Bread Machine (181 page)

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drain the raisins, reserving 1 tablespoon of the liquid for the glaze. When the machine beeps at the end of the cycle, press Stop and unplug the machine. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Pat the dough into a large free form rectangle and sprinkle with the raisins, pine nuts, and orange confit. Press in. Fold the dough into thirds and knead a few times to evenly distribute the fruit and nuts. Divide the dough in half, then divide each half into 4 equal portions. Shape each portion into a tight round and place on the baking sheet, at least 3 inches apart. Cover with a clean tea towel and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.

Twenty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Brush the tops of the rolls with the glaze. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on a rack.

Orange Confit

Makes about 1 cup candied fruit plus 34 cup syrup

“Confit” is a French culinary term for fruit preserved in a sugar syrup, as well as for savory cooked meat preserved in its own fat. I love this recipe for orange confit. It is as easy to make as it is delicious. You simmer the chopped zest in a simple syrup, then store it in its syrup in the refrigerator. When you have a recipe that calls for candied orange peel, you just remove a tablespoon or two as needed. (Try some in your raisin bread.) You can use the syrup in place of some of the liquid in the recipe, too, or use it on its own in another recipe. I like to heat the syrup and brush it over a hot sweet bread. This recipe can also be made with lemons.

3 large organic or unsprayed oranges

1
¹
/
₄
cups sugar

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 tablespoons mild honey

1 cup water

With a vegetable peeler or sharp paring knife, cut the orange skin, or zest, off of the fruit. Try not to get any of the white pith, which is bitter. Finely chop or julienne the zest. (Use the fruit for another purpose.)

Combine the sugar, corn syrup, honey, and water in a medium-sized heavy sauce- pan. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the sugar dissolves, about 30 seconds. Add the zest and return to a boil. Cook at a low rolling boil over medium heat about 10 to 20 minutes, until the zest is firm-cooked and the syrup thickens. The syrup should be translucent with a pale orange cast. Pierce the zest with the tip of a small knife to test for doneness. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool. Pour into a spring-top jar for storage and refrigerate for up to 1 month. The syrup will thicken further as the confit chills.

BREAD MACHINE FRENCH BUTTER CROISSANTS
       
Makes 16 large croissants

L
ong the domain of the professional baker, croissants are famous for their multitude of layers, achieved by the same folding technique used in creating Danish pastries. This is a classic recipe for les pains croissant au beurre. It is a must for every serious sweet bread baker to master. When I review my past baking class schedules, I find that making croissants has been a top request from students (as popular as making pizza), so here is a modified version for bread machine bakers. Instead of rolling in a butter package (dough wrapped around a mass of butter), frozen bits of butter are incorporated right into the dough. Use unsalted butter, as it has a superior flavor and stays cold longer than salted butter, which contains a higher percentage of moisture. The dough is mixed only a short time, so be prepared to remove the dough after about ten minutes in the machine. The oil in the dough works as a tenderizer and the egg adds leavening, flavor, and texture. Beautiful croissants have never been so easy. Don’t use a Preheat cycle with this dough; if your machine has it, you will need to skip or bypass it here. Serve these croissants with coffee or tea
le matin.

1
¹
/
₂
- OR 2-POUND-LOAF MACHINES

1
¹
/
₂
cups (3 sticks) cold unsalted butter

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour or white whole wheat flour

1 cup cool milk

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons sugar

1
¹
/
₂
teaspoons salt

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour or white whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon plus
¹
/
₂
teaspoon SAF yeast or 1 tablespoon plus 1
¹
/
₂
teaspoons bread machine yeast

¹
/
₃
cup unbleached all-purpose or white whole wheat flour, for sprinkling

1 large egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for glaze, optional

Cut each stick of butter into 16 slices. Place 1 cup of the flour in a large plastic freezer bag. Add the butter pieces, press out the air, and close the bag; toss to coat evenly. Place the bag in the freezer for 4 hours or overnight to freeze the butter. The bag can stay in the freezer for up to 4 days before assembling the recipe.

Place the milk, eggs, vegetable oil, sugar, salt, 3 cups flour, and yeast in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions. Program for the Dough cycle; press Start. Set a kitchen timer for 5 minutes and let the dough mix and knead, scraping down the sides of the pan once or twice. Check the dough ball; it will be sticky. Remove the bag of butter pieces from the freezer. When the timer rings, press Pause. Add the frozen butter and any of its excess flour to the pan and place a paper towel over the pan to prevent the flour from flying; press Start. Set the timer for 4 minutes. Check the dough ball again. There will be a very soft, cold dough with butter pieces sticking out; it will be tacky. When the timer rings, press Stop and unplug the machine.