Bread Machine (166 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.
Bread Machine Baker’s Hint: Yeast and the Dark Sweet Spices
Spices are considered condiments, cherished for their flavor rather than their nourishing qualities. Spices have been used since ancient times, but were once quite rare. Without spices, the world of sweet breads would be dull indeed.
The delicious dark sweet spices that find a comfortable home in bread baking include cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, mace, cardamom, and pepper—all aromatic products of tropical plants. The plants that produce these essences and oils have been treasured since the time of the Egyptians, not only for their ability to elevate baking from the simple to the sublime, but for their medicinal remedies and perfumes as well.
Every so often I will bake a loaf of sweet bread laden with some of these spices and lo and behold, I end up with a flat loaf. It turns out that these spices have marked antiseptic and antimycotic properties from the active ingredients in their volatile oils that can inhibit, or even completely destroy, the action of the yeast. The oils are what give spices their particular flavor and aroma. In these recipes, there should be plenty of yeast and eggs for leavening, the dough should be pliable and rise easily, there should not be too many added heavy ingredients—such as nuts or dried fruit—to weigh down the delicate doughs, and the spices should be used in small enough quantities that the breads turn out perfect. But if you are troubleshooting a less-than-perfect loaf, you may want to look at how much of these spices are in your bread and cut back a bit, or add them after the second rise in a sugary swirl.
Though it is not a dark, sweet spice, I should mention ginger here, which is at the other end of the spectrum. Powdered ginger has the opposite effect in yeast breads. The yeast loves the ginger. It turns up often in recipes, with a pinch added to encourage the yeast’s activity.
T
he combination of sweet prunes and aromatic poppy seeds is a surprise at first. But one bite and you will be hooked; it is a compatible taste pairing. Poppy seeds are grown extensively in the alpine areas of Central Europe and grace breads and coffee cakes from Vienna to Russia. They add a nutty, crunchy quality to this great breakfast bread.
1
1
/
2
-POUND LOAF
1
/
2
cup milk
1
/
3
cup water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg
2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1
/
4
cup poppy seeds
2 tablespoons sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon gluten
1
1
/
2
teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons SAF yeast or 2
1
/
2
teaspoons bread machine yeast
1
/
2
cup chopped pitted prunes
2-POUND LOAF
2
/
3
cup milk
1
/
2
cup water
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg
3 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1
/
4
cup plus 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
3 tablespoons sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon gluten
2 teaspoons salt
2
1
/
2
teaspoons SAF yeast or 1 tablespoon bread machine yeast
3
/
4
cup chopped pitted prunes
Place the ingredients, except the prunes, in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions. Set crust on medium and program for the Basic 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 prunes.
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.
CRANBERRY—GOLDEN RAISIN BREAD WITH CARDAMOM
S
candinavian raisin breads always have a favorite spice added—cardamom. It is surprising that a spice that is native to the Malabar coast of India is so ingrained in a baking tradition so far away from where it is grown. Cardamom was popular in the time of the early Greeks and Romans, perfuming many of their honey breads. It is the third most costly spice, after saffron and vanilla. You can crush your own cardamom seeds between sheets of waxed paper with a rolling pin. For this recipe, you can also add the fruit at the beginning of the cycle, if you wish.
1
1
/
2
-POUND LOAF
1
1
/
4
cups water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
3 cups bread flour
1
/
4
cup nonfat dry milk
1 tablespoon gluten
1
1
/
2
teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 teaspoons SAF yeast or 2
1
/
2
teaspoons bread machine yeast
2
/
3
cup golden raisins
2
/
3
cup dried cranberries
2-POUND LOAF
1
2
/
3
cups water
2
1
/
2
tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
4 cups bread flour
1
/
3
cup nonfat dry milk
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons gluten
2 teaspoons salt
1
1
/
4
teaspoons ground cardamom
2
1
/
2
teaspoons SAF yeast or 1 tablespoon bread machine yeast
3
/
4
cup golden raisins
3
/
4
cup dried cranberries
Place the ingredients, except the fruit, in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions. Set crust on light and program for the Sweet Bread or Fruit and Nut cycle; press Start. 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 fruit.