Sunday, July 19, 2009

Cranberry-Walnut Celebration Bread

Miss in Place. It seems that whenever I set out my ingredients, I always miss one. I made a few changes to this recipe out of necessity. I did not have Lemon extract, so I used Butter Flavor. I only had 1 cup of craisins so they were a little short.
The dry ingredients are gathering together to start making dough.
This was the missing ingredient. Butter. I popped it into the microwave and melted it. Yes, I did take off the wrapping first.
The wet ingredients are together except for the eggs. I don't know why I decided to go eggless with this bread but I did figure it out and added them a bit late. Glad I didn't toss it into the oven before I figured out my error.
Here is the bread dough before I figured out that the eggs were missing. It looked very dense and not quite right.
The eggs are in and the kneading process is complete.
Add a little flour because the dough is toooooo soft.
After the cranberries and walnuts are kneaded in before the first rise.
Ready for the first rise. It should take until 1110. I'll have to throw it into the refrigerator and pull it out after church.
Before time to go to church and because the house is so hot, it completed it's first rise before I had to leave for church. Punched it down and then went to church.
Threw the dough into the refrig to await my return after church. When I came back, the dough was as big as it was before I punched it down.
The three big rolls are rolled out. The small rolls are awaiting their turn.
The big rolls are braided into a triple braid. Looking pretty.
The small one is done. Looks like an old man with the eye and his nose and cheeks.
The egg wash and my favorite basting brush. It cleans up in the dishwasher. Must have in the kitchen.
The egg wash is complete.
The double celebration bread. Two triple braids atop of each other.
The temp is just right for the bread.
Fresh out of the oven. A pretty shade of golden brown. It thumped nicely also.
Mama, do you have bread??
Do you mean this bread?
No, I mean this bread. Please Mama. I came all the way from Washington to San Diego just to get some of the bread.
Sliced the end off to get this crumb shot. Made sure that I got low and close. UMMM.
The crumb shot. I got in close on the loaf and the slice. Looks as yummy as it tasted.
The bread is all packaged and ready to leave with Alden. When it was time to go, he almost forgot it until I mentioned that he had bread to enjoy this week.

5 comments:

  1. Awesome job! You are ahead of me... I'm making mine tomorrow.

    I almost didn't recoginize my handsome nephew. How cool that he came for a visit. I hope you made his favorite cookies for him too.
    Tell him he needs to come see his Aunt. :-)

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  2. I will tell him that he needs to go for a visit. I am feeling a bit sick, I may have to call out on Friday and go to Ventura beach. Need the attention of a guy married to a doctor. I have some cinnamon raisin bread for him to take to Katherine.

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  3. I'm sorry you are feeling so ill. How lucky there's a doctor in the family. I'm sure the vitimin D from the sun will help. :-)

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  4. Beautiful bread. I was going to skip this one but seeing yours has made me rethink that idea.

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  5. Beautiful loaf! Love the pattern of the one braid atop the other. Mine fell over during proofing. I knew it would, as it was "too high" when I stacked them and I didn't want to smash them together. But it looked delicious when it came out of the oven. But not as delicious as yours.

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