Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Pecan Fruit Rye Bread

First off, holy crap is it hot. All I want to do is lie on the couch. While it's a little under 90F (31C), it feels about 10 degrees hotter because of the humidity. I'm so happy it's not like this all summer. I'm finding it hard to just get through a few days of it. I know many of you have to deal with this all summer... Oh and I should mention that I baked this a while ago, when it wasn't nearly as hot. I love baking so it has to be pretty hot for me to not want to run on the oven but there's no way I'm turning it on this week.


A while back I saw that Hélène had found a recipe for Raincoast Crisps and made Cranberry Hazelnut Crisps. She discovered this recipe from Dinner With Julie who made Rosemary Raisin Pecan Crisps. And this lead to me being reminded of the Pecan + Fruit crisps from Terra Breads, a local bakery. So what does this have to do with my loaf here?? Well. I wanted to make a bread that was like the pecan + fruit crisps from Terra Breads. And soon I will also try making the Raincoast Crisps.


I combined dried cranberries, dried apples, pecans and orange zest into a bread made with rye flour and bread flour. And it was delicious. Really delicious. Exactly what I'd hoped for. The only problem was that the dried apple pieces that were sticking out on the outside of the loaf burned, so I would try to stick them in the middle somehow or push them into the dough. Or maybe freshly chopped apple would be better? I'm not sure why the recipe instructs you to roll the dough out into a rectangle then roll it up into a log. There's nothing to be put in the center (though it would be a good place for the dried apple). So I'd say either do it this way, or just try shaping it into a loaf without rolling it out.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Roast Banana Pumpkin Breakfast Bread
Milk Chocolate Cherry Twist
Golden Cinnamon Loaf
Whole Wheat Orange Spice Muffins

Pecan Fruit Rye Bread
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

Makes one delicious 18 inch loaf.

1 1/4 cups warm water (about 110F), plus more if needed
1 envelope (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
10 ounces (about 2 cups) bread flour
5 1/2 ounces (about 1 cup) rye flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
zest of 1 orange
3/4 cup pecan pieces
1/2 cup dried apple, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir yeast into the warm water to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the flours, salt, sugar and orange zest, and mix on medium-low speed until dough just comes together. If the dough is too dry, add more warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue beating. Switch to the dough hook, and beat on medium speed until dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky, 4 to 5 minutes. With mixer on low speed, mix in cranberries, pecans and apples. The dough will feel stiff; push in any loose cranberries, apples and pecans with your fingers. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with oiled plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll out dough to a rectangle, about 13 by 10 inches and 1/2 inch thick, with a short side facing you. (Ashley note: Instead of adding in the chopped apple with the cranberries and pecans, you could add them here. This way they will all stay on the inside of the loaf and won't get burned. This is what I'll do next time.) Fold 1/2 inch flaps inward on the shorter sides of the rectangle: Starting at the top, roll the dough toward you, gently pressing as you go to form a tight log. Gently roll the log back and forth to seal the seam. (If the seam doesn't stay sealed, brush it with some water, and press down again to seal.) Transfer loaf to the prepared baking sheet, seam side down; cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until dough is puffed and holds an impression from your fingertip, about 45 minutes.

Bake at 350F, rotating sheet halfway through, until the crust is deep golden brown, and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the bread registers 190F, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer bread to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Bread can be kept, in a sealed container, at room temperature for up to three days. It also freezes well.

24 comments:

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

I moved to the Island, two yrs ago, and I thought that all summers would be cool like we had in the past. That weather is insane, we don't do much these days. I stopped baking this week. Love your version of this bread. I'll have to try it. I'm sure I will love it. :)

Homemade Heaven said...

That is my kind of bread - lots of fruit and nuts and then the tang of the rye - perfect. I am going to try this soon.
Enjoy the summer, we are freezing cold here down South!

Cait (Cait's Plate) said...

Holy Moly this looks AMAZING! I think I'm definitely going to have to make this at Thanksgiving.

Do you find most Martha Stewart recipes to be incredibly complicated and involved?! My sister and I just made her Chocolate Chip Cupcake recipes and we were flabbergasted by the number of steps!

Unknown said...

The bread looks delicious!!

eatme_delicious said...

Helene: Yea I'm finding it hard to do anything too..

Rose & Thorn: Hope you like it! I wish I was freezing right now.

Cait: Aw thank you! Hm well maybe Martha Stewart recipes are a bit more complicated than they need to be, but I know there are other cookbook authors out there who make it even more complicated! =)

grace said...

to me, the best breads have bits of sweetness and crunch. i think this is an awesome recipe, and it yields a lovely loaf!

jd said...

Ewww, sorry it's so hot out where you are! I'm not a big fan of humid weather, so I can definitely relate to your discomfort.

As for that lovely bit of bread - it looks fantastic! I've actually never made a Martha Stewart recipe before (I know, scandalous!). Looks like this might be the place to start...

Juliana said...

Oh! Your bread looks so yummie...moist. Nice picture!

Maris said...

This looks so good! I've been baking Peter Reinhat's BBA breads but I might cheat on him to try this!

Chef Fresco said...

This does look so good! I love breads like this.

Clare and Gary said...

Looks yummy...definitely will be trying this one!

Julie said...

Wow - that sounds fantastic!! Totally on my to-make list as soon as it cools down a bit!

Johanna GGG said...

a slice of this toasted with melted butter would go down a treat right now - it is cool and wet here but they are already forecasting a scorcher of a summer - enjoying the cool while I can!

I think they might say to roll it in a log and fold as a way of getting air in the bread - I remember a friend talking about it and I think that is why!

Dana said...

We hit 103 yesterday in Seattle. I'm going crazy and I have a/c in our upstairs! No cooking or baking for me but I'll look forward to a bread like this when things cool down a little.

J Wilson said...

This is the best blog I've ever seen. Food and Cats are two of my biggest loves!

I'm in the other Vancouver about 500 miles south of you... it was 106 yesterday!

Steph said...

I think it's finally starting to feel like summer! It's good, but bad for baking. THe bread looks so yummy!!

Peanut Butter Swirl said...

oh goodness these sound so good! Love the pecan/fruit mix :)

Hannah said...

Oh, what a luscious loaf! Now that's my idea of a slice of toast for breakfast... :)

Katie said...

I just had a total baking fail with a plain rye bread from another baking blog, but I'm not giving up on rye bread yet! I'll give this a go and see how it turns out.

Unknown said...

Came to this recipe from a link at Baking Bites, and I can't wait to try it! Just one question, the cranberries are not listed in the ingredients list. Do you need about 1/2 cup? Same as the dried apple?

eatme_delicious said...

Susan: Oh I forgot to put it in! Yes it's 1/2 cup - just edited it. Thanks so much for letting me know and for stopping by. =) Hope you like the bread!

florence said...

Gosh, that looks delicious! :D

Anonymous said...

I'm making this for the second time and really like it! This time around I used some vital wheat gluten to help with the rising. I also added a little whole wheat flour, made it about 50% whole wheat/rye combo and 50% white. Last time I added some dried cherries, which were really good! I did notice that you don't have a baking temperature. What temperature do you usually bake this loaf? I've been doing 425 degrees F for 5 minutes and then 350 degrees F for the remaining time. Any thoughts?

eatme_delicious said...

Anonymous: So glad you like it! And I'm so sorry I forgot to put up the temperature! Thanks for pointing that out. I baked it at 350F. Your modifications sound yummy. =)