Harvest Bread

I haven’t made much bread lately. It’s not for a lack of recipes or interest but rather time. I find it hard to set aside the necessary hours for the rise, baking and cooling. This recipe has been sitting around forever. I bought the special yeast months ago along with the vital wheat gluten (which was a mistake as it turns out I already had some). I bought a sweet potato weeks ago and even cooked it around a week ago in preparation. But, I ended up not making this until this past Saturday as that is when I figured I had the time. I suppose I could make it at night where it comes out of the oven at 10 pm but that is not very appealing. 

It has led me to think that I need a bread machine. Or rather that I’ve decided I want to get a bread machine although the purchase is on hold for the moment. I’ve not really been resistant to the idea but I do have is weird feeling that if I didn’t make it completely myself then somehow I didn’t really make it. Very weird I will admit but a bread machine is still making bread from scratch. 

Anywho, I am digressing terribly from the details on this recipe. Overall, I was very happy with this recipe. It came together pretty well. I was happy with the rise (both of them) although as you can see from the picture, it still came out flat. It didn’t specify covering or not covering the pan during the second rise. I did cover it with plastic wrap (sprayed with non-stick) but I think it may have affected it after peeling it off. Another reason for the bread machine – it all stays in the machine during the rise(s) and I (theoretically) won’t have this issue. 

But, it still tasted good. I didn’t make any changes. As I mentioned I bought the special yeast. I didn’t have quite the full amount of raisins and walnuts to add in at the end but that was okay. And I missed on the butter. I didn’t have the right amount already set out and softened so I had to microwave it (briefly). That might be the only part that didn’t work exactly how it should have. But I think it still turned out okay. 

As I mentioned, I made this Saturday but held off posting until I had eaten it a couple of times. Right off the bat I cut one end off to try it (with a little butter. I had toast yesterday and used it yesterday for a sandwich (turkey, provolone, and brown sugar pecan mustard). It was great as toast and okay as sandwich bread. It is super some (which is great) but it wasn’t holding together very well for the sandwich. 

Overall, a good bread. As usual I’m not sure this would be one I would make over and over again but I liked it.