Bread Baker's Challenge #1 ANADAMA BREAD

baked bread challenge # 1- ANADAMA BREAD

The origins of this bread it is diverse and confusing, there are so many stories about it. Peter Reinhart in his book makes sense saying it is possible to come from a lonely, unhappy man in Rockport, MA whose wife left him, one given day. All remaining in his lonely house was some flour, cornmeal, and molasses. He starts making "ANA DAMN'ER!" bread from all of this.

In the end, after I baked this bread I was surprised as well as the taste and texture of cornmeal in each slice. I definitely will make it again, maybe changing the shape AND THE METHOD OF BAKING...

Ingredients:

SOAKER: (overnight)

1 Cup corn meal (preferably coarse)

1 cup water

 DOUGH

4 ½ cups unbleached flour

2 teaspoon yeast

1 cup, lukewarm water

1 ½ teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons molasses

2 tablespoons butter

The evening before baking I mixed one cup of cornmeal and one cup of water, and leave it covered until the next day.

DIRECTIONS:

A day before baking, soak corn meal in water and leave overnight at room temp.

Next day, mix all the ingredients and knead for 10 minutes to become light, elastic dough. This operation can be done by a bread machine.

Butter a bowl and put the dough, covered with plastic wrap, at room temp until it doubles in size./ about 90 minutes.

Remove the dough from the bowl, divide and shape it into 2 loaves.

 Proof them again, 60-90 minutes, until they double in size.  As an option, at this point, you can refrigerate the loaf for up to 2 days, and leave them to warm for about 4 h before bake.

Heat the oven to 350F, and put the loaf to bake, after 20 minutes, rotate the loaf 360 degree, to be baked evenly, for about 20 minutes more.

They are done when they sound hollow and crispy.

 I added the corn meal to a mixer, flour, salt, and yeast, mixing well with the paddle first.

I cover the dough and leave it to rise for 1 hour.

The dough riced nicely, and I added Vermont maple syrup ( I didn't have molasses in the pantry, and I figure that Maple syrup is a "New England " product, to be in the same team as our poor left alone man from Mass).

I add butter and start mixing for a heavy dough to form.

Mix everything with the paddle, of a stand-up mixer.

Change the paddle with the hook to mix the dough, thoroughly for 5-7 minutes. Or you can knead manually for 5-7 minutes.

I buttered the bowl and put the dough, covered to rise again, for 90 minutes

After 90 minutes, the dough is well-raised, fluffy, and beautiful, ready to be shaped.

 I start giving a long shape and rolling around.

I brushed the bread with egg wash, score the bread, and add poppy seeds and caraway seeds

I covered the bread with ceramic wrap, and a towel, to be protected from currents and have a stable, warm environment for one hour.

My #2, ANADAMA bread, all raised, ready to bake:

Bake at 350F for 40 minutes.

Another option for shaping the bread would be to bake it in a form ( as Peter Reinhart describes in his book)

This brings a soft hearty bread that I prepare with some butter and freshly made apricot preserve. Delicious!! 

Bone appetite!