Pistachio Coffee Ring

Unshelled Pistachios - Flickr Creative Commons ASA License



Pistachio Kernels - Photobucket Creative Commons ASA License





From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...My husband loves pistachio nuts, so when I saw this recipe I had to give it a try. It was developed by James Beard and I've never been disappointed with his recipes. I think I began this adventure with expectations that were too high. This is the type of bread that old timers called a race track. The race track is formed when a rectangle of dough, covered or smeared with a filling, is rolled into a cylinder that, when cut, will show spiral tracks of whatever was used as a filling. Now comes the hard part. I hate to contradict a master, but Beard thought this to be "one of the best breads of this kind I have ever had." I found this to be a very ordinary bread made expensive by its use of pistachio nuts. There is nothing wrong with it, but neither is there anything here that's worthy of commendation. If you like coffee breads, or are a fan of pistachios, you may like this bread, so I'm posting the recipe with reservations. While it is gorgeous to look at, it's too sweet to be a bread and not sweet enough to be a coffee cake. I'll let you judge for yourself. Here's the recipe.

Pistachio Coffee Ring...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided use
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup warm milk
8 tablespoons softened butter, divided use
2 teaspoons salt
3 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup shelled, salted pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions:
1) Combine yeast, 1 tablespoon sugar and water in a large mixing bowl. Set aside to proof, about 5 minutes. Add milk, 4 tablespoons butter, salt and 1/2 cup granulated sugar to yeast mixture. Add flour, a cup at a time, beating well after each addition. I used 3-1/2 cups flour to mix and 1/2 cup to knead.
2) Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Form into a ball, place in a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm spot until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
3) Melt reserved 4 tablespoons butter. Set aside. Grease a cookie sheet or baking pan. Set aside. Punch dough down and turn onto a floured board. Let relax for about 10 minutes. Roll into a 18 x 12-inch rectangle. Brush surface of dough with butter. Sprinkle with reserved sugar and pistachio nuts. Using long end, roll dough as for a jelly roll, sealing each seam as you roll. Join ends of roll and seal together to form a ring. Transfer ring to baking sheet. Slice 2/3 of the way into ring at 3/4-inch intervals. Twist each slice to right so filling is facing upwards. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Brush surface of ring with beaten egg. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until nicely brown. Cool on a wire rack. Yield: 12 servings.

Other coffee rings can be found at:
Recipes for the Future - Almond/Pecan Coffee Ring
Annie's Eats - Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
breadbasketcase - Chocolate Almond Coffee Cake Ring

This recipe is linked to:
Wild Yeast - Yeast Spotting