Wednesday, December 8, 2010

A Bread From a Coffee Shop Order

I found myself in Starbucks for the first time in ages this week. Even when I was a die-hard coffee addict (oh yes, I was addicted to the stuff), the one place's brew I just couldn't stomach was the 'bucks. But it was cold, and windy, and I had just spent 3 hours fighting my way along the highway to try and make it to class. Only making it halfway there by the three hour point, I was too tired to even try thinking, and more than anything else I really needed to find a spot with a restroom and a working heater. The first spot I found to fit the criteria was... the Seattle empire of espresso. I hate to admit it, but that bitter, almost acrid smell of the dark-roasted beans and stale coffee that permeated every orfice of the cafĂ© was enticing.

Come in, sit down, it called, stay awhile.

It doesn't take a genius to weigh bumper to bumper traffic against a cushy chair and a steaming mug of tea. So I did.

By the time I finally stumbled through the door (another 2 hours of traffic later), I had had more than enough time to allow the inspiration from the coffee shop to (pardon the pun) percolate. While I had been resting and warming up by the fire with my warm mug of tea, I had the privilege of people-watching the coffee break runners from the local offices. Lattes, macchiatos, steamers and frappes abounded, and there were a few harried-looking gofers who had to read from a list of specifics. One of the most appetizing sounding combinations I heard was for a "soy toffee mocha" with a side of almond biscotti. And it was that memory that I decided to play off of with this week's bread.

I wound up blending the flavours of coffee, chocolate, almonds and soy milk into a rich, sweet, half whole-wheat loaf that at first blush looked like pumpernickel. That is, until it got cut open and released that intoxicating come hither aroma. Then, if you're any kind of coffee or chocolate lover, you don't even notice what the loaf looks like. It's all about the smell, and the taste is nothing to sniff (*rolls eyes*) at either!

I'm sending this to YeastSpotting at Susan's blog WildYeast.


Almond Mocha Yeast Bread
Serves 16
3 tbsp flaxseed meal
1/4 cup hot water
1 cup vanilla soy milk
3 tbsp natural, smooth almond butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp icing sugar
1 tbsp non-dairy creamer powder
1 1/2 cups whole wheat bread flour
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp instant yeast
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tbsp instant coffee powder
3 tbsp wheat germ
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup ground almonds

  1. In a small dish, whisk together flaxseed and hot water. set aside for 10 minutes.
  2. In a small saucepan or a microwave-safe bowl, heat soy milk, almond butter and brown sugar until sugar dissolves and mixture stirs smooth.
  3. Stir in icing sugar and non-dairy creamer powder, and set aside to cool to lukewarm.
  4. Meanwhile, in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together flours, yeast, cocoa, coffee powder, wheat germ, salt and ground almonds.
  5. Add the cooled soy milk mixture all at once, followed by the flax mixture.
  6. At low speed, begin mixing the dough until a fairly smooth dough begins to form.
  7. Increase the speed slightly (#2-3 on my mixer) and knead for 12 minutes - until smooth and elastic.
  8. Place into a well oiled bowl, cover and let rest 45 minutes.
  9. Turn dough out onto a lightly greased surface and knead briefly.
  10. Press into a rough rectangle and roll up (starting from a "short" end), then tuck the ends under and place seam-side down into a greased loaf pan.
  11. Cover and allow to rise 1 hour.
  12. Preheat the oven to 400F.
  13. Place the loaf in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 375F.
  14. Bake about 35 minutes, until hollow when tapped on the bottom. Cool completely before slicing.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 141.0 
Total Fat: 3.5 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 9.5 mg
Total Carbs: 25.9 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.7 g
Protein: 4.6 g

1 comment :

  1. flavour packed looks wonderful
    thank you for entering the contest

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for the feedback!