Evening, all -
I've got a favorite recipe that just doesn't work. The bread is a
pane al cioccolato, basically a very lightly sweetened enriched bread
with cocoa powder in the dry ingredients and chopped bittersweet
chocolate kneaded throughout. It gets a brush with butter just after
baking and is often served with mascarpone. My girlfriend absolutely
loves it when I make it, but it's never come out to my satisfaction.
My problems are threefold:
First, the pan. My recipe calls for a high sided (at least four
inches high) six-inch cake pan; I have been unable to locate this pan
in Chicago - any suggestions? I've been baking the bread as a round
loaf on a sheet - an alternate suggested in the recipe - but I'd
really like to achieve the classic shape.
Second, texture. Invariably I end up with a dense, chewy, slightly
sticky crumb and a misshapen, lumpen loaf. I have tried varying the
amount of kneading in both directions, I'm careful (I think) about
the conditions for rising - I know it's vague, but is there some
rookie mistake I'm making here?
Third, taste. The recipe calls for fresh yeast, and I'm not one to
argue - I've been using Red Star brand and I always check the dates
before I buy it - but the yeasty taste in the bread is always very
strong. Again, is this a classic symptom of being a novice? What
can I do to prevent the yeast from competing so assertively with the
chocolate flavor?
Please let me know also if I should just leave well enough alone -
she does say she loves it the way it is, but I can't help but feel
she'd love it even more, if only . . .
Thanks a million,
Dan Haracz