Rosemary for Remembrance

I don't have the equipment or the rose syrup (yet) but I am very excited about making the Folger Library's 1610 Rose Cakes.  The adaptation is very close; it  adds precise measurements to the original and substitutes a cookie press for rolling the dough very thin.   The original sounds more like Moravian cookies than a cookie-press cookie, but I'm good with the change.

 Sunset beet bread
Yields two large free-form loaves.  As-baked instructions given; original quantities in brackets[].   The original recipe called for 1.5 pounds beets to be steamed, cooled, skins slipped, and pureed to yield 1.5 cups puree.   I took two fist-sized beets, scrubbed, wrapped in foil, roasted at 400 degrees (the temperature of the roast already in the oven; anything above 300 would do) until done, cooled overnight, and pureed to yield 4 cups.

1 pkg (2.25 tsp) active dry yeast
.25 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
1 T sugar [2T]

At room temperature:
1/2 c milk
1/4 c butter (should be soft)
1 egg

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg [1 tsp]
1/2 tsp ground white pepper [not in original]
1 tsp salt
Vegetable puree

6+ cups mix of all-purpose flour and bread flour [5+ cups all-purpose]

Proof yeast in water and sugar.   Add all other ingredients and 5 cups of flour,  adding flour in cup intervals.  Mix by hand or in machine until you have a soft, non-sticky dough.  Turn out onto floured board and knead until soft and satiny.   While kneading, turn to form gluten cloak on outside; outside will be smooth and satiny, but inside will still be somewhat better.   Put in greased bowl for first rise; rise until doubled.  (possibly 1.5 hours, but you know how that goes.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Punch down dough and  divide into 2 or 3 loaves;  place in bannetons/brotformen, if you have them, or steep-sloped bowls, or free-form on cookie sheets to rise.   Bread will rise higher if the sides are supported during the rise.   Rise until almost doubled (about 45 min, ha).  Turn gently on to peel or cookie sheet.   Slash.  Put into oven.  Bake 30-40 minutes or until loaves sound hollow.   Cool on racks.

General notes:

• Shaping a boule
• If you bake freeform loaves on baker's parchment, it's much easier to get them into and out of the oven, even if you're using a peel.
• Dust brotformen/bannetons with rye flour and the bread is much less likely to stick; I used brand-new wicker molds and the loaves popped right out.
• This makes a light, American-style bread, enriched with milk, egg, and butter.   It's completely unlike a French- or Italian-style yeast/flour/water bread.
• You can't tell if this is done by checking the color.  Thump it and smell it.
• The author gives instructions on pureeing several different root vegetables, as well as spinach and tomato.  I'll definitely try this again with carrot, and maybe with butternut squash.
• This doesn't taste strongly beet-y.  The beet is there as an earthy aftertaste.