Bakin my way to school...

Ever have one of those periods of time where you don't bake for a long time and then all of a sudden, say Saturday morning after you lazily get out of bed at 9:30am you bake two loaves without even of thinking of showering first? Saturday morning was one of those days. I can't complain though, it is always nice to break out the books I have and put those recipes to good use. Only problem is...I have good intentions when I bake cause I bake usually for brandon, but it also turns against me cause if I see something good on the counter, HOW can I say no to my tummy? So in honor of getting into Pastry and bakery arts at Faulkner state, I present the Banana Feather Loaf and the Chocolate chocolate chip bread, both recipes of Rose Levys' The Bread Bible.

BANANA FEATHER LOAF - Rose Levy Beranbaum The Bread Bible

Sponge

Mix 1/2 C + 1 tbs flour with 1/4 ts instant yeast, 1 tbs honey, and 1/2 C room temp water. Whisk for 2 minutes, cover and set aside.

Flour mixture and dough

Combine 1 1/2 C flour, 3/4 ts instant yeast and 2 tbs dry milk.

Sprinkle ontop of Sponge, cover and set aside for 1 - 4 hours.

Add 4 ts softened butter and 1 ripe mashed banana with a dough hook on low speed for 1 minute or till flour is moistened so to form a rough dough. Scrap down dough, cover and rest for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle 1 ts salt and knead dough on medium speed for 7-10 minutes. With oiled spatula scrape down dough clinging to sides of the bowl. Knead in flour if dough is not stiff but it should still be a little tacky.

Use oiled spatula and scrap dough into 1 1/2 quart bowl lightly greased. Plush down dough and light spray oil on top. Cover and let rise for 1 1/2 - 2 hours or till doubled.

Use an oiled spatula, scrape dough onto floured counter and press down gently to form a rectangle. Fold dough from all 4 sides to form a rectangle and set it back into a container. Oil surface, cover and let rise till doubled another 1-2 hours.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter and shape into a loaf. Place in prepared loaf pan, cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and allow to rise 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F 1 hour before baking with a shelf on the lowest level and place a baking sheet on it and a cast iron skillet on floor of oven.

Toss 1/2 C ice cubes into skillet and bake for 5 minutes, then lower temp to 375 degrees F for 15 minutes and finally to 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Rotate pan halfway through baking.

My thoughts: I love how soft and chewy the loaf is and how nicely it toasts. The crusts gets crunchy while the interior stays soft. Even though my banana was ripe to the point that the whole thing was black, I couldn't last much banana flavor. Sometimes I would get a whiff of the scent but the flavor is definitely subtle. Reminds me almost of the english muffin loaf I made.

CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CHIOP BREAD by Rose Levy Beranbaum 'The Bread Bible'

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with a shelf in the middle level.

Soft Cocoa Paste

Whisk 3 tbs + 1/2 tbs cocoa with 3 tbs boiling water. Let cool a little then add 1/2 tbs vanilla extract and 3 large eggs.

Mix batter

Mix 1 1/4 C cake flour (I used normal flour), 3/4 C + 2 tbs sugar, 3/4 ts baking powder and 1/4 ts salt for 30 seconds on low speed. Add half the chocolate paste and 13 tbs softened butter and mix till moistened. Increase speed to medium for 1 minute. Scrap down bowl and add remaining chocolate paste in 2 batches beating 20 seconds after each addtion. Fold in chocolate chips.

Fill greased pan with batter, smooth the surface and bake 50-
60 minutes. Tent loosely with foil after 25 minutes to prevent overbrowning.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack

My thoughts: Man, this bread is DELICIOUS! Be warned though, it is very very buttery but OH SO GOOD! It has a very rich chocolate taste but not deathly sweet. Very moist on the inside but has a melt in your mouth crispy exterior.