Wednesday 4 May 2011

Chocolate Chilli and Lime Bread

Yes, it's from the Green & Black's cookbook! (And no, I'm not being paid to make all of these recipes.) I haven't made bread from scratch since Food Technology lessons in year 9, when we made bread, and I really really wanted to do well so I could get a green slip. Green slips were like getting merits, but green and had stars on it. If you got a red slip, you were in trouble. If you got three green slips, you got something really cool and special.

Or maybe it was just a letter home. I forget.


Again this is something I made a while ago, and saving till now to post. It was actually quite a nice recipe, except for one teeny tiny small change I'd make next time:



As you can see, the book suggests serving with a seafood start such as smoked salmon. As experimental, or 'interesting', as I like to try my food, I think I'd have to draw the line at chocolate, chilli, lime AND salmon.


Montezuma actually make a chilli chocolate and lime chocolate bar, which I've not tasted. I would like to try it, just so I could sit and be all 'aaah so this is how it tastes', but then, as with the bread, I wish the lime would just go away and leave me to enjoy the chocolate on its own (same goes with the chilli).

I guess though that this would be the time to try new things, before I get old and my tastebuds go funny (does that happen?) and everything tastes like cabbage. Unless, of course, I'm making cabbage soup.

And even so, it's nice to make bread. It a great way to spend a day, not really doing anything. The smell of freshly baked bread is one of the best things about baking. It's like wandering around the bakery department of Sainsbury's, but in the comfort of your own home (and therefore not looking like a bit of weirdo).

I also tried to find some interesting facts on lime to post here, but I got nothing. The lime is a very boring fruit it seems. Chilli, on the other hand...I might save it for when I do that post on vodka chilli chocolates. I'm sure I'll have a lot to say about that!

But still, I have made bread from scratch, and I think that's a pretty good life skill to have.


Lesson learned today: How to make bread, of course :)

Chocolate, chilli & lime bread


from the Green & Black’s cookbook (with slightly adapted method)

Preparation time: 40 minutes
Proving time: 35 minutes
Cooking time: 20-25 minutes
Use: 900g loaf tin

15g active dried yeast
25g brown sugar
400ml warm water
450g strong white bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
125g dark chocolate, minimum 60% cocoa solids, chopped
1 ½ fresh limes
1 dried red chilli pepper
50ml olive oil

Mix together the yeast, sugar and 300ml warm water to activate the yeast. Set aside in a warm place for about 15 minutes.

Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Add the chocolate and the zest of one of the limes. Thinly slice and chop the lime, skin on, and add half to the mixture with the juice from the other half lime. De-seed and finely chop the chilli pepper and add to the mixture. Add in the olive oil and mix roughly.

Once the yeast has become activated and frothed up, add it to the mixture and mix thoroughly by hand.

As a dough ball starts to form, use your judgment to add as much of the remaining warm water and continue to mix. The dough should be moist but not wet. If the dough becomes too wet, sprinkle in some extra flour to absorb the excess moisture. Continue to work the dough for 15 minutes.

Place the dough on a floured baking tray. Cover with a clean damp dishcloth and leave in a warm place for at least 30 minutes to prove.

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Lightly oil the loaf tin with olive oil and put the dough in it, pressing and shaping, not too firmly. Cover with the dishcloth and leave to rise for another 30 minutes.

Put the tin in the oven, and then turn off the oven and leave the tin in the oven to stand for a further 15 minutes. Then turn the oven on again and preheat to 220C and bake for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, turn the bread out of the tin and tap the bottom with a wooden spoon – it should sound hollow. If it does, place the load on a wire rack to cool; if it doesn’t, return to the oven (without the tin) for a further 5 minutes.

44 comments:

  1. I LOVE it! I am a big fan of bread. When you said you really want to do well on making bread, I was like oh yes she's serious, her bread must taste good! This is so unique in terms of ingredients and immediately get a great attention. Arh... I wish I can try this bread, seriously.

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  2. This is interesting combo and yours turned out perfect and beautiful!

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  3. This bread seems half way between sweet and savoury. I would leave out lime also, save it for margaritas:)

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  4. Thanks for the comments, it is a really interesting recipe but it does have an amazing texture :)

    @Three-Cookies Thank you so much! That would be my first award, I feel honoured :) I will hop over to that link now!

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  5. Your bread looks beautiful and the ingredients are really interesting, sounds delicious. I have not tried lime with chocolate before! You are really baking your way through this book, many more to go? Wish I could have your patience! :)

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  6. You're absolutely right, serving this bread with fish would be really odd. Maybe if the chocolate was omitted it would make more sense, but who on Earth would want to omit chocolate? LOL, especially when it's a chocolate cookbook!

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  7. You got my attention with chili and chocolate! I love the flavour combo ... and you really should find a chili chocolate bar ... preferably really dark bittersweet chocolate. So good and even better with a cup of coffee on the side to goo that chocolate up in your mouth!

    I'm liking the idea of lime too, but hold way back ... maybe just a bit of juice and the zest from the lime in the dough ... how 'bout that idea? At any rate, I will make this bread at some point ... that is when I can figure out the grams to standard measure conversions! They always grab me by the butt and confuse the hell out of me! Yikes!

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  8. Very interesting recipe, never heard of it before but the combination sounds soooo good, and the bread look Yummy too :)

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  9. You're really quite adventurous! I like to play save, especially when I bake because I really s*** at baking ;). The bread itself looks wonderful, but I doubt I would combine both chili and chocolate together, even though I have seen chocolate/chilli bars very often here...;).

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  10. @kitchen flavours yep, I've got a countdown on the side of the page, so close!

    @Victoria You're right, I'd have chocolate over fish anytime :)

    @Munatycooking Thank you, it's an interesting combination but it's worth trying!

    @Cooking Gallery What do you mean, you're great at baking! I saw that gingerbread house you made on your blog, it was AH-MAZING :D

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  11. I haven't heard of this combination in bread before. It looks great!

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  12. How interesting, Love this idea. I am a brea failure

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  13. @Susan
    Thanks for the idea actually, that does sound like a goo compromise :) I'm sure they ad lemon juice to things all the time, just to increase the flavour, so this would work!

    Sorry about the confusing measurements, maybe I should do both on my new posts... to be fair I just got the most amazing cookbook but everything is in 'cups' which confuses me! :p

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  14. wow what an exotic combination of flavours! that's so creative, and although i honestly cannot imagine the taste of these 3 flavours put together, i must say i'm intrigued! and that bread looks really beautiful!

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  15. holy cow this is awesome!
    beautiful photos!!
    i just passed on the stylish blogger award to you :)
    http://www.whatkatiesbaking.com/2011/05/cake-ball-trifle-and-linky-party.html

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  16. I've never made bread like this before. It looks really tasty! Thanks for sharing:)

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  17. Your bread looks beautiful. I agree; there is nothing like making and eating homemade bread. Very interesting flavors going on in there too. I probably would like it best with just chocolate, though, also:)

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  18. Beautiful bread- I love the flavors! I've never tried a bread like this, but now I want to! :)

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  19. *gasp* I just HAVE to make this! It sounds totally awesome!

    And what's up with the vodka chili chocolates??? I'm just DYING for you to post about that! I have no idea how hard they are to make, but doesn't matter...I love chili and chocolate together. I can't wait till you share that recipe too! :)

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  20. Sounds very interesting! I love homemade bread... nothing beats it! I agree - it's a great skill to have! I am going to try your recipe without the lime & chilli too! :) Thanks for sharing...

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  21. great bread loving your green and black cookbooks adventures

    Rebecca

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  22. Lovely! there's nothing like homemade bread for sure - very unique flavour combo too :)

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  23. Wow...very interesting loaf of bread! These ingredients are used in chili con carne but never thought of using it in a loaf of bread. There are few things that beat the smell of bread baking in the oven.

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  24. Homemade bread is the best and with these flavors you can't lose!

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  25. That bread looks so smooth and to die for! What an awesome combination of flavors. *drool*

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  26. Your bread looks beautiful!!
    With chilli pepper is amazing!!

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  27. Chili and lime? That sounds so unique - and it looks delicious. Nice and fluffy and smooth...yum.

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  28. Great that you've made your first bread! My daughter, who's 14, made her first loaf at age 8 and it kind of freaked me out....in a good way, of course. She seemed to be born with baker's genes and hands, and now teaches me a lot of things about bread. I really like this recipe, but I think I would include either the lime or the chilli, not both. Chocolate's definitely in there!

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  29. Interesting. I like chocolate and chili; I like chili and lime. I should try all three together and see what I think. The bread looks beautiful.

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  30. this looks delicious!

    and by the way you can find coconut sugar in any asian grocery store it is the cheapest place to get it and you can break it up yourself - dont bother getting the one already in sugar granules form - it is more expensive..!

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  31. Your bread looks fantastic. But I know what you mean. The ingredients worked well together, but it might just have been better without the lime - not so sure about the chilli though!

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  32. Your bread looks terrific, but please don't ever say lime is boring! I love it! I'll have to check out that cookbook sometime.

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  33. Ooh! These are some killer flavors going on! I love the presentation too!! :) ♥- Katrina

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  34. Oh this is one interesting recipe. Looking at the ingredients got me wondering 'could this be god?' But looking at the pictures you took, probably it's delish and a worth recipe to try. Thanks for sharing such a unique recipe,

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  35. I have heard some great things about that cookbook, I need to check it out. Such a unique flavour combination. Very cool.
    *kisses* HH

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  36. Bread and seafood is probably not unusual. Since I do a lot of French cuisine, it is quite common to dip bread and even fries in classic dishes like bouillabaisse and mussels marinières.

    I would agree with Beth, lime is a wonderful ingredient, especially for ceviche :)

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  37. Baking bread still scares me but your loaf looks perfect! Love the photography in this post.

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  38. Oh I love this fiesty combination. Only wish I could try a slice too =D

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  39. What an interesting combo! I bet it is yummy! :)

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  40. Looks great - I think flavoured bread can be delicious.
    I've made a Green & Blacks recipe this weekend - I'm posting it later!

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  41. Spicy bread is so new to me.. Love it.. congrats on ur green slip :)

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  42. Just beautiful! love the look of that bread.

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    Replies
    1. Ha ha, i just foudn this site... It was me!! i discovered (or invented) this combination some years ago now and entered the recipe in a Green & Blacks Competition, getting to the finals, thus why the recipe made its way into the G&B Cookbook (along with an almost poetic desription, added by others, of a kitchen i dont have!!)

      The original recipe was made as a bread to toast and serve with Smoked Salmon and Scrambled Egg - toasting really brings out all the flavours in the bread, each of which compliments the salmon and egg but it also works well with a good Tomato Soup!

      Anyhow, i'm glad most of you enjoy it!!

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    2. Hello! That was some creative invention you made there :) And thanks for sharing it with all of us, it was definitely interesting to make! Haha, I bet your imaginary kitchen would have been lovely anyway :)

      Yes smoked salmon and scrambled egg rings a bell - was that a suggestion in the recipe? I shall be trying with that next time!

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