Welsh Bara Brith

 Soak 2 tea bags in 1 1/4 cup boiling water, let steep for 10 minutes.

Remove the tea bags, add 1 cup mixed dried fruit (chopped), 1/4 cup diced dried pineapple, 1 cup dried currants and 1 cup light brown sugar,  to the water cover with plastic wrap let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.

In another bowl, stir together 2 3/4  cups unbleached flour, 2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Add the soaked fruit and its liquid, 1 beaten egg, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter and 3 tablespoon orange marmalade, pour the mixture into a greased loaf pan

 Bake at 325 F until brown and crusty for about 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours

let stand in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes

 Turn the loaf out onto the rack

 Serve warm or at room temperature

 Bara Brith Bread is a British sweet bread that originated in Welsh countryside, 

Bara being the local word for bread, brith meaning spotted, because of the dried fruits

Tastes great!

100% WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

My friend Hanaa baked a great Whole Wheat Bread from a King Arthur's recipe and added some of her touches to it. I asked her for the recipe and added some of my touches as well! 

The result was really great!

In a bowl I did sprinkle 11/2 tablespoons of yeast and a pinch of brown sugar over one cup of warm water, left it for about 5 minutes until it became foamy.

In a heavy duty mixture I combined 11/2 cup butter milk , 1/8 cup of honey, 1/8 cup of molasses, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of salt,  2 cups of whole white wheat flour, and I added 2 tablespoons flax seeds.

I did beat at medium speed until creamy then added the yeast mixture, and 3 cups of the white whole wheat flour, 1/2 a cup at a time, I added a little bit more flour when I felt that the dough is sticky           

I transfered the dough to a deep oiled bowl, turned the dough once to coat it with the olive oil. 

I preferred this way more than the Bread Machine because here there is more space for the dough to rise

I covered loosely with plastic wrap, let it rise for 11/2 hours

I divided the dough in half, flattened each half into a rectangle, rolled each rectangle and sealed the ends

Then I put it in a greased loaf pan, covered it loosely with plastic wrap let it rise for another 1 hour

 Baked in 350 F preheated oven until golden brown, about 40 minutes, 

turned into rack until cooled completely

PANE ITALIANO

 In a large mixing bowl soften 2 packages active dry yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water, leave it for a few minutes.Stir in 2 cups of flour, 2 cups of warm water, beat well, add 1 tablespoon of salt, then stir in 4 1/2 cups of the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, then add 3/4 cup of flour if needed (the dough should be stiffer than ordinary bread. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl turning once to grease surface, and let it rise in warm place for 1 1/2 hours. Punch down, let it rise for another hour.

 divide in half and form each part into a ball 

 place on a baking sheet sprinkled with corn meal (gives crunchy bottom crust)

 add 1 tablespoon of water to one egg white, lightly beaten, brush over the top and sides of loaves

with sharp knife score loaves with 4 shallow cuts, then make 4 crosswise cuts

(I did a mistake here the cuts were a little deep, they must be shallow)

 let it rise for another 1 1/2 hours, brush again with egg-white mixture. 

Place a large shallow pan in the lower rack of the oven filled with boiling water while baking 

(this makes crust crisper)

bake it in preheated oven at 400 F for 15 minutes

(it is really very delicious crispy very good 

YUMMMY!! 

CHALLAH BREAD

I used a heavy duty mixer, I put the flour, made a well, added the water then the yeast, waited 10 minutes, then added the rest of the ingredients. Using the paddle attachment, I mixed it for about 5 minutes until stiff and elastic. After that, I transfered the dough to an oiled deep bowl, covered with plastic wrap, and let it rise for an hour 

After one hour, I punched it down and let it rise again for another hour. I extended the time of  fermentation because I like the bread to be more fluffy and to allow the texture to be more even

On a floured surface I divided the dough into 3 equal balls, I used a scale to make them equal

 After rolling the 3 balls into 3 ropes I did braid them

 I covered the braid with an oiled plastic wrap and  let it rise again for one hour after brushing it with half of the egg-water mixture

 After one hour, I brushed it again with the rest of the egg- water mixture, then sprinkled it with sesame seeds

I  baked in the oven at 350 F for 40-45 minutes

 Result was great!

Those were the changes I made and my tips for this recipe