Welcome to the first episode of Let's Get This Bread! In today's episode my fellow baker bois, gals and non-binary pals, we break and enter Selasi's bakery located in the Center City, the heart of Vesuvia.
Pumpkin bread, a true delicacy I've come to adore and desire at any given time. A whole loaf of that and a good cuppa will be death of me. Now, before we sneak a peek at the recipe (Not Selasi's, because that would be plain rude) you might be wondering who on Mother Gaia is Selasi? Well, he's the baker of course!
Other than my love for baking, I have a soft spot for video games...And Selasi The Baker, a minor character in the game The Arcana, has baked his way into my good recipe books. And before you ask, no, he's not canonically a romanceable character in game. More of a burly fatherly figure equipped with dad jokes and a killer mustache with some serious muscle. Those biceps were made for baking. If your papa ain't back from the store to get some milk, Selasi will be there for you!
Now I've had a lot of pumpkin bread in my day and baked this one too many times now, so be prepared if you like the smell of pumpkin spice in the air. It might last a few days, but who's complaining? Gentle reminder before we start a mess, to make sure you've cleaned your utensils and your hands because hygiene and health is important and it's just plain nasty if you don't. No one's gonna eat your bread if you don't wash your hands, kids. Always get an adult to help you with sharp things and ovens. Be cautious of the blade and heat so you don't accidentally nick or burn yourself. It's okay to ask for help!
Now, you may wear your cute apron with pride and let's get this bread.
DA' DOUGH BASE
Wet Ingredients
1/2 Cup of Whole Milk
1/2 Cup of Brown Sugar
1 1/2 Tsp. of Yeast
1 Tbsp. Melted Butter
1 Large Egg Beaten
Dry Ingredients
2 Cups of Flour
1/4 Cup of Brown Sugar
2 Tsp. Cinnamon or Fancy All-Spice
1/2 Tsp. of Salt
4 Tbsp. of Room Temp. Butter
FILLING
3/4 Cup of Pumpkin Puree
1/4 Cup of Brown Sugar
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon or All-Spice
Any nuts you prefer! It's optional of course.
EGG WASH
1 Large Egg Beaten
GLAZE
1/2 Cup of Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup of Water
1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon or as much as you like, go crazy even, cos' you know, it's cinnamon.
NOTES:
Preheat the oven to 165°C.
You are allowed to spoil yourself with as much as cinnamon/ all-spice as you want.
When blooming yeast, make sure your milk and sugar solution has been fully incorporated and at 49°C.
I like to steep cinnamon sticks into the milk for added intensity but you do you if you don't wanna do that.
No one's stopping you from using pumpkin puree from the can, but, if I may be so bold to say that, making your own is much, much, better and rewarding. Brownie points for making your house smell like a suburban American home during fall.
You can make your pumpkin bread into rolls just like a cinnamon roll or you could braid your bread into a challah.
Always be gentle when you're kneading. Violence in baking is a big no, no.
Difference between sticky dough and wet dough. Your sticky dough will almost as easily remove itself from your hands when kneading while your dough that's too wet to handle, will stay attached in between your fingers. To fix wet dough, add a tablespoon of flour and knead until it reaches maximum capacity of good sticky dough!
Bake till golden-brown or use a toothpick to check your dough.
DIRECTIONS
Crack those knuckles and let's start with the wet ingredients to form the dough: In a bowl, fully incorporate your warm milk and sugar at 49°C. Then add your yeast to proof and bloom like magic, waiting at least 5 minutes or until the whole mixture is foam. Soon after, add 1 tablespoon melted butter and mix together. In a small bowl/measuring cup, combine the milk mixture and egg.
Onto the dry ingredients: the butter in this section will follow short after. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon/ all-spice. Next, add the milk mixture to the dry mixture, and combine. Now, time to knead. Make sure to flour your surface and hands because it will get sticky! Keep kneading till the dough comes together.
Now, here's the butter you almost forgot. With each tablespoon, gently work it into the dough until fully incorporated.
Time for some sleep for your dough baby! In a lightly buttered bowl, plop your dough baby in and cover it with a warm towel and set in a warm place. Maybe perched up a window sill. Let it sleep until they double up in size for about an hour or 2. They grow up so fast. :(
Filling time! In a small bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon/ all-spice.
Check-up on your dough baby! Once they've grown, you can flour your surface and hands, tip the dough out and roll with a pin into a large rectangle. Be sure not too roll them too thick or too thin! An inch is just fine if you don't want your dough to tear when filling.
Spread the filling and nuts over the dough and make sure to leave a border around the rectangle. Less is more when it comes to filling and you'll be better off without making a mess when you roll the dough up.
Rolling the dough up is the easy part! If you've managed to flour your surface, that is. There are two ways you can bake your pumpkin bread: braided loaf or rolls. Choose your pick!
A braided loaf requires you to cut the dough into two pieces but leave one end of the dough intact. Then twist them, overlapping each piece over the other and seam the end shut. Transfer to a baking pan.
Rolls requires you cut them into slices and prop them up into a pan. You can cut them using bench scraper or a piece of thread. Alternatively you can make your rolls into roll twists just by twisting them. Transfer to a baking pan.
Once you've chosen which style you've gone for, it's time for another sleep. Once they're in their own lightly buttered pans, cover your dough with a warm towel and place in a warm area. This will take an hour.
Preheat the oven to 165°C.
Braided loaf baking time: 30-45 minutes. After, brush your egg wash lightly on your loaf then bake for another 10-15 minutes at 177°C.
Rolls baking time: 20 minutes. After, brush your egg wash lightly on your loaf then bake for another 10-15 minutes at 177°C.
And now the glaze. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine your ingredients altogether. Once the sugar has been dissolved, remove from heat and set aside to cool. Remember that this is a glaze not hard candy.
After your bread has been baked, leave it out to cool. Once it's chill enough, you can remove it from it's tin and glaze all you want. Be generous, no one's watching.
Eat like a magician's apprentice who just found out they've been resurrected from the dead after falling victim to the plague. (It's a reference from the game, please don't take it seriously.)
Whew! Wasn't that easy? I'm sure you aced it and if you didn't, well hey, there's always another time and enough room for effort! Baking has always helped me at really looking at the simpler things in life. What's more simple and relaxing than making bread? And you get to eat it afterwards.
I sincerely do hope that today's episode in Let's Get This Bread! has been entertaining for you! Today I have rediscovered my love for cinnamon. (I've really used that word here, didn't I ? Take a shot if you're old enough to drink.)
You've made Selasi The Baker proud! Now, that's one hell of an achievement to unlock.
Until we meet in the next episode, magicians! Farewell!
Komentarze