Comments on: Soft, subtle, satisfying: maple bread

By: Lish

Lish — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:09:26 +0000

I just made this bread again, and it comes out perfectly. I baked it last night, and sliced it this morning with some of Cabot’s new Maple Sage rubbed Cheddar. Awesome! This bread is so soft tasty and easy to slice. My kids love it, and so does my husband who isn’t always a maple fan. Can’t wait to have it with some maple bacon or sausage as a breakfast sandwich!

By: Janet P.

Janet P. — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 21:47:18 +0000

I just made this bread and while it was in the oven, the aroma just filled the house so much that as soon as it was out and yet still a little warm, my husband and I just had to taste it. WOW! It is so delicious! It was wonderful with just a little butter on the warm bread, and we were excited to use it on a turkey sandwich with cranberry sauce, cheddar cheese and bacon. Oh so fattening, but oh so good! I am so glad to have found this recipe! We are maple syrup lovers and the subtle taste of it in the bread is just delightful! I think this just might become our weekly bread! And by the way, thank you to the ones who answer emails asking questions about baking your recipes. They have always answered so fast and are so ever helpful!

By: Ann Ringness

Ann Ringness — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 03:25:06 +0000

I’ve made this bread in my breadmachine twice now. It has a great taste and texture but the crust is too dark even though I baked it on light crust. Any suggestions? Should the water be hot even though I make it in the machine? Thanks for your help!

Ann, keep the water hot unless you’re finding your machine over-rises the bread. As for dark crust - 5 minutes before the end of the baking cycle, open the machine and add the maple sugar glaze. That should help. Good luck - PJH

By: Bill C

Bill C — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 18:13:39 +0000

Will the bread suffer too much without the maple sugar (for now)?

No suffering texture-wise - just taste-wise, and it’ll still taste good, just not that maple-y. Go for it! PJH

By: Caryl

Caryl — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:25:56 +0000

I made the bread yesterday and it is beautiful. DH says it is the best yet. I used Grade B syrup which is all we use here. On another note, several days ago I tried to order one of the new beater blades for my tilt-head KA. It was Item #4464 in the catalog, but the response was unknown. Have you discontinued this item?

Glad your bread was a success, Caryl. And yes, we’ve discontinued BeaterBlade for the KitchenAid, still in for the Cuisinart. There’s currently some back and forth between KitchenAid and BeaterBlade vendors about it, so while they fuss we put it on hold… PJH

By: Lorrainesfav

Lorrainesfav — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 14:24:15 +0000

Wonderful bread. I made mine in the food proccessor. Easy and quick. Then kneaded a bit until smooth. It rose real fast so I had to keep an eye on it. It’s a bit warmer here in the south that up north. I ALMOST used my 9X5 pan but read the comments. The smaller pan was perfect. Nice for breakfast with toast. This morning we will use it for french toast.

By: Anne

Anne — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:34:50 +0000

I made this last night, and it was great! However, my loaves turned out really dense (but still quite soft and yummy, thanks to my awesome Thermapen to check for doneness)! I did a double batch, and lost my instructions before adding the yeast, so I couldn’t remember how much to add. I think the “luke warm” liquid mixture cooled down too much while I ran upstairs to look at the recipe again. Also, I melted my butter to help it mix in better. Could either of these things affect the denseness, or is it more to do with the flour quality? Also, I added dough enhancer, but wondered about adding vital wheat gluten. How much would you add to one loaf and at what stage? Would it help with the rising / result denseness? Is there a reason not to activate the yeast in the warm water, then add it? I think my warmness escaped by the time the yeast touched the liquid. Also, I used brown sugar and maple flavoring for the topping, and it was ok, but didn’t stick to the bread very well. Any suggestions for next time (aside from just buying maple sugar)? Thanks, I am excited to make it again!

Hi Anne - Well, the melted butter wouldn’t make a difference; nor would the warmth of the liquids (from lukewarm to room temperature) really be important. The point of lukewarm liquids is to speed the rise a little, and to make sure you’re not using ice-cold water/milk. As for flour quality, if you were using King Arthur, you don’t need to worry about quality; nor about adding gluten. If you weren’t using King Arthur, then I’m not sure what to say, as I don’t bake with weak (poorly milled) flours, and thus I’m not sure how to “fix” their problem by adding other stuff… You don’t need to activate (oproof) instant yeast in warm watr; however, if you were using active dry yeast, you should dissolve it in a couple of tablespoons of the lukewarm water before using. For the brown sugar and maple flavoriing, try spraying your loaf with water before sprinkling it on next time. And… I hope you try this loaf again! Good luck - PJH

By: Myrna

Myrna — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 23:26:23 +0000

PJ: Back in 1999 I ordered from the Baker’s Catalogue an item called Maple Flavor Powder. The ingredients say it is comprised of natural and artificial maple flavor with dextrose. It says it can be stored for six months. Well, guess what, I still have some and use it in my maple flavored breads. It imparts a wonderful maple flavor (I’m somewhat of a maple freak so I like an assertive maple flavor). How would you compare this to maple extract, and would you ever consider stocking it in the future.

Myrna, I liked that, too. A few years back KA decided to go with all-natural ingredients as much as possible, so we haven’t brought it back. I’ll bring this up with our merchandising team, however, and see if there’s an all-natural powder we might be able to try. Coincidentally, we were taste-testing three kinds of maple chips/bits/flakes today. So we’re working on more maple stuff… PJH

By: Donna

Donna — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 19:11:03 +0000

“Tiny Bounty” suggested above that this bread might be amazing in grilled cheese sandwiches. Thanks for the inspiration! I decided to try it, with aged white cheddar, and then remembered I had some leftover pork tenderloin stuffed with apricots and pistachios. I added some of that between two layers of cheese, and spread a little dijon mustard and apricot jam on one slice before putting them together. The slightly sweet bread with its hint of maple and cinnamon worked beautifully with the rich, zesty cheddar and the pork with its fruity filling. This bread is going to become a staple at my house. I’m already thinking about making some for our church’s fall festival next year–with samples available for tasting! A slice of the toast is as good as a cinnamon roll, and a lot healthier, too.

OH - MY - GOODNESS Donna. You’re killing me… That sounds SO good. Wish I had some leftover pork tenderloin stuffed with apricots and pistachios… YUM. Thanks for the inspiration - PJH

By: Vicki

Vicki — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:51:53 +0000

I’m already planning on getting all the right maple ingredients (I only have grade A maple syrup right now). I also like the idea of these as rolls as well. But how many rolls would you divide the dough into? 12? 15? 16? Could you then just freeze half the rolls unbaked? There are only two in my household and that would make a lot of rolls at once! I’d soon look like a roll myself if I made (and ate) all of them in just a couple of days. Thanks for coming back and answering questions in the comments. It really helps me visualize and understand the baking process better.

Vicki, I SO don’t want you to look like a roll! Divide into 16 rolls for “normal” sized, 12 for more generously sized. Nestle in two 9″ round pans. Bake at 350°F for about 25 minutes. For freezing, let shaped rolls rise halfway in the pan, then freeze. To bake, let thaw, allow to finish rising, and bake. (I’m assuming I don’t need to add the details here - like, cover the pan while rising, wrap with plastic to freeze, etc. All the usual instructions apply). Enjoy - PJH