Question about Ash in Flour....
I recently taught a small group of people how to make/bake bread. One of
the things that came out in the class was that no one in the class (and
these were all good cooks) knew there was a difference in flours. So I
looked around on the web and really couldn't find a decent explanation of
the difference. The closest I could find was on the King Arthur web site
where they described all their different flours, for professional bakers.
And there I came up with some thing new to me.
They listed for each bread its protein content and the ash content. (12.7%
+/- .2% Protein .60 +/- .02 Ash) What is the ash they are talking
about? The only ash I know are what you get after a fire and I don't think
they are talking about that.
////////////////////
Cranberry Orange Loaf
I live in Mexico and we can't beg, borrow or buy any fresh cranberries down
here any time of the year. A few years ago I made this recipe from a
recipe in a magazine substituting things we have down here. It really came
out good, So good that every year I stock up on canned Cranberries and make
this bread every couple of months all year round. It's not real sweet like
most quick breads. I know it's a bit early to be thinking about
Thanksgiving but I want to do this will I am thinking about it.
Makes a great gift during the holidays!
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Grated rind of one orange ( I use 1 Tablespoon of dried Orange Peel )
1 can of whole berry cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup orange juice
Preheat oven to 350*F (175*C). Grease the bottom of a 9 x 5 x 3-inch pan;
set aside **(Read below).
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Stir in
orange rind, cranberries, and nuts. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar, and egg with electric mixer until
smooth. Blend in orange juice. Stir in flour mixture, stirring until just
combined.
Spoon into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, or until wooden pick inserted
in center comes out clean.
** This makes a bit more then one loaf, I always put a little (about 1 1/2
cups) in a separate (greased) bowl and bake both at the same time. You
might want to put into 4 or 5 small loaves. I use a medium size clay bowl
I purchased in the Mercado and just spray it with pam and the bread pops
right out after baking. It's a funny shape (round) It looks like a huge
muffin, but it tastes great. Or you can use two loaf pans and get two
smaller loaves. Let stand for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Cool on
wire rack. Wrap tightly to store.