ILC Project: Operation Red Bread

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I want to develop a bright red bread. I'm not talking about anything like this, but a traditional yeasted sandwich loaf. Could even be a braid [Dark Pumpernickle and Hearty Red would be nifty!), or spiraled, or a hearth-style loaf. Anything I can play with and build from.

Here are my limitations:

1) No artificial colors or coloring agents.
2) No ingredients added solely for the purpose of coloring.
3) Relative inexpensive, readily available ingredients.
4) The heartier the better. Preferably using at least some rye.

From any useful suggestions I'll bash-together a recipe, bake it off, photograph it, and serve it to a group of unforwarned dinner guests. See what happens. No strychnine, please.

― Remy (x Jeremy), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 05:38 (twenty years ago)

So far I'm thinking a burgandy/date bread might be good. But that might turn out purple, which I don't want. Nasturtiums are a possibility, too. But they're kind of had to come by.

― Remy (x Jeremy), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 05:42 (twenty years ago)

I am not a baker really but am thinking: cranberries, sun-dried tomatoes, beetroot.

― Archel (Archel), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 07:59 (twenty years ago)

Cranberries are a really good suggestion! I wonder if I could macerate them, or even begin with a high-quality commercial cranberry sauce?

― Remy (x Jeremy), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 08:26 (twenty years ago)

Raspberry brioche? Not sandwich, but it would be wicked for bread & butter pudding.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 08:43 (twenty years ago)

yes it would, possibly with white chocolate?

― Matt (Matt), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 08:58 (twenty years ago)

The suggestion that I had been going for when I tried this (and I was hoping for a somewhat dark, blood red) was to boil beets in water and then use the beetwater. It provides a slight hint of curious (in a good way) flavor, and the hint even suggested cutting it with half water to make pink breads (which would please little girls, was the theory).

Well, I had some leftover beets that I had roasted but not eaten, and I boiled them for a while. The water looked very red. But the flour lightened the mixture and made a pink dough, which then ended up being just barely pink rolls.

Things I would do differently:

* Boil the beets longer, to get more redness in the water.
* Choose a darker bread to do this with. Although the hint came along with a suggestion for dinner rolls, I suspect basing it on something other than white bread might help (although perhaps not for the red color that you're looking for).

Your guests will probably be warned unless you've figured out a way to keep the crust from being tinted red as well! (Another reason why a nice dark bread would help.)

― Casuistry (Chris P), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 15:47 (twenty years ago)

Anyway I'm up for trying this again, especially now (as people who read "Artisan" might be happy to hear) that I once again have a camera!

― Casuistry (Chris P), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 15:48 (twenty years ago)

why not puree the beets, and then add some whole raspberries for interest?

― teeny (teeny), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 16:50 (twenty years ago)

Actually... I once had a cornish hen served w. a cranberry / beet reduction. Ignoring the hen, I wonder if this flavor-pairing would translate well to bread? The heavy beety-earthiness might be nicely counterpointed by the piquancy of the berries. Hmm...

― Remy (x Jeremy), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 18:38 (twenty years ago)

I would say it's worth a try! And definitely report your results here -- I would love to hear how the bread turned out.

― Leon Federline (Ex Leon), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 20:45 (twenty years ago)

Hmmm...

― Casuistry (Chris P), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 22:25 (twenty years ago)

Step one: I went to La Brea Bakery today and asked for suggestions. Nobody had any brilliant ideas, but a few suggestions were:

pureed sundried tomato (though I understand this is quite acidic, and likely to turn the bread orange instead of red)

oven-roasted red pepper

pomegranate seeds (?)

though none of these add up to surefire hits. As a brioche (say) raspberries are taking the lead.

― Remy (x Jeremy), Wednesday, 25 May 2005 04:11 (twenty years ago)

Sundried tomatoes do indeed leave bread orange.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 25 May 2005 06:48 (twenty years ago)

I imagine it would be bright orange! Sundried tomatoes always seem to go orange-y on me in regular cooking situations.

― Leon Federline (Ex Leon), Wednesday, 25 May 2005 17:09 (twenty years ago)

Paprika?

― Jaq (Jaq), Friday, 27 May 2005 18:12 (twenty years ago)

I'm doing a trial run right now -- photos coming soon!

― Remy (x Jeremy), Friday, 27 May 2005 23:59 (twenty years ago)

Paprika! You are mad! ;-)

It would go well with the beets, perhaps, though.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Saturday, 28 May 2005 17:39 (twenty years ago)

Photos here. I'm not terribly pleased with this batch. The spiral loaf is fine, but it's still pinky-magenta and not truly red. And the taste from the beets (1c. pureed w. liquid) is a bit acrid. I'm not sure how to give it more body, but it's a little bit too tangy, with a funny aftertaste. The honey-sunflower I rolled w. it is a nice counterpart, though.

As for the braid: I didn't oil the plastic wrap well-enough before I covered the bread. Hence: when I took it off it rippled and half-deflated the top. The braid rose verrry quickly, and has a much nicer texture than the sandwich spiral. Also: this is my lunch. The lemon yogurt I made, too.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/jcoombs/bread/one.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/jcoombs/bread/three.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/jcoombs/bread/four.jpg

― Remy (x Jeremy), Saturday, 28 May 2005 22:53 (twenty years ago)

^ great picture dude!!!!!!

― Cool Hand Luuke (ex machina), Sunday, 29 May 2005 04:57 (twenty years ago)

that swirl looks good.

maybe not paprika but pimenton, which does tend to dye everything red, maybe even sliver of chorizo (chorizo seems to be the answer to all of life's troubles lately)

― Porkpie (porkpie), Sunday, 29 May 2005 14:08 (twenty years ago)

The spiral seems like a good idea, and that is pinker than my bread turned out. Did you use any dark flours?

― Casuistry (Chris P), Monday, 30 May 2005 15:26 (twenty years ago)

I was thinking of that sweet smoked paprika, which I think is similar if not the same as pimentón. There might need to be a mix of reddish spices and extracts, to get a nice deep red color as well as interesting flavor. Some saffron and cinnamon, and maybe some egg yolk in the bread as well as darker flours.

I think the beets made a lovely shade though - that swirled bread looks fantastic!

― Jaq (Jaq), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 00:48 (twenty years ago)

Remy, you're the total bomb package, but "Talk To Her" sucked.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 02:42 (twenty years ago)

ooh this looks yummy! Pink bread is of course a fantastic idea! :-)

― PinXorchiXoR (Pinkpanther), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 09:55 (twenty years ago)

I love the pictures.

― Leon Federline (Ex Leon), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 18:10 (twenty years ago)

pimenton is sweet smoked paprika, yes

― Porkpie (porkpie), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 18:24 (twenty years ago)

I think your problem might be that if you're mixing anything with flour, the result is going to be more pinky than red, because flour is white. Are there any grains that produce red flour?

― Madchen (Madchen), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 08:03 (twenty years ago)

Turmeric seems to stain everything I touch it with red - could be nice in a spicy bread, tho the flavour would dominate I suppose.

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 09:01 (twenty years ago)

Actually no now I think about it that'd come out more yellow, wouldnt it?

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 09:02 (twenty years ago)

Ground red rice as part of the flour component? Mixed with some rye for depth of colour? Geez, this is difficult.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 13:29 (twenty years ago)

BLOOD :D

― Trayce (trayce), Thursday, 2 June 2005 00:45 (twenty years ago)

Actually there is something else - cochineal. I know it technically counts as a food colouring, but it isnt, its ground up bug, and that would get pretty red.

― Trayce (trayce), Thursday, 2 June 2005 00:45 (twenty years ago)

Actually there is something else - cochineal.

Oooh! Good one, Trayce!

― Jaq (Jaq), Thursday, 2 June 2005 01:44 (twenty years ago)

Yeah except one of Jer's specifications was:
No ingredients added solely for the purpose of coloring.

Which is why I wasnt sure if it counted.

― Trayce (trayce), Thursday, 2 June 2005 03:42 (twenty years ago)

You mean you *don't* eat bugs just for the delicious flavour? Huh.

Wonder if you can get rice flour that's made from red rice?

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 2 June 2005 07:14 (twenty years ago)

You might have to grind it yourself, and that's definitely a bridge too far.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Thursday, 2 June 2005 09:16 (twenty years ago)

Its funny that - on a bit of an aside (mayhap a new thread topic) I was thinking the other day how nice and theraputic itd be to go back to the old ways - sitting by a campfire pounding grain for breads and such, slowly cooking rice, an almost meditative act while the men are out gettin' the dead cow or whatever, and we ladyfolk pass down wisdom of the ages over a bubbling vat of rice or a stone oven with baking bread.

Sometimes modern life just gets to me, I think.

― Trayce (trayce), Saturday, 4 June 2005 04:02 (twenty years ago)

Here's a thread about making your own convenience products the old-fashioned way. Doesn't really touch on the zen or community aspects of cooking though. I can relate to what you mean though - we moved from a huge urban area to a smaller farm-oriented area last year. There are lots of Amish/Mennonite farmers out here which lends itself to yearning for the "simple" life.

― Jaq (Jaq), Saturday, 4 June 2005 16:04 (twenty years ago)

Dude, grinding grain by hand is no fun whatsoever, it's hard, painful labour and you'll never get all the grit out so your teeth get broken and worn down after a while of eating bread made from the flour you produce. Mediaevalism is not as romantic as all that.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Wednesday, 8 June 2005 10:53 (twenty years ago)

Also your hips and knees get ground away to nothing from all the rocking back and forth.

― Mädchen (Madchen), Wednesday, 8 June 2005 12:39 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, okay, that's too much work. But I'll probably still make tomato paste this fall. That was mostly just standing around, stirring.

― Jaq (Jaq), Thursday, 9 June 2005 15:34 (twenty years ago)

I never really thought about the whole gritty, unprocessed grain thing per bread. I guess I was thinking of all those docos and cooking shows where you see Sri Lankan or African or whatever women making floury flatbreads and curries and things. But thats hardly ancient methods, just 3rd world ones.

I still sometimes want to run away from it all and live in a farmhouse and do everything myself, I'd rather that than the responsibility of work, bills, social life and modern hell sometimes.

But ah, thats for another board =)

― Trayce (trayce), Friday, 10 June 2005 00:34 (twenty years ago)

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