Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Blue Ombre Braided Bread

This braided sandwich bread is swirled with the most beautiful blue ombre thanks to @selefina.spices butterfly pea flower powder. Why not make every piece of toast or sandwich beautiful?

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Let's face it - the world outside (at least where I live in Canada) is kind of... monochrome. Between the snow, the slush and the bits of pavement and tree branches poking out, it really does seem like someone put a greyscale filter over the view.

That said, just because the world outside is grey and dreary doesn't mean that we can't create colour in the kitchen! I had been toying with the idea of making multi-hued bread with Selefina's Butterfly Pea Flower powder, and after looking at a few recipes I came up with a version of my own that ensured a tasty, high-rising, and ultimately deceptive looking loaf.

 
From the outside, it's really hard to picture the absolutely stunning crumb that awaits you when you slice into the bread. Even my mom and niece, who saw me making this, didn't think the difference would be as drastic as it was. The butterfly pea flower paste added the barest hint of floral aroma to the dough, which I thought played off the vanilla very well. Slices of this loaf made for perfect toast, but my mom also used them for peanut butter and jam sandwiches and said it worked well there too - the integrity and size of the slices held up to spreading while staying soft enough for that "classic" experience.

 

Blue Ombre Braided Bread

Serves 14
1 cup milk of choice (I use unsweetened soy, which gives a better rise)
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups bread flour
2 cups whole wheat bread flour
3 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp water, divided
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine milk, vanilla, sugar, flours and yeast. Mix until just combined.
  2. Let sit for 10 minutes.
  3. Add the oil and salt and knead until smooth and elastic, about 12 minutes.
  4. Divide dough into thirds. Set one third into a greased bowl and cover, set aside.
  5. Mix 1 tsp of butterfly pea flower powder with 1/2 tbsp water to make a slightly liquid paste. Mix the remaining powder with the remaining water to achieve a similar mixture.
  6. Flatten one of the remaining thirds of dough and put the smaller amount of paste in the middle. 
  7. Fold up the dough to enclose the paste, then knead through to make a light blue shade. Set aside and cover.
  8. Repeat the process for the remaining dough and paste - dough should be a darker blue.
  9. Let all 3 pieces of dough rise for 60 minutes, until doubled.
  10. Knock down and shape each piece into a rope about 10" long.
  11. Grease a 9x5" loaf pan and set aside.
  12. Braid together the ropes of dough, tuck the ends under and place into the loaf pan.
  13. Cover and let rise another 40 minutes, until the dough crests over the top of the pan.
  14. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350F.
  15. Bake the loaf for 50 minutes. Turn out onto a rack and cool completely before slicing.

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