Receta Improv Reveal Day! Spring Vegetable Bread
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Improv Reveal Day! Spring Vegetable Bread
One of my favorite things
to eat is warm bread that is freshly made. The flavor is usually unbeatable in
combination with the crisp crust and soft middle. Even the next day the same
bread usually doesn't taste the same, not necessarily any worse, just not as
good as when it's fresh from the oven. Adding natural colors to bread always
adds visual excitement and adding flavors also contribute to deliciousness.
The process of making bread can seem like
a daunting task to some people but when the bread is baked it makes it all
worthwhile (to me at least). I used to make bread randomly just for the joy of
eating it. Then for a while my son couldn't have soy which was in most bread
bought at the grocery store so I made it out of necessity each week. Now he can
have soy and so I'm back to making it for fun :).
The idea for this bread is based on the
Improv Challenge this month which is hosted by Frugal
Antics of a Harried Homemaker. Each month there are two different items
listed and we are challenged with creating a recipe with them. In previous
challenges I made Individual Cherry Almond Trifles and Peanut Butter Fondue with Jelly Filled
Pound Cake. The recipe for this month's challenge must be made with carrots
and peas. I had a few ideas floating around in my head and I stumbled on this
one and thought it may be fun. Swirled colors of bread is always better than
plain, I mean really.
This bread is prepared in two small
batches, one with pureed carrots and one with pureed peas. They are rolled into
ropes and twisted together to form a boule-like shape with a spiral pattern. I
think it's very pretty when it is cut because there is a pastel green and a
pastel orange. You could always add food coloring (2 or 3 drops) just to make
the colors more pronounced, but I prefer natural coloring when possible. This
bread would look beautiful on the dinner table for Easter, or maybe at a
brunch. You could also cut it horizontally and make it into a giant sandwich
that's cut into 12 wedges and that would be pretty. I had thought about rolling
out the green dough and wrapping it around the orange dough that had been
formed into a ball so it would look like a carrot when it was cut, but I
decided on the spiral pattern instead. As always, if you have any questions
please ask! Happy Baking!
Spring
Vegetable Bread
Makes 1 loaf
Ingredients:
- - 2 ½ teaspoons
- yeast (about 1 packet)
- - 1 ¼ cups
- water (warm to the touch, 105-115F)
- - 4 cups flour
- - 2 teaspoons
- salt
- - 2 teaspoon
- sugar
- - 3 tablespoons
- mashed carrots
- - 3 tablespoons
- mashed peas
- Egg wash
- - 1 whole egg,
- lightly beaten
- - 1 tablespoon
- milk
Directions:
1. In the bowl
of a mixer stir together 1 ¼ teaspoons of yeast with ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons
of water. Let the mixture sit about 5 minutes or until creamy. Stir in 1 cup
flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 3 tablespoons of mashed carrots.
Add 1 more cup of flour and blend with the dough hook of a mixer on medium
speed until it comes together, then 3-4 minutes longer (or 6-8 minutes by
hand). Additional flour may be necessary if kneading by hand. In the mixer
the dough may still feel tacky but that’s okay, don’t add too much flour.
2. Put the
carrot dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and set
aside.
3. In the same
mixer bowl (cleaned if necessary) repeat the process with the remaining other
half of the ingredients (yeast through sugar, and the peas). Place the dough in
another lightly greased bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Set both bowls
aside to rise for 1-1 ½ hours or until doubled. I like to preheat the oven
on 150F for 45-60 seconds to warm the oven, then turn off the oven, and let the
dough sit in the oven to rise.
4. Take each
dough out of the bowl, one at a time, punch it down, and roll it into a log on
a lightly floured surface (as long as you want, mine were probably around
16”-18” long). Lay the logs side by side on a cookie sheet then twist them
together into a spiral shape and tuck the end under. Let the bread round rise
for 20-25 minutes or until almost doubled in size.
5. When the
bread is almost done rising, preheat the oven to 375F. In a small bowl whisk
together the egg and milk. Brush the egg wash evenly onto the loaf of bread.
(after rising)
6. Bake the bread for
35-40 minutes or until it is golden brown on the crust and sounds hollow when
you tap it. Remove from oven, move to cooling rack to cool completely. (If you
leave it on the cookie sheet too long it may become soggy on the bottom).
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