The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Solar Eclipse Bread - A Crusty Sesame Bread for a Rare Event

hanseata's picture
hanseata

Solar Eclipse Bread - A Crusty Sesame Bread for a Rare Event

This month Mini Oven challenged us fellow Fresh Loafers to create a special bread to commemorate the upcoming total eclipse of the sun. Spurred by astronomic ambitions I began to ponder how to go about this.

Just a new bread? Where was the connection to the total eclipse?

A two-toned dough? Once I baked a marbled rye bread and found its taste rather underwhelming.

Squid ink as a black dye? Not my cup of tea!

So it had to be a two-toned decoration. Black and white sesame seeds are in my pantry. Only a suitable recipe was missing. It couldn't be a loaf whose oven-spring would tear and destroy any decorative topping.

The answer was a flat bread that would spread more than rise.

I found a good starting point in Austrian baker Dietmar Kappl's Fladenbrot, tweaking it to suit my needs: with a long, cold bulk fermentation and the introduction of a little whole grain flour (I tried it with rye and emmer - both tasted great).

To emulate the eclipse I needed a ring-shaped utensil to press the outline of the moon into the dough. A large yogurt tub had just the right diameter (11.5 cm/4.5 inches).

We were so happy with my crusty, nutty flat bread that I baked it again, two days later, for my customers at the natural food store that sells my breads.

To see the recipe and pictures of the process, please visit my blog "Brot & Bread".

Comments

Lazy Loafer's picture
Lazy Loafer

Looks lovely, Karin, both the crumb and the decoration! Good idea to use a simple dough for this one so as not to ruin the shapes. Does this one have rye or emmer? Or both?

hanseata's picture
hanseata

I made two batches. First I tried it with an addition of sprouted rye, and was so happy with the result, that I baked another batch with emmer for my customers and an overnight bulk fermentation that fits better into my schedule.

 

Isand66's picture
Isand66

Great bake Karin!  these look perfect and very creative.

hanseata's picture
hanseata

definitely a fun project (and the only eclipse I could see here in Maine!)

IceDemeter's picture
IceDemeter

These look incredible - and I love the idea of using the different colours of toppings to emulate the eclipse.

Many thanks for sharing both here and on your blog!  I really enjoy all of the extra details that you add there (and give you a HUGE thanks for the EX-PAT'S PFLAUMENMUS-ERSATZ, which I am now addicted to...)

Please keep sharing, and inspiring!

hanseata's picture
hanseata

Thanks! And I'm happy you like my Pflaumenmus-Ersatz. Did you try to make the Bohemian Hazelnut Torte, yet?

I'm planning to prepare a great childhood favorite soon, yeasted dumplings with Pflaumenmus filling and poppy seed topping - another very addictive use of Pflaumenmus.