The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Cranberry Walnut Porridge Bread

Isand66's picture
Isand66

Cranberry Walnut Porridge Bread

I made a similar version of this bread over Thanksgiving but never had a chance to post it.  I changed a few things including increasing the hydration and used walnuts instead of pecans.  I wanted to really bring out the nutty flavor in this one and used barley flakes along with rolled oats for the porridge.  The Greek Yogurt was added for a little extra sour edge and I find it adds a little extra creamy texture to the final loaf.

All in all this is one of my favorite breads I have come up with and made an excellent grilled ham and cheese sandwich :).

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Cranberry Walnut Porridge Bread (weights)

Cranberry Walnut Porridge Bread (%)

Here are the Zip files for the above BreadStorm files.

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Levain Directions

Mix all the levain ingredients together  for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.  I used my proofer set at 83 degrees and it took about 4 hours.  You can use it immediately in the final dough or let it sit in your refrigerator overnight.

Porridge Directions

Add about 3/4's of the milk called for in the porridge to the dry ingredients in a small pot set to low and stir constantly until all the milk is absorbed.  Add the remainder of the milk and keep stirring until you have a nice creamy and soft porridge.  Remove from the heat and let it come to room temperature before adding to the dough.  I put mine in the refrigerator and let it cool quicker.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours  and the water for about 1 minute.  Let the rough dough sit for about 20 minutes to an hour.  Next add the levain, cooled porridge, Greek Yogurt and salt and mix on low for 5 minutes.  Now add the walnut pieces along with the cranberries and mix on low for another minute until they are incorporated.    You should end up with a cohesive dough that is slightly tacky but  manageable.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.  (Since I used my proofer I only let the dough sit out for 1.5 hours before refrigerating).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.

The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature and will only rise about 1/3 it's size at most.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 550 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 5 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for 35-50 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

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Comments

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

even without a porridge or yogurt.  This one had to be a bit more tasty than plain old CranNut bread:-)  Vry well done indeed. - love the spring on this one.   

I hear you are going to get some more snow so keep the shovel handy.  Lucy send her best to the furry ones on LI.

Happy baking Ian

Isand66's picture
Isand66

Thanks DA.  I really loved this one.  I think you and Lucy would like it as well. Just filled up the snowblower with some gas so I'm ready to go!

Happy Baking.   Look forward to seeing Lucy's next masterpiece.

nmygarden's picture
nmygarden

Sure wish I had a loaf like this one! It looks wonderful and absolutely right up my alley.Have baked so little lately, that a burger bun or two are all the bread that's left in the freezer. I've got some wheat berries sprouting and will use them this weekend, though,

Truly a beauty, thanks for sharing it with us! Tillie and Daisy send their best to the East Coast Gang. They neither have seen snow, but I'm sure it would be fun to watch their first encounter!

Cathy

Isand66's picture
Isand66

Thanks Cathy.  I hope you have more time to bake again.  I think you will like this one if you get a chance to try it.  After a mild beginning to the winter we just got slammed by another snow storm.  Lexi was ln all her glory romping in the snow.  My NY gang says hi to your 4 legged friends.

Regards,

Ian

STUinlouisa's picture
STUinlouisa

Porridge bread is always good, haven't tried the yogurt addition but must keep it in mind. Bet that makes wonderful toast slathered wit butter or better yet creme fraiche.

Stu

Isand66's picture
Isand66

Thanks Stu.

You're right about the toast with better and the crime frail he sounds like a good idea.

Happy baking.

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

Ian,

I am hooked on making porridge breads too.  They add a nice texture and I like cooking the porridge in the morning for my evening mix.  I miss the days of making oatmeal when the kids were younger.

Sprouts had a whale of a deal on walnuts so I bought a bunch and have been adding them to just about everything lately.  I found some roasted walnut oil and it puts the porridges over the top when added.  (I just made a loaf yesterday 'Elin's Walnut Bread' which is very similar to yours but without the cranberries and spelt was the flour…A Danish recipe from the book 'Home Baked'  )

I will have to add this loaf of yours to my 'to bake' list since it falls in with the season's baking at the moment.

Thanks for posting.

Janet

Isand66's picture
Isand66

Thanks Janet.  I hope your bread eaters like this one.  It's one of my favorites.  I look forward to hearing how it comes out.

Happy baking.

Regards,

Ian

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

Good Evening Ian,

I bumped this loaf up on my 'to bake' list because I really like baking loaves that include porridge/scalds.  Your formula added an ingredient I hadn't tried in mine, yogurt, and I liked the results.  

As with most of what I bake now-a-days…I do tweak and couldn't resist adding a bit of walnut oil to the dough because I wanted even more softness and moistness in the loaf I baked because it was sent off via the USPS to California and I knew the trip would challenge the moisture in the loaf.  I wanted the bread to remain soft as long as possible.  I will know if my plan worked as soon as I hear back but I am not even sure if the box has been received as of yet.

I also added a bit of sorghum simply because it is a new ingredient that I have been experimenting with and I couldn't resist the urge to include it in the cooking porridge.

What I can tell you is that the dough was wonderful to work with and a delight to shape the following morning.  So much so that I baked up another batch, and tweaked again, using raisins and cooked rye berries in place of the cranberries and walnuts.  Another lovely dough.

I like the % of the cooked grains and the addition of yogurt so this formula will be added to my binder of bread formulas as it has proven itself a winner in its ability to adapt itself to anything I toss into it :)  It really does lend itself to endless possibilities which should come as no surprise since most bread formulas leave themselves wide open to tweaking.

Thanks for posting it and providing me with something new to play around with in my kitchen!

Janet

Isand66's picture
Isand66

So happy to hear you liked this formula.  I like adding walnut oil sometimes too and that sounds like a perfect addition.  I have not used sorghum yet.  What are the attributes and supposed flavor profiles?

Anyway, thanks for the update and let me know how your friend likes the loaf you sent them.

Regards,
Ian

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

Sorghum…Sweetener that has a bit of nutrition in it similar to molasses but sweeter so less is used.  Doesn't have as strong as of flavor as blackstrap molasses, which I use in rye breads, so it blends better with wheat loaves…I think….which is why I am experimenting with it.  Mostly for fun just to see how it changes flavor profile.

 I can't eat the breads I bake so rely on comments from others which means I will have to wait for their comments so anything I write is pure conjecture on my part :)

My guess is that its attributes would be sweetness combined with nutrition in terms of the minerals it contains.  An alternative sweetener that has been around in this country, primarily in the South I think, for centuries but got pushed out of the picture when white sugar came along.

Sorry I can't give you a more definitive answer due to my lack of direct experience with it.  Just a fun thing for me to use - to have on hand when I want a little more depth of flavor combined with sweetness than honey or agave provide.

Take Care,

Janet

Reynard's picture
Reynard

With a nice ripe Brie :-) And an extra dollop of cranberry chutney...

I haven't made porridge bread since my pair of disasters in the autumn, I really ought to have another crack at it. My lovely neighbour gave me three crates of walnuts - I've been putting them in bread, but they've been turning it purple!

Best wishes to your gang from the girls :-)

Isand66's picture
Isand66

Thanks for your kind words.  Hope you decide to try this one it's worth the risk :).  Pecans or walnuts will work as well as dried cherries if you don't have any cranberries.  Walnuts do tend to add a purple tinge to the dough but not too much on this one for some reason.

Happy baking.

Ian 

 

 

alfanso's picture
alfanso

another beauty!  Other than encasing ham and cheese, what do you see this bread to be an accompaniment for?  The ingredients list seem to take it from ordinary table bread with a meal to a special purpose bread.  What say ye?

alan

Isand66's picture
Isand66

Thanks Alan....works great with butter or any coldcut meat.  This is one of my favorites.   Hope you take a ride to the wild side and give this a try :)

happy baking!

MontBaybaker's picture
MontBaybaker

I'm guessing dried, but does it matter?  I have some bags of fresh in the freezer from Thanksgiving.  Can't wait to try this recipe!  It's been bookmarked for awhile, but I'm working on a new starter.

Isand66's picture
Isand66

I used dried but Fresh should be fine.  Just watch the extra water content and hold back a little from the main dough and adjust as needed.

Let me know how it turns out.

Regards

Ian