whoa! Holy Buckets! My kitchen smells good! (the bread edition)

This would be classified as one of the multi-step,  complicated baking projects that interests me! :)

It all started with a mailing list email from a recipe site... talking about an anise-flavored egg bread.  That caught my interest.  Sounds similar to the Challah bread I've made before, but with anise extract added.   "done!" I thought... until I clicked on another link: Choereg (Armenian Easter Bread). 

Choereg uses a unique spice called "mahleb" which is popular in the Middle East/Mediterranean  (think: Lebanon, Turkey, Greece, Syria, Libya and, of course, Armenia).    It is an aromatic spice made from the seeds of the St Lucie Cherry. The cherry stones are cracked to extract the seed kernel, which is about 5 mm diameter, soft and chewy on extraction, but ground to a powder before use. The flavor is similar to a combination of bitter almond and cherry.  I was able to find it at the Lebanese grocery store.  It really smells quite good!




<sup>I will say, however, that upon looking at the recipe for this Armenian bread,  I about threw it out.  Looking at the amount of butter used (2 cups!!) did not make this seem appealing to me.  Additionally 5 eggs are called for just for the dough.  Another beaten egg is called for to make the glaze.  But looking more closely at the recipe, I also noticed it makes 5 loaves and calls for 6+ cups of flour, so that put me at ease a little bit.  I wouldn't exactly classify this as diet food, but one of those "fine in small amounts" foods. :)


Bread 1: Italian Easter Bread</sup>

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour, divided 1/4 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 (.25 ounce) package rapid rise yeast 2/3 cup milk 1 teaspoon anise extract

2 tablespoons butter at room temperature 2 eggs   1 egg, beaten 1/2 tablespoon colored candy decorating dragees, or as desired

Directions:

1.	Mix 1 cup of flour with sugar, salt, and yeast in a bowl, stir well. Place milk and anise extract into a small saucepan over low heat, and warm to about 110 degrees F (43 degrees C). Make a well in the center of the flour mixture with your hand, and pour in the milk mixture; swirl with your hand in a circular motion to combine the flour mixture with the milk mixture. Mix in butter and eggs, one at a time, then mix in remaining flour until dough begins to pull together.
2.	Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface, and knead until soft but elastic, about 8 minutes. Cover with a damp cloth, and let dough rest for 10 minutes; cut dough into halves.
3.	On floured work surface, roll each half into a ball, then shape the balls into 2 long pieces, about 1 1/2 inches thick and 18 to 20 inches long. Pinch the 2 top ends together, and loosely twist the pieces to form a twisted loaf; pinch the bottom ends together, and tuck the two ends underneath the loaf. (Alternately, form the twist into a ring, and pinch the ends together.)
4.	Grease a baking sheet, lay the loaf onto the prepared sheet, and cover with a damp towel; let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Brush loaf with beaten egg, and sprinkle with colored decorating dragees.
5.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake the decorated loaf in the preheated oven until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Watch closely towards the end of the baking time that the bread does not begin to burn. Transfer to wire rack immediately after baking to cool.

<sup>Bread 2: Choereg-- this is the more difficult of the 2 breads.  I did not use quick-rise yeast.  This bread really does take about 6 hours to make.  About 30min for the preparation of the ingredients, 2 hours for the first rise, 1 hour for the 2nd rise and I suppose about 30 minutes for the final rise (after braiding the dough).  Don't try this one if you're in a hurry :)


Also, regarding the flour: I used about 5 cups at first, bit-by-bit and then made a consistent paste/dough out of that, then I added the 6th cup.  I probably added at least 1 more cup during the kneading process, but this should be done a little bit at a time so as not to get too much flour.  You're looking for a consistency that "pulls apart" with a very elastic feel, but is not soggy or sticking to your hands.  The kneading will also increase the hardness of the dough, so keep this in mind while adding flour.</sup> 

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup margarine
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• 2 (.25 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
• 5 eggs
• 6 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground mahleb
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Directions

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, butter and margarine. Heat until butter and margarine are melted, but do not let it boil. Stir in 1 cup of sugar until dissolved, then set aside to cool to lukewarm.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, dissolve 2 teaspoons of sugar in warm water. Sprinkle the yeast over the surface, and let stand until frothy, about 10 minutes.
3. Crack the eggs into a large bowl, and stir a little to break up the yolks. Slowly pour in the heated milk mixture while whisking constantly, so as to temper the eggs and not cook them. Add the yeast mixture, and stir just until blended.
4. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, mahleb, and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the wet mixture. Stir until it forms a sticky dough. Pour onto a floured surface, and knead in additional flour as needed to make a more substantial dough. Knead for about 10 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl, and set in a warm place to rise for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
5. When the dough has doubled, punch down again, and let rise until doubled. It will only take about half as long this time.
6. Separate the dough into 5 even portions, then separate each of those into thirds. Roll each of those into ropes about 12 inches long. Braid sets of three ropes together, pinching the ends to seal, and tucking them under for a better presentation. Place the loaves onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Loaves should be spaced 4 inches apart. Set in a warm place to rise until your finger leaves an impression behind when you poke the loaf gently.
7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Brush the loaves with beaten egg, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
8. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until nicely golden brown all over.