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Friday, April 2, 2010

Bread Wreath

A cute variation on a pain d’Epi or a baguette
Source
I probably saw this somewhere on the internet and don’t remember where, or maybe even came up with the design myself...
Taste 5 (out of 5)
Difficulty 1 (out of 5)
Ingredients
- 3 3/4 cups white all purpose flour (1670 cal)
- 3/4 tbsp active dry yeast
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups of water
Total 1670 cal, 3 wreath breads or baguettes, 555 cal / bread

Instructions
1. Mix all the ingredients in a container that has a non-airtight lid. Knead with your hands for about 5 minutes the dough is uniform.
2. Cover with the lid and allow to rise for about 2 hours until doubles in volume. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. 
3. Cut about 1/3 of the dough with kitchen scissors. Follow the directions for making pain d’Epi here. Once the pain d’Epi is formed, slightly flour baking sheet lined with a parchment paper, move the bread there and brings the ends of the bread together, pinching them to create a wreath. 
4. Let the bread rest for about 40-50 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 450F. If you’re using the stone, place it in the oven before you begin the preheat. You also need an empty broiler tray in the oven to generate steam.
5. You can brush the top of the bread with egg white wash right before baking (1 egg white + 1 tbsp water) for a shining finish.
6. Slide the bread with the parchment paper onto the baking stone. Or simply place the parchment with the bread on top of a baking sheet and slide the sheet into the oven. Very carefully pour about 1/2 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray and immediately close the oven door. 
7. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the bread is golden brown. Remove from the oven, peel off the parchment paper and let cool on a rack.
Afterthoughts
I tried to make similar recipes with the original Master Recipe from the Artisan Bread in 5, but the dough is so wet, that I can barely shape it into anything other than a boule. So I added more flour and kneaded the bread a little bit to boost gluten development. 

17 comments:

Kristen at Batterlicker said...

What a cute little bread wreath - great idea! Thanks for sharing. :)

Nik said...

This could be an awesome Easter bread. Looks delicious.

Chef Dennis Littley said...

that is beautiful!!! I'm sure it tastes as good as it looks!!

Lazaro Cooks said...

I admire the creativity.

denise @ quickies on the dinner tables said...

A very pretty wreath. I must try this the next time I make bread!

citronetvanille said...

Oh I love bread, and yours looks especially beautiful and excellent, I can tell from the crust texture and color!

Angie's Recipes said...

A wreath out of the Epi! Very creative!

Girl Foodie said...

FanTASTic. I'm totally going to make that next time I have a gathering.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful job! Looks delicious, too. My mom makes the same or something very similar for Easter every year, but braids colored hardboiled eggs into it. So yummy!

bunkycooks said...

This is beautiful! What a lovely bread for Easter.

Stella said...

Very pretty and imaginative. I need to play with my bread and pastry more when I make it-so impatient I am just to get it in the oven.
Happy Holiday Weekend, Rookie!

Cocina Savant said...

You bake some truly inspiring bread. And I know what you mean about extremely wet doughs, how frustrating they can be but so essential to a good rise.

Cleo Coyle said...

Nice job -- so pretty for an Easter table. Have a lovely weekend! ~Cleo

Daydreamer Desserts said...

What a beautiful wreath.

Unknown said...

This looks wonderful! Would be great for breakfast with jam and a cup of coffee.

Thank you for your nice comment by the way on my French Onion Soup. REally appreciate it.

Ann said...

This looks so yummy and lovely...its great for Easter or other occasion.

bestfriend said...

yummiiee!
hwi