champagne bread

Adventures with Left Over Mimosa Champagne: Part I

Similar to breads that use beer as the fermenting agent, the champagne both serves as a great leavening agent and creates a soft, open crumb.

While I wish I was living champagne wishes and caviar dreams, a friend brought mimosa fixings over for brunch last weekend and we had a bit of bubbly left and I wanted to get creative. Here's to keeping it classy. :)

Yield: 2 loaves
785 calories per loaf
Active time: 5 minutes
Total time: 170 minutes

ingredients
3 cups high gluten flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1½ teaspoon salt (I used my rosemary gray mix) 
1 cup champagne, at room temperature
2 teaspoons yeast

preparation 
1. In a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup, combine the lukewarm water, yeast, and a pinch of sugar. Set aside for 10 minutes.

2. In your stand mixer bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt.

3. Pour the yeast mixture and champagne into the stand mixer bowl and with the dough hook attached, "stir" until a shaggy dough forms.

4. Increase the stand mixer speed to 2 and knead until a smooth and cohesive dough forms, about 5 minutes.

5. Turn the dough out onto your counter top, shape into a ball, place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside until doubled in bulk, about 90 minutes.

6. Deflate the dough and shape into two loaves. 

7. Place the loaves on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. 

8. Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown, about 40 minutes.

Original recipe found here.

polenta bread

This delicious loose crumbed bread pairs well with just about anything.

Yield: 1 very large loaf
1,940 calories per loaf
Active time: 15 minutes
Total time: Overnight proof required, about 17 hours

ingredients
5/8 cup almond milk (this is equivalent to 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons)
1 1/8 cup water
1 teaspoon yeast
2 teaspoons salt
3 cups high gluten flour
1 cup polenta

preparation
the day before:
1. In a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup, combine the lukewarm water and milk. Heat, in the microwave, for about 1 minute. The mixture should feel warm, not scalding hot.

2. Add the yeast and a pinch of sugar to the milk mixture. Set aside for 10 minutes.  If your milk and water mixture was too hot, the yeast will die and you won't see any foam develop during the 10 minute fermentation. That said, given the small amount of yeast called for, you won't see a lot of foam.

3. In your stand mixer bowl, combine the flour, polenta, and salt. "Stir" to combine the ingredients.

4. Slowly add in the milk mixture and knead, on "stir" until a cohesive dough forms, about 5 minutes. If your stand mixer can knead the dough on '2' after the shaggy mass forms (the photo on the left), go for it. Mine sounded like it was going to burn out, so I opted not to push it.

5. Turn the dough out onto your counter top and knead by hand a few turns, forming a ball.

6. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and put in the fridge to proof overnight.

the day of:
7. Remove the dough from the fridge and punch it down. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until it has doubled in size, about 3 hours.

8. Turn the dough out onto your counter top and knead by hand for about 30 seconds.

9. Shape into into a loaf, place on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour.

10. With about 30 minutes remaining in the final proof, preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

11. Arrange a water bath. See step 9 of "carbs, glorious carbs" for more on water baths.

12. Bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees, decreasing the oven temperature to 400 and baking until the loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped, about 35 minutes. 

Other modifications:

• This was a mammoth sized loaf, even though I halved the original recipe. I recommend forming two loaves, in step 9, which will decrease the baking time and make this loaf more manageable. 
• Use an egg wash to give the loaf a shiny sheen. 

Original recipe found here.

potato bread

Yield: 2 loaves

1,270 calories per loaf

Active time: 15 minutes

Total time: Overnight proof required, about 22 hours

ingredients

3 cups high-gluten flour

½ cup mashed potatoes

2 teaspoons yeast

¼ cup agave nectar

5/8 cup vegetable oil (this is equivalent to 5 tablespoons or ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon)

2 teaspoons salt

1 egg

¾ cup lukewarm water, reserved from potatoes

preparation
the day before:

1. Rinse the potatoes, bring about 4 cups of water to a boil, and cook the potatoes. Mash the potatoes, saving the water.

2. After the water has cooled down, measure out ¾ cup, combine with the yeast and a pinch of sugar. Set aside for 10 minutes. No foam = dead yeast. Either your water was too hot or your yeast was dead. See step 2 of “no-knead brioche” for more on yeast.

3. In your stand mixer bowl, combine the flour, mashed potatoes, salt, vegetable oil, egg, and agave nectar. “Stir” until a somewhat clumpy dough forms, about 2 minutes. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

5. Slowly add the yeast mixture, continuing to “stir” until a shaggy dough forms.

6. Increase the stand mixer speed to 2 and knead until a smooth and elastic dough forms, about 5 minutes.

7. Turn the dough out onto your counter top and knead by hand a few turns, forming a ball.  The dough may feel wet, but shouldn't be sticky. If it is, knead in a bit more flour.

8. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for at least 16 hours.  

the day of:
9. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and shape into rolls or loaves.

10. Let rise until the dough has doubled in size about 4 hours.

11. With about 30 minutes remaining in the dough final proof, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

12. Brush with an egg wash and bake until deep golden brown, about 45 minutes. See step 20 of “classic baguette” for more in testing for doneness.

 

Original recipe found here.