My 36th experiment: Fruits of the earth loaf

I got some yam and keep wondering how to use it. Here it goes. This recipe is adapted from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking. I just found out that 1 cup of milk is equivalent to 1 cup water + 3 TB powdered milk. That's a great thing to know!

Recipe: Fruits of the earth loaf, adapted from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking (make 1 medium loaf)

Ingredients:
- 1+1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1+1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
- 1/2 cup uncooked multi grain hot cereal
- 1/2 cup mashed cooked yam
- 1/3 cup warm water + 1 TB non-fat powdered milk
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 2 TB honey
- 3 TB unsalted butter, softened
- 1+1/2 tp salt
- 1/2 tp ground cinnamon
- 2 slices of fresh ginger, very finely chopped
- 2+1/2 tp active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/3 cup sweetened dried prunes

Procedure:
1. Proof yeast in 2 TB water.
2. Combine cereal with all powdered ingredients (flour, milk powder, spices, salt) and mix well. Add proofed yeast, mashed yam and honey. Add water in small amount until a soft, smooth dough is formed.
3. Rub in the butter. Allow the dough to rise until it is puffy and nearly doubled in bulk. Since this loaf is richly seasoned, it probably does not benefit greatly from overnight fermentation. The rise will take about 1-2 hours.
4. Grease a 8.5"x4.5" loaf pan. Gently deflate the dough and knead the cranberries and nuts into it.
5. Shape the dough into a log and place it in the pan to proof. Rub the top with a little oil and cover with plastic. Allow to proof until the dough rises to about 1+1/2 inches over the rim of the pan.
6. Preheat oven to 350F. Bake for bread for about 45 minutes. After the first 15 minutes, cover top with foil.

Results:
1:26pm, dry ingredients: whole wheat flour, bread flour, milk powder, cinnamon and salt mixed in a bowl; 4 chopped prunes and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts; 1 slice of ginger, finely chopped and cooked with yam until soft; 1/2 cup of whole grain cereal

2:05pm, initial dough before adding butter:

2:18pm, dough with 3 TB butter:

4:20pm, dough ready to rise:

3:00pm, dough has risen in warmth for 40 minutes:

3:08pm, bottom of the risen dough:

3:13pm, dough with prunes and walnuts added:

3:18pm, dough being shaped into a log and a 4.5"x8" loaf pan is greased with butter and dusted with flour:

3:20pm, dough ready to proof:

3:20pm, height of dough at the start of proofing:

3:53pm, dough proofed in warmth for 33 minutes:

3:53pm, height of dough just before baking:

4:08pm, dough baked for 12 minutes, it's become light brown; it's then covered with foil for the remaining time of baking:

4:43pm, loaf baked 45-50 minutes, internal temperature registering 190F:

4:43pm, height of loaf:

4:44pm, bottom and side of loaf:

4:44pm, top of loaf:

4:52pm, top of loaf after rubbing butter:

6:46pm, height of loaf cooled:

6:50pm, loaf yielding 15 slices:

6:50pm, side view of slices:

6:50pm, a center-of-loaf slice:

6:50pm, an end-of-loaf slice:

6:51pm, a bite:

Observations:

1. The hydration of this loaf is excellent.

2. When baked 45 minutes, the loaf arrives at the internal temperature of 190F

3. Covering the loaf after the first 12 minutes gives a nice golden top without over-browning

4. Applying butter after the loaf is done gives the loaf a very shiny beautiful top

5. Like my earlier loaves without overnight fermentation, this loaf has a closed crumb. It's very dense.

6. For a loaf like this, delayed fermentation may not do much to increase its flavor because most of the flavors are from the large number of ingredients. However, delayed fermentation might increase the crumb's holes.

7. Characteristics of this loaf:

- slightly sweet (2 TB honey, 1/2 cup yam, and sweetened prunes)

- 3 TB butter (compared with the 1 TB olive oil for a sandwich loaf) gives a richer mouth-feel, but not greasy

- walnuts turn out very crispy and nice after baking

- the spices are not too strong

- This loaf may be a bit too sweet for ham sandwich, but good for eaten as such with a little butter

Remarks:

I slice and freeze this loaf when it is cooled. This bread is so very tasty when it is very mildly toasted the next day. To do so, I let two slices warm up for 10 minutes at room temperature, then heat them up at 250F to 350F in toaster oven until the aroma of fruits become strong. Then let it cool a little. Add a bit of butter and eat when the crust is crunchy! Wow! Very tasty!