Blueberry Anadama Bread Food

ANADAMA BREAD

Steps:

• Combine 1 cup water, the cornmeal, molasses and 4 tablespoons butter in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer and let cool until lukewarm (105 degrees F to 110 degrees F), stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.
• Sprinkle the yeast over 1/2 cup lukewarm water (105 degrees F to 110 degrees F) in a small bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add to the cornmeal mixture along with 1 cup flour and the dry milk; mix with a wooden spoon. Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside in a warm place until the dough increases slightly in volume and is bubbly, about 30 minutes.
• Mix the dough with the dough hook attachment on medium-low speed, then mix in the salt and the remaining 3 to 4 cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition, until the dough comes together into a firm, tacky ball. Increase the speed to medium high; knead the dough until it pulls away from the bowl, about 2 minutes. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand until smooth and pliable, adding more flour as needed, about 5 minutes. Brush a large bowl with vegetable oil; add the dough, cover with a kitchen towel and set aside in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 hour to 1 hour, 30 minutes.
• Brush a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with vegetable oil. Punch down the dough and turn out onto a clean surface. Shape into a smooth 4-by-8-inch loaf, then transfer to the pan. Cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until the loaf rises above the pan by 1/2 inch, 30 minutes to 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Uncover the pan and transfer to the oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F and bake until the bread is golden and sounds hollow when tapped, 35 to 45 minutes. (Cover loosely with foil if it is browning too quickly.) Brush with melted butter and let rest in the pan, 10 minutes. Turn out onto a rack and let cool before slicing or freezing.
• MAKE IT AHEAD Let the bread cool completely, wrap in plastic wrap and foil, and freeze for up to 2 weeks. To serve, unwrap and thaw at room temperature for 2 hours. Reheat, wrapped in foil, at 300 degrees F until warmed through, 30 minutes.

OLD-FASHIONED ANADAMA BREAD

Steps:

• Mix the cornmeal with the 3/4 cups cold water in a medium saucepan.
• Whisk in the boiling water and bring to a boil over medium heat.
• When the cornmeal mixture starts to boil, add the butter, molasses and salt.
• Cook until the mixture is the consistency of pudding-- stirring constantly.
• It should take about 7 minutes.
• Transfer this mixture to a large bowl and let it cool to lukewarm.
• Don't get impatient with the cooling, because if it's too hot (over 115 degrees farenheit), it will kill the yeast.
• It will form a skin on the top, but it's no big deal.
• Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a small bowl and let it sit until the yeast looks foamy.
• Stir to dissolve the yeast, then add it to the cornmeal mush.
• Just an aside about the"warm" definition in case you are a beginning bread-maker without a thermometer.
• The temperature you want is when you drop water on your wrist, it feels neither cool nor hot-- test it the way you would a baby's bottle.
• I killed yeast with too-hot water when I was starting out.
• Now back to the recipe.
• Mix the all-purpose and wheat flours together and start stirring them into the cornmeal mixture, a cup at a time to make a soft, sticky dough.
• Turn out onto a lightly floured work service and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
• You can add more flour as needed, but don't get carried away.
• Because of the molasses, the dough will stay sticky.
• As long as the dough isn't sticking excessively to the board, you have enough flour.
• I knead this with my stand mixer, and there's always a little"smear" of dough around the edges of the bowl.
• Form the dough into a ball and put it in a large, lightly oiled bowl.
• Turn the dough ball to get a little oil all over it.
• Let rise until double in size, about an hour.
• Punch the dough down (Really, just pick up the sides and let it collapse on itself. No need to be violent.), cover with a towel, and let rest in the bowl for 10 minutes.
• Get two 9-x5-inch loaf pans ready by lightly oiling them.
• After the dough's little rest, divide it into two pieces and shape each piece into a loaf.
• Put them in the loaf pans, and roll them around so they get a nice little coating of oil.
• Cover with a towel and let the loaves rise until they touch the top of the pan.
• That takes about half an hour.
• While they're rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees farenheit, and position your rack in the center of the oven.
• Slide the loaf pans in and bake for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 375 degrees and bake until the loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
• Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove the loaves from the pan and let cool on a wire rack.

ANADAMA BREAD

Steps:

• Combine the yeast, sugar, and 1/4 cup of the warm water in the mixer bowl or in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Set aside for about 10 minutes, while the yeast "blooms." When the yeast looks frothy, add the melted butter, molasses salt, flour, and cornmeal. Slowly add up to 1 cup more warm water, mixing with the dough hook or a wooden spoon. The amount of liquid may vary, depending on the flour, so add just enough water to form a soft, but not sticky dough. Knead by machine for about 10 minutes, or by hand for about 15 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
• Lightly oil or butter a large bowl. Shape the dough into a ball, place it in the bowl, and turn it once so it is lightly greased all over. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and place in a warm, draft-free spot. (An oven that has been heated to 200 degrees and then turned off is a perfect spot). Let the dough rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Grease 2 (9 1/2 by 5-inch) loaf pans. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut it in 1/2 and shape each 1/2 into a loaf. Place each in the greased loaf pans, return to the warm spot, and let the loaves rise until they are about doubled in size, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush the top of the loaves with the egg wash and bake for 1 hour, or until deep golden brown. To test for doneness, remove the hot bread from 1 pan and knock on the bottom of the loaf: you will hear a hollow sound if the bread is done. If necessary, return to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Turn both loaves out of the pans and cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes.

BLUEBERRY LEMONADE

Steps:

• For the blueberry syrup: Put the blueberries, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then reduce the heat and simmer until thick, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Strain the blueberries through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing to get all the liquid out, then place the liquid in the fridge and chill until cold (or place the pan in a bowl of ice to chill down fast).
• For the lemonade: Mix the sugar with 6 cups of tap water and stir until the sugar is dissolved to make a simple syrup.
• Pour the lemon juice into a large vat. Pour in three-quarters of the simple syrup and 8 cups of water (give or take). Add the blueberry syrup, stir it around and then give it a taste. Add more simple syrup if it needs sweetness, or more water if it needs dilution. Top up with lots of ice before serving.

ALABAMA BLUEBERRY BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350*. Grease with PAM either 2-8" loaf pans or a Bundt pan and if you wish, lightly sprinkle with cinnamon sugar for an added treat.
• Take a lg. mixing bowl and add the first 7 ingredients. Mix with an electric hand mixer or by hand if you don't have one.(Use a fork). Just until blended.
• Next add flour,salt,and b.soda. Mix thoroughly.
• Fold in the berries last with a rubber spatula.
• Spoon batter using spatula into prepared pan or pans as stated above.
• Place in oven regular shelf setting (does not have to be middle).
• Bake at above temperature for approximately 45 min's. to 1 hour.
• You'll have to check it, time vary's with ovens. Let cool 15 min's. then remove and cool on cooling rack.

ANADAMA BREAD

Steps:

• The day before making the bread, make the soaker by mixing the cornmeal and water in a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit overnight at room temperature.
• The next day, to make the dough, stir together 2 cups of the flour, the yeast, soaker, and water in a mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and ferment for 1 hour, or until the sponge begins to bubble.
• Add the remaining 2 1/2 cups of flour, the salt, molasses, and shortening and stir (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment) until the ingredients form a ball. Add water if necessary to make a soft, slightly sticky mass.
• Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin kneading (or mix on medium speed with the dough hook), sprinkling in more flour as needed to make a tacky, but not sticky, dough. The dough should be firm but supple and pliable and definitely not sticky. It will take about 10 minutes of kneading to accomplish this (or 6 to 8 minutes in the electric mixer). The dough should pass the windowpane test (page 58) and register 77° to 81°F.
• Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and ferment the dough at room temperature for about 90 minutes, or until it doubles in size.
• Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into 2 equal pieces of 24 ounces, or 3 pieces of about 16 ounces. Shape the dough into loaves, as shown on page 81, and place them into bread pans that have been lightly oiled or misted with spray oil (the larger loaves should go into 9 by 5-inch pans and the smaller loaves into 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch pans). Mist the tops of the loaves with spray oil and loosely cover the tops with plastic wrap.
• Proof at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes, or until the loaves crest fully above the tops of the pans. (If you want to hold back any of the loaves, place them in the refrigerator without proofing, where they will hold, or retard, for up to 2 days. Remove them from the refrigerator about 4 hours before baking and proof them at room temperature, or until ready.)
• Preheat the oven to 350°F with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Place the pans on a sheet pan and remove the plastic wrap. Mist the tops with a spray of water and dust with cornmeal.
• Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the sheet pan for even baking and continue to bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown, including along the sides and bottom, and register at least 185° to 190°F in the center. They should make a hollow sound when thumped on the bottom.
• When the loaves are done, remove them immediately from the pans and cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing or serving.
• BREAD PROFILE
• Enriched, standard dough; indirect method; commercial yeast
• DAYS TO MAKE: 2
• Day 1: 5 minutes soaker
• Day 2: 1 1/4 hours sponge; 15 minutes mixing; 2 3/4 to 3 1/4 hours fermentation, shaping, and proofing; 40 to 50 minutes baking
• Commentary
• The brand or type of molasses will make a difference in the final flavor. People who tested this formula preferred Brer Rabbit Golden Molasses for its lightness. Molasses is high in iron and other minerals, but some brands are harsher and darker. I suggest using the lightest, most refined brand you can find, unless you like the stronger flavor tones of darker brands.
• The amount of flour may vary depending on the type of molasses you use, so do not be concerned if you have to add more to firm up the dough. Let the dough dictate how much flour it needs; you want a dough that is slightly tacky but not sticky, and supple enough for easy shaping.
• BAKER'S PERCENTAGE FORMULA
• Anadama Bread %
• (SOAKER)
• Cornmeal: 100%
• Water: 133%
• Total: 233%
• (DOUGH)
• Bread flour: 100%
• Instant yeast: 1.1%
• Soaker:69.1%
• Water: 39.5%
• Salt: 1.9%
• Molasses: 19.8%
• Shortening: 4.9%
• Total: 236.3%