Peter Reinhart describes this bread as the east coast version of the popular Hawaiian style bread on the west coast. They are both sweet breads for sure, but I think this formula at least has a little more fruit forward flavor (the citrus extracts really stay present in the baked loaf). While this loaf uses a sponge, it does not need an overnight rest like many of the other breads I’ve made. The sponge has a relatively large amount of yeast for the size of the sponge.
After the sponge is nice and bubbly, it was time to mix the rest of the dough. First step was to mix up some of the liquid ingredients. Eggs, some vanilla, orange, & lemon extract.
To this mixture I added the sponge and the remaining flour and mixed until the ingredients formed a course ball.
Because this bread has a high fat content, it takes a little more time
to knead than one of the more lean breads (like French Baguettes). I
think I kneaded this for almost 15 minutes. Then it was time to let it rise.
to knead than one of the more lean breads (like French Baguettes). I
think I kneaded this for almost 15 minutes. Then it was time to let it rise.
While the formula suggested baking these in round pie pans, I decided i wanted these as sandwich loaves. They took quite awhile to proof, and even then they were a little smaller than I would have liked. The nice deep caramel color of the tops of the loaves were due to an egg wash applied just before baking. Another popular loaf among my co-workers. I’ve already got requests for another batch.
