I love baking breads, and have created several signature breads, like the ones pictured below.
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You've probably guessed, from my paint post that I love color, and lots of it. I also like lots of flavor, and this bread is both highly flavored and very colorful.
The front breads I'll talk about some other time. Today, I'm talking about the multi-colored buns in back. This is a marbled vegetable bread. I was inspired by a photo I saw in a Breads of the World Cookbook that had no recipe for that colorful bread. So I had to create one.
Since I permanently injured my right hand, I use a bread machine to do the kneading for me. There is no discernible difference between bread kneaded by machine and bread I once kneaded by hand. There is no shame in using a bread machine - if you have little time, if you want to make multiple loaves (like this recipe, or for any marbled bread that calls for 2 or more types of dough), if you need a physical assist, if you just plain don't like kneading bread, or for any other reason. Professional bakers use machines to knead the dough.
My "Peter Max Bread", as I call it since the colors swirl as vividly as a Peter Max poster from the 60's and 70's, is made with up to 5 different bread doughs. And no artificial colors. I have three bread machines, so making 5 doughs cuts it rather close.
Spinach Dough Ingredients:
8 oz fresh spinach, cleaned and stemmed (or 1 box frozen spinach, thawed)
1/4 cup milk
31/2 cups flour
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons warm water
1 egg at room temperature
Tomato Dough Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups flour
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons butter
1 can of tomato paste
2 tablespoons warm milk
2 tablespoons warm water
1 egg at room temperature
Beet Dough Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups flour
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon tarragon
1 teaspoon snipped chives
2 tablespoons butter
1 can sliced beets (NOT pickled or Harvard beets)
2 tablespoons canned beet juice
2 tablespoons warm water
1 egg at room temperature
Carrot Dough Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups flour
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon thyme
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup shredded carrots
2 tablespoons warm milk
2 tablespoons warm water
1 egg at room temperature
Yellow Squash Dough Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups flour
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2/3 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup shredded yellow crookneck squash
1/8 teaspoon saffron
2 tablespoons warm milk
2 tablespoons warm water
1 egg at room temperature
Each dough is made pretty much the same way, except the Yellow Squash Dough. For all the other doughs, place the ingredients into your bread machine in the order your model of machine requires. Mine all take the liquid ingredients first, then the vegetable ingredients, then the dry, with the yeast on top and the salt on bottom.
For the Yellow Squash Dough, gently warm the saffron in the milk until it achieves a rich golden color, then cool it to between 95ºF and 110ºF. After that, you can mix it the same as the other doughs.
Set the machines to "dough only" and let them knead the dough for you.
When the dough is ready, remove them from the machines and let them rest, covered, in a warm area for 10 - 15 minutes. Then take the most pliable dough (usually the spinach dough, but sometimes the carrot or squash dough), and roll it out into a large rectangle. Cover it while you roll out each of the doughs, uncovering it to stack each newly rolled rectangle of dough on top. Let them rest about 10 - 15 minutes under cover, then twist the doughs and fold them over. Let them rest another 10 - 15 minutes and roll all the doughs together out.
If you don't like the pattern, you can twist and fold again, then roll it out again.
Or you can slice the dough into long strips and "braid" the doughs together, then fold and roll out.
Once you've achieved the pattern you want when it's rolled into a rectangle, cover and let the dough rise 40 minutes.
When you're ready to bake the bread, you can cut the rectangle in half, then shape each half into a loaf - roll it up or pat it into a ball. You can place it in a greased and floured pullman loaf pan or on a baking sheet that's been greased and floured - you can use flour, cornmeal, or any other finely ground grain. Cover the pan/sheet and let the dough rise until doubled - about an hour.
Or you can do as I did in the photo above and slice the rectangle into bun sized portions and shape each segment into round buns. Place the buns on a greased and floured baking sheet (or several sheets), cover, and let rise until doubled - about an hour. Using 3 doughs, you'll probably get about 36 buns, and using 5 doughs will yield 60 buns.
Before placing in the oven, brush the tops of the loaves with salt water. This prevents. The loaves can be slashed, the buns don't need to be.
Bake the buns or the bread at 350ºF - bread needs 45 - 50 minutes, the buns 35 - 50 minutes.
Let the bread loaves cool completely before slicing so when you slice them, the bread doesn't squish down and ruin your beautiful pattern.
The rolls can be eaten hot from the oven. If you cool them completely, they make awesome bread bowls for salads or creamy soups. The flavor of the bread loves creamy soups and it is also strong enough to stand up to a nicely chilled gazpacho. I love a pumpkin soup in these bread bowls, and a milder cream of chicken is also excellent in it.
While you're waiting for those doughs to knead away in the read machines, kick back and read the Top Comments, Comment Mojo, and enjoy the beautiful Picture Quilt.
TOP COMMENTS
June 11, 2012
Thanks to tonight's Top Comments contributors! Let us hear from YOU
when you find that proficient comment.
Expatjourno here, with a timely reminder from elkhunter, because we're all in Mouseland now.
From Melanie in IA
In zenbassoon's awesome diary about his first triathlon, white blitz answeredan important question.
Thanks! This diary brought tears to my eyes.
From me:
JeffW's twist of a classic quote was highly applicable on the Jed Report
Farther down, LaurenMonica makes an important point
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TOP MOJO
June 10, 2012
(excluding Tip Jars and first comments)
Got mik!
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1) yeah, nothing's too good for the bushes, is it? by bluezen — 114
2) wait - don't forget the favor Jeb did George by nzanne — 86
3) If contraception is cheap and available, and by Sirenus — 72
4) we'z buzee too by Debbie in ME — 68
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7) Ancient America by Ojibwa — 58
8) LOL! Sekritarmy Zen: U're Doin It Quite Well... by leonard145b — 57
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10) Oh Hai Whoknu! Yes, So Much Momentous Work 2Do: by leonard145b — 56
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12) Hope you can make it to San Jose. by lineatus — 56
13) We will spend a lot of time sleeping by annetteboardman — 55
14) Very un-American by EarTo44 — 54
15) I hope nobody blows your cover! by akeitz — 54
16) This trend is in keeping with their by Lily O Lady — 53
17) Positive thinking for the sekritarmy, with thanks by kerflooey — 53
18) Awesome! by Shelley99 — 53
19) Thank you for your observations by arizonablue — 51
20) Ize huntin fo lubsturz... by Smoh — 50
21) North Carolina didn't just ban "bad language"... by ER Doc — 49
22) It's the work that keeps us young. by jwinIL14 — 49
23) I didn't get to meet you, but I knew you were by commonmass — 49
24) and here's a second century copper object by Dave in Northridge — 48
25) me? by Debbie in ME — 48
26) Where the hell did this come from? by Shawn Russell — 47
27) Yes, Yes, Else, The Consequences Could Be Dire!!! by leonard145b — 47
28) Sekritarmy coverup by arizonablue — 47
29) I still have Horace Boothroyd's apples from the by commonmass — 47
30) Be careful not to over do the meditation. by kerflooey — 46
31) Excellent... by JaxDem — 46
32) Clue phone for 1918 here: by NYFM — 46
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TOP PHOTOS
June 10, 2012
Enjoy jotter's wonderful PictureQuilt™ below. Just click on the picture and it will magically take you to the comment that features that photo. Have fun, Kossacks!
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