Beard on Bread (20 page)

In a saucepan, melt the second stick of sweet butter with the brown sugar and currants. Pinch off enough dough to make golf ball-sized balls. Roll the balls in the butter mixture, line the bottom of the tube pan with them, and continue to arrange them in loose layers. Pour what is left of the butter mixture over the top. Cover loosely with a foil tent and let the
dough rise to the top of the tube pan. Bake in a preheated 375° oven for about an hour; it may take a minute or two more. Tap the top; it will sound hollow when the bread is ready. (If the top browns a little too much, don’t worry, because this will be served inverted.) Unmold and let cool thoroughly before slicing, or serve warm and pull apart.

This is typical of the medium-sweet, yeasty coffee cakes that one finds in Pennsylvania and other parts of the country where Moravian groups have settled. It is wonderful served freshly baked, with butter and preserves. It freezes extremely well and can be split and buttered while still frozen and reheated in foil or in the microwave oven until it is piping hot. I recommend it highly.

[2 loaves]

Stir together 2 cups of the flour and the yeast. Heat the water, sugar, butter, and salt over low heat only until warm (100° to 115°), stirring to blend. Add to the flour-yeast mixture and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes on the medium speed of an electric mixer or 300 strokes by hand. Blend in the eggs and mashed potatoes, then add 1 cup flour and beat 1 minute on the medium speed of the mixer or 150 strokes by hand. Stir in more flour to make a moderately stiff dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and satiny, about 8 to 10 minutes. Shape into a ball and place in a lightly buttered bowl, turning to butter all sides. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled, about 1½ hours.

Punch the dough down, divide in half, and let rest 10 minutes. Pat or roll each portion into a square to fit into each of two buttered 9 × 5 × 3-inch pans. Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle half the sugar-cinnamon mixture over each coffee cake. Drizzle cakes with the melted butter. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Bake in a preheated 350° oven 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pans five minutes. Remove from pans.

• If you like a sweeter cake, drizzle it with
confectioners’ sugar icing while warm.

• 
Confectioners’ Sugar Icing:
1 egg white, pinch salt, 1 to 1½ cups confectioners’ sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla. Beat the egg white with the salt until it holds soft peaks. Fold in the sugar, and beat until it is smooth enough to spread. Add vanilla.

Most cinnamon loaves are rolled with raisins and nuts, but this one has the delicate spice flavor kneaded into it. You may adjust the amount of cinnamon to taste, but I find one tablespoon is about enough. In addition to its beautiful aroma, this loaf has a rather unusual color and a nice texture. It makes very good sandwiches, such as raisin and nut, or cream cheese and jam, and is a perfect loaf for toasting.

[2 loaves]

Combine the yeast, sugar, and water in a large bowl and let proof for 5 minutes. Heat the milk, and add the salt and butter. Add to the yeast mixture and blend well. Stir in the cinnamon, then add up to 4½ cups flour, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the dough out on a lightly floured board, and knead a good 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic, using enough of the remaining flour to avoid excessive sticking. Shape into a ball and put into a buttered bowl, turning to coat the surface of the dough with butter. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in bulk.

Punch down the dough. Divide into two pieces, and shape into loaves that will fit two buttered 8 × 4 × 2 or 9 × 5 × 3-inch tins. Cover loosely and let rise again until doubled in bulk. Bake in a preheated 425° oven for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350° and continue baking 20 to 25 minutes longer, or until the loaves sound hollow when rapped on top and bottom. Cool on racks before slicing.

• One or 2 eggs can be added to this dough, in which case you will have to increase the flour content.

• For a rich, golden top crust, brush with beaten egg just before baking.

Unlike the usual recipe for limpa, which is so popular all through the Scandinavian countries, this calls for beer and extra honey, which gives it quite a distinctive quality. The dough is very pleasant to handle, and the finished bread has great flavor, nice texture, and an attractive appearance.

[1 large free-form loaf or 2 small free-form loaves]

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water in a large bowl and let proof for 5 minutes. Combine the lukewarm ale or beer, the ¼ to ½ cup honey (depending on how sweet a bread you like), the butter, and salt and stir well. Add to the yeast mixture. Add the cardamom, caraway seeds, or aniseed, and the fresh or candied orange peel. Mix the rye and white flours together. Add 3 cups of this to the liquid mixture and beat very hard with a wooden spoon. Cover with a cloth or foil and let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir down and add enough remaining flour to make a fairly stiff, although sticky dough. Turn out on a board, using ½ to ¾ cup additional flour if needed to work the dough until smooth and elastic. Knead well, and while the dough will not lose its tackiness
entirely, it will become much smoother. Shape into a ball, place in a buttered bowl, and turn to coat with butter on all sides. Cover the dough and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Punch down, shape into one large ball or two smaller balls, and place on a greased baking sheet. Brush with butter, cover loosely with waxed paper or plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and preferably 3. Remove from the refrigerator and let sit, uncovered, at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes. Then bake in a preheated oven at 375° until the bread sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, which will take about 1 hour or 15 to 20 minutes more for the large loaf and 40 to 45 minutes for the small loaves. Cool on racks before slicing.