For Lois, who asked how to make 'golden bread' --
Guaranteed to produce lovely golden color -- soak saffron threads in a
little warm water (let's say 2 Tblsp warm water to 1/2 tsp saffron
threads?) and work into any white or egg-bread recipe. Practical advice,
warm up your container with hot water first, or this small amount of 'warm'
water will chill down very quickly. The water develops a bright, well,
SAFFRON color which infuses the entire loaf beautifully.
An alternative is any challah recipe; this bread always includes eggs and
has a light-yellow color as a result. The dough is springy and a joy to
work, this recipe is from George Greenstein's Secrets of a Jewish
Baker. Despite the generous-seeming amount of sugar, the bread does not
taste particularly sweet and is a fine accompaniment to dinner.
Challah
1 cup warm water
2 packages active dry yeast
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
(full disclosure -- I usually just use 2 whole eggs, but that's less
'golden!')
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup plus 1.5 tsp sugar
4 - 4.5 cups bread flour
2 tsp. salt
for egg wash, one egg beaten with 1 tsp water
poppy or sesame seeds for topping if desired
Proof yeast in warm water; add egg(s), yolks, oil, sugar, 4 cups flour, and
salt. Stir until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured board and knead, adding more
flour 1/4 cup at a time if the dough is sticky or very soft. Knead until
the dough is smooth and elastic (10-15 minutes). When you push down, the
dough should feel firm and push back.
Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, turn to coat, and cover until the
dough is TRIPLED in volume.
Punch down, cut in half, cover and let rest 15 minutes. Shape into two
loaves (can be braided or simply shaped into a traditional loaf
pan). Brush the tops with egg wash; let rise UNCOVERED until doubled in
bulk. Brush with egg wash again (original wash should be fairly set by
now, that's why you left the breads uncovered).
Bake at 350 F on the middle shelf until the bread has a rich mahogany color
& the bottom has a hollow sound when tapped with your fingertips (about 35
minutes). If top is browning too fast, tent with parchment paper or a
brown paper bag that's been slit open & flattened out. (If braided, be
sure the bread is brown right down into the creases, if it's still pale let
it bake longer; braided bread should feel firm when pressed gently.)