Braided Holiday Pumpkin Wreath

This week in the bread-baking blog, we're featuring two Holiday Pumpkin Breads made with the Healthy Bread in Five Minutes Pumpkin Pie Brioche dough. The first bread is a Braided Holiday Pumpkin Wreath and the second is Cinnamon Pumpkin Crescent Rolls.  This post focuses on the braided wreath.

You might also enjoy the Holiday Pumpkin Bread we featured in the bread-baking blog last November. It's a little bit different than the bread we're featuring today in that it utilizes a kneaded rather than a no knead dough.

Braided Holiday Pumpkin Wreath

The recipe for the dough can be found here.

My first batch of no knead pumpkin pie brioche dough was so soft, I couldn't shape it into anything except regular loaves.  I decided to give it another try.  The second time around, the consistency of the dough turned out much better (click here for details) so, I thought it would be fun to try a different shape. I've already made and posted about a braided pumpkin bread this season, so I wanted to take it a step further and shape the braid into a wreath.


Let's get started ...


For the Braided Holiday Pumpkin Wreath, we'll roll the dough out into 3 logs, braid the logs, shape the braid into a wreath and place it in the pan to rise. Then it's into the oven to bake.


Shaping the Loaf

Take the dough out of the refrigerator, dust with flour and cut off a one-pound piece.  Divide the dough into three equal pieces.

Roll each piece into a log about 18 inches long.  Make a braid with the three logs and pinch the ends together.

Coil the braid into a lightly greased 8" or 9" cake pan, shaping it into a wreath-like circle and pressing the ends together where they meet. Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap. Let the wreath rise for about 90 minutes.

Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 30 minutes, until lightly browned. I brushed the wreath with an egg wash part way through the baking cycle so the bread would brown nicely. 

Remove the wreaths from the oven, and allow them to cool on a rack. 

 

Enjoy your beautiful wreath plain with butter or drizzle a powder sugar glaze over it and sprinkle with nuts.  I decided to keep my wreath plain so I could serve it as a savory bread.  You could also make French toast or bread pudding with this bread.

Happy Baking!
Cathy 

Panettone: BBA Challenge

It's day 24 in the Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge and we're making Panettone.  I thought about skipping this one until December but I didn't want to get out of sequence in the challenge so I just took a little break.  You probably didn't miss me because I've been making other breads and jams in the meantime. 

It's November and I'll be making festive breads this month anyway so I decided it was time to make the Panettone.  I'll just freeze it until December.  It is an enriched bread so it should freeze pretty well.

A bit of Panettone history ...

Panettone is an Italian Christmas Bread that originated in Milan. There are differing stories surrounding the origins of this bread but my favorite is the one that Peter Reinhart recounts in his book. Legend has it that the bread was created a few hundred years ago by a humble baker named Tony to woo his beloved, the daughter of a rich merchant.  More importantly, he had to win over the father to the idea of his daughter marrying a baker, so he pulled out all the stops and filled this bread with the baker's equivalent of the gifts of the wise men: butter, brandied dried and candied fruits, nuts, and sugar.  The merchant was so impressed that he not only gave his daughter in marriage, but also set Tony up with his own bakery in Milan with the promise that he would continue to make his bread, pane Tony.

Panettone
Makes: Two large loaves, a bunch of small loaves or a combination

 

Recipe found on page 202 of the Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart.

 

 

Ingredients:

Wild-Yeast Sponge

• 1 cup (7 ounces) mature starter
• 1 cup (8 ounces) milk, lukewarm (90 to 100 degrees F.)
• 1 cup (4.5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

Fruit Blend

• 1 cup (6 ounces) golden raisins
• 1 cup (6 ounces) candied fruit blend (or dried fruit, such as dried cranberries, apricots, and apples)
• 1/2 cup (6 ounces) brandy, rum, or whiskey
• 1 tablespoon (.5 ounce) orange or lemon extract
• 1 tablespoon (.5 ounce) vanilla extract or Fiori di Sicilia (a blend of extracts and floral oils)

Dough Ingredients

• 3 cups (13.5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons (1.5 ounces) granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon (.19 ounce) salt
• 1 tablespoon (.33 ounce) instant yeast
• 1 large (1.65 ounces) egg, at room temperature and slightly beaten
• 1 large (.65 ounce) egg yolk
• 4 to 6 tablespoons (2 to 3 oz) water, lukewarm (90 to 100 degrees F.)
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup (5 ounces) blanched almonds, slivered or chopped

 

Preparing the Wild-Yeast Sponge

The day before making the bread, add a cup of barm (wild-yeast starter) in a medium mixing bowl.  Peter Reinhart outlines his method for making barm on page 230; however, I have 3 starters in the refrigerator so it didn't make since for me to make another one. 

 

I used the starter I created in 2007 from a recipe from the Boudin Bakery in San Francisco. It took me a little while to get the flavor of the starter right. I had to throw it away a couple of weeks after I started it because it turned pink. I started it again a few weeks later and it's been working fine ever since.


Mix in the milk and flour just long enough to hydrate all the flour and to make a sponge.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough ferment at room temperature for approximately 4 hours, or until the sponge begins to foam and bubble, then put it in the refrigerator overnight.

Soaking the fruit

While you're waiting for the sponge to ferment, mix together the raisins and candied fruit in a bowl.  Add liquor (I used rum) and extracts. 

Cover the bowl and let this sit out overnight to allow the fruit to fully absorb the liquid.


Mixing the Dough

The next day, remove the wild-yeast sponge from the refrigerator 1 hour before making the dough to take off the chill.

Stir together the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a 4-quart bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer).   Add the sponge, egg, and egg yolk.  Stir (or mix) these together until the form a firm, but supple, ball.  I started out using my stand mixer but decided partway through to switch to the Danish dough whisk.

Add as much of the lukewarm water as needed to form a dough.  I didn't need to add any of the water. The sponge provided enough liquid because of the consistency of the starter that I used to make the sponge. 

Stop mixing and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes to let the gluten begin to develop.   Add the softened butter and the soaked fruit mixture and continue mixing until the ingredients are evenly distributed.

 

Transfer the dough to a counter sprinkled with flour and knead the dough gently for 2 to 4 minutes, until it is soft and supple but not overly sticky although it can be very tacky.   Gradually work in the almonds until they are evenly distributed.

Add flour if necessary (you will probably have to sprinkle small amounts of flour continually as you knead to keep it from sticking to your hands, but use only the minimum necessary to allow you to knead without getting the dough all over your hands).

To keep the dough from sticking to my hands and to keep from adding too much flour, I periodically dipped my hands in flour and rubbed them together to get the mixture off my hands and incorporate it back in the dough.  This way, I didn't have to wash my hands every time I needed to take a photo.  Besides, they just get sticky again and washing them off wastes the dough.   You can see the sprinkles of dough that came off of my hands in the photo above and below.

The entire kneading process, after the resting period, should take 6 to 10 minutes.  The dough should be soft and supple, tacky but not sticky. It took me a good 10 minutes (maybe a little more) to get the dough the right consistency.

Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough ferment at room temperature for approximately 2 hours.  During this time, it will rise very slowly and only increase to about 1 1/2 times its original size.

Preparing Panettone Pans

You can use professional panettone papers or prepare the pans as shown below:

Use the bottom of a round pan to trace a circle on baking parchment.  Cut out the circle and place it in the bottom of the pan.  You can also make a parchment collar to ensure easy removal after baking.  I decided to use a springform pan for easy removal but I also lined it with parchment paper.

Shaping the Loaves

Divide the dough into the desired sizes.  If you are making large 2-pound loaves, divide the dough in half and round the pieces into 2 boules.  Place them into the prepared pans.  Press the dough down slightly to spread it into the papers or pans.  The dough should reach halfway up the forms. 

I made one large loaf and a bunch of smaller loaves.

To make mini panettones, you can use individual baking papers or grease muffin pans and fill each cup half full.

Mist the dough with spray oil and loosely cover the pans with plastic wrap.

Proof the dough at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until it nearly doubles and has risen just to the height of the pans.

Baking the Loaves

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees with the oven rack in the lower third of the oven.   Bake large loaves for up to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the oven.  Bake mini loaves for 25 to 35 minutes.  The top of the dough could get very brown before the center is baked.  If so, cover the tops with aluminum foil or a sheet of baking parchment.  My loaf was starting to get too brown on top so I covered it with baking parchment.

The finished bread should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom, and be golden brown all around.

Transfer the loaves to a cooling rack and thoroughly cool before serving, at least 2 hours.  These breads are best kept by wrapping them in aluminum foil after they completely cool.  You can store them at room temperature for as long as 2 weeks.

You can also freeze them for up to 3 months to save for special occasions.  That's what I'm going to do with the big one. 

 

I know I said I would freeze all of the bread, but I think we'll just eat the mini ones.  They make good snacks. Yummy!

 

I'm submitting these delicious loaves to YeastSpotting, a bread roundup hosted by Susan of Wild Yeast.  Please visit Wild Yeast to view all of the lovely breads in the roundup.

 

Thanks for joining us this week in the Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge!

The next bread in Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge, is Pizza Napoletana (page 207).  I can't wait to try this one.  I love pizza! 

Happy Baking!
Cathy

Greek Easter Bread

Greek Easter bread is braided and contains hard boiled eggs, dyed red for fertility, symbolizing the Resurrection of Christ.

 

A funny thing happened on the way to the family Easter dinner...

I started making this bread Saturday morning to take to my family's Easter celebration that afternoon. I was running late so I decided to let it rise in the car and bake it once I got to my sister's house. I had to hold onto the baking pan to keep the loaf from sliding off. It slid a couple of times and I was able to catch it. I kept saying "will you just cooperate?". It decided to have the last word. It slid completely off the seat. I couldn't catch in time. It stayed on the parchment and was still covered, but it was ruined.

I was soooo mad that I balled the dough up and threw it down on the baking pan. I decided I didn't care. We just wouldn't have any bread for dinner. I kept driving down the road mad at the world. Then, I started laughing my head off at myself.  You can’t get mad at bread. It was then that I realized I could just reshape it and let is rise again. So that's what I did.

The moral of the story is when you think all is lost, it usually isn't. You just need to laugh and try again!

 

Greek Easter Twist
Makes: 2 Loaves
From Breads from Betsy's Kitchen by Betsy Oppenneer.

Ingredients:

• 2 scant tablespoons or 2 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
• 1 cup warm milk (about 110 degrees)
• 1 cup soft butter
• 4 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon crushed anise seed
• 1 tablespoon orange peel
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 6 to 7 cups unbleached flour
• 8 to 12 hard-boiled eggs, dyed bright red
  

Glaze

• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
• Coarse sugar or sesame seeds

 

Preparation:

1) Hard boil 8 to 12 eggs. I used about 8 eggs but you can use more if you like.

2) Dye the eggs red. I've never dyed Easter eggs red before. Very interesting and beautiful!

Directions:

Stir the yeast into warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the milk, butter, eggs, honey, anise seed, orange peel, salt, and 3 cups flour and beat vigorously for two minutes.

Gradually add in the flour, 1/4 cup a a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface. Knead, adding flour a little at a time, until you have a smooth, elastic dough.

Put dough into an oiled bowl and turn to coat it with oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let rise until doubled in size, about one hour.



Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface and divide in four pieces.




Shape each fourth into a 30-inch strand.




Twist strands together and pinch the ends together.





Spread the dough and insert four to six eggs evenly spaced between the strands.  Place onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining two strands.




Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.

About 10 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Just before baking, brush each loaf lightly with the glaze and sprinkle with the coarse sugar or seeds.





Bake for 25 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the loaf reaches 190 degrees. Immediately remove the bread from baking sheets and cool on a wire rack.

This is the loaf I took to my sister's house. It turned out great even though I had to reshape it.




This is the second loaf that I made a couple of days later. I put the dough in the refrigerator and took it out 2 days later and let it rise at room temperature before shaping. It did just fine. It amazes me how forgiving a lot of breads are. We should be more like that!




Happy Baking!
Cathy

Cranberry Walnut Celebration Bread

This braided Cranberry Walnut Celebration Bread makes a wonderful treat for Thanksgiving or other Holiday Festivities.

 

This bread is very easy to make and the end result is definitely rewarding. It is one of my favorite breads to make and eat!  It makes a beautiful centerpiece.

Cranberry - Walnut Celebration Bread

Adapted from: The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart

Days to Make: 1
15 minutes mixing
3 1/4 hours fermentation, shaping, and proofing
50 to 55 minutes baking

Ingredients:

• 3 cups (13. 5 ounces) unbleached bread flour
• 3 tablespoons (1.5 ounce) granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon (.19 ounce) salt
• 3 1/2 teaspoons (.39 ounce) instant yeast
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (.75 ounce) orange or lemon extract
• 2 large eggs, (3.3 ounces) slightly beaten
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) buttermilk or any kind of milk, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup (2 to 4 ounces) water, at room temperature
• 6 oz package dried sweetened cranberries
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1 egg, whisked until frothy, for egg wash

Directions:

Stir together the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a large mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). Add the orange extract, eggs, buttermilk, and butter.

Stir (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment), slowly adding just enough water to make a soft, pliable ball of dough. I mixed it by hand using a Danish dough whisk. It worked great!

Sprinkle flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Knead (or mix on medium speed with the dough hook) for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and only slightly tacky, but not sticky. It should have a soft pliable quality, not stiff and resistant. If it is too stiff, knead (or mix) in small amounts of water until it softens; if the dough seems too sticky, sprinkle in small amounts of flour as needed.

Add the dried cranberries and knead (or mix) for another 2 minutes, or until they are evenly distributed. I kneaded the cranberries in by hand. It was rather tricky but I did get them all mixed in. It would probably have been easier if I had used a mixer.

Then gently knead (or mix) in the walnut pieces until they are evenly distributed. I didn't use the full 3/4 cup of nuts. There were just too many to get them all in the dough. I ended up using about 1/2 cup and it worked fine.




Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Ferment at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.



Transfer the dough to the counter and divide it into 6 pieces. 3 pieces of 10 ounces each and 3 pieces of 4 ounces each.


Roll out the larger pieces into strands about 9 inches long, thicker in the middle and slightly tapered toward the ends.




Roll the smaller pieces into strands about 7 inches long and similarly tapered.




Braid the large strands using the 3-braid technique, and then braid the small strands in the same pattern.


Here is how the 3-Braid technique works:

The 3-braid technique begins in the middle. First you place 3 strands of equal weight and length perpendicular to you and parallel to one another. The easiest way to do it is to number the strands from the left, 1, 2, 3.

Beginning in the middle of the loaf and working toward you, follow this pattern: right outside strand over the middle strand (3 over 2); Left outside strand over the middle strand (1 over 2).




Repeat until you reach the bottom end of the dough. Pinch the end closed to seal and rotate the loaf 180 degrees so that the unbraided end is facing you.



Continue braiding but now weave the outside strand under the middle strand until you reach the end of the loaf. Pinch together the tips at both ends to seal the finished loaf.



Now repeat the 3-braid technique with the smaller loaf.

Line a sheet pan with baking parchment. Place the large braid on the pan. Then center the smaller braid on top in double-decker fashion.  Brush the entire assembly with half of the egg wash and refrigerate the remaining egg wash to be used later.



Proof uncovered at room temperature for about 90 minutes, or until the dough nearly doubles in size. Brush the loaf a second time with the remaining egg wash.



Preheat the oven to 325° F with the oven rack on the middle shelf.

Bake for approximately 25 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees for even baking and then continue baking for another 25 to 30 minutes, or until the loaf is deep golden brown, feels very firm, and sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom. The internal temperature at the center of the loaf should register between 185° and 190° F.

Remove the bread from the pan and transfer it to a cooling rack. Allow the bread to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing or serving.





Happy Baking! 
Cathy

 

Thanksgiving Pilgrim Loaf

This Pilgrim Loaf is a tasty bread that celebrates the flavors of the Harvest. It is uniquely shaped like a Pilgrim’s collar and includes brown rice, pecans, honey and molasses for a savory delight. This Harvest Bread would make a wonderful addition to your Thanksgiving feast. It has a nutty flavor with just a hint of sweetness.

Pilgrim Loaf Recipe and Instructions
Makes 1 loaf
The recipe for this festive bread is courtesy of ACH Foods (Fleischmann Yeast).


Ingredients:

• 3 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1 package instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1-1/2 cups cooked wild rice or brown rice, cooled* (I used a mixture of long grain & wild rice)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans, walnuts or hazelnuts, toasted
• 2 tablespoons cornmeal

* 1-1/2 cups cooked rice equals about 1/3 cup uncooked wild rice or 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice.

 
Directions:

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup cornmeal, undissolved yeast, and salt. Heat water, butter, honey, and molasses until very warm (120°F to 130°F). Gradually add to flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in rice, nuts and enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.





Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes.



Cover; let rest 10 minutes. Roll dough to 9-inch circle.




Fold in half, slightly off center, so top layer is set back 1 inch from bottom edge.




With sharp knife, make 4 equally spaced cuts from curved edge toward folded edge, about 2 / 3 of the way across loaf (cutting through both layers).





Place on greased baking sheet that has been sprinkled with 1 tablespoon cornmeal. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Sprinkle top of loaf with remaining cornmeal.




Bake at 375°F for 30 minutes or until done. Remove from sheet; cool on wire rack before slicing or serving.  Or use the Pilgrim Loaf as part of a festive table decoration.

 


Happy Baking!
Cathy


Harvest Bread Recipes:

• Pumpkin-Shaped Nut Bread
• Harvest Dipping Bread
• Harvest Wheat Sheaf Harvest Wheat Sheaf (Sponge Method)
• No-Knead Cranberry Harvest Bread
• The Pilgrim Loaf
• Tom Turkey Bread