Bread Machine (130 page)
T
his wonderful bread is adapted from a recipe developed by my friend, food consultant Judith Dunbar Hines. When she worked for L’Esprit Dried Foods she created this recipe to use the company’s wonderful dried cherries, which were new on the retail market at the time. This is a slightly sweet loaf that makes good turkey sandwiches the day after Thanksgiving.
1
1
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2
-POUND LOAF
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3
cup wheat berries
1 cup water
1 cup water
1 large egg white
2 tablespoons canola oil
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4
cup honey
3 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons gluten
1
1
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2
teaspoons salt
2
1
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2
teaspoons SAF yeast or 1 tablespoon bread machine yeast
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2
cup tart dried cherries tossed with 1 tablespoon flour
2-POUND LOAF
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2
cup wheat berries
1 cup water
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4
cups water
1 large egg white
3 tablespoons canola oil
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3
cup honey
4 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon gluten
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon SAF yeast or 1 tablespoon plus
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2
teaspoon bread machine yeast
2
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3
cup tart dried cherries tossed with 1 tablespoon flour
Combine the wheat berries and the 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, partially cover, and simmer for about 45 minutes, until chewy and tender. Drain off the excess water and let cool to warm.
Place the ingredients, except the wheat berries and the cherries, in the pan according cherries, in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions. Set crust on dark and program for the Basic cycle; press Start. (This recipe is not suitable for use with the Delay Timer.) When the machine beeps, or at the pause between Knead 1 and 2, add the wheat berries and the cherries. The dough ball will be quite soft and nubby.
When the baking cycle ends, immediately remove the bread from the pan and place it on a rack. Let cool to room temperature before slicing.
P
runes are the fruit of gourmets. They are dried specifically from prune plums, as other types of plums without a firm flesh and a high sugar content just ferment when they dry. The thriving prune industry in California was started in the nineteenth century by an immigrant Frenchman, with the variety of plums known as Prune d’Agen, named after a town in Aquitaine in southwest France. It takes three pounds of these fresh plums to make a pound of succulent prunes. In this recipe, prunes will integrate right into the dough. I like to buy the vacuum-packed cans of pitted prunes (they are very moist); if the ones you buy are drier, soak the prunes in hot water for an hour and drain them before chopping. Some people don’t consider this bread complete without nuts, so go ahead and add
1
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4
cup chopped walnuts or pecans, if you must. This excellent bread is good spread with cream cheese or toasted.
1
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2
-POUND LOAF
1
1
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8
cups water
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2
1
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4
cups bread flour
3
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4
cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon gluten
1
1
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4
teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1
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4
teaspoon fresh-ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons SAF yeast or 2
1
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2
teaspoons bread machine yeast
9 pitted prunes (about 3 ounces), chopped
2-POUND LOAF
1
1
/
2
cups water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2
3
/
4
cups bread flour
1
1
/
4
cups whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon plus
1 teaspoon gluten
1
3
/
4
teaspoons salt
1
1
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4
teaspoons ground cinnamon
1
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3
teaspoon fresh-ground nutmeg
2
1
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2
teaspoons SAF yeast or 1 tablespoon bread machine yeast
1
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2
pitted prunes (about 4 ounces), chopped
Place the ingredients, except the prunes, in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions. Set crust on dark and program for the Basic or Fruit and Nut cycle; press Start. (This recipe is not suitable for use with the Delay Timer.) When the machine beeps, or between Knead 1 and Knead 2, add the prunes. If you like big chunks of prunes, press Pause at the beginning of Rise 1, remove the dough, pat it into a rectangle, and sprinkle with the prunes. Roll up the dough and gently knead it a few times to distribute the prunes. Return the dough ball to the machine and press Start to resume the rising.
When the baking cycle ends, immediately remove the bread from the pan and place it on a rack. Let cool to room temperature before slicing.
Leftover Bread Cookery: Pork Chops with Cranberry Prune Stuffing
