Walnut Sage Anadama Bread Recipes

WALNUT-SAGE BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bread bowl, thoroughly mix dry ingredients.
• Add the water, first stirring with a spoon, then using your hand to mix until all the ingredients are incorporated into a ragged ball. Cover the bowl with a towel and let rest for 50 minutes.
• On a lightly oiled counter, stretch the dough into a 12" x 18" rectangle. Fold in thirds as you would a letter. Turn 90 degrees and fold in thirds the other way. Return to the bowl and cover. Let rest for another 50 minutes.
• Repeat the previous step twice more for a total of 3 foldings and four 50 minute rests. Each time you do this the dough will present more resistance and you will make smaller rectangles.
• Gently shape the dough into a loaf by flattening it slightly, rolling into a loaf shape, and pinching to seal the ends and bottom. Place in a pan that will provide the loaf with some support, e.g. an oval au gratin pan. Either grease the pan or line with parchment paper.
• Let the formed loaf sit 20-30 minutes while the oven preheats to 400F. Slash the top of the loaf with a sharp knife or razor to release the surface tension and increase "oven spring" (continued rise while baking).
• Bake 1 hour, cool on a rack before slicing.
• Hint: The temperature of your kitchen will affect the bread. The times given here are for my 68F kitchen. In the summer, when the kitchen 78F, the rest times are shortened to 45 minutes. On a hot day with the windows open, I might shorten it to 35-40 minutes. Adjust the times to fit the temperature of your kitchen.

ANADAMA BREAD

Steps:

• Place 1/2 cup water and cornmeal in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook until mixture thickens; about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the butter or margarine and molasses. Let cool to lukewarm.
• In a small mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Let sit until creamy; about 10 minutes.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled cornmeal mixture with the yeast mixture; stir until well blended. Add 2 cups of the flour and the salt; mix well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
• Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and put in a warm place to rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and form into a loaf. Place the loaf in a lightly greased 9x5 inch loaf pan. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.
• Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

ANADAMA BREAD

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring water and cornmeal to a boil. Reduce heat; cook for 2 minutes or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; stir in molasses and butter. Cool to 110°-115°., In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the cornmeal mixture, salt and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; shape into a loaf. Place in a greased 9x5-in. loaf pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour., Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until browned (cover loosely with foil if top browns too quickly). Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.

OLD FASHIONED WALNUT BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350*.
• Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into large bowl.
• Add egg, shortning, milk and vanilla.
• Stir until all is moistened.
• Stir in the walnuts.
• Bake in a 9x5 loaf pan for 1 hour, 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

ANADAMA BREAD

Steps:

• The day before making the bread, make the soaker by mixing the cornmeal and water in a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit overnight at room temperature.
• The next day, to make the dough, stir together 2 cups of the flour, the yeast, soaker, and water in a mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and ferment for 1 hour, or until the sponge begins to bubble.
• Add the remaining 2 1/2 cups of flour, the salt, molasses, and shortening and stir (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment) until the ingredients form a ball. Add water if necessary to make a soft, slightly sticky mass.
• Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin kneading (or mix on medium speed with the dough hook), sprinkling in more flour as needed to make a tacky, but not sticky, dough. The dough should be firm but supple and pliable and definitely not sticky. It will take about 10 minutes of kneading to accomplish this (or 6 to 8 minutes in the electric mixer). The dough should pass the windowpane test (page 58) and register 77° to 81°F.
• Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and ferment the dough at room temperature for about 90 minutes, or until it doubles in size.
• Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into 2 equal pieces of 24 ounces, or 3 pieces of about 16 ounces. Shape the dough into loaves, as shown on page 81, and place them into bread pans that have been lightly oiled or misted with spray oil (the larger loaves should go into 9 by 5-inch pans and the smaller loaves into 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch pans). Mist the tops of the loaves with spray oil and loosely cover the tops with plastic wrap.
• Proof at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes, or until the loaves crest fully above the tops of the pans. (If you want to hold back any of the loaves, place them in the refrigerator without proofing, where they will hold, or retard, for up to 2 days. Remove them from the refrigerator about 4 hours before baking and proof them at room temperature, or until ready.)
• Preheat the oven to 350°F with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Place the pans on a sheet pan and remove the plastic wrap. Mist the tops with a spray of water and dust with cornmeal.
• Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the sheet pan for even baking and continue to bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown, including along the sides and bottom, and register at least 185° to 190°F in the center. They should make a hollow sound when thumped on the bottom.
• When the loaves are done, remove them immediately from the pans and cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing or serving.
• BREAD PROFILE
• Enriched, standard dough; indirect method; commercial yeast
• DAYS TO MAKE: 2
• Day 1: 5 minutes soaker
• Day 2: 1 1/4 hours sponge; 15 minutes mixing; 2 3/4 to 3 1/4 hours fermentation, shaping, and proofing; 40 to 50 minutes baking
• Commentary
• The brand or type of molasses will make a difference in the final flavor. People who tested this formula preferred Brer Rabbit Golden Molasses for its lightness. Molasses is high in iron and other minerals, but some brands are harsher and darker. I suggest using the lightest, most refined brand you can find, unless you like the stronger flavor tones of darker brands.
• The amount of flour may vary depending on the type of molasses you use, so do not be concerned if you have to add more to firm up the dough. Let the dough dictate how much flour it needs; you want a dough that is slightly tacky but not sticky, and supple enough for easy shaping.
• BAKER'S PERCENTAGE FORMULA
• Anadama Bread %
• (SOAKER)
• Cornmeal: 100%
• Water: 133%
• Total: 233%
• (DOUGH)
• Bread flour: 100%
• Instant yeast: 1.1%
• Soaker:69.1%
• Water: 39.5%
• Salt: 1.9%
• Molasses: 19.8%
• Shortening: 4.9%
• Total: 236.3%