Cranberry Oat Bread

Ok, I must admit that I am a true bread lover. I could have bread for breakfast I, for breakfast II (yes, I need two breakfasts a day :-) ) bread lunch, afternoon snack and dinner. My husband finds it amusing one who grew up eating rice adores bread so much.

There is a great choice of bread for all the tastes and costs available in Germany. But not many things beat a homemade artisan bread and don't you love the smell of fresh bread right out of your oven?

I first discovered this bread in Heavenly Housewife at From Donuts to Delirium and I was immediately intrigued. You can also find the original recipe from Dan Lepard's cranberry oat bread recipe at Guardian

75 g Instant oats ©angiesrecipes, plus extra for the crust 175 g Dried cranberries©angiesrecipes 375 ml Boiling water 450 g Spelt #630　flour©angiesrecipes 7 g Salt

3 g Cinnamon Finely grated zest of 1 lemon 50 g Unsalted butter 6 g Instant dry yeast Olive oil, for kneading

1. Put the oats and cranberries in a bowl and add the boiling water. Leave for 15-20 minutes, until the mixture is warm. Spoon the spelt flour, salt, cinnamon and zest into another bowl, rub in the butter, toss the yeast through, then add the oats and berries, and mix well. Leave to stand for 10 minutes.
   
   
2. Oil your hands and a 30cm patch of worktop, knead the dough on it for 10 seconds, then leave for 10 minutes. Repeat this knead-and-rest sequence twice more at 10-minute intervals, then cover the dough and leave for 30 minutes.
   
   
3. Pat the dough into a rectangle, roll up tightly and squeeze, seam-side down, into a large, deep, 19cm-long loaf tin. Or use any loaf pan you have. Leave for an hour until risen by half. Heat the oven to 210C/420F. Brush the top of the loaf with water, press on a handful of oats, cut a gash down the middle and bake for 50 minutes. It will scorch on top, but that's typical for fruit bread.

THANK YOU!

Elin at Elinluv's Tidbits Corner	Jay at Tasty Appetite

Cranberry Oat Bread

Sour 100% Rye Bread

Adapted from Dan Lepard: The Handmade Loaf (Mitchell Beazley Food)

Gelatinized Rye Mix	Dough
240 g Boiling water 60 g #1150 Rye flour ©angiesrecipes	200 g Rye leaven at 21C/70F 50 g Water at 19C/35F 200 g #1150 Rye flour ©angiesrecipes 100 g #997 Light rye flour ©angiesrecipes 1 tsp Sea salt

1. Cool the boiling water until it reaches 90C/194F. Quickly whisk in the rye flour trying to avoid too many lumps forming. Cover the bowl and leave for 1 hour (or up to 24 hours). This gelatinized mixture will give the crumb of the loaf some elasticity.
   
   
2. Whisk the rye leaven into the cold water, then whisk in the gelatinized rye mix (saving 1 tablespoon to brush over the loaf). Stir this with the dry ingredients until you have a soft sticky paste. Tip this dough out on to a lightly oiled work surface and knead gently into a ball. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
   
3. Shape the dough into a baton or a ball. Place the loaf seam-side-up on a floured cloth or baking paper, pulling the cloth up around the dough to hold its shape or proof it on a basket. Leave to rise at room temperature for 5 hours or until the loaf has almost doubled in size.
   
4. Preheat the oven to 210C/410F. Carefully upturn the loaf on to a tray and brush with the gelatinized rye mix. Spray the loaf lightly with water, and bake for 50 minutes. Leave to cool on a wire rack. When cold, wrap tightly in baking parchment, and leave for a day before slicing. Spread the bread slices with desired toppings.

Sour 100% Rye Bread

Sourdough Demi Baguette

Sponge	Dough
80 g Wild Grape Sourdough Starter 110 g Water, lukewarm 110 g All-purpose flour	All the sponge above 190 g Water, lukewarm 470 g All-purpose flour 60 g Rye flour 12 g Salt

1. Combine the sponge ingredients and allow the mixture to rest for 12 to 18 hours at room temperature until it�s fully activated. Combine all of the dough ingredients, but salt, and mix on low speed for 2 minutes, till they are well-blended. Allow the mixture rest for 30 minutes, allowing the flour to absorb the water. Add in salt and knead the dough till it's firm and elastic.
   
2. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap for 50 minutes in a warm place. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly-floured surface, gently pat down flat and fold like an envelope, all four sides being brought over the center of the dough. Return the dough into the bowl, cover and let ferment for another 50 minutes. Pat down, fold and round up. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover with a plastic wrap and let ferment until about doubled. Divide the dough into 5 equal portions and shape each into a sandwich loaf, namely demi baguette. Proof the demi baguettes, covered, in the folds of a linen or baking paper. Dust them with flour, cover, then refrigerate overnight. Next morning, remove the loaves from the fridge, and let them sit, still covered, for about 30 minutes at room temperature.
   
   
3. Place a shallow pan in the bottom of the oven and start preheating to 250C/500F. Use tiles or stones on the oven rack. Slash with a razor knife across top of loaves and slide the loaves onto the heated baking stone. Pour a cup of very hot water into the water pan. Close the door and bake for 12 minutes. Lower the temperature to 200CT/400F and continue baking the loaves until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Cool them on a rack.

I like to thank Anncoo@Anncoo's Hoobby, Elin@Elinluv Tidbits Corner, and Arlette@Phoenician Gourmet sharing their awards with me!



Sourdough Demi Baguette

100% Whole Wheat Bread Rolls

This simple whole wheat bread has proved that the wholemeal bread really doesn't have to be dense and dry. They taste great with homemade jam, mango chutney, herbal butter or cheese.

• 250 g Wholemeal
  
  
• 1/2 tsp Salt
  
  
• 20 g Fresh yeast
  
  
• 175 ml Lukewarm water

1. Mix together the wholemeal and salt in a mixing bowl. Set aside. Dissolve the fresh yeast in 175ml water. Add into the flour mixture. Knead at the low speed until the dough forms and become smooth and elastic.
   
   
2. Cover with a damp towel and let ferment at room temperature for about 40 minutes until the dough has doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 220C/430F with a bowl of boiled water.
   
   
3. Punch down the dough and form into a roll, then divide into 8 portions. Round up and flatten each dough with your palm. Place them on a baking tray lined with a baking paper. Slash or cross-hatch the bread with a sharp knife. Spread some kernels on it. Allow them to rest for 30 minutes until about doubled.
   
   
4. Bake the bread rolls in the middle of preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Remove and cool the bread rolls on a wire rack.

Whey Honey Baton adapted from Dan Lepard

I was pleased and honoured when Natasha, author of 5 Star Foodie, one of the most popular and well-respected food blogs, invited me to contribute a guest post on her blog while she is on a vacation. Natasha is a professional web developer from Northern Virginia, with a passion for fine food. She has always enjoyed the creative process of inventing something new and different in the kitchen. More recently, 5 Star Foodie aka Natasha has begun an adventure, exploring the cuisine available in some of the best restaurants in the United States and around the world. The more innovative the food, the more Natasha is inspired to innovate at home for her two most appreciative "customers" - her husband and her daughter. Check out her restaurant reviews and recipes at 5 Star Foodie

Whey is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. Whey is quite simple to make. Fill a bowl or wide-mouthed jar with fresh, unpasteurized milk. Cover tightly and let sit at room temperature until it curdles and separates. This may take 3-4 days. Strain through cheesecloth, catching the liquid in a bowl. This is whey-- it is a by-product of the manufacture of cheese. It will keep in the fridge for up to six months. For a quicker whey, whip Fromage frais or Quark into unpasteurized milk and leave them overnight to sour.

#Whey:	#Dough:
150 g Quark 40% (or Fromage fraise) 500 g Fresh milk 3.5%	1+1/2 tsp Fresh yeast, crumbled 300 g Whey (from above) 50 g Honey 500 g German #550 bio flourangiesrecipes (white bread flour) 1+1/4 tsp Sea salt 50 g Unsalted butter, softened

1. Whisk together the quark and milk in a medium bowl. Set aside in a counter at room temperature overnight. The following day, gently warm the sour milk so that curds form. Strain the sour milk for a few of hours through a sieve lined with cheese cloth set over a pot. The strained curds can either be seasoned with sugar (salt if preferred) and used as a spread, or to make a cheesecake.
   
   
2. To make a dough, whisk the yeast with whey and honey. Stir in half flour and salt to make a yeast batter. Leave the batter, covered, in a warm place for 30 minutes. Rub the butter into the remaining half flour, until it is evenly incorporated and the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
   
   
3. Stir the yeast batter into the butter-flour mixture. Combine together until a soft dough forms. Cover the bowl and leave for 10 minutes. Rub the work-surface with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and knead the dough for 10 seconds, ending with the dough in a smooth, round ball. Wipe the bowl clean and rub with 1 teaspoon of olive oil, return the dough to it, cover and leave for 10 minutes. Repeat the light kneading twice more, at 10-minute intervals, then leave the dough for 30 minutes until it has become soft and elastic.
   
   
4. Shape the dough into a baton (or a ball)place it smooth-side down into a flour-dusted cloth. Leave it for about 1 hour at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 210C/410F. Upturn the dough on to a flour-dusted baking tray. Make a few of slashes over the top and bake the bread in the center of the oven for about 40 minutes or until the loaf is a good brown colour. Cool on a wire rack.