Greetings once again!
That sounded so tacky.
It’s been so long since I last posted and I’m so happy to share this amazing bread with you. I never knew chocolate and rosemary could go so well together! But let’s be real. Chocolate and rosemary are two things I absolutely love so maybe it’s just me…?
I’m back home for the Summer and with the great climate for bread-making I’ve been getting my ‘rise-on’ (haha). I saw this post on food52 (or was it thekitchn…) talking about peanut butter sandwiches and I just had to try making this bread.
To be honest I thought it wasn’t going to turn out edible at all because my dough was so wet I was adding so much extra flour and getting so flustered with the dough. I was 100% sure it was just going to end up as a ball with this hard outer shell and weird doughy shizzle inside. However I allowed myself to be a little hopeful seeing the dough rise so well after eventually adding enough flour to make the dough knead-able. Gosh. The frustration levels were on the rise (no pun intended).
This recipe uses a dutch-oven or some may call a casserole pot. You have no idea how happy I was when I realised the the Creuset pot we have at home is actually a dutch-oven. Sounds like a really blonde moment but there were (almost) tears in my eyes :’) Nah I’m exaggerating. But the elation though.
Apparently baking bread this way allows it to cook without forming a crust too quickly. The lid is removed towards the end of the baking time to allow the browning of the crust. Also, having it bake within a closed pot allows the moisture to evaporate and the dough to steam. I’m curious as to how it would turn out if I just baked it on a tray. I may endeavor to find out if I’m up for the challenge of altering the liquid in the recipe/amount of flour. Sometimes I’m just so lazy!
The use of dark chocolate gives the bread just enough sweetness as the bread itself has no extra sweetener to make it a sweet-tasting bread. Plus, can I just emphasize how it’s healthy as it’s a 50-50 blend of white flour and wholewheat flour? 😉
I was a little concerned that the flavour of the rosemary would not come through as I remember making Rosemary Soda Bread and the flavour was so light. However it seems like the dried rosemary i got here is a lot stronger than the one I had in London so you can really taste rosemary in every bite.
It’s great on it’s own but I had to spread some peanut butter on it because you know how I am with peanut butter. I’m practically married to that stuff.
As much as I love Skippy peanut butter because it’s sweet and more-ish. I opt for the healthier choice of all-natural peanut butter with no added stuff. Every time I come home there would be 2 jars of peanut butter in the pantry hurhur. I’m just really particular since I eat so much peanut butter, it has to be at least somewhat healthier/better/nutritious! Or so I tell myself.
I won’t be posting up a recipe for this since as mentioned earlier it did not work out entirely well for me but here is the link to it and hopefully it turns out well for you! Maybe eyeball the liquid as your pour it in as I was a little suspicious of how much water I was pouring in but I just trusted the recipe so much and dumped it all in without thinking.
On another note, I have moved to a new place in London! It’s absolutely great but I still miss my previous flat. Especially (as mundane as it sounds) the daylight I got. I had a lot of sunlight shining through the windows and hence great lighting for my photos. I don’t know how I’ll cope in the new place but I’m sure I’ll figure something out.
In the meantime, I’m considering making baozi and Spinach bread. Anyone love spinach bread? It’s amazing. Really.
Foodation. 