April ABC challenge: Mini 100% Whole Wheat Cranberry Cinnamon Swirl Bread

I've been cutting down on my intake of breads and sugars lately, which is sort of tough on a baker.  But I decided the way to get around that is to simply make less when I do bake.  With that in mind, I cut this month's recipe down not in half, but to ONE THIRD!  (I figured a third of a loaf is only a few slices, right?)

Here's what I used:

Starter
1⅓ ounce (38g) cool water
1/3 cup (40g) whole wheat flour
a dribble of wild yeast sourdough starter

Dough
5/6 (2.3g) teaspoon active dry yeast  (roughly measured)
1⅓ ounces (38g) lukewarm milk
1⅓ ounces (38g) orange juice
2⅓ tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
4 teaspoons dry whole milk
1½ - 2 ounces (50g) Russet potato, peeled, microwaved and mashed (or 4 teaspoons potato flour)
2/3+1/4 cup (110g) white whole wheat flour

Filling
1 egg, beaten, to brush on dough
2 tablespoons coconut sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon flour
1 teaspoon turmeric (for the health benefits -- the flavor is undetectable, but the color isn't)
1½ tablespoon finely chopped fresh cranberries
1½ tablespoon finely chopped walnuts

There were comments in the blog regarding sourdough and the KA response in every case was that this was NOT a sourdough and they had to use commercial yeast.  Interesting response, since KA's usual response to substitutions is, "Try it and let us know how it works!"  Nonetheless, I didn't want to be bothered with whatever tiny amount of yeast I would have needed for the starter.  Besides, I'm not convinced yeast is even needed at this point.  The real task is to hydrate your flour and let it start to autolyze; yeast isn't necessary for that.   (I also had to use regular whole wheat for the starter because I was out of the white.)

After 12 hours, the starter looked like it had puffed up, which actually surprised me.  But when I poked it, it didn't feel aerated, so I'm not sure whether it activated or not.  No matter -- there's plenty of yeast in the rest of the recipe.

Good window pane effect.

The dough mixed up a little dry, so I added about another tablespoon or so of plain water rather than OJ, just because it was easier. I realize there is a danger in small-batch baking to disregard what seem like infinitesimal quantities -- a dash here or a pinch there.  But when your ingredients come in fractions of an ounce, it might make a difference!  I thought about adding some orange zest into the mix, but decided I wanted the flavor of the bread to come through and not be covered with anything else.

That said, since I happened to have some fresh cranberries that I had just started dehydrating, I threw a few of those into the filling, along with a few walnuts for crunch.  Since my bread wasn't going to be very sweet (coconut sugar isn't nearly as sweet as cane sugar), I thought it might benefit from a little extra flavor boost in the filling.

                               

Finished proofing, it's ready for shaping...

Start with a log...

...roll out to 16 x 3.5".
(A 16" tile helps.)

Sprinkle with cinnamon mixture...

... and the cranberries and walnuts, keeping the filling
lighter on the inside part (close end) and heavier on the
outside part, where it has to service more bread mass...

...and roll up tightly.

Hmmm... decisions, decisions.

Aluminum pie pan, final decision.
And ready for the oven.

I followed the rest of the directions as given, reducing the baking time to 35 minutes, when the internal temperature registered 195 F.

Conclusion:  Fantabulous!  Loved it!  Only 11 ounces; very soft, but with a nice chew.  I really loved the tiny bits of tart cranberry here and there -- just a hint.  And it still was plenty sweet for my taste.  A little warm butter was the only dressing I'd recommend.

Original recipe:  100% Whole Wheat Cinnamon Swirl Bread via King Arthur Flour