Rosemary Raisin Walnut Bread

I got this rosemary olive bread recipe when I took a bread-baking class at CSCA. If you live in the Boston area, I highly recommend taking one of their recreational classes.

Although this time I baked the bread as a loaf, it is a great recipe for fancy dinner rolls too. It lends itself to many different flavor combinations. For example, subtract the rosemary and add dried apricot and pecan, or dried cranberry walnut. You could do basil and sundried tomato, or candied shallots and thyme, the list goes on.


*Warning: allow at least 3 extra hours beforehand to make the sponge...



Ingredients:


Sponge:

2 tsp dry yeast
1/2 c warm water
1/2 c milk, room temp
1 tsp honey or maple syrup
2 c all purpose flour


In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm water, stir to dissolve. Add sweetener, milk, and flour. Whisk ingredients until combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let stand at room temp for 3-12 hrs. Refrigerate up to 1 week.


Dough:

1 tsp dry yeast
2 c warm water
1 Tbsp salt
2 eggs
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 c olive oil
2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 c raisins, plumped for about 10 mins in a dish of very hot water, then drained
3/4 c toasted walnuts (toast them in a frying pan over low heat or toasted oven at low setting for a few minutes until fragrant)
5-6 c all purpose flour

Egg Wash:
1 yolk
1 Tbsp milk


To make bread dough:

In a large bowl, sprinkle the 1 tsp yeast over the 2 c warm water and stir to dissolve. Add eggs, salt, sugar, oil and 1 + 1/2 c flour. Whisk to combine, then add the sponge. Whisk again. Add rosemary.







Add remaining flour 1 c at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon. The dough will be sticky. Flour your work surface and keep extra flour on hand to prevent dough from sticking.
Knead in walnuts and raisins. Knead dough until soft but elastic, adding small amounts of flour to prevent sticking.
Put dough in a large bowl or rising container and let rise until tripled in bulk, about 2 hrs.
Turn dough out onto floured surface and gently deflate. Shape into 2 rounds or small rolls. Place on parchment covered baking sheet or 9x13 glass baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Colver in plastic wrap.
Allow dough to proof x 30-45 mins.
Meanwhile, prepare egg wash and preheat oven to 400.
When dough is proofed, slash tops, glaze with egg wash and bake x 40-50 mins.

Herbed Sourdough "Everything" Bread

For this recipe, you'll need a sourdough starter. My favorite is from Beth Hensperger's Bread Bible. The following recipe is also based on her recipe for Farmstead Sourdough Bread.
I made a crust inspired by everything bagels. This bread is excellent with cream cheese or boursin cheese and is great for sandwiches too. For example, smoked salmon with boursin, capers, greens, etc.

Ingredients:

¾ c warm water

1 ½ tsp active dry yeast

1 ½ tsp sugar

½ c sourdough starter*

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 ½ tsp salt

2 ½ - 3 c all purpose flour

2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme

2 tbsp dried onion flakes

¼ c boiling water

1-2 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp poppy seeds

2 tsp sesame seeds

Dorure (a.k.a. egg wash)

Directions:

Pour ¼ c warm water in a bowl, add yeast and 1 pinch sugar. Stir to dissolve and let stand until foamy, about 5 mins.

In a medium bowl, stir together thyme, 1 ½ c flour and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together sourdough starter, remaining ½ c warm water, sugar and olive oil. Beat until well blended. With a wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture. Add Remaining flour, ½ c at a time until dough becomes workable. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead until dough is soft and springy, adding small amounts of flour to prevent from sticking. Dough will end up slightly sticky at the end. Grease a rising container or large bowl, deposit dough and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for 1 – 1 ½ hours.

Gently deflate dough. Grease a loaf pan, shape dough into a rectangle and tuck edges underneath. Put dough in loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to proof for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, pour ¼ c boiling water over 2 Tbsp onion flakes and cover w/ plastic wrap, after 10 mins or until onion is soft. Pour off water.

Preheat oven to 350.

Make Dorure: beat 1 egg w/ 1 Tbsp milk.

Slash loaf 3 times. Brush on Dorure, then sprinkle loaf with onion, poppy seeds, kosher salt and sesame seeds.

Bake for 35- 40 mins or until instant read thermometer registers 180 degrees.

*Hint: to keep bread fresh for several days, wrap in tin foil and store at room temperature.

German "Partybrot"- crazy bread

This is a decorative bread that I found in Treuille & Ferrigno's book entitled "Ultimate Bread."
It's a lot of fun to make... It's a nice book with good photos and instruction... though I wouldn't recommend trying their method for making a sourdough starter...

Sweet Potato Rolls

(Shaping, Slashing w/ scissors, dorure, and the finished product)



This recipe was passed on to me by Emma C. of Littlechefbigknife


Ingredients:

2 TBS yeast
1/2 c warm (tepid) water
2 TBS honey
4 TBS white sugar
4 TBS brown sugar
3 TBS unsalted butter, melted
1 3/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
3 1/2 - 4 c all purpose flour
1 c sweet potatoes, mashed
2 TBS dorure (egg+milk wash to glaze the tops... 1 yolk and a splash of milk will do)

Directions:

Combine yeast and water and allow to proof. Combine honey, sugars,
butter, salt, eggs, and add to yeast mixture. Stir in 2 cups flour and
then add sweet potatoes and blend. Add remaining flour. Knead for
several minutes, keep sprinkling with flour to prevent sticking. Let rise until doubled, covered in plastic wrap.
Punch down and let rest several minutes.
Twist and pull the dough into a long snake and cut in 12-14 equal pieces. Shape into 12 to 14 rolls and place in a ring in two buttered 9-inch
pyrex pie dishes (or any other baking dish. Or you can just space them
out on a sheet pan, honestly). Rolls will 'grow together' as they
proof. Cover and let rise until doubled.

Preheat oven to 375-degrees.

Dorure (brush with egg wash) and bake for 20 minutes.