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Saturday, March 9, 2013

Yeast-Risen Rhubarb, Blackberry, and Ginger Dessert Bread

As spring comes around, it is difficult to think of anything but yeast-risen rhubarb, blackberry, and ginger dessert breads.

The yeast really makes this recipe's dough a hybrid of bread and dessert, with a texture which allows it to be pulled apart instead of crumbling.  The ginger adds a somber note to its smell.
This recipe is great to be served alongside breakfast.  With enough sugar to be sweet, but enough berries, whole wheat, ginger, and savory aspects to its taste to be satisfying.  The current baking time yields a cake with a cracked, smooth crust and a moist, poundcake-like inside.
To get a drier, more bread-like dough, you could try baking it either for an additional ten minutes, or at a higher temperature (425˚F / 220 ˚C), keeping a cover on top of the dough as is bakes for 30 minutes and removing it in the last 10 minutes.
If you wish, you could cut this bread into slices and make it act as a fancy sandwich.  Spreading it with mascarpone and adding strawberries is very good indeed.

Serving suggestion.

Ingredients:

1.5 cup / 240g white flour
1cup / 170g whole wheat flour
1 cup / 410g turbinado sugar
1/3 cup / 80mL almond oil or butter
2.5 cup / 300g rhubarb, cut into pieces and washed
1/2c / 70g blackberries
3T / 7g grated ginger
2 eggs
3/4 cup / 240mL milk
2 heaping t / 10g active dry yeast
handful strawberries or blackberries (optional)

Procedure

Heat the milk until it is warm to the touch, as close as possible to (but not over) 37˚C / 98˚F
note: in the microwave on high power it is reached in 50seconds, be sure to stir before using thermometer
Mix sugar, white flour, milk and yeast, and let sit for 1-2 hours in a place as close as possible to 37˚C
Mix in the eggs and additional almond oil.
Sift in the extra flour, then add the berries, ginger and rhubarb
Pour dough into a greased baking pan and let sit for half an hour in a warm environment
If so desired, after the half hour, line the pan's edges with sliced strawberries or blackberries
note: I forgot to do this.
Bake at 350˚F/180˚C for 40 minutes.
Let sit in the turned-off oven for 7 minutes if you are not satisfied with the brownness of the crust on the bread.
Remove from oven and let cool under a cotton cloth until warm.
Serve with milk.






2 comments:

  1. This looks fantastic. As soon as I am able to locate some rhubarb, I am definitely going to give this recipe a try!

    ReplyDelete