BBB Buddy: Molasses Fennel Rye Bread

Here we are at the end of September and I see that very little has been posted on this blog.  I truly have been baking, just not posting.   I attribute this lack to an overload of work and hot weather.  It's difficult to concentrate on anything when the inside of your house is 90 degrees.   All the work doesn't help, either.  For some reason, I feel obligated to meet my deadlines, so, in the meantime, other tasks fall by the wayside.   

Baking bread, however, never gets put aside. 

This month, Elizabeth, from the Bread Baking Babes, chose this scrumptious bread for the group.  I had all ingredients on hand, although, upon inspection, I did need to buy a fresh jar of wheat germ.  Taking Natashya's advice, I used my stand mixer to make the dough, so the whole process was a breeze.

I've been munching away on this bread for several days now.  I love the molasses flavor and the sweetness that the raisins provide.  I used golden raisins, and it occurred to me that adding some toasted nuts might add some texture and that little bit of something extra.  I've also spread the slices with some homemade apple butter, which pairs well with either plain butter or cheese.

I do believe that the bread-baking events are my favorite ones at the moment, especially with my limited free-time schedule.  Perhaps if my workload decreases ever so slightly, I can write about the goodies I have been making in the last month or so.   For now, this will have to do.  

On tap next is World Bread Baking Day.  Deciding what to bake is always challenging and fun.

Thanks to all the Babes for letting me bake along this month.  For the recipe, head over to any of their blogs.  This bread is definitely well worth making.  

BBD#53: Sun-dried Tomato and Parmesan Swirl Bread

A is for August.

A is for Aggravating.

Aggravating August.

I'll be glad to see it leave, Blue Moon notwithstanding.

On August 1, I accidentally fell, landing on my left wrist.  It was unusable for over 2 weeks.  Now, on August 31, I can actually lift a frying pan again, although there are some strange lumps remaining.   

That's how the month began and it didn't get much better.    I missed the french bread baking event because my wrist wasn't up to kneading.

I did manage to make my swirl bread, though, for this month's Bread Baking Day.  That's because the dough was already made -- the other half of the french bread dough from the previous post.

I rolled out the dough flat, then layered it with some diced sun-dried tomatoes and topped that with grated Parmesan cheese.  Definitely, a yummy combination.

So, I'm sending this over to Shelley at C Mom Cook.     She's the hostess this month for Swirly Breads.  The most difficult part was deciding on the flavor of the swirl, so it will fun to see what the other bakers chose for their swirls.  


Also, be sure and stop by Zorra's website to learn about all the previous Bread Baking Days and see some fantastic food.

Here's hoping September is a more friendly month.   I'm looking forward to resuming my baking and blogging.

BBD #52: French Bread

For Bread Baking Day #52, this month's hostess, Cinzia of Cindystar, chose French bread. 

With time in short supply this month, I chose to bake one of my favorite French breads from the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day cookbook.  It's quickly put together, has great oven spring, and crackles loudly while cooling -- my favorite sound!

There are no photos of slices because I gobbled it up that quickly.  But, not to worry, there is more dough in the fridge waiting to be baked.  I'll probably do a boule this time, then make more dough because this is that good!

Thanks to both Zorra and Cinzia for this month's challenge.  Now I have to send it off quickly, and hope I'm not too late.

If you want to try your hand at this delicious French bread, head over to this website for the Master recipe.

 

BBB Buddy: Easy Little Bread

It appears that I have been remiss in updating my blog this month.    

My only excuse has been work, and, while I still have projects galore, I am reminded by recent events that work shouldn't be the only thing going on in my life.   I need to slow down and smell the roses, or, in this case, the bread.  

Sara, one of the Bread Baking Babes, chose a quick and easy yeast bread for July's adventure.

Truly, this bread was quick and easy.   

My bread rose in the pan, but did not have much, if any, oven spring.

It tasted fine, although I wasn't too keen on the texture.

That being said, it disappeared quickly, so it must not have been too bad.   I have to say that I did miss having a well-rounded loaf with a good texture, but, in a pinch, it's a good recipe to have around.

For the recipe and to see how the other Babes fared, head over to Sara's blog.


Now, I need to make some headway on two week's worth of fruits and vegetables before I pick up my next CSA box on Tuesday.  Maybe I'll throw some more bread making into the mix as well.

BBD#51: Bread with Beer

To celebrate the 5th anniversary of Bread Baking Day, Zorra, the founder and this month's hostess, challenged all bread bakers to make a bread with beer.

Having recently made a beer bread, I still had several bottles of beer remaining, so the search was on for a new recipe. 

I found a rye bread for which I had all the ingredients and for which I made minor substitutions -- medium rye for dark, regular beer for light.   The end result was a delicious bread, good toasted or made into sandwiches.

I had hopes of enjoying this bread for several weeks, but due to a recent freezer malfunction, that was not to be.  Half a loaf went to my dear neighbor yesterday, and the other half sits on my counter, waiting to be consumed along with other bread products.   Bummer.  (For the freezer problem, not the bread.)

So, I'm sending this bread over to Zorra for the Bread Baking Day #51 celebration.  I'm looking forward to seeing what the other bread bakers submit.






RYE BREAD

2 cups dark or medium rye flour
2 teaspoons yeast
5 1/2 cups all purpose flour  
12 ounces beer
15 ounces warm water
4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon fennel seeds

Combine beer and water in a large bowl. Add yeast and stir until completely dissolved.  Add rye flour and 3 cups of AP flour in a bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer.  Stir until thick batter forms.  Cover and let rest until mixture begins to bubble, about 2 hours.

Stir in reserved 2-1/2 cups flour, salt and fennel seeds.  Mix in the electric mixer or knead on a floured surface.  You will probably use about 1/2 cup additional flour for kneading.  It's a very sticky dough, but adding too much flour will make your bread more dense. 

Return dough to bowl, cover and rest for another 45 minutes to an hour.

Place dough on floured surface and divide into two or three pieces.  Shape each piece into a ball and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Place in forms or shape as desired.   Let rise until double in size, about 1 to 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Slash loaves with a razor blade.  Slide loaves or pans into oven.  Reduce heat to 425 degrees F after 5 minutes of cooking.  Bake for another 25 minutes or until bottom of loaves sound hollow when tapped.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.