Detox Nettle Green Tea Pullman Loaf
Monday, June 15, 2020| |
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Braided Loaf with the same dough
Unlike the classic Pullman bread (or pain de mie in French), this butter-enriched Pullman bread with detox nettle green tea and raisins is soft, tender and fluffy with a crisp golden crust. This bread is rather easy to make, but only takes slightly longer because I let the dough rise (2nd rise) in the fridge overnight so the flavours develop. This recipe is good enough for a 13x4-inch pullman pan, but mine is slightly smaller, so I weighted 750 grams of dough for the pan and use the rest to make 2 dinner buns. I have also baked a braided loaf with the same dough, and a lot more raisins.
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- Crumble the fresh yeast in the lukewarm milk in a bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes. Place plain flour, detox tea, sugar, and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer with a dough hook.
- Add in eggs and milk-yeast mixture. Mix on low for 3 minutes. Increase the speed to the second level and mix for about four minutes more. Next, add the softened butter one cube at a time. Once all the butter is in, knead again for 2 minutes until smooth and elastic and soft. Add in raisins and knead briefly.
- Remove the dough from the mixer and shape into a smooth ball. Lightly grease the mixer bowl and return the dough to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in volume. Turn out and punch the dough down. Cover again and let rise in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight.
- Next day, remove the dough from the fridge and turn out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently knead the dough so it became smooth and soft. At this point, I divide the dough into 750 grams for the pullman (26x12x9cm) and the rest I shaped into 2 dinner buns. I have also baked a braided loaf with the same dough, but a lot more raisins.
- Roll out the dough into a rectangle, and roll it up just like you do the jelly roll and pinch the seam together. Place into the greased pullman pan with seam side down. Cover with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours, but not more than 18 hours. The dough should reaches about 1/2 inch from the top of the pan. Next day remove the bread from the fridge and allow it to warm to room temperature while waiting for your oven to preheat. (Or you can just leave the bread in a warm place to proof until it reaches about 1/2 inch from the top of the pan. This could take from 90-120 minutes.) Cover the loaf with the pan lid.
- Preheat the oven 190/375F. Place the loaf pan on the center rack in the hot oven. Bake the pullman sandwich loaf for about 40 minutes until nicely golden brown. Remove the loaf from the pan and let cool on a wire rack. Allow the bread rest for at least an hour before you cut into slices.
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Cherry Radish Top Twisted Bread Wreath with Cranberries
Sunday, June 07, 2020| |
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Don't throw out your radish leaves! They re not only edible and delicious, also very nutritious. Very rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber. Besides making pestos, smoothies, or soups, you can puree them and add it to the dough that results in a lovely bread with a vibrant, green texture. It is a brillant way to sneak leafy greens into your kids' diet. I am using cranberry jam and craisins for the filling, but if you prefer a savoury version, a red pesto with extra portion of Parmesan would be a nice substitute here.
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- Place chopped radish tops in a blender. Add in almond milk, and salt and process until well blended.
- Measure 200 ml of milk-radish greens mixture and pour into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Stir in melted butter and egg until combined.
- Add spelt flour, sugar and active dry yeast. Mix at slow speed until everything comes together. Increase the speed and knead until smooth and elastic, about 7 minutes.
- Turn out the dough and shape into a ball. Lightly grease the mixing bowl with a bit of olive oil and return the dough to the bowl. Cover loosely with a damp kitchen towel. Let rest until dough is doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 45x30cm rectangle. Spread the cranberry jam over dough, leaving 1cm border around edges. Sprinkle the chopped cranberries over and tightly roll up dough from the long side in jelly roll fashion.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the log, seam side up, lengthwise in half. Tightly weave the two pieces together, leaving the cut sides exposed. Form into a wreath, firmly pinching two ends together. Gently tranfer the wreath into a springform pan or a parchment-lined baking tray. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rise until doubled, 1-2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Bake the bread in the center of the oven until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Cool slightly. Dust with icing sugar before serving.
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Stuffed Braided Loaf with 3 Fillings
Monday, June 01, 2020Using plain flour and whole spelt flour |
Using just plain wheat flour |
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A soft, tender braided bread filled with matcha-tahini, nutella (next time I am going to try a poppy seed filling for a better colour contrast) and cherry jam. It might look tricky and complicated to make, but it's actually very simple. Braiding and 3 different fillings help create a impressive-looking loaf that is easy to make! You can bake this with just plain wheat flour or use a mix of plain flour and whole spelt for a nuttier flavour.
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- Warm up the milk and butter in a saucepan over low heat until the butter melted. Set aside to cool the mixture briefly.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix together the flour, dried yeast, sugar, salt and vanilla powder. Add in milk-butter mixture and the egg, reserving a tablespoon for the topping. Stir at slow speed for a couple of minutes until the dough comes together. Increase the speed and knead the dough until smooth and elastic.
- Turn out the dough and shape into a ball. Lightly grease the mixing bowl with a bit of olive oil. Return the dough into the bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and set aside at a warm place for about 1 hour until it's double in size.
- Mix the honey tahini with matcha powder until well combined. Grease a 26x12cm loaf pan and set aside.
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and roll out to a 45cmx45cm square. Divide it into 3 even pieces, 15cmx45cm. Spread each rectangle with a different filling, leaving 2cm free edge of dough free from the filling. Roll each into a log and pinch the edges together.
- Braid 3 logs and form into a braided loaf by bringing two ends together under the loaf. Place it into the prepared loaf pan. Cover with towel and let rise about one hour.
- Preheat oven to 190C/375F. Brush the bread with the reserved egg. Sprinkle the top with raw sugar if using.
- Bake the bread in the middle of hot oven for about 30 minutes until golden-brown. Bread should have a nice hollow sound when thumped on the bottom. Cool on a rack for at least one hour before slicing.
Using just plain wheat flour |
Using plain flour and whole spelt flour |
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Cinnamon Walnut Rolls
Monday, April 20, 2020| |
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Soft and fluffy cinnamon rolls filled with a buttery mixture of cinnamon, coconut sugar and walnuts and finished with a simple glaze. You can switch the walnuts for your favourite nuts or seeds or simply leave them out. So the choice is yours! They're best enjoyed warm with a cup of tea or coffee.
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- In the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk the flour, the sugar, salt, and dried yeast together. Set aside. In a small saucepan, heat the buttermilk and ghee / butter over low heat until the ghee is melted.
- Stir the liquid mixture into the flour mixture. Add the egg and mix with a dough hook at slow speed until the dough comes together. Increase the speed and knead until the dough is soft and elastic.
- Turn out the dough and shape into a ball. Lightly grease the mixing bowl with a bit of oil and return the dough to the bowl. Cover with a plastic film and let the dough rise until almost doubled in size, 1-2 hours.
- Turn out the dough and knead briefly. Roll the dough out into a rectangle, about 30cmx40cm. Spread the softened ghee / butter on top. Mix together the cinnamon, coconut sugar and chopped walnuts and sprinkle it all over the dough as evenly as possible.
- Divide the dough from the shorter side into 9 even strips and roll up each strip tightly. Place in a 25cmx30cm baking pan lined with baking paper and cover with a large piece of plastic wrap. Place it in the fridge for 8-12 hours.
- Two hours before baking, remove the dough from the fridge and let rise in a warm place until puffy. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F. Bake for about 25-28 minutes, until they are golden brown.
- Mix the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla together until smooth and lump free. Drizzle over the warm rolls and serve immediately. Store the leftover at room temperature for up to 3 days.
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Olive Chia Seed Sandwich Loaf
Tuesday, March 24, 2020| |
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A very aromatic, soft and easy to make sandwich loaf flecked with chopped black olives and chia seeds. This bread will be a hit if you love olive and it’s perfect for sandwiches, canapés and as a great addition to your bread basket on the dinner table.
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- Lightly grease a 9cm-deep, 11 x 22cm loaf pan with olive oil and line with baking paper.
- Combine flour, yeast and coconut sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer. Stir in salt. Make a well in the centre. Add in milk, egg yolks, egg white and melted butter. Mix on the slow speed until the ingredients roughly come together. Increase the speed and knead for 5-8 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Turn out the dough and shape into a ball. Brush the mixing bowl with a little bit of olive oil to grease. Return the dough to the mixing bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Set aside in a warm, draught-free place to prove for 45 - 60 minutes or until the dough has almost doubled in size.
- Punch down the centre of the dough with your fist. Knead for 2 minutes or until the dough is elastic and has returned to its original size.
- Roll out the dough into a square. Sprinkle with the chia seeds and chopped olives. Fold the dough in half to enclose the seeds and olives and knead until well combined.
- Divide the dough into 3 even pieces and round up. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes. Roll out each dough to about 15 x 25 cm rectangle with a rolling pin. Fold the dough towards the centre from left and right. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and roll it up. Place the seam side down into the prepared loaf pan. Repeat with the other two dough balls.
- Cover with a damp tea towel. Set aside in a warm, draught-free place to prove for 30 minutes or until the dough has almost doubled in size.
- Brush the top of the loaf with egg white and sprinkle with the chopped nuts. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the base. Turn onto a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve at room temperature.
Keto Cauliflower Garlic Bread
Tuesday, March 03, 2020| |
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If you are on the low carb diet and love garlic bread, then you MUST try this healthier keto cauliflower garlic bread alternative that I have found on Delish. It is naturally gluten free, full of flavours with fresh herbs and garlic and easy to make too. However, you can still taste the cauliflower here, so next time I would cut it back to half of what original recipe called for.
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- Preheat oven to 180C/350F and line a standard-sized loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Place riced cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl, cover and microwave for 3 minutes until soft and tender. Let cool. When cool enough to handle, transfer cauliflower to a clean kitchen towel and squeeze to release as much moisture as possible.
- In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, baking powder, salt, egg yolks, melted butter, minced garlic and cauliflower. Fold in 1/3 of egg white to lighten up the batter, then fold in the rest of the egg white until well incorporated. Fold in fresh herbs.
- Pour the batter the prepared loaf pan. Bake in the middle of hot oven until the top is golden, about 50 minutes. Remove and turn out on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
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Saltless Tuscan Bread / Pane Toscano
Monday, January 27, 2020Saltless, yet it is never bland! This Tuscan bread is more substantial than the French bread, and although it hasn't the airy lightness of a French baguette, it is not heavy like some German bread either. Fresh tomatoes and basil layered on a large slice of Tuscan loaf would make a perfect snack or like what I did, spread the bread with cheese Toscana
angiesrecipes.
One explanation of the saltless bread is that the Tuscans, well known for being tightfisted couldn't bear to pay the government salt tax and chose instead to make bread without it. Perhaps, but gastronomes point out that the Tuscan bread is perfectly suited to their cuisine, which is full of strong flavors.
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- Pour the boiling water over the 250 grams flour in a bowl. Stir until you have a smooth thick paste. Cool and and let rest covered with a plastic wrap overnight in the fridge. The next day, take the dough out of the fridge and let rest for an hour to bring the paste to room temperature.
- Place the paste and the rest of the ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer and stir on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and continue mixing until the dough is smooth and leave from sides of mixing bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rise until double in bulk, about one hour. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and divide it in half. Round each dough up and let the dough balls rest, covered, for 15-20 minutes.
- After resting, shape the dough into batards. Proof the shaped batards, covered,on a piece of parchment paper or in moulds or pans for about one hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven and the bricks to 220C/450F. Once the dough has doubled in size, sift flour on the surface of the batards to create a rustic appearance. Score the bread and carefully transfer them on the bricks in the oven. Bake the bread for 50 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Spinach Coconut Rolls
Monday, January 20, 2020This spinach coconut roll recipe is a twist on the classic cinnamon roll. Naturally green sweet bread dough with a coconut filling--delicious, healthy and fun!
Spinach is known as a rich source of iron. According to the USDA, spinach contains a relatively high level of iron, compared to other vegetable and meat sources.
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- Place all the dough ingredients, except butter, in a mixing bowl fixed with dough hook. Stir until a dough ball forms. Add in butter and knead until the dough has become smooth and elastic.
- Place it in a lightly greased bowl, covered and let rise in a warm place for about 60 minutes until the dough has doubled in size. Coat your finger with flour and press your finger into middle of the dough, the indentation should remain visible for a few seconds.
- While the dough is fermenting, you can prepare the filling. Beat the sugar and butter until light. Add in egg and coconut shreds and stir until mixed.
- Punch down the dough to release the gas during the proof. Divide it into 2 portion. Cover with a plastic wrapper and let rest for about 15 minutes. Roll each into a 28x15cm rectangular dough. Spread half of the filling on the top and roll up. Cut each into 7 pieces.
- Place them in a lightly greased 28cm round baking pan. Let rise for about 60 minutes and brush with egg mixture. Bake in a preheated 175C/350F oven for about 18-20 minutes.
Cucumber Pickle Juice Rye Cob Adapted From Dan Lepard
Monday, January 13, 2020| |
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A simple and quick rye bread, adapted from Dan Lepard's "The Handmade Loaf". The "secret ingredient" here is the pickle juice with some extra dill. The bread came out with great texture and tasted so delicious.
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- To toast the rye flour, preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Spread the rye flour in a thin layer over a baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes, or until the flour has turned a light tannish brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- Combine the flours, and mix with the salt. In another bowl, whisk the pickle juice with yeast and dill. Mix this liquid and the flour together with your hands. Squeezing it through your fingertips. When roughly combined, cover the bowl and leave it for 10 minutes. Tip the dough out on to a lightly oiled work-surface and knead gently for 10-15 seconds. Return the dough to the bowl, leave for a further 10 minutes, then knead once more for 10-15 seconds. Repeat one more time.
- Stretch the dough out on the work-surface and pat it out lightly into a rectangle. Fold one end, a third of the length, back to the centre. Fold the other end back over it, so you have three layers. Repeat after 30 minutes and 1 hour. Divide the dough into two equal pieces, and shape each into a round. Place both on a flour-dusted baking sheet, leaving a space between for the cobs to grow. Cover and leave for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 210C/410F. Cut a slash across the center of each cob. Bake in the center of the oven for 55 minutes until the cobs are a good rich brown colour and when tapped on the bottom, sound hollow. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
Panettone with Poolish Sponge
Sunday, December 22, 2019| |
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Panettone is a typical bread of Milan, usually prepared and enjoyed for Christmas and New Year around Italy, and one of the symbols of the city. This cake-like bread is typically baked into a tall, cylindrical shape (empty fruit cans work great as baking pans). Traditionally, panettone is made with raisins and candied orange and lemon peel. But you can choose the dried fruits you prefer. The bread is delicious eaten fresh and keeps well in an airtight container for about a week. It also freezes well for up to two months.
Poolish is a fairly wet sponge with baker's yeast, typically made with a 1:1 ratio of flour and water by weight, that means 100% hydration.
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- To make the sponge, dissolve the yeast in 60 ml warm water in a bowl. Add 60 g flour and stir to make a very loose dough. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
- In the bowl of your mixer, combine the butter, eggs, yolks, sugar, milk, and vanilla seeds. Add in the starter dough. Gradually add the flour, beat on low speed just until dough begins to leave the sides of the bowl and pull together. Increase speed to medium, and beat until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl and turn it once to coat both sides. Cover bowl of dough with plastic wrap, and let rise on the kitchen counter until doubled in size (mine took about 5 hours). Or leave it in the fridge overnight. With your hands, flatten the dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle. Evenly distribute the lemon zest, raisins, apricots, and almond over the dough. Fold the dough to seal the fruit and knead to distribute the fruit throughout the dough.
- Line a 8-inch mousse ring or baking pan (or panettone paper case) with parchment paper that has been well buttered on both sides and set it on a baking tray. Place the dough in the mould, cover with a towel, and let rise for 1-2 hours in a warm place. The key here is to have the rise above the rim of the pan or case.
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Make a cross on the top of the bread with a sharp knife and insert a cube of butter. Sprinkle some extra almond flakes if you desired. Bake the bread on the middle rack of the oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 180C/350F. Continue to bake for 30-35 minutes until the surface is golden and crispy. The panettone is ready when a skewer comes out clean.
- Place the bread on a rack to cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the mold. Dust the bread with icing sugar if desired. Be sure the bread has cooled completely before wrapping for storage.
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