Giraffe Print Bread / #BreadBakers

Giraffe Print bread is light bread with a hint of chocolate. It is a pleasure to slice the loaf and discover the patterns inside. It is best enjoyed with a chocolate spread or peanut butter. 

We are perpetually living in winters this year. Unexpected and unanticipated rain over the last fifteen days has plummeted the temperature. The brown blanket of the dry foliage has got replaced by green. Ferns have sprung up around the corners, under the big trees and in all the crevices. Nature has its own ways of healing. The dryness of winters has been compensated.

Sky laden with clouds seems to be melting and dripping causing heavy showers. A water hole made for the birds gets brimmed with fresh water. 

A jungle myna alights from a nearby tree, inspects around and dashes into the sparkling pool. 

A Grey Winged Blackbird removes leaves from the wet ground continuously till it reaches the wet mud and  is rewarded by a fat earthworm.

A drongo is nesting on the tallest Pear Tree. She sits on her tiny cup-like nest and drives away all those who perch on the nearby branches. This policing continues all day.

In our baking studio, it’s a hectic day. A Giraffe Print Bread is being baked. For bakers, the dough becomes a medium to play with and to unleash creativity. This bread is special as it requires a lot of precision. It is important to have a weighing scale.

To make the pattern, we need one plain dough and one cocoa dough.  Both the dough will be divided into four pieces. One piece of each dough will be larger than the other three. The weight of the dough may differ slightly from that mentioned in this recipe. So weigh the total dough and divide accordingly. A few adjustments in dough weight will work fine.

The pictorial steps will help to shape the bread.

Giraffe Print Bread

Ingredients for the plain dough

• 250 grams all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup warm milk (1 -2 tablespoons extra)
• 2 tablespoons unrefined sugar/brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons soft butter
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon instant dry yeast

Ingredients for the cocoa dough

• 330 grams plain dough
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 3-4 teaspoons water/milk

Instructions

1. To prepare the plain dough, mix sugar and yeast to warm milk. When sugar dissolves, add all the remaining ingredients and knead for 6-7 minutes. If the dough feels hard, add 1 tablespoon of the extra milk and another if the dough is tight.  Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.
2. Remove 330 grams of the plain dough. Shape the remaining dough into a ball and transfer it to a greased bowl. Cover and keep in the refrigerator.
3. Make a paste with cocoa powder and water/milk. Knead into the 330 grams of the plain dough until well combined. Shape into a ball and transfer to a greased bowl and cover with a cling wrap.
4. Remove plain dough from the refrigerator and keep both the bowls, one with plain dough and the one with the cocoa dough in a warm spot to rise for 45-50 minutes or until double.
5. Divide the cocoa dough into 4 pieces.  1x90 grams (one piece)   3x80 grams (3 pieces).
6. Divide plain dough into 4 pieces. 1x50 grams (one piece)      3x40 grams (3 pieces)
7. Roll the dough into balls.
8. Now we have one large piece and three small pieces for each dough.
9. Roll out the largest piece of cocoa dough into a rectangle as long as the baking tin you are using. Working on the long side of the rectangle, roll up. Pinch to seal all the open ends of the roll.  Similarly, make rolls with the remaining cocoa dough balls. 
10. Roll out the largest piece of plain dough into a rectangle as long as the largest cocoa roll. Place the cocoa roll on the white rectangular dough. Pull up the sides of the plain dough, over the cocoa roll. Seal all the edges.  Repeat with the remaining pieces, until you get 4 rolls.
11. Cut all the rolls into half. You will have 8 pieces. With one sharper and one open end.
12. Grease one 8x4 inch loaf pan. Place three small rolls in the bottom, two big rolls in the middle and three small rolls on top.  Place the rolls in such a way that the ends are alternating. Cover and keep in a warm spot to rise until double. (after placing the rolls, there will be a lot of empty space in the pan on either side).
13. Bake in a preheated oven at 175 degrees C  for 20-25 minutes.
14. Let cool down in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove and cool in the rack.
15. Slice when cold.

Recipe adapted from - www.foodieyuki.com

Linking to #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. Our host this month is Kelly. She chose to bake bread with surprises inside. It is a very interesting theme.

Check out the bread with surprises here-

·                Broccoli Bread from A Day in the Life on the Farm

·                Cheesy Chicken Stuffed Bread from Making Miracles

·                Cinnamon Apple Surprise Bread from Food Lust People Love

·                Giraffe Print Bread from Ambrosia

·                Leopard Print Milk Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories

·                Paw Print Bread from Passion Kneaded

·                Peek-a-boo Panda Bread from Culinary Adventures with Camilla

·                Picasso Floral Surprise Loaf from A Messy Kitchen

·                Swirl Bread from Zesty South Indian Kitchen

·                Swirl Sourdough Whole Wheat Bread (Chocolate, Garlic & Herbs) from Cook with Renu

·                Whey Watermelon Bread from Sneha's Recipe