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!
