Tuesday 9 July 2013
spinach and parmesan loaf
Wow it's been ages since I last logged onto blogger. Life's been a blur of late. So busy worrying about everything! Wedding preps, finding jobs, whether my teeth have moved too quickly and are now rootless... Well, one piece of good news is that I have finally paid off my bond and am now a free (wo)man! Which means I now have the power to decide my working hours! Which means that I have more time to bake! YEAH.
The downside is that the less you work, the less dough you roll in. Oh well. You can't have everything in life and right now I have decided I could do with a break. And some bread, since we're on the subject of dough.
This bread brings back fond memories of the time my elf and I first started dating. We were celebrating my birthday for the first time as a couple and the restaurant we went to served the most delicious spinach parmesan bread. I remember thinking I would love to try my hand at making some one day and so here I am, 8 years later, doing just that.
Started off by blending up some cooked spinach. I bought this stick blender/food processor for my sister as my dear niece has recently started taking tentative steps into the world of REAL FOOD (though in the pureed form, for now). I have a monster food processor which my elf gave me for Christmas but I was too lazy to bring it down from my room so I borrowed hers. I can't help marveling at a food processor in action the way most men marvel over the workings of a sports car (or a dyson vacuum cleaner). Is that sad?
Speaking of sad, I actually had to make this twice as the yeast I used in the first batch was inexplicably dead. Which is strange considering it was an unopened, unexpired packet that I had made sure to store in a cool, dry place. Ah, yeast. I have a love-hate relationship with the stuff.
looking less green in the glow of the golden hour
My version turned out slightly tougher and chewier than the original (at least from what I remember) but my elf really liked it. He says that's how real bread should be. (What?! Japanese soft fluffy milk bread rox4eva, hello?) That being said, it smelled heavenly and the flavour was great too. Pile on a slab of salted butter on a warm slice and I'm sold, tough and chewy or not.
Spinach Parmesan Loaf
Ingredients
100g spinach leaves (I used chinese spinach)
1 small onion, diced
2 tbsps vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
4 cups bread flour
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
7g active dry yeast
150g grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp of butter, melted
Directions
- Heat vegetable oil in a pan, add in the diced onion and sauté until golden brown.
- Add the spinach leaves and cook until tender.
- Place in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped (as in picture above).
- Leave to cool.
- In a mixing bowl fitted with dough hook attachment, add cooled chopped spinach, water, milk and egg.
- Add in bread flour.
- Create a small well in bread flour, add in yeast and bury it with the surrounding flour.
- Add sugar, salt and cheese.
- Knead on speed 2 for about 10-15min until dough is elastic and no longer sticky.
- Leave to proof in a bowl covered with a damp towel for about 2h or until doubled in volume
- Punch down dough on a floured working surface and shape into a sandwich loaf (or mini rolls if you prefer) and place in bread pan.
- Leave to rise until doubled in volume
- Preheat oven to 200°C.
- Brush the top of risen dough with melted butter
- Bake bread for about 20min or until crust turns golden brown and the loaf has a hollow sound when you tap it with a knife.
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