8/26/10 - Almond Milk Bread with Dried Cherries
Almond Milk Bread with Dried Cherries
This recipe was inspired by a friend who gave me some dried cherries to bake something with, my recent success with brioche, and a box of unsweetened almond milk that just doesn’t taste very good to drink straight…
Recipe:
1000g Bread flour (Gold Medal)
600g Liquid (3 eggs + almond milk to make up amount)
200g Liquid levain (100% hydration storage starter from fridge)
150g Granulated sugar
150g Slivered almonds
230g Dried cherries
100g Unsalted butter
20g Kosher salt
10g Instant Yeast (3 tsp)
2 tsp Vanilla extract
2460g Total Dough Yield
Tools:
Digital scale
Large stainless steel mixing bowl about 15L size
Rubber spatula or wooden spoon
Plastic dough scraper
Bowl of water
Large plastic bag
Plastic tub with cover (4L or larger)
3 loaf pans 9” x 5” loaf pans
Large plastic bag
Baking stone (large rectangular)
Egg+ water for egg wash
Butter for greasing plastic tub and pans
Instructions:
Weigh out all ingredients, cut butter in to small cubes, butter plastic tub, toast almond slivers in a pan and let cool.
7:45pm – Place eggs, almond milk, vanilla extract in large mixing bowl. Then add the bread flour, granulated sugar, Kosher salt, instant yeast. Mix well using rubber spatula until a shaggy dough comes together. Knead in bowl using slap and fold method for about 5 minutes. Then add all the butter and continue kneading using slap and fold method for another 5 minutes. Then add almond slivers and dried cherries. Transfer to buttered plastic tub and let rise for 2 to 2 1/2 hrs or until doubled. Turn dough every 30 minutes. (I put it in the fridge for 1 hour due to scheduling of another bake).
9:30pm – Place plastic tub in fridge for 1 hr if necessary due to scheduling.
10:30pm – Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface, divide into 3 equal pieces (800g approx). Shape into loaf, place in buttered loaf pan. Place all pans in large plastic bag, cover and proof for 90 minutes.
11:00pm – Place baking stone on 2nd rack from bottom, preheat oven with convection to 400F.
12:00am – Brush loaves with egg wash made from 1 egg and a little water. Turn convection off, place loaves into oven, turn down to 380F and bake for 40 minutes or until internal temp reaches 190F or more. Cool completely before eating.
Enjoy!
Comments
Yum. Those look great.
Thanks Floyd! Most of them have been eaten... Those that were not eaten were turned into French toast!
I adore the flavor of almond milk! LOL Did any of that flavor come out in the bread, or was it just a nice liquid to bake with? I actually have all of these ingredients... hmmm...
Those loaves are really gorgeous! And I bet they tasted fantastic, even if the almond milk didn't come through!
Thanks. I really didn't taste too much of the almond milk flavor. I also could have used less sugar, and more vanilla extract... I think I just used the almond milk as a liquid to bake with that I didn't want to waste and throw away... Good to know it works well in bread...
Since sometimes that's the only milk in the house. I've always been hesitant to use it. Will you let us know how well this holds up? With the lesser amount of fat in almond milk, I'm sure it goes stale/bad sooner, but how much sooner? I've wondered that, too.
I don't think you need to worry about it staling faster. There's the fat from the butter and eggs... Plus it tastes really good, so they'll be gone fast... Usually my lean/unflavored breads last for the week... These rich/sweet ones as unhealthy as they are, taste really good, and only last for about 2 days...
Also, you may want to reduce the amount of sugar in this recipe to 100g (10%) instead of 150g (15%) due to the sugars present in the dried cherries...
LOL I totally missed the eggs part. Not sure how! Yeah, between the eggs and the butter I'm sure it won't stale very fast at all. But sweet breads often last longer in our house than lean ones, ironically. I guess because we only have a slice or two at a time of the sweet, vs the lean ones get used for toast, sandwiches, and snacking.
... so I'm taking off from this recipe to try to use some of it before it reaches its expiration date. By the way, Floyd, I love that the search engine on Fresh Loaf works so well.
Combining what I've learned recently about stretch-and-fold, here's what's underway. I'll add a further report and pictures when it's done.
500g artisan bread flour, 75g granulated sugar, 10g kosher salt, 5g yeast - tossed together in a big bowl to mix.
50g unsalted butter, 2 large eggs (100g), 300g almond milk - soften the butter with a whisk, whisk in eggs and then the almond milk.
Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir with a spoon until all the dry ingredients are moistened. Cover with a damp towel and let sit 45 minutes.
Chop 75g nuts (today it is toasted almonds in the skins) and mix with 120g dried fruit (today its 50g tart cherries and 7g blueberries). Optionally, chop the fruit pieces if they are large.
At the 45 minute mark, on a lightly oiled countertop, stretch the dough into a rectangle about 12" x 18." Distribute the nuts and fruit on top and fold in thirds as you would a piece of paper headed to a business envelope. Turn 90 degrees and fold again in thirds. Place, seam side down, back in the bowl, cover and let sit 45 minutes.
Do a second stretch and fold cycle, wait another 45 minutes, do a third stretch and fold, (oil the bowl this time) and wait a final 45 minutes.
After the final 45 minute wait, shape into a loaf and place on parchment paper. Cover and allow to rest 20 minutes.
Right now, I am in the first 45 minute wait. I'll let you know how it progresses.
Enjoy your day!