Apricot Almond Yeast Bread

Apricot Almond Yeast Bread

It's raining in Seattle. What to do. What to do...

Make bread!

I usually start this process by looking in my cupboard to see what I have on hand. Yesterday as I poked around the pantry I came across a large bag of dried apricots that I normally reserve for making granola. Hummmm...

Why not apricot bread with almonds?

The key ingredients: apricots and almonds

This recipe is inspired by a recipe from The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook. (By the way, if you do not have a copy of this book, I highly recommend it.)

This dough is slightly sweet, made with apple juice, honey, and apricots. Added almonds give it a nice crunch.

Adding honey

Here are the ingredients:

3/4 cup apple juice
1/4 buttermilk (or regular milk)
7 tbsp water
2 1/2 tbsp honey
2 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 1/3 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup rolled oats
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp yeast
1/2 cup chopped almonds (for the dough)

2/3 cup dried apricots (added mid-knead)

1/2 cup of chopped almonds (for crust)

Preparation:

Using your electric mixer with a paddle attachment or your bread machine, combine the ingredients except the dried apricots – keeping in mind your machine’s instructions.

When your machine beeps, or when you are in between your first and second kneads, add the dried apricots. This delay keeps the apricots from getting too chopped up in the machine.

When kneading is done, let the dough rise for about 45 min. or until it has doubled in size.  (If you prefer hand kneading, see my note on hand kneading in my Best Ever Polenta Pumpkin Seed Bread Recipe.)

Once the dough has doubled, pour it out into a floured surface, and give it a good kneading - a couple minutes. Shape your dough into an oblong form and roll it in a bed of chopped almonds.  Place the almond-covered dough on your baking sheet.

Almond covered dough

Let the dough rise again until doubled in size.  (I use a damp cloth to cover the dough while it is rising.)

Baking:

Bake your loaf for about 20-25 minutes in an oven preheated to 415 Fahrenheit (about 210 C).  Your almond crust with be nice and toasty while the dough will be moist and chewy. Delicious!

Moist and sweet!

If you try one of my bread recipes, please let me know your results. Happy baking, friends!

Healthy Butternut Squash Bread

Healthy Butternut Squash Bread

I recently had some butternut squash left over from dinner. What to do? Why, put it in bread, of course!

I found my inspiration from MyBakingAddiction, a great site for all you obsessive bakers!

My own version has more fiber - whole wheat flour and ground flax seeds - and less sugar. That's the healthy part! Yet it's rich - due to buttermilk - and nutty - from walnuts and flax seeds. Add sweet and spicy - cranberries and cayenne - and WOW! It's delicious!

Sweet and nutty

Want to give it a try?

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butternut squash purée
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup water
1 cup raw sugar
1 cup all-purpose white flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
A dash of cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp coarsely ground flax seed
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the butternut squash puree, eggs, oil, buttermilk, water, and sugar.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add the flax seed, walnuts, and dried cranberries to the dry ingredients.

Stir the dry ingredients into the butternut squash mixture. Remember the rule about not over-mixing!

Look how rich this batter is!

Bake for about an hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

What a wonderful crumb!

Thanks to MyBakingAddiction for the original recipe!

Whole Wheat Cornmeal Pizza Dough - Bread Machine Style

Whole wheat and cornmeal crust pizza

I make pizza. ALOT. It's a great way to use whatever is in your fridge. Got some eggplant that's looking a little sad? Some salami that's getting close to it's use-by date? Make a pizza!

My favorite style of dough has whole wheat and cornmeal. It's nutty and bready, almost like focaccia.

This recipe makes one round deep dish pizza or one large 12 x 19 rectangular pizza. (Since my deep dish pan is still in transit from Vienna, I'm using my daughter's large rectangular "college" pan. Thank goodness she is living with us right now!)

Coarsely ground cornmeal

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup olive oil
2 2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cornmeal or polenta (I like a coarse grind, which gives the crust a nice crunch)
1 teaspoon salt
1 packet (1/4 oz.) active dry yeast

Preparation:

Set your bread machine to its dough cycle, combine the ingredients – keeping in mind your machine’s instructions.

When the dough cycle is complete, pour the dough out onto a floured work area. (I just use my counter top.) Turn the dough a few times, and shape into a ball. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rest for about 20 minutes.

While you are waiting for your dough to rest, prepare the pizza pan by greasing the surface with olive oil and sprinkling it with about one tablespoon of cornmeal. This will make it easier to serve the pizza once it is done.

You can also start to gather your toppings. Today I am using a basil pesto base, topped with salami, roasted eggplant, marinated artichokes, caramelized onions, and two kinds of cheese - monterey jack and string cheese. (I love the patterns of the strings atop the pizza. :)

When the dough is ready, roll it out. Since I am using a rectangular pan, I shaped my dough into a log before rolling.

Put on your toppings and bake at 425 for 10 minutes, then lower the temp to 375, and bake another 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Check out my other bread recipes here.

Buon appetito!

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Rolls

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Rolls

A few nights ago my husband made a delicious roast pork recipe. It was spicy, a little sweet, and the meat was so tender that it fell apart. Just the way I like it!

There was enough left over for another meal, so I decided to make roast pork sandwiches. As we had no rolls in the house, I went to work on a new recipe: whole wheat pumpkin rolls! (I confess. I had pumpkin pure in the freezer from the holidays.)

The resulting rolls were so delicious, and they held up well as sandwich rolls. The pumpkin flavor was a nice complement to the pork. Give my recipe a try and let me know what you think.

Pure from fresh pumpkin

Here are the ingredients:

2 cups pumpkin pure (not from can)
1 tbsp pumpkin seed oil (or other oil)
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
2 cups white flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp dry yeast

Makes approximately 18 3-inch rolls.


Preparation:

Using your electric mixer with a paddle attachment or your bread machine, combine the ingredients – keeping in mind your machine’s instructions.

When kneading is done, let the dough rise for about 45 minutes or until it has doubled in size. (If you prefer hand kneading, see my note on hand kneading in my Best Ever Polenta Pumpkin Seed Bread Recipe.)

Once the dough has doubled, pour it out into a floured surface, give it a good kneading - a couple minutes - and then divide the dough into 18 dough balls. Place the balls on a baking sheet and let rise until they have doubled in size (approximately 20 minutes).

Dough balls rising

While the rolls are rising, preheat your oven to 200 C (or approximately 390 F).

Once the rolls have doubled in size, score them with a sharp knife and place in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Scored and ready for the oven

These rolls come out a nice toasted orange color. They are tasty!

Just out of the oven

Don't worry if the rolls have expanded into each other. They pull apart easily.

Ready to eat!

Let me know how your rolls come out, and happy baking!


You may enjoy some of my other bread recipes:

Dinkel Bread
Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pumpkin Seed Bread
Nourishing Corn Oat Bread
Beer and Swiss Cheese Bread
Val's Twisted Anadama Bread
Val's Braided Cardamom Egg Bread
Val's Original Sundried Tomato Polenta Bread
Best Ever Polenta Pumpkin Seed Bread



This recipe was shared with Everyday Mom's Meals.

When dinkel's in your bread

Multigrain bread with dinkel

You know you're in Vienna when... dinkel's in your bread!

Dinkel is a tasty and nutritious grain, commonly called spelt.  It's slightly nutty and sweet, and quite popular in grocery stores and health food shops around Vienna.

Dinkel has an especially hard husk, which means it's naturally resistant to insects and pollutants.  It's higher in protein and fiber when compared to its wheat relatives.  And it's said to have healing qualities!

I especially like to bake with whole grain dinkel, as it adds a hearty flavor and slightly more dense crumb to breads.

Recently I baked a delicious multigrain dinkel loaf on the first snowy day in Vienna.  Dinkel bread goes great with soups and stews.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups water
1 tbsp pumpkin seed oil (or other seed oil)
2 tbsp honey
2 cups wholemeal dinkel flour
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 rolled oats
1/4 potato flakes (optional)
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp dry yeast

For crust:

1/2 cup nut and seed mix (I use whatever I have around: sesame, pumpkin, and sunflower seeds, rolled oats and cornmeal, etc.)

My seed mix is always handy.  I keep it in the door of the fridge.

Preparation:

Using your electric mixer with a paddle attachment or your bread machine, combine the ingredients – keeping in mind your machine’s instructions.

When kneading is done, let the dough rise for about 45 min. or until it has doubled in size.  (If you prefer hand kneading, see my note on hand kneading in my Best Ever Polenta Pumpkin Seed Bread Recipe.)

Once the dough has doubled, pour it out into a floured surface, give it a good kneading - a couple minutes - and then place it greased bowl, and cover lightly with plastic wrap.  Leave it to rise once more.

Waiting to rise

Now preheat your oven to 210 C (or approximately 410 F).  If you have a baking stone, place it in the oven.

Once the dough has doubled again, scatter the seed mix and then pour the dough out onto the seeds.  Gently roll it over the mixture.  The seeds stick to the dough and create a lovely pattern.

Roll gently over the seeds

Place your seed-covered dough directly onto a hot stone.  (If you don't have a stone, no worries.  Just place the loaf on a baking sheet.)

Bake at 210 C (or approximately 410 F) for 20-25 minutes.

When the bread has turned a lovely dark brown and the seeds look nice and toasted, you know it's ready!

Cooling in at the window.  See the snow outside?

This multigrain dinkel bread is excellent toasted and holds up well as a sandwich.

Top: the crumb; bottom: tomato and cheese on dinkel

I encourage you to try wholemeal dinkel in your next bread recipe!

References:

The Grain Mill Company
Lentz Spelt

Links to You Know You're in Vienna When:

Introducing You Know You're in Vienna When
When excellent wines are but an hour away
When sturm is on the menu
When you don't carry a watch
When Turkenschanz turns crimson and gold
When there's beauty in a regentag
When you've got the Gluhwein boost
When it's Silvester

Shared with: Petite Hermine

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pumpkin Seed Bread

Just out of the oven

So, I live in Austria, right?  That means there are a lot of pumpkin seeds in my diet.  I put them in my granola.  I sprinkle them on salad.  And I put them in bread, of course!  So, when I went to create a new wholesome bread recipe, there was no doubt what would make this bread stand out.  Pumpkin seeds!

Austrian pumpkin seeds

This recipe has a nutty and crunchy crust, while the dough or "crumb" is chewy and slightly sweet.  It stays nice and firm after cooling, making it a wonderful sandwich bread.

The perfect crumb for a sandwich

Here are the ingredients:

1 1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp pumpkin seed oil (you can substitute any aromatic seed oil here)
2 tbsp honey
1 1/2 cup bread flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tbsp chopped toasted pumpkin seeds
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp dry active yeast

For crust:
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds

Preparation:

Using your electric mixer with a paddle attachment or your bread machine, combine the ingredients – keeping in mind your machine’s instructions.

When kneading is done, let the dough rise for about 45 min. or until it has doubled in size.  (If you prefer hand kneading, see my note on hand kneading in my Best Ever Polenta Pumpkin Seed Bread Recipe.)

Once the dough has doubled, pour it out into a floured surface, give it a good kneading - a couple minutes - and then place it greased bowl.  Leave it to rise once more.

Now preheat your oven to 200 C (or approximately 390 F).

Once the dough has doubled again, pour it out onto the pumpkin seeds.  Gently roll it over the mixture.  The seeds stick to the dough and create a lovely pattern.

Dough rolled in pumpkin seeds

Place the dough on to a baking sheet, and cover with a damp towel.  Let it rise another 15 to 20 minutes.

Once the dough has risen about 50 percent more, place it in the oven.  Baking time will be between 30 and 35 minutes.

Ready for the oven

The bread is ready when it turns a lovely dark brown and the seeds are nicely toasted.

All done!

I hope you are enjoying the autumn season.  Bake on!

Nourishing Corn Oat Bread

Corn Oat Bread

Making bread is a nourishing experience. Gathering ingredients - grains and yeast from the earth and air, salt from the sea, honey from bees. Putting it all together in new ways, a little of this and a little of that.  Wondering what some pumpkin seeds might add.  What about some raisins or chopped dried apricots?

Each time it is creation anew.

Making bread is a bit like gardening or like making baskets.  You gather up the seeds (or the fabrics).  You think about structure, color, texture.  Then you plant and watch as something often unexpected and lovely emerges.

It is nourishing.

Today I nourished myself with a new recipe - Corn Oat Bread.  You might think it a bit odd to put corn and oats together.  Corn meal tends to be crunchy and oats tend to be chewy.  But, it makes a great combination.  The bread comes out with a wonderful crunchy crust outside and an delicious chewy inside.

Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups liquid (I used 1/4 cup yogurt and 1 1/4 cup water.)
• 2 1/2 cups bread flour (or all purpose white flour)
• 1/2 cup rolled oats (I like rough cut.)
• 1/2 cup corn meal (I like it coarsely ground.)
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 tsp dry yeast
• 1/4 cup seed mixture for crust (This can be anything you have - sesame seeds, oats, sunflower seeds, etc.)

My favorite duo!

Preparation:

Using your electric mixer with a paddle attachment or your bread machine, combine the ingredients – keeping in mind your machine’s instructions.

When kneading is done, let the dough rise for about 45 min. or until it has doubled in size.  (If you prefer hand kneading, see my note on hand kneading in my Best Ever Polenta Pumpkin Seed Bread Recipe.)

Once the dough has doubled, pour it out into a floured surface, give it a good kneading - a couple minutes - and then place it greased bowl.  Leave it to rise once more.

Waiting for a second rise

Now preheat your oven to 200 C (or approximately 390 F).

Once the dough has doubled again, pour it out onto the seed mixture.  Gently roll it over the mixture.  The seeds stick to the dough and create a lovely pattern.

Rolling in the seeds

Place the dough on to a baking sheet, and cover with a damp towel.  Let it rise another 15 minutes.

Now for the final rise

Once the dough has risen about 50 percent more, place it in the oven.  Baking time will be between 30 and 35 minutes.

Ready for the oven!

The bread is ready when it turns a lovely earthy brown and the seeds are nicely toasted.

Toasty brown and ready to eat

If you like a crusty and chewy bread, one that is on the heavy side, give this a try.  Oh yum!

Here's to nourishment.

Beer and Swiss Cheese Bread

Beer and swiss cheese bread

It's cold in Europe this winter, and all I can think about is baking.  What is more satisfying and nurturing to the soul than baking bread?

This week I am sharing a recipe made with beer and cheese.  Okay.  I know what you are thinking.  Why would I waste a good bottle of beer on making bread?  I hear ya.  However, you have to think of the outcome - a delicious yeasty earthy bread!  And the cheese, well who doesn't love cheese with their beer?  You can use any semi-hard cheese for this recipe, but personally, I think swiss is the best.  (By the way, here in Europe, we call it Emmentaler cheese.)

This is a hearty bread - on the heavy side - which means it goes great with soup!

Here's the recipe...

Ingredients:

1 cup of beer plus one tbsp (flat and at room temperature)
3/4 cup swiss cheese
3 cups white flour
1/4 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup whole brown cane sugar (or regular brown sugar)
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp yeast


Preparation:

If you have an electric mixer with a paddle attachment or a bread machine, just throw your ingredients together – keeping in mind your machine’s instructions – and let the machine do the kneading.

Keep in mind that this dough will be quite crumbly at the the beginning.  You - or your machine - will have to use an extra bit of force at first.  (I notice that my machine really has to work this dough.)

If you prefer hand kneading, see my note on hand kneading in my Best Ever Polenta Pumpkin Seed Bread Recipe.

When kneading is done, let the dough rise for about 45 min. or until it has doubled in size.  (This is a slow-riser so be patient.)

Once the dough has doubled, pour it out onto a floured board or countertop.  Knead the dough by hand for about 5 minutes, and then shape into a round loaf.  Place the round loaf in a round baking pan.

I use cornmeal on my Polish baking dish.
This prevents sticking and adds crunch.

Let the dough rise again until doubled in size.  (I use a damp cloth to cover the dough while it is rising.)


Scoring the loaf:

Once the dough has doubled in size (for the second time) using a sharp knife, score the loaf.  This helps in the release of steam during baking (and it looks lovely!)  I created a tic tac toe design on my loaf.

Tic tac toe!

Baking:

Bake your loaf for about 15 minutes in an oven preheated to 390 Fahrenheit (about 200 C).  After 15 minutes, turn your oven down to 350 (about 180 C) and bake for another 15 minutes.  (That makes 30 minutes in all.)

Immediately remove from the baking pan to the cooling rack.  Let cool before slicing.

Cooling...  Oh yum!

The aroma of this bread is wonderful - cheesy and delicious!

See the little bits of cheese?

Once you discover this recipe, you will find yourself making it again and again.

What do you think?  Do you want to give it a try?

Val's Twisted Anadama Bread

So good with soup or stew!

Winter is here.  Time for soups and stews and all that warms the body and soul.  There is a place for bread in all of this!  Here is my "twisted" version of Anadama Bread, a hearty, slightly sweet New England mult-grain bread made with cornmeal, oatmeal, and molasses.  It is the perfect accompaniment to soups and stews.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups potato water (or plain tap water)
• 1.5 tbsp pumpkin seed oil (or other seed oil)
• 3 tbsp molasses
• 1.5 tbsp honey
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 3 cups white flour
• 1/3 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup oatmeal
• 2 1/4 tsp yeast (or one packet)

For the glaze:  one egg beaten with one tbsp of water
For the finishing touch: sunflower seeds


Preparation:

If you have an electric mixer with a paddle attachment or a bread machine, just throw your ingredients together – keeping in mind your machine’s instructions – and let the machine do the kneading.

When the kneading is done, let the dough rise for about 45 min. or until it has doubled in size.  I like to cover the dough with a damp dish towel.  (If you prefer hand kneading, see my note on hand kneading in my Best Ever Polenta Pumpkin Seed Bread Recipe.)

Once the dough has doubled, pour it out onto a board or countertop.  Divide the dough into two loaves.

Divide your loaf into two equal parts

Divide each of the two loaves into two parts, and roll each piece into a 12-14 inch long cylinder.  You should now have four long loaves.

Make four long loaves

Take two loaves and join them together in a twist.  Repeat for the second two loaves.

Here's the fun part!

Move the twisted loaves to a baking sheet or loaf pan.  As a precaution, I suggest lining the pan with baking paper.  This will prevent sticking (if you are planning to use the egg wash; see below).

Preheat your oven to 390 Fahrenheit (or about 200 C) and let the dough rise again.  This time it should need about 25-30 min.

Place the loaves in a baguette pan or baking sheet

Once the dough has risen, beat the egg and water together with a fork, and apply the mixture to the surface of each loaf.  Sprinkle sunflower seeds over them.

Add the egg wash and sunflower seeds

Bake the twisted loaves for 20 to 25 minutes, until they have turned a deep rich brown.  Immediately remove from the baking sheet to the cooling rack.  Let cool before slicing.

Delicious!

Here is a clean-up tip.  Use a plastic pastry cutter to scrape the flour from your work surface.  You will be surprised at how easily the bits come together.

Clean up is a breeze!

Stay warm and enjoy the winter, everyone!