Apple Sourdough

Posted on September 12, 2012 by sparecake

As I mentioned on Monday, this is the best bread I know. As I also mentioned… pretty time consuming, but most of that time is hands-off waiting time.

Ingredients:

First Stage:

  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 cup water
  • 3/4 cup apple sour starter
  • 4 1/2 cups whole wheat bread flour

Second Stage:

  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 3/4 cup shredded apples (I think using the most tart apples you can get provides the most interesting flavor)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 1/2 cup whole wheat bread flour
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • dough from first stage

Although this recipe calls for whole wheat bread flour, I couldn’t get it and just used regular bread flour. I think this might be part of the reason why my dough is so very wet, but it works out.

Stir together all the ingredients for the first stage in a large bowl, then knead for 5-7 minutes until smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball and place in a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover, and let rest 8-10 hours, or refrigerate up to 24 hours.

After that first rise, combine the dough with the apples, honey, and water from the second stage, mixing well.

Blaaarg!

Add the salt and 1 cup of the flour. Knead 5-7 minutes, adding the remaining half cup of flour only if the dough is super wet. The few times I’ve made this bread, even after adding that extra half cup of flour the dough is still too wet to really knead normally, but I wouldn’t suggested adding tons of flour. The texture of the finished bread is great, so adding another cup or two of flour would likely give you a brick. Just knead your wet dough as best as possible, then transfer to a greased bowl.

Cover, and let rise 5-8 hours, or another 18-24 in the refrigerator. (I did a combo, leaving it in the fridge for about 8 hours while I slept, then several more hours out at room temperature. You just have to figure out what works best with your schedule.)

Grease and line two bread pans with cornmeal. I like how this bread looks as one giant round, so I just use one springform. Transfer the risen dough to your prepared pan. Again, I’ve always had it be too liquidy to shape into loaves, and just spread it evenly in the pan.

Mist with water, then let rise another 3-4 hours. If the dough had just come out of the fridge, you’ll need at least 4.

Remove the dough from the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. Bake for 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 375 and bake a further 20 minutes until well browned and hollow sounding when tapped.

The texture is great as-is, I think it would be a very dense bread if you added enough flour to make it easily kneadable.

That pretty large loaf lasted just over 24 hours in our house before being polished off. Just added to the starter to make another. I think I’m going to try putting in some cheese powder!

As far as scheduling goes, it looks something like this:

  • 2-10 minutes to make the starter, depending on if you use apple sauce or have to grate apples
  • 7-10 day wait (the first time, 1 day all subsequent times)
  • 10-15 minutes to stir together and knead the first stage
  • 8-10 hour rise, or ~24 hours in the fridge
  • 15 or so minutes to combine and knead second stage
  • 5-8 hour rise or ~18 hours in the fridge
  • 5 minutes to prepare pans and transfer dough
  • 3-4 hour rise
  • 10-15 minute preheat
  • 40 minute bake

By using the refrigerator to slow down the rises, you can really make this fit most schedules. You just have to be patient!

Apple Sourdough

From Chef Tess Bakeress.

First Stage:

  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 cup water
  • 3/4 cup apple starter
  • 4 1/2 cups whole wheat bread flour

Second Stage:

  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 3/4 cup shredded apples
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 1/2 cup whole wheat bread flour
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • dough from first stage

Stir together all the ingredients for the first stage in a large bowl, then knead for 5-7 minutes until smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball and place in a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover, and let rest 8-10 hours, or refrigerate up to 24 hours.

After the first rise, combine the dough with the apples, honey, and water from the second stage, mixing well. Add the salt and 1 cup of the flour. Knead 5-7 minutes, adding the remaining half cup of flour only if the dough is very wet, then transfer to a greased bowl. Cover, and let rise 5-8 hours, or another 18-24 in the refrigerator.

Grease and line two bread pans with cornmeal. If possible, shape dough into loaves, otherwise press evenly into the prepared pans. Mist with water, then let rise another 3-4 hours. If the dough had just come out of the fridge, you’ll need at least 4.

Remove the dough from the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. Bake for 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 375 and bake a further 20 minutes until well browned and hollow sounding when tapped.

Posted in Bread | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Apple Sour

Posted on September 10, 2012 by sparecake

The best non-dessert baked good I’ve ever had is apple sourdough. Pretty high up there even if you do include desserts. It’s a delightful texture inside, just the right amount of apple flavor, and crusty outside.

On the other hand, it takes basically forever to make. There’s not a lot of hands-on time, but the first time you make it there’s a 7-10 day waiting period for the starter, and then every time you make it, it’s a 2 day sort of affair. It requires you to be good at scheduling, which…rules out several people I know who read this blog! Everyone else, this is so worth it!

Today’s recipe is just for the starter. Wednesday I’ll post the recipe for using the starter!

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups either shredded apples or applesauce
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/3 cup sugar

I got this kind of awesome rotating julienne cutter thing for $3 at a thrift shop recently. Nice buy!

Combine all the ingredients in a glass jar or plastic bowl. Cover with a piece of clean fabric.

Those apple shreds are on the big side – smaller would make more sense.

Let sit out on the counter somewhere at room temperature without stirring for 7-10 days, until it becomes bubbly and smells fermented. It’s never going to have a crazy roiling boil going on, but you should see lots of tiny bubbles, and it should smell like alcohol. At that point, it’s ready to use!

After using the portion of the starter needed for apple sourdough bread, you can store the remains, still in their jar, in the fridge for up to 2 months. The day before you want to start again, take it out of the fridge and add 1 cup of shredded apples or applesauce, 3 tablespoons of water, and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Stir together, recover, and in 24 hours it’ll be ready to use again.

Apple Sour

From Chef Tess Bakeresse.

  • 2 cups either shredded apples or applesauce
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/3 cup sugar

Combine all the ingredients in a glass jar or plastic bowl. Cover with a piece of clean fabric. Let sit out on the counter somewhere at room temperature without stirring for 7-10 days, until it becomes bubbly and smells fermented.

After using the portion of the starter needed for apple sourdough bread, store the remains in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. The day before you want to start again, take it out of the fridge and add 1 cup of shredded apples or applesauce, 3 tablespoons of water, and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Stir together, recover, and in 24 hours it’ll be ready to use again.

Posted in Bread | Tagged | 4 Comments

Late Night Snack

Posted on September 7, 2012 by sparecake

Some of you may have had Late Night Snack, Ben and Jerry’s flavor with clusters of kettle chips coated in chocolate and swirls of salted caramel. It’s become my favorite ice cream flavor. It’s just SO GOOD. Soooo, let’s recreate it! (If you don’t have an ice cream maker/are lazy, I do recommend buying it, it’s worth trying.)

Mmm, get in my face!

Ingredients:

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 2 cups half and half
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup salted caramel sauce
  • 1/4 cup fudge sauce
  • approximately 2 cups chocolate coated potato chips, lightly broken into large pieces

You can coat chips in chocolate yourself. I’ve done it before, though, and it’s pretty tedious, so the other option is to talk to the local fancy-pants candy store and get them to get you some.

So convenient!

Combine the eggs, sugar, salt, cream, and half and half in a large saucepan.

Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

This photo is entirely different!

Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl. Stir in the vanilla, then cover and refrigerate until chilled.

When cool, freeze according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. When nearly done, add the caramel and fudge sauces and the chips. If your ice cream’s not pretty firm at this point, the chips will sink when you transfer it to a container to put in the freezer, so you could always just wait and add them after half an hour or so of freezing the ice cream in the freezer.

There’re all the chips!

Preeeetty delicious! And as an added bonus, homemade ice creams are often easier to scoop. So…obviously it’s worth it to buy an ice cream maker. Get on it!

Late Night Snack Ice Cream

Inspired by Ben & Jerry’s.

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 2 cups half and half
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup salted caramel sauce
  • 1/4 cup fudge sauce
  • 2 cups chocolate coated potato chips, lightly broken into large pieces

Combine the eggs, sugar, salt, cream, and half and half in a large saucepan. over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl. Stir in the vanilla, then cover and refrigerate until chilled.

When cool, freeze according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. When nearly completely frozen, add the caramel and fudge sauces and the chips.

Posted in Dessert | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Graham Crack

Posted on September 5, 2012 by sparecake

This is a pretty simple dessert, but it’s one of my favorite things. I brought it to a picnic last weekend and it earned high fives, which I am pretty sure is the highest form of approval?

I know that some people make this with Saltines or matzoh… I hear it’s good? I’ll stick to graham crackers, though. They just work so well!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • graham crackers (about half a box)
  • 12 ounces milk chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a jelly-roll pan with tinfoil. Break the graham crackers along the dotted lines as well as possible, then fill the pan with a single layer of them and set aside.

Combine the brown sugar and butter in a pot over medium high heat until the mixture reaches a simmer. Simmer for three minutes. During this time, I like to turn the sink on to as hot as it goes, so that by the time I’m done with the pot, I can get it in steaming hot water immediately, and not have to chip cooled sugar off the pot for a week.

Quickly pour the sugar mixture over the graham crackers as evenly as possible. You can spread it out a bit, but don’t worry too much about it because it will bubble up in the oven and spread out. You don’t want to spend too long fussing with it, or the graham crackers get soggy.

Bake for five minutes.

See? Much more spread out.

Quickly sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top. They should melt in just enough to stick.

Let cool for several hours until the chocolate chips are firm again. Break apart, separating the graham cracker pieces along their edges as much as possible. It doesn’t really matter if you end up making jagged pieces, it still tastes delicious!

This recipe’s going to be in The Proof newspaper in a few weeks. You should all subscribe and/or contribute! The guy that runs it is the guy that drew me a pony almost a year ago. Good times!

Graham Crack

  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • graham crackers (about half a box)
  • 12 ounces milk chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a jelly-roll pan with tinfoil. Break the graham crackers along the dotted lines as well as possible, then fill the pan with a single layer of them and set aside.

Combine the brown sugar and butter in a pot over medium high heat until the mixture reaches a simmer. Simmer for three minutes. Quickly pour the sugar mixture over the graham crackers as evenly as possible, then put in the oven for five minutes.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the top. Let cool for several hours until the chocolate chips are firm again, then break into pieces.

Posted in Dessert | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Pan Bagnat

Posted on September 3, 2012 by sparecake

Hey, it’s a thing I’m not positive how to pronounce, based on another thing I can’t pronounce! This sandwich is pretty much a salad niçoise, minus the lettuce and plus bread. I’m pro carb-y things, so it’s a good change.

Yay Sandwich!

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 baguette, approximately 16 to 18 inches long
  • 12 ounces canned tuna packed in oil or water, drained and crumbled
  • 1 small green pepper, sliced into rings (left this out, don’t like ’em)
  • 1 small red onion, sliced into rings
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
  • 1 cup chopped kalamata olives
  • 1 tomato, thinly sliced (chopped up a bunch of tiny yellow ones, as that’s what I had)

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper. While still whisking, slowly pour in the olive oil and continue to whisk until combined.

Cut the bread horizontally in two, and pull out most of the middle of the loaf.

Layer the tuna, pepper, onion, eggs, olives, and tomato on the bottom slice of bread, in that order. Stir the oil/vinegar mixture back together, if it has separated, and drizzle over the sandwich.

Put the top of the bread back on, and wrap tightly with saran wrap.

Let sit at room temperature for 2 hours, then cut into individual portions.

I quite liked this! The stuff-to-bread ratio makes this a bit messy to eat, but the flavors are great.

Pan Bagnat

From Food Network.

  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 baguette, approximately 16 to 18 inches long
  • 12 ounces canned tuna packed in oil or water, drained and crumbled
  • 1 small green pepper, sliced into rings
  • 1 small red onion, sliced into rings
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
  • 1 cup chopped kalamata olives
  • 1 tomato, thinly sliced

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper. While still whisking, slowly pour in the olive oil and continue to whisk until combined.

Cut the bread horizontally in two, and pull out most of the middle of the loaf. Layer the tuna, pepper, onion, eggs, olives, and tomato on the bottom slice of bread, in that order.

Stir the oil/vinegar mixture back together, if it has separated, and drizzle over the sandwich. Put the top of the bread back on, and wrap tightly with saran wrap. Let sit at room temperature for 2 hours, then unwrap and cut into individual portions.

Posted in Lunch | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Biscoff-Nutella Bars

Posted on August 31, 2012 by sparecake

Have you tried Biscoff yet? It kind of tastes like…peanut butter made out of graham crackers? I dunno, it’s fabulous. So when you combine that with Nutella, you get a pretty amazing combo.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon table salt
  • 1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips
  • 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup Biscoff
  • 1/4 cup Nutella

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9X13″ pan with foil and grease the foil. Set aside.

Combine the butter and brown sugar in a big pot over medium heat. Cook until the butter is melted and the brown sugar has dissolved, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Stir in the two eggs and the vanilla.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir into the sugar mixture.

Fold in the butterscotch chips. I was cooking several things at the same time and forgot to do it at this point, so put them on top later.

Using a mixer, beat together the cream cheese, egg yolk, Biscoff and Nutella until smooth.

Stir the Nutella mixture into the brown sugar mixture without completely combining.

Spread into the prepared pan.

Bake 25-30 minutes, until they can pass the toothpick test.

If, say, you maybe forgot to put the butterscotch chips in earlier, just melt them now and spread them over the top.

Let cool in the pan on a rack until warm, rather than hot, then refrigerate until chilled and firm. Mine were solid enough after half an hour of cooling that i was able to lift them out of the pan by the extra tinfoil and just put them, on a wire rack, in the fridge. Removing the hot pan will let them cool easier, as long as they feel like they’ll hold together. Once cool, cut into squares and serve.

Solid, and delicious!

Biscoff-Nutella Bars

From Noble Pig.

  • 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon table salt
  • 1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips
  • 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup Biscoff
  • 1/4 cup Nutella

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9X13″ pan with foil and grease the foil. Set aside.

Combine the butter and brown sugar in a big pot over medium heat. Cook until the butter is melted and the brown sugar has dissolved, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Stir in the two eggs and the vanilla.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir into the sugar mixture, then fold in the butterscotch chips and set aside.

Using a mixer, beat together the cream cheese, egg yolk, Biscoff and Nutella until smooth. Stir the Nutella mixture into the brown sugar mixture without completely combining. Spread into the prepared pan and bake 25-30 minutes, until they can pass the toothpick test.

Let cool in the pan on a rack until warm, rather than hot, then refrigerate until chilled and firm. Once cool, cut into squares and serve.

Posted in Dessert | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Pineapple (or whatever) Danish

Posted on August 29, 2012 by sparecake

I think for me the standard danish flavor is usually lemon, but this time I decided to change it up a bit. I liked the result, but you’re more than welcome to try your own variations as well!

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a yeast dough before that you leave chunks of butter in, like a scone or biscuit, but this dough comes together easily with no kneading, and makes a nicely textured danish.

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon instant yeast
  • 1 teaspoon + 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 cup icing sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 can pineapple pie filling (or some lemon curd, raspberry jelly, some sort of chocolate product…whatever you’d like)

Stir together the yeast, teaspoon of sugar, and warm water in a small bowl or measuring cup and set aside.

Combine the flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender or your hands, cut the butter into the flour until the butter is reduced to small pea-sized bits throughout the flour.

Warm the milk slightly and beat in the egg yolk.

The yeast mixture’s on the right.

Stir both the egg mixture and the yeast mixture into the flour, continuing to stir until the flour’s all evenly moistened.

Cover, and refrigerate at least 2 hours, up to overnight. I left mine about 9 hours and it still hadn’t risen all that much.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to a 6X14″ rectangle. Cut lengthwise to make 8 14″ strips.

Twist each strip so that it’s a long twisted rope. I found it easiest to start from the middle, and work my way out to both ends.

Curl your twisted strip up into a tight spiral, tucking the very end underneath, and place on a parchment-lined sheet.

Repeat with the remaining dough.

Cover, and let rise for 1 hour somewhere warm and draft free. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned.

Cool on a wire rack. Once cool, spread the pineapple pie filling to within a centimeter of the edges.

Whisk together the powdered sugar and enough of the milk to reach a drizzle-able consistency, and drizzle over the danish.

Breakfast is served!

Pineapple Danish

Slightly adapted from A Tale of One Foodie’s Culinary Adventures.

  • 1 tablespoon instant yeast
  • 1 teaspoon + 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 cup icing sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 can pineapple pie filling

Stir together the yeast, teaspoon of sugar, and warm water in a small bowl or measuring cup and set aside.

Combine the flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender or your hands, cut the butter into the flour until the butter is reduced to small pea-sized bits throughout the flour.

Warm the milk slightly and beat in the egg yolk.Stir both the egg mixture and the yeast mixture into the flour, continuing to stir until the flour’s all evenly moistened. Cover, and refrigerate at least 2 hours, up to overnight.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to a 6X14″ rectangle. Cut lengthwise to make 8 14″ strips. Twist each strip so that it’s a long twisted rope. Curl your twisted strips up into a tight spiral, tucking the very end underneath, and place on a parchment-lined sheet. Cover, and let rise for 1 hour somewhere warm and draft free.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Once cool, spread the pineapple pie filling to within a centimeter of the edges.

Whisk together the powdered sugar and enough of the milk to reach a drizzle-able consistency, and drizzle over the danish.

Posted in Breakfast, Brunch | Tagged | Leave a comment

Lady Bug Puffs

Posted on August 27, 2012 by sparecake

It’s once again time for a Daring Bakers post! Kat of The Bobwhites was our August 2012 Daring Baker hostess who inspired us to have fun in creating pate a choux shapes, filled with crème patisserie or Chantilly cream. We were encouraged to create swans or any shape we wanted and to go crazy with filling flavors allowing our creativity to go wild! I wanted something I could work chocolate into, and ladybugs seemed a good fit.

Things like this are usually filled with pastry cream, but I had some heavy cream to use up and, as it turns out, pastry cream is made with milk. Weird, but so instead I made a chocolate whipped cream. If I made these again, I’ll try a chocolate pastry cream, or a chocolate whipped cream that uses melted chocolate instead of cocoa.

Ingredients:

Pâte à Choux:

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 tube of red food coloring gel

Chocolate Whipped Cream:

  • 3 cups of whipping cream
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup baking cocoa
  • small handful of chocolate for decorating

Line two baking sheets with parchment and set aside. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium pot, combine the butter, water, and salt. Heat over medium heat until the butter melts, then remove from the stove.

Add all of the flour and stir together well until the mixture begins to pull away from the sides of the pot.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each until well combined.

Beat in the red gel, then use a pastry bag to pipe out about 25 heads and 25 bodies. The heads should be balls with approximately 1 centimeter diameter, the bodies should be large circles, 2-2 1/2 inches across.

Didn’t even have a tip in the pastry bag, piping out of the big opening is just way easier than spooning neatly would have been.

Bake until the bodies are puffy and crisp feeling. They should feel pretty hollow, for good reason.

Hollow!

With the red food coloring, it’s hard to tell when they would be browned, but mine took at least 20 minutes I think.

Let the choux sit until completely cooled. When they’re cool, cut the bodies in half, top to bottom, then cut the tops in half down the middle.

Melt the chocolate and draw spots on the lady bugs. This would be a good time to use a plastic squeeze bottle, but mine are in storage so I just dipped the back of a pencil in the chocolate and tried to stencil on round dots.

Sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Beat the cream until it reaches soft peaks, then continue beating while adding the sugar/cocoa mixture a bit at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Transfer the whipped cream to a piping bag with a round tip, and fill the bottom halves of the lady bug bodies.

Press a head into the whipped cream, then place the wings back on.

And you’re done! These are best eaten day of, and are pretty cute!

Lady Bug Puffs

Pâte à Choux:

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 tube of red food coloring gel

Chocolate Whipped Cream:

  • 3 cups of whipping cream
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup baking cocoa
  • small handful of chocolate for decorating

Line two baking sheets with parchment and set aside. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium pot, combine the butter, water, and salt. Heat over medium heat until the butter melts, then remove from the stove. Add all of the flour and stir together well until the mixture begins to pull away from the sides of the pot. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each until well combined. Beat in the red gel, then use a pastry bag to pipe out about 25 heads and 25 bodies. The heads should be balls with approximately 1 centimeter diameter, the bodies should be large circles, 2-2 1/2 inches across.

Bake until the bodies are puffy, crisp, and hollow feeling. Let cool completely on a wire rack, then cut the bodies in half, top to bottom, then cut the tops in half down the middle.

Melt the chocolate and draw spots on the lady bugs.

Sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Beat the cream until it reaches soft peaks, then continue beating while adding the sugar/cocoa mixture a bit at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Transfer the whipped cream to a piping bag with a round tip, and fill the bottom halves of the lady bug bodies.

Press a head into the whipped cream, then place the wings back on.

Posted in Dessert | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Squaw Bread

Posted on August 24, 2012 by sparecake

My former coworker Jeremy sent me this recipe last week, at the recommendation of his mother. (Well, I assume she recommended it for him to make, but… it got made, one way or another.) It’s got kind of a strange ingredient list, but all that stuff makes a bread with 2 cups of whole wheat flour that doesn’t have the bitter ick flavor of wheat bread. It’s actually a tiny bit sweet, and really pretty good. It also slices nicely, for sandwiches.

My one reservation with the recipe is that it says to divide the dough into 4 round loaves. I found this made sort of awkward sized loaves. Much too big for one person to eat during one meal, but small enough that only the center pieces make a decent sized sandwich. Next time I make it, I’ll probably put some in a loaf pan, and bake some as small rolls. If you try making sizes other than the 4 round loaves, just remember that smaller things bake faster, and things in a bread pan bake slower.

I want a taller bread for sandwiches.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups water
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 5 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 packages active dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup warm water (approx. 110 degrees)
  • 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 cups rye flour
  • 1/2 cup dry milk powder
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 cup cornmeal
  • 3 tablespoons melted butter

Stir the yeast and one tablespoon of brown sugar into the 1/4 cup of warm water and set aside.

Combine the remaining 2 cups of water and 4 tablespoons of brown sugar with the honey, oil, and raisins in your blender, and liquefy.

In your blender’s bowl, stir together 1 cup all-purpose flour, 2 cups wheat flour, 1 cup rye flour, the powdered milk, and the salt. Add the mixture from the blender, as well as the yeast mixture. Realize the yeast mixture’s gone crazy while you weren’t paying attention.

Beat on medium until combined.

Gradually add enough of the remaining flours (so, up to 1 1/2 cups all-purpose, 1 1/2 cups whole wheat, and 1/2 cup rye) to make the dough tacky, but not sticky. It should start to pull away from the sides of the bowl as it kneads. I added all the all-purpose flour, all the rye, and maybe half of the whole wheat until I reached a texture I was happy with.

Knead another 3 or 4 minutes, then shape into a ball. place in a greased bowl, rotating so that it gets lightly greased on all sides.

Cover, and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down the dough, then divide into quarters. Shape each into a ball and place on a baking sheet sprinkled with the cornmeal. Cover and let rise until doubled again, about an hour.

They get bigger, and more precariously balanced!

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and bake for 30-35 minutes, until browned and hollow sounding when tapped on the bottom.

Brush with the melted butter (whoops, just seeing that step now!), and cool on wire racks.

My family liked it a lot, so…thanks, Jeremy’s mom!  I’ll be submitting this to YeastSpotting.

Squaw Bread

From AllRecipes.

  • 2 cups water
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 5 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 packages active dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup warm water (approx. 110 degrees)
  • 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 cups rye flour
  • 1/2 cup dry milk powder
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 cup cornmeal
  • 3 tablespoons melted butter

Stir the yeast and one tablespoon of brown sugar into the 1/4 cup of warm water and set aside.

Combine the remaining 2 cups of water and 4 tablespoons of brown sugar with the honey, oil, and raisins in your blender, and liquefy.

In your blender’s bowl, stir together 1 cup all-purpose flour, 2 cups wheat flour, 1 cup rye flour, the powdered milk, and the salt. Add the mixture from the blender, as well as the yeast mixture, and beat on medium until combined.

Gradually add enough of the remaining flours to make the dough tacky, but not sticky. It should start to pull away from the sides of the bowl as it kneads. Knead another 3 or 4 minutes, then shape into a ball. place in a greased bowl, rotating so that it gets lightly greased on all sides. Cover, and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down the dough, then divide into quarters. Shape each into a ball and place on a baking sheet sprinkled with the cornmeal. Cover and let rise until doubled again, about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and bake for 30-35 minutes, until browned and hollow sounding when tapped on the bottom. Brush with the melted butter, and cool on wire racks.

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Cookie Dough Truffles

Posted on August 22, 2012 by sparecake

Oh man, chocolate. It’s delightful. That’s really all the insight I’ve got for the day. While I put these together yesterday morning, I was watching the Vuelta A España, and when I coated them in the afternoon the USA Pro Challenge was on… Bike races have been occupying my mind lately.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 14 oz can sweetened, condensed milk
  • 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips (I used minis)
  • 1 1/2 lbs chocolate disks or chocolate chips

Beat together the butter and brown sugar until creamy, then beat in the vanilla.

Add the flour and beat in on low speed, then add the condensed milk.

Add the chocolate chips.

Shape into balls and place on waxed paper. This is a sticky enough dough that I floured my hands every other ball.

Refrigerate at least 2 hours, then melt a portion of the remaining chocolate. Dip the dough balls in chocolate, using forks, toothpicks, or any other method you like, and place them back on waxed paper. Melt additional chocolate as needed. If your dough balls are lumpy, because they were gooey during shaping, or settled, once they’re chilled you can reshape them a bit.

Chill the coated balls in the fridge for at least another hour, then eat!

Cookie Dough Truffles

From How Sweet It Is.

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 14 oz can sweetened, condensed milk
  • 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1 1/2 lbs chocolate disks or chocolate chips

Beat together the butter and brown sugar until creamy, then beat in the vanilla.  Add the flour and beat in on low speed, then add the condensed milk.  Add the chocolate chips.  Shape into balls and place on waxed paper, flouring hands as necessary. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Melt a portion of the remaining chocolate. Dip the dough balls in chocolate and place them back on waxed paper. Melt additional chocolate as needed. Chill the coated balls in the fridge for at least another hour.

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