"There is a communion of more than our bodies when bread is broken and wine drunk" - M.F.K. Fisher.
My bread adventures continue and this month the Bread Bakers theme is Breads with Grapes. The first thing that popped into my head was wine is made from grapes so that counts, right? Lucky for me our host agreed and the idea of a red wine bread was born.
This recipe intrigued me as I had never done an overnight proof before. Since I am trying to improve my bread-baking skills by trying new things, I knew this was the one I was going to bake. The premise it quite simple - dissolve the yeast in the wine, add the water, and then add this to the flour and mix. It could not get any easier. The dough then rises in a warm area for 16-20 hours. After the first proof you shape the dough and then it proofs for another 2 hours, and is then baked in a heavy, lidded pot.
As I said, you could not bake a more simple loaf of bread, and yet I was not totally satisfied with it. It did not really rise as well as I thought it should. The recipe only called for 2g (½ teaspoon) of yeast and this seemed like a very small amount, but due to inexperience I wasn't sure if this was a normal amount of yeast for a long proof. And as you can see from the photos, the wine looks like it is just a swirl in the bread even though it was fully incorporated. However, despite the challenges, the bread had a great flavor. I am keen to try using wine in my bread again, but I will probably try a different recipe next time.
If you would like to know more about the Bread Bakers and see what the other bakers made for the Breads with Grapes theme please scroll down below the recipe.
Red Wine Rosemary Bread
Ingredients
- 445g (3 cups) of bread flour
- 6g (1½ teaspoons) kosher salt
- 6g (2 tablespoons) fresh rosemary, chopped fine
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 2g (½ teaspoon) active dry yeast
- 265ml (1¼ cups) warm water
- 60ml (¼ cup) red wine, warmed slightly (use shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, or merlot)
Preparation
- Sift together flour, salt, rosemary and pepper in a large bowl.
- Dissolve yeast in warm wine, add water to wine and mix all of the liquid into the dry ingredients.
- Mix until it forms a shaggy ball (it will look very shaggy, but don't panic).
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in a warm place to rise for 16-20 hours.
- After 16-20 hours turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. The part of the dough that was flush with the bowl while rising will be the top of your loaf.
- Shape the loaf by tucking the bottom, ragged parts into the center of the loaf—it will look like a belly button.
- Turn the shaped loaf over, place it in a bowl, cover it and let it rise for 2 more hours—it should about double in size.
- When you have 30 minutes left of rise-time, place a heavy, lidded pot into the oven at 450 degrees. Let it heat up for 30 minutes, then place the bread into the pot, cover it and let it cook for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes uncover the pot and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the bread has a golden, crackly crust.
#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.
We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. Our theme this month is Breads with Grapes and our host this month is Sneha from the wonderful Sneha's Recipe blog. If you are a food blogger and would like to join the Bread Bakers, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove at gmail.com.
And don’t forget to check out all the amazing breads baked by our talented bakers ~
- Buccellato di Lucca from Gayathri's Cook Spot
- Cinnamon Raisin Bread from Food Lust People Love
- Cinnamon Raisin Rolls from Ambrosia
- Golden Raisin Walnut Bread from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
- Mini Raisins Buns from Sneha's Recipe
- Roasted Grape and Pear Kuchen from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Red Wine Rosemary Bread from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
- Sausage and Cambozola Pizza with Arugula and Grapes from Karen's Kitchen Stories
- Sourdough Focaccia with Pickled Grapes and Speck from Baking Sense
In the end it is the taste that matters and this loaf has beautiful air pockets which makes me believe it had as much rise as the recipe wanted. I, too, am a bread making novice so I know how it is second guessing yourself.
ReplyDeleteYou got a nice crumb on that bread Felice! I think the small amount of yeast is to compensate for the long rise. Great idea!
ReplyDeleteI think the wine swirl looks lovely. It's always fun when you get to experiment with new ingredients and recipes.
ReplyDeleteI've never made bread with wine. Thanks for the recipe it looks so good!
ReplyDeleteHello Felice, what a brilliant idea to have used red wine in bread. One can see the red swirls in the bread. The flavour must have been amazing I am sure.
ReplyDelete