Apricot Roll and a 5-Strand Braid
I made the following for Bread Baking Day (BBD) #08: Celebrate!
Because there was enough dough for two loaves, I decided to make one as a roll and braid the other one without filling it.
We really love this bread. And we really loved how much oven spring there was. Imagine how tall it would have been if I'd put the bread in tins to bake!
Next time I will use prunes for the filling, as Manuela suggests, rather than apricots. Apricots are nice but I think the flavour of the prunes will be better with the bread, not to mention, prettier in the roll. And I'll add less filling, and serve the extra in a little bowl on the side. I like the idea of the roll having just a hint of the fruit flavour.
We haven't tasted the braid yet but we know that it will be delicious as well. I may have to make some apricot or prune jam to go with it though.
Please note that I have not forgotten that today is 1 April. But I decided to refrain from playing tricks on the blog this year. I thought my time would be better spent posting for BBD#08 (let alone that I couldn't think of anything...).
Comments
Beautiful breads, Elizabeth. Thanks for joining BBD this month!
Susanfnp
http://www.wildyeastblog.com
Those are beautiful! I'm on a boringly restricted diet at the moment, so no bread for a while, but when I can, this is going to be the first thing I make! We love apricots in our house, so this looks like an instant winner.
If I just want to make the roll, do you think I should half the dough recipe?
Thanks for giving me something great to dream about!
edh
Thank you, edh. I'm guessing that you could easily cut the recipe in half. The only slight difficulty would be halving the egg. But if you beat the egg first, you can fairly easily remove 2 Tbsp (one egg is about 4 Tbsp) to add to the dough and use the other 2 Tbsp instead of cream to brush on the risen loaf.
The other alternative would be to make two rolls and freeze one of them after baking. (We froze the braid and just pulled it out today. It was as if it just came out of the oven.)
When your restrictions end (poor you!) I would recommend using the amount of apricot I made for TWO loaves. We think there is too much apricot for the bread. I think just the thinnest layer of it would be better in the roll.
-Elizabeth
I have to tell you, my husband practically drooled when he saw the apricot roll; I don't think I could get away with reducing the amount too much! On the other hand, even the best tastes can get overwhelming, and I like your idea of putting one in the freezer. Nothing like having a special treat squirreled away for a rainy day.
I'm so over these restrictions, but have another week or two to go; this site and all it's pictures are about the only thing keeping me sane! It's actually a bit humbling to realize how fixated on food-as-fun I've become!
Thanks again; I'm sure you'll hear me crowing once I get to try this!
Elizabeth (also)