O.k..so..yeah.

It’s just bread with cranberries and walnuts. But, I love naming things so humor me.  I do not go as far as one of my favorite characters, Anne Shirley,naming trees and woods but I like to give my recipes cool names.  Especially for bake sales.

One of the things that I found out when I had the tearoom was that the more exotic the name the better the item sold…Unless we had a lot of good old boys come in (and yeah, that did happen…what they thought they were going ot get in a tearoom I don’t know) European sounding things worked well.

So..we were having a bake sale at church for the JBQ, one of the kids programs.  My best friend runs it (an does a great job, the kids love her) and so I wanted to do something that would be a little different.  A little autumn, a little exotic…

This bread is great. The secret is to have a really flavorful maple syrup and to toast the walnuts to bring out the flavors there.  Give it a good, long rising time for the ingredients to blend and you will end up with a delicious breakfast bread or ..if you are especially daring, it makes an excellent bread for smoked turkey sandwiches.

The crust is crisp with that artisian chewiness.  Slightly sweet, but not overly so, with the occasional tang from the cranberry.

Shape the loaves into a freeform oval, and then make slashes as if you were adding veins to a leaf that you had sketched.  Rub the top with flour so it has a good layer.  It gives a nice presentation to the bread.

The sides on this are soft because I made 4 or 5 loaves and then baked them in a row on the baking sheet.  It was a time issue.

Pain d’Automne de Provence

or

Artisian Cranberry Bread with Toasted Walnuts

Step One

1/2 cup lukewarm water

2 tablespoons yeast

2 tablespoons maple syrup

allow to stand until foamy.

Step 2

Stir in:

3 1/2 cups lukewarm water

2 cups organic white flour

2 cups whole wheat flour (fresh ground if possible)

1/2 cup maple syrup

Mix well and allow to sponge for 30 minutes.  Stir down.

Step 3

Add:

1/2 cup melted butter

1 1/2 tablespoon salt

1 1/2 cups dried cranberries

1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted in the oven or microwave until golden

3 cups whole wheat flour

Enough organic white flour to make the dough leave the sides of the bowl, and ” feel right”.

Knead for 15 to 20 minutes by hand, or about 5 minutes in a Bosch.  If you knead in the mixer then knead it for a few minutes by hand just to make sure it feels right.  It needs to be a good stiff, elastic dough without being dry.

Form into a ball and oil.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Step 4

Punch down.  Form into ovals and slash tops.  Rub flour into the tops.  Cover and let rise about 45 minutes.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped.  Pour one cup of water on the oven floor when you put the bread in and close the door quickly.

After 15 minutes pour another cup of water on the oven floor.

4 loaves.  (these freeze well)

Image:Marye Audet

Post from: Baking Delights

Orange Nut Raisin Bread
makes 2 loaves

1 c milk
11/2tsp salt
1/4 c honey (a strong honey like buckwheat is best)
1/4 c brown sugar (or go with all honey if you like)
1/2 c soft butter
2 pkg yeast
1/4 c warm water
5 -5 1/4 c (freshly ground) whole wheat flour
1/4 c wheat gluten
grated rind and juice from one orange (set juice aside)
1 tsp ginger
1 c raisins
1 c chopped walnuts
Orange glaze

Scald milk, pour over butter, salt and honey , blend, and let cool to lukewarm. In the meantime proof yeast in 1/4 c warm water.
Add yeast to lukewarm milk mixture with 2 c flour, ginger and the wheat gluten. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed scraping bopwl occasionally. 100 strokes by hand. Add in orange peel, raisins, nutsand enough more flour to make a stiff dough. Turn out and knead about 50 strokes. Cover and let rise until double, 1- 1 1/2 hours. You can save time here by utilizing the microwave. You can proof dough on MOST microwaves on level 1. 5 minutes on level one -five minutes rest-five minutes on level one then out to rise a bit more. You lose a little in the texture and taste in the long run but if you are in a hurry this is a nice alternative.
Punch down and let rest 15 minutes.
Cut in two and make two round loaves. slash tops. Let rise on baking sheet or pie pans until double. 1 hour.
Bake at 375 for 40 minutes, or until golden and hollow when tapped. Let cool.
When cool glaze with orange glaze:
1 c confectioners sugar
1/4 tsp ginger
2 tsp butter melted
2-4 tbs orange juice

mix until smooth and spreading consistancy.

Post from: Baking Delights