Pane Siciliano (Sicilian Sesame Seeded Semolina Bread) ~ We Knead to Bake #24

For this month's We Knead to Bake challenge,  Aparna chose an Italian crusty bread made with semolina flour, sprinkled with sesame seeds.  Here is a brief history of the bread and how to shape the bread.  I just copied the recipe from Aparna's blog My Diverse Kitchen.

On the 13^th of December every year, feasts are held in Sicily and around the world celebrating the bravery of Santa Lucia. One way is by baking a special bread which is known as Pan Siciliano. What is different about this bread is that it is made with semolina (what we know in India as rava/ sooji). In Sicily (and Italy), the semolina used for this bread is a specific grind of durum wheat called “semola di grano duro rimacinato” or just “rimacinato”, which translates as 'ground again'. This refers to semolina which is ground once more to break the coarser grain into finer flour for bread.

If you can find rimancinato where you live, then go ahead and use that for this Pane Siciliano. Otherwise use the finest grind semolina you can find which is what I did. In India, there’s a variety of semolina that is very fine (but still grainy) that’s used for making laddoos, halwa and batters. Otherwise, just run the regular semolina you have, the kind used to make “upuma”, in the chutney jar of your mixer-grinder or coffee grinder till it’s as fine as you can grind it.

Though there are a lot of recipes out there for making this bread in a shorter time, traditionally this bread is made using a pre-ferment which the Sicilians/ Italians call “cresciuta”. This produces a more flavourful loaf of bread and isn’t all that much more work than a recipe without the pre-ferment. This particular Pan Siciliano recipe calls for gluten which improves the texture of the loaf. If you do not have it, leave it out.

The Pane Siciliano is generally shaped into one of two shapes – the “Occhi di Santa Lucia” meaning the “Eyes of St.Lucia” or the “Mafalda” meaning “Snake”.  I chose to make the “Mafalda” as I had earlier baked St. Lucia rolls in the “occhi” shape, and I had never tried shaping my bread into a snake!

To form the Occhi di Santa Lucia or a scroll shaped loaf of bread, roll the bread dough into a long rope and lay it out straight. Then coil it from each end in opposite directions. (Please see my post on making St. Lucia Buns for a detailed pictorial for this kind of shaping )

The Mafalda produces a rather odd looking bread, but if you’d like to shape your bread like this, then wind the rope of dough back and forth on itself a few times, leaving about 7” for a “tail” to lie over the top. 

This video of Mary Ann Esposito making the Pane Siciliano with Peter Reinhart is quite helpful, and worth taking a look.

Pane Siciliano (Sicilian Sesame Seeded Semolina Bread)

(Adapted from Ciao Italia)

Ingredients:

For the Cresciuta (Biga/ Pate Fermentee):

1/4 cup lukewarm water

1/4 tsp active dry yeast

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

For the Dough:

1/2 tsp active dry yeast

1 cup lukewarm water (110° to 115°F)

2 tsp honey

All the prepared Cresciuta

2 to 2 1/2 cups fine semolina or durum semolina flour

1/2 tsp vital wheat gluten

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

A little water for brushing on the bread

1/8 cup sesame seeds

Method:

• First make the Cresciuta. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a small bowl and stand it aside for about 10 minutes till it is frothy. Stir in the flour with a fork and loosely cover the bowl. This mixture should be a little wet/ stringy.  Leave it in a slightly warm place for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

• The next morning, mix the dough for the bread. In a large bowl (or the bowl of your processor), dissolve the yeast in the warm water mixed with the honey. Let it stand for 10 minutes till it is frothy.

• Add the cresciuta and mix well. Mix together 2 cups of the semolina, gluten and salt and add it to the bowl with the olive oil. Mix well and then add as much more semolina as is necessary until you have a smooth ball of dough.

• Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn it to coat well, then loosely cover and let the dough rise till about double in volume. This should take about 1 1/2 hours.

• Deflate the dough, and then roll it out into a “rope” that is about 30” long. Place baking parchment on your baking tray, grease it lightly, and then gently lift up the rope of dough and place it on the baking tray. 

• Curl the dough back and forth on itself leaving a 6 or 7 inch tail. Roll the tail a little thinner than the rest of the body so that it looks like it’s tapering off. Fold the tail over the shaped loaf. Do not tuck it under the loaf. If you’re making the “occhi”, then shape the rope accordingly.

• Loosely cover and let the shaped dough rise for 2 hours till almost double in size. Lightly brush the top of the dough with water and then sprinkle the sesame seeds over this pressing them in lightly with your fingers.

• Pre-heat your oven to 190C (375F) with a baking tray placed upside down in it. Place your baking tray with the dough on the hot tray and bake for about 30 minutes until the bread is brown and done, and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

• Cool on a rack completely before slicing.

• This recipe makes one medium sized loaf. 

Sheermal (Saffron Flavored Flat Bread) ~ We Knead to Bake #22

For this month's We Knead to bake Challenge,  Aparna chose Sheermal.  Sheermal is a Naan-like milk bread, apparently of Persian origins, and it is suggested that the name comes from the Persian word for milk which is "sheer".  In India, this "milk" bread is predominantly found in Muslim neighborhoods of Kashmir, Lucknow and Hyderabad.

Sheermal is traditionally served for breakfast with tea, or served as a meal with rich mutton curry called Nihari.  It can also be served with vegetable korma.   Though the original recipe calls for an egg to add in the dough, I skipped using egg.  Still the bread turned out super soft.  As for the flavoring, again I skipped kevra or rose water and used orange blossom water instead.

Ingredients:
Active dry yeast - 1 tsp
Sugar - 2 tsp
Luke warm water - 1/4 cup
All-purpose flour - 2 1/4 cup
Salt - 3/4 tsp
Egg - 1, lightly beaten ( I skipped)
Ghee - 1/4 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup (or more, as required for kneading)
Orange blossom water or rose water- 1 tsp
A few strands of saffron soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk
Melted butter, for brushing

Method:

1. Mix the yeast in warm water with sugar and set it aside for 5 to 10 minutes until frothy.
2. You may knead by hand or in a food processor.  Put the flour and salt in a bowl.  Add the yeast mixture and the beaten egg (if you are using) and run the processor a couple of time to mix well.
3. Then add the ghee gradually and pulse until it forms fine crumbs.  Add the orange blossom water.
4. Add the milk as much as needed.  Knead until the dough comes together and forms a soft and slightly sticky dough.
5. Transfer the dough into an oiled bowl and cover with a moist towel.  Let it rise until the dough is doubled in volume for about 1 to 2 hours.
6. Remove the towel and knead once more. Shape into a ball and lightly coat with ghee.  Cover with moist towel and let it rest for about 15 to 20 minutes.
7. Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.
8. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and using your finger, press each portion into a round disc (approximately 4" diameter and 1/8' thick).
9. Place the rounds on a parchment lined or lightly greased baking tray.  Using a fork, dock (prick holes) the whole surface of the disc.
10. Brush with saffron milk all over the disc.  Bake for about 10 o 15 minutes until the top turns golden brown.
11. Take it out and immediately brush the bread with melted butter or ghee.  Serve warm.
12. I served it with pineapple - habanero sauce.

Gibassier (A French Anise & Orange Flavored Loaf) ~ We Knead to Bake #19

Recipe and content source copied from My Diverse Kitchen

For this month's We Knead to Bake group, Aparna chose a French breakfast pastry/ bread called Gibassier (pronounced zee-bah-see-ay) from the Provence region. Incidentally, Gibassier is also the name for large cookie from Lourmarin in particular that’s about a foot long, is made with olive oil and oval shaped like a leaf.

So what is a Gibassier?
The Gibassier is a buttery textured French breakfast bread that is flavoured with candied orange peel, orange blossom water and aniseed, and topped with a sprinkling of plain or vanilla sugar. It is shaped somewhat the way one shapes a fougasse and delightfully soft and delicious. Gibassier can be shaped and made as one big round loaf, or larger or smaller single serve breads. Whatever size they come in, they are slashed/ snipped decoratively before they’re baked and this makes them even more irresistible.

It is thought that the Gibassier is named after a mountain peak in the Luberon Mountains, called Le Gibas. Others suggest that the name comes from the “gibacier” which referred to a flat bag that was used to carry game, somewhat similar to the shape of the pastry.

Gibassier is one of the 13 traditional French Christmas desserts that are traditionally served after Midnight Mass to signify Christ and his 12 apostles at the Last Supper. Many people refer to the Gibassier as Pompe à Huile (French olive oil bread) while others insist the two are not the same. The Gibassier is somewhat like an Italian Panettone, and it is believed that it must apparently be torn apart with the hands when served to bring good luck in the New Year.

Making Gibassier is not very difficult but it takes a little time as the process involves starting with a “Biga” or pre-ferment which is made the previous night of the baking of this bread. There are recipes which do away with the use of the pre-ferment and the bread is made all on the same day. But I personally find that where there is traditionally the use of a pre-ferment for a bread, that it is better to use it because this adds to the flavour and texture of the finished bread.

There are some aspects of the Gibassier which are important because they define this bread.
The use of Orange Blossom Water is important as it gives the Gibassier a distinct flavour that is difficult to replicate with any substitute. So leave it out if you can’t find Orange Blossom Water, or maybe try one of the substitutes mentioned in the recipe section of this post.

Gibassier (A French Anise & Orange Flavored Loaf)

(Adapted from CirilHitz’s Baking Artisan Pastries and Breads)

  (Copied from My Diverse Kitchen)

Ingredients:

For the Pre-ferment (Biga):

1 1/2 cups bread flour          

1/2 cup milk

 

1/16 tsp instant yeast ( a pinch)

For the Dough:

2 eggs

1/4 cup olive oil

1/8 cup orange blossom water*

1/8 cup warm water (or orange juice) **

3 1/4 cups bread flour

All the pre-ferment/ Biga from above

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3/4 tsp salt

1 3/4 tsp instant yeast

75 gm butter, slightly soft***

1 1/2 to 2 tsp anise seeds

1/2 cup chopped candied orange peel (I used dried apricots) ****

1 tsp orange zest (use 2 tsp if using dried apricot)

For Glazing and Dusting the Gibassier

1/3 cup to 1/2 cup clarified butter (ghee) *****

Vanilla sugar or castor sugar

 

Method:

Notes:

*What gives this bread its signature aroma is the orange flavor and orange blossom water makes all the difference. It is difficult to replicate with substitutions, so if you cannot find it, you may leave it out altogether. In this recipe since orange is an important flavour, you can can use 1/2 tsp orange extract instead, if you have it. Otherwise you can substitute the 1/8 cup water with unsweetened orange juice.

**If you are using apricots instead of candies orange peel, replace the 1/8 cup water with warm unsweetened orange juice.

***It is important to use butter that is just beginning to soften. The butter should be somewhat cold but just soft enough for you to press down with your finger. If your butter is too soft you might have greasy Gibassier.

****You can make your own candied orange peel if you want to.

If you don’t like candied peel, you can substitute it with chopped dried apricots. But then remember to use warm orange juice instead of warm water for a stronger orange flavor.

*****If you don’t have ghee, you can make your own clarified butter. Just put unsalted butter in a pan and melt it. Let it boil and bubble on medium heat until it turns golden. Strain out the solids and you have clarified butter/ ghee. Store in a glass jar.

You can use melted butter instead of clarified butter but you will not get the same flavor.

You can make your own vanilla sugar at home, by steeping slit vanilla pods (whole or those from which you have removed the seeds) in a jar of granulated or castor sugar. Let it sit for about a week or two and your vanilla sugar is ready for use.

The Process:

• The pre-ferment has to be made the night before the Gibassier are baked. So the previous night, mix together the ingredients for the pre-ferment into a slightly stiff but smooth dough. Add a little more milk if your dough is too stiff.

• Scrape the dough into an oiled bowl and cover loosely. Let it stand, at room temperature, for about 14 to 16 hours. At the end of this time, the dough would have risen and have a fermented look.

• The next morning, make the dough for the Gibassier. You can do this by hand, but it will require some effort as the dough can get a bit sticky. Using a kitchen machine or a food processor will make things easier.

• Put the eggs, olive oil and Orange Blossom Water in the processor bowl and run a couple of times to mix well. Then add the warm water and mix. If the water is too hot, the mixture will curdle because of the eggs!

• Now add the pre-ferment (tear it up into chunks first so it will mix easily), bread flour, sugar, salt, yeast, and knead until the dough is smooth. Now add the butter in chunks (3 or four times) and knead until the butter is incorporated into the dough before adding the next chunk. Knead well until the dough is soft and supple.

• Add the chopped candied orange (or apricots), aniseed and the zest and knead till incorporated. Shape the dough into a round and place in a well-oiled bowl turning it to coat well. Cover loosely and allow the dough to double in volume. This should take about 2 hours.

• When done, turn the dough out onto your working surface. Divide it into 12 equal portions, shape each into a round and let the dough rest for about 15 to 20 minutes. Then shape and flatten each round into a semi-circle or oval.  Make three cuts in the semi-circle, one in the center and two on either side of this cut from the straight edge to the arch of the semi-circle (see photographs), by pushing your implement straight into the dough. Making sure the cuts open up into neat slits. Then using scissors, make 4 snips along the arched side at equal distance.

• Lift the Gibassier dough and transfer it to a parchment lined baking sheet making sure to stretch it a little so the cuts open up well and the slits also spread a bit. Repeat with all the balls of dough, and let the shaped dough rise for about 30 to 45 minutes till a little puffy.

• Then bake them at 180C (350F) for about 10 to 15 minutes till they turn a golden brown on top.

• Take the Gibassier out of the oven and brush them while still hot, with clarified butter/ ghee. Immediately press the brushed side down lightly (or sprinkle with sugar instead) into vanilla sugar or castor sugar. Then let them cool on a rack.

• Serve them slightly warm or at room temperature with coffee or tea. This recipe makes 12 large Gibassier.

Petit Pains au Lait (French Milk Bread / Rolls ~ We Knead to Bake #17

This simple and very easy to make French milk bread, is Aparna's choice for this month's We Knead bake challenge.   These lightly sweet and soft rolls were absolutely delicious.

Adapted from: Gourmet by Kat

Ingredients:
Warm milk - 2/3 cup ( you might need a little more)
Instant yeast - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1/4 cup
All-purpose flour - 1 2/3 cup
Bread flour - 3/4 cup
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Butter - 4 tbsp or 60gms, at room temperature
Extra milk for brushing
Pearl sugar or granulated sugar for topping ( optional)

Method:

1. You an knead by hand or food processor.
2. Put warm milk, yeast and sugar in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse couple of times to mix.  Then add all the flour and the salt and run the processor until it looks crumbly.  Add the butter and knead until you have a soft, smooth and elastic dough that is not sticky.  Add little more milk ( in teaspoonful at a time), if you dough is dry, until you have the required consistency of dough. 
3. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in an oiled bowl, turning it over to coat with oil.  Cover loosely and set aside to rise until double in volume.  This should take about 1 1/2 hours.
4. Turn the dough out onto your working surface. You shouldn't need any flour, but if you feel the need, just lightly dust your palms with it.  Deflate the dough gently, and divide it into 10 equal pieces.  Let them rest for 15 minutes.
5. Roll out each piece of dough, one at a time, into a circle about 4" in diameter.  Slowly roll up the circle from one end, Swiss roll / jelly roll style into a cylinder.  Pinch the seam close neatly, and place them on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet with the seam side facing down.  Cover loosely and let them rise for an hour or so till almost double in size.
6. Brush them lightly with milk and using a pair of sharp scissors, make diagonal cuts (not too deep) on the top of the rolls.  Sprinkle pearl sugar / granulated sugar.
7. Bake them at 400 degree F (220C) for bout 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Let them cook on a rack.  Serve warm or at room temperature.
8. This recipe makes 10 Petit Pains au Lait.  They are best eaten the same day, though you could warm them up and serve the next day.

Flaounes (Cypriot Savory Easter Cheese Pies) ~ We Knead to Bake #16

Aparna chose Flaounes, a cheesy, savory Easter pies from Cyprus for this month's  We Knead to bake project.  I opted for a egg less version, substituting eggs for yogurt and milk.

Flaounes (pronounced "fla-OO-nez") are savory cheese pies baked for Greek Orthodox Easter, and traditionally made on Good Friday and are part of the fast-breaking meal after Lent when meat and cheese are not eaten. They are eaten at breakfast and also exchanged as gifts of friendship and goodwill. Flaounes are also made in semi-sweet and sweet variations.

There are a couple of ingredients that go into the filling that are typically Cypriot/ Greek and they are “mehelepi” and “mastiki. Mehelepi (mahleb/ mahlab) is the ground dried pits of a wild Mediterranean cherry. Mastiki (mastic) is the dried resin from a kind of shrub. Both of these spices are quite common in Greek and Middle Eastern cuisine and they really have no good substitutes so if you can't find either, just leave them out.

Flaounes can be shaped into triangles or squares, and just make sure that you press down the flaps well while folding the dough over the filling, or these pies will open up when they bake. Do take a look at this video where Paul Hollywood and Toni Buxtonmake Flaounes to get a good idea on how they’re shaped.

Ingredients:
For the dough:
All purpose flour - 2 1/2 cups
Instant yeast - 3/4 tsp
Sugar - 1 1/2 tsp
Powdered mastic - 1/2 tsp (leave it out if you don't have it)
Ground mahleb - 1/4 tsp (leave it out if you don't have it)
Milk - 1/4 cup
Yogurt - 1/4 cup (replace 1 egg if you like)
Melted butter - 3 to 4 tbsp, 60gm
Luke warm water - 1/4 cup (more or less as needed)
Oil - for greasing the bowl and rolling the dough

For the filling:
Grated cheddar cheese - 1 cup (a somewhat sharp cheddar adds flavor)
Grated pepper jack cheese - 1/4 cup
Crumbled paneer - 1/3 cup (fresh Indian milk cheese)
Semolina / Rava - 1/4 cup (not semolina flour)
Dried Greek oregano - 1 Tbsp
Dried jalapeno pepper - 1/2 tsp (soak in 1 tsp milk for 10 minutes)
Turkish apricots - 1/8 cup, chopped
Baking powder - 3/4 tsp

1 tsp flour + less than 1/8 cup milk (for sealing paste)
Un-toasted sesame seeds - 1/3 to 1/2 cup
Milk for brushing

Method:

1. First make the dough. I used my food processor but you can knead by hand. Put the flour, yeast, salt, sugar, and the flavoring ingredients (if you have them) into the bowl and pulse a couple of times to mix.
2. Whisk together the yogurt, milk and melted butter in a small bowl and add it to the flour. Knead, adding just enough water, till you have a soft, smooth and elastic dough which is just short of sticky. Add water/ flour as necessary to get this consistency of dough. Too much flour will spoil the texture of the pies.
3. Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl, turning to coat it well. Cover loosely and let the dough rise for about 1 to 2 hours, until it is double in volume. 
4. Once it has risen, deflate the dough by pressing it out and folding it a few times. Then place it in a container (the dough will rise so use a large enough container), cover loosely and refrigerate for about 2 hours. You can leave this in the fridge overnight too, if you want to make these pies in two stages. 
5. While the dough is sitting for the first rise, make the filling. Mix all the ingredients for the filling, except the milk (or egg if you’re using it) with a fork. If you’re not using the filling immediately, keep it aside and add the milk only when you’re ready to use the filling.  The filling should be somewhat like a stiff paste, joust moist rather than wet.
6. Now shape the Flaounes. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces (10 if you want slightly smaller pies). Lightly oil your work surface and rolling pin. Then roll each piece into a 5 to 6” round. The round of dough should be thinner rather than thick. If it is too thick you will have a very “bready” pie, but make sure that your round of dough is not too thin to support/ carry the weight of the filling.
7. Divide the filling also into 8 (or 10) portions. Spread the sesame seeds on a large plate and place the round of dough on it, in the center, and press down lightly. This makes for an easy way to coat the Flaounes with sesame seeds. Now place the round on your working surface and put one portion of filling (about a generous tablespoon full of it) in the middle of the round of dough and spread it lightly, leaving about 1” free at the edge.
8. You can make triangular or square Flaounes, and I personally feel that the square ones (more traditional) were less bready and nicer to eat. For the square ones, fold the two opposite edges over the filling leaving the center exposed. Now fold over the other two edges as well so you have a square pocket with the filling showing at the center. Press down the sealed points with the tines of a fork.
9. For the triangular Flaounes, pull up the edges of the dough at three points and partially fold over the filling, one after the other, leaving the uncovered. Use the paste of flour and milk (or beaten egg) to seal the flaps of dough well. Press down the sealed points with the tines of a fork. It is important to seal the pies well or they will open up during the second rise/ baking. 
10. Place the shaped pies on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet, leaving 2 to 3” between them, and let them rise for about 40 minutes. Just before baking them, brush the sides (dough part) with milk (or beaten egg) and bake the Flaounes at 190C (375F) for 25 to 30 minutes till they’re done, golden and the cheese filling is puffed up.
11. Let them cool on a rack. Serve them warm or at room temperature. This recipe makes 8 or 10 Flaounes, about the size of one’s palm. These pies keep for two days at room temperature in an airtight container. You can freeze the extras to eat later.

Japanese Melon Pan ~ We Knead to Bake #15

Due to sickness and travel, I was not able to post last month's We Knead to Bake project on time. But better late than never.  Finally found time to bake these yummy and crunchy cookie dough covered bread.  Thanks Aparna for choosing this bread.

Recipe adapted from: http://www.abreadaday.com/?p=1503
Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z0e-GKJA10


Ingredients:
For the bread dough:
All Purpose Flour - 1 3/4 cup (plus extra as required)
Milk Powder - 2 TBSP
Instant Yeast - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Warm water - 1/3 cup
Yogurt - 1/4 cup
Sugar - 1 TBSP
Butter - 2 TBSP (25gm), at room temperature

For the cookie dough:
All Purpose flour - 1 1/3 cup
baking powder - 3/4 tsp
A large pinch of salt
Butter - 4 TBSP (60gm), at room temperature
Castor sugar - 1/4 cup (increase to 1/3 cup for sweeter dough)
Large egg - 1
Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp
Lemon zest - 1 tsp (I used lime zest)
Granulated sugar for dusting

Method:

• Whisk together the flour, powdered milk, yeast, and salt in the bowl (or the bowl of your machine if using one). In a smaller bowl, beat the egg and cold water together with a fork till well blended. Add this to the flour mixture in the bowl.
• Knead (on low speed in the machine) till it all come together as a dough and then (on medium speed) until you have a somewhat stiff dough. Add the sugar and knead well.
• Now add the butter and knead (first at slow speed and then on medium) until the butter is completely incorporated into the dough and the dough becomes smooth and elastic. The dough should well-kneaded to develop the gluten.
• Shape the dough into a round, and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let it rise till double in volume (about an hour or so).

• During this time make the cookie dough. In a bowl, cream the soft butter and sugar till fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat till combined. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and add this to the bowl. Also add the lemon zest. Beat together until just combined.
• Shape the dough into a cylinder (this will make the dough easy to divide and flatten out later), and wrap in cling film. Refrigerate the dough until required.

• Now go back to the bread dough. Once it has doubled in volume, place it on a lightly floured work surface. Lightly grease your baking sheet or line it with parchment. Deflate the dough gently and divide it into 8 equal portions.
• Shape each portion into a smooth ball like for bread rolls. Work with one portion and keep the others covered so they don’t dry out.
• Unwrap the cookie dough. It should be reasonably firm now and easy to work with. Slice the cylinder of cookie dough into 8 equal portions. Use two pieces of plastic sheets or cling film to flatten the cookie dough. Place one slice/ round of cookie dough on a piece of plastic sheet/ cling film. Cover with another piece, and using a flat bottomed pan, press down on the dough to flatten it, until it is reasonably thin but not very much so.

• Carefully take on ball of bread dough (it will have puffed up a little so don’t deflate it), and place the circle of cookie dough on top of it. Gently press the cookie dough edge to the bread dough ball so that it covers the top and sides of the ball, but leaves the bottom open. Gently, holding the covered bread dough by the underside, press it into some castor sugar. 
• Then using a scraper, or the blunt side of a knife, mark the top of the cookie dough side of the bread roll with a cross hatch/ diamond pattern. The pattern should be deep enough (otherwise it will disappear when the bread rises and bakes) without cutting through the cookie dough layer into the bread.
• Place this on the greased or parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat this with the remaining cookie dough and bread dough balls. Let them rise for an hour.
• Bake them at 180C (350F) for about 25 minutes, until the tops of the Melon Pan just start turning brown. If you let them brown too much, the underside of the bread will burn. Transfer to a wire rack to cool thoroughly.
• This recipe makes 8 medium to largish Melon Pan. Melon Pan are best eaten the day they are made. However warming them slightly before serving the next day is also fine.

Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread with Streusel Topping ~ We knead to Bake #14

For this month's We Knead to Bake, Aparna asked us to choose the bread we want to bake.  I've been wanting to bake this cinnamon raisin bread for a long time and I used this opportunity to make it.  It is quite easy and you don't really need any stand mixer or food processor to make this delicious bread.  For the stuffing, you can replace it with nuts, dried fruits, lemon or orange zest or anything you like.  Just when you are done make sure to let it rest for 2 hours before you slice the bread.

Recipe Source: One Perfect Bite
Ingredients:
Dough:
Active dry yeast - 2-1/4 tsp
Lukewarm milk - 1/4 cup + 1-1/4 cups, divided
Sugar - 1/4 cup + 1 tsp, divided
All Purpose flour - 3-3/4 to 4 cups
Salt - 2 tsp
Softened butter - 3 Tbsp + butter to grease bowl and baking pan
Swirl:
Melted butter - 1 Tbsp
Raisins, soaked, drained and patted dry - 1/2 cup
Cinnamon - 1-3/4 tsp
Nutmeg - 1/4 tsp
Brown sugar - 2 Tbsp
Topping:
Brown sugar - 1/4 cup
Flour - 1/4 cup
Butter - 1-1/2 Tbsp
Glaze:
Confectioners' sugar - 1/3 cup
Milk - 2 tsp
vanilla extract - 1/8 tsp

Method:

1. Stir yeast and 1 tsp of sugar into 1/4 cup of warm milk.  Let sit until mixture begins to foam.
2. Combine the 1/4 cup sugar with 3 3/4 cups flour, salt and 3 Tbsp butter in a mixing bowl.
3. Stir in the yeast mixture and 1 1/4 cup warm milk with a wooden spoon.  Mix until the dough form s a ball.
4. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface to rest a few minutes.  Knead the dough by hand until it takes on a silky quality, about 4 minutes.  If the dough is sticky, add additional flour while kneading.  Dough is sufficiently kneaded when indentation made by pressing 2 fingers into dough springs.  Allow to rest for 10 minutes.
5. Place the dough in a well buttered clean, bowl and turn to coat all sides.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap or clean towel.  Let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 2 hours.
6. Punch dough down and knead for 2 to 3 minutes on a lightly floured surface.  Add additional flour only as needed.
7. Roll out the dough into a 8x16 inch rectangular shape.  Brush dough with melted butter.  Sprinkle with swirl mixture.
8. Starting at a short end, roll the dough tightly and tuck and seal the ends under.  Place the rolled dough in a buttered 9x5 inch pan, seem side down.  Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise until the dough rises above edge of pan, about 40 to 60 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degree F.  Combine flour and brown sugar in a bowl for the streusel topping.  Add the butter and mix with fork till mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
10. Brush the risen loaf with melted butter and slash down the middle.  Sprinkle with crumb mixture, pressing down if necessary.  Bake for 45 minutes, or until loaf makes a hollow sound when tapped.
11. Remove from pan and let cook on  wire rack for at least 2 hours before cutting.
12. Whisk together confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla extract in a bowl.  drizzle over to of finished cakes and set before serving.

Focaccia Caprese - We Knead to Bake #13

(Adapted from The Kitchen Whisperer)   

This flavorful and addictive focaccia bread, is this months pick by Aparna, for the group We Knead to bake.  Have fun baking and be creative.

Ingredients:

For the Dough:

Instant yeast - 2 tsp

Sugar - 1 1/2 TBSP

Bread flour* - 3 1/2 cups

Salt - 1 tsp

Olive oil - 1/4 cup

Warm water - 1 to 1/2 cups

A little more olive oil for brushing the dough

For the Topping:

Cherry tomatoes

Fresh mozzarella slices

Fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips

For the Herbed Oil:

Olive oil - 1/4 cup
Freshly chopped Sage leaves - 2 TBSP

Dried oregano - 1 tsp

Dried basil - 1 tsp

Red chili flakes - 1/2 tsp

Finely minced garlic/ paste - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste 

Fresh basil leaves for garnishing 

Sea salt to sprinkle on the baked bread (optional)

Note:

* If you cannot find bread flour, you can add 1 tbsp of Vital Wheat Gluten to 3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour and mix together well. Otherwise just use 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour.

**If you can't find fresh mozzarella where you live, use any “melty/ stringy” kind of cheese you can find.

Method:

• First make the herbed oil. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk them together. Keep aside till required.
• Then make the dough. The dough can be mixed and kneaded by hand or machine. Put the yeast, sugar flour, salt and oil in the bowl of the processor and pulse a couple of times to mix well. Then add 1 cup of warm water (and as much more as you need) and knead until you have a soft elastic dough that is just short of sticky.
• Remove the dough from the processor bowl, shape into a round and place in a well oiled bowl turning the dough around so it is coated. Cover and let it rise till almost double in volume. This should take about an hour.
• You can make this as 2 medium sized Focaccia or 4 smaller ones. For the rectangular Focaccia, take two rectangular pans/ jelly or Swiss roll pans (I used an 11" by 7" tins) and oil them well. Then divide the dough into two equal portions and lightly roll them (or press out) out into approximately 11” by 7”. If making 4 Focaccia, then divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Roll each portion out (or press out) evenly into approximately 5” by 7”. It's alright if it’s an odd shape because Focaccia is really a “rustic” bread.

• Transfer the dough to the baking tins. The dough will shrink a little. Use your fingers and push it out a bit making sure it’s evenly thick throughout. Let it rise for 20 minutes. Lightly oil your finger tips and press into the dough creating evenly spaced “dimples” in it. Generously brush the surface with oil.
• Bake at 210C (410F) for about 18 to 20 minutes till it is almost done and is beginning to turn golden brown. Take the Focaccia out and turn up the heat of your oven to 230C (450F).
• Lightly drizzle some of the Herbed Oil over the Focaccia and then evenly arrange some slices of mozzarella over the bread, leaving very little space between them. Arrange the tomato slices over this and a little sprinkle the chopped basil over this. The topping should cover most of the surface of the bread.
• Drizzle some more Herbed Oil over the topping and return the bread to the oven. Bake the Focaccia for 5 to 8 minutes or until the cheese has just melted. Remove from the oven and garnish with fresh basil leaves.
• Cut the Focaccia into slices and serve while it is still hot. This recipe should serve 4 if served alone or 6 if served with a side.

This post has been yeast spotted.

Bienenstich Kuchen (German Bee Sting Cake) - We Knead to Bake #12

Wish You All A Very Happy New Year - 2014

This German Bee Sting cake is our last We Knead to Bake baking project for this year.  Looking forward to baking more delicious and challenging yeasted goodies next year too.

Aparna's choice for this month is the Bienenstich Kuchen or what’s also known as the German Bee Sting Cake! Bienenstich is not really a bread but a traditional German sweet yeasted cake that has a baked on topping of crunchy almond toffee-like layer and filled with a vanilla pastry cream. Bienenstich is traditionally eaten as dessert but also served with tea or coffee.

Bienenstich means “bee sting” in German and probably got its name from the honey flavored topping that is typical of this yeasted cake. There are however some interesting stories connected to it. One story is that the German baker who was creating this recipe came across a bee (possibly attracted by the honey) and was stung by it and decided to name the cake after the incident!

Another story is that a group of German bakers stopped invaders from entering a neighboring village, sometime in the 15th century, by throwing beehives at them. In order to celebrate their victory, they created the original version of the Bienenstich.

Click here for more detailed version of this recipe.

I used small ramekins and baking cups for baking this cake instead of cake pan.

Ingredients:
For the Pastry Cream Filling:
Milk 2% - 1 cup (250ml)
Sugar - 3 TBSP
Vanilla flavored custard powder - 3 TBSP
Heavy cream - 200ml
Corn starch - 1 TBSP

For the Dough:
Milk 2% - 1/4 cup (since I didn't use eggs, I added 2 to 3 TBSP more milk)
Butter - 7 TBSP (100gm), at room temperature
All purpose flour - 2 cups
Sugar - 2 TBSP
Egg - 1 to 2 ( I did not use it)
Salt - 3/4 tsp
Instant yeast - 1 1/4 tsp

For the Honey - Almond Topping:
Butter - 3 1/2 TBSP (50gm)
Sugar - 1/3 cup
Honey - 2 TBSP
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Sliced almonds - 2/3 cup

Method:

• Make the custard for the filling first. This can be made the previous day and refrigerated till required.
• Keep aside 1/4 cup of milk, and put the remaining milk and the sugar in pan. Over medium heat, bring this to a boil while stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar. In the meanwhile, dissolve the custard powder in the 1/4 cup of milk. 
• Add this in a stream, to the boiling milk and keep whisking so that no lumps are formed.
• Keep whisking until the custard becomes very thick. Take the pan off the heat and let the custard cool to room temperature. 
• Whisk it on and off so it stays smooth. If it does become lumpy after cooling, use a hand blender to make it smooth. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate.
• Once you are ready to fill the Bienenstich, whip 200ml of cream till soft peaks form. Then add the corn-starch and whip till it forms stiff peaks. Whisk the custard to make sure it is smooth. Gently fold the cream into the custard. If you feel it is too soft, refrigerate for a couple of hours and then use.

• To make the dough, heat the milk until it is quite hot but not boiling. Cut the butter into pieces and add to the milk, stirring it until the better melts completely. Let it cool a little. 
• In the meanwhile, put the flour, sugar, salt and the yeast in the bowl of your processor. Run a couple of times to mix well and then add the egg (leave the egg out if you don’t use it). Run again till the egg has also mixed well. Now add the butter-milk mixture (it should be warm, not hot) and the then knead till it forms a smooth and soft (loose) brioche-like dough that’s just short of sticky. It should come away from the sides of the bowl and be easy to handle.
• Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a bowl. Cover loosely and let it rise for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. This dough will rise quite well but not to double or as much as your regular bread dough. 
• Deflate the dough, and shape again to a smooth ball. Place it in a 8” spring form cake tin lined with parchment. It is important to do this otherwise the topping will make the bread/ cake sticky and difficult to unmould. Flatten the dough a little, pressing down lightly so that the dough fits the cake tin. It doesn't matter if its not touching the sides like batter does. Let it rise for about 30 to 45 minutes. It will not rise very much and look a little puffy.

• Prepare the topping while the dough rises. Melt the butter, sugar, honey and vanilla in a small pan, over medium heat. Keep stirring frequently and it will start bubbling up. Let it cook for about 3 minutes or so until it turns to a light beige color. Add the sliced almonds, and stir well till the almonds are well coated. Take the pan off the heat and let it cool a bit. The mixture will become quite thick.
• Now get ready to bake the bread/ cake. Once the dough has risen, use a spoon take bits if the topping (it will be quite thick, like a sticky fudge) and distribute it uniformly over the surface. If there are small gaps they will get covered once the bread/ cake is baking.
• Bake at 180C (350F) for about 25 to 35 minutes until the top is golden brown and bubbling. A cake tester through the center should come out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Then gently loosen the sides with a spatula and unmould. Let it cool completely on a rack.

• When it has cooled completely, slice the cake into two equal layers carefully, using a very sharp knife. Spread the pastry cream on the lower layer and top with the upper layer and refrigerate till ready to serve.
• This recipe should serve 8 to 10.