French Pear Bread (Piquenchagne)
Pears:
2 med. fresh pears
1/2 water
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp cardamom
Dough:
1 pkg dry yeast (2 1/2 tsp.)(dissolve in 1/2 c warm water)
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp oil
2 tsp salt
2 eggs room temp.
4-5 c. unbleached flour approx.
Peel,core and dice pears and cook with water and spices 10-15 min til soft. and water is gone. If too much juice, boil down and add back to cooked pears. Mash with a fork til smooth.
Put pears, yeast mixture ,oil,honey,salt and eggs in large bowl and stir to blend. Add 2c flour and beat 50 strokes. Add enough of rest of flour to make a soft kneadable dough. Dough should stay soft but not sticky, don't add too much flour when kneading. Place in greased bowl and cover w/ plastic wrap, let rise til double, approx 1 hr. To shape dough into couronne (crowns) : when dough has risen remove from bowl and gently shape into 2 balls. Take each ball and make a hole in the center and gently pull against the sides to form a 3" opening ( like a large bagel!) Place each crown on a greased baking sheet. May use parchment paper. Let rise til double approx 1 hr. Brush with 1 Tbsp milk beaten into 1 egg yolk. Take a razor and circle the top with a cut a 1/2" deep .Bake in a preheated oven 350 degrees for 40 min. should sound hollow when tapped.
