Making Jam: Cranapple Butter

This Cranapple Butter is the perfect spread to go with delicious Thanksgiving dinner rolls. I found this recipe after I made and posted about the other Apple Butter a few weeks ago.  It's from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. The recipe sounded so festive, I just had to try it.

My family loves my homemade yeast rolls so I'm excited about serving them with this apple butter.  As it turns out, I'll be having a few more guests for Thanksgiving dinner this year so it's a good thing I've been making all of these jams, preserves and butters.

 

If you've been reading my blog recently, then you know that I've been in a canning frenzy for the past several months.  I was a little sad to think I'd have to wait until next summer to start canning again.

Well, I've found the solution, it's a new challenge - just what I need, right?  I'm excited about this one!  It's a monthly canning challenge, called tigress' can jam that starts January 1, 2010.  We'll be canning in-season fruits and vegetables every month for 12 months.  You can join too by clicking on the button to the left.  You have until December 22nd to sign up.  Come on...it'll be fun!


Cranapple Butter
Makes: About nine 8-ounce jars or four to five pint jars

 

Ingredients:

• 6 lbs apples, cored, peeled and chopped (I used a combination of green Mutsu and red Cameo apples)
• 8 cups cranberry juice cocktail
• 4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

 

Directions:

In a large pot, combine apples and cranberry juice cocktail. Bring to a boil over medium-heat.  Boil, stirring occasionally, until apples are soft, about 15 minutes.

Working in batches, transfer apple mixture to a food mill or a food processor fitted with a metal blade and puree just until a uniform texture is achieved.  This time, I used my new handy-dandy food mill.  It made easy work of this.

In a clean large - I mean very large - stainless steel saucepan, combine apple puree, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Boil, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens and holds its shape on a spoon.  This takes awhile.

You will definitely want to use a large pot for this so the butter doesn't splatter everywhere.  Believe me, I learned the hard way the last time a made apple butter.  It's a mess to clean up!

Prepare canner, jars and lids while the butter is cooking. Once the butter holds it shape on the spoon, ladle the hot butter into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.  Remove the air bubbles, and adjust the headspace, if necessary, by adding hot butter.  Wipe rim and center lid on jar.  Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.

Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water.   Bring to boil and process for 10 minuets.  I processed mine for 15 minutes because Atlanta's altitude is a little higher than 1,000 feet.  If you live in a higher altitude or need more detailed instructions on water-bath canning, please refer to the instructions on the National Center for Home Preservation site.

Remove canner lid and wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.

This is what the cranapple butter looks like in the jar.  I would open it and give you a peek but I'm saving it for Thanksgiving.  Sorry!  It tasted really good on the spoon though!

 

Happy Canning & Baking!
Cathy

In addition to the Ball Book on Canning, I've been using the following sites as a reference in my canning adventures.  You might enjoy them as well:

• Canning Across America
• Well Preserved
• National Center for Home Preservation 

 

I also enjoy using the resources in the book: Keeping The Harvest: Discover the Homegrown Goodness of Putting Up Your Own Fruits, Vegetables & Herbs by Nancy Chioff & Gretchen Mead.

Here are some delicious breads that would go well with this jam!

• Light Wheat Bread 
• Multigrain Bread Extraordinaire
• Sprouted Wheat Bread
• Oatmeal Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Pie Brioche: HBinFive

 

An enthusiastic group of bakers has joined with Michelle of BigBlackDogs to bake all of the breads in the Healthy Bread in Five Minutes book.

Well, of course The Bread Experience is joining in the fun! The challenge doesn't officially begin until January due to everyone's hectic schedule during the holidays; however, the authors have provided us with some bonus breads to bake in the meantime.

The featured bread for November is Pumpkin Pie Brioche.

 

Pumpkin Pie Brioche

This is a new book so they requested that no recipes from the book be posted on the Internet; however, the authors shared this recipe for the bread bake.

Ingredients:

To view the recipe and list of ingredients, click here.

Makes:  Enough dough for at least two 2-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.

 

Directions:

1st Attempt: Tuesday, Nov 10th

This was my first attempt at making any of the breads in the Healthy Bread in Five Minutes book.  I made the brioche with home-milled white wheat flour and commercial all-purpose flour. The first time I made the dough, I used vegetable oil and roasted pumpkin puree that I prepared and froze last December. The dough was really wet but the loaf turned out a little bit dry.  You can see in the picture below.  It tasted great; however, I thought it should be a little bit softer.

Although my first attempt with the bread seemed dry at first, it actually softened up a bit the next day.  I tried it as French Toast, as regular toast with homemade peach butter and as a PB&J sandwich (with yummy pear butter).  It tasted great each time!  My test for loaf breads is whether or not the bread tastes good as a PB&J and this one definitely does... even though it fell apart with every bite. ;)

I decided to make this bread again with some substitutions to see the difference.  I've documented my second attempt below:

2nd Attempt: Saturday, Nov. 14th

For my second attempt at this brioche, I used a combination of home-milled flour and commercial flour again but this time I weighed it to make sure I had the right amount.  I had this same issue with other no knead breads I've made recently so I've found that the key to working with these types of bread is to the weigh the flour and not rely on the measuring cup.  I can usually get away with just using a measuring cup for kneaded breads because it's pretty easy to adjust the water/flour ratio when you're kneading the dough.

I also used less water this time. Instead of 1 1/4 cups of water, I used 3/4 cup and freshly roasted pureed pumpkin instead of thawed puree.  These changes made a big difference. The dough was much easier to work with.

Mixing and storing the dough:

Whisk together the flours, yeast, salt and vital wheat gluten in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container. Add the remaining ingredients and mix without kneading. I started out using a wooden spoon, then switched to my Danish dough whisk. 

 

The dough will be loose, but it will firm up when chilled (don’t try to use it without chilling).  Cover, and allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises and collapses, approximately 2 hours.

 

Refrigerate in a non-airtight lidded container and use over the next 5 days.  I left the dough in the bowl, covered with plastic wrap and placed it in the refrigerator since I was planning on making it the next day anyway.

 

On baking day, grease a brioche or 8½x4½-inch non-stick loaf pan. Cut off a 2-pound piece of dough. 

 

Dust with flour and quickly shape it into a ball.  

Place the ball (or spread the dough) in the prepared pan and allow to rest for 90 minutes.

 

 

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Using a pastry brush to paint the loaf’s top with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.  I did the egg wash but I didn't have any raw sugar so I just sprinkled it with granulated sugar.  It made it brown a little more. 

 

Bake near the center of the oven for approximately 45 minutes.  Brioche will not form a hard crackling crust. Loaf is done when medium brown and firm. Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in resting and baking time. Remove from the pan and allow to cool before slicing or eating.

 

The second batch was much softer.  I just had a slice! The texture was much softer and the spices came through much more prominent in this batch. Yummy!

I'll probably use this loaf for bread pudding.  In fact, I already cut up the bread pieces and put them in the freezer. Here is a recipe for bread pudding if you would like to try your hand at making bread pudding.  I've never made it before so I'll let you know how it goes...

 

You might enjoy some of the other breads I’ve made using the Pumpkin Pie Brioche dough.  This is one of my favorite HBn5 doughs.

Honey Caramel Sticky Nut Buns

 

Pear Tarte Tatin

 

Thanks for visiting The Bread Experience Bread-Baking Blog. We hope you enjoyed your visit and will join us again next time.

Happy Baking!
Cathy

Harvest Wheat Sheaf

I've really been enjoying Fall this year.  The colors have been so vibrant and beautiful that I've just been in awe.  The Harvest Moon was particularly awesome this year and it inspired me to create this festive Harvest Wheat Sheaf.  This bread is really easy to make, but it does take a few days from start to finish because of the extra time needed to sprout the wheat grains.  But don't let that discourage you. It's a truly beautiful and festive bread that is worth the extra time.

Speaking of the harvest, did you know that...

“For thousands of years the survival and power of a tribe or country depended on its stocks in grain. Harvesting, processing, and storing grain stocks was of huge importance, and war was declared only after harvest...One of the earliest records of large-scale food preserving was in ancient Egypt, where it was enormously important to create adequate stocks of dried grain to insure against the failure of the Nile to flood seasonally. Huge quantities of grain were stored in sealed silo, where they could be kept for several years if necessary. Records from 2600 B.C. show that the annual flooding of the Nile produced surpluses of grain that were stored and kept to feed builders of irrigation schemes and pyramid tombs. The Great Pyramid of Cheops at Giza was built around 2900 B.C. by slaves fed with stores of grain and chickpeas, onions, and garlic."

--- Pickled, Potted and Canned: How the Art and Science of Food Processing Changed the World, Sue Shepard [Simon & Schuster:New York] 2000 (p. 51)

Source: The Food Timeline http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodfaq3.html

I'm submitting this harvest wheat sheaf 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.


Harvest Wheat Sheaf Recipe
Makes: 1 Sheaf

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, click here.  You might also enjoy this harvest wheat recipe made with a sponge.

Ingredients:

• 2 to 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sprouted wheat*
• 2 tablespoons wheat germ
• 1 envelope RapidRise Yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon light molasses
  

Egg Glaze (Combine 1 egg and 1 tablespoon water. Stir to blend.)

*Sprouting the Wheat Kernels:
Place 1/4 cup kernels in a quart-size mason jar (or other container) and cover it with cheesecloth.  Pour water through the cheesecloth to moisten the grains, drain and place the jar in a dark cabinet for a few days.  You might want to place the jar in a container so that the water doesn't leak everywhere.

Keep the jar in the cabinet until 1/8 to 1/4-inch sprouts appear, about 2 days. Keep kernels moist by occasionally pouring on and draining off water.

Use as soon as sprouts appear and before sprouts turn green. Any extra sprouts can be used as garnishes, in salads, casseroles, quick breads, and other yeast breads.

To store sprouts, refrigerate in a firm, air-tight container (or a zip lock bag) for a few days to over a week.  I stored my sprouts in the refrigerator for about 3 days until I was ready to bake the sheaf.

 

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, wheat flour, sprouted wheat, wheat germ, undissolved yeast, and salt.

Heat milk, water, vegetable oil, honey and molasses until very warm (120o to 130oF).

Gradually add to flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in 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.

Divide dough into 18 equal pieces.

Roll 2 pieces to 12-inch ropes. Twist ropes together; set aside.

Roll 8 pieces to 18-inch ropes and roll remaining 8 pieces to 15-inch ropes.

While you're making the ropes, cover the other dough balls with plastic wrap so they don't dry out.

 

Place one 18-inch rope lengthwise on center of a greased baking sheet, bending top third of rope off to the left at a 45-degree angle.

Place a second 18-inch rope on sheet touching the first rope but bending the top third off to the right.

Repeat procedure using two more 18-inch ropes placing them along outer edges of straight section and inside bent sections so that ropes are touching. Repeat, using two of the 15-inch ropes. Repeat, starting with the long ropes placing them on top of the arranged long ropes and slightly spreading out ropes forming bottom of sheaf. Fill in by topping with the remaining 15-inch ropes making shorter bends in the two uppermost ropes.

Cut twist in half.

Arrange twists side by side around center of sheaf; tuck ends underneath.

Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Make diagonal snips with scissors along the bent portion of "stalks" above the twist. Gently brush with Egg Glaze.

 

Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes or until evenly golden.

 

Remove from sheet; cool on wire rack.  Now, it's time to enjoy looking at the beautiful wheat sheaf.

 

This bread is edible, but I wouldn't let anybody eat it.  I decided to freeze it to save for Thanksgiving. I might use it for a centerpiece; however, my family will probably want to eat it.  Families are like that you know.


Thanks for visiting The Bread Experience Bread-Baking Blog. We hope you enjoyed your visit and will join us again next time.

 

Happy Baking!
Cathy 

Pizza Napoletana

This week in the Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge, we made the 25th bread in the challenge: Pizza Napoletana. Wow! Have we really made that many breads? My, how time flies while you're having fun, as the saying goes...

I love making pizza! I've been really psyched about trying this one.  I agree with Peter Reinhart's contention that it is the crust, not the toppings, that make a good pizza.  For some time now, I've been on a quest to find Pizza Nirvana, and I do believe this pizza crust has earned a place on my list of favorites.

Some of my other favorite pizzas are: Bread Machine Deep Dish Pizza prepared in a bread machine and baked in a La Cloche, No Knead Deep Dish Pizza made with a mixture of all-purpose and Semolina flours and baked in a 9" x 13" pan, and Brick Oven-Style Pizza made with a poolish and baked on a baking stone.

According to Peter Reinhart, "the single biggest flaw in most pizza dough recipes is the failure to instruct the maker to allow the dough to rest overnight in the refrigerator.  This gives the enzymes time to go to work, pulling out subtle flavor trapped in the starch.  The long rest also relaxes the gluten, allowing you to shape the dough easily, minimizing the elastic springiness that so often forces you to squeeze out all the gas." 

This Pizza Napoletana is similar to brick oven pizza in that it utilizes a poolish but it seems to have a smoky flavor.  Or, maybe it's because I rolled the dough too thin and it got a little burnt on the bottom. I don't know, but it sure was good!   All I know is that pizzas made with a poolish are so much better that there really is no comparison. I really liked this pizza and so did my taste tester.


Pizza Napoletana
I used the pizza dough from the Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart.

Before we get to the pizza crust, let me tell you about my favorite pizza sauce.  I've also been on a quest to create a homemade pizza sauce that is worthy of all of these wonderful crusts.  I found a combination I like.  It has a little kick to it which my sons and I really enjoy.

Here is my go to pizza sauce recipe. It's a combination of a couple of different recipes. It makes enough to top several medium pizzas.

My Favorite Pizza Sauce Recipe

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (you can add more if you like)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained (or you can use fresh tomatoes if in season).
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil (or use dried basil if you prefer)
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (I usually add a little more because I like the flavor)
  
  

Directions:

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil to pan. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Add garlic to pan; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in wine; cook 30 seconds. Add tomato paste, oregano, black pepper, salt, crushed red pepper flakes, bay leaf and tomatoes and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes or until thick. Then stir in basil and vinegar and cool. It took about 30 minutes for my sauce to thicken. It also cooked down a good bit. This makes a chunky sauce so if you prefer a smooth sauce, you can puree it in the blender. I like it either way but my taste tester prefers the sauce smooth so I usually puree it.  Feel free to experiment.


Now on to the pizza crust....


Making the Pizza

On the day you want to make the pizza, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator 2 hours before making the pizza. 

Dust the counter with flour, and then mist the counter with spray oil.  Place the dough balls on top of the floured counter and sprinkle them with flour; dust your hands with flour.  Gently press the dough into flat disks about 1/2 inch thick and 5 inches in diameter.

Sprinkle the dough again with flour, mist it again with spray oil, and cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap or a food-grade plastic bag.  Let rest for 2 hours.

Baking the Pizza

45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on the lowest rack of the oven.  At least that's where it works best for my oven.  Preheat the oven as hot as possible (500 to 550 degrees).  I baked the first pizza at 550 degrees and it burned a little bit so I lowered the temperature to 500 degrees for the second one and that seemed to work out better.  If you don't have a baking stone, you can use the back of a sheet pan, but don't preheat the pan.

Generously dust a peel or the back of a sheet pan with semolina flour or cornmeal.  I used cornmeal.  Make the pizzas one at a time.  Dip your hands, including the backs of your hands and knuckles, in flour and lift 1 piece of dough by getting under it with a dough scraper.


I'll just let you know right now that I didn't shape the pizza exactly the way the book describes.  I still don't have the hang of stretching the pizza in the air and then tossing it. I did stretch it in the air a little bit, then finished stretching it on the counter.  I didn't need a rolling pin, I just used my fingers to spread the dough out.  

When you've stretched the dough enough (about 9 to 12 inches in diameter), lay it on the peel, making sure there is enough semolina flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide.  Or, you can do what I did and place the dough on parchment sprinkled with cornmeal then transfer the whole thing to the peel.  I find that much easier to manage.

I parbaked the first pizza crust for a few minutes before adding the toppings.  I didn't parbake the second pizza and we could definitely tell the difference.  We like it parbaked much better!

Lightly top the pizza with sauce and then with your favorite toppings.  In addition to the yummy pizza sauce, I topped my pizza with onions, green peppers and mozzarella cheese.

Slide the pizza onto the stone and close the door.  Wait 2 minutes, then take a peak to make sure it is baking evenly.  If necessary, you can rotate the pizza for even baking. The pizza should take about 5 to 8 minutes to bake.

 

Cooling and Serving the Pizza

Remove the pizza from the oven and transfer to a cutting board.  Wait 3 to 5 minutes before slicing and serving, to allow the cheese to set slightly.  This was the hard part!  But we managed.

 

Now it's time to enjoy some of this yummy pizza!

Thanks for joining us this week in the Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge!  And, a big thanks to Nicole at Pinch My Salt for getting us started on this journey.  We're learning a lot and having loads of fun!

The next bread in Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge, is Poolish Baguettes. 

 

Happy Baking!
Cathy