It has been over 2 months since last post. I really didn't plan to keep it this way. Anyway, so many things happened and I think I will speed up a little bit in the future. Hope so!
First comes the recipe:
This is a modified version from this one Corn and Bacon Bread from the Knead for Bread.
Day Before:
Bread flour 1 cup
Instant yeast 1/4 teaspoon
Water nearly 1/2 cup
Mix this and covered with plastic wrap overnight
Day of
This was pretty twist and turn because I mess up with the spoon size (I really don't know what's wrong with me. This is quite the first time I made this kind of mistake...)
Bread flour 1-1.5 cup
Corn flour 3/4 cup
Water 3/4 cup
Honey 1.5 tablespoon
Bacon oil (all the oil from 3 lean cut bacon strips by saute after chopping in to small pieces)
Chopped and cooked bacon (3 strips)
Fresh corn kernels from half a corn
Chopped Smoke cheddar about two tablespoon (this should be more because the aroma is so stunning...)
Instant yeast 1 teaspoon (this is where tragedy begins, instead of 1/2 teaspoon, I added 1 teaspoon. And followed by the strong "fermented aroma", I realized the wrong spoon that I picked. So I chose to add more of everything but it still turned out to be quite unbalanced...Anyway...)
Salt 3/4 teaspoon
A. add water, corn flour, salt, yeast, bacon oil and honey into the DAY BEFORE and mix
B. add bread flour 1/4 cup each time until it's dry enough to knead on the chopping board
C. gradually add a bit more flour to adjust the softness of the dough
After about half an hour, I still feel my dough kind of course and ugly instead of smooth, shining and elastic. So I chose the bread maker to knead the dough. It worked out pretty well and I add the rest of the ingredients.
Then, a not so long wait for rising obviously, because of the SUPER yeast quantity.
Classic double size, second rise and final rise.
Bake by bread maker with medium coloring for about 40 min.
Actually I am happy enough for the outlook of this Corn Bacon Cheddar European Toast. I brushed some water and sprinkled some flour to make it more Country-like. Also, this is the first time that my scoring worked! Look at those beautiful "open mouth".
As for the texture. The out crust is crisp and crunchy enough with a quite moist but hearty inside. For a nearly 30% corn flour bread, I would give my self an A- if doesn't count the stupid mistake which mess up every following steps.
This is the best of the best! super crispy with unique aroma and chewy texture!
As a summary, I think I found the fun in making bread. Watching the dough from course to smooth and rising and browning in the oven is pretty interesting process and I will definitely try more in the future!
