Thursday 2 April 2009

Greek Celebration Bread



I have no idea why the bread is called like this, but in the book this is the basic of few variety of swwet, nut breads. So I thought I will start with the basic bread.
With this bread recipe they also make breads like Christopsomos , Lambropsomo etc...... and mostly it is for Easter time. I have not reached there yet, just made the basic sweet bread.

For me the bread was not sweet at all, so next time when i make this i might double up the honey or maybe add few tbsp of sugar.
I think if you make other breads which contains raisins and nuts etc..... maybe then you don't have to add more sugar or sweet as the raisins are sweet itself.

I must admit this was one hell of a delicious bread and itgot so huge that I got so excites that I shouted to my daughter to come and see ( she was learning in her room).
And her reaction Oh that is all you just called me to show this,andi thought something had happend in the kitchen.

The bread was so soft and fluffy , well let me say it was just super super DELICIOUS.
Did I tell you I am so much in love with this book The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread

Makes 1 large loaf
1 cup (7 ounces) poolish.
31/2 cup ( 16 ounces) unbleached bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp ground cinamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tso ground cloves
1 tsp minced orange or lemon zest or extract ( i used zest)
1 tsp almond extract
2 large eggs slightly beaten
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 whole or low fat milk , luke warm.

Optional glaze ( I did the glaze)
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp orange or lemon extract
2 tsp sesame seeds

1 Remove the measured amount of poolish from the fridge 1 hour before making the dough.
Poolish you have to make the day before and keep in the fridge. You can find the recipe here.

2 Stir together the flour, salt , teast, cinamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves in a large mixing bowl ( or in the bowl of a electric mixer).
Add the poolish, the extracts, eggs, honey, oil and milk. Stir together with a sturdy spoon ( or mix in a lower speed with the paddle attachment) untill the dough forms a ball.

3. Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter and knead ( or mix on medium speed with the dought hook). Add more milk or flour as needed to form the dough into a soft, but not stickey ball. It should be tacky and very supple.
Knead ( or mix) for approximatley 10 minutes.

4. Mightly oil a bowl and tranfer the dough to the bowl ( i would suggest use a real big bowl as the dough really rise up). Rolling it around to coat with oil.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and ferment the dough at room temperature for 90 minutes or untill it double in sizes. ( Mine doubled up after a hour)

5. Remove the dough from the bowl and shape into a boule. Transfer it to a sheet pan that has been lines with baking parchment. ( I sued a 24 cm round cake pan)
Mist the dough with spray oil and loosley cover withplastic wrap.

6 Proof at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes, or untill double in size.

7. Preheat the oven to 350° F with the oven rack on middle shelf.

8. Bake the loaf for 20 minutes. Roatate the pan 180 degrees for even baking and continue baking for futher 20 to 25 minutes, or untill the loaf is golden brown.
It should make a hollow sound when thumped on the bottom.
You may glaze the loaf as soon as it comes out the oven.

9. To make the glaze, combine the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to boil. Add the honey and extracts and turn off the heat.
Brush the loaf with the glaze and immediately sprinkle the loaves with the sesame seeds.

10. Transfer the bread to a rack and cool for futher 1 hour before slicing and serving.
Sending this to YeastSpotting.


Super Delicious Soft bread.

My Daughter is having her 2 weeks Easter holidays, so I am also taking a break from blogging. See you all after 2 weeks.

102 comments:

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

I've never seen a Greek Celebration Bread. This is a beautiful one you made.

Cham said...

I look excellent, moist and light inside!

Simply Spices said...

looks very soft and beautiful..!Happy Easter Holidays!!!For us 1 week Spring Break!!!

raaji said...

I love eating them not making for myself....Soo tedious job....

raaji said...

You sure must be having a lot of patince too make these breads so oftem.....Hatsoff

Vani said...

It sure looks beautiful!

Rupa said...

Thanks for visiting my blog.Your Greek celebration bread looks lovely and delicious..

Deepthi Shankar said...

Iam sure this has taken a lot of yr time .. good one

Finla said...

Helene, it is the first time i bake them thanks to the book.

Cham yeah it was super yumm and so soft.

Hema here it is2 weeks from tommorow on wards and i am really looking forward to it.

Raaji try to make bread, it is so teraputic and we eat bread here for morning and evening so instead of buying i love making them.

Vani thankyou

Rani thankyou and it was a pleasure visitng your place.

Anonymous said...

Looks like an awesome bread..Greek cake i have tried..but this one is new to me..Superb clicks!!

FH said...

YAY!! I baked that too with an egg inside, loved it. Looks great, makes a great breakfast with cream cheese or butter. Good one F! :))

Have a great time with S, weather must be little better now. Tushar has Spring break from 17th for a week too, not going anywhere until June though. Have fun, see you when you are back.

Bruges really looks good in that movie, may be one day!:)

AnuSriram said...

Looks fabulous! Gr8 work!

Rachel said...

I just love how plump and well browned your bread is...

Pam said...

I really need to try making more bread...this looks wonderful.

Rajitha said...

oooh...look at that bread...only i guess we the food obsessed can see the beauty!! enjoy ur break and have fun with ur daughter :)

Priya Suresh said...

Wow gorgeous bread...looks very soft n beautiful HC...excellent bread!

Snooky doodle said...

wow this bread looks awesome ! I love sweet bread. the addition of raising would make it even more delicious :))

Laavanya said...

WHat an amazing looking bread - i love sweet breads. No wonder you got excited.. it has risen beautifully.

Manju said...

looks like the bread has risen well...so moist and airy!! good job :)

Dewi said...

What a wonderful celebration bread, sounds really special and delicious. The crumb look very fluffy, and airy. WOW!
Cheers,
elra

How To Eat A Cupcake said...

It looks sooo good! I'm 25% greek so I think I should make this! Lol I really want that book! :D

Poornima Nair said...

That bread is beautiful...looks so soft, just perfect.

Varsha Vipins said...

Thats one helluva gorgeous bread HC..am totally ignorant about all these startes n all..I saw that poolish post..Is it acting just like a yeast solutin?then y are we adding flour n fermenting it?Itl be nice if you could throw some light into it..
Cheers n enjoy your hol's..:)

Vibaas said...

Looks beautiful. love the colour :)

lissie said...

Happy Easter to you!
The bread looks perfect.

amna said...

that looks so chubby and yumm! Nice one :) enjoy the break.

Raks said...

Bread has came out so good! Enjoy :))

~~louise~~ said...

What a beautiful bread! I wish I could bake. You did great. How inspiring. Enjoy your time away.

Soma said...

Looks really pretty & fluffy. great pic too! Enjoy ur break!

Sara said...

What a beautiful looking bread, I love all those spices!

Sujatha said...

that looks so perfect and soft! I can take a bite of it right now :)

jayasree said...

Bread looks gorgeous and moist. Looks so light inside.

Jayashree said...

Looks soft and delish.
Enjoy your vacation!!!

Ivy said...

This looks delicious perfect for breakfast. Have a nice rest.

Unknown said...

wo..the texture is so good..soft spongy yet firm..good one..

Anonymous said...

I have had this recipe bookmarked for so long but have been putting it off, your gorgeous post has inspired me to make it asap!

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

That looks lovely. I can see you are putting that bread book to very good use and tempting us all.
I should try my own "poolish" bread, maybe sometime after the holidays.
My daughter has the same reaction when I sometimes get excited about something!:)

Chutneytales said...

The bread looks fantastic..it just looks soft and perfect..Thanks for the poolish recipe too :)

My comfort food network said...

The bread looks really good. I would say perfect artisan bread. You don't need to go to the local bakery anymore. Lol!

Bong Mom said...

It sure looks gorgeous, I like the dome like look

Chandani said...

bread looks so soft and pretty!! would love to have a slice (or two) :)

gtyuk said...

yummy bread, I share your reactions concerning the excitement in seeing the successfully made home bread .... " I got so excites that I shouted to my daughter to come and see ( she was learning in her room)."...

looks great and happy holidays!

Susan/Wild Yeast said...

Beautiful, special bread! Have a wonderful vacation.

Rina said...

Bread looks perfect and filling...will all those spice flavours added, a slice would be so soothing to the taste buds.

Ramya Vijaykumar said...

Oh wow the gread has turned out really well and so I dont think I will have any trouble with the name. seems filling and happy hols...

Vanamala Hebbar said...

wow wonderful... i've never made at home..

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

my goodness.. bread looks awesome. gorgeousssss

Peter M said...

Happy, the closest thing this looks like is the Tsoureki, Greek Easter bread. Easter is a celebration of the resurrection of Christ so, that may be where your bread got it's title.

You'll see mine and other Greek bloggers versions coming up to our Greek Easter (Apr.19th).

Susan from Food Blogga said...

Enjoy your daughter AND your bread! :)

Bunny said...

This is beautiful!! The texture of the bread is lovely! You did a wonderful job!

Sum Raj said...

excellent light and fluffy bread..

Yasmeen said...

That's a mighty gorgeous bread,love the dark glaze.Have a joyful break:)

Dragon said...

I love the sweetness of this bread. Yours looks so good!

Elle said...

That is a perfectly lovely bread! It rose so well and the crust is dark and shiny and such a soft interior...mmmm. You could probably add raisins or currants and make it sweeter if you like.

bee said...

my word!!! that looks fantastic.

Jaya M said...

happy,
thats a stunning bread ,almost look like store brought ,great job here ..
I just even liked the idea of filling zucchinis with keema /minced meat and then making into lovely curry ..thanks for sharing so wonderful recipe
enjoy your break ..
hugs and smiles

KALVA said...

wonderful recipe. never heard of this one

Cakelaw said...

What beautiful bread Happy Cook.

Maria said...

Love that loaf! It is beautiful!

Thistlemoon said...

It looks like a beautiful bread - so light and fluffy! I bet the dough was nice to work with.

Linda said...

Hi HC, as usual I am speechless at your beautiful bread! You really have a gift for baking :)

Enjoy the break with your daughter!

EC said...

The bread looks perfect as in stores..Enjoy ur break with ur daughter

lubnakarim06 said...

Superb.......rocking.....Soft and yum and moist.

Bombay-Bruxelles said...

Have a nice break!!

This bread is fantastic!

A_and_N said...

I dont really care what its called but I'd sure love to dig in :) Looks great!

Baked, By Anna said...

I've never heard of this one either, but it looks wonderful! Maybe like a Greek Panettone? A must-try.

Jescel said...

your story about you getting excited about the bread made me laugh. i think i would too.. awesome. i'm sure i'm going to like it.. if it's not to sweet - that's fine by me, then i can eat it with fruit jams, or Nutella! yum!

♥Rosie♥ said...

Hello H.C. it's good to be viewing your tasty treats!!

Your Greek Celebration Bread is awesome!!

Have a lovely Easter break sweetie and catch up with you soon :0)

Rosie x

Shubha Ravikoti said...

that bread just looks awesome....:) so soft and too good... dear:)

Meenal Mehta said...

the bread looks amazing , enjoy the easter break with your daughter ..see you soon :)

Purva Desai said...

It looks gorgeous.....it looks like a bigger version of cup cakes...

Chitra said...

looks soft & spongy,enjoy with ur doter:) happy hols!!

chef and her kitchen said...

Looks very soft and beautiful !!!

Maria♥ said...

Wow, this Greek Celebration Bread looks wonderful and perfect for Easter!

Maria
x

veggie belly said...

sounds yummy! love the citrus zest in this recipe!

Angie's Recipes said...

Wonderful bread and perfect for the Easter!

Miri said...

That is beautiful! Have a good break!

delhibelle said...

Beautiful bread

test it comm said...

Great looking bread!

Unknown said...

Beautifully browned. Looks airy n delicious.

vandana rajesh said...

The bread looks wonderful. Happy Holidays

Alisa - Frugal Foodie said...

Wow, that bread came out beautifully!

Bharti said...

Wow! That looks beautiful.

Saritha said...

Happy vishu

Irene said...

Oh my goodness, how beautiful! I love how high it rose and I love the glaze!

Cynthia said...

Oh I love sweet breads. Your celebration bread is perfection!

Cilantro said...

Looks great HC. Hope you are having a great time with your daughter. Mine had spring break last week.

Sanghi said...

Wow, bread looks perfect yummy..! do check the FIL roundup part2..!

Madhavi said...

WOW that's awesome bread, looks soft and yumm!!

Claudia said...

This is beautiful! Luscious! Perfect. Thank-you for the recipe.

Pavithra Elangovan said...

Wow nice photos and so clear ...Love the blog

Coffee and Vanilla said...

I love Greek bread, this one looks really great! :)

Have a nice day and don't forget about the Mayan Magic Chocolate-Making Kit Giveaway on my site, closing date April 22nd!

Margot

Meera said...

That looks simply divine. Enjoy your break, HC

Juliana said...

Such a nice bread! It looks so delicious!

Sia said...

that's one HUGE bread!

Adlak's tiny world said...

wow excellent.. perfect and awesome.

Christelle said...

oh this one DOES look delicious!!!

Vaishali said...

Yum, Happy, I got excited too just looking at that beautifully plump bread. What a unique recipe, and thanks for sharing it!

ARUNA said...

it is really super delicious soft bread!!!!

Sophie said...

This is the first time I've been introduced to this bread, it's beautiful and I like the warm spices you added to it!

Usha said...

Loved this bread, looks light and fluffy !

Dori said...

I can almost smell this bread baking!