Russian Rose

Thai Rose

This month Tanna of Kitchen in Half Cups is the lovely host of the Bread Baking Babes. She found a beautiful shaped rose for us to bake. I don’t have a lot of experience braiding dough. I’ve braided a Challah with ginger syrup, which was interesting and I need to do it more before it’s in my fingers. But, shaping the Estonian Kringel with Coconut changed this. It’s so easy and the outcome is nice, not like a braided Challah, but it looks beautiful when you serve it.

There are over 100 species of roses. Their size and shape vary and most have colors that range from white through yellow and red. Most species are native to Asia, with smaller numbers native to Europe, North America, and northwest Africa. Roses are used in many different ways; for their appearance, smell, taste and even as medicine.

There are approximately 15.000 different species of plants in Thailand and the largest group is orchids. There are 1.157 species found in all types of habitats. Even though there are many beautiful native orchids in our garden we still love the sight of a rose.

My “rose” has thicker petals, because: 1. I should have rolled out the dough as thin as strudel, but I didn’t. 2. The dough should be stronger than my tacky dough to keep its shape. 3. Better to under proof it than fully proofed in this temperature (30°C).
Always good for next time, because there will be a next time for sure. This Russian Rose is a big hit!

Meteorites

It’s October and time to visit Farine. BYOB chooses Farine as the Featured Blog of this month. I love to have a look around the blog of MC; she visits mills and bakeries, talks with the bakers and millers, shares her knowledge and back home she bakes the bread herself. And now we can bake along with MC.

Because she has a lot of great looking breads it was hard to choose and I just went for the title: the Meteorite. The photo showed a kind of rocklike bread. It looks tempting. MC uses mostly organic flours and loves to mill her own. Of course we can find organic flour and mill our own. But our budget doesn’t allow it yet. Maybe when our pensions come? We are happy we found unbleached flour and the difference is indescribable. I will write more on another occasion. So, I will use what’s available.

As you can see we had two impacts of meteorites. The first impact was on a rainy day. It’s still rainy season and normally I go with the (weather) flow. I feel I have to, because living in tropical Thailand means 4 months of hot weather, 4 months of rainy weather and 4 months we call winter. Thai winter means the hot weather starts at 10.00 am instead of 08.00 am. We love Thai weather and this is the only place I have baked bread. Normally my loaves turn out pretty ok in this weather. But this time I over proofed the loaf. The taste was good, but the crumb was too tight and it looked more like a comet. Like most people I like to show the most beautiful loaf I baked, but today I also show the other one.  

the Comet

I couldn’t leave it like this, MC deserves nice looking bread, and I needed to bake another meteorite. Tonight I will prepare the firm starter with a little bit of salt to delay the process due to hot temperature and tomorrow it’s time for another meteorite.

The second meteorite turned out much better. The meteorite is 100% hydration bread. Did you ever make a loaf with 100% hydration?! I didn’t. At first it looks like thick pancake batter, but with a lot of faith and many more stretches and folds it began to look like bread dough. I decided to use my ceramic pot because I didn’t want another comet. It was a good decision, the hot pot gave the extra help to the dough and it looked like a rock. The other help came from the extra flour preventing it sticking to all that came in it's orbit. 

Thank you MC for this recipe; we loved the flavor of the loaf. I always thought ciabatta is the most difficult bread to bake because of the high hydration, but then you showed me the Meteorite. There’s always room for improvement and something to learn, that’s also why I love baking bread.

Don’t forget to visit MC’s Blog Farine; there’s a lot to enjoy and learn over there.

Oatmeal Bread with Cinnamon, Raisins and Cardamom for WBD

Today is 16^th of October, it’s World Bread Day. As you all know Zorra came up with the great idea to organize World Bread Day, it’s already the 7^th edition.

Long before it’s WBD I’m looking for something special; a theme or country or ingredient. This time I went for an ingredient I hadn't used much.

I had rolled oats in my pantry and it’s time to let it out. When I was a child my father used to make oatmeal porridge and I didn’t like to eat it because it was to dry and it looked like concrete. Nowadays I use oats in oatmeal cookies, which are delicious. And now it’s time to put it in bread. I couldn’t resist and baked from Jeffrey Hamelman’s book Bread.

Now I realize my father wanted to give us a healthy start of the day. I just read you can take an oat bath for your skin ore eat porridge since it seems to contain more vitamin B and calories than other porridges. I like to eat healthy, but it also must be tasty. Some people are concerned about the amount of food in the world and the growing amount of people needing it. They outlined a scenario in which the planet was optimally used for food. They said we don’t need as much variety in vegetables and herbs as we do today. They classified earth to obtain high amount and nutritive value.
In a way they are right, but I think there are more elements than the amount of people to feed. The first thing that comes to my mind is the amount of food that’s discarded every day. To have more on your table to feed your guest (or eat yourself) than needed, is often culturally determined. Things like hospitality and munificence are manmade ideas and can change. Maybe the new world food cultural can be: enough = enough.
When I bake a delicious smelling and tasting bread we can eat the whole loaf at breakfast or lunch. But, we don’t need to. A wise friend said: ‘ask yourself if you need it or want it’. And, to be honest most of the time, we want it instead of need it.

I’m just sharing you my thoughts about the food problem, that shouldn’t be a problem.

Let’s go back to the bread for World Bread Day. As I said before, I choose Oatmeal bread with Cinnamon and Raisins. But I couldn’t resist adding also some Cardamom.

It’s festive, delicious and nutritious bread. 

Brioche with Dulche de Leche

11 October it’s Dulche de Leche Day 

Off course we don’t need a special day to enjoy this delicious creamy stuff. We eat it on ice cream, on cake, on pancakes or we just dip our fingers in it. But, it’s fun to have a special day for such a delicious treat. Last week I had my 50^th birthday and it took me 48 years before I discovered Dulche de Leche. The next 50 years I will enjoy Dulche de Leche.

I also love the idea you can make it yourself and it’s easy. It only takes one (or more) can (s) of sweetened condensed milk, a pan of water, heat and attention. I make 4 jars at once. Just send me an e-mail if you like more instructions on making your own Dulche de Leche. 

Today we have an extra special treat. It’s the first time I bake brioche. It looks like cake but is it cake or is it bread or pastry or ….? Jeffrey Hamelman says it’s: ‘ethereal and light, feathery, delicate, subtle and delectable’. I have to find out for myself.

As there are many people in the world, there are off course many versions of brioche to be found. I kept to the one with 50% of butter, 40% of eggs and 12% of sugar. There are some things you should do in your life; feel brioche dough. It isn't like anything I’ve ever felt before. It’s soft and silky. If I had a big batch of it I would take a dive. Off course I’m kidding, but it feels so smooth! And the best part is we can eat it filled with Dulche de Leche! Lucky us.

A real brioche is shaped into the traditional tête; a kind of chick without beak and eyes. Since I don’t have the special brioche pan I use my muffin tin. I filled the dough with Dulche de Leche, made nice rolls and baked them light brown. I forgot to brush the egg wash for a nice brown golden color.

Brioche is amazingly delicious. It’s not like cake, not like bread, not like pastry, not like... Brioche is creamy and light, moist and dry, warm and cool; it’s just amazingly delicious.    

Just when you are enjoying your first bite of creamy brioche and you open your mouth for the next bite, you feel Dulche de Leche dripping in your mouth. That taste and that smell that’s what I mean.

After baking Dulche de Leche in the dough it became creamier because the sugar crystals dissolved. I can say; ‘Brioche and Dulche de Leche are made for each other’.

Vollkornbrot or 100% Rye Bread

When I was looking for another dark Rye-bread I found Vollkornbrot in Jeffrey Hamelman’s book. Vollkorn means whole meal and he uses Rye meal in this bread. It’s the same as pumpernickel, a coarsely ground rye. I soaked it over night in water before adding it to the rest of the dough.

I don’t use bread pans often, but this time I followed the instructions of Jeffrey Hamelman. 

I baked dark Rye bread before and the last time it was Dutch Regales Finnish Rye. It’s a delicious Rye bread we love on our breakfast table. But we weren’t prepared for this Rye bread. It is like the Frisian Rye Bread we used to buy in the Netherlands. Or at least for us it is. This is a 100% Rye Bread. It’s dark, sweet, moist and full of earthen smells.

It’s so delicious with Dutch cheese (Beemster or Old Amsterdam) or with salted fish or with BLT or with homemade jam, or with anything you like on a tasteful slice of bread.
 
As you might have seen on my blog, we love our Dutch cheeses. Maybe next time when your hand goes out to your usual cheese, stop your hand and have a good look around. Is there Old Amsterdam? Or maybe some mature Beemster? Or cheeses with nettle or clove? Just ask the shopkeeper for a taste of the different Dutch cheeses. I’m sorry to say we are not related to any company or anyone involved in Dutch cheese. I would love to have a family member involved in Dutch or French cheese.

Back to bread. I didn’t have enough Rye meal and had no idea how much Rye flour I needed to get the right amount. I did what I could; I just poured Rye flour until my feeling said it was enough. So I can’t tell you how much Rye flour I used with the small amount of Rye meal. I write here the original recipe. Lucky for us my feeling was right. The loaves turned out delicious. We had enough to share with fellow Dark Rye-lovers.

It's time to link your baked breads of October to BYOB - Bake Your Own Bread

Many of you know where to find BYOB and every month more are sharing home baked breads at BYOB. 

We are so happy to see the great amount of breads you all send to BYOB to share. There were 63 ! loaves of bread, buns, flat bread, pie, cakes, artisan and many more bread related submissions. 

Featured Blog: last month we picked Stephanie's Girl vs Dough. Stephanie has baked a lot of breads and other delicious  treats. Have a look at her recipes, there are so many. I baked her Seeded Brioche Hamburger Buns and they were delicious!  if you didn't baked with us from this featured blog; go and have a look at her blog.

1. Susan from The Spice Garden baked a batch of Cider Doughnut Muffins inspired by this post.
2. Joyce from Kitchen Flavours baked a savory loaf of Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread inspired by this post.
3. Karen from Karen's Kitchen Stories made some flaky Chocolate Croissants inspired by this post.
4. Connie from My Discovery of Bread made some tempting Seeded Brioche Hamburger Buns inspired by this post.
5. Heather from girlichef made what became a fast favorite in her house, these Ham, Cheese, & Broccoli Pretzel Pockets inspired by this post.

(Thanks Heather for this FBB roundup)

There’s a big breadbasket to be filled with homemade breads baked in October. We have a few full baskets already from the previous months; go and see and be inspired. 

Come and join us all in filling the October basket. All the breads you bake during this month are more than welcome. But, there’s more. Also if you want to share knowledge on baking bread, have a bread book review or have bread based recipes you want to tell us all.

This month we've picked a fellow home baker and bread blogger and now we all meet her. The Featured Bread Blog of OCTOBER is: Farine 
MC has baked a lot of breads and other delicious treats. MC loves to visit bakers and mills and post about it. Have a look at her recipes there are so many, it must be easy to choose one or more to bake this month. I know what to bake this month, do you?

How do you participate?

1.    Bake bread in any form (use your own recipe or use one of MC's)

2.    Post about it on your blog and make a manual back link to BYOB (name BYOB in your post) or by using the BYOB button in your post (you find the button here otherwise the Linky tool doesn’t work!)

3.    Click here to fill the basket of October.  When you are linking a post that was inspired by the BYOB - Featured Bread Blog of the month; Farine, please put in your blog name - FBB name of the bread.  Typing 'FBB' identifies you as a featured blog poster.

Are you new to BYOB? Have a look at this for more information. Do you have questions? Send an e-mail 

Heather of Girlichef started to fill the breadbasket in 2012 and since July Michelle of Delectable Musings and I, Connie, are helping her. On all these blogs, when you see the BYOB logo, you can add your bread and it will be linked to the big breadbasket.

Let the filling of the October bread basket begin! 

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1. Sweet and Thats it - Cranberry-Walnut Pumpkin Loaves (Baking with Julia)	2. Loaf Street - Sourdough Fougasse with Prosciutto and Mozzarella	3. Tessa the Domestic Diva - Whole Wheat Tortillas - Gluten & Grain Free , vegan	4. Tessa the Domestic Diva - Healthy Pumpkin Donuts (gf, df)	5. My Little Space - Roasted Apple Hidden In The Bread
6. Five Flour Loaf	7. Mult-grain Sourdough Spelt in a Pot	8. Garlic-Ranch Buttermilk Kaiser Rolls	9. Buttery Buns/ Roti Paun	10. Milk and Pear Sourdough Rings
11. Rose Hip Levain - Made from Jam!	12. girlichef - Pumpkin Doughnuts w/ Spiced Buttermilk Glaze	13. English Bread Pudding with Walnuts and Crumble Toppings	14. My Discovery of Bread - 100% Rye Bread	15. Potato Rosemary Bread, Pugliese, and Basic Sourdough
16. Walnut Maple Yeasted Cake	17. Mishmash Rye Sourdough Loaves	18. Sweet and Thats it - Sourdough Pumpkin Focaccia with Fleur de Sel and Poppy Seeds	19. (65°C) Sausage Bun	20. Rye and Currant Bread
21. Danish Chocolate Streusel-Swirled Coffee Cake	22. My Discovery of Bread - Brioche with Dulche de Leche	23. Multigrain Breads: Raisin-Swirled & Honey Wheat	24. Cheddar, Pepper & Herbs Crisps	25. Jessies Honey Yoghurt Sweet Potato Bread Rolls
26. Pecan Yeasted Coffee Cake	27. Sweet and Thats it - Bagels	28. Danish Chocolate Swirl Coffee Bread	29. Natashyas Cinnamon Raisin Rose	30. Citrus Tea Bread Rolls
31. Elizabeths Russian Roses (BBB)	32. Pumpkin Bread	33. Maple Oatmeal Bread	34. Oatmeal Walnut Poppy Seed Bread and Awesome Egg Salad!	35. kitchen flavours - Oatmeal Pumpkin Seed Bread
36. Pistachio and Pear Sourdough Rye	37. Rye Breads	38. Danish Sultana Roll	39. My Discovery of Bread - FBB - Meteorites	40. Make-Ahead Waffles with Peanut Butter Spread
41. Sweet and Thats it - Sourdough bread with apples, nuts and chocolate filling	42. No Knead Pizza	43. Natashyas Cheddar Scones	44. Apple & Dorset Blue Vinny Scone Bread	45. My Discovery of Bread- Russian Rose
46. girlichef - Bloomin Mushroom & Swiss Sourdough Loaf	47. Date and Walnut Beer Bread	48. Fig Whole Wheat Sourdough	49. Whole Wheat Sourdough Crepes	50. girlichef - Old Fashioned Sour Cream Doughnuts
51. Einkorn Olive Oil Pumpkin Bread	52. Natashyas Rosemary-Garlic Bread	53. Sweet and Thats it - Sourdough bread with cranberries, coconut and chocolate chips	54. Syrian Onion Bread	55. Cooking Pleasure - Rolls to Buns
56. Cooking Pleasure - Rolls to Buns	57. Rachel from x2babies. com adds a sourdough tutorial into her "creative baby food" series	58. Pumpkin Banana Bread	59. Whole wheat pumpkin challah	60. Pull apart Nutella filled pumpkin bread
61. Plum cake	62. Overnight Yogurt Sunflower Seeds Rolls	63. Cooking Pleasure - Coffee Choc Chips Loaf Bread	64. Blue Cheese Lemon Sticks	65. (Hurricane Sandy) Rye Sourdough Bread
66. No Knead San Francisco Style Sourdough	67. Sweet and Thats it - Sourdough BAGELS

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