Happy Day After Thanksgiving!
…Or should I call it Leftover Friday? Was everyone’s Thanksgiving absolutely magical? Was it full of mashed potatoes and love, wine and gossip, five slices of this semifreddo and the parade?! I sure hope so!
Is it just me or does everyone stuff themselves even more with leftovers the day after Thanksgiving? Basically being like oh shoot! There’s 10 more pounds of stuffing and gravy and turkey and brussels sprouts and beans and I need to eat them all RIGHT NOW. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?!
While everyone has their day of Thanksgiving traditions, I feel like the day after is just as special—yes, I am referring to fueling up with a leftover brunch and listening to Christmas music… So, rather than throwing every single food that was so beautifully displayed on the table yesterday—decorated with cute little pumpkins, candles, the nicest dishes—into one massive bowl and mixing it into just a pile of amazing, I was like oh. Man. I. Must. Make. A. Sandwich.
Game changer! A Thanksgiving sandwich?! Hey, I think Ross kind of had the idea going, even throw in a gravy-soaked piece of bread in the middle, “the moist maker” if you will.
Bring in the whole wheat bread.
Yes! Whole wheat! Spices! Molasses! This breads flavor is so full of warm cinnamon and allspice, it is just slightly sweet with natural honey, and so hearty from the whole wheat flour. Who doesn’t love freshly baked bread first of all, but the smell of it baking in the oven is better than any candle I own! It’s also great friends with turkey and gravy, or better yet, a nontraditional leftovers brunch of eggs and some fried prosciutto! Like, what?!
What doesn’t go well on this whole-wheat spice bread? I couldn’t tell you!
So whether you went out at midnight for some shopping, or decided to stay in your PJs all day and eat plate after plate of potatoes, this bread makes for the perfect brunch, lunch, or anytime leftover companion!
ingredients
Dry Active Yeast—0.25 oz, or 1½ tsp
Water—8 oz, or 1 C + 2 TBL (separated)
Honey—1.25 oz, or 2 TBL
Whole Wheat Flour—15 oz, or 2½ C
AP Flour—2.75 oz, or ½ C
Cinnamon—0.1 oz, or 1 tsp
Allspice—0.05 oz, or ½ tsp
Canola Oil—0.25 oz, or 1½ tsp
Molasses—0.5 oz, or 1½ tsp
Salt—0.25 oz, or 1¼ tsp
process
In the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk together the yeast, honey and ¼ C/1.75 oz water—making sure that the water is between 105˚-115˚ F.
Let sit for 5 minutes, so that the yeast can begin to activate; you’ll notice that it will start to foam a bit.
In a separate bowl, combine the flours, cinnamon and allspice.
Once the yeast has begun to bubble, add in the remaining water (at the correct, warm temperature), oil, molasses and half of the flour/spice mixture.
Mix.
Add the rest of the flour and salt to the mixture.
Mix at medium speed, with the dough hook, for 10-12 minutes, until the dough forms into a ball and is kneading/slapping the sides of your mixer.
If the dough isn’t coming together after a few minutes, add a couple of tablespoons of water to the mixer.
After the 10 minutes, transfer the dough to an oiled bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap and a towel.
Allow to rise for about 2 hours, until it has doubled in size.
After the first rise, put the dough on your floured work surface.
Roll the dough into a rectangle that’s about 9” x 12”, the length of your loaf pans.
Fold the dough into a business letter—taking the top third, folding it down, and then the bottom third and folding it up.
Pinch to seal the seam; pinch in the ends so that it will fit into the pan.
Cover again with plastic wrap and a towel.
Allow to rise, again, until it has doubled in size—anywhere from 1-2 hours, all depending how warm the room is.
When you are ready to bake the bread, preheat your oven to 375˚ F.
Bake the bread for 30 minutes. The bread will become slightly brown when finished.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool a bit before taking out of the loaf pan.
Slice and enjoy!
Bon Appétit!