BBD#6 - Part Two

In the last few days, I did some more braiding with a simple bread dough (mostly bread flour with a little rye for added flavor) using some overripe sourdough. As I had thought during the first time, braiding with unfilled strands is definitely easier. The strands keep their shape much better that way. However, I realized that the hardest part starts way before the braiding action: It isn't easy at all to get really even strands in the first place as you can see below. I will practice some more during the next weeks but my final contribution to BBD#6 will be different. Just building up the tension..;-)

How not to shoot a hot beverage

I knew that this was a tricky one. And I was all the more determined to get it right. After scoring in several categories at the November edition of Click! - a food photography competition created by Bee and Jai of Jugalbandi - I am to be one of the judges for the January competition. With lots of plans I set to work. And surrendered after a full hour of rather unsuccessful shooting.

However, at least I learned several things on the way:

1. If you shoot a hot beverage, it should look like that. In my case, the cocoa pretty soon sank to the bottom and a skin formed on top which resulted in some very honest comments of my friends: "murky brown and boring", "looks like it's from yesterday" - well, I'll spare you the rest. Before I'm attempting hot beverages again, I'll have to buy a microwave.

2. If your main actor isn't visually attractive, don't try to pair it up with something that is. Choosing nice Scottish shortbread fingers alongside murky-brown brew is like starring in a movie alongside Julia Roberts.

3. Trying to create a nice atmosphere with several props is a good idea. However, keep in mind that the main focus of the photo needs to be evident at all times. Juggling things around won't help if you're still stuck with problem no. 2.

Luckily, there's still one week left before the competition closes (30 Jan). I'll try some more - meanwhile have a look at some of my failed attempts...

BBD#6 - Part One

Two weeks have already gone by since my announcement of hosting Bread Baking Day #6 - it's definitely time to get to work! Being the host of the event, I had decided to make several shaped breads (that means at least two if I wasn't to break the promise I only gave to myself). In the German tradition of bread making, my first contribution wouldn't even count as bread as it's something sweet. However, following the tradition of Zorra's Bread Baking Day, one doesn't have to be too strict with oneself, right?

Therefore, I present something I made for the first time ever: "Mohnzopf" - a braided sweet yeast bread filled with a poppyseed mixture (and marzipan, in this case). In the past, I rarely had Mohnzopf at all and if so, it was always bakery-bought. I liked it but never got overly excited about it. Secretly, I always wondered if there really wasn't more to this old German classic than a "that's okay" verdict. However, now I know that this recipe is just another proof of the well-known fact that home-made goods are simply the best! This sweet bread is very substantial but not heavy enough to prevent you from reaching out for seconds, or thirds, or...

But I digress, back to my theme - shaped breads. Plaiting a three-strands braid isn't especially difficult but I found it quite tricky to handle filled and rather heavy strands. Starting off with a very plump braid, the strands got longer and thinner until I could barely fit the whole thing diagonally onto my biggest baking sheet. At least the braid is tapered consistently... However, I'm planning to do something much more elaborate in terms of shaping for Part Two - stay tuned!


Mohnzopf

I've used my favourite sweet yeast dough. For 500g of flour, use only 2 eggs. You don't want this dough to be too soft to handle.


The filling

I haven't figured out where to get freshly ground poppyseeds in Sydney, therefore I've used a pre-made mix I've imported from Germany myself - you can find it here. It's so sweet that you don't have to use any additional sugar - that's why there is no sugar in the recipe. If you can get freshly ground poppyseeds, you will need to boil it in milk until it's of a thick, mushy consistency like semolina pudding.

250g Mohn-Back (ready-to-use mix)
1 egg, large
1 tbsp desiccated coconut
100g almonds, ground
25g butter, melted
1 tbsp vanilla sugar
1 pinch of salt
1 glug of dark rum (can be substituted with milk)

200g marzipan, chopped (optional)

1 egg yolk and a few tbsp of milk for egg wash (optional)

1
Mix everything except the marzipan together; the filling should be of a very thick but still spreadable consistency.

2
Divide the yeast dough into three equal portions and pull gently to shape into long strands. Roll each strand into a very long rectangle and spread with the filling.

3
On one long side of each rectangle, evenly distribute the marzipan pieces. Roll into long strands with the marzipan as the core. Make sure to pinch the seams or the filling will come out during baking.

4
Plait the three strands into a braid and tuck the ends underneath. Cautiously place the braid on a baking sheet prepared with baking paper. Let rise until the braid has grown 1.5x in size.

5
Fan-bake at 150 degrees Celsius until golden-brown (in my oven this took barely 30 minutes).

The source
Adapted from "Das Vohenstrausser Kochbuch"

The hint
The poppyseeds can be substituted with hazelnuts, walnuts or almonds.

Bread Baking Day BBD#06

When moving to Sydney a bit more than two years ago, I knew right from the start that I would have to learn how to make decent bread. After two previous visits down under, it was pretty clear that I couldn't survive on pillowy, white toast alone. Little did I know back then what a wonderful journey in the land of the bread lay ahead of me. Although I bake regularly, I'm still far from mastering this art and there is so much more for me to learn about the combination of such humble ingredients like flour, water, yeast, and salt.

I'm always eager to check out what fellow bakers are doing to turn out wonderful, crusty loaves - and one of my valuable ressources in this matter is Zorra's lovely blog 1x umrühren bitte. Zorra also created the monthly event Bread Baking Day - and I have the honour of hosting the February edition BBD#06!

We've had herbs, spices, and fruit - this time, it's all about the shape. I invite you to share your favourite recipes for all sorts of shaped breads - be it something traditional like a braided challah or a pretzel or something a little unusual like a cut-out sun, letters made out of bread dough or whatever you can think of. Although I'm most interested in hand-shaped bread, you can also use a fancy mold.
The only requirement is that you don't choose a normal loaf shape like batard, boule or baguette. However, round bread rolls count as well as long as they have something unusual like a decorative slashing pattern.

Please post about your recipe and your experiences with shaping between now and 1 February 2008. Make sure to send me an email (eva.schatz at gmail.com) until 1 Feb 08 including the name of your blog, your location, the name of your creation, and a perma link of your post. If you have a photo of your creation, please attach a small version, about 100 pixels in width.
I will be posting the round-up by 5 February 2008.

PS: Due to my Christmas trip I couldn't participate in BBD#05 with its theme of filled breads. However, I did make a filled bread in the kitchen of a New Zealand backpackers accommodation without scales, measuring cups, and modern mixing tools. Luckily, I managed not to botch our only edible Christmas item, so we were able to feast on quark stollen with almond-walnut-marzipan filling during our holiday.
Please check out all the sweet and savoury creations in Chelsea's BBD#05 round-up at Rolling in Dough!

Hiking for Gourmets

Whilst it is very rewarding to cook up a storm in your home kitchen, I think it's even more rewarding to get something nice to eat while being on a hiking trip.

Rule no. 1: Always have enough food with you! This includes goodies like chocolate, a wine bladder filled with port to sip in the evening, or in case you're on a shorter hike, even a bottle of red wine. Of course, it helps tremendously if you have a supportive boyfriend fiancé who offers to carry the port or the wine bottle.

Rule no. 2: Apart from the above mentioned goodies, make sure that all the food you carry is as dehydrated as humanly possible. Otherwise your backpack will be so heavy that you will reach your destination cursing just as heavily...

While being on our Christmas vacation in New Zealand, we had only planned to do an overnight-hike in the region of Wanaka on the south island. Therefore, we didn't have too many things to prepare and, luckily, our packs weren't particularly heavy.

However, what we didn't know was that the steep climb to reach our destination, the Liverpool hut, was indeed the second steepest climb in the whole National Park. Two thirds of the hike were a rather leisurely walk through a beautiful valley, whilst the last two-and-a-half hours turned out to be quite a challenge. With both hands for support we worked our way up, using trees, roots, and rocks as handles. I was glad to be in the shade of the woods otherwise I would have had to sweat even more.

Luckily, after this ordeal, we were rewarded with the most amazing view down the valley. But I didn't stare in amazement for too long - my growling stomach reminded me of the dinner yet to be cooked.
With roughly 20 people arriving the same evening at the same 6-bunk hut, we had set up camp a bit further away, enjoying our privacy and our space. Whilst many of the hikers I've met so far lived on instant noodles and the like, we truly enjoyed our couscous with mushrooms and tuna, followed by chocolate-covered almonds. After such an exhausting day, this was a real feast!

Couscous, Hiking-style

The ingredients (per person, can be easily multiplied)

100g instant couscous
a good handful of dried and sliced mushrooms (make sure to buy sliced ones as whole mushrooms will have to be cooked for much longer)
85g tuna with sun-dried tomatoes and basil (comes in a foil pouch)
salt, pepper, your favourite spice mix

optional:
instant stock cubes
whole sun-dried tomatoes
powdered milk for a creamier texture
bottle of red wine

1
Let the mushrooms with some water (amount is according to instructions on couscous package) come to a boil and cook until mushrooms are soft and not too chewy. Add the sun-dried tomatoes at this stage, if using.
Don't forget to sip your wine while cooking!

2
Add couscous and let stand until softened. Add more water if needed.

3
Season to taste and stir in tuna. Dig in!

The hint
This also works well with salmon out of a foil-pouch or with dried beef (has to be cooked with the mushrooms to soften). Powdered tomato sauce will make a good variation.

The source
My own invention