Passion Kneaded: August 2024

So the theme for August's Bread Bakers is "Picnic". You think long and hard and finally come up with the perfect idea. You feel witty. Checkerboard bread to mimic picnic blankets. Get it? Checkerboard? Picnic blanket. Perfect, right? You submit your idea and then immediately remember that picnic blankets are plaid not checkered.

Doh!

Plaid or not, I'm glad I can participate in this month's Bread Bakers. Work won't let me be great so I'm missing out on a lot of baking but this month's Bread Bakers is super special. It's our tenth anniversary. I still remember how excited I was when Stacy first posted about this group. I had just begged my way into the original bundt baking group and was very excited that there was another group to join.

If you're wrapping up your summer with a picnic or too, scroll down for some options for your spread.

Checkerboard Rolls

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups (540 grams) flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon oil

2 to 4 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 teaspoons water to make a paste with the cocoa

egg + tablespoon of water for an egg wash

Directions

Whisk the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Add eggs, milk, and oil. Knead together. You want your dough to be soft and tacky so add a little of the water at a time to achieve this. My climate is extremely humid and I only used about 2 tablespoons.

Knead the dough for a few minutes until it is almost smooth and then divide into two equal pieces. Put one piece aside and continue kneading the other until it is smooth, soft, and tacky. Place in a covered, oiled bowl.

Next, add the cocoa paste to the other half of the dough. Thoroughly knead until the cocoa paste has been fully distributed. This is the hardest part for me. I always question my choices whenever I decide to colour dough. Will it blend? But don't worry, it will come together.

Put the chocolate dough into an oiled bowl and cover. At this point, I prefer to put the dough in the fridge for a slow, cold rise. But you can let the dough rise at room temperature.

When the dough has doubled, grease a 9" x 13" baking pan.

Working with one piece of dough at a time, divide the dough into six equal pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth tight ball. Place alternating colours into the baking pan.

Cover and let rise at room temperature until doubled and puffy. This could take about an hour.

With about 20 minutes left, preheat the oven to 375F.

When the rolls are doubled and puffy, brush with egg wash and bake for 20 minutes or until the lighter coloured rolls are golden.

Cool and enjoy.