Friday, August 28, 2009

Cranberry-Walnut Celebration Bread

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So I am running a little bit behind on the BBA challenge but I still feel pretty good with my progress.  This week I made the Cranberry-Walnut Celebration Bread.  Funny thing is I almost skipped this one.  But the girls went back to school this week and I found myself with a couple of free minutes and an empty house.  When I saw that it wasn’t a 2 bread I jumped right in.  I am so glad I did…

About the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Group: Nicole of Pinch my Salt sent out a twitter message saying “I need a challenge. Am thinking of baking my way through every single recipe in The Bread Baker's Apprentice. Anyone want to join me?” Well I jumped right in. Both feet, no thought at all. I think I was one of the first 5 that joined…did I even have the book? Nope but I ordered it that night!!!

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The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread

We are now over 200 strong with members everywhere on the globe. It’s an incredibly enthusiastic group that wants to share like no group I have ever belonged to before. Awesome!

Our goal is to bake our way through Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread. An  intimidating book at anytime but to think that you are going to be baking one of these recipes a week is slightly overwhelming to say the least. But I love a challenge and feel a real need to get out of my comfort zone. Oh yah, I bake all of our bread but I never seem to have the time or the desire to try something new and different. This will change all that!!!

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I really, like this bread.  I followed the recipe to a tee.  Right down to the huge amount of cranberries and walnuts that went into it. It did take a while to get them all incorporated but with some patient kneading they all fit in. Someone on twitter (so sorry that I forget who!!!) suggested that these would be an incredible addition to the Thanksgiving table made into muffins!!!

Will I be making this again?  I think so.  I liked it and the family liked it and I really think that it would make the best turkey sandwich with leftover roasted turkey from Thanksgiving!

Check out the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Blogroll to see some other really nice Celebration Bread!

Want to Bake Along With Us?

There are several ways for you to join in the fun! First of all, you need a copy of Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice. Then just start baking! Even if you are starting late, just begin with the first recipe and start working your way through. There are several ways to communicate with the group as you begin your journey:

Flickr: We have set up a BBA Challenge Flickr Group where you can upload photos, see photos from other members, and even post questions and comments in the group forum. It’s a private group, so you will need to click on the link that says ‘join this group’ if you want to be able to post photos. As long as you are willing to bake bread all of the bread from the book, you are welcome to join the Flickr group!

Twitter: If you use twitter, you can follow what the group is doing by searching for #BBA or #bba using Twitter’s search box. You can join in on the conversation by adding the #bba or #BBA tag to the end of your tweets when you are talking about anything related to the BBA Challenge. For me, following what people are doing on twitter has been the most fun!

Facebook: If you’re on Facebook, you can join the BBA Challenge Group there and share photos, ask questions, and talk about your bread baking experiences with other BBA members on Facebook.

Next up…English Muffins!!!!

I am submitting this to BYOB (Bake Your Own Bread) hosted by Sandy of At the Baker's Bench. This is a great challenge to get you baking more of your own baked goods. Better for you and cheaper in the process!

As Always…

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

15 comments:

Deeba PAB said...

2 minutes free & you worked up this beauty? It's wonderful Judy...what a preety bread. Sounds therapeutic & looks drop dead delicious! YUM!!

Nicole said...

I really think it will be great for turkey sandwiches, too! I don't know if I would eat it on Thanksgiving day, but I would love to have it on hand for the following week of leftovers! Your bread turned out great!

Cookie baker Lynn said...

That bread looks lovely! That recipe is definitely going into my "to bake" stack. If only my stack weren't so high!

Elle said...

Judy, it's gorgeous! That would make amazing dinner rolls.

Thistlemoon said...

I can almost taste the turkey sandwich on this bread! Mmmmmm. Looks beautiful too!

Pam said...

Your bread looks so perfect...great job!

Pete Eatemall said...

Wow! Looks fantastic. Mine looked like a creature from underneath the stove...but tasty none the less. Happy Baking!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Sounds like a lot of fun Judy and challenging...very Julie & Julia-like.

Chez US said...

Judy, this looks great and I completely agree it would be perfect for Thanksgiving. I am so behind on my BBA .... I need to bake like a mad woman in order to catch up or I can keep living through your baking!

misterrios said...

Great boule! I love the egg wash shine on this loaf. I did the braid and it ended up toppling over!

Brian Robertson said...

What a great looking bread. Thank you so much for the great blog post.

toontz said...

Beautiful, Judy! Shoot, I might have to break down and buy this book after reading your post...

Frieda Loves Bread said...

Awesome job! You got those berries distributed throughout...no simple feat!

Glenna said...

That's gorgeous! I have this book. Must make the bread. Looks incredible.

the vert said...

Cranberry-Walnut Celebration Bread is so delicious. Its easy to bake. Contains lots of nutrition. Laboratory results have also shown that cranberry extract reduces the oxidation of "bad cholesterol". It promotes to healthy heart.