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Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Whole Grain Challah with Cranberries & Orange Zest (for our 2nd Bread Braid)

Bread baking time again...hooray! Do you remember me joining the fairly new baking group HBinFive? The one that helped me conquer that fear of the BBY forever? Well, it's time for our December bonus recipe...and I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out! We officially begin baking from the book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day in the new year, so you have plenty of time to grab your own copy and join us over at Big Black Dog our home base with our host Michelle. While our bonus recipe last month was given to us by Zoe Francois, one half of the team who brings us the book HBin5, this months was chosen by the other half, Jeff Hertzberg, MD. While I can't post the recipe for the Whole Grain Challah with cranberries and orange zest, I can tell you that it is posted HERE...and then show you my process of baking it...so pretty and just begging to be photographed! One thing that I love and that has been so helpful in conquering my fear of the BBY, is the simple process given for the bread in HBin5. Mixing the dry ingredients... ...and then adding the wet...that's it. Look how beautifully this dough rose over the course of a couple of hours! I ripped off an approximately 1 lb. piece and divided into three, formed them into ropes and did a simple braid for my first try. Take my picture, take my picture!! I let it rise for ~90 minutes oh yeah and then gave it an egg wash and sprinkling of sugar and orange zest. It came out of the oven all golden and crusty and beautiful...and sliced up just as nice. Why did I ever fear yeast? I no longer remember. Be sure to head on over to this months Bread Braid to see all of the other variations that were baked up by the members of HBin5! HBin5

Would you like to comment?

  1. Gorgeous! I'm probably not going to get to this until Christmas break, but it sure looks good!

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  2. That sucker is a stunner! Wow!

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  3. Ummm, that looks beautiful! I had a starter earlier in the year going, but went traveling and left it at home, so it, well, went, Ha I was going to say south, but thats what I did.

    I made my first pastry braid, and put orange zest, it was so much fun, yours is fabulous!

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  4. This really does look lovely. I'll wager it's wonderfully flavorful.

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  5. What gorgeous bread! That's one perfectly braided loaf of delicious looking bread...I'll have to try this.

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  6. It came out so pretty! Is that a plastic bag inside your container? Smart idea if so, must make cleanup a breeze!

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  7. Joanna...no, that's just plastic wrap loosely covering the container. I never know if the actual lid will be too airtight or not, so I just do that to play it safe. That would make for easy clean up, though!

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  8. So happy that you are now friends with yeast! Next to to try a sourdough starter or fresh yeast!

    Gorgeous braids and loved the crunchy Orange Zest Sugar!!

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  9. I think these recipes are helping many of us get over fear of yeast :)

    Great job!

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  10. I love all these bread recipes... and too funny the series of bread rising... is there anything more satisfying in life than to watch bread rise!!!

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  11. A great artisan challah! I have baked a few times of challah, but never tried it with whole wheat...the crust looks perfect!

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  12. Love your pictures. Love the orange sugar, so wish I had used it on mine. Beautiful!

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  13. Gorgeous photos! I've learned to get over my fears of yeast as well or rather I realized my fear wasn't the yeast but the handling of the dough. Great job on the bread.
    ~ingrid

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  14. Beautiful! How do you accomplish so much? Are there secretly 12 of you?

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  15. I love cranberries and orange together and you did such a lovely job of braiding

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  16. Aww your bread looks super pretty! I can't remember anymore why I was so afraid of yeast either. It seems so silly in retrospect. I love how fat your braid is...looks scrumptious.

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  17. That is some gorgeous bread! I'm jealous! Challah with cranberries and orange zest sounds perfect.

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  18. This looks gorgeous, you did a fabulous job!

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  19. Looks wicked good. I need to make challa again, maybe I'll try this one next!

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  20. Beautiful! What a love braiding job and the bread rose very nicely. Yum!

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  21. Girlichef,
    I loved all the pictures. You did a great job with both!

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  22. I have never had whole wheat challah before. I bet it's delicious. I bought a sesame one in the city on Saturday...yum!

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  23. You're killing me. I've got to learn to make bread now.
    Sam

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  24. Congratulations on conquering yeast and creating a beautiful loaf of bread! Ü

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  25. oh my gosh, hot out of the oven, that's sheer heaven!

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  26. I am envious! Everything you make looks great.

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  27. Oh wow, this looks absolutely wonderful. I've never seen a challah with these ingredients.

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  28. oooh, another fine delicious recipe Girlichef! This bread looks so good!

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  29. That bread begs to be slathered with butter and eaten...quickly! I love your photos of the rising.

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  30. What a beautiful braid! This would be heaven right out of the oven on Christmas morning!

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  31. You did your usual beautiful job with this challah. I should have this, every week, on my table.

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  32. Great job! Aren't these just fun and wonderful recipes! So glad you overcame your fear of yeast...so when you going to try making beer or wine? LOL. It's only yeast and water and flavors...not that different from beer! Again...great job and I love your pics!

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  33. Baking bread is one of my most favorite things. I've made challah a couple times, but have never added any fruit or nuts. Looks so yummy!

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  34. This is such an awesome cooking club! I love seeing everyone's creations, yours looks terrific!

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  35. I don't know where you find the time girl! Looks wonderful - and with the cold weather you are unfortunately having, it must be a comfort to cut into a hot loaf of bread.

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  36. Wow, that challah sounds fantastic with cranberries! I love your step by step photos!

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  37. Impressive! This looks beautiful and delicious. Thanks for the recipe!

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  38. Heather, your breads are turning out so fabulous! You know, I am just so frustrated because I tried to make my HBin5 bread but can't get my dough to rise! Where are you proofing your bread? Is it in a warm spot? Any help would be so much appreciated :)
    Feel free to email me if you have time, mwah!

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  39. I don't think I have ever seen whole grain challah. It looks amazing!

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  40. you and be both sista!! the yeasties are no longer beasties!! woooo hoooo. you did an awesome job!! This calls for a celebration. Lushes Unite!!!

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  41. Beautiful bread--I bought the book and one day will lose the yeast fears. ;-)

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  42. Lovely!
    Great braid, and I love that you put zest on top - I have never thought of that.

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  43. It turned out great Heather! I love the picture where you can see all the orange zest on top - yum! I loved this recipe. The bread was so pretty and festive.

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  44. great photos and what a golden gem of orange zest delight - the braid is always cool but that challah pointy thing style ranks right up there!

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  45. This is really beautiful! Cranberry and orange together, always make me think of Christmas. Love this!

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  46. Beautiful bread and photos. I love the orange zest sugar. Thanks for sharing!

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  47. At this rate, I'm going to have my braid all eaten by the time I make it through these posts. They are making me so hungry! You're doing a great job showing the yeast who is the boss.
    ~Jenny~

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  48. I think Dave over at My Year On the Grill is going to have to share his Master Breadmaker title. Your loaf is splendid!

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  49. So delicious, Heather! You are the second blogger this evening to have posted about this and both loaves were stunning.

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  50. What a gorgeous loaf of bread! I'm impressed, I'm still working on my fear of yeast :)

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  51. I tried to make a Harvest Loaf...the first loaf of bread I'd ever made by hand. It came out hard and heavy.

    Any words of wisdom?

    This bread looks mouth-watering. Sooo...can I move in with you? I'll buy the groceries if you make them for me. LOL

    Then again, I already need to lose weight, so living with a marvelous cook is probably not a good idea for me. ;)

    Big hugs!

    )O(
    boo

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  52. LOL BOO!!! Ha ha ha ha... thanks ;) But hmmm, wondering about your rise? Did the bread rise well before you baked it? I'm really just beginning to get the hang of the yeast thing, myself but I'dbe glad to give any advice I've garnered so far! :D

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  53. You know, it did rise...but probably not as much as I expected it to rise. (Not that that means a thing...I have no frame of reference.)

    I've really wanted to learn to bake my own breads. I mean, really, what's better that warm bread straight from the oven.

    We have a breadmaker, but it's just not the same.

    Oh, also...for my harvest loaf. It had oatmeal and sunflower seeds and I can't even remember what all now. I was making it for Mabon.

    Could that have effected the end result?

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  54. Oh, that sounds perfect for Mabon! I wanted to make a Dark Mother Bread (or Honey Wheat), but alas that slipped by me, so definitely next year. Um, I don't think it should affect the denseness...this bread had some add-ins and didn't seem to matter. I just ordered & received (today, actually!!) this book I talked about in the post (Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day) and it has a lot of great tips in it...they also wrote Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day, which I need to get soon...they've really helped me conquer the yeast "fear"! Do you still have the recipe for your harvest loaf? If so, you could email it to me...I'd love to try it...then I could email ya back and let you know what happened with it! (girlichef at yahoo dot com)...I'd love it, actually!

    And I agree...not much better than freshly baked bread...the smell, the texture, the feel...oh man, I need some bread. NOW!

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