yeasted blackberry and apple bread

i bought some apples a couple of weeks ago..i got excited thinking they might be new seasons granny smiths because for me new season's apples and pears herald autumn..the gentle season..the season of muted colours and even temper and clarity in the air.. but even as i bought them they didn't look quite right but i went ahead anyway getting ahead of myself and the seasons..

they sat lingering for ages until i cut one up to see if they were salvageable..inside they were streaked brown through out and looked momentarily as if destined for the compost bin..but me being me just couldn't do that so i cut them up and threw them into a pot with a bit of water and cooked them, mashing them occasionally, until they were soft..i had no idea what i was going to do with them at this stage but i was considering apple jelly..after straining the pulp for 24 hours i had a lovely not brown at all liquid that tasted delicious..

my apple juice thoughts danced here and there but the one thought that stopped me in my tracks was the idea of putting the apple juice in a loaf of bread..that thought was added to another and another..i had more blackberries from another foraging session with one of my daughters and i now had proper new seasons granny's..my thoughts settled and blackberry and apple bread was made..

blackberry and apple bread

tea with hazel

ingredients 

bread dough

400 gms strong bread making flour
100 gms wholemeal flour
apple juice (strained from poaching apples in a little water and lemon juice)
1/2 teaspoon (tsp) yeast
11/2 tablespoons ( tbs) salt (murray river)

filling

2 medium granny smith apples
1 tbs sugar
1/2 cup blackberries
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly ground almond meal
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

glaze

1 tbs blackberry jelly
1 tbs boiling water
1 tsp gelatine
1 tsp lemon juice

method

~ mix flour and yeast with enough apple juice to obtain a soft shaggy dough and leave for 10 minutes
~ add salt, mix briefly, rest for 10 minutes
~ mix briefly once more, remove bowl from mixer, cover with greased cling film, and leave until the dough has doubled
~ remove the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface and do one stretch and fold then rest for 15 minutes
~ repeat the stretch and fold cycle twice more
~ dice small the peeled and cored apples and cook with the sugar until just softening
~ mix the bread crumbs, almond meal and lemon
~ roll the dough into an oblong, sprinkle with bread crumb mix, and dot with blackberries and apple
~ roll the dough up sealing the end with a little water
~ place in a greased bread baking tin and leave until doubled or until a finger pressed into the dough leaves an impression
~ bake at 220 deg c (bread baking function) with steam for 25 minutes
~ reduce heat to 180 deg c and continue to bake for a further 20 minutes covering with foil if browning too much
~ mix the glaze ingredients well until the gelatine is dissolved using a bain marie if necessary
~ glaze the loaf as soon as removed from the tin


notes:

~ i purposely didn't add any sugar to the dough or the bread crumb mix because i didn't want a sweet loaf
~ i cut the loaf way too soon so it looks a bit doughy in the photo
~ for me the flavours worked well..not too sweet with a lovely apple and blackberry flavour that wasn't eclipsed by the subtle but welcome hint of lemon

it doesn't feel like autumn here in melbourne with temperatures over 30 deg c for another week but it's not going to stop me celebrating its imminent arrival..

this post submitted to yeast spotting

rose geranium and blackberry spanish creams

spanish cream was one of the few summer sweets my mother used to make for me and my siblings when we were young..i remember liking the texture of it but being a bit ambivalent about its flavour..i was disappointed to find i felt the same when i made it myself once many many decades ago..the memory of it and a desire to make it again remained in the recesses of my mind until today when i was thinking about how i might best use some close to 'use by date' milk..i experimented by infusing rose geranium leaves in the milk and putting blackberry jelly mixed with chambord in the base of the moulds..

rose geranium and blackberry spanish creams
serves 6

adapted from here

ingredients 

550 mls full cream milk ( i used unhomogenised organic) 

50 mls double cream

3 tablespoons (tbs) castor sugar

5-6 rose geranium leaves washed and dried

5 leaves gold strength gelatine 

3 eggs separated

blackberry jelly

chambord

6 blackberries 

method

~ wet the moulds, shake out excess water and place 2 teaspoons (tsp) of blackberry jelly and 1 tsp chambord in the base of each mould 

~ place the milk, cream and the rose geranium leaves in a saucepan and bring the mixture to the boil stirring to prevent scorching

~ remove from the heat and add sugar stirring until dissolved

~ remove the geranium leaves

~ beat egg yolks and add about 1/2 cup of hot milk/cream a little at a time* while stirring 

~ strain the egg/milk mix into the remaining milk/cream mix 

~ pour the mix into the top of a double boiler and heat** for 3-5 minutes while stirring 

~ cut the gelatine leaves into four and put in a bowl of water for a minute or two until softened

~ remove the pan of milk mix from the heat, add well squeezed gelatine leaves, and stir until dissolved

~ place the pan of custard in an ice bath and stir occasionally until cool

~ once cool beat the egg whites until stiff

~ mix a little of the egg white into the milk and then fold in the remaining egg white

~ divide between the moulds and refrigerate for 2- 3 hours until set

serve 

unmould the creams on to serving dishes and garnish with extra blackberry jelly/chambord mix and a blackberry

notes: *   to prevent curdling

          ** do not boil

so what did i think? 

i think the combination of the soft rose geranium flavour and not too sweet custard was complimented by the slight tang of the sweet jelly/chambord

i'll definitely be making it again