December 1, 2010

Rustic Grains & Honey Pecan Bread

This was a slightly frustrating bread for me because ... it didn't rise well. Every now and then, I end up with a dense bread that refuses to rise, no matter how much warmth I give it within our sometimes chilly house. For this reason, I had a bugger of a time incorporating the raisins and pecans, so I ended up with probably only a third of them mixed within the dough. The bread is still edible, just not nearly as good as I imagine it could be. I'm sure it's not the recipe but rather something goofed on the baker's end.
Rustic Grains & Honey Pecan Bread
2 tsp. yeast
1 1/3 cups water
2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 cup toasted Rustic Grains mixture
4 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Heat the water until warm, between 105ºF and 115ºF. Pour into warmed mixing bowl, and add yeast. Let stand 5 minutes.

Add honey, butter, salt, rustic grains and half the bread flour. Beat well. Slowly add the remaining bread flour, and beat until a smooth dough forms. Cover, and let stand 15 minutes.

Knead the dough until soft and springy but soft to the touch. Gently knead in raisins and pecans. Remove the dough hook, cover the bowl and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Lightly grease a baking sheet. Turn dough onto lightly greased or floured surface, and punch dough down. Shape into two round loaves. Place the loaves, seam side down, on the baking pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes to 60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375
ºF. Glaze with egg wash. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until golden. Remove from cake pan, and cool on wire rack.

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