Raspberry JamBread

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (sifted)
• 1/2 cup cake flour (sifted)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon instant dry yeast or Active Dry Yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon orange zest (optional)
• 1 cup milk (scalded (instructions below) and cooled to lukewarm)
• 1 whole egg + 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup thick raspberry jam
• 1 egg (for egg wash)
• powdered sugar

Instructions

1. 1

   Scald the milk: In a small saucepan, heat the milk until steaming and small bubbles form around the edges (not quite to the boil). Remove from heat and let cook to lukewarm. If using Active Dry yeast, once the milk has cooled to 105F, add the Active yeast, stir and let stand 5 minutes. Add this yeast mixture below when milk is specified.

2. 2

   Butter or spray two 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pans and set aside (you can use 8x4, if that's all you have. It will be a little tight lengthwise, but it should work).

3. 3

   In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl), combine both flours, yeast, sugar, and salt. Add the lukewarm milk, eggs, vanilla, vegetable oil (and the orange zest, if using). Mix then knead by hand, or using your mixer. Mix until the dough is smooth but slightly sticky. Add more flour as needed. The more moist your dough is, the more tender your bread will be, so only add enough flour to bring the dough to a point where it can be kneaded (it should be moist, but shouldn't stick to your hands). Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

4. 4

   Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out into a rectangle about 16 inches by 16 inches. It should be about 1/2 inch thick. Using a pastry cutter, a pizza cutter, or a knife, cut the dough into 4-inch x 4-inch squares. You'll have 16 squares.

5. 5

   Using your index finger, make a small indentation in the centre each square. Place about 1 tsp. of jam in the centre. (*Don't over-fill or you'll quickly have a jammy mess on your hands :) To shape, pick up each piece of dough and pinch the opposite sides together, until it's well sealed. Pinch the sides as well, making sure that all edges are sealed, or your jam will leak out as it cooks. The dough should be sticky enough so that it sticks together well. Note: if you'd like to use two different flavours of jam - one for each loaf - fill 8 rolls with one kind of jam and the other 8 with another kind.

6. 6

   Repeat these steps until all rolls are made. Place 8 rolls side by side into one of the prepared loaf pans, with the seams down. Repeat with the other 8 rolls in the other pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set to rise another 20-30 minutes. They will rise a bit more.

7. 7

   Preheat oven to 350° F.

8. 8

   Before putting in the oven, brush the rolls with an egg wash (1 well beaten egg).

9. 9

   Bake them for about 22 - 25, until nice and golden brown and they sound hollow when tapped.

10. 10

    Allow to cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, then run a knife around the edges and remove loaf to a cooling rack to cool completely. Once cooled, serve sprinkled with a generous amount of powdered sugar.