BBBabes give you an orange flower

This month we make a fragrant, delicious loaf, with orange. I love breads, pastries ecc with citrus, you can't go wrong with that. Elizabeth ("Blog from OUR kitchen") picked a wonderful recipe, that originates from another BBBabe: Jamie ("26 rooms in Chinon" aka "Life's a feast"). Elizabeth made the bread a little more healthy with the addition of wheat germ and whole wheat.

It is a very slow rising bread, but don't be alarmed, it will have ovenrise when it's in the oven. It was a delicious bread with a lot of orange (orange liquor, orange blossom water, orange zest). Enriched with eggs and butter, but for me that could have been even richer (more butter) more like a brioche. Wanna bake this delicious fragrant bread too and become our Bread Baking Buddy? Bake, post tell Elizabeth about it all and she'll send you a Bread Baking Buddy Badge and and add you to the monthly Buddy round up. Deadline the 29th of this month. Have fun baking!

Fouace Nantaise

(makes one loaf)

(PRINT recipe)

50 g unsalted butter

60 g milk

3 g active dry yeast

1,5 tsp orange blossom water

45 g orange liqueur - Grand Marnier or Cointreau

2 eggs, body temperature, lightly beaten

50 g whole wheat flour

185 g unbleached all-purpose flour

15 g wheat germ

zest of one orange

25 g sugar

4 g sea salt

milk or cream, for wash on shaped loaf

mixing: Melt the butter. Pour milk into a large mixing bowl. Add the melted butter to the milk to raise the temperature to body temperature (check with a thermometer). Add yeast and whisk in until it has dissolved.

Adding them one at a time, whisk in eggs, then pour in orange liqueur and orange blossom water. Place flours, sugar, salt, and orange zest on top. Using a wooden spoon, stir until the flour has been absorbed kneading: Using one hand to turn the bowl and the other to dig down to the bottom to lift the dough up to the top, turn, fold, turn, fold, etc. the dough until it is smooth and elastic. As you knead, resist the temptation to add more flour or water.

Once the dough is kneaded, cover the bowl with a plate and allow the dough to rise, until almost completely doubled, on the counter in a non-drafty area.

shaping: When the dough has doubled, it's time to shape. (To check to see if it's ready, poke a hole in the top of the dough If the hole stays in exactly the same configuration and the dough remains otherwise intact, it is just right.) Turn the risen dough out onto a very lightly floured board (just the smallest dusting will be enough). Divide the dough evenly into 7 pieces.

Shape each piece into a ball. Place one ball in the center of a parchment-lined cookie tray. Arrange the other six balls of dough loosely around the center ball - to form a flower. Cover with a damp (clean) tea towel followed by plastic grocery bags and leave to rise until almost doubled. (To test, using a floured finger, gently press against the side of the shaped bread. If it gradually fills in, it's ready to go.)

baking: Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Gently brush the top of the risen bread with milk (or cream). Put the tray onto the top shelf of the oven (to prevent the bread from burning on the bottom) and bake for about 30 minutes until the bread is a "deep golden brown". Jamie also writes that the outer "petals" of the flower "will have just started to pull away from the center ball".

(based on Jamie Schler's recipe for Fouace Nantaise)