Beard on Bread (11 page)

Allow the yeast to dissolve in the 2 tablespoons warm water, and when it begins to proof combine it with the additional cup of water. Stir in the flour and salt and knead thoroughly for 10 to 15 minutes. Roll the dough out and form into a loaf; it won’t be easy. Place firmly in a well-buttered 8 × 4 × 2-inch pan, and allow it to rise until doubled in bulk. Brush with the egg wash and slash the top of the loaf twice. Bake in a preheated oven at 350° for 50 to 60 minutes, until the loaf is nicely browned and sounds hollow top and bottom when tapped with the knuckles. Cool on a rack before slicing.

This bread is reminiscent of Cornish and Welsh teas, where saffron buns and bread have been exceedingly popular for generations. If one is fond of the color and the rather unusual flavor of saffron, this loaf is a happy change from traditional breads. It is rather light in texture, distinctive in flavor, and a deep orangey yellow, streaked with the tiny stigmas of the crocus that make saffron. It makes fine toast.

[2 loaves]

Pour the boiling water over the saffron and steep 5 minutes. Cool and reserve. Mix the yeast and sugar in the ½ cup warm water and let proof. Scald the milk and add the butter and salt. Cool. Combine these three mixtures and blend well. Add the flour, 1 cup at a time, and beat hard with a wooden spoon. Use enough flour to make a stiff, sticky dough. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Shape the dough into a ball, put in a buttered bowl, and turn to coat the surface with butter. Cover, set in a warm, draft-free place, and let rise until doubled in bulk. Punch down, turn out, and knead for another minute. Put back in the bowl to rise again until doubled in bulk. Punch down, shape into two loaves, and put in buttered 8 × 4 × 2-inch loaf tins. Cover and let rise to double in bulk again. Bake in a preheated oven at 425° for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350° and continue baking for 20 to 25 minutes more, until the crust is a dark, lustrous
color and the bread sounds hollow when rapped on top and bottom with the knuckles. Cool on racks before serving.

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Saffron
Fruit Bread:
Adding eggs, more sugar, spices, and fruits converts this into a tea bread. Excellent thinly sliced and buttered, it is also extraordinarily good for toast. Its festive character makes it a pleasant bread to give away during the holidays.

[2 loaves or 12 buns]

Use the ingredients listed in the master recipe, plus the following:

Add the eggs, additional sugar, and spices to the dough before first kneading, plus additional flour if needed to compensate for the eggs. After the first rising, knead in the currants, citron, and caraway seeds lightly dusted with flour. Proceed as in the master recipe, except that you will use 9 × 5 × 3 pans. The dough can also be shaped into buns, placed on greased baking sheets, and allowed to rise until almost doubled in bulk. Bake at 400° for approximately 20 to 25 minutes.

This is a very easy-to-make, light, fluffy, and flavorful loaf, a bread to eat while still warm. It’s excellent with summer fare—cold meats, salads, and vegetables—or merely with coffee and preserves.

[2 free-form loaves]

Stir the yeast, sugar, and warm water together in a large mixing bowl; let sit till yeast dissolves and starts to proof. In the meantime, melt the butter in the hot water and let cool to lukewarm. Add the salt, and combine with the yeast mixture. Stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon, add the flour, 1 cup at a time, until the dough almost comes away from the sides of the bowl. (Don’t be afraid if it seems rather soft and sticky; it will stabilize in the next step.) Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured board. Using a baker’s scraper or large spatula, scrape under the flour and dough, fold the dough over, and press it with your free hand. Continue until the dough has absorbed enough flour from the board and is easy to handle. Knead for 2 to 4 minutes, being sure to keep your hands well floured, because it is still a sticky dough. When the dough is soft and smooth, let rest for 5 or 6 minutes and then divide in two.
Roll
each half into a rectangle about 12 inches long and 8 inches wide. Starting from the wide end, roll this up quite tightly, pinching the seams as you roll.

Butter one or two baking sheets well and sprinkle with cornmeal. Place the loaves on the sheets, and let them rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 50 to 60 minutes. Brush with beaten egg white and bake in a preheated 425° oven 40 minutes, or until the loaves are a rich, golden color and make a hollow sound when you tap the crust, top and bottom, with your knuckles. Cool on a rack and slice when quite fresh.

Salt-rising bread is one of the oldest breads in this country. It has a delicious and unusual flavor and a very smooth texture. In fact, it is one of the most remarkable of all breads. It does present one great difficulty for the breadmaker. It is unpredictable. You may try the same recipe without success three or four times and find that it works the fifth time. Or you may get a loaf that is halfway good. If it works, fine; if it doesn’t, forget it. I am including it in this collection because it is a worthy recipe, but I do so with a warning that you may be disappointed.

To keep the starter at a steady temperature, which the recipe requires, leave it in an electric oven with the light on—this will provide just enough warmth—or in a gas oven with the pilot light on. In the old days it used to be kept in hot water for 25 hours, the bowl covered with quilts. The foam that forms may not be one, two, or three inches in thickness, but if it foams at all make the loaf and see what happens. Good luck!

[2 loaves]

Mix the starter ingredients and pour into a 2-quart jar or deep bowl that has been rinsed well with hot water. Cover with a lid or plate. Put the jar into a larger bowl or pan and surround with boiling water. Cover the large bowl with plastic or a towel, and cover this with three or four towels or a blanket. It should stand at a temperature of 100 degrees when the mixture is finally foaming. The electric oven turned to warm will provide the right temperature, and so will a gas range with a pilot light on. In either case, let the starter stand about 12 hours, or until the top
is covered with ½ to 1 inch of foam. Sometimes it will take longer to foam, even 24 hours, but continue to keep it warm.