A Kitchen Keeper Original - Limpa-Like Rye Batter Bread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Bread is an addiction of mine, and the number of recipes I've featured for it over the years is proof of my weakness. What may be surprising is my decision to include this super simple batter bread as the first loaf in my Kitchen Keepers collection. Here's why. It is fast and easy to make and nearly impossible to spoil. Batter breads are no-knead yeast breads that are made with all-purpose or bread flour. They are beaten just until the gluten in the batter is developed, considerably reducing the time needed to make them. The consistency of the dough makes it impossible to knead and shape, so the form of the finished loaf depends on the pan in which it is set to rise. This recipe is scaled to make a single loaf, which is great for those of us who would love, but shouldn't have, a second loaf sitting in the bread box. Limpa is a light Swedish bread that's set apart from other seeded loaves because orange zest and cardamom are added to the dough to heighten its flavor and fragrance. Believe me, one whiff of this bread will convince you that Limpa smells every bit as good as it tastes. Whenever possible, that means I have it in the pantry, I use bread flour to make Limpa. If I don't have it readily at hand, I'll use all-purpose flour. Bread flour has a protein content that helps to create more gluten and a higher rise in yeast breads, but all-purpose flour is a more than adequate substitute. I tend not to stress the ingredients I use to make this bread. I've been known to use honey and caraway seeds if that will save me making a trip to the store. It takes about 10 minutes to get this dough ready for its first rise, and you can have it on the cooling rack in 2 hours. It is nearly effortless to make and the only thing you have to avoid is allowing the dough to rise for too long a period of time. If you allow it to do that, it may collapse on itself. Stick to the times suggested in the recipe and you'll be fine. Here is how this ultra-easy loaf of Limpa bread is made.

More Hot Cross Buns

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I make Hot Cross Buns to serve on Good Friday every year. While I have the date down pat, the rolls I make are never the same. I keep trying to perfect the recipe so I'll have rolls that are as light and flavorful as they are symbolic. Most of the recipes I've tried, produce dense, heavy, rolls that are not to my liking, so I've been experimenting with the way I measure the flour used to make the dough. I've found that using the fluff, spoon and level method works best for me, and this year's rolls are lighter than they have been in years past. My first encounter with the buns was the pre-packaged variety that came from the grocery store wrapped 12 to a package. They were soft spongy affairs and the only thing that separated them from similarly wrapped dinner rolls was a handful of raisins, a hint of cinnamon and the confectioners' sugar cross that gave them their name. They had nothing to commend them, but they became so much a part of my food memory that I can't imagine Good Friday without Hot Cross Buns. Over the years, I've tried lots of recipes in varied places and this year I think I've found my keeper. I really like these rolls. Next year, I'll substitute additional raisins for the mixed peel in the recipe below. I also plan to plump the raisins in an orange liqueur before I work them into the dough. I think you'll like these buns as much as I do. Here is how they are made.

Lemon Sticky Buns

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Easter will be here before we know it and my plans for the holiday are already underway. I tested this recipe a couple of weeks ago and I was so pleased with the results that I wanted to share it with you. My version of these lemon sticky buns is a compilation that comes from many sources. I owe Alton Brown kudos for his interpretation of  overnight cinnamon buns. It is a fabulous recipe and I used it as a base for my lemon version of the buns. His recipe is not hard to follow, but you can stumble if you are not aware of time constraints the recipe places on the cook. The dough for these rolls needs to rise slowly in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. The slow rise adds great flavor to the rolls, as well as easing the work required to pull off a holiday brunch. The lemon version is quite sticky, so be sure to grease your pans well or you will not be able to remove them from the pan. I let mine cool on a rack for about 10 minutes before I turn them out for a final cooling. While the rolls can be frozen in their unbaked state, they are best if served the day they are made. If you are a lemon lover, these rolls have your name on them. They are fancy enough for a company breakfast and I know you will love them. Here is how they are made.

Amish Potato Rolls

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We're fortunate to live in an area where there is a large Mennonite community. Their farms surrounded us and the community has its own school, as well as church. The Silver Fox and I have become expert at identifying Mennonite farms. I shouldn't boast because it really isn't that all hard. Their homes are are architecturally simple and exceptionally well maintained. Many of the properties look like the lawns around the home have been vacuumed. Tucked into the community is a bakery operated by a Mennonite spinster. We stopped there today because the Silver Fox loves the oatmeal cake she bakes. I thumbed through an Amish cookbook while he made his purchase and it set me to thinking. I have several Amish recipes that I haven't yet shared with you, and I thought this would be a good time to do it. I wanted to start with these rolls because the recipe, which comes from King Arthur Flour, has been updated and gives instructions for making the rolls by hand, mixer or bread machine. It is also foolproof. The rolls are soft and moist and they keep for several days if wrapped well. I have departed from the original recipe in only one respect. I do not use potato water to make my dough because I think it makes the rolls gummy. This is an exceptionally good recipe and I hope you'll give it a try. Here is how the rolls are made.

White Pizza

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I don't often make pizza, but Friday night the Silver Fox and I had a taste for it. Rather than dash out into the rain, or have one delivered, we decided to stay in and create a pie of our own. I was missing some of the ingredients needed for a standard pizza, but I had enough cheese in the refrigerator to make a white pie. As you look through the recipe, you'll see I've listed instructions for making pizza dough from scratch. That's really not necessary. Feel free to use purchased product if you wish. Once the dough has been taken care of, a child can assemble the rest of the pie. This is a cheesy pizza that's given a flavor boost with the addition of garlic and mushrooms. The mushrooms are dry fried, so their texture is firmer than those you usually find on a pizza. I think you'll like them. Here is how this pizza is made.

Oatmeal Dinner Rolls

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The Silver Fox had one of his favorite meals tonight - smoked sausage with really, really sour sauerkraut. Though I have tried to eat it with the same gusto he displays, a little of it goes a long way for me. So, I, instead, opted for a large salad, some soup and oatmeal dinner rolls that I experimented with this afternoon. I'm in the throes of spring cleaning and my task for the day was cleaning my kitchen cabinets. Since I'd be in the kitchen anyway, I thought it would be a great day to bake some bread. I had seen a recipe for oatmeal dinner rolls in Taste of Home magazine, and since I don't have a lot of bread recipes that use oatmeal, I thought I'd give the rolls a try. I liked the base recipe but thought it sounded a bit bland, so I added some whole wheat flour, some molasses and slightly increased the amount of salt I used to prepare the rolls. This is an easy recipe. As a matter of fact your mixer will do most of the work. I thought the rolls, which turned out to be light and fluffy, needed additional baking time to assure they were not damp and gummy, so I gave them an additional 5 minutes. These are tasty rolls and I'll be making them again. I hope you'll give them a try. Here is how they are made.

Pretzel Bites with Honey Mustard

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've been so busy planning menus for company expected later in February that I almost forgot about Super Bowl Sunday. We are not entertaining here, but we've been asked to bring something for the party we will be attending. I've already decided to bring sliders as our contribution, but I tried a few other game day recipes before I made my choice. The other dishes, while they are delicious, didn't make the cut because they are not as showy as the sliders. The recipe for these pretzels is one of those I was experimenting with. The pretzels are delicious, and while they take some time to make, they are not difficult to prepare. The pretzels are boiled before baking because it sets the crust. When baking soda is added to the water it helps to brown the crust and contributes a bit of flavor to an otherwise plain dough. If you have time to make them, I suspect you could become addicted to homemade pretzels. Here is how this version of pretzel bites and the honey mustard dipping sauce that accompany them are made.

Easy Olive Bread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The last of the Christmas decorations came down today, and while the house looks bare with all the garlands and ornaments gone, the time had come. I'd left them up much longer than usual for friends who joined us on Friday evening for our annual "Christmas" get-together. For reasons I still don't understand, it takes me longer to put things away than it does to put them up. Knowing the job would take a chunk out of my day, I decided it would be a great time to make a pot of soup and watch bread rise. I found a recipe on The Wanderlust Kitchen for an olive bread that was unusually easy to make, and thought this would be a great time to give it a try. I was really pleased with the results. The recipe makes a peasant loaf that is earthy and well-flavored and a perfect accompaniment to a bowl of soup. It is also very easy to make. As a matter of fact, a stand mixer does all the work we normally associate with bread making. I did make a small change to the recipe. Steam is required to make a soft and golden crust on peasant loaves. Rather than add water to a hot pan when the bread went into the oven, I sprayed the surface of the loaf and the sides of the oven with water. It is an easier and safer way to create steam and, in my opinion, it produces the same lovely crust as the water pan method. I do hope you will give this bread a try. I love its crust and crumb and will make it again when I need a savory bread to serve with soup or stew. I think you will like it too. Here is how the bread is made.

Kesra - Egyptian Sesame Bread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Bread is the staff of life in Egypt. It is subsidized by the government and consumed at nearly all meals. In working-class Egyptian homes, a meal may consist of nothing more than bread and beans. While bread provides carbohydrates and protein for the diet, in Egypt it is also used as a utensil for scooping up food and sauces. While most of the bread that is eaten is a thick, glutinous form of pita bread, other types, such as Kesra, are also popular. Kesra is a thick and dense flat bread that has more substance than pita and is actually easier to make. It is flavored with salt and sesame seeds, but it contains no oil so it will stale quickly. It's best eaten warm and any leftovers should be tightly wrapped and reheated for serving from the oven. You'll find this recipe uses more yeast and salt than standard bread recipes, but the bread is delicious. Here is how it is made.

Dinner Rolls - Buttermilk Cluster

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I have a pan of these rolls sitting in my freezer. While they would be wonderful with Christmas dinner, I plan to use them as slider rolls on New Year's Day. The rolls are simple to make and if you have a stand mixer with a dough hook they are almost effortless to prepare. The topping on the rolls can be varied to taste and I often substitute poppy seeds for the sesame seeds called for in the ingredient list. The recipe makes light and fluffy rolls that I know you will enjoy. Here is how they are made.

Cinnamon Babka for Christmas Brunch

Photo courtesy of Cook's Country magazine

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...There are no limits to my love for bread. I can walk away from any cookie, but bread, scones and biscotti all bring me to my knees. The cinnamon babka I'm featuring today is an especially nice bread and it is perfect for a holiday breakfast or late night snack. While it is wonderful when sliced and buttered, it makes stellar toast and it is hard to find a better base for bread pudding or French toast. It is not a beginner bread, but if you have had success with yeast breads in the past, this one will be easy enough for you to duplicate. The bread can sit for a couple of days before it becomes dry, but if you are not going to use it immediately, I think it is best to completely cool and then freeze it. Do give the recipe a try. It is enormously flavorful and it is a pretty loaf that looks more complicated than it actually is. Here is how it is made.

A Bodecious Bread - My Recipe Rotation - Burgundian Walnut Bread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I first made this bread as a bride. I love loaves that have great flavor and attitude, so as soon as I saw Jane Grigson's recipe, I knew I had to make her bread. The bread is a French peasant loaf and it is packed with lots of old world flavor. It is easy to make but unless you raise walnuts and can press them for oil, it is pricey to make. All nut breads benefit from aging and this loaf is no exception. It is best eaten the day after it is made. It is wonderful when spread with a good goat cheese and toasted slices are guaranteed to get your morning off to a great start. I hope you try it. if you do, let me know what you think. Here is what I had to say about the bread when I first posted it to the blog.

Today is World Bread Day and I almost - almost - forgot. I'm sneaking under the wire with a yeasted walnut bread from Southern Burgundy that was developed by Jane Grigson, an English food writer. She was a good friend of James Beard and had the unique honor of having her work translated into French. That was an uncommon occurrence 40 years ago. I've had her recipe for decades and never made it for want of walnut oil. Fortunately, I've remedied that and was able to make the bread for this event. The bread is simple to do, and while it's a bit costly to make, it is delicious. The only change I would make is to increase the measure of walnuts used in the bread. I can't wait to see how it tastes tomorrow after it's had time to ripen. This recipe makes 4 small loaves of a bread that is flavored with onions, chopped walnuts and walnut oil. The aroma of this bread when it is baking will bring you to your knees and the trick will be allowing it to cool before you slice into it. The bread has a lovely crust and a very mild onion flavor. Here, just in time for World Bread Day, is Jane Grigson's Yeasted Walnut Bread from Southern Burgundy. Enjoy!

Yeasted Walnut Bread from Southern Burgundy...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Jane Grigson from James Beard's Beard on Bread

Ingredients:
5 cups all purpose flour (preferably unbleached)
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 packages active dry yeast or 4-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 cups warm milk
1/2 cups walnut oil or olive oil or 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted but cool
1/2 to 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
3/4 cup onion, finely chopped

Directions:
1) Sift flour, salt, and sugar into a warm bowl. Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of warm milk, and pour it into middle of the flour, together with walnut oil (or butter) and remainder of milk. Knead well until dough is firm and blended into a smooth, springy ball, about 10 minutes.
2) Leave in a warm place to rise for 2 hours. Punch down dough, mix in walnuts and onions, shape into four rounds, and leave on a greased baking tray to rise for 45 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when tapped underneath. Yield: 4 small loaves.

                    

                                      Older Posts

                   One Year Ago Today:                                                    Two Years Ago Today:

          Arista - Tuscan Herbed Pork Roast                          Bow Ties with Brussels Sprouts and Chorizo

              Three Years Ago Today:                                                    Four Years Ago Today: 

             Pumpkin Date Nut Squares                                                  Regency Ginger Crisps

Keep On Rolling - My Recipe Rotation - Buttermilk Yeast Rolls

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I have a terrible weakness for bread and whenever I bake these rolls I have to fight off my gluttonous instincts. I think it's the color of these rolls that does me in. At any rate, my lack of self-control means I don't bake them anywhere near as often as I'd like, but I can tell you they always appear on my holiday table. If you are at all comfortable making yeast breads, you'll find these are really not difficult to do and once you taste them you'll find they are addictive. Do try them.Here is what I had to say about them when they first appeared on One Perfect Bite.

I'm starting to put together the final menu for our Easter dinner, and wherever I can, I'm baking and freezing courses ahead of time. I decided to make molasses yeast rolls, as well as these buttermilk rolls, to accompany our meal. Both rolls are delicious and just as handsome as they can be, but the buttermilk rolls have a color that makes them the sirens of the bread kingdom. Would that I could, my Easter dinner would be a salad and as many of these rolls as my poor stomach could hold. I also made and froze the soup that I'll be serving as our starter course. That means I have to be more cautious with my make-ahead preparations from this point on, because the freezer is now as crowded as Tokyo subways at rush hour. If I'm really clever and carefully stack, I can squeeze one of the cakes I plan to serve in there as well. More about that tomorrow. These rolls are simple to make and they freeze well. I use poppy seeds for sprinkling because there is an old-world quality about them that I love. If you make and freeze the rolls, bring them to room temperature, wrap them in foil, warm in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes and they'll be as good as new. I do hope you'll give this recipe a try. I know your friends and family will love them. Here is how the rolls are made.

Limpa Bread Re-Visited

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Good Limpa bread is the yeast version of ambrosia. As a matter of fact, I'm sure the inhabitants of Mt. Olympus would have made it their food of choice had they been given the chance. Our weather has finally moderated, and my energy levels are back to what they should be, so, this afternoon, while I was still full of vim, and vigor, I decided to make some bread. I already had a shrimp salad in the refrigerator and I thought it would be a perfect topper for open-faced Limpa sandwiches. While I haven't made it in an age, the bread is a favorite of mine. I learned to make it in the kitchen of a neighbor when I was 12 years old. Pleasant memories, as well as its enormous flavor, continue to make it one of my breads of choice. The recipes I'm featuring tonight first appeared on One Perfect Bite in the fall of 2008. Those who made the bread loved it and I think you will too. Here's what I had to say back in the day.

Today is going to be a recipe "twofer". We older gals sometimes back ourselves into corners. To avoid the label "old" or, even worse, "passe" we do things that aren't really necessary - like today's bread. Bread making techniques have changed a lot in the last few years and I thought it would be nice to pass on a stored-dough, high-moisture loaf that uses a no-knead bread technique. I actually purchased (unusual for me) a copy of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, found a recipe for Swedish Limpa and went at it, despite the fact that I already had a lovely recipe in my files. What did I find? The new recipe requires advance planning; while time to shape may be 5 minutes, you'll need more time for mixing, rising and baking. The dough is slack and loose and is not easy to handle. That being said, I must say the end product is a very nice loaf of bread and it's very easy to make. I followed directions to a tee, as is my wont first time through a recipe, though I did omit the sugar from the cornstarch glaze because there's so much honey in the bread. You'll need a mixer with a dough hook or a strong arm to pull this off, but the bread is worth it. So is the book.

Trouble is I prefer my old, knead-me-till-you-die recipe. Joyce Carol Oates once said she "found comfort" in the daily routines of housekeeping. I feel that way about bread baking, so I'm going to include my old-fashioned version of Mrs. P's recipe as well. Take your pick, either method will produce a produce a wonderful Limpa bread.

Moomie Buns

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've changed our 4th of July menu. I just couldn't have the Silver Fox grilling in 95 degree weather. We just aren't use to those temperatures here in my little piece of paradise, so we may well end up having our holiday picnic on the floor of my living room. I've got a bunch of folks coming and because they are all special to me, I want to make sure they get the best my kitchen can provide. To that end, I've been up to my elbows in dough for sandwich buns. I'm using my favorite recipe for rolls that at one time were called Moomie Buns. Over time the required three changes have been made to her recipe and its name has been changed to Beautiful Burger Buns. I feel badly for Ellen, who was the creator of the recipe. She's a bit like the gal who created the Tunnel of Fudge Cake. Everybody liked their creations and while their recipes became famous, they were politely brushed aside. I still call these Moomie Buns out of respect for their creator, and if you are among the few who have never tried them, I urge you to do so. They are delicious and I know you will love them They have a bit more substance than store-bought rolls, and while I have shaped them as sandwich buns, you can let your imagination run wild and shape them in any way you please. I use a bit less sugar than is called for in the original recipe, but otherwise the recipe remains intact. Here is how these terrific rolls are made.

Poteca Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Poteca is a Slovenian buttery yeast-based pastry that is filled with ground walnuts or poppy seeds and prepared for holidays and special festive occasions such as weddings. Christmas is celebrated throughout Slovenia, though it is a simple affair whose focus remains church and family. Traditionally, the few gifts that are exchanged are food and candy for the children, but a festive table is set for both the Christmas and Easter holiday and Poteca, which is an original Slovenian specialty, will be served at both celebrations. It is considered to be a ritual blessing food and it has appeared on Slovenian tables since the 15th century. Needless-to-say, there are hundreds of recipes for this specialty bread, and, like many folks, I was hesitant to try any of them because the bread looked too complicated to try. This year I bit the bullet and decided to include it with our New Year's Day breakfast. Actually, along with a pineapple juice concoction that is better not discussed, it was our breakfast, and, hopefully, without sounding too full of myself, it turned out to be delicious. I settled on a recipe I found in a special Taste of Home publication called The Best Holiday Recipes and it did not disappoint, though it was not without challenges. This a really more a cake than a bread and while it is made with lots of yeast it rises very little. After the prescribed period of refrigeration, the dough remained brick-like, though it had come together in a cohesive mass. I had a moment of doubt and almost threw it out, but I decided to let the dough sit for about 30 minutes before I divided and rolled it. I must admit that I was not able to achieve the 20 x 20-inch square suggested in the recipe, but I was able to coax mine into an almost 16-inch square that I arbitrarily declared good enough. The rest of the instructions were easy to follow and I actually got both rings into the pan and an hour later had a Poteca that my family loved. It was not beautiful, but it was surprisingly tasty and much more like a cake than a bread. I urge any of you who have the time to give this very special coffee cake a try. It is delicious, and, yes, it had my socks going up and down. Here is the recipe for those of you enjoy a challenge.

French Bread Rolls

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Last week I spoke to you about finding really simple dishes to tuck in among the more more expensive and labor intensive components of a holiday meal. These rolls fall into the simple AND inexpensive category of any meal and they are a perfect addition to your Christmas or New Year's table. Folks who do not make bread don't understand how easy it can be to prepare, and they feel special when you make it for them. This recipe has been around for a very long time, but I'm such a snob that I never dreamed that something so simple to make could be company worthy, so it's taken me forever to give it a try. Don't make my mistake. While I've found a lot of pretenders, I can't find the original source of the recipe or to whom it should be attributed, so, save for telling you that it is not an original creation, I have no idea where to point you for the original recipe. 'Nuff said! Here is how these rolls are made. Do try them. Simple! Simple! Simple!

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Thinking about what to serve on Christmas morning? You probably want something delicious, but with the crew gathered around the tree, I suspect you also want something that is easy to make, so you can be with them, rather than in the kitchen. These overnight rolls are a marvelous solution to that dilemma. With a bit of forethought, you can chill and shape them on Christmas Eve and allow them to rise while you unwrap your Christmas gifts. This recipe comes to you with some options for filling the dough before it is rolled. While I prefer the standard cinnamon filling, I can honestly tell you that the chocolate and orange-spice fillings are also delicious. As most of you know, I'm not a fan of overly sweet breads or pastry, so I use less glaze than is suggested in the recipe below. I also use just one teaspoon of vanilla extract when I make mine, as I think the full measure is too much of a good thing. This is a personal preference, so if you have a demanding sweet tooth, by all means use all of the glaze and live dangerously with the vanilla. I love to serve these warm. If you make them ahead of time, do warm them before serving. I hope you'll give this recipe a try. Here is how these memory-making rolls are made.

Overnight Refrigerator Rolls

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...While nothing says lovin' like fresh bread from the oven, the countdown to Christmas has begun, and finding time to make it is a trick that Houdini would envy. Over the years, homemakers have countered the press of time with recipes that make the addition of fresh bread and rolls to meals possible, even at this busy time of year. When my children were still young, I relied heavily on refrigerator rolls to add that special lovin' touch to breakfast and dinner during the holiday season. Refrigerator dough, which requires no kneading, can be made several days before it's to be baked and it can be sweetened to taste and shaped to please the eye of the cook and her family. Basic refrigerator dough is damp when it is first mixed, and it is hard to believe that the shaggy mess sitting in the bowl will be fit for anything, much less bread or rolls. Refrigeration is the key. When working with these doughs, it is important they be properly chilled before shaping. The colder the dough, the easier it will be to make your rolls. I made man-sized buns for dinner tonight, but last week I used the same dough to make cloverleaf rolls. I do hope you'll keep this recipe in mind as the holiday approaches. It's a time saver and the rolls are quite nice. Here is how they are made.

Provençal Orange-Scented Christmas Bread - Pompe à l’Huile

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I am always drawn to holiday recipes whose roots can be found in regional or religious tradition. I was delighted when I stumbled on this bread which, in Provence, is part of the traditional le gros super, or Christmas Eve dinner. While this is a meatless feast, it is one that is rich in symbolism that has its core in the Trinity. In keeping with the Trinity, tables are set with three candles and three layers of tablecloths that have knots tied at the corners. The knots are to prevent evil spirits from using the cloth to make their way into the family. The cloths remain on the table for the three days of Christmas, and on Christmas Eve crumbs are left on the table to provide sustenance for the souls of ancestors, who are believed to visit the home while the family is at midnight Mass. The meal begins with a light soup that is followed by a fish course and vegetables that are flavored with aioli. There may also be a salad of bitter winter greens and a cheese course. However, the highlight of the feast is the les treize, a collection of 13 simple desserts. It's thought that the number symbolizes Christ and the 13 apostles. Tangerines or oranges and dried fruits and nuts accompany Pompe à l’Huile, a bread which is made with olive oil and scented with orange-flower water. While it sounds overwhelming, each type of fruit and nut is considered a dessert and the number 13 is easily reached. Some of the dried fruits and nuts are also symbolic, and almonds, hazelnuts, raisins and figs are called the four beggars, or les quarte mendiants, because their colors mirror the robes of mendicant orders. The type of fruits and nuts and candies will vary from one family to another, but the orange-scented Christmas bread will be found in all homes. Traditionally, the bread is shaped like a ladder that resembles fougasse, another famous regional bread. I tried to emulate the traditional shape, but the rungs of my ladder closed as the bread rose. I have relied heavily on a recipe that was developed by Martha Rose Shulman, and to avoid the problem, she suggests the bread be shaped into a ball or baked in a brioche pan. If you decide to make the bread, remember you have options as to how it is shaped. This is a barely sweet bread that has a subtle orange flavor. Sweet lovers will have difficulty classifying this as a dessert, but I think they'll love the bread for breakfast. It makes wonderful toast. If you have a stand mixer, you'll find this is an easy bread to prepare. The dough for this bread is damp and that may be off-putting to new bakers, but it does come together as it rises. I do hope you'll give this traditional recipe a try this holiday season. Here is how the bread is made.