BARMBRACK BREAD - THE NO FUSS BREAD MACHINE COOKBOOK P. 212 (Michelle Anderson)
I purchased this book recently based solely on the Amazon reviews, which are many and positive. It was published in 2016. This is the first recipe I’ve tried. To its credit, the book gives 3 different versions for each recipe depending on the weight of the loaf – 1 lb., 1 ½ lb. and 2 lbs. The downside is the recipes contain measures, but not weights. For this first attempt, I used 125 g. per cup flour, and measured the rest of the ingredients by volume.
The modifications I made to the recipe were to 1) soak the currants starting the night before in 2 T. orange juice (drained well before adding manually), and 2) subbed the zest of 1 fresh lemon for the teaspoon of dried zest. Otherwise, as per the recipe.
For fun, I removed the paddle after the 2nd knockdown and just before the final rise. On my machine – on the basic setting - that was at the 2 hr. 15 min. mark. YMMV. My machine is so quiet, I almost missed the sounds of the first and second knockdown. Going forward, I would flour my hands before pulling the dough to remove the paddle. See photo – it worked to eliminate that big hole in the bottom.
I want to rave about this recipe! The loaf smelled great during the rise and the bake, and the bread came with perfect texture and lovely flavor. Bumping this one up my list for a repeat soon.
Here’s the original recipe for a 1 lb. loaf:
2/3 c. water @ 80-90 degrees
1 T. butter, melted and cooled
250 g. bread flour
2 T. granulated sugar
2 T. skim milk powder
1 t. granulated salt
1 t. dried lemon zest
1/4 t. ground allspice
1/8 t. grated nutmeg
1 1/2 t. instant yeast
1/2 c. currants
