Chocolate Sesame Whole Wheat Wreath Bread

I simply love giving the Daring baker challenges a purely chocolate make over.


The 2010 December Daring Bakers� challenge was hosted by Penny of Sweet Sadie�s Baking. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers� to make Stollen. She adapted a friend�s family recipe and combined it with information from friends, techniques from Peter Reinhart�s book.........and Martha Stewart�s demonstration.


The concluding challenge of the year couldn't have been more delicious.Stollen is a rich Holiday bread,or should I say cake,with all its deliciously packed sweet, nutty, fruity and zesty flavors.I choose to call mine bread since I lessened the sweetness and the texture is dense with use of whole wheat flour.More than the richly dark chocolate what stands out the most of the flavors,is the orange zest,so please do not skip this important ingredient for the added zing to this sensational bread.




Recipe :Chocolate Sesame Whole Wheat Wreath Bread
Makes one medium wreath Serves 5-6 people

Ingredients
For Bread Dough
1/4 cup lukewarm water (110� F / 43� C)
1 packages (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 cup Skimmed Organic milk
4 tablespoons unsalted Organic butter or virgin pressed coconut oil or Pure Ghee
2 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup Pure cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 large Organic eggs, lightly beaten
Grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon (5 ml) lemon extract or orange extract
2/3 cup raisins or dried cranberries or dried mixed fruit
3 tablespoons Orange juice
6 red glac� cherries or fresh cranberries(roughly chopped) for the color and the taste. (optional)
1/2 cup flaked almonds
For topping
2 tablespoon Pure Organic honey
2 tablespoon brown sesame seeds
1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips(good quality - 60% cocoa)


Directions:
Soak the raisins
In a small bowl, soak the raisins in cold water (or in the orange juice from the zested orange) and set aside.

To make the dough

Pour warm water into a small bowl, sprinkle with yeast and let stand 5 minutes. Stir to dissolve yeast completely.

In a small saucepan, combine milk and butter over medium - low heat until butter is melted. Let stand until lukewarm, about 5 minutes.

Lightly beat eggs in a small bowl and add lemon and vanilla extracts.

In a large mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment), stir together the flour, cocoa powder,sugar, salt, cinnamon, orange and lemon zests.

Then stir in (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment) the yeast/water mixture, eggs and the lukewarm milk/butter mixture. This should take about 2 minutes. It should be a soft, but not sticky ball. When the dough comes together, cover the bowl with either plastic or a tea cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.

Add in the mixed peel, soaked fruit and almonds and mix with your hands or on low speed to incorporate. Here is where you can add the cherries if you would like. Be delicate with the cherries or all your dough will turn red!

Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin kneading (or mixing with the dough hook) to distribute the fruit evenly, adding additional flour if needed. The dough should be soft and satiny, tacky but not sticky. Knead for approximately 8 minutes (6 minutes by machine). The full six minutes of kneading is needed to distribute the dried fruit and other ingredients and to make the dough have a reasonable bread-dough consistency. You can tell when the dough is kneaded enough � a few raisins will start to fall off the dough onto the counter because at the beginning of the kneading process the dough is very sticky and the raisins will be held into the dough but when the dough is done it is tacky which isn't enough to bind the outside raisins onto the dough ball.

Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling around to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
Put it in the fridge overnight. The dough becomes very firm in the fridge (since the butter goes firm) but it does rise slowly� the raw dough can be kept in the refrigerator up to a week and then baked on the day you want.

Shaping the Dough and Baking the Wreath

1. Let the dough rest for 2 hours after taking out of the fridge in order to warm slightly.
2. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
3. Preheat oven to moderate 350�F/180�C/gas mark 4 with the oven rack on the middle shelf.
4. Punch dough down, roll into a rectangle about 8 x 12 inches and � inch (6 mm) thick.


Starting with a long side, roll up tightly, forming a long, thin cylinder.
Transfer the cylinder roll to the sheet pan. Join the ends together, trying to overlap the layers to make the seam stronger and pinch with your fingers to make it stick, forming a large circle.
Using Sharp knife, make cuts along outside of circle, in 2-inch (5 cm) intervals, cutting 2/3 of the way through the dough.
Twist each segment outward, forming a wreath shape.Proof for approximately 2 hours at room temperature, or until about 1� times its original size.
Drizzle with honey all over and sprinkle the sesame seeds,evenly covering the top of the wreath.

Bake
Bake the wreath for 20 minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees for even baking and continue to bake for 20 to 30 minutes. The bread will bake to a dark mahogany color, should register 190�F/88�C in the center of the loaf, and should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.

Chocolate Finishing
Melt the Chocolate chips over double broiler or in the microwave until completely melted and glossy.Drizzle all over the baked wreath.Cut and serve warm. When completely cool, store in a air tight container.The flavor intensifies the next day,makes a delicious treat with morning cuppa.



Peek in other Daring Bakers' take on the exquisite challenge.

Enjoy the rest of the Holidays.Will be back next year with an exciting giveaway.

Almond Thumbprint Cookies with Fruit Preserves

With holiday treats stocked in stores,I keep an eye out for new and easy cookie ideas during this time of the year.I happen to see this thumb print cookie tray in the store,with not so attractive or should I say complicated ingredient list.I just needed the recipe to experiment with my own healthier additions,which I thankfully could Google it up.
I mix Almond flour(fine ground raw almonds is equally good) with the wheat flour that gives a more hearty texture to the dough.And also the fresh cranberry preserves were the best match for the filling.All in all,an incredibly nutritious treat.

Recipe : Almond Thumbprint Cookies with Fruit Preserves
Makes a dozen
Ingredients
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup almond flour, or almond meal
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup pure cane sugar,divided(reserve a little to sprinkle on top)
4 tablespoons cold unsalted Organic butter(cut in pieces) or virgin pressed coconut oil or pure Ghee
1 large Organic egg, lightly beaten
2-3 tablespoon cold milk.
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup or little more of Home made Fruit Preserves(Cranberry,Cranberry Apple,Plum,Mango,Strawberry or Apricot)

Method
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Making dough by hand:
Whisk together sugar, flours and salt in a bowl.
Rub or cut the butter or other fat used ,into the sugar and flour mixture until it has the consistency of coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of the flour and butter mixture and pour the beaten egg and vanilla extract into it.
Use a fork to incorporate the liquid into mixture and then use your fingertips.
Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball.
Shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes.
With a food processor:
Put sugar, flour, and salt in the bowl of the food processor and pulse a few times to mix.Add butter and pulse a few times until the mixture has the consistency of coarse meal.Empty food processor's bowl onto your work surface.
Make a well in the center of the mounded flour and butter mixture and pour the beaten egg and vanilla extract into it.Use a fork to incorporate the liquid into the solid ingredients then use your fingertips.Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball.Shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes

Shape the Cookies
Roll the dough into a circle about 1/2 inch thick,cut in circles using a cookie cutter about 2 inches along diameter.Press each circle using thumb to make a light indentation into the top.Sprinkle a little sugar all over the cookies.Place them on a cookie sheet.Drop 1/4 teaspoon of jam into each indentation. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes,top is lightly golden brown. Cool and serve.



These Thumbprint cookies are my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging #264,hosted this week by Haalo from Cook (almost) Anything

Captivating Cranberry Recipes and Cranberry Upma

Unlike most berries ,cranberries are very lightly sweet but really tart,that makes it a better addition in savory dishes cause making a dessert would mean adding a lot more sugar to balance the tartness.Not that I haven't tried it in a Sweet recipe,some of my favorites are :

Cranberry Apple pie ,
Cranberry Creme brulee ,
Chocolate Cake with Cranberries and Pomegranates,
Cranberry preserves,
Berry Green Smoothie,
Pomegranate Cranberry Plunge, and
Cranberry bread(same is good for making muffins)

But I love them better in savory dishes :

Cranberry Chicken Satay,
Cranberry Falafel ,
Cranberry Lentils ,
Cranberry Chicken,
Cranberry Salsa,
Cranberry Sauce
Almond Cranberry Crusted Wild Salmon
and Cranberry Lamb(recipe not posted yet)


Cranberry Upma
A flavorful South Indian breakfast dish,Upma is not a favorite in my family, that was until I prepared Upma with touch of tangy cranberries.Sure enough Upma got the uplift it needed with the despicably delicious cranberries,my family simply loved the combination of spicy and tangy, which means I could make it more often for our special weekend breakfasts as long as the cranberries are in the market.

Upma needs some special ingredients like mustard seeds,curry leaves,turmeric and fine semolina(Suji Rava) that are exclusively available in Asian or India stores.
For cranberry upma do not mix the berries while the Upma is cooking unless you like the upma pinkish red in color.I saute berries separately and top on Upma before serving,that also retains most juiciness of berries.And if cranberries are not available in your part of the world,then a fresh squeeze of lemon juice over the Upma at the end of cooking process could be the next best substitute.


Recipe
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup Fine Semolina (Suji Rava)
1/2 a medium onion,finely chopped
1 plum red tomato,finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoon Canola oil or vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon black Mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon Cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon Ginger root,grated
2-3 small green chillies,chopped(or skip chillies and use 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup fresh or frozen Cranberries
1 cup Vegetables (Carrots finely chopped and peas)

Method
Heat pan on medium heat and roast rava by stirring occasionally until aromatic and lightly browned,keep an eye as it can burn easily.
In a deep sauce pan or Kadai/Wok ,heat the oil on medium high heat and add mustard seeds,onions,curry leaves,cumin and saute for 2-3 minutes. Then add ginger, green chillies and turmeric ,cook another minute before adding tomatoes.Now cover and cook for 2-3 minutes until tomatoes are tender,then add 3 cups of water and bring to a boil.Add vegetables and salt,then add the roasted semolina while constantly stirring(important! or the Upma could get lumpy).Reduce heat to medium low,cover and let cook for 3-4 minutes.
Meanwhile heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan and add the cranberries,saute for 2-3 minutes just until tender but not bleeding or mushy.Keep aside.
To serve ,transfer upma in a serving dish and top with sauteed cranberries.For individual portions in a bowl shape as in the picture,lay the berries on the bottom of a bowl,top with upma and lightly press,flip slowly in a serving plate.

Cranberry Upma is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging #263,hosted this week by Huan ofEat.Read.Live

Roasted Pumpkin Farro Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Farro(pronounced FAHR-oh)is one the oldest grains,originally found in Middle East and now grown mainly in Italy.Pearled Farro is incredibly easy to prepare.It is a good source of Protein and Iron.In the following recipe I use left over pumpkin puree from a roasted pumpkin and use it while cooking the farro for added nutrition of pumpkins.Stuffed in mildly spicy Poblanos,this is one remarkably delicious appetizer.

Farro is sold in specialty stores and Health food stores.I got my pack from the local Costco retail store.




Recipe : Roasted pumpkin puree
Halve a medium pie pumpkin with a sharp knife.Remove all strings and seeds. Don't throw away the seeds. Wash and roast in oven ,great for munching or for baking.Place the pumpkin halves cut side down in a roasting pan along with a cup of water.Bake the pumpkin until tender, about 90 minutes.Scoop the flesh out of each pumpkin half.Puree in a food processor or blender. Store in Refrigerator for a week and use in baking or cooking.
Recipe :Roasted Pumpkin Farro Stuffed Poblano Peppers
Serves 3

Ingredients
1 cup Farro grain(I used the Earthly Delights brand)
6 large or medium Poblano peppers,hulled and seeded
1 cup roasted pumpkin puree(as in the recipe above)
1/2 medium onion,finely chopped
1 medium ripe tomato ,chopped
2 cloves garlic,chopped
1 teaspoon spice mix of choice(I used a combination of chili powder ,turmeric and cumin )
2 tablespoon any chopped herbs(cilantro or parsley)

Method
Prepare the Farro stuffing
Heat oil in a medium pan,add the onions ,garlic and saute for 3-4 minutes,add the spices , 2 cups of water.Bring to a boil,mix in the Farro ,cover and allow to cook until tender about 20-25 minutes on medium low heat ,occasionally stir it.
Stuff and Bake
Slightly cool before stuffing in the hallow peppers.Lay in a cast iron or bake proof dish ,bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes until peppers are tender and skin is lightly browned.Serve warm as appetizers or as a side dish.


This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging ,hosted this week by Rachel ofThe Crispy Cook