Pain Noir - 'Black' Bread with a Twist

This is a bread I have been 'threatening' to bake for a long time. I say threatening, because, for me at least, it is a very unusual bread. I have made many breads using AP flour, of course. And whole wheat. I have even made some using rye. But the color and the texture of this bread is so unusual, for me, that in a way I was a little intimidated. Also, the flavorings. This bread is dark, dark brown. Almost black. Hence the name - Pain Noir - literally Black bread. The color comes from two sources: dark, bitter-sweet chocolate, and molasses.

And here is the problem, the molasses. Molasses, especially blackstrap molasses has a very strong flavor. Sharp, bitter and a little sour. This recipe, if followed exactly from Bernard Clayton's encyclopedic New Complete Book of Breads, ends up, in my opinion, too sharp. Too bitter. Too sour. And so, I have adapted it, just a little to lessen the flavor impact of the molasses. The result is a wonderful, almost creamy textured bread, with a soft crust. Black as coal, almost and, toasted, with mustard, perfect with cold-cuts, or a nice sharp cheese. Definitely, worth trying and tweaking to your palate. Let me know what you think.

Here's What You'll Need:
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup boiling water
1/3 cup cold water
2 1/4 tsp. dry yeast
1 oz. (30g) unsweetened chocolate
1/2 Tbs butter
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. caraway seeds
1/2 cup mashed potatoes (or 1/3 cup potato flakes)
2/3 cup rye flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup AP flour
 1 egg, beaten
coarse salt for garnish

Here's What You'll Need To Do:

1. Stir the cornmeal into a pan with the boiling water. Continue stirring until the mixture is smooth. Gradually add the cold water. When the mixture is only just warm, stir in the yeast.

2. In a small pan, melt together the butter with the chocolate. After they are combined, let the mixture cool.

3. In the large bowl from your mixer, combine the cornmeal mixture, the chocolate mixture and the molasses, honey, salt, caraway and mashed potatoes. Beat this altogether with the paddle attachment (or a large spoon) until smooth. Add the whole wheat flour to form a shaggy dough. Cover and let it stand to ferment for about an hour.

4. Add the rye flour. Remove this very shaggy dough to a floured work surface, and, using a scraper, lift and fold the dough to knead it for up to 8 minutes.. This dough should be quite sticky and hard to handle. Add AP flour liberally to keep it from sticking to the work surface.

5. Place the elastic (but sticky) dough in a lightly-oiled bowl, turn to coat, then cover and let it rise for about 1 1/3 hours until doubled in volume. When finished, remove the cover, punch it down, the form into a ball. Let the dough rest for another 15 minutes.

6. Shape it into a round loaf, and place it on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover and let it rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

7. Pre-heat the oven to 375 F (190 C) about 20 minutes before baking time. Paint the loaf with the beaten egg, and sprinkle with the coarse salt. Slash the loaf 3 or 4 times just before baking.

8. Bake for about 35 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Cool on a rack.

Head of the Class - Hungarian Potato Bread

The everyday breads of Eastern and Central Europe have certain notable characteristics. Firstly, they are usually quite dense in texture and also sturdy. By that I mean they are 'designed' to hold smoked meats and cheeses, to absorb mustard and other condiments, to be chewy and just a little sour. Secondly, they are also known for using ingredients as fillers (because often regular ingredients were not available). Like potatoes, for instance. When you think about it, mashed, white potatoes are really just starch , very much like AP white flour. So... let's say you don't have very much flour and you do have lots of potatoes. What do you think we could do in this situation?

This bread exists in various guises all over Eastern Europe. Sometimes with caraway seeds, sometimes with butter. But always with potatoes making up some of the starch needed for the dough. This particular loaf, comes from Hungary, but like I said, it is really a generic loaf that can be found in one form or another all over Europe. Like tomato sauce in Italy sort of... A million variations.

Text for this post, (for printing without the photos), can be found here. 

Here's What You Need: (for 2 loaves)

about 1 lb. potatoes, peeled and cubed
700 g (25 oz) AP flour
300 g (10 oz) whole wheat flour
40 g (1.25 oz) salt about 4 tsp.
60 g (2 oz) butter, cubed (or margarine or vegetable oil)
20 g instant dry yeast (slightly less than 2 Tbs.)
1 tsp. caraway seeds (optional) or
about 200 g (6.5 oz) sharp cheese

Here's What You'll Need to Do:

1. Boil the potatoes in water until very soft (but not dissolved). Drain the potatoes reserving the cooking water for use in the bread. Set aside to cool.

2. In a separate bowl, combine the flours with the salt and butter and the yeast.

Add this mixture to the cooled potatoes. Finally, add about 330 ml (11 oz) of cooking water to the mixture and combine to for a smooth dough. Adjust the flour and water accordingly to make sure the dough is smooth and only very slightly tacky. If adding the caraway seeds, now is the time to knead them into the dough.

3. Place the dough in a lightly-oiled bowl, turn to coat, then cover and place in a warm location to rise. It should about double in volume in about 1.5 hours.

4. Divide the dough into two equal pieces, form each piece into a round ball without removing too much of the air, then cover to let it rest for another half hour.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 400 F (about 190 C). Just before baking, slash the bread 2 or 3 times to allow for even 'oven spring', i.e., so the bread rises in the oven evenly.

5. Spray water into the oven to add steam, then bake the bread for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350 F (180 C) and continue baking for another 25 minutes or so until the bread is deeply browned and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Jó étvágyat!  (Hungarian for Bon Appetit - Google translate!)
Text for this post, (for printing without the photos), can be found here.

The Basic Series Revisited - Deli Rye Bread

This is the third post in a series (more to follow) or recipes that exemplify the correct use of basic ingredients and simple techniques. The idea behind it all is that by learning the basics we can then apply what we learn, creatively, to truly attain great heights in baking.

This bread it especially close to my heart. It evokes in me all those best childhood memories, back in Nova Scotia with my grandparents, now long gone. It reminds me of cold mornings, breath steaming in the really, really crisp air waiting patiently outside for our turn to buy bread. Fresh, baked bread, still hot from the oven. Wrapped in paper, not plastic so it could cool without getting soggy. It was that fresh. When we arrived back home with our precious packages, everyone waiting impatiently, the rye bread was unwrapped and we all started the Sunday morning ritual. My grandparents, being from Eastern Europe, and blissfully unaware of things like cholesterol, high-salt diets etc. would slather schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) on the still warm bread. Maybe sprinkle a few pieces of raw onion, some salt and gulp it down. Believe me, two or three pieces of that and you're set for the day, or the week. Sometimes this was augmented with a slice of hard-boiled egg. But not always. Purists frown on such things after all.

Despite all this, and the fact that I wouldn't dare eat those things anymore, this bread makes a perfect sandwich bread for all things savory. In other words, it is great for deli sandwiches, and for sharp cheeses. It is attached at the hip with sharp mustard. There is nothing better for a steak sandwich. Nothing. You will love it I promise.

This bread uses rye flour (duh!) in combination with regular white bread flour. The rye flour is for the taste and contributes to the color. However, rye has very little gluten (but enough so that people with gluten intolerance cannot use it). So to provide the structure and volume, regular bread flour is blended in. Also, I have added gluten (available at health food stores). The caraway seeds are optional, I know not everyone likes them. I do. Enjoy!

Here's what you'll need:
2 Tbs (30g) butter, melted
2 cups (about 280g) white rye flour
3 cups (about 420g) bread flour
1 packet (7g) yeast
2 cups (500ml) water at 105 F (40 C)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 Tbs caraway seeds (optional)
1 Tbs molasses


Here's what you'll need to do:
1. Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. Lightly oil either two loaf pans, or a baking sheet if you want to make free-standing loaves. (I use loaf pans because afterwards the shape is better for sandwiches). If you use the baking sheet, sprinkle it with cornmeal after greasing.
2. Measure out the flours into a bowl. Add the extra gluten then stir to combine.
3. Using a mixer with a dough hook, place about 1/3 of the flour mixture in the bowl and add the yeast. Add the water and mix briefly to make a very wet slurry, then gradually add the rest of the flour along with the salt, the optional caraway seeds, the molasses and the melted butter.

4. Mix vigorously for 3 or 4 minutes until a soft, but not sticky dough forms. You may have to add some flour to 'dry' the dough a bit. Or water to dampen it. Be careful. Add flour or water 1 Tbs at a time so the dough remains soft and supple.
5. Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl to rise until it doubles. This could take 1 1/2 hours.
6. Gently deflate the dough, then either make free-standing loaves or shape them into loaves for your prepared pans. 

Let the loaves rise this second time until doubled. They will be 'springy' to the touch.
7. About 15 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C). Bake the bread for about 35 minutes. It will sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.

8. Let the bread cool on a wire rack at least 30 to 40 minutes before slicing (if you can).

Yum!!