Mocha Java Bread
Here is my Mocha Java bread. The bread has the color of WW but only contains white bread flour. It is infused with chocolate and coffee. The crust is soft, with a very soft creamy crumb that has melted chocolate and caramel throughout. With a nice flavor of coffee to go with the chocolate.
Sponge:
- 20oz. Bread Flour
- 20oz. Brewed Coffee; Cooled ( I used Green Mountain Coffee Roasters - Mocha Java)
- 1oz. Finely ground coffee (same as above )
- 1/2 Teaspoon Instant Yeast
Mix all together and let rest on counter for 1 hour. This is not really done for yeast activity as much as it done to help start the extraction of the coffee oils from the grounds. This allows plenty of time for the hydration of the coffee and start blending the flavors in a wet environment)
Dough:
- 2lb. 8oz. Bread Flour
- 16 oz. Brewed coffee; cooled (Mocha Java)
- 8oz. Milk
- 4oz. Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 3 1/2 Teaspoons Instant Yeast
- 10oz. Bag of Milk Chocolate/Caramel Morsels (I used Toll House)
- All of Sponge from above recipe
Mix all items together in large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let set for 1 hour.
After hour is up, dump contents onto lightly floured counter top and spread out only lightly degassing. Fold top towards you into the middle, then fold the side closest to you into the middle, then fold left in, then right in. Then place back into bowl seam side down, and cover.
Do this again two more times, folding at 1 hour intervals.
After this third hours fold, cut dough in half. Shape two loaves as you wish, I used a basic batard type of shape but a round loaf would work as well. After dough is shaped I put them right into a cold start oven and did the slashes just before putting them in. Both loaves opened up nicely. (basically after fold, cut-shape-score-bake, no waiting around for final resting.....daaaa)
I Baked at 375' F. for 40 minutes until internal temp of 202'F.
Sponge Image
After 1st mixing all ingredients
After 1st rise before folding
After first fold
After final fold
Finished product
TT
Comments
I bet that's every bit as yummy as it looks, TT. Do you ever get the feeling that a bowl of dough is the same as a blank artist's canvas, just waiting for something interesting to happen to it? This is a picture I could never have imagined, but how beautiful!
Thank you. Yes I feel very relaxed and open minded most of the time Im baking. And I have different moods going into each bake. Sometimes I am just looking for a decent quantity of great tasting bread. Sometimes I want to make something pretty looking. At times I have my experimental mood where I just want to create something unique. This was one of those times.
I do not make bread because I have to, I do it because I want to. And I love trying something kinda outside the box. This bread I love because when you have a slice in front of you, you can see the bits of coffee, the melted pockets of chocolate and caramel. And it smells very nice. The slight bitterness of the coffee grounds is sort of evened out by the sweetness of the chocolate in the dough. I brought one loaf into work for my guys and they loved it. I have the other loaf still at home, and eat it at night as a snack.
I think the possabilities are endless when it comes to free baking. And I greatly encourage others to try. When I start out I document on paper each thing I put into the recipe as its going in by weight. And sometimes I have to add more of something and adjust my paperwork. The worst thing I could end up with is a brick that tastes bad. Oh well, what did I really lose other than a couple dollars in ingredients. If it is something that worked out well, than why not share to see if anyone else would like to try it, maybe they modify it a little and yield a better result. Everyone else could hate it, and thats fine, to each their own. I like it, my family and friends like it, so thats all that really matters. Im not trying to profit from it.
Sorry, kinda got ramblin. To answer your question. Yes I look into my bowl and think what flavors would I like to see in a bread. And I start from there. It is very rewarding creating something without a recipe and having it turn out well.
Thank you for asking browndog, I really enjoy hearing from you. Have a great day.
TT