Cinnamon, Hazelnut and Chocolate Swirl Bread

Now, I really should be writing my thesis. But after week after week of labouring in front of my computer, abusing my eyes by staring at the screen from morning till night, and gaining weight from sitting and eating all day long, I thought I should pick myself up and work on something else for a change.

I've said it many times, but I love love love bread making! I think all bread-makers do. There is just something that's so magical and captivating about the whole process. If I had to choose between baking a cake and making bread, I'd choose bread any day. I am still nothing but an amateur though, learning by reading (only onto Chapter 2 in Flour Water Salt Yeast by Ken Forkish but I'm learning so much already!), watching (Paul Hollywood. Such a legend in the bread world. I love watching how he handles the dough with such confidence and care) and practicing. Slowly, I'm observing how small changes in the breadmaking factors can alter the structure and taste of it. (Can you tell I've been reading a lot of scientific literature?)

Two weeks ago I made Jamie Oliver's Sexy Swedish Buns. It came out alright. Everyone loved it. The flavours were bang on but I found the bread a bit too dry and dense for my liking. Then reading Ken Forkish, he mentioned that his doughs are highly saturated with water, which will facilitate the development of a softer bread. Makes sense. Also his breads are slowly fermented, starting off not by using warm water/liquid which so many modern recipes call for, but that of room temperature. The reasoning behind this is that slow ferments, as Paul Hollywood also mentioned, allows for the development of a richer and much more aromatic bread. Yeast and bacteria work together in this gentle process, releasing much esters, acids and other flavour compounds that would not have been produced at a higher temperature. Microbiology. Amazing.

In Michael Pollan's book Cooked, he discussed the symbiotic relationship between man and microbes. We rely so heavily on these microorganisms that we can't even see (90% of the cells in our bodies are bacterial cells!). In bread-making in particular, the yeasts break down the carbohydrates into components that are more easily digested. This only happens when they are allowed sufficient time in the fermentation process. The conventional 2-hour rise just doesn't cut it. Pollan also theorised that perhaps that is why so many of us develop gluten intolerances these days. The bread that we are eating nowadays have not been given enough time for the carbohydrates to be 'pre-digested' by the Saccharomyces. Our bodies have to work a lot harder in the digestion of bread and some people lack the enzymes for it.

So I tried the recipe again. This time adding more water and butter to the dough. All ingredients are at room temperature. Mixing the dough is pretty much impossible because of how wet it is. But I know the importance of developing that gluten to give strength to the bread. So I kneaded the super sticky dough for about 10 minutes. Because it was an enriched dough (it has egg and butter in it), it was almost like a brioche dough. And then I gave the dough lots of time to rise. It's such a hot summer day and ideally I should leave the dough overnight in the refrigerator for maximum development of flavour, but I wasn't THAT patient. I'll try that next time though.

After about three hours, I went to check on the dough. It has tripled in size and the gluten network is so much more developed compared to my first attempt of that recipe. I know it will turn out incredibly soft. After spreading, filling and shaping the dough, I gave it more time to redevelop that beautiful network structure. That structure is what makes the bread super soft and fluffy. So all in all it took about 6 hours to make the bread. That's a lot of time (though not as long as Ken Forkish's breads). But I only worked on the dough for 25 minutes. The rest of the time, it's all the yeast's and the bacteria's work.

The bread turned out incredibly moist, soft and fluffy. I'm so excited! This is only the beginning of my bread journey. I sincerely ask you to hop on my bandwagon. Twenty minutes worth of work and this is what you get. It's definitely much much better than any supermarket bread. It's so delicious and more importantly it doesn't contain any of the rubbish additives that those so-called breads contain. It tastes even more amazing knowing that you've nurtured it and brought it to life. And seriously, there's nothing better than the smell of bread and your family and friends would be so happy if you share it with them!

Cinnamon, Hazelnut and Chocolate Swirl Bread

For the bread:

350 g high grade flour

50 g wholewheat flour

80 g raw sugar, blended

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cardamom 

Pinch of nutmeg

1 1/2 tsp yeast 

180 ml soy milk (or any milk you have on hand)

70 ml water

50 g melted butter

1 egg

1 tsp salt

For the filling:

3 tbsp cinnamon

1 cup chopped hazelnuts 

20 g chopped dark chocolate 

For the decoration:

Raw sugar

Melted chocolate

1. Stir together all the dry ingredients. Set aside. 

2. Stir together all the wet ingredients. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. I find using a butter knife is the easiest and most efficient. You can use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment if you wish. Knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is smoother. It will still be incredibly wet and won't really hold its own shape. 

3. Oil a large bowl, place the dough inside and cover with cling film. Leave at room temperature to proof until it has tripled in size. This will take about 3 hours on a warm day. 

4. Knock down by punching the dough. Tip the dough out onto an oiled surface and spread the dough into a rectangle using your hands. Oil your hands to make the process easier. 

5. Sprinkle the filling on evenly. Roll the dough up like a log and shape into desired shape. Place on lined baking tray.

6. Leave to proof a second time for about 1 and a half hours. Remember to cover with cling film. Then preheat your oven to 200C. Place a bowl of water in your oven to create steam. This will allow for a more even bake. 

7. Once your oven is preheated, sprinkle raw sugar on the dough then place in the oven to bake for about 12-15 minutes until golden.

8. Remove from oven. Look underneath your bread to check whether your bread is done. It should be nice and golden. When you tap your bread, it should sound hollow. 

9. Cool on wire rack. In the mean time, melt some chocolate over a water bath. Drizzle onto your bread. 

10. Serve.

Tips:

1. Take your time with making bread. Use room temperature ingredients. A good pointer from Ken Forkish is treat time and temperature as ingredients. Long time at low temperature is what you're aiming for. 

2. It's important to use high grade flour, which contains larger amounts of gluten that will give you a really soft and fluffy bread. For this bread, I used 00 flour. 

2. Place a bowl of water in your oven to create steam. Remember to use a heat-proof bowl. Steam will create an even temperature environment so your bread will bake more evenly. Also, it will slow down the baking of the surface of the bread, allowing your bread to rise more. 

Coconut berry cake

It was one of those days where none of the photos turned out how I wanted them to. I must've taken about 50 shots and still, the lighting wasn't right, it was too yellow or too cold, the background looked too plain or too busy, the cake just looked like a round lump. It was rather frustrating indeed.

This flopped photography episode was in fact preceded by further frustrations. In my absent state of mind, I had accidentally set the oven to 'grill'. The top of the cake, or rather the nutty layer was charcoaled. After the cake cooled, I patiently picked and scraped off the black bits. I was also afraid that my temperament oven had overcooked the cake and that it would turn out dry. 

Then I spent ages scratching the back of my head, wondering how I would ice the cake. I didn't have the regular ingredients that I would use to make icing - eg. cream cheese. I was reluctant to make butter icings or icing packed with sugar. Being frugal and busy, I did not want to make a trip to the supermarket. So I racked my brains and finally I racked my books. Correction. I racked one book. Jude Blereau's book (yes, again!), where I got the recipe for the cake. And so matching the recipes with the ingredients I have at hand, I made a berry coulis. One that contains chunks of strawberries and blueberries. And I experimented. Coconut cream plus cornstarch, as the gelling agent. Vanilla and golden syrup to elevate the sensory properties. Apply heat. Stir. Stir. Stir. And what have we got? A split mixture. Brilliant. 

But actually, it was brilliant. It was delicious. The icing. Smooth, velvety, sweet, deep flavours that penetrate that gentle spot of your heart. That creaminess. Unbeatable. The texture of it, despite being split was incredibly smooth. I knew the reason why it split. The heat was too high and the coconut oil melted. Refrigeration should amend things. And so off I went again, tinkering. 

Filling the cake had an advantage. It was an excuse to cut open the cake and have a taste of it. Thank goodness the inside of the cake stayed surprisingly moist! I suppose this was what you get when you use golden syrup instead of regular sugar. And almond meal and coconut milk and olive oil. These wonderful goodies worked their wonder. So coconut filling slathered on and berry coulis layered on. Second half of cake capped on and more berry coulis poured on. To contrast the moist texture and to complement the filling of the cake, I toasted some desiccated coconut and sprinkled them liberally on the cake. Compared to what the cake started out looking like, it was quite a transformation. 

So, despite the stormy encounters, my mother loved the cake. She's been raving about it and asking me to make it again since. I too love it. In fact, it is now one of my, if not my favourite cakes. The flavours of the ingredients really packed a punch. The wholesomeness of the cake - the wholewheat flour and almond flour, the lack of refined sugar, the beautiful oil, really do make the cake shine in such a humble way. Oh what more, this cake really is a guilt-free pleasure. It's nourishing. It kisses your soul as well as your body. I'd happily make this cake again, though with minor adjustments!

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Coconut berry cake

Recipe adapted from Wholesome Baking | Jude Blereau 

Serves 8-10

Cake

195g unbleached wholewheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

50g almond meal

1/2 tsp salt

150g Golden syrup

80ml olive oil or macadamia or almond oil

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp vanilla
50g pecans/almonds/walnut (optional)

Preheat oven to 180C. Line an 8 inch cake tin. Sift together the dry ingredients and stir to mix well. In a separate bowl, stir together the wet ingredients until well incorporated. Fold the dry and wet ingredients together until just combined. Transfer into cake tin. If you want the extra crunch, you top the cake batter with nuts. Make sure that your oven IS NOT set to grill. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until golden and skewer inserted to the middle comes out clean. Remove cake from oven and let it cool completely on wire rack before undressing it from the tin. Set aside.

Coconut filling

120ml coconut cream

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp Golden syrup

1 tbsp blended raw sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch

Whip the coconut cream using an electric mixer until nice and creamy. Add in the vanilla, golden syrup and raw sugar and continue mixing until well combined. Transfer the mixture into a saucepan and add in the cornstarch. Turn on the element to medium heat and stir continuously until the cornstarch is cooked. The mixture will turn slightly transparent. It will also boil, observed as pockets of mixture lifting gently off the pan. DO NOT over cook, as the mixture will split when the coconut oil melts. The whole process should only take about 1 minute. However, panic not if your mixture does split. It is still usable. Simply cool the cake in the refrigerator after spreading the filling on.

Berry coulis

1 handful of frozen berries

1 tbsp blended raw sugar

1 tsp vanilla
Generous splash of champagne/juice

On medium heat stir together the ingredients. You can determine the consistency you want of the mixture. Once the berries have disintegrated and the mixture has thickened and concentrated, turn off the heat and leave to cool. 

ASSEMBLY
Desiccated coconut, slightly toasted

Patiently slice the cake in half. To ensure an even slicing, get down to the cake's level so your line of vision is horizontal to the cake. I find it easier to turn the cake as I slice.
Spread the coconut filling on the bottom half of the cake. Top the coconut filling with half of the berry mixture. Cap on the top half of the cake. Spread on remaining berry coulis. Top with toasted coconut.
Store the cake in the refrigerator. Remove it from the fridge half an hour before serving.