A Very Berry Good Morning!

I was on a berry buying frenzy the other day.  Isetan Kuala Lumpur was offering every other type of berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, cherries and raspberries) at a bargain in conjunction with the Mega Sales event.  Yippee! If you visit me often enough, you must have read about me lamenting how expensive berries are on this part of the world.  So, you can imagine how crazy i went when they were going at a discount.  I bought at least a punnet of every other berries that they had.  Very berry happy i was :)

I couldn't wait to lay my hands on something that has lots of berries in it :))  I ended up making this swirl bread by Joy the Baker.  This recipe is one of the challenges for a Baking Bootcamp in which she is partnering with King Arthur flour.  The many photos of this beautiful bread  of those taking part in the challenge was just captivating. 

The biggest challenge is the braiding and then the transferring to the baking pan.  The dough was really soft, berries falling off here and there when you braid it and added to that some berries started to bleed after the dough is cut.  It's doable but not easy!  The key to this is to do it fast!  I must admit i didn't do too well :(

We had it for breakfast the next day, the bread was still soft without any need to reheat it.  Buttery, moist, cinnamony, bursting with berries and their juices.  Just delicious!  I am thinking a scoop of ice cream will go very well with it too :)

Recipe

Reference: Joy the Baker and Bryony Cooks

Ingredients

Dough

• 2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast (2 tsp)
• 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup whole milk, warmed to a warm lukewarm
• 1 large egg yolk (1/2 medium size egg)
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted (28g)
• 2 1/4 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour (280g)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Olive oil, for greasing the bowl (omitted)

Filling

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (56g)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar (45g)
• 3 tsp. ground cinnamon (2 tsp, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/2 tsp ground ginger)
• 2 cups fresh berries (sliced strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries)
• 1 large egg, beaten, for egg wash (1/2 medium size egg)

Method

1. In a medium size bowl, heat milk until warm.  Stir in yeast and sugar. Add in the egg and melted butter. Whisk together until thoroughly combined. Allow mixture to rest until it becomes foamy, around 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the flour and salt. Pour the milk mixture over the dry ingredients and bring everything together into a rough dough.  Place dough on a lightly floured counter and knead by hand for about 10 minutes more. Dough ball should be soft and smooth after kneading.   Shape dough into a ball.
3. Place the dough in a bowl that has been lightly greased with olive oil and cover.   Allow to rest in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
4. While the dough rises, whisk together the butter with cinnamon and sugar for the filling. Set aside.
5. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).  Grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet (I used a 9-inch springform cake pan). Set aside.
6. After the dough has doubled in size, place it on a lightly floured counter and knead twice. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to a rectangle of about 18×12 inches.
7. Spoon the cinnamon filling over the top, spreading evenly, leaving a clean 1-inch border around the edges. Sprinkle the fresh berries over cinnamon filling. Start by rolling the longest side of the dough. The roll will be a bit lumpy because of the berries. Using a sharp knife, cut the log in half lengthwise leaving 1-inch of the edge uncut.
8. Start braiding the two pieces by lifting the left strand over the right strand. Repeat this motion until you reach the bottom of the dough. Press together to seal. Join the two ends, creating a circle with the dough and press together.
9. Using two swift hands, transfer the dough ring to the prepared cast iron skillet/pan. Brush the wreath with the beaten egg.
10. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.  Allow to cool for about 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

Note: 

1. I followed through Step 1 but i let my breadmaker handle the kneading using the Dough program.  
2. For Step no. 3, i left the dough the dough to rise in the breadmaker.