Curry Bread

Okay, I'll admit it. This entire loaf - all 16 ounces of flour - was a failure. It wasn't the recipe, or the baking, or even the yeast; in fact, the yeast had performed a little TOO well. No, ironically enough, it was the fact that my loaf had risen too MUCH in the oven, and as a result, the inside remained raw by the time the crust had turned a nice golden brown. I tried cutting the loaf in half to increase the surface area, but I knew better than that. Once the crust is done, you just can't bake it any longer (I can verify from more than one experience in the past). So by the time it came out of the oven the second time, it felt literally like a rock. Mom tapped on the surface and joked that the thing could bash someone's brains out. Dad took one bite and complained that his gums felt like they were bleeding. Epic fail.

Of course, the recipe is perfectly fine (although Mom personally does not like the idea of curry flavor IN the bread). The problem could have easily been amended if I had cut the dough in half before the second rise, and just baked two loaves separately. But, of course, I only had one loaf pan, and I got a little impatient. Typical me. So I'll just post the recipe and a seemingly nice picture and pretend that I did not actually throw away an entire pound of bread flour -_-!!.

Curry Bread (taken from Ursual Ferrigno's The New Bread Book)

Ingredients

-1 1/4 cup milk
-1 tbsp unsalted butter
-3 1/2 tsp dried yeast
-1 tsp sea salt
-1 tsp cumin seeds
-1 tbsp medium curry paste
-1 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped (I didn't have these)
-1 tbsp mango chutney
-1 large egg, beaten
-Milk and cumin seeds for topping

1. Heat the milk and butter, then allow to cool to room temperature. Add the yeast.
2. Mix together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the milk/yeast mixture, curry paste, cumin seeds, cilantro, chutney, and egg.
3. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for about 10 minutes, until it is smooth and springy.
4. Cover and let rest in a warm place for about 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
5. Punch down the dough, then knead for another 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface.
6. CUT THE DOUGH IN HALF, and shape into elongated loaves. Slash the tops with a knife.
7. Place on a lightly greased baking surface, then brush the tops with milk and cumin seeds (I added sesame seeds instead).
8. Cover and let rest for about 30 minutes.
9. Bake at 400F for 30 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the base sounds hollow when tapped with your fingertips.