French Spiced Bread Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease loaf pans with melted butter.
• Toast almonds on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once or twice, until golden brown and fragrant, 6-8 minutes. Coarsely chop zest, apricots, plums, and toasted almonds. Transfer to a small bowl.
• Bring honey, milk, salt, cinnamon, and star anise to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Meanwhile, whisk flour, baking powder, spice mix, and baking soda in a large bowl.
• Strain honey mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Add eggs and whisk until incorporated. Using a spatula, quickly fold in zest mixture.
• Divide dough between prepared pans, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake bread until tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, 35-40 minutes.
• Let bread cool 10 minutes in pan, then carefully remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack.
• Do Ahead
• Bread can be made 5 days ahead. Tightly wrap and store at room temperature, or freeze up to 1 month.

Steps:

• Put a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet and put in the oven. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
• Mix the sugar and apple pie spice in a small bowl and set aside. Whisk the milk and eggs together in a large shallow dish.
• Heat 1 tablespoon butter a large skillet over medium heat. Briefly dip 2 slices of bread into the egg mixture and place in the skillet. Sprinkle some of the spiced sugar on top and cook, flipping once, until browned on both sides and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to the warm baking sheet in the oven and continue to make French toast with the remaining butter, bread, egg mixture and spiced sugar. Serve with butter and warm maple syrup.
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Steps:

• The night before baking the bread prepare this starter: In a medium sized non-metal mixing bowl dissolve 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast in 1 cup warm water. Add 1 1/2 cup bread flour and mix well. Cover and let sit overnight at room temperature.
• The next day: In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the 2 teaspoons yeast in the 2 cups warm water. Add the starter mixture, the whole wheat flour, 3 cups bread flour and the salt; stir until well combined. Add the remaining bread flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
• Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Grease two 9x5-inch loaf pans. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces and form into loaves. Place the loaves into the prepared pans. Cover the loaves with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

Steps:

• Warm 120ml milk and the butter in a small saucepan until melted. Leave to cool to lukewarm.
• Combine the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Make a well in the centre and pour in the egg and warmed milk, then mix until just combined. If it seems a little dry, add an extra 20ml milk. Knead the mixture on a gentle speed using a dough hook for 5-8 mins, or until the dough is smooth and springs back when pressed. If you don't have a stand mixer, combine everything in a bowl, then knead on a lightly floured surface for 8-10 mins. Shape the dough into a ball and leave to prove in a large, lightly oiled bowl covered with a tea towel for 1 hr-1 hr 30 mins, or until doubled in size.
• To make the filling, combine the ingredients and set aside.
• Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment. Roll the proved dough out on a lightly floured surface to a 40cm square. Spread the filling evenly over the dough using a palette knife, leaving a 2cm border around the edge. Roll the dough up into a tight log, starting with the end furthest from you - it should measure roughly 40cm in length. Cut the dough log in half lengthways down the middle so you have two long pieces laying beside each other, horizontally, cut-side up. Pinch together at both ends, then pick up the ends and twist the pieces around each other, as though you're making a rope.
• Transfer the loaf to the prepared sheet. Loosely cover and let it prove in a warm place until doubled in size again, about 45 mins-1 hr. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• Put the sheet in the centre of the oven and bake for 35-40 mins, covering loosely with foil if it starts to become too dark during baking. When ready, the loaf should be golden and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Leave to cool slightly for 15 mins if you're serving it warm, or leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
• To make the tahini butter, mix the ingredients with a pinch of salt using a wooden spoon until combined. To make the icing, mix the sugar with 1 tbsp warm water until smooth, adding more if it's too thick. Drizzle over the loaf and sprinkle with the sesame seeds, if using. Slice the loaf and serve with the honey & tahini butter. Best eaten the day it's made.

Steps:

• Mix 3 tbsp of the butter with half the cinnamon and mash together. Beat together the egg, milk and remaining cinnamon. Sandwich 2 slices of hot cross bun together with half the cinnamon butter and repeat with the remaining two slices.
• Dip in the egg mix and leave to soak for a few secs. Heat the butter in a frying pan until foaming. Cook the hot cross buns for 1-2 mins each side until light golden (you may need to do this in two batches). Press down on them as you cook. Serve each portion topped with a scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of maple syrup, if you like.

Steps:

• Warm and melt the honey by standing the jar in a pan of hot water, measure it into the rye flour in a bowl and mix together with a wooden spoon. Leave, covered for 1 hour for the flour to absorb all the liquid.
• Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the glaze, and mix with vigour to ensure everything is spread evenly through the dough - this will be very sticky! Knead the dough on a clean work surface for between 5-10 minutes You can dip hands into a bowl of water at intervals to help with the kneading if necessary.
• Press the dough mixture intpo a well greased 2lb loaf tin. Make sure it's pushed right into the corners.
• Bake the loaf on the middle shelf for about 35 mins until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. When you have removed it from the oven, brush with glaze and return to oven for a couple of minutes to set the glaze.
• Let the bread stand in the tin for a few minutes, then invert onto a wire rack. This keeps very well and because it's made using rye it can be better for being left a couple of days before eating. (We never let it wait long though !).

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the cheese, mayonnaise and onions. Spread over cut sides of bread and reassemble loaf. Wrap in a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 28x18 in.); seal tightly., Grill, covered, over indirect medium heat for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted, turning once. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting into slices.

Steps:

• cut bread into 1 inch cubes, place in ungreased 13x9-inch pan and either dry in warm oven for a couple of hours, toast lightly in 350°F oven (preferred), or toast in 350°F oven till light brown and dry.
• Chop or puree raisins.
• Sift or sieve sugar, spices and salt into a plastic bag and shake to mix.
• Heat milk, butter, eggs, yolks, raisins and sugar mixture in a sauce pan on low heat stirring constantly until butter's melted and sugar is dissolved, remove from heat if steam starts to appear.
• (You don't want to cook the eggs just yet!)
• Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and immediately pour custard over dried bread.
• If desired strain mixture with a fine strainer to remove raisins and any egg chalazae.
• Mix and press down on bread to be sure it's all covered.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Allow custard to soak into bread cubes until cooled (about an hour).
• Occasionally stirring to evenly distribute mixture.
• Can be refrigerated for up-to 12 hours at this point.
• Bake in 350°F oven for 50-60 minutes (top will be browned and pudding should start to rise out of the pan).
• --------Variations--------------.
• Add a cup of toasted and chopped pecans or walnuts to custard.
• Replace 1/2 tbsp of the vanilla with another extract or liquor.
• Add some white, cinnamon or chocolate chips to custard.
• Replace 1/2 of the milk with heavy cream or 1/2 and 1/2 (makes it rich!).
• Use skim milk, delete butter, use whole wheat bread, reduce sugar to 1 cup, replace eggs/yolks with egg substitute for a "healthy version".
• Add some dried apple or banana to custard.
• Use 1 cup of sugar and add 1/2 cup of maple syrup.
• Replace up-to half the sugar with brown sugar.
• Serve with bourbon sauce, whip cream, ice cream.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup water. Add the sugar, salt, shortening, remaining water and 3-1/2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Do not knead. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. , Turn onto a floured surface. Divide in half; let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each half into a 10x8-in. rectangle. Roll up from a long side; pinch to seal. Place seam side down on 2 greased baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. Sprinkle the tops with cornmeal. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. , With a very sharp knife, make 5 diagonal cuts across the top of each loaf. Bake at 400° until lightly browned, 20-30 minutes. Remove from pans to wire rack to cool.