BBA #11 | Celebration Bread
I finally got around to making this celebration bread (I baked challenge #15 last weekend)! I would not feel like I had conquered the Bread Baker’s Apprentice if i never baked this bread. In part, I blame Joe for my procrastination. He did not like the Artos (Greek Celebration Bread) I had made way back when for challenge #2, and has been trying to convince me to skip it entirely. Now that i have baked it, it has turned into one of his favorites!
More than half the loaf is gone. I personally thought it was about 10 x better than the Artos. Either my baking skills have drastically improved, or using the lemon extract, or both made a big difference. The extract smelled amazing. The bread had a lot of flavor and was just the right amount of sweet, between the 3 T of sugar and dried cranberries. I think this will make great french toast (or regular toast) in the morning and it will definitely make an appearance at Thanksgiving! Thank you Peter Reinhart!
As a side note: I had to go out during the day, so after shaping the loaf, I kept it in the refrigerator for about 4 hours. I took it out when i got home and let it warm up/ proof on the counter for 90 minutes (partly while preheating the oven).
More photos coming soon on FLICKR!
3 Comments so far
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Looks great, and it does make a fantastic french toast.
Comment by chris 090815 @ 1:08 amit looks great… i´m sure it tastes even better!!!
oxoox
Comment by fargopatt 090816 @ 2:11 pmLooks totally awesome! I love the way the braids came out! I also loved eating this bread, though mine came out, visually, less than ideal.
Comment by misterrios 090819 @ 2:48 pm