Chocolate and Pecan Loaf
In keeping with last week's GBBO 'Bread' theme, I decided to make a loaf ; I didn't want a traditional bread loaf, so decided to make this chocolate and pecan one, which I'd made ages ago on a bread-making course.
It's not difficult to make - after the dough has risen its rolled out into a square, sprinkled with chocolate, nuts and sugar then rolled up like a Swiss roll. You need a big loaf tin, 1.8l twice the size of a normal one [or you could divide the dough, chocolate and nuts in two before you roll it into the square and then use 2 x 900g tins.]
Preheat oven 200C/gas6 Grease a 1.8l loaf tin or 2 x 900g tins
In a big bowl put 500g of strong white bread flour and 3 tbspn butter and rub in till it looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in 1/2 tspn salt, 50g caster sugar and 11/2 tspns fast action yeast.
Add 2 beaten eggs and gradually add 175ml of warm milk to make a soft dough ball.
Lightly flour a surface or board and knead the dough well till it's smooth and elastic. Put it back in the bowl, cover loosely with some oiled clingfilm and leave in a warm place to rise till doubled in size.
*Tip dough out onto lightly floured surface, knead well again then roll out into a 27cm square.
Sprinkle this with 80g of finely chopped plain dark chocolate [you need 120g of chocolate, but keep the rest till later], 80g roughly chopped pecans [you also need 120g of nuts, but keep the rest for later] and 2 tbspn caster sugar.
Roll the dough up like a swiss roll and put into a greased tin. Cover loosely with oiled clingfilm and again leave in a warm place for 30 mins or till the dough is just above the top of the tin.
Take off the film and brush the top with 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tbspn water and sprinkle with the rest of the chocolate [40g] and nuts [40g].
Bake for 35-40 mins till the bread is well risen and sounds hollow when the bottom is tapped. Cover the top with foil after 10 mins to stop it burning.
Turn the bread out onto a wire rack to cool.
You could use a breadmaker to make it - add the milk, eggs and butter to the tin. Spoon in the flour then add the salt and sugar. Make a little dip in the flour and sprinkle in the yeast. Set the breadmaker to sweet dough and start. At the end of the programme, take out the tin and tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and carry on as above from *.
The bread has a good crumb, not too dense, with the lovely chocolate and nut filling running through it which gives it more texture.Then you have the extra hit of chocolate and nuts on top. A nice treat.
It's not difficult to make - after the dough has risen its rolled out into a square, sprinkled with chocolate, nuts and sugar then rolled up like a Swiss roll. You need a big loaf tin, 1.8l twice the size of a normal one [or you could divide the dough, chocolate and nuts in two before you roll it into the square and then use 2 x 900g tins.]
Preheat oven 200C/gas6 Grease a 1.8l loaf tin or 2 x 900g tins
In a big bowl put 500g of strong white bread flour and 3 tbspn butter and rub in till it looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in 1/2 tspn salt, 50g caster sugar and 11/2 tspns fast action yeast.
Add 2 beaten eggs and gradually add 175ml of warm milk to make a soft dough ball.
Lightly flour a surface or board and knead the dough well till it's smooth and elastic. Put it back in the bowl, cover loosely with some oiled clingfilm and leave in a warm place to rise till doubled in size.
*Tip dough out onto lightly floured surface, knead well again then roll out into a 27cm square.
Sprinkle this with 80g of finely chopped plain dark chocolate [you need 120g of chocolate, but keep the rest till later], 80g roughly chopped pecans [you also need 120g of nuts, but keep the rest for later] and 2 tbspn caster sugar.
Roll the dough up like a swiss roll and put into a greased tin. Cover loosely with oiled clingfilm and again leave in a warm place for 30 mins or till the dough is just above the top of the tin.
Take off the film and brush the top with 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tbspn water and sprinkle with the rest of the chocolate [40g] and nuts [40g].
Bake for 35-40 mins till the bread is well risen and sounds hollow when the bottom is tapped. Cover the top with foil after 10 mins to stop it burning.
Turn the bread out onto a wire rack to cool.
You could use a breadmaker to make it - add the milk, eggs and butter to the tin. Spoon in the flour then add the salt and sugar. Make a little dip in the flour and sprinkle in the yeast. Set the breadmaker to sweet dough and start. At the end of the programme, take out the tin and tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and carry on as above from *.
The bread has a good crumb, not too dense, with the lovely chocolate and nut filling running through it which gives it more texture.Then you have the extra hit of chocolate and nuts on top. A nice treat.
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