This week’s bread in the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge is called Artos and it’s a Greek celebration bread. It’s a spiced-up bread that’s usually served as a boule with a decorative cross over top. There are variations, such as ones that include fruit and nuts. I initially opted for the plain version and made it into a loaf simply out of laziness and for no other good reason. 
Except for pain…
I halved the recipe and converted it into grams. I also omitted the instant yeast, instead going entirely with my 100% hydration sourdough starter for the poolish. I omitted the cloves because cloves do not react kindly with me and allspice because we can’t get it here. I added mace, ground as fine as I could (it comes whole at the grocery store – chunks of holey plastic-like alien blobs) – as well as ground cardamom. I further halved the almond extract because ours is vey very strong and a huge mistake to add too much, as I have learned – repeatedly – from prior experience.
Here’s my list of ingredients:.
- 100 grams (3 1/2 ounces) sourdough starter (100% hydration)
- 1 large egg, slightly beaten
- 38 grams (1.34 ounces) honey
- 29 grams (1 ounces) olive oil
- 85 grams (3 ounces) milk, lukewarm
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/8 teaspoon ground mace
- 1/2 teaspoon key lime zest
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 360 grams flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
I was going to add raisins, dates, and cashews, but I threw my back out doing the kneading. The dates would have required pitting and chopping while the cashews would have required chopping & toasting. I just wasn’t upfor it. Next time…
Usually when I make bread, I go with low-knead or stretch-and-fold techniques that are not hard on my very problematic joints, but because the whole point of doing this challenge, for me, was to learn about making better bread, I decided to follow Peter Reinhart’s instructions, including all the kneading, getting a better feel for the texture and handling, and also figuring out the window pane test.
Unfortunately, my back is a huge problem. Here it is, an hour later, and I’m still in massive pain. My hands are, too, but they don’t make me want to curl up in a ball and whimper. And no, no decent mixers in this country. A cwappy one I have, and I’ll have to start using it next time…
At 1 1/2 hours for the first rise, the bread had definitely doubled in volume. I created a fake, uh, whatchamacallit, free-form loaf shaping thing. Two sets of rolled up towels to either side of an aluminum 9×13" cake tin, plastic sheet coated in oil on top, and shaped loaf wedged in the middle. I have no idea if the ends are going to end up misshapen, or, for that matter, the whole thing.
Life is an experiment. 
At somewhere around an hour to an hour and a half (the alarm on my phone got shut off by accident), the loaf had risen to at least double. Hallelujah! I dumped it onto a baking sheet, whereupon it immediately and unceremoniously spread out. I slit the top of the bread – slashed would be the proper term, but either way, it’s beginning to sound a bit like a cliche from a horror film.
And then I dumped it in the oven. And since I’d forgotten to mist it, opened the oven door a minute later, dragged it out, misted it, and shoved it back in.
Did the turn-turn-turn thing at 20 minutes (nice oven spring!), checked on it 20 minutes later, and yep, it’s got great color. Declared it done sans thermometer and let it cool.
I didn’t cut into it until this morning. Nice, tight crumb, slices evenly and thinly. Smells fruity. I like! Fahim, the hubby, thought it was a little spicy – too much cinnamon, possibly. He doesn’t like cinnamon. I love cinnamon. I would have doubled the cinnamon. I guess I’ll leave the cinnamon levels where they are, or possibly a bit less to appease him.
We mostly ate it for breakfast with butter and jam and liked it! And I’m going to make the fruit & nut version. Fahim loves fruit and nuts in his breakfast bread and I’m all about making the boy happy.
Additionally, I’m submitting this post to Yeastspotting, a weekly showcase of truly drool-worthy breads. In addition to this being part of Sourdough Saturday here on my blog.
[pg-image src="http://pics.laurieashton.com/tn/20090526-01.jpg" link="http://album.laurieashton.com/v/SriLanka/kitchen/20090526-01.jpg.html" caption="happy sourdough starter, raring to go " alt=""] [pg-image src="http://pics.laurieashton.com/tn/20090526-02.jpg" link="http://album.laurieashton.com/v/SriLanka/kitchen/20090526-02.jpg.html" caption="mace (orange), nutmeg (brown), cardamom (green)" alt=""] [pg-image src="http://pics.laurieashton.com/tn/20090526-05.jpg" link="http://album.laurieashton.com/v/SriLanka/kitchen/20090526-05.jpg.html" caption="ground spices" alt=""] [pg-image src="http://pics.laurieashton.com/tn/20090526-06.jpg" link="http://album.laurieashton.com/v/SriLanka/kitchen/20090526-06.jpg.html" caption="just-mixed dough" alt="Artos - Greek Celebration Bread"] [pg-image src="http://pics.laurieashton.com/tn/20090526-34.jpg" link="http://album.laurieashton.com/v/SriLanka/kitchen/20090526-34.jpg.html" caption="beginning of first rise" alt="Artos - Greek Celebration Bread"] [pg-image src="http://pics.laurieashton.com/tn/20090526-35.jpg" link="http://album.laurieashton.com/v/SriLanka/kitchen/20090526-35.jpg.html" caption="beginning of first rise, side view" alt="Artos - Greek Celebration Bread"] [pg-image src="http://pics.laurieashton.com/tn/20090526-36.jpg" link="http://album.laurieashton.com/v/SriLanka/kitchen/20090526-36.jpg.html" caption="end of first rise" alt="Artos - Greek Celebration Bread"] [pg-image src="http://pics.laurieashton.com/tn/20090526-46.jpg" link="http://album.laurieashton.com/v/SriLanka/kitchen/20090526-46.jpg.html" caption="end of first rise, side view" alt="Artos - Greek Celebration Bread"] [pg-image src="http://pics.laurieashton.com/tn/20090526-47.jpg" link="http://album.laurieashton.com/v/SriLanka/kitchen/20090526-47.jpg.html" caption="fake banneton/free-form loaf shaping thingie" alt=""] [pg-image src="http://pics.laurieashton.com/tn/20090526-48.jpg" link="http://album.laurieashton.com/v/SriLanka/kitchen/20090526-48.jpg.html" caption="beginning of second rise" alt="Artos - Greek Celebration Bread"] [pg-image src="http://pics.laurieashton.com/tn/20090526-50.jpg" link="http://album.laurieashton.com/v/SriLanka/kitchen/20090526-50.jpg.html" caption="end of second rise" alt="Artos - Greek Celebration Bread"] [pg-image src="http://pics.laurieashton.com/tn/20090526-51.jpg" link="http://album.laurieashton.com/v/SriLanka/kitchen/20090526-51.jpg.html" caption="slashed and waiting to bake" alt="Artos - Greek Celebration Bread"] [pg-image src="http://pics.laurieashton.com/tn/20090526-54.jpg" link="http://album.laurieashton.com/v/SriLanka/kitchen/20090526-54.jpg.html" caption="side view - finished loaf" alt="Artos - Greek Celebration Bread"] [pg-image src="http://pics.laurieashton.com/tn/20090527-00.jpg" link="http://album.laurieashton.com/v/SriLanka/kitchen/20090527-00.jpg.html" caption="cut loaf" alt="Artos - Greek Celebration Bread"] [pg-image src="http://pics.laurieashton.com/tn/20090527-01.jpg" link="http://album.laurieashton.com/v/SriLanka/kitchen/20090527-01.jpg.html" caption="thin slices" alt="Artos - Greek Celebration Bread"]
Howdy and welcome to my site! I'm Laurie and I'll be your, er, hostess today. :)
Beautiful loaf. Congrats. Creative work-arounds. How do you keep your sourdough – refreshed everyday? In the fridge? Do you have two? One liquid one stiff?
Thank you kindly, VirtualLee.
I’m basically a lazy sourdough person. It stays in the fridge when not in use. When I need it, I take it out of the fridge and feed it, and when it’s ready, get the bread going, then back into the fridge it goes. I usually make bread about every 3 days, so it gets fed every three days.
I have just the one sourdough starter – 100% hydration, meaning it’s equal amounts of flour and water by weight. I can’t be bothered to use two, and honestly, I don’t see the point for me/us. We don’t like sour at all and my starter isn’t, so we’ve got perfection already.
You did great. Hope your back gets better real soon. I would be the same shape but I have a bread machine and a kitchen aid mixer.
Loved reading your post.
Susie
I had no idea that’s what mace looks like. Really great loaf but sorry your back had to suffer for it. Feel better soon!
Susan/Wild Yeast’s last blog post..Fig and Fennel Bread with Rye Sourdough
Your loaf looks really lovely! How did you like the combination of flavors with mace and cardomom? I had a good workout kneading this dough too – hope the result more than made up for it
.-= Danielle/Bon Vivant´s last blog ..BBA Challenge #2 – Artos, Greek Celebration Breads =-.
Susie, I am officially jealous of your bread machine and mixer. I’d be happy with just the mixer… They’re starting to become available here, but low-end brands that will likely burn out in a matter of months, so probably not really worth the money.
Susan, before living here, I had no idea that that’s what mace looked like either. When I bought it, I wasn’t entirely sure I wasn’t being duped! But it all worked out.
Danielle, thank you.
I loved the mace with cardamom and cinnamon. Loved. I thought it was beautiful. 
How did yours turn out?