Sometimes people ask me "Why do you bake your bread yourself?" Well, where I live there is not a big choice of breads and of course bread baking is loads of fun, too.

My first breads were a kind of door stoppers. In February 2006 I started with sourdough (it's still alive!) and since then I'm a bread baking addict. Success and failure go hand in hand but I learned and I'm still learning a lot.

The bread I made for today's World Bread Day contains a special ingredient and is fortunately far from a failure.

It has a very soft and tasty crumb. The taste comes from cream crumbs and cumin. Usually I don't like breads with spices, but this one is excellent.

For the cream crumbs (I don't know if this is really the right translation) you need to cook cream until all the water is evaporated and the remaining protein and milk sugar turn golden brown.

Cream Crumbs & Cumin Bread
makes 2 small loaves

cream crumbs
makes about 50 g

150 g cream (35 % milk-fat)

pre-ferment
220 g flour
5 g salt
0,5 g fresh yeast
170 g water

final dough
270 g flour
20 g whole wheat flour
150 g water
8 g fresh yeast
pre-ferment
cream crumbs (about 50 g)
7 g salt
10 g cumin

pre-ferment: Mix well all ingredients. Cover and let rest for 2 hours at room temperature then transfer to the fridge and let rest overnight.

cream crumbs: Bring cream to a boil and let cook until all the water is evaporated and the remaining protein and milk sugar turn golden brown.

final dough: Dissolve yeast in 50 g water, poor rest of the water to the preferment and dissolve too.

Add all ingredients expect salt in the mixer bowl. Mix on low speed 1.5 (Bosch MUM 8) for 3 minutes, add salt and mix 6 minutes on speed 2 (Bosch MUM 8. The final dough is very smooth and a bit sticky. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Make one Stretch & Fold, cover and let rise for 30 minutes again.

After this rise, cut into 2 equal pieces. Shape into two round loaves, and set on a prepared baking sheet in a pair. Do not leave any space within the pair. Let rise for 45 minutes.

In the meantime preheat oven to 220 C.

Before baking spray some water on top of the loaves and slash with a sharp razor blade or lamé.

Bake for 15 minutes, open oven door to release steam bake for another 20 minutes. If the bread turns to dark cover with an aluminum foil. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

If your interested in my contributions of the past two World Bread Days:
WBD'06 - Pumpkin Bread with Ginger Butter
WBD'07 - Tahini Bread

world bread day 08

More entries and recipes in English.