Wednesday, November 11, 2009
So I wanna bake...
I feel the urge to bake. Hours of sun decreasing, chill in the air, butter in my freezer- all contributing to the desire. How does everyone think offering to bake for others might go over? As in, "I am going somewhere for Thanksgiving and need to bring something but haven't baked a cake since home ec in tenth grade". Do you think anyone would consider buying cakes, cookies, and/or pies from a closet baker? Caleb thinks that the chocolate cake and carrot cake would be successful. Eddie thinks lemon bread and lemon pillow cookies sound grand. And who could resist pumpkin gingerbread whoopie pies?
Monday, May 18, 2009
Temptation
Temptation comes in many forms but I would like to address one particular issue today. Have you ever been to IKEA? Have you wound your way through the maze of furniture, rugs, housewares, and clever items designed to separate us from our money to find that, exhausted mentally and physically, there is a magnificent aroma coming from the checkout area? That sweet, spicy, vanilla-scented smell which whispers "cinnamon rolls" to your tired body. You stand in line, deciding again if you really need that combination soap dispenser/towel rack/ironing board, and rationalize. "I just spent 3 hours walking around this 350,000 square foot homage to organized living. I must have burned about 1000 calories. If I just get one cinnamon roll, it won't be a bad thing...." Anyway, I suspect that we have all given in at one time or another. My always active baker mind, however, rationalizes as follows, "if I eat just one more, I will be able to finally figure out the secret to these cinnamon rolls which makes them taste soooooo good".
After far too many cinnamon rolls (thankfully IKEA is 60 miles from my house so the price of gas has also largely prevented me from indulging), I think I finally found a recipe that comes pretty darn close. This is an adaptation of a recipe from the Food Network website and is fairly simple for a yeasted dough recipe. Please don't be afraid of baking with yeast- just because it is alive does not mean that it will refuse to cooperate in your effort. Just be nice to it, and it will be nice back. Yeast is our friend, especially in these cinnamon rolls.
Cinnamon Rolls
Dough:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup nonfat evaporated milk
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1/4 ounce package)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (13 ounces)
1/4 cup sugar (1 3/4 ounces)
3/4 teaspoon fine salt (1/8 ounce)
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg or to taste
Filling:
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon or to taste
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, very soft, plus more for coating the pan
1/3-1/2 cup cinnamon chips
Glaze:
2/3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
3 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 by 13 inch pan with Baker's Joy.
Combine the water and milk in a large bowl and microwave until it is about 110 degrees F. Sprinkle the yeast over the surface over the liquid. Sprinkle a pinch of the sugar over the top and stir gently. Let rest until foamy, about 5 minutes.
Whisk the butter, egg yolk and vanilla into the yeast mixture.
Whisk the flour, the sugar, salt and nutmeg in a large bowl. Add to the yeast mixture with a wooden spoon or whisk to make a thick and slightly sticky dough. Add more flour as needed and knead until soft and elastic, about 6 minutes (I knead the dough right in the bowl). Shape into a ball.
Brush the inside of a large bowl with butter. Put dough in the buttered bowl, turning to coat lightly with butter. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
Turn dough out of the bowl and knead briefly to release excess air; reform into a ball and return to the bowl. Lightly butter a large piece of plastic wrap and lay it on the dough. Cover the entire bowl tightly with plastic and proof in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.
To fill and form the rolls: Mix the softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon together until you have a thick paste. Turn prepared dough onto a work surface and press, then roll into 10-by-18-inch rectangle, with a long edge facing you. I use a large cutting board for rolling on/measuring. Spread the cinnamon paste evenly over the surface of the dough, leaving about an inch border on the side opposite you. Evenly scatter the cinnamon chips over the dough. Starting from the long side facing you, roll the dough up into a tight cylinder. Press the open long edge to the dough to seal the cylinder.
Cut the log with a sharp knife to make approximately one inch wide rolls. Place the rolls cut-side-down in the prepared pan, leaving a little space between them. Cover the rolls loosely with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place to rise until rolls double in size, about 45 minutes.
Position the rack in the center of the oven bake buns until golden brown and the tops of the buns spring back when pressed lightly, about 30 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
To make the glaze: Mix all of the glaze ingredients together until smooth. Drizzle the icing over warm buns. Serve.
Notes:
These may be refrigerated or frozen after forming. If refrigerated overnight, allow buns to come to room temperature for about 1/2 hour, then proof fully (until doubled in size) before baking, about 2 hours. If frozen, allow buns to come to room temperature, about 1 hour, and then proof fully (until doubled in size) before baking, about 2 hours.
Storage:
Though the buns are best eaten on the day they are baked, they will keep, covered, for a day. They freeze well.
After far too many cinnamon rolls (thankfully IKEA is 60 miles from my house so the price of gas has also largely prevented me from indulging), I think I finally found a recipe that comes pretty darn close. This is an adaptation of a recipe from the Food Network website and is fairly simple for a yeasted dough recipe. Please don't be afraid of baking with yeast- just because it is alive does not mean that it will refuse to cooperate in your effort. Just be nice to it, and it will be nice back. Yeast is our friend, especially in these cinnamon rolls.
Cinnamon Rolls
Dough:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup nonfat evaporated milk
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1/4 ounce package)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (13 ounces)
1/4 cup sugar (1 3/4 ounces)
3/4 teaspoon fine salt (1/8 ounce)
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg or to taste
Filling:
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon or to taste
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, very soft, plus more for coating the pan
1/3-1/2 cup cinnamon chips
Glaze:
2/3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
3 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 by 13 inch pan with Baker's Joy.
Combine the water and milk in a large bowl and microwave until it is about 110 degrees F. Sprinkle the yeast over the surface over the liquid. Sprinkle a pinch of the sugar over the top and stir gently. Let rest until foamy, about 5 minutes.
Whisk the butter, egg yolk and vanilla into the yeast mixture.
Whisk the flour, the sugar, salt and nutmeg in a large bowl. Add to the yeast mixture with a wooden spoon or whisk to make a thick and slightly sticky dough. Add more flour as needed and knead until soft and elastic, about 6 minutes (I knead the dough right in the bowl). Shape into a ball.
Brush the inside of a large bowl with butter. Put dough in the buttered bowl, turning to coat lightly with butter. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
Turn dough out of the bowl and knead briefly to release excess air; reform into a ball and return to the bowl. Lightly butter a large piece of plastic wrap and lay it on the dough. Cover the entire bowl tightly with plastic and proof in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.
To fill and form the rolls: Mix the softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon together until you have a thick paste. Turn prepared dough onto a work surface and press, then roll into 10-by-18-inch rectangle, with a long edge facing you. I use a large cutting board for rolling on/measuring. Spread the cinnamon paste evenly over the surface of the dough, leaving about an inch border on the side opposite you. Evenly scatter the cinnamon chips over the dough. Starting from the long side facing you, roll the dough up into a tight cylinder. Press the open long edge to the dough to seal the cylinder.
Cut the log with a sharp knife to make approximately one inch wide rolls. Place the rolls cut-side-down in the prepared pan, leaving a little space between them. Cover the rolls loosely with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place to rise until rolls double in size, about 45 minutes.
Position the rack in the center of the oven bake buns until golden brown and the tops of the buns spring back when pressed lightly, about 30 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
To make the glaze: Mix all of the glaze ingredients together until smooth. Drizzle the icing over warm buns. Serve.
Notes:
These may be refrigerated or frozen after forming. If refrigerated overnight, allow buns to come to room temperature for about 1/2 hour, then proof fully (until doubled in size) before baking, about 2 hours. If frozen, allow buns to come to room temperature, about 1 hour, and then proof fully (until doubled in size) before baking, about 2 hours.
Storage:
Though the buns are best eaten on the day they are baked, they will keep, covered, for a day. They freeze well.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
When life gives you lemons
One of my favorite scents is fresh lemon. Zesting a lemon is worth every zested knuckle I have ever suffered. Keeping that in mind, I thought that I would try to make a glazed lemon cake. It is a kind of pound cake, along the lines of the old 1-2-3 cake. The base for this one came from Marcia Wrubel, the mom of one of my oldest friends, Susan. She made the best marble pound cake and was completely dedicated to teaching us to bake when we were little. Thank you, Marcia, and hope you enjoy this adaptation of your recipe.
Glazed Lemon Cake
3 cups All Purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons lemon zest
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a bundt pan (10 cup- or smaller pans if you like) with Baker's Joy. Mix together the first 3 ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs to the butter/sugar mixture and mix well. Add dry ingredients to the egg/butter/sugar mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. Stir in the lemon zest. Bake for 45-60 minutes, depending on the shape/size of your pan(s).
Let the cake sit for five minutes, then turn it out onto a cooling rack resting on a cookie sheet. Glaze warm cake with lemon glaze (recipe below) liberally, allowing the extra glaze to spill onto the cookie sheet. Be generous- this is one of the best parts of the cake!
Let the cake cool to room temperature. Store covered, but again as with many cakes, this one tastes best the day after making it, when the glaze has had time to crystallize and soak into the cake.
Lemon Glaze
1/2 pound confectioners sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted but cooled)
3 tablespoons lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Mix all ingredients until blended and smooth.
Notes:
You can use more or less lemon zest/juice as desired. You may have leftover glaze- just keep going with it. The more layers of glaze, the better.
Glazed Lemon Cake
3 cups All Purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons lemon zest
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a bundt pan (10 cup- or smaller pans if you like) with Baker's Joy. Mix together the first 3 ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs to the butter/sugar mixture and mix well. Add dry ingredients to the egg/butter/sugar mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. Stir in the lemon zest. Bake for 45-60 minutes, depending on the shape/size of your pan(s).
Let the cake sit for five minutes, then turn it out onto a cooling rack resting on a cookie sheet. Glaze warm cake with lemon glaze (recipe below) liberally, allowing the extra glaze to spill onto the cookie sheet. Be generous- this is one of the best parts of the cake!
Let the cake cool to room temperature. Store covered, but again as with many cakes, this one tastes best the day after making it, when the glaze has had time to crystallize and soak into the cake.
Lemon Glaze
1/2 pound confectioners sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted but cooled)
3 tablespoons lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Mix all ingredients until blended and smooth.
Notes:
You can use more or less lemon zest/juice as desired. You may have leftover glaze- just keep going with it. The more layers of glaze, the better.
Friday, May 15, 2009
When the bananas start speaking...
The nine really ripe bananas stared me in the face this morning at 6 am. My eyelids held up by toothpicks, my nose yearning for the rich aroma of my fresh ground coffee beans... I hadn't even been up for ten minutes, but I realized "the bananas are going to start talking soon". Yes, that is how I know when it is time to make banana bread. When the fruit becomes sentient, it is time to bake.
I got this recipe from a cookbook I found at Traveler Food and Books (www.hiddenboston.com/TravelerRestaurant.html- one of my favorite reasons to make the journey to my home state of Connecticut). It is called "Good Maine Food" by Marjorie Mosser and was published in 1941. I took the banana bread recipe contained within, gave it a few tweaks, and came up with a simple and delicious almost-one-bowl creation.
Banana Bread
1 1/2 cups All-Purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
3-4 mashed bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 x 4 inch pan with Baker's Joy (or use muffin tins, etc.)
Mix the dry ingredients with a whisk. Mix the wet ingredients with a whisk. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until well blended. Bake for 45-60 minutes (depending on the pan used) until a tester comes out clean and the bread is a deep golden brown color. Remove from pan after resting for five minutes and cool on a rack.
Notes:
Sometimes I substitute malted milk powder one-for-one for the sugar (maximum 1/4 cup of malted milk).
Chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and nuts may be added as desired.
The bread tastes even better if you wrap it in plastic wrap and leave it on the counter for a few days (eating as you go along). Just watch out for counter-surfing dogs (I'm onto you, Zoe!)
I got this recipe from a cookbook I found at Traveler Food and Books (www.hiddenboston.com/TravelerRestaurant.html- one of my favorite reasons to make the journey to my home state of Connecticut). It is called "Good Maine Food" by Marjorie Mosser and was published in 1941. I took the banana bread recipe contained within, gave it a few tweaks, and came up with a simple and delicious almost-one-bowl creation.
Banana Bread
1 1/2 cups All-Purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
3-4 mashed bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 x 4 inch pan with Baker's Joy (or use muffin tins, etc.)
Mix the dry ingredients with a whisk. Mix the wet ingredients with a whisk. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until well blended. Bake for 45-60 minutes (depending on the pan used) until a tester comes out clean and the bread is a deep golden brown color. Remove from pan after resting for five minutes and cool on a rack.
Notes:
Sometimes I substitute malted milk powder one-for-one for the sugar (maximum 1/4 cup of malted milk).
Chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and nuts may be added as desired.
The bread tastes even better if you wrap it in plastic wrap and leave it on the counter for a few days (eating as you go along). Just watch out for counter-surfing dogs (I'm onto you, Zoe!)
Paging Dr. Baker is born
Welcome to my baking blog. No- let's call it a baking journal (blog sounds like an unsuccessful cake mix disaster). I hope you enjoy reading about creating and eating food- I certainly enjoy making it. Bon appetit!
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