I have a love affair with cinnamon..The spicy and middle eastern smell wafting around the house is one of the best aromas one would like to be greeted upon. It is one smell that always brings a gentle smile on my face and nips a tiny opening of the place where I locked away my youthful dream of becoming a baker/patisserie owner. It is really a dream that even I don't care to admit. And so today is an opportune time to heed that gentle hush of a voice that dreams are made of a whiff of cinnamon, and saccharine longings of flour, egg and milk. (music please ♫these dreams go on when I close my eyes, every second of the night I lived another life♪♪). Hehehe.
If you checked my repertoire of recipes, you will know how much I love baking cinnamon buns or breads - in different sizes and shapes - to bits. If this were not enough proof of my love affair with cinnamon, then I don't know what is...
Lifted from the pages of The Bread Baker's Apprentice cookbook by Peter Reinhart
Make two 1/2-pound leaves
3 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 large egg, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted or at room temperature
1/2 cup buttermilk or whole milk, at room temperature
3/4 cup water, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups raisins, rinsed and drained
1 cup chopped walnuts
1. Stir together the flour, sugar, salt, yeast and cinnamon in a mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). Add the egg, shortening, buttermilk, and water. Stir together with a large spoon (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment) until the ingredients come together and form a ball. Adjust with flour or water if the dough seems too sticky or too dry and stiff.
2. Sprinkle flour on a counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin kneading (or mixing on medium speed, switching to the dough hook). The dough should be soft and pliable, tacky but not sticky. Add flour as you knead (or mix), if necessary, to achieve this texture. Knead by hand approximately 10 minutes (or by machine for 6 to 8 minutes). Sprinkle in the raisins and walnuts during the final 2 minutes of kneading (or mixing) to distribute them evenly and to avoid crushing them too much. (If you are mixing by machine, you may have to finish kneading by hand to distribute the raisins and walnuts evenly). Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
3. Ferment at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
4. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces and form them into loaves. Place each loaf in a lightly oiled 8 1/2 by 1/2-inch pan, mist the tops with spray oil, and cover loosely with plastic wrap.
5. Proof at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes, or until the dough crests above the lips of the pans and is nearly doubled in size.
6. Preheat the oven to 350F with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Place the loaf pans on a sheet pan, making sure they are not touching each other.
7. Bake the loaves for 20 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees for even baking and continue baking for another 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the oven. The finished bread should register 190F in the center and be golden brown on top and lightly golden on the sides and bottom. They should make a hollow sound when thumped on the bottom.
8. Immediately remove the breads from their pans and cool on a rack at least hour, preferably 2 hours, before slicing or serving.
No comments:
Post a Comment