So, as I am sure you've figured out, bits and pieces of my real life tend to bleed into this blog. My most recent trip into the heart of the Nation's Capitol lead me to the Library of Congress. I've lived in DC for four years now and never seen the pretty public part of the building. And here's what got me, there is science everywhere. The world's largest library LOVES science. There is a pillar representing it in the main reading room. Every major western power is attributed with adding something to Western Culture. America got science. There is ceiling fresco devoted to the eight major sciences that existed in the mid 19th Century (chemistry, physics, astronomy, mathematics, and more that I can't really remember right now, sorry). And, here's the coolest part there are putti (little Italian babies) on the main staircase. Each one has a profession, and the cook and the chemist are right next to each other. Yay, chemistry and cooking!
Cook
Chemist
So, on to our usual fare. Today's topic is yeast, yet again. Before we dive in I highly recommend that you read the last post to get the original skinny on these very cool microorganisms.
When you use yeast as a leavening agent in bread (the thing that makes dough or batter rise) you allow the yeast to expel CO2 as waste. The CO2 creates growing pockets of gas making the dough get bigger and bigger (and the ethanol that is also expelled makes it tastier and tastier). Yeast eats sugars and starches so the addition of potatoes, eggs, or sugar speeds up the rising process. Salt, hot water, and fats (butter, etc.) slow down the rising process. Easy enough. So, why should you let bread rise in a warm place? Think of yeast like a human being. When it is cold out, we all get sluggish, tired. We don't move a lot. As the temps get warmer we start to become more active, until at some point it becomes too hot and we stop working again. Yeast is the same way, too cold and it doesn't want to eat, too hot and it dies (like when you bake your bread). The other thing you have to worry about is the life span of yeast. When you aren't using a starter it is very difficult for the yeast to reproduce, so as time goes on the yeast begins to die off. If you let the dough rise too long in the first steps of a bread, it may not rise again because the yeast is dead. So, keep an eye on the dough.
I am a big fan of baking my own bread. I don't really know why, but it has something to do with the smell of fresh baked bread coming out of the oven. I made this slightly sweet bread as a special treat at Easter because, well, I love the flavor of cardamom and I had nothing better to do. I got the recipe from the Carmel Cookie (http://thecaramelcookie.blogspot.com/2010/02/finnish-cardamom-bread.html) and made a couple of small changes. First I increased the amount of cardamom, this is very lightly flavored. If you want a stronger cardamom flavor I would recommend adding a full teaspoon, because even doubling the amount to 1/2 teaspoon wasn't quite enough to really showcase the flavor. And second, I added a lemon butter glaze that just makes this bread. So here it is, my special treat.
Finnish Cardamom Bread with Lemon Glaze
Bread
Ingredients
1 Tablespoon dry activated yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup + 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 cup skim milk
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 t salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
4 1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
1 beaten egg (for brushing)
granulated sugar (for sprinkling)
Mix yeast, warm water, and 1/2 teaspoon sugar until yeast dissolves. Set aside. Heat milk in a saucepan over low heat until small bubbles appear along the edges. Cool slightly. Add beaten eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, salt, cardamom, and 3 cups flour. Beat well. Add butter, beat well, Add yeast mixture. Add remaining flour in three additions. Mix well. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic (~10 min). Place dough in an oiled bowl. Cover and let double (~1 hour). Punch down and let rise again until doubled (~45 min). Divide the dough in half. From each half, roll three ropes 12-18 inches. Braid the ropes into two loaves. Place on a greased baking sheet. Let rise until doubled (~1 hour). Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush loaves with the beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 25 minutes, or until the loaves sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Lemon Glaze
Ingredients
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter
1-2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Melt the butter. Add vanilla. Whisk in powdered sugar. Add enough lemon juice to achieve desired consistency. For the bread it should be liquid enough to pour, but stiff enough to stick to the loaves. It took me about 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice to achieve the right consistency. Generously pour over the loaves. This glaze recipe is enough to glaze both loaves of bread.
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