Yum Peaceful Cooking: Chocolate Syrup and HBin5 Turkish Pear Coffee Bread

Monday, November 8, 2010

Chocolate Syrup and HBin5 Turkish Pear Coffee Bread


"Pear and coffee in the same bread?!" you ask? Ya, I said the same thing. But it's not like it sounds. I mean....it's not what you think. Well, it's not. (do I sound like a guilty teenager?)

Neither flavor is dominant. It's rather interesting. If I handed you a slice and asked you to taste it, I doubt you could detect what's in it, but you'd like it and you wouldn't even know why.

So, why did I make this bread? Because it was one of the assignments from the online HBin5 Bread Braid that I participate in where we're baking our way through Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day.


If it weren't for this group, I don't think I would've felt the need or desire to make this dough at all. But I would've been missing out. There's a texture...moist, soft...and you can almost "feel" that pear grit but not quite. The coffee seems to add almost a nuttiness to it but again, not quite. And it's so pretty with it's little speckles.


Yep....those are actual coffee grounds. From fresh ground coffee beans. They almost look like poppy seeds, don't you think? And can you see the little bits of pear skin? I forget what kind of pear I used....but it's brown and firm. I figured since it was being baked, the firmer variety would be best. Especially since these doughs are almost always on the wet side. But...once you puree a pear, regardless of it's variety....it's pretty wet, so maybe that didn't make much of a difference.

If you're interested in the recipe, it can be found on page 185 in the Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day cookbook. It's a fantastic book. I highly recommend it. In the year that I've been messing around with the recipes, I have grown leaps and bounds. Not to mention all the advice and tips from the other members in the group. If this sounds like something you'd like to do...you can always join us. We have another year of baking ahead of us. Head on over to Michelle's blog, BigBlackDogs.net and see what we're all up to.

The bread baked up beautifully. I did forget to create the steam in the oven. Instead of a firm artisan crust, it came out soft. Which is actually fine with me. And I think we were suppose to sprinkle some raw sugar on top, which I totally forgot about until just now. That would've been nice.





Besides eating it as is, or toasted....I wanted to do something fun. So I made french toast. Instead of using maple syrup....I made chocolate syrup. 

Do you know how easy it is to make chocolate syrup?! OMG!!! And it tastes just like the stuff in those squeezy bottles that you buy at  the grocery stores. I found the recipe on FoodNetwork.com. It's one of Alton Browns recipes...and it totally works! If you have kids...they won't even know that it's not the "other" stuff. I swear. 

The process was so easy and basic, that I didn't even take step by step pictures. There really isn't that much to it.

Chocolate Syrup

1 1/2 cups water
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups cocoa powder (dutch processed is recommended)
1 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
Mix the water and sugar together in a small sauce pan, bring to a boil. Whisk in the remaining ingredients....continue whisking until everything has dissolved together. Turn the heat down to low and continue cooking until the sauce has reduced a little and is slightly thickened. Stir occasionally so that the chocolate doesn't burn on the bottom. 

Strain the chocolate and allow to cool to room temperature. (If you have a squeezy bottle, poor it in and fake the kids out!)

And there you have it.....
Rich, dark, homemade chocolate syrup! This recipe makes a lot more than what's shown in this picture. I cut the recipe in half but the actual full fledged recipe makes about 5 cups. 

And you know what else? This makes the most awesome chocolate milk!!!


If I had mini marshmallows, I would've made a nice big mug of hot cocoa but to be honest with you...until today, it hasn't really been all that cold. What I'm really wishing for though....yep, you guessed it....a bottle of Kahlua to spice things up a bit. Now that's chocolate milk at its finest.

This is my submission for The Hearth and Soul Blog Hop this week. Click on the badge below to hope on over and see what else is being shared :)

hearthandsoulgirlichef

20 comments:

  1. Your chocolate syrup looks so good. I'd love some of that on top of a scoop of ice cream.

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  2. Love the crumb of that loaf and the glass of chocolate milk looks delicious!

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  3. This is really fun and unique, not to mention pretty! Oh and I'd love to whip up my own chocolate syrup. My kids would be thrilled too, of course. :)

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  4. This looks really good I would love it if you linked up with me

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  5. What a beautiful loaf of bread! Thank you for sharing with us.
    Miz Helen

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  6. Hi,
    Pears and coffee... what is not to like. The surprise was that the coffee was in the form of fresh grounds! YOWZA...

    And yes, adult choco milk includes kaluah!

    I am back on with my bread blog which has grown to include nonbread recipes that go well with! you guessed it, BREAD!!

    Great post. I have the HB5 and will use page 185!
    Lisa

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  7. Your dough forming techniques are so good! Perfect boule!!

    My husband really like this bread which surprised me, he usually just like plain bread. But it did make very good French Toast!

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  8. The bread looks heavenly but so does the chocolate syrup!

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  9. Looks great I skipped it but think I might go back and do it. I was going to use instant coffee mixed into a bit of hot water so the look wouldnt be the same.

    Thanks for the chocolate sauce recipe I bet it all tasted wonderful.

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  10. I don't think I would've chosen to make this on my own, either...but I'm convinced, I'm gonna look up the recipe and give it a try over the next couple of months sometime! YUM :D So glad you shared this with the hearth and soul hop this week, Dani :D

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  11. I have to admit, I'm not big on pear grit as a general rule but perhaps I would like it more in bread form. I love that chocolate....it's convincing me that I really need to make this!

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  12. I'm pretty sure that I never would have picked this recipe on my own, but by your description, you have me sold on the pear and coffee combo. And the pictures certainly are beautiful, too. Thanks for sharing with the Hearth and Soul hop.

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  13. Admittedly, that does sound like a twisted combination. But sometimes that mixed pairing (pun intended) really works out!

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  14. What a beautiful bread! I'll have to give it a try!

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  15. You did a really great job of describing what this bread was like. And thanks for the chocolate syrup recipe.

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  16. I love coffee and pears!!! What a wonderful combination!Amazing, as always!…

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  17. You're description of this bread is wonderful. Now I really do need to make it. I'm a little bit behind, but it's next on my list. Thanks for the chocolate syrup recipe. Sounds delish!

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  18. Chocolate syrup and french toast? Yes please!

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  19. Yummy
    This is such a nice blog. I'm a new follower, following from a blog hop.
    http://abundanceyeah.blogspot.com/2010/11/anatomy-of-leftover-turkey-dirty-word.html

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  20. I make our own chocolate syrup too. It tastes so much better than store bought!

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