Trabics, Date, apricot and walnut bread
I have adjusted the timings from the original recipe.
I do not have a dutch oven or any round bannetons.
So I made 2 small batards in bannetons, about 540g each
78% hydration
Oven Temperature 230C or 210C fan
INGREDIENTS:
350g organic bread flour 70%
150g organic wholemeal flour 30%
390g water: room temperature, 200g filtered water + 190g Earl Grey Tea soaker liquid.
100g chopped dates and apricots: soaked in 250g earl grey tea, drained well, reserving liquid
75g walnuts: finely chopped and lightly toasted
5g fast action yeast
10g sea salt
total weight; 1080g
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PRE PREP: Mise en place.
Make a large mug of Earl Grey Tea. let it sit and brew for 5 minutes.
Weigh and finely chop the Dates and Apricots.
Add the Dates and Apricots to small bowl. Add 250g of the Earl grey tea. let it soak, and wait for it to cool completely before use.
Once cool, strain/sieve the Earl Grey Tea mix. press down with the back of a spoon into the sieve to press out any excess liquid. Keep the liquid. Put the fruit aside ready for the dough.
weigh and chop the walnuts. I used a small food processor for 10 seconds.
I mixed the nuts and the fruit mix together into a small bowl.
This was to help reduce the extra liquid that, may be added to the final dough. It keeps the hydration steady. It also separates the fruit into individual pieces, The fruit had clumped together after brewing in the tea.
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To lightly toast the walnuts.
heat oven to 180C or 160C.
Put chopped walnuts on an oven tray, place in the middle of the oven and cook for 10 minutes.
Keep an eye on them. it may take more or less time
Once done how you like them, put them in a bowl to cool
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The best way to add fruit and nuts to the dough:
I mixed the nuts and the fruit mix together in a small bowl.
remove dough from the bowl onto a very lightly floured worktop.
pat the dough out into a large oblong/rectangle.
spread the fruit and nut mix evenly over the dough.
Gently press the fruit and nuts into the dough.
fold the dough a third of the way towards you. Fold the bottom third over the fold you just made.
Turn dough 90 deegres and fold the dough again in an envelope fashion
see photos:
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METHOD:
Add the two flours, salt and yeast to a large bowl. whisk to combine
Add 200g filtered water and 190g earl grey tea liquid. 390g total liquid.
Mix well with a wooden spoon until fully combined with no dry flour.
scrape the bowl down and tip the dough onto the worktop.
Knead the dough for 1-2 minutes.
shape into a rough boule/round
lightly olive oil the bowl
Put the dough back in the bowl and cover with cling film
let rest/autolyze for 30 minutes
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remove dough from bowl and place on a lightly floured worktop.
Pat out the dough into an oblong/rectangle
spread fruit and nut mix evenly over the dough.
gently press the fruit and nuts into the dough.
fold the dough a third of the way towards you. Fold the bottom third over the fold you just made.
Turn dough 90 degrees and fold the dough again in an envelope fashion.
place dough back into the lightly oiled bowl.
Cover and or bench rest for 15 minutes.
Do the same sets of envelope folds one more time.
put back into bowl
cover and bulk rise at room temperature for 60 minutes
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dough looking superb now
remove dough from bowl, place onto lightly floured worktop
dough is very soft
Weighed into 2 x 540g pieces
Shape the dough into batards and place in oval banneton/bread baskets.
very loosely cover the bannetons in lightly oiled cling film.
let rest (proof) rise at room temperature for an 1 hour.
keep an eye on the dough, different temperatures different rise rates.
After 45 minutes, Turn the oven on.
gently turn out the dough from the bannetons onto a lined baking sheets/trays.
score dough and place into oven on the middle shelf.
Oven Temperature 230C or 210C fan
bake for 35 minutes until dark brown, slightly over golden brown
remove from oven.
Let cool if you can wait.
Share and eat, with tons of butter
En Guete! as Trabic would say.
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Things I would do differently next time.
Even though I lowered the bulk rise from 4.5 hours down to 2hrs 45 minutes. I would definitely lower the amount of time for bulk rise further. I think this needs to be nearer 2 hours.
I was concerned that the original bulk was 4.5 hours was far too long for a simple yeasted loaf.
Even when I am making Traditional Swedish Cardamom Buns (Kardemummabullar). I only use 2 hours bulk.
There was hardly any oven spring, again for me this is linked to 5g of yeast running out of strength after nearly 3 hours of bulk.
Next time I would make Boule's or batards and not use a banneton.
I would cut down the hydration of the dough down to about 65%, similar to swedish Cardamom Buns, cinnamon buns and chelsea buns, etc, which I use for most sweet recipes.
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Generally though, It is tasty and very moreish.
My first thoughts were that it would make a great Boxing day addition to the table.
It wouldnt last long served up for a family dinner.
It has a thin crust and soft decent even crumb.
The marbling effect from the date's and apricot's looks fab.
It is nice to get the odd sweet taste of date or apricot.
I am enjoying the bread, on my fifth slice, and I would make it again with changes to suit my way of baking.
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People in the USA do have more rights than people here on Airstip One.
Though we are both under the big black boot of government friendly fascism.
Since October 2007, we have had Section 49 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 or RIPA.
We cannot refuse to give up a password or access to an encrypted device.
Section 53 of RIPA makes it a criminal offence to not comply with a Section 49 notice, carrying a sentence of up to two years in prison, and up to five years in cases involving national security, terrorism or child indecency.
We have no Fifth Amendment covering self-incrimination laws to protect us from over zealous police and state.
Who in society is going to argue against laws that are sold to us to protect our children?
I am an old retired psychotherapist. I remember the introduction of the CRB (criminal records bureau) check, here on Airstrip one in the early 2000's. Now called a DBS check.
The CRB scanned the Police National Computer for any criminal offences that you had committed, this also included juvenile, aged under 17 offences. Which empowered all employers to use the CRB checks to get rid of staff and refuse to employ certain people. Discrimination was rife.
You were now judged, not on your competence to do your job, but whether you had a criminal record.
I would not have minded so much if they solely searched for any offence that were linked to child abuse, terrorism or national security, but they provided your entire life criminal offences.
My enhanced CRB check showed that I had gotten fined £3 for riding my bicycle on a pavement in the mid 60's when I was 11 years old. My mum had to pay. My dad earned about £10 per week as a lorry driver.
What a danger to society I was! An employer could refuse to employ me just because of that little bit of information.
Sold to the UK population as a means to protect our children from sexual predators. Of course no one complained.
Yet, forward just a few years and you needed a CRB check to work at:
The airport, the local supermarket, as a gardener in a school, as a handyman sweeping the car park of the local doctors practice.
you needed to have a CRB check if you came within 100M of a child or vulnerable adult.
Even University students now have to have a CRB checks if they are on a psychology, counselling or psychotherapy course, because they may come into contact with children and or vulnerable adults.
This is the slow creep of government policies expanding, with no oversight, sold to us under the guise that they are protecting children and vulnerable adults.
fear is a great driver for change. scare someone enough and they will give up their granny.
I think this is also linked to Airstrip One's governments, continually attempting to remove all encryption from devices by using child protection as a reason