Recipe: Blueberry Cream Cheese Bread

Every day after coming home from grade school, when most kids would be partaking in soccer games or practicing for the school play, I would be running to the freezer to grab that familiar blue box—the one with the pristine picture of macaroni pasta ladled with melted cheese. That box was like a comfort blanket to me. I even have fond memories of brushing off ice flakes, using my fingernail to pry open perforated cardboard, and effortlessly stabbing that stubborn plastic with a fork. At that time in my life, there was nothing like a freshly microwaved paper container chock full of partially undercooked pasta swimming in cheese that was far too orange to be cheese.

Looking back, I realize how misled I really was. What I thought was a delicious, fresh meal was really just a box of hydrogenated oil and unprounceable chemicals. Those frozen meals were a frequent part of my diet, explaining why I grew out of my clothes almost faster than I could microwave one of those meals. I mean I was never what one would call morbidly obese, but my weight tended to fluctuate depending on how often those frozen boxes went on sale.

Sometimes, after trying to stomach whatever my parents made for dinner, I would sneak a box late at night, tiptoeing to the microwave like a cat burglar. And, it would rarely be just one box. After completing the first, it wasn’t long before I would be rushing to the fridge for a second. I was like a crack addict, never feeling sated, always coming back for more. What’s worst is—I was my own dealer.

I continued eating them throughout my early high school career. And it wasn’t until my senior year of high school, when I realized that these frozen meals weren’t really satisfying me. Sure, there was an immediate sensation of euphoria upon eating them. However, I would never feel full afterward, plus I was starting to become more and more conscious about what I ate. It was finally time for an intervention, one that I would have to conduct upon myself. I started to discipline myself to start cooking. It started out simply. I would manage to rustle myself out of bed to cook myself breakfast every once in a while. Then, it eventually escalated to the point where I would cook dinner every night. Armed with recipes, a little time, and patience, it wasn’t long before I was baking my own bread from scratch.

Granted, it’s not easy to bake bread and I still have a lot to learn. However, I will admit that I have come a long way from the old days of eating frozen foods. One of my more recent bread baking attempts was this golden braid of soft, sweet bread filled with blueberry and cream cheese filling. It is the absolute perfect breakfast accompaniment with a cup of coffee or tea. The dough is so sweet and delectable that you don’t even need to put sugar in your beverage.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Braid (Recipe originally by Lora Giorgi at Cake Duchess)

Makes 2 braids

For the Blueberry Filling:
1 pound blueberries, picked over, washed, dried
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

For the Dough: 
Part 1 (Sponge) 
4 tsp of active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 cup warm milk (must be at 100-110 ° F)
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Part 2
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2-3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut up in tablespoon portion at room temperature

For the Cream Cheese Filling:
8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract



Blueberry Filling Directions (Prepare a Day Ahead): 

Before

After

1) Combine 1 Tablespoon of water and 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch then set it aside.

2) Combine the ½ lb of blueberries, sugar, and 1 Tablespoon of water in a saucepan then bring it to a boil.

3) Let it simmer at low heat for 3 minutes.

4) Add cornstarch and lemon juice. Let simmer and constantly stir for 30 seconds.

5) Stir in the remaining raw blueberries. Turn off the heat then let the filling sit out until it is set. When it sets, place it in the refrigerator.



Cream Cheese Filling Directions (Can be made the day of baking):

1) Blend ingredients together very well with a mixer and set aside. The results should be smooth and glossy.



Dough Directions (Prepare a Day Ahead):

1) Proof the yeast by combining it with the milk and sugar.

2) Let it sit for about 10 minutes until it bubbles and foams.

3) Add in 2 cups of flour then combine until it is smooth.

4) Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes. It should be spongey.

5) Add the eggs, sugar, one cup of flour, and sugar to the sponge. Beat well until it is smooth.

6) Add the butter in small cubes and continue beating. Then add the remaining flour until the dough is the right consistency. It should not be sticky. Knead the dough by hand or mixer for about 5 minutes. It should be smooth.

7) Place the kneaded dough into a greased bowl. Then, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled in size at room temperature. It should take about 1 ½ to 2 hours.

8) Punch down the dough, replace the plastic wrap (make sure its tightly covered) then place it in the refrigerator.

9) Remove the dough from the refrigerator and punch it down. Divide it into two pieces. Place each piece of dough on parchment paper. Then roll it out to a thin rectangle. The height should measure about ½ cm.

10) Use a sharp knife to lightly mark the dough into 3 parts lengthwise. Cut diagonal slits in the outer thirds about 1 ½ inches apart.

11) Add half (or less) of the cream cheese filling you made earlier to the middle third. Then add half (or less) of the blueberry filling on top of the cream cheese.

12) Fold the cut pieces over each other and secure it by pressing on the overlapping pieces. This is like braiding so it should look like a braid.

13) Cover the dough with plastic wrap then let rise until doubled in size. It should take 45 minutes. Repeat the process for the second piece of dough. In the meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350. When the dough is doubled in size, glaze each braid with egg wash. Bake on the center rack for 35-40 minutes. To ensure even baking, rotate it after 20 minutes. When baking is complete, let cool for at least 30 minutes.

Notes:

• My modifications from the original recipe were to use an equivalent amount of active dry yeast, no sugar in the cream cheese, and to let the active dry yeast proof before adding flour to create the sponge.
• The dough is broken into two parts: the first is the sponge and the second is the finished dough. Two steps are necessary for this bread to ensure that the bread will be super soft and flavorful. The first step is called the sponge as it refers to the appearance of the dough after combining and letting it rest.
• When I first made this, I didn’t roll the bread out thin enough. I rolled it to a height of one centimeter, which was too thick and made it difficult to braid. ½ a centimeter should be a better measurement, but I have yet to test it.
• You’ll be tempted to bite into the bread immediately, but good things come to those who wait. Bread still continues to cook when its removed from the oven. By letting the bread cool you ensure that it cooks all the way through. It will taste better, trust me!

Basics of Bread Baking for Beginning Bread Bakers

If you’ve ever read the novel or seen the movie or musical called Les Miserables, you  may remember the protagonist, Jean Valjean, a man who suffers multiple arrests for stealing bread.  Bread sets the story into motion as Valjean’s arrest leads to his gradual transformation into a wealthy man sought by villain Javert, whose motive is to expose his criminal roots.  Who would have guessed that bread would be the catalyst for such an epic story?  This is especially apparent when one considers that throughout history, bread was long considered peasant food.  It was an affordable way to satisfy one’s appetite and very little thought was given to taste and aesthetics.

Now, bread has reached a new plateau as bakery’s open up across the country specializing in artisan bread.  Even chain restaurants like Panera Bread have opened up satiating America’s craving for freshly baked artisan bread.

It’s true that there are very few things more satisfying than a delicious slice of bread fresh from the oven.  This is what I have realized as I have delved further and further into the depths of bread baking.  My first encounter with bread baking occurred in Summer 2012.  I was inspired by an amazingly decadent Honey Wheat Toast dessert served at a neighborhood Japanese restaurant called Shokudo.  Crisp, yet delicate and sweet, yet rustic, this bread had all of the qualities that good bread should have.

Honey Wheat Toast

Desperate in my attempt to recreate this bread, I rushed to my beloved source, the Internet.  I discovered a recipe for Honey Wheat Bread and took my first stab at bread baking.  Unfortunately, my first stab missed by a mile and my first attempt was unsuccessful.  My Honey Wheat Loaf was dense and heavy.  If I was into sports, I could have used it as a football.  What I had failed to consider were the fundamental basics of bread baking.  When armed with the rules, a little time, and patience, one can reap the rewards of a bread well done.

Basics of Bread Baking for Beginning Bread Bakers

1. Follow the directions and use approximate measurements
Unlike cooking, baking recipes should not be altered unless one knows exactly what they are doing.  With cooking, you can easily substitute ingredients.  However, baking begs for precision as the elimination of one ingredient could throw off the whole recipe.  Baking is a science and every ingredient’s presence is necessary.  With bread baking, every ingredient needs to be present within the confines of specific ratios.  If possible, use a scale to measure the ingredients to be more precise.


2. Use yeast that has not expired
The right yeast is yeast that is not expired.  Make sure that the expiration date has not passed.  If it has, dispose of it immediately unless you want to find yourself stuck with a loaf you can throw in the next neighborhood football game.  Yeast must be active in order for it to help the bread rise properly and achieve proper texture.  If its inactive, it will not help the bread rise and you will have a very dense loaf.


3. Use the right type of yeast
Using the right type of yeast in essential to achieving the results you desire.  To stay on the safe side, stick with the type of yeast the recipe suggests or you will have to convert the amount to produce equivalent results.  I don’t recommend dealing with conversions, because a recipe sets baking and rising times based on the type of yeast and using more yeast than called for will result in a more pronounced yeast taste.

There are three types of yeast and various names for them which can be confusing.  The names you are most likely to run into include: fresh active, cake yeast, active dry, rapid rise, instant, quick rise, and bread machine.  Despite all these names, there really are only three types:

TYPE 1: Fresh
Possible names: Fresh active, fresh, cake
Description: This yeast must be refrigerated.  It only has a shelf life of 10 days.  It is what professional bakers use and supposedly produces the best flavor.  However, home chefs may be better off using active dry because it is more convenient and can be kept in the pantry.  I have never personally used fresh yeast, preferring to use dry for convenience.

TYPE 2: Dry
Possible Names: Active dry, dry
Description: This is essentially a dry version of fresh yeast.  It can be kept in the pantry and will survive for up to 2 years if properly stored.  This is my preferred type of yeast to use as the results are consistent and it produces better flavor than instant.  In conversions, less dry yeast would be used than fresh and more would be used than instant.  Dry yeast should be proofed which will be explained in the 4th step.

TYPE 3: Instant
Possible names: rapid rise, instant, quick rise, and bread machine
Description: Bread traditionally needs to rise twice to achieve desired results.  Instant yeast is a dried yeast that was created to eliminate the first rise making the waiting game much shorter.  It is often associated with bread machines, which are known for baking bread rapidly.  Flavor is not as well-developed as dry because rising times are shorter.  If you use instant instead of active dry, the ratio is 1:2. Instant yeast does not need to be proofed (explained in 4th step) and can be added immediately to dried ingredients.  Although the packaging for instant yeast usually states that proofing is not necessary, I recommend doing it anyway.


4. Proof your yeast first!
Proofing yeast is a simple procedure.  Proofing ensures that your yeast is active.  In addition, by proofing your yeast first instead of just adding all ingredients together at once, you ensure that your bread will rise at the appropriate temperature.  Temperature is key with bread rising for the yeast to start feeding on the flour.  The only times you don't need to proof your yeast is when your recipe calls for a starter, biga, or poolish because these are alternative ways of activating yeast.  

If your recipe does not include a step for proofing, do not fret, it can still be done.  Just subtract ½ cup of water from the liquids listed and use that for proofing instead.

All it requires is a thermometer, liquid (like milk or water), a bowl, sweetener, and yeast.  First measure out the amount of water required for proofing.  Heat it in the microwave or stovetop until the temperature is between 100 and 110 degrees.  The thermometer can be a candy thermometer or a meat thermometer, either will do the job.  Different sources recommend different temperatures for proofing, but I generally stick with this range to be safe.  Anything lower will not activate the yeast and anything higher will kill the yeast.  Stick with something close to 105 to be safe.  Now, mix in the sweetener, which is usually sugar, honey, or diastatic malt.  Lastly, mix in the yeast.  Now, let it sit for about 10 minutes and you should see it start to foam up.  This is a sign that it has activated and is ready to be added to your other ingredients.


5. Knead your dough well in accordance with recipe times
Once you have prepared the dough, there are three major steps before you can bake it.  First, is kneading the dough.  Many recipes will give the procedure for using a KitchenAid mixer, which many individuals, including myself, do not own.  However, there’s absolutely no shame in using your hands to knead the dough.  Kneading by hand is beneficial as it helps you become more familiar with how dough feels when it changes.  Simply, fold one side of the dough over the other side and push down.  Then, rotate it by 90 degrees. Continue folding one side over the other and rotating.  Typically, dough should be kneaded in this manner for 10 minutes or until it becomes smooth and elastic.  The primary reason bread must be kneaded is to produce gluten, which is essential for producing the light and airy texture characteristic of bread.


6. Bread needs to rise twice
Time is key for bread to develop flavor and rise.  After kneading dough, it should be placed in a greased bowl then covered with a piece of plastic wrap/cling film (and possibly a towel to keep that in place).   Set it aside at room temperature for about an hour or until it rises to double its original size.  Next, here’s the fun step, punch it down with your fist and watch it deflate.  Then shape it as indicated by the recipe.  The last step is to let your dough rise covered with plastic wrap/cling film a second time either at room temperature or in the refrigerator.  This is a general rule of thumb for bread baking.  Generally, the rule is that once the dough ingredients are completely combined, there are four phases necessary to successful bread.  These phases are:

1) Knead

2) First Rise

3) Punch Down, Then Shape

4)After Shaping, Second Rise

There are many variations to this and some breads may require more than two rises.  But overall these are the basic rules.  If you’re deciding whether to refrigerate or not, you should consider the result you are trying to achieve.  Refrigeration retards the dough, in other words, the cold temperature slows the rising process so that it develops better flavor.  Refrigeration=better tasting bread!  I highly recommend refrigerating if you have the time.  However, you must remember that refrigeration can change the order of the steps. 

These are the options when considering refrigeration: 

• After Kneading, put covered dough in the refrigerator overnight (First Rise), Punch Down, then Shape, let Rise at room temperature until doubled
• After Kneading, Let dough Rise at room temperature until doubled, Shape dough, Put covered dough in refrigerator overnight

7. Make sure bread does not under-proof or over-proof, which refers to how much it has risen
If the bread does not get enough time to rise, it will be dense and gummy.  Ensure that your dough rises to double its size.  This is a more trustworthy indicator of rise doneness than the typically stated hour (it may take longer or shorter than an hour).  However, also make sure that it does not over-rise, because it still needs to rise in the oven.  You can test the doneness using the poke test (found on the fresh loaf website).  Just poke your dough about ¼ inch in with the pad of your finger, then check to see how long it takes to spring back like a rubber band.

Under-proofed: Immediate spring back
Just Right: Delayed spring back
Over-proofed: Very slow spring back

If bread may seems intimidating, it does not have to be as long as one follows the basic rules for baking bread.  Also, consider that bread baking takes practice, time, and patience.  As soon as one smells the wonderful aroma of bread that fills a house, all of that time instantly becomes worth it.  The feeling of gratification and pride gained from bread baking is the primary reason bread has become my favorite thing to bake.  

Finding My Niche

So now that I have my recipe for a standard blog, I hope to explore what can take my blog a step further.  What makes a standard blog extraordinary, one that keeps people interested and coming back for seconds?  What will set my blog apart?  What will be my niche, or position in the blogging world?

1.   Various Cultural Influences
Being raised in Hawaii, I have always been surrounded by a variety of different cultural cuisines as well as dishes that are distinctive to Hawaii only.  Let’s face it, even though Hawaii is an American State, it’s relative isolation and 3000-mile distance from the Continental United States, makes it seem like another world.  Some of my dishes may be influenced by the unique ingredients or meals seen only in Hawaii.  I have also been influenced by living in New York and New Jersey, two cultural meccas that have inspired my palate for diverse dishes.  These localities have influenced many of my meal choices.

2.   Unique Point of View
I rarely come across blogs written by younger people, especially by individuals who recently started cooking.  I only started cooking 3 years ago.  Although, I may have less knowledge than my blogging peers, this unique perspective can be relatable to other young, novice home cooks, who may share similar experiences in the kitchen.  I hope to learn alongside other novice chefs who may still be navigating unfamiliar terrain.  In addition, my current living situation in a college dorm may impact some cooking decisions but I try to emulate a standard kitchen whenever possible.

3.   Cooking From Scratch
Resisting shortcuts will be a primary focal point of the blog as I hope to emphasize making meals from scratch as much as possible.  Meals cooked from scratch taste better and contain less chemicals than many processed foods (i.e. Cream of Mushroom Soup).  In addition, scratch-cooked meals are rewarding and give a home cook a feeling of accomplishment that cannot be beat by any refrigerated dough or freeze-dried package.
Now, that doesn’t mean everything will be made from scratch.  As much as I appreciate sustainability, I don’t exactly have a vegetable garden in my backyard (aside from my basil plant, ridin’ solo and thrivin’ since Summer ‘12, yeah baby!) and I’m not about to start any cheese cultures anytime soon.  I may occasionally use a canned or refrigerated product.  However, expect to see a majority of meals and baked goods to be made from scratch.

In addition, I have made some other goals that I hope will slowly come to fruition:

• I aspire to include original recipes in addition to rehashes of recipes from the giant collective available on the web and in cookbooks. 
• I hope to someday reach a point where I can post detailed photos of the whole process of dish preparation.  However, in considering the difficulty of multitasking, I assume this goal may be a work-in-progress.  This goal of in-depth recipe breakdown is greatly influenced by Pioneer Woman, an inspirational luminary of the blogging world, who has brilliantly captured this.  Every recipe she posts includes detailed instructions and photos of every step in a meal's preparation as well as an easily printable standard recipe at the end.
• In my exploration of different ethnic recipes, I hope to remain authentic and true to the culture as much as possible.  When I am unable to remain authentic due to a lack of ingredients or procedural complexity, I will make note of it so one can become aware.  If I vastly alter a traditional recipe, I will note the changes. 

Welcome

Welcome to Eat By the Spoonful!  Please read my About section to learn all about this blog.

I have wanted to write a blog for the longest time.  But, it wasn’t until now, when I have the resources and the motivation, that such a dream could become a reality.  As I proceed toward graduation and an increasingly uncertain future, my motivation to accept every opportunity that comes my way has increased.  A food blog seems the perfect way for me to improve my writing and culinary skills.  Considering my long-unfulfilled desire to exercise my creative muscle, it has become an opportunity that I absolutely cannot refuse.

I compare this new venture of starting a food blog to a safari.  Whenever exploring the grassy savannahs of Africa, there are rules that need to be followed.  These rules are set for one’s safety, so one doesn’t get trampled by an elephant or attacked by a group of restless baboons.  Similarly, venturing out onto the vast landscape of the blog writing world is accompanied by a need to set expectations and goals for myself, goals which I will consider the ingredients for a blog.

Recipe: Food Blog

Ingredients
Proper Credit
Frequency
Conversationality
In-depth Instructions
Diversity

Procedure
1. Properly re-distribute recipes whenever necessary with instructions written by me and credit attributed to the original authors. (In reading about copyright rules for reprinting of recipes, I have learned that it is lawfully permitted to reprint ingredients, but not recipe procedures.  So, I seek to adhere to these rules of recipe propriety.)

2. Post as often as possible in order to keep the blog actively simmering.

3. Write in a conversational tone with a sprinkling of rambling and a pinch of anecdotes.

4.  Post detailed instructions describing the fine details of the cooking process.  Optional: Post pictures of the process if available.

5. Explore wide variety of recipes/meals from different cultures or cooking practices.

As I see it, these are the essential ingredients for a blog.  I do have a lot of goals for my blog, but I hope to stay true to the above tenets as often as possible.