Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Book Twenty: The Mountain Biker's Cookbook by Jill Smith Gould

Recipe: Applebread (by Ernst Denifl)



Andy woke up one Christmas to find this book in his stocking. Santa was so thoughtful!! I do not know why he has not made any of the recipes yet, so I guess it is up to me. This book is a compilation of recipes submitted by mountain bikers. Hence the amount of sugar I'm thinking in this one. These guys and gals burn off fat and calories with no problem. If this turns out yummy, I'll have to make it again for Andy to take with him on the Death Ride.

I cannot stress enough to read your recipes thoroughly before proceeding to make, or better yet, shop for your chosen dish. I was disappointed to find I have to let the fruit and nut mixture sit overnight; unrefrigerated no less....this is hard for me. Not only would I have passed this recipe up due to leaving this out unrefrigerated, but I am not a patient person and having to wait until tomorrow to finish this is another disappointment in itself. Hope it will be worth it!

I am glad I waited to the next day, for I was tempted to toss it altogether and bake it right then. As the fruit and nuts macerated overnight the apples released all their juices which was much needed! It still made for a very dry dough. I so wanted to add a little water, but refrained. I'm thinking I should just shape these into bars and place them on a cookie sheet. As I'm pressing down (yes, pressing) the dough into the loaf pan, I am imagining heavy doorstops...

Of course I would pick the one recipe out of the book that the editor discloses that she has not tried out for herself, but sounded too good not to be included.

Actually...it's not bad. I brought a warm loaf to work to share with the guys. Andy and Joe said it was good. Jeff and I thought it was a bit bland. As I took a few more bites, it started to grow on me. Maybe a little dash of cinnamon would help. When I returned home from work I cut into the second loaf to see how it would be completely cooled. The outside is not real appetizing for it is quite crunchy (hard, for a better word!) This bread is very dense and with a dry texture. How cannot it not be with so much flour and little liquid? But I must say, it's very tasty toasted with a bit of butter.

Success meter (1-3): 3


There are no recipes in this book
 that even come close to resembling
 what is on the cover.







patiently waiting...




very dry....I actually had to mix the rest
in with my hands.







Applebread
Yields:  4 loaves

A traditional Austrian recipe, this makes 4 loaves so the recipe can be halved if you want to try it out first.

1 ½ lbs apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 ½ cups raisins
1 ½ cups dried figs, cut into small pieces
2 cups hazelnuts, cut into small pieces
1 Tbl cocoa
3 cups brown sugar
½ cup rum

8 ½ cups self-rising flour (or flour plus 4 tsp baking soda)
1 Tbl baking powder

Put all ingredients, except the flour and baking powder, into a big bowl and mix well. Cover and let sit overnight.

The next day add the flour, and baking powder (and baking soda if needed), and mix into a soft dough.

Place in greased loaf tins and bake at 175°C for 60-70 minutes.

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