Date: Sun, 13 Sep 2009 20:37:16 GMT -------------- BEGIN bread-bakers.v109.n035 -------------- 001 - "Werner Gansz" Subject: Storing Yeast Breads and Quick Breads Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2009 07:36:19 -0400 RE: holiday bread question Reggie, I store loaves of yeast bread (whole or pre-sliced and divided into one-meal packages), bagels, loaves of quick breads, and muffins and scones for months in a freezer. After they are cool I wrap them tightly in aluminum foil first and then seal them in plastic zip-lock freezer bags. The pre-sliced bread lasts for at least a month before coming out a bit drier. The whole yeast loaves are not noticeably different than fresh even after a few months except that the crust is cracklier, especially on artisan loaves with large holes near the crust. Even if we buy a loaf of bread from our local baker, I will slice and freeze it the same way. Breads with food ingredients in addition to flour (like olive oil, potato, etc) will last even longer because they have more moisture. My wife makes muffins and quick breads and they store the same way. We keep them handy for early morning trips to the airport when there is no time for breakfast and neither of us want to eat the rubbery pastry they sell at airport coffee shops. Werner --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v109.n035.2 --------------- From: Haack Carolyn Subject: holiday baking Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2009 06:22:46 -0700 (PDT) Well, Reggie, funny you should ask! My sister and I are mostly complete with the first of several holiday baking weekends throughout the fall. Saturday we made two dozen Kentucky Whiskey Cakes, yesterday two dozen Stollens ... logs of two cookie recipes to be sliced and baked later ... and the cookies for adorable little shortbread bites called Acorns, which later get one end dipped in melted chocolate and then in shaved walnuts to complete the effect. We'll make another batch of Stol then more cookies around Halloween, have a decorating day just before Thanksgiving. The Stollens are plastic-wrapped and put into freezer bags before freezing; the weekend before Thanksgiving we tie a ribbon around each one and pack them to be sent to friends far and wide -- the loaf is still frozen going into the box, and every year people tell us how much they enjoy the loaf, so they must be arriving in fresh condition. This weekend's cookies are in freezer bags in the freezer; later, already-baked cookies are stored in plastic boxes ("sweater" size works well) with snap-tight lids until assorted onto heavy paper plates for gifting. Again, plastic wrap over the top and thin ribbon wrapped around to create the look of 6 "pizza slices" with a curly ribbon "pouf" in the middle. In my experience, the key to good storing properties is a rich recipe; don't stint on the butter, eggs & milk. Cooking Light magazine has improved with their baking recipes quite a bit over the years, but they are all "eat now" due to the reduction of fat content. So let's try to behave 11 months of the year and celebrate over the holidays! Haack's Christmas Stollen This recipe goes back generations in our family; this is a little heavier on nutmeg than the original, so use less if you prefer. I've also added the missing components of the Cornell Mix for a hint of nutritional balance, though that's hardly the point of holiday baking. If you don't have 7x4" loaf pans, make fewer, larger loaves. Makes 12, 1-pound loaves LOAVES: 1 cup butter 4.5 cups whole milk 1 medium nutmeg, grated (approximately 1 Tablespoon) 2 cups sugar 1 Tablespoon salt 10 teaspoons wheat germ 10 Tablespoons soy flour 10 cups bread flour, plus more for kneading 4 eggs, room temperature 4 packets active dry yeast (3 Tablespoons) 2 pounds mixed candied fruit & peel (fruitcake mix) 10 ounces blanched, slivered almonds 12 ounces white raisins STUFFING: 5 ounces blanched almonds, chopped fine or pulverized in food processor 1.5 cups sugar 3 Tablespoons cinnamon 12 ounces white raisins 1/2 cup butter, melted FROSTING: 4 cups confectioner's sugar 6 Tablespoons butter, soft 4 teaspoons vanilla 4 teaspoons whole milk Grease 12 loaf pans, 7 x 4". Melt butter in a medium saucepan; when melted, add milk and turn off heat (this should allow the mixture to get warm, but not so hot as to kill off the yeast). Grate the nutmeg, put into a very large bowl or stockpot along with the sugar, wheat germ, soy flour, and yeast. Whisk together to blend well. Add the eggs, whisk to blend well. Test the temperature of the milk/butter mixture; if too cool, heat briefly. Pour a cup or so into the bowl, whisk in thoroughly; gradually add the remaining liquid. Add 5 cups of flour, whisk 120 strokes. Add remaining 5 cups of flour, whisk 120 strokes. You will have a heavy, sticky mass. Let rise until doubled. Put the candied fruit mix and the raisins in a paper bag with a cup of flour. Shake well (support the bottom of the bag with your hand for security) to coat each piece. Add to the sponge along with the almonds. Using a heavy wooden spoon, combine all and add flour if required to make a kneadable dough. Let rise until doubled. Make the filling: combine the fine almond pieces, sugar, cinnamon and raisins. Break up clumps of raisins so as much as possible you have individual raisins. Melt the butter in a small pan. Knock down the dough and knead it, using as little flour as possible. Portion into twelve pieces (using a kitchen scale helps). Pat or roll a piece into a rough rectangle; brush with melted butter. Pour about 1/4 cup of filling onto buttered area, spread around evenly. Roll dough up into a loaf; pinch to seal bottom and end seams. Place into greased loaf pan. Press down hard to shape loaf to pan and set the seams. Brush top with butter. Repeat until all loaves are formed. Let rise until doubled in bulk; preheat oven to 350 F. When risen, bake loaves 40-45 minutes, until well-browned. (Even with my convection oven, I find it helpful to rearrange the batch after about 30 minutes of baking time.) Meanwhile, prepare cooling space and make the icing. Put old newspapers under cooling racks (to catch the drips). Put all icing ingredients except the milk into a food processor; add enough milk to make a slightly soft, but still spreadable, icing. (Mixing with a hand mixer in a bowl works fine as well.) When the loaves are done, put them top-side-up on the racks and spread with some of the icing, letting it run down the sides. COOL COMPLETELY (possibly overnight) before wrapping tightly in plastic wrap. If making well in advance, secure the final ends with tape, and store in freezer bags in the freezer up to 3 months. Kentucky Whiskey Cake (We'll call it a quick bread for purposes of this list, eh?) This recipe originally called for a full-sized tube pan. As we wanted it to be gift-able, we first converted to large loaf pans from our great-grandfather's bakery (he baked pound cake in them); later we found miniature tube pans, welded 4 to a rack. that's what we use today, a fun nod to the original. Whatever shape you use, pan preparation is key ... a mere spritz of Pam will NOT get the job done. 1/2 pound white raisins 1 pound red candied cherries 1 pint rotgut bourbon, plus more for aging 3/4 pound butter 3 cups granulated sugar 2 Tablespoons unsulphured molasses 6 eggs, separated 1 pound large, whole pecans plus 3 Tablespoons flour 5 cups flour 2 teaspoons grated nutmeg 1 teaspoon baking powder Start the night before baking, soak the raisins and cherries in the bourbon overnight. In the morning, cut the cherries into quarters (by now all the sticky syrup has dissolved into the bourbon). Prepare the pan(s) either by greasing, lining with waxed paper, and greasing the waxed paper OR by brushing with quick-release goop from Laurel's Kitchen; 1/2 cup liquid lecithin mixed with 1 cup vegetable oil (store any leftover in the refrigerator). Prepare your pan even if it's "nonstick." Preheat oven to 300 F. For the cake, cream the butter and sugar and add the egg yolks one by one, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the soaking liquid from the fruit. Shake the pecans with the small amount of flour, discard any extra flour. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Combine the dry ingredients, combine with the creamed mixture. Fold in whites, fold in nuts just until well-combined. You will have a stiff dough quite full of fruit & nuts. Using a rubber scraper and spoon, transfer batter evenly into pan(s). Bake about 3 hours (this is not a typo), until the cake cracks on top and the bottom of the crack looks dry. The cakes will be deep brown. Cool completely on a rack. Wrap the cooled cake(s) in an old kitchen towel, or if necessary in heavy paper towels. Soak the wrappings well with more bourbon; put the wrapped and soaked cakes in a plastic zipper bag and refrigerate for at least 6 weeks to mellow. (This is why you can get away without fine whiskey) To give, wrap in plastic or place in plastic bakery gift bag with instructions to keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Then slice cold cake very thinly to show off the pretty cross-section and enjoy. Eat responsibly -- this cake has a kick! --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v109.n035.3 --------------- From: AllGlory Bakery Subject: holiday bread question Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2009 09:27:37 -0700 Hi Reggie, If I need to bake yeast bread loaves and rolls in advance, I try to make it no more than 1 day ahead of an event for best freshness. If that's not possible, cool the loaf completely, wrap it in foil, place in a freezer bag, let it thaw at room temp on the day of your event, pop it in the oven for just a few minutes to warm it if necessary. Here are a few things I do to promote an extra edge: 1. I substitute a 1/4 cup of potato flour or 1 TBSP of potato starch in the flour I use. The potato will aid in moisture retention and shelf life. Also, choose recipes that at least have some milk, butter, or oil because this will give a tender crumb and slow down the staling process. 2. I will bake the product till nearly done instead of a complete bake. A standard 1 - 1 1/2 pound white loaf bakes an average of 30-35 minutes at 350F so I may pull it out in 27 minutes. I'll tap the bottom and observe the sides of the loaf to ensure there is just enough firmness to keep it from collapsing when it stands. 3. I weigh my flour instead of scooping so loaf #1 is as close in size and density to loaf #20. On average, a cup of bread flour weighs approx. 4.5 oz. Make sure the scale can hold at least 10 pounds of weight. 4. I brush them with butter/margarine immediately after the loaves come out of the oven to soften the crusts. To store them, wrap them as tight as possible without crushing them. Use good quality bakery plastic bread bags and remove as much air as possible before you seal the bag tightly with a twist tie. 5. For crusty artisan breads like ciabatta and baguettes, bake them the day of the event because there usually is nothing in them to prevent the staling process. To store them, use loose fitting paper bags with room to breath. If you seal these loaves tightly in plastic, the crispy crust will soften and loose the classic artisan crunch. Tag my site at www.fearlessbread.com Reginald Beck --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v109.n035.4 --------------- From: "Margaret Cope" Subject: Triticale Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2009 09:46:19 -0300 Has anyone had experience baking with triticale? We are growing it for animal feed and I am saving some for baking bread. I thought toasting it for 10 minutes at 350 might be good. I mill it in a coffee grinder. Suggestions welcome. [ Editor's note: search for triticale in these issues of bread-bakers digest archive: http://www.bread-bakers.com/archives/digests/v099n019.txt http://www.bread-bakers.com/archives/digests/v104n025.txt http://www.bread-bakers.com/archives/digests/v105n031.txt http://www.bread-bakers.com/archives/digests/v099n031.txt http://www.bread-bakers.com/archives/digests/v096n045.txt And this recipe was referenced in a bread-bakers post, but it moved to: http://www.reciperascal.com/honey.html ] --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v109.n035.5 --------------- From: Reggie Dwork Subject: Lemon Tea Bread - corrected Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2009 00:07:48 -0700 Several people asked about the missing ingredients. Oops. Here's the correct version. * Exported from MasterCook * Lemon Tea Bread Recipe By : Serving Size : 12 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Bread-Bakers Mailing List Breads/Muffins/Rolls Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/2 cup sugar 1/3 cup butter -- melted 1 cup sugar 3 tablespoons lemon extract 2 eggs 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup milk 1/2 tablespoon grated lemon peel 1/2 cup chopped pecans This has been a huge success everywhere it has showed up. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 9"x5" loaf pan. Prepare lemony glaze by mixing 1/4 C lemon juice with 1/2 C sugar and set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar and lemon extract until fluffy. Add eggs, beating until mixture is blended. In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt. Pour 1/3 of the flour into the egg mixture. Add 1/3 of the milk. Stir until blended. Continue adding flour and milk alternately until all is blended. Do not overmix. Fold in lemon peel and pecans. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake one hour or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove bread from oven and immediately pour lemony glaze slowly over the top. Let stand 15 - 20 minutes. Turn out onto rack to cool. May be frozen. Before serving bread bring to room temperature. Cut in thin slices. (This is easy to do, since this stuff is pretty dense and moist). Serve with butter, or lemon curd or clotted cream. (I like it best with lemon curd). Variation: Bake it in smaller loaf pans for finger-food sized slices for parties. * For Vegans: Margarine works well in this. I have never tried it with egg substitutes or dairy milk substitutes, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. The texture might be different, but I think it would still taste good. (I doubt that it would be much more dense than the original version). Source: "Bonnie Montjar" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 256 Calories; 10g Fat (34.2% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 39g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 51mg Cholesterol; 288mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 2 Fat; 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrates. --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v109.n035.6 --------------- From: Reggie Dwork Subject: Autumn Harvest Bread Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2009 23:15:13 -0700 This is from the current issue of King Arthur's "The Baking Sheet". It's very good. * Exported from MasterCook * Autumn Harvest Bread - King Arthur Recipe By :Robyn Sargent Serving Size : 16 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Bread Machine Bread-Bakers Mailing List Breads Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 3/4 ounces carrot -- fresh, coarsely grated, 1/2 cup 2 ounces zucchini -- fresh, coarsely grated, 1/2 cup 1 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 11 5/8 ounces unbleached flour -- 2 3/4 cup, King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 4 ounces whole-wheat flour -- 1 cup, King Arthur Traditional Whole Wheat Flour 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon allspice -- ground 2 teaspoons yeast 3/4 cup water Place all the ingredients into the bread pan of your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Program for basic bread, light crust, and press start. Check the dough's consistency about 7 minutes after the kneading cycle begins, adding additional water or flour to form a soft, smooth ball of dough. Allow the machine to complete its cycle. Cool loaf completely on a rack before slicing and serving. Yield: One loaf, 1 1/2 pounds, 16 slices Description: "This whole-grain bread is lightly spiced and sweetened with flecks of carrot and zucchini" Source: "The Baking Sheet, Autumn 2009, Vol XX, No. 5" Copyright: "King Arthur Flour" Yield: "1 1/2 pounds" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 106 Calories; 1g Fat (7.3% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 22g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 2mg Cholesterol; 135mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates. --------------- END bread-bakers.v109.n035 --------------- Copyright (c) 1996-2009 Regina Dwork and Jeffrey Dwork All Rights Reserved