Colonial Apple Bread Recipes

DECADENT APPLE BROWN BETTY

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 180*C/375*F. Butter a shallow 1 ½ litre baking dish.
• Place half the bread cubes in the prepared baking dish. Mix the remaining cubes with 2 TBS of melted butter and set aside.
• Spread the apple slices over the bread cubes in the baking dish. Stir together the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, water, lemon juice, lemon rind and the remaining 5 TBS of butter. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour evenly over the apples, then top with the reserved bread cubes.
• Bake in the pre-heated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the bread is well browned. If it is browning too quickly, cover lightly with foil. Serve warm or cold with cream or ice cream.

COUNTRY BREAD WITH APPLES

Steps:

• In the bowl of a standing mixer, dissolve yeast in the warm water. Stir in sparkling cider. Add flours and salt. Mix at low speed with the paddle attachment just until combined. Change to the dough hook and mix at medium speed for 7 to 10 minutes, until dough is adhering to the hook and slapping around on the sides of the bowl. You may need to hold onto the mixer so it doesn't bounce around. Dough will be sticky.
• Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight or for 8 hours.
• Remove bowl from refrigerator and place in a warm spot. Let dough come to room temperature, which should take approximately 2 hours. Ideally dough should come to 74-78 degrees Fahrenheit
• Deflate dough with your fingertips and turn onto lightly floured surface. Flatten with your dusted hands and add some of the chopped apples. Fold dough over, flatten again and add more of the apples. Continue to do this, adding flour to your hands and the surface as necessary, until all of the apples have been worked into the dough. Shape into a ball. Rinse and dry bowl, brush with walnut oil and place dough in it, rounded side down first, then rounded side up. Cover with a damp towel and place another towel on top of the damp one. Place in a warm spot to rise until doubled in volume and a slight indentation remains when pressed gently (don't press too hard or it will deflate), 2 to 3 hours.
• Deflate dough and turn onto a lightly dusted board. Flour your hands. Dough will be moist because of the apples. Shape into a tight ball and place, rounded side down in a banneton (a lined basket for bread) or a bowl lined with a flour-dusted towel, or rounded side up on a parchment-lined baking peel or sheet (dough will spread out if it is not in a banneton). Cover with a damp towel and let rise until just about doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Meanwhile, place a baking stone on the middle rack of your oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees for at least 45 minutes.
• When dough is ready, dust baking stone with cornmeal. Reverse dough onto the hot stone if using a banneton, slide it onto the stone if using a peel, and make two 1/2-inch deep slashes with a moistened serrated knife or with a razor blade. Place in the oven and spray oven with water. Close oven door and spray again after 3 minutes, being careful not to open oven door for more than a few seconds. Set timer for 15 minutes, then quickly remove parchment if you used a baking peel, and turn oven down to 400 degrees. Bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until bread is deep brown and responds to tapping with a hollow thumping sound
• Remove from oven and cool on a rack.

COLONIAL YEAST BREAD

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine cornmeal, sugar or honey, salt, boiling water and oil. Let cool to lukewarm. Meanwhile, dissolve yeast in warm water and let stand 5 minutes. Stir into cornmeal mixture. Add whole wheat flour, rye flour and enough all-purpose flour to form a stiff dough. Turn out onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic; about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl; cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours. Punch dough down. Divide into two balls. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Shape into two loaves and place in two greased 8x4-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours. Bake at 375° for 35-40 minutes. Cover loosely with foil if top browns too quickly. Remove from pans and let cool on a wire rack.

COLONIAL APPLE BREAD

Steps:

• Combine the apple cider, raisins, brown sugar, butter, salt and spices in a heavy saucepan.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
• Boil for 3 minutes, stirring frequently while boiling.
• Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
• Sift the flour, baking powder, and baking soda into a large bowl.
• Stir the pecans and chopped apple into the cider mixture.
• Stir the mixture into the flour until all the ingredients are moistened.
• Pour into a well greased bundt pan.
• Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until the bread tests done.
• Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
• Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Sprinkle with the confectioner's sugar just before slicing.