San Francisco Sourdough Bread Pudding With Amaretto Sauce Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Grease a 9 x 11 x 2 inch baking pan with butter or margarine.
• 2. Cut or tear French bread into 1/2 - 1 inch pieces. Soak in milk and condensed milk until all milk is absorbed.
• 3. In separate bowl, mix eggs, sugar, almond and vanilla extracts and Amaretto.
• 4. Combine all ingredients, then stir in raisins. Fold in cinnamon - most of the cinnamon will stay on the surface (it doesn't have to be evenly mixed.)
• 5. Pour into buttered baking dish and sprinkle the top with almonds pieces and a little cinnamon. Bake at 350º F for 40-55 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
• 6. SAUCE DIRECTIONS:
• 7. In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the Amaretto and whisk until smooth.
• 8. In a medium saucepan, scald cream over medium heat. Add the Amaretto slurry to the hot cream and whisk constantly. Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat and cook for 30 seconds, whisking constantly.
• 9. Remove saucepan from the heat and add sugar. Whisk until sugar is dissolved and allow sauce to cool down before serving with bread pudding.
• 10. NOTE: I don't use raisins in this recipe but if you love raisins in your bread pudding then add them. It's good both ways.

Steps:

• Combine the levain and water in a 2-quart clear plastic container with a lid. Break up the levain well with a wooden spoon or squeeze through your fingers until it is broken up. Stir until the levain is partly dissolved and the mixture is slightly frothy. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until very thick and sticky. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula. Cover with plastic wrap and put in a moderately warm (74 to 80 degree) place for 24 hours.
• Final dough: 2 cups (16 fluid ounces) spring water 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 cups (27 to 32 ounces) organic white flour with germ 1 tablespoon (3/4 ounce) fine sea salt.
• Combine the poolish and water in a 6-quart bowl. Break up the poolish well with a wooden spoon and stir until the poolish becomes loose and the mixture slightly frothy. Add 2 cups (10 ounces) of the flour and the salt; stir until well combined. Add just enough of the remaining flour to make a thick mass that is difficult to stir. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding remaining flour when needed, until dough is firm and smooth, 15 to 17 minutes total. The dough is ready when a little dough pulled from the mass springs back quickly.
• Shape the dough into a ball and let it rest on a lightly floured surface while you scrape, clean, and lightly oil the largest bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and turn once to coat with oil. Take the dough's temperature: the ideal is 78 degrees. Cover with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap and put in a moderately warm (74 to 80 degree) draft-free place until doubled in volume.
• Deflate the dough by pushing down in the center and pulling up the sides. Cover with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap and put in a moderately warm (74 to 80 degree) draft-free place for 30 minutes.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured board and knead briefly. Shape into a tight ball. Cover with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap, and put in a moderately warm (74 to 80 degree) draft-free place for 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Flatten each with the heel of your hand on a lightly floured board. The dough may be very soft and loose at this point. Shape into 12-inch-long torpedoes. You may also choose to shape the dough into rounds.
• Place the torpedoes, seam side up in a well-floured couche*. Cover with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap. Put in a moderately warm (74 to 80 degrees) draft-free place until increased in volume about 1 1/2 times, or until a slight indentation remains when the dough is pressed with a fingertip. Place rounds on a cornmeal-dusted surface to rise.
• Preheat the oven and baking stone to 450 degrees, 45 minutes to 1 hour before baking. The oven rack must be in the center of the oven. If it is in the lower 1/3 of the oven the bottom of the breads may burn, and if it is in the upper 1/3, the top crusts may burn.
• Gently roll one loaf from the couche onto a lightly floured peel so that it sits seam side down. Using a very sharp, serrated knife or a single-edged razor blade, score the loaf by making quick shallow cuts 1/4 to 1/2-inch deep along the surface. Using the peel, slide the loaf onto the hearth. Quickly repeat the process with the second loaf. Quickly spray the inner walls and floor of the oven with cold water form a spritzer bottle. If there's an electric light bulb in the oven, avoid spraying it directly; it may burst. Spray for several seconds until steam has filled the oven. Quickly close the door to trap the steam and bake 3 minutes. Spray again in the same way, closing the door immediately so that steam doesn't escape. Bake until loaves begin to color, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 425 degrees and bake until loaves are a rich caramel color and the crust is firm, 15 to 20 minutes.
• To test for doneness, remove and hold the loaves upside down. Strike the bottoms firmly with your finger. If the sound is hollow, the breads are done. If it doesn't sound hollow, bake 5 minutes longer. Cool completely on a wire rack.
• Add the flour directly into the container with the full batch of room-temperature, batterlike ripe chef. Stir vigorously to add fresh oxygen to the mixture. This will form a stiff consistency more like a stiff dough than a batter. This firm texture is important for ripening levain, because a dense rather than loose levain creates delicious sour bread without an overpowering tangy bite. Scrape down the sides, cover tightly, and let stand in a cool to moderate (about 70 degrees) draft-free place for 8 to 10 hours.
• The levain should have doubled in volume. The texture will be somewhat light, with many tiny bubbles throughout. Do not let the levain stand for longer than 10 hours, or the yeast will become exhausted and not raise the final dough. This recipe yields 18 ounces of levain.
• Day 1: Combine the flour and water in a tall 2 to 3-quart clear plastic container with a lid. Stir well to make a thick, soft dough. The exact consistency of the dough will vary with the brand of flour or water at this point to adjust the texture. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula, cover tightly with lid and let stand in a moderate (about 70 degree) place for 24 hours.
• Day 2: 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (4 ounces) 20 percent bran wheat flour 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) spring water.
• The chef should have almost doubled in volume. You will see tiny bubbles on the surface, and you might notice a slight musty smell. Add the flour and water to the mixture and stir vigorously to distribute the fresh ingredients and add fresh oxygen to the chef. The texture will still be like a soft dough. You may add a little more flour or water to make this texture, if necessary. Scrape down the sides, cover and place in a moderate (70 degree) draft-free place for 24 hours.
• Day 3: 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (4 ounces) 20 percent bran wheat flour 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) spring water.
• It will have almost doubled in volume and be quite bubbly. Add the flour and water, and stir well to make a thick batter. (You may have to add a little more water if your flour's absorption level is high). With a marker pen, mark the level of the chef on the side of the container. Scrape down the sides, cover tightly, and let stand in a moderate (70 degree) draft-free place for 24 hours.
• It should now be loose in texture, like a pancake batter. It will have doubled in volume from the last addition of flour and water. The chef may rise and fall, but as long as it doubles at some point during this last period, it's fine. You now have a fully ripe chef ready to transform into a levain. If you don't want to make the levain immediately, the chef can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Steps:

• Preheat oven 375 and grease a 9x13 pan(I use a disposable for easy clean up).
• Place bread cubes in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix together well, milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla, amaretto, cinnamon. Pour over bread and let soak for 10-20 minutes.
• Pour into buttered 9x13 dish and bake for 45 to 1 hour till center is done and browned on top(for moister pudding add another pan of water on the rack below).
• Cool 10 minutes before serving with sauce.
• For sauce: I always double this!
• Melt butter in a sauce pan. Wisk in powdered sugar, then amaretto.
• ENJOY!

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, salt, and dry yeast. Add milk and softened butter or margarine. Stir in starter. Mix in up to 3 3/4 cups flour gradually, you may need more depending on your climate.
• Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and knead for 8 to 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turn once to oil surface, and cover. Allow to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in volume.
• Punch down, and let rest 15 minutes. Shape into loaves. Place on a greased baking pan. Allow to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled.
• Brush egg wash over tops of loaves, and sprinkle with chopped onion.
• Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 30 minutes, or till done.

Steps:

• Pudding:.
• Preheat oven to 350°.
• In a large bowl mix bread cubes and raisins so they are well dispersed.
• drizzle melted butter onto of bread and raisins.
• In a separate bowl mix beaten eggs, milk, whipping cream, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla until well incorporated.
• Add egg mixture to bread and fold until bread is well soaked.
• Turn bread mixture into a well greased casserole or baking dish, using spatula spread mixture out evenly in pan.
• Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Check center with toothpick for doneness. If toothpick does not come out clean bake additional 3 minutes.
• Sauce:.
• Add milk, cream, vanilla and sugar to saucepan and heat over medium low heat stirring often just until it begins to boil. Remove from heat.
• In a small mixing bowl whisk corn starch to amaretto until there are no lumps.
• Add amaretto mixture to saucepan and whisk over low heat until sauce thickens and is smooth - about 2 minutes.
• Sauce should be served warm. Sauce can be stored for up to 3 days ahead.

Steps:

• Do ahead
• To make the starter, combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl. If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 1 minute, then increase to medium speed for about 30 seconds. If mixing by hand, stir for about 2 minutes, until well blended. The starter should feel doughlike and tacky or slightly sticky; if not, stir in additional flour or water as needed.
• Transfer the starter to a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 30 seconds. Place it in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl loosely, and leave at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours, until the starter increases to about 1 1/2 times its original size. If you plan to use the starter the same day, allow 1 more hour of fermentation so that it nearly doubles in size. Otherwise, put the starter in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• To make the dough, cut the starter into 10 to 12 pieces and put them in a mixing bowl. Pour in the water and mix with the paddle attachment on the lowest speed or with a large spoon for about 1 minute to soften the starter.
• Add the flour and salt, as well as the yeast (unless you're making the "purist" version). Switch to the dough hook and mix on the lowest speed, or continue mixing by hand, for 2 minutes, to form a coarse ball of dough that's very tacky and slightly warm. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
• Mix on medium-low speed or by hand for 4 minutes more, adding flour or water as needed to make a soft, supple, slightly sticky ball of dough.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand for 1 minute, then form it into a ball. Let the dough sit uncovered for 10 minutes, then do a stretch and fold, either on the work surface or in the bowl, reaching under the front end of the dough, stretching it out, then folding it back onto the top of the dough. Do this from the back end and then from each side, then flip the dough over and tuck it into a ball. Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes. Do another stretch and fold, then immediately form the dough into a ball, place it in a clean, lightly oiled bowl large enough to contain the dough when it doubles in size, and cover the bowl.
• If using the mixed method with instant yeast, refrigerate the dough immediately. If making the "purist" version, without instant yeast, let the dough sit at room temperature for 1 1/2 to 2 hours before refrigerating; it won't rise very much, but it should show signs of growth and continue to rise in the refrigerator. Either version will be ready to use the next day and for up to 3 days. (If you plan to bake the dough in batches over different days, you can portion the dough and place it into two or more oiled bowls at this stage.)
• On baking day
• For the "purist" version, remove the dough from the refrigerator about 4 hours before you plan to bake; after 2 hours, shape it (see instructions for lean bread, page 48), then let it proof for 2 hours before baking. For the mixed method, remove the dough from the refrigerator 2 hours prior to baking and shape it right away. Remove only the portion you wish to bake: 19 ounces (539 g) for a 1-pound (454 g) loaf; 28 ounces (794 g) for a 1 1/2-pound (680 g) loaf, and so on. You can also bake the entire amount of dough as a large, 3-pound (1.36 kg) miche (round country loaf) or as a large torpedo loaf. See chapter 1, page 20, for instructions.
• Proof for 2 hours as a freestanding loaf, in floured proofing baskets, or on proofing cloths. The dough should increase in size to 1 1/2 times its original size and be springy yet hold an indentation when pressed with a finger. It may spread as it rises, but it will grow taller as it bakes.
• If using a baking stone, about 45 minutes before baking preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C) and prepare the oven for hearth baking (see page 30). Otherwise, just preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C) about 20 minutes before baking.
• Just before baking, score the dough with whatever style of design you prefer (see page 29). Transfer the dough to the oven, pour 1 cup of hot water into the steam pan, then lower the oven temperature to 450°F (232°C), or to 425°F (218°C) if baking a large miche.
• Bake for 12 minutes, then rotate the pan and continue baking for 15 to 35 minutes, or longer, depending on the size of the loaf; a large miche could take up to 75 minutes to bake. When fully baked, the crust should have a rich, caramelized color, the loaf should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom, and the internal temperature should be about 200°F (90°C) in the center. Cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing or serving.
• Variations
• For country-style pain au levain, you can substitute whole wheat flour or other whole grain flours for an equal amount of bread flour (by weight), in which case you'll need to increase the water by about 1/2 tablespoon (0.25 oz / 7 g) for every 3 1/2 tablespoons (1 oz / 28.5 g) of whole grain flour you use. A typical pain au levain would substitute 2 to 3 ounces (56.5 to 85 g) of whole grain flour for an equal amount of bread flour, but there really is no limit.
• One of the best variations of this bread has crumbled blue cheese (or chunks of any good melting cheese) and toasted nuts or seeds (walnuts are highly recommended). Add nuts to the dough during the last minute of mixing, using about 25 percent nuts to total flour. Since the total flour in this recipe is about 34 ounces (964 g), counting the flour in the starter, about 8.5 ounces (241 g) of nuts would be just right. With the cheese, you can add anywhere between 25 to 45 percent of the weight of the flour; so that would be 8.5 to 15.3 ounces (241 to 434 g). Fold the cheese in by hand at the end of the mixing or roll it into the dough during shaping (see the crusty cheese bread recipe on page 121).