Eek, five months. Well I have two words for you.
1. Morning sickness, horribly severe, lasting from the beginning of July until the end of September (but as unpleasant as it was I did lose 10 lbs, and considering I started this pregnancy at a weight I was not happy with I guess it was a good thing)
2. Low platelets (Anemia) which equals no energy.
But I am still alive and kicking and finally tried this recipe which was DIVINE! I really wanted to try french toast with it, but it didn't last long enough for me to get around to it.
Anyway, here we go.
To make the sponge:
Combine 1 1/2 Tablespoons (1 1/2 packages) active dry yeast
1/2 a cup of warm water
1 cup warm milk (I like to heat mine in the microwave for 30 seconds)
1/4 a cup sugar
2 cups all purpose unbleached flour
Beat until smooth and then cover with plastic wrap and let sit about an hour.
To make the dough:
Stir down the sponge.
Add 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoons of salt (note teaspoons, not tablespoons, most yeast breads call for at least a tablespoon so this is different)
3 large eggs, at room temperature
and then 1 cup of flour. Beat hard until creamy then add the remaining 2 1/2 to 3 cups of flour half a cup at a time. Note that since this is a sweet bread the dough should be soft and not as firm as a typical loaf of bread.
Knead 2-3 minutes, dusting with 1 tablespoon of flour at a time as needed if it starts to get sticky.
It will look something like this. Able to hold its shape, but still kinda "oozing" around!
Place in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let raise 1 1/2 hours.
Divide the dough into two equal portions and place on a large baking sheet (I used an airbake pan) Let raise about 30 minutes. If desired you can brush on some egg beaten with water/milk for a nice shiny look. The dough did end up coming together, so I think next time I will either keep an eye on it and raise for less time, use two separate pans, or make three loaves instead of 2.
Bake at 375 F for 35-40 minutes. Then transfer to cooling racks.
An aspiring baker tells of her success and failure as she expands her skills by completing every recipe in "The Bread Bible" By Beth Hensperger.
Monday, November 12, 2012
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