Name This Bread

Every couple of weeks a new bread is conceived.  Imagine how difficult it would be to pick names for your children if there was one born 25 times a year.  Some are easier than others....a baguette is a baguette.  The loaf pictured above has been particularly difficult for us to moniker.  This is our newest creation...hot out of the oven.  I would love to know what you can come up with because I am at a total loss.

Here are the specifics:

Major Ingredients: Wheat Flour, White Flour, Water, Honey  

Minor Ingredients: Cracked Grains: Red & White Wheats, Spelt, Rye, Corn, Barley; Salt, Yeast, Sourdough Culture

Attributes: Sweet and nutty; soft, slightly open crumb; crisp, caramel-y crust.  Made with a biga.   Retarded for 3-4 hours before baking.  It weighs 14-16oz, is 7-8" in diameter and stands about 4" tall.

Names in the Running: Farmhouse Honey Grain, Country Honey Wheat

I will let you know which name is selected by the end of the week.  I'm sure this is the first of many "Name This Bread," posts to come.

America's Best Raisin Bread

The contest application was sitting on my desk for weeks.  As least once a day, I thumbed through it, read the rules, re-read the rules and searched for inspiration.  The sales team was requesting a "muesli" bread, whatever that is.  "If the Muesli Bread includes raisins, maybe it can crossover into a contest entry," they said.  It went beyond a daily glance of the contest entry form, it was listed on my priority list (which I do not create, therefor it must actually be a legitimate priority and not just something I would like to get to today...this week...this month....)

I used my ride home from work to think of the possibilities.  I knew I wanted lots of healthy bits and lots of texture using pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, oats, bran and a variety of flours.  I would add more flavor with a wheat/rye levain and a poolish starter.  Finally, the raisins would have to be big, juicy and rustic. 

The bread:

After brainstorming for a few days, I came up with a formula and put it to the test.  I shaped a few dozen loaves and I was left with a mass of dough that didn't weigh enough to put into the pocket divider.  I didn't want to throw it away so I dumped it onto the bench, covered it in oats and cut it into rough strips.  I twisted the strips which created a spiral of oats down the loaf. 

Once the samples were baked, I fell in love with the twists and so did everyone else.  The flavor and texture were exactly the eating experience I was hoping to create.  The twisted sticks had a unique character that I adored.  After determining that American's don't really know what muesli is (I don't know what muesli is), the bread was named "Granola Twist."

The contest:

After a little more testing, I filled out the entry form.  My friend Hana took beautiful photos of my loaves to enclose with the application.  I licked the stamp and crossed my fingers!!!

Last week, I got a call from the California Raisin Board telling me I made the finals.  I immediately started calling everyone who helped me get this bread from idea to product but it was Yom Kippur and none of my friends were answering.  I had to sit on the news all weekend before anyone could rejoice with me!!!

The Bake-Off:

On October 14th, I fly to Manhattan Kansas to bake off my bread alongside the other nine finalists.  Three of us will be selected and the winners get to spend a week in Napa Valley touring the California wine country.  My friends at The Patisserie in Milford, PA are donating bakery space to the cause by letting me run a test in their kitchen this week. 

Wish me luck!!!!