Bread Machine (108 page)
When the baking cycle ends, immediately remove the bread from the pan and place it on a rack. Let cool to room temperature before slicing.
The Right Ingredient: About Salt
While salt isn’t truly required as a flavor enhancer, it is considered an essential ingredient for its ability to accent other flavors in the bread. A lack of salt is very noticeable as a flat taste in a finished loaf. Salt also plays another important role; the little bit that most bread recipes call for acts as a stabilizer so that the yeast does not over ferment. It helps to condition and toughen the protein strands so that they do not break easily during the rising process and the dough expands smoothly. Too much salt can inhibit yeast activity, though, so be sure you use the exact amount called for in a recipe.
If you are on a salt-restricted diet and wish to reduce the salt in a recipe, be sure to reduce the yeast measurement proportionally or use the full amount of a lite salt. Without the right amount of salt, the dough will rise too fast. This is especially true in the environment of the bread machine, which is warm and very hospitable to the yeast.
Plain iodized table salt (mechanically removed from rock salt deposits with potassium iodine and magnesium silicate added to prevent caking) and fine sea salt (from saline deposits at the edge of the sea, containing no preservatives or anti-caking agents) can be used interchangeably in recipes. I prefer the flavor of a fine-grind sun-evaporated sea salt, and even call for fine sea salt in some country breads in which the flavor of each ingredient is so integral to the finished loaf. Sun-evaporated, unrefined sea salts retain their complementary minerals, calcium, potassium, and magnesium, which gives them a distinct flavor reminiscent of the sea. I like fine La Baleine, an iodized sun-evaporated sea salt from the Mediterranean, or Balboa fine-crystal salt from San Francisco Bay. An entire line of different salts for the gourmet bread-maker are available by mail order, including pretzel salt, extra fine salt for focaccia and breadsticks, Maldon Crystal Sea Salt from England (it has pyramid-shaped flakes), good for use in bread as well as for sprinkling, and Fleur de Sel De Guerande from Brittany.
Fleur de sel
, literally “flower of salt,” is gathered off the top layer of salt that collects in sun-evaporation pans over the water. It is known as “the caviar of salts,” and used as a condiment rather than an ingredient. The pretty white crystals can be sprinkled directly onto sweet butter that has been spread on
pain de campagne
, for example. Another exceptional salt is Light Grey Celtic Sea Salt, which is a bit moist and gets ground in a salt mill; it is a favorite with specialty artisan bakers. Kosher salt (which is mined, but contains no additives) is less salty than regular salts and a favorite of ethnic bakers. Along with coarse sea salt kosher salt must be ground before being used in dough (it won’t dissolve), otherwise it may be sprinkled in its larger pieces on top of focaccia, bagels, pretzels, and breadsticks before baking, for a pretty finishing touch.
When you are using the Delay Timer to make bread, add the salt to the bread pan just after you’ve added the liquid, at the beginning of the dry ingredients.
The flour then acts as a buffer between the salt and the yeast, so that the salt does not inhibit the yeast as the ingredients are sitting in the pan. Some recipes and owner’s manuals say that salt and yeast should never come in contact, but I find this precaution necessary only when using the Delay Timer. If you are mixing and baking the bread right away, it really doesn’t matter what comes in contact with what. As you can see from my recipes, in fact, I usually add the salt and yeast next to one another at the end; I believe the salt gets distributed more evenly this way.
ORANGE SOURDOUGH BREAD WITH CRANBERRIES, PECANS, AND GOLDEN RAISINS
T
he sweet-sour taste combination of the raisins and cranberries in this bread is one of my favorites. Use a white flour sourdough starter, like the French Buttermilk.
1
1
/
2
- POUND LOAF
1
/
2
cup
French Buttermilk Starter
, or any white flour sourdough starter
3
/
4
cup orange juice
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
3
1
/
4
cups bread flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1
3
/
4
teaspoons SAF yeast or 2
1
/
4
teaspoons bread machine yeast
1
/
2
cup dried cranberries
1
/
3
cup golden raisins
1
/
3
cup chopped pecans
2-POUND LOAF
3
/
4
cup
French Buttermilk Starter
, or any white flour sourdough starter
1 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
4
1
/
4
cups bread flour
1
/
4
cup sugar
1
1
/
2
teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons SAF yeast or 2
1
/
2
teaspoons bread machine yeast
2
/
3
cup dried cranberries
1
/
2
cup golden raisins
1
/
2
cup chopped pecans
Place the ingredients, except the fruit and nuts, in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions. Set crust on medium and program for the Basic cycle or Fruit and Nut cycle; press Start. (This recipe is not suitable for use with the Delay Timer.) When the machine beeps, or between Knead 1 and Knead 2, add the fruits and nuts. If you are using the Basic cycle, you may also mix all the ingredients together at the beginning, if you wish.
When the baking cycle ends, immediately remove the bread from the pan and place it on a rack. Let cool to room temperature before slicing.
M
y girlfriend Suzanne and I like to order some of our spices in bulk from McCormick. This last batch included a pound of apple pie spice mixture—a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice—which is now in everything sweet that I bake. I ended up developing and making this recipe for Halloween. Serve this bread with cream cheese and
Spiced Vanilla Honey
or
Cinnamon Date Cheese
.
1
1
/
2
- POUND LOAF
3
/
4
cup sourdough starter
Next-Day White Sourdough Starter
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1
/
4
cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable or nut oil
3
1
/
2
cups bread flour
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons apple pie spice
1
1
/
2
teaspoons salt
1
1
/
4
teaspoons SAF yeast or 2
1
/
4
teaspoons bread machine yeast
2-POUND LOAF
1 cup sourdough starter
Next-Day White Sourdough Starter
1
1
/
3
cups canned pumpkin puree
1
/
3
cup water
3 tablespoons vegetable or nut oil
4
1
/
2
cups bread flour
1
/
4
cup dark brown sugar