Just the bread for new year...

Over new year, my brother visited me in the morning. And this is what I made for our breakfast - Cranberry Wholemeal Bread. Cranberry gives me a festive feeling, besides, the pink hue is just right for chinese new year. Don't you think so?

I used the same recipe from Chef Alex Goh. Actually the book has many many variations of bread, but I am too lazy to take out the book each time. So I kept a photocopy of the basic recipe in my kitchen... and make my own modification along with my whims!

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Cranberry Wholemeal Bread

A
100g bread flour
70g boiling water


B
200g bread flour
100g wholemeal bread flour (I use Waitrose, avail from Cold Storage)
100g plain flour
80g sugar
6g salt
20g milk powder
9g instant yeast


C
210-220g cold water


D
60g butter


E
60g dried cranberry, soaked in warm/hot water.

1) Add boiling water from A into flour, mix until well blended to form a dough. Cover and set aside to cool. Keep it into fridge for at least 12 hrs.

2) Mix B until well blended. Add in C and knead to form rough dough. (add 210g water first... add more if dough is too dry) Add in A and knead till well-blended.

3) Add in D and knead to form elastic dough.

4) Let it proof for 40mins. (mine took over 90min, thanks to the year end rains and cold nights. Just make sure the dough double in size, no matter how long it takes.)

5) Meanwhile drain E, and lightly pat dry on kitchen towels.

6) Once dough is fully proofed, divide the dough into required weight and mould it round. Rest it for 10mins.

7) Flatten the dough, add some cranberry from step 5, and roll it up like swiss roll. Round the dough, and place it on a baking tray, with about 1cm spacing.

8) Leave it to proof again until it doubled in size again. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 20-30min (timing depends on how big the baking tray).


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Tempting as it does, try to resist eating the bread when it is still hot from the oven. It is difficult, I know, as my family will all be lured to the kitchen when the bread is almost done.... and grab one as soon as it cool enough not to burn their hand.

I am less concern with the old wives' tale that eating bread right off the oven causes diahorrea. But in terms of texture, I find that somehow the bread tends to stick to the gum when eaten fresh in the first hour. It is a much more pleasant chewiness when eating 2 hours later!

Do you have the same experience?