link site to read the other comments.

What letter is this?

In less than a month, my quilt guild will be holding their biannual Quilt Show.

One of the fun events is our quilt challenge. For this show, the theme is "Pick A Letter, Any Letter."

The inspiration came from a quilt exhibit I had seen in Seattle in 2004 where quilters from the US, France, and Japan chose letters from the alphabet and creatively expressed those letters in quilts. I thought it was a wonderful challenge concept and was pleased that it was chosen for our 2012 show.



As a guild member, I'm also entering a regular quilt. Trying to fit quilting in with work and baking is a challenge in itself, and I managed to do just one. The fabrics have the feel of Provence. I quilted each little panel differently and embellished one section with gold beads. The tassels were added in honor of the recipient.



A recipient, I might add, who didn't want the quilt.

Rejected.

Guess that happens sometimes.

So, now it's mine to do with as I please.

Thanks to my dear neighbor (who receives many a baked goodie from me) for being my quilt holder.




Stay tuned. The next post will return to food, namely Italian Sage Bread.