yeast dough – The Herbal Bake Shoppe https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com Bringing herbalism & baking together Tue, 19 Sep 2017 20:22:54 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Lavender Orange Chocolate Babka https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/lavender-orange-chocolate-babka/ https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/lavender-orange-chocolate-babka/#respond Sat, 30 Apr 2016 20:15:41 +0000 https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/?post_type=recipe&p=1556
orange peel teaorange peel tea
2 babka loafs2 babka loafs
inside a loafinside a loaf

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I wasn’t planning babka when I began thinking about this recipe. Babka is a sweet yeast cake that layers rich moist dough with streusel filling, especially yummy as a coffee cake. I love baking cakes with yeast more than bread. Yeast cakes are more forgiving; if the rise isn’t perfect the taste remains delicious. Also proofing yeast holds a special place in my herbal baking heart. As I experiment, there are magic moments for unlocking methods that work. Wherever there is water in a recipe, an herbal tea can take its place. This opens all kinds of doors. The first time I proofed yeast in an herbal tea I held my breath not knowing what would happen. I wondered if something in the tea would react with the yeast and it wouldn’t rise, but the opposite happened. The rise, aroma, and ultimately flavor have inspired a world of herbal baking ideas. Can’t wait to keep baking.

Lavender Orange Chocolate Babka
Babka making Tips: 1. Make these scrumptious loafs over a three day period. First day, make the lavender syrup and chocolate filling, this takes about 30 minutes. Start with lavender tea and while steeping process filling. Store both refrigerated. Second day, make the yeast dough and pop in refrigerator overnight. Third day, assemble babka loafs and bake.
Servings Prep Time
2loafs 1-2hours
Cook Time
30minutes
Servings Prep Time
2loafs 1-2hours
Cook Time
30minutes
Ingredients
For lavender syrup
  • 1tablespoon lavender powderedusing buds is also ok
  • 8oz hot water
For chocolate filling
  • 1cup dark chocolate chipsI used Ghirardelli
  • 1stick organic unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2cup organic powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1/2cup unsweetened cocoa powderi used Dagoba
  • 1 organic egg
  • 1/2tsp cardamom powder
  • 1-3tbsp whole organic milk
For babka dough
  • 1/2cup orange peel teasee preparation below
  • 4 1/4cup all-purpose organic flour
  • 1/2cup organic granulated sugar
  • 1tbsp instant yeastrapid rise, SAF brand
  • 2tbsp orange zest, grated and choppedapproximate measurement of one orange
  • 3 organic eggs
  • 3/4tsp kosher salt
  • 2/3cup organic unsalted butter, room temperature
For orange peel tea
  • 1tsp dried orange peel
  • 8ounces hot water
Instructions
For lavender tea
  1. Prepare strong lavender tea. Heat water in tea kettle. Combine powdered lavender and hot water in a tea brewing vessel such as a French coffee press. Steep for 20 minutes.
  2. Strain lavender tea, measuring 6 ounces. Combine with sugar in small saucepan and bring to boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 3 minutes without stirring. Cool completely.
  3. May prepare up to two days ahead and store in a glass jar refrigerated.
For chocolate filling
  1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Puree 1-2 minutes until a soft paste is formed. It is ok if some chocolate pieces remain.
  2. This does not have to be completely smooth but should be spreadable. If it is too thick, add room temperature whole milk, 1 teaspoon at a time and pulse to incorporate. Transfer to bowl and set aside until ready to use.
For babka dough
  1. Combine flour, sugar, yeast and orange zest in bowl of electric mixer. Fit with dough hook. Blend on low just a minute or two to combine.
  2. Add eggs and ½ cup orange peel tea. Mix on low speed until ingredients come together. Add additional orange peel tea, 1 tablespoon at a time with mixer running and continue mixing until dough forms a mass.
  3. Cut butter into tablespoon chunks. With mixer running on low, add salt and then butter 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing until completely incorporated into dough.
  4. Increase speed to medium. Mix for 10 minutes until dough becomes smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Scrape down sides as necessary. After 10 minutes of mixing, is dough is not smooth, add 1 tablespoon of flour to help shape dough.
  5. Coat a large mixing bowl with oil. I used avocado oil. Transfer dough to bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for at least 6 hours but preferably overnight. Dough will only rise slightly and this is ok.
For orange peel tea
  1. Prepare orange peel tea. With a vegetable peeler, pare three long strips of orange rind. Place on small parchment lined baking sheet and place in 200°F oven for approximately 25-30 minutes until begin to curl and harden.
  2. Cool completely and place in tea brewing vessel such as a French coffee press with 8 ounces of hot water. Steep for 15 minutes.
For babka assembly
  1. Prepare 2 9x4inch loaf pans. Grease with butter or oil. Line bottom of each pan with rectangle of parchment paper.
  2. Remove dough from refrigerator and cut in half with a sharp knife. Work with one half at a time, keeping the other refrigerated.
  3. Flour a flat surface well for rolling. I used a large cutting board placed on top of a clean kitchen towel, which keeps the cutting board in place while you roll.
  4. Roll the dough into a rectangle 10 inches in width and 10-12 inches in length. If dough breaks, push it back together and try to keep the edges straight. Spread half of the chocolate filling mixture evenly over the dough leaving a ½ inch border on all sides.
  5. Brush the end farthest away from you with a bit of water. Beginning at the end closest to you, roll the dough up tightly and seal the moistened end. Transfer to a lightly floured baking sheet.
  6. Repeat with second half.
  7. Freeze dough rolls for 15 minutes to facilitate easier cutting.
  8. Remove one dough roll from freezer. Trim a ½ inch off one end of the roll and reserve. With a sharp knife gently cut the roll lengthwise leaving the cut end connected. Position each cut half next to each other on the surface with the cut side facing up. Beginning at connected end, twist the two halves over and around each other always trying to keep the cut ends facing out. Do this as best you can, it does not have to be perfect.
  9. Transfer twisted dough into prepared loaf pan, shaping it like an “S”. Put trimmed end of dough into the empty space.
  10. Repeat cutting and twisting with second half of dough and transfer to second loaf pan in same manner.
  11. Cover with a damp towel and allow to rise at room temperature for 1 ½ hours.
  12. Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake 30 minutes until inserted toothpick goes in to babka smoothly without resistance. Check after 20 minutes, if appears to be browning too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil.
  13. When babka is done baking remove from oven and immediately brush with lavender syrup all over and allow to soak in to cakes. It will seem like there is too much syrup, but it will be absorbed into cake while it cools.
  14. Cool in pan for 30 minutes then remove to cool completely on wire racks. Slice to reveal swirls of chocolate filling in layers of tender dough. Babka can be wrapped and frozen.
Recipe Notes

This is a perfect weekend baking project because the steps do not actually take that much time and allow for lots of time for other life things.

Using organic ingredients whenever possible will make your baked goods more wholesome and nutritious. For this cake, use organic flour, sugars, butter, eggs, orange, and cocoa powder if available.

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lavender powder
cardamom powder
organic sugar

chocolate babka loaf

]]> https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/lavender-orange-chocolate-babka/feed/ 0 Turmeric Crescents https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/turmeric-crescents-2/ https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/turmeric-crescents-2/#comments Fri, 09 Oct 2015 16:40:53 +0000 https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/?post_type=recipe&p=1238
single crescentsingle crescent
proofing yeast with turmericproofing yeast with turmeric
filling and doughfilling and dough
into the oveninto the oven
out of the ovenout of the oven
turmeric crescentsturmeric crescents

Because some ingredients may be hard to find, links are provided to make buying easier. I may earn a small commission for some of the product links in this recipe. Your purchase will lend support to this website at no further cost to you. Big love and thanks for that.

Turmeric ranks among the most researched herbs. Recently, GreenMedInfo.org posted an article linking the ingestion of turmeric to the positive impact of 600 diseases, practically lifting this traditional spice to a magical scale. Studies frequently focus on just one component of turmeric, curcumin, as the active source for anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory benefits. The big question is whether curcumin truly is quintessential or are other noncurcumin components equally endowed with medicinal potential. Of the 235 chemical compounds identified in turmeric, curcumin makes up just 2-5% of the plant. Multiple chemically diverse noncurcumin compounds also exhibit strong anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activity. Additionally, some work synergistically with curcumin to increase its absorption.

 

The point is for maximum benefits keep the whole plant intact, using it as turmeric rather than isolating it into parts such as curcumin. Traditional practice seems to know this. Turmeric has been safely used for centuries as a non-toxic, tolerated food spice. A food dose of turmeric may not be concentrated as a dose from a capsule; however, adding it into daily life whenever possible, even if in small amounts is a win-win. Baking with herbs captures this concept. Eating turmeric in a cake, cookie, bread or sweet roll may not deliver a medicinal dose, but still worthy for ingesting phytochemicals that protect us.

 

These crescents were inspired by a recipe from Maida Heatter, an amazing dessert recipe writer. Her descriptions and encouraging tips continue to influence my baking making it easier, enjoyable and successful. She writes that she loves baking yeast cakes. The smells, hands-on work, the end product cause me to agree. I added turmeric to her nut crescents and changed the filling a bit. The result is a light yellow soft sweet roll with a chewy brittle like filling. These take some time, but are a perfect weekend project and worth every second.

Turmeric Crescents
Sneak in a dose of turmeric anytime of day with a soft, nut-filled crescent. These sweet rolls although a bit time consuming are not difficult, even fun. If the filling oozes out a bit while baking, just break it off as the crescents cool and save for a yummy extra treat.
Servings Prep Time
48crescents 2hours
Cook Time
15minutes
Servings Prep Time
48crescents 2hours
Cook Time
15minutes
Ingredients
For dough
  • 3 organic eggs
  • 1/2cup organic sour cream
  • 1/4tsp turmeric powder
  • 2sticks organic unsalted butter, cold and firm8 oz
  • 1/2cup organic granulated sugar
  • 5 cups organic all-purpose flour, siftedplus 2 Tablespoons
  • 3/4tsp salt
  • 1/4cup turmeric teasee below
  • 2envelopes active dry yeast
  • 1 egg whitefor brushing crescents before baking
For filling
  • 5oz pistachio nuts, shelled5 oz
  • 2 1/2oz dried currants1/2 cup
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 6tbsp organic unsalted butter, melted3/4 stick
  • 1/4cup organic heavy cream
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1tsp vanilla extract
For turmeric tea
  • 2tsp turmeric powder
  • 8oz water
Instructions
For turmeric tea
  1. Combine 2 teaspoons dried turmeric powder and 8 ounces of hot water in a French coffee press or other type of vessel to allow for infusing. Steep for 45 minutes, strain and cool until just warm.
For dough
  1. In small bowl, whisk eggs until lightly beaten. Add sour cream and ¼ teaspoon turmeric and whisk until blended. Set aside.
  2. Cut butter into small chunks, approximately ½ inch squares and keep cold in refrigerator until ready to use. Reserve ½ teaspoon sugar from ½ cup measure.
  3. Sift remaining sugar, flour, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Transfer half of this mixture to the bowl of a food processor. Add half of the cold butter chunks and process pulsing for 10-15 quick pulses until resembles coarse crumbs. Transfer to a large bowl and process the remaining flour-sugar mixture and cold butter chunks in the same way. Combine with first processed batch. Set aside.
  4. Warm an 8 ounce glass measuring cup by filling with hot water and allowing to stand for a few minutes. Pour out hot water and measure ¼ cup of warm turmeric tea. Stir in reserved ½ teaspoon sugar. Sprinkle yeast on top, then stir with a knife until yeast dissolves. Let stand until mixture rises to nearly the top of the measuring cup.
  5. Add yeast mixture and egg mixture to flour-butter mixture. Mix thoroughly with wooden spoon.
  6. Turn dough out into a clean work surface to knead. The dough will be sticky so use a dough scraper or large metal spatula to turn it over pushing down on it with the palm of your hand. I knead my dough for a bit first right in the bowl until it comes together. Continue kneading for about 5 minutes. The dough will be smooth, but still sticky. Cut a piece of wax paper about 20 inches long and lay flat on the counter. Transfer the dough to one end and fold the other side of the wax paper over the top of the dough. With your hands flatten the covered dough slightly into a round disc that measures 8 inches in diameter. Slide dough with was paper into a Ziploc bag and refrigerate overnight.
For filling
  1. Place shelled pistachio nuts in food processor and process until finely chopped. In medium bowl combine chopped pistachios, currants, sugar and turmeric. Stir in melted butter. Mix in cream and vanilla extract. Set aside until ready to roll crescents.
For shaping crescents
  1. When ready to shape crescents, lightly butter baking sheets. Twelve crescents will fit on an average sized baking sheet, so this recipe will require four. I only have two cookie sheets, so I made these in two batches.
  2. Remove dough from plastic bag and place it still wrapped in wax paper on a cutting board. Uncover and while still cold, cut dough disc into 8 equal wedges, as if you were cutting a pie. Work with one piece at a time, wrap others in wax paper and keep refrigerated.
  3. To roll one dough wedge, flour your hands and a rolling pin. Press dough wedge into a ball, place on floured work surface and flatten a bit. Roll into a 9-inch round. With long, sharp knife cut into 6 pie shaped wedges.
  4. Place 1 rounded teaspoon of filling at the wide end of each wedge. Roll up from wide end to point to enclose the filling. Place each roll onto the buttered baking sheet point down. Turn ends in to form a crescent shape. Fill each baking sheet with 12 crescents space apart.
  5. Continue to work with each dough wedge in the same way until all crescents are formed.
  6. Cover rolled crescents loosely with wax paper or a cotton napkin and allow to rise at room temperature for 2 hours.
  7. Just prior to baking, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Beat one egg white until foamy. Gently brush tops of crescents with the white using your fingers or a soft brush.
  8. Bake for 15 minutes until browned. Check on crescents 10 minutes into baking to make sure they are browning evenly and shift baking sheets from front to back if needed.
  9. A bit of the filling may ooze out during baking. As crescents begin to cool, break extra filling off it is too much and does not look right. (keep the filling for a candy-like extra treat)
  10. Transfer the crescents with a metal spatula to wire racks for cooling.
Recipe Notes

*Using organic ingredients whenever possible will make your baked goods all the more nourishing. For these crescents, use organic flour, sugar, eggs, butter, sour cream, and nuts if available.

**This recipe is prepared over two days. The first day prepare the dough and refrigerate overnight. the second day make filling, shape crescents and bake.

turmeric root powder

***Some of the crescents may not look perfect but they taste just as good.crescent misfits

 

 

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