Remember when I ate 30 different veges in 30 days and vowed to post more recipes with vegetables? No, you probably don't because you're probably here for the brownies and ice cream. Me too. Unfortunately being healthy is important and balancing the food groups is key to a healthy diet. That's why today's vegetable (and fruit) recipe takes the shape of a muffin!
While cleaning out the freezer, I found 1/2 cup of shredded zucchini that got shredded and frozen just in the nick of time (meaning that it was probably too squishy for anything else but not yet moldy). "Bring on the zucchini bread!" I thought, only to realize that zucchini bread, zucchini cake, and zucchini blondies all require more zucchini than I had on hand. It seemed counter-productive to have to go to the grocery store to acquire more zucchini in order to salvage that measly 1/2 cup. I could have made zucchini cupcakes, but I wasn't feeling chocolate.
Meanwhile, in the fruit bowl sat a bunch of very sad looking bananas. Three of them became SoNo Baking Co. Cookbook's Banana Cream Tart. (You can find a copy of the recipe here.) The rest needed to be frozen or baked into something delicious, and since we are moving abroad in 30 days (um, exactly 30 days from now… what!), they certainly weren't going into the freezer. Enter: Banana Zucchini Muffins. Why? Because there is no such thing as "not enough zucchini" or "too many bananas." Zucchini is the gift that keeps on giving and banana is the fruit that's better to forget about until it's black and squishy. Paring them together is just plain thrifty, not to mention delicious.
Objective
Make banana zucchini muffins with [mostly] whole grains. Adapted from Taste of Home's Zucchini Banana Bread.
Materials
Dry:
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Wet:
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 egg
1/4 cup olive oil (light in flavor)
1/2 cup banana, mashed (about 2 small bananas)
1/2 cup zucchini, shredded
Optional:
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
Methods
1. Preheat the oven to 325º. Prepare a muffin pan by lining with paper cups or greasing (or place silicone muffin cups on a baking sheet) and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. In another bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry. Do not over mix, stir only until the ingredients are incorporated. Fold in the walnuts (if using).
3. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full.
4. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack, then flip out of the muffin pan.
Makes 10 small muffins.
Results
Incredibly moist, soft, and healthy? Ok that last part is stretching it. Best within 24 hours or they get sticky to the touch from all the moisture.
Discussion and Future Directions
When C got home from call, the first thing he did was walk into the kitchen and stuff an entire muffin into his mouth. "What do you think?" I asked. His response was a muffin-muffled, "Good!" I wasn't sure he could actually breathe, and since taste requires smell and smell requires breathing, I wasn't convinced. However, a few hours later when he woke up from his post-call nap, his eyes lit up. "Muffins!" he remembered, then walked into the kitchen and returned with three. He proceeded to butter them and eat them slowly. This time I believed him when he told me they were good.
Showing posts with label Bread. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bread. Show all posts
26 June, 2014
22 January, 2014
Orange Ricotta Muffins with Blueberries
Nearly three weeks after orange picking, I'm still on an orange kick. We lost one orange to mold, but the rest were eaten or juiced just in time to bring home 11 grapefruits. Don't worry, I don't foresee an inundation of grapefruit recipes any time soon. The last one I tried was a grapefruit meringue pie and while C maintained that it was good (and finished the pie), I thought it was disgusting. There's something about the flavor of grapefruits that I don't like--not the tartness, but the flavor. I'll stick to orange recipes! Today, that orange recipe is for orange ricotta muffins.
The last time I had leftover ricotta cheese I decided to bake muffins. I wanted to make lemon ricotta muffins with thyme and blueberries. I left out the blueberries and made Cooking Light's Tuscan Lemon Muffins but with a little barley flour and thyme sugar on top. I was out of olive oil, so I used canola. I think that might be why my muffins smelled and tasted fried. They were also a fairly dry. I was very disappointed. I left myself notes for how to try improving the recipe, but decided it would be best to just start over with a new recipe. I chose Orange Ricotta Chocolate Chip Muffins from Two Peas and Their Pod because Maria's recipe called for butter in place of oil. I hoped these would turn out better than just barely edible.
Objective
Use up leftover ricotta cheese to make muffins with homemade orange extract.
Materials
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
2 tbsp. brown sugar
zest from 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup ricotta
1/2 egg, beaten
2 tbsp. orange juice
1/2 tsp. orange extract
1 cup blueberries, frozen.
Topping:
2 tbsp. turbinado sugar
zest of 1 orange
Methods
1. Preheat the oven to 350º. Grease 8 muffin cups or line them with paper liners. Set aside.
2. Prepare the topping by combining the turbinado sugar and orange zest in a small bowl and rubbing the zest into the sugar (or use a mortar and pestle). Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the ricotta, beaten egg, orange juice, and orange extract. Stir in the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in the blueberries.
4. Divide the batter evenly between muffin cups. Sprinkle the sugar topping over the muffins.
5. Bake at 350º for 20-25 minutes (less if you used fresh berries) or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Set on a wire rack to cool completely.
Results
These muffins are airy, lightly sweet, and orangey with juicy bursts of blueberry. Best warm out of the oven.
Discussion and Future Directions
I almost didn't try this recipe in favor of a second batch of Clinton Street Baking Co.'s Sunshine Yogurt Muffins. I'm so glad I did because though the recipes are similar, they make very different muffins. The Sunshine Yogurt Muffins give you a burst of tangy, citrusy sunshine to get you moving in the morning (really, they named the muffin perfectly). These muffins are airy, lightly sweet, and orangey with juicy bursts of blueberries. They lack the tangy component imparted by the lemon/lime of the Sunshine Yogurt Muffins.
The combination of orange and blueberry is very tasty. I'd considered adding finely chopped hazelnuts or dried cranberries, but I'm glad I chose blueberries because of the juices they impart. I prefer to make blueberry muffins to blackberry or raspberry because they don't have annoying seeds that get stuck in your teeth. If I had fresh cranberries (or even better yet, sugared cranberries) on hand, they would have been a great alternative for a tangier muffin. Requiring just 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese, a batch of these muffins is a great way to use up leftover ricotta you find hanging out in your fridge!
Supplementary Materials
The last time I had leftover ricotta cheese I decided to bake muffins. I wanted to make lemon ricotta muffins with thyme and blueberries. I left out the blueberries and made Cooking Light's Tuscan Lemon Muffins but with a little barley flour and thyme sugar on top. I was out of olive oil, so I used canola. I think that might be why my muffins smelled and tasted fried. They were also a fairly dry. I was very disappointed. I left myself notes for how to try improving the recipe, but decided it would be best to just start over with a new recipe. I chose Orange Ricotta Chocolate Chip Muffins from Two Peas and Their Pod because Maria's recipe called for butter in place of oil. I hoped these would turn out better than just barely edible.
Objective
Use up leftover ricotta cheese to make muffins with homemade orange extract.
Materials
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
2 tbsp. brown sugar
zest from 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup ricotta
1/2 egg, beaten
2 tbsp. orange juice
1/2 tsp. orange extract
1 cup blueberries, frozen.
Topping:
2 tbsp. turbinado sugar
zest of 1 orange
Methods
1. Preheat the oven to 350º. Grease 8 muffin cups or line them with paper liners. Set aside.
2. Prepare the topping by combining the turbinado sugar and orange zest in a small bowl and rubbing the zest into the sugar (or use a mortar and pestle). Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the ricotta, beaten egg, orange juice, and orange extract. Stir in the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in the blueberries.
4. Divide the batter evenly between muffin cups. Sprinkle the sugar topping over the muffins.
5. Bake at 350º for 20-25 minutes (less if you used fresh berries) or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Set on a wire rack to cool completely.
Results
These muffins are airy, lightly sweet, and orangey with juicy bursts of blueberry. Best warm out of the oven.
Discussion and Future Directions
I almost didn't try this recipe in favor of a second batch of Clinton Street Baking Co.'s Sunshine Yogurt Muffins. I'm so glad I did because though the recipes are similar, they make very different muffins. The Sunshine Yogurt Muffins give you a burst of tangy, citrusy sunshine to get you moving in the morning (really, they named the muffin perfectly). These muffins are airy, lightly sweet, and orangey with juicy bursts of blueberries. They lack the tangy component imparted by the lemon/lime of the Sunshine Yogurt Muffins.
The combination of orange and blueberry is very tasty. I'd considered adding finely chopped hazelnuts or dried cranberries, but I'm glad I chose blueberries because of the juices they impart. I prefer to make blueberry muffins to blackberry or raspberry because they don't have annoying seeds that get stuck in your teeth. If I had fresh cranberries (or even better yet, sugared cranberries) on hand, they would have been a great alternative for a tangier muffin. Requiring just 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese, a batch of these muffins is a great way to use up leftover ricotta you find hanging out in your fridge!
Supplementary Materials
09 November, 2013
Pumpkin Butter Cinnamon Rolls
With the holidays coming up, there's still plenty of time to treat yourself and loved ones to baked goods inspired by fall flavors. Overnight guests always warrant something extra special for breakfast and in my opinion, there
are few better ways to wake up in the morning than to the smell of
cinnamon rolls baking. Let me tell you how much I would have preferred
waking up to these cinnamon rolls instead of waking up to my boyfriend crawling into bed at 5 am after he'd
been paged into the children's hospital sometime after midnight. Unfortunately for him, after just a
few hours of sleep, he had to head back to the hospital for morning
rounds. Though he didn't get to wake up to the smell of freshly baked cinnamon
rolls either, he did get to come home to the two we saved him (and breakfast tacos)!
Now, here's a trick. You can make these as sticky buns by putting the topping in the bottom of the pan and flipping the rolls out of the pan after baking. Alternatively, you can make them extra beautiful and clean-eating by pouring the topping over the rolls before baking. You can even make them in muffin tins (or prep bowls like I did) for lovely muffin-like edges.
Objective
Make cinnamon rolls with cushaw squash butter as the filling based on my Apple Butter Sticky Buns.
Materials
(This recipe makes 8 rolls)
Dough:
1 tsp. yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. butter, melted
1 egg
1/4 cup greek yogurt (or sour cream, light works fine)
1 1/2-2 1/2 cups bread flour (depending on the amount of moisture in your dough)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
pinch ginger
Filling:
1/2 cup pumpkin/winter squash butter (see Supplementary Materials)
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
Topping:
1 1/4 tsp. butter, melted
1/4 cup light Karo syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
8 pecan halves
Methods
1. To prepare the dough: Dissolve the yeast in the warm water (120º-130ºF) and let proof for 5 minutes. Stir in squash puree, sugar, salt, butter, eggs, and sour cream. Gradually stir in 1 1/2 cups of bread flour, mixing well. If the dough is still very sticky (tacky is fine), add more flour (about 2 tbsp. at a time). You want the dough to be tacky, even a tiny bit sticky is ok. Knead it a few times to make a smooth ball. Move the dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover and rise to double (about 1 1/2 - 2 hours). Punch the dough down and rise to double again (about 1 hour). Pat the dough out to a 16" by 12" rectangle.
2. To prepare the topping: During the final rise, prepare the topping. Stir together the melted butter and the honey/syrup. Pour into an ungreased 8" cake pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar and pecans. Set aside.
3. To make the rolls: Spread the dough with apple butter (leaving a 2 inch border along one long edge). Sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar. Roll the dough, starting with the long apple buttery edge to the edge with the 2" border. Use a knife to mark where to cut for 8 rolls. Then, use dental floss to cut the rolls. Slide a long piece of dental floss (about 12" should work) under the roll at one of your division marks. Switch each end to the other hand to form a loop, and pull. You should have a nice clean edge. Place a pecan on the clean edge and place the roll pecan-side down in your pan (for sticky buns) or up for cinnamon rolls, spacing the 8 rolls evenly over the prepared topping. Cover the rolls and let rise 30 minutes (if you're planning to bake them right away) or put them in the fridge to rise overnight. If you're chilling over night, make sure to take the buns out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes prior to baking, but 60 minutes is better (you want to get the chill off and give the yeast a chance to increase its rate of metabolism).
4. To bake the rolls: Preheat the oven to 350º. Place the cake pan with risen rolls on a sheet pan to catch drips. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden on top. Take the pan out of the oven. If you made sticky buns, loosen the edge with a knife (you can skip this if you use a non-stick pan) and flip out onto a parchment paper-lined plate. If you made cinnamon rolls, they can cool in the pan. Cool 15-30 minutes before serving.
Results
The cinnamon rolls are golden brown and lightly sweet. The sticky buns are sweeter and (not surprisingly) sticky!
Discussion and Future Directions
Pumpkin butter has a unique flavor. It's similar to apple butter but has a hint of squash flavor. Consequently, these cinnamon rolls taste like cinnamon rolls with a hint of squash flavor with a strong pecan flavor. If you want to focus the flavor on pumpkin, leave the chopped pecans out of the filling. If you don't like pecans, other nuts could be substituted, maybe try walnuts or hazelnuts, but there's something special about a candied pecan baked into the top of these cinnamon rolls.
Supplementary Materials
Pumpkin/Winter Squash Butter
2 cups pureed winter squash
1/4 cup apple cider
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/8 tsp. clove
Simmer all ingredients in a saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently. Once the mixture has thickened, take it off the heat and move it to a covered container. Store in the fridge. Lasts 3-4 weeks.
Now, here's a trick. You can make these as sticky buns by putting the topping in the bottom of the pan and flipping the rolls out of the pan after baking. Alternatively, you can make them extra beautiful and clean-eating by pouring the topping over the rolls before baking. You can even make them in muffin tins (or prep bowls like I did) for lovely muffin-like edges.
Objective
Make cinnamon rolls with cushaw squash butter as the filling based on my Apple Butter Sticky Buns.
Materials
(This recipe makes 8 rolls)
Dough:
1 tsp. yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. butter, melted
1 egg
1/4 cup greek yogurt (or sour cream, light works fine)
1 1/2-2 1/2 cups bread flour (depending on the amount of moisture in your dough)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
pinch ginger
Filling:
1/2 cup pumpkin/winter squash butter (see Supplementary Materials)
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
Topping:
1 1/4 tsp. butter, melted
1/4 cup light Karo syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
8 pecan halves
Methods
1. To prepare the dough: Dissolve the yeast in the warm water (120º-130ºF) and let proof for 5 minutes. Stir in squash puree, sugar, salt, butter, eggs, and sour cream. Gradually stir in 1 1/2 cups of bread flour, mixing well. If the dough is still very sticky (tacky is fine), add more flour (about 2 tbsp. at a time). You want the dough to be tacky, even a tiny bit sticky is ok. Knead it a few times to make a smooth ball. Move the dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover and rise to double (about 1 1/2 - 2 hours). Punch the dough down and rise to double again (about 1 hour). Pat the dough out to a 16" by 12" rectangle.
2. To prepare the topping: During the final rise, prepare the topping. Stir together the melted butter and the honey/syrup. Pour into an ungreased 8" cake pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar and pecans. Set aside.
3. To make the rolls: Spread the dough with apple butter (leaving a 2 inch border along one long edge). Sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar. Roll the dough, starting with the long apple buttery edge to the edge with the 2" border. Use a knife to mark where to cut for 8 rolls. Then, use dental floss to cut the rolls. Slide a long piece of dental floss (about 12" should work) under the roll at one of your division marks. Switch each end to the other hand to form a loop, and pull. You should have a nice clean edge. Place a pecan on the clean edge and place the roll pecan-side down in your pan (for sticky buns) or up for cinnamon rolls, spacing the 8 rolls evenly over the prepared topping. Cover the rolls and let rise 30 minutes (if you're planning to bake them right away) or put them in the fridge to rise overnight. If you're chilling over night, make sure to take the buns out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes prior to baking, but 60 minutes is better (you want to get the chill off and give the yeast a chance to increase its rate of metabolism).
4. To bake the rolls: Preheat the oven to 350º. Place the cake pan with risen rolls on a sheet pan to catch drips. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden on top. Take the pan out of the oven. If you made sticky buns, loosen the edge with a knife (you can skip this if you use a non-stick pan) and flip out onto a parchment paper-lined plate. If you made cinnamon rolls, they can cool in the pan. Cool 15-30 minutes before serving.
Results
The cinnamon rolls are golden brown and lightly sweet. The sticky buns are sweeter and (not surprisingly) sticky!
Discussion and Future Directions
Pumpkin butter has a unique flavor. It's similar to apple butter but has a hint of squash flavor. Consequently, these cinnamon rolls taste like cinnamon rolls with a hint of squash flavor with a strong pecan flavor. If you want to focus the flavor on pumpkin, leave the chopped pecans out of the filling. If you don't like pecans, other nuts could be substituted, maybe try walnuts or hazelnuts, but there's something special about a candied pecan baked into the top of these cinnamon rolls.
Supplementary Materials
Pumpkin/Winter Squash Butter
2 cups pureed winter squash
1/4 cup apple cider
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/8 tsp. clove
Simmer all ingredients in a saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently. Once the mixture has thickened, take it off the heat and move it to a covered container. Store in the fridge. Lasts 3-4 weeks.
28 September, 2013
Double Pumpkin Quick Bread [with Pumpkin Beer]
I know I said I was waiting for November to pull out the pumpkin, but by November, I really meant October. Obviously pumpkins are a Halloween necessity. Anyway, I failed. It's almost October, so I suppose it's ok. I caved because I really wanted pumpkin bread last weekend but settled on banana bread. While I like banana bread a lot, I was still craving pumpkin bread. Why? Because this recipe for Pumpkin Honey Beer Quick Bread from Cooking Light looked so moist and pumpkiny. I've never made (or had) beer bread, but it's one of C's favorite baked goods to whip up last minute to take to work. With two men in the house, I figured that even if it came out tasting like beer, it would disappear quickly.
The original recipe called for honey beer, but I have absolutely no idea what that is or where to get it. Mead? Apparently not the same thing. When I asked C if we had any beer laying around that was sort of sweet to use in pumpkin bread, he handed me a pumpkin ale from last fall that apparently wasn't good for drinking (and therefore still hanging out in the pantry). I have to disagree with his stance, because I actually drank a little bit of it and that says a lot. I definitely didn't taste pumpkin, but it was also a pretty weak beer (probably why I could drink it--not that I'd drink a whole bottle).
I've been using a lot of whole wheat pastry flour in place of all purpose flour and am getting bolder every time I bake (you'll note I used mostly whole wheat pastry flour in this recipe). I also decided that quick breads are often a bit too oily, so I subbed out some of the oil in favor of the last little bit of our homemade apple butter. I cut the sugar a lot, but added in just a touch of honey since I didn't use honey beer. I used canned pumpkin puree, but if I had a squash or pumpkin on hand, I would have used that instead.
Objective
Make pumpkin bread with pumpkin beer based on Pumpkin Honey Beer Quick Bread from Cooking Light.
Materials
1 cup + 2 tbsp. whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp (heaping) ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp (heaping) pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup pumpkin beer
2 tbsp. + 2 tsp. ground flaxseeds
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. granulated white sugar
1 tbsp. honey
1/3 cup oil (I recommend 50:50 light olive oil and apple butter/sauce)
1/3 cup pumpkin beer
2 large eggs
7.5 oz. (3/4 cup + 2 tbsp.) pumpkin puree
Methods
1. Preheat the oven to 350º. You can make either a 9x5" loaf or 2-4 mini loaves, depending on the size of your mini loaf pans. Grease loaf pan(s) and line the bottom with greased parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside. In a small bowl, stir the flaxseeds into 1/4 cup beer. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl (you can use your mixer, but it's isn't necessary), stir together the sugar, honey, oil, apple butter, and 1/3 cup beer until homogenous. Note: it's going to be wet and sloshy, so if you use a mixer, start on the lowest speed setting. Add the flaxseed mixture and pumpkin puree and stir to mix. Fold in the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
4. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan(s), filling the pans 2/3 to 3/4 of the way to the top.
5. Bake at 350º, just until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. For a 9x5" loaf, that's about 70 minutes; for mini loaves, around 45 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then loosen the edge with a plastic knife, flip out, and cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap tightly in saran wrap and store at room temperature.
Results
The loaves are moist and flavorful with a beautiful golden yellow hue. You can't taste the beer very much, but you can taste pumpkin and spice. The crust is a nice golden brown on the mini-loaves and a deep brown on the 9x5" loaf (see photo under Supplementary Materials).
Discussion and Future Directions
Well, I think I found the best way to consume beer! I will be happy to make this bread again. The flavor is very pumpkiny and not too sweet. This recipe is nice because it uses whole grains and flaxseed, has reduce sugar and oil. I took a loaf to C at work this afternoon (he's on call tonight) and "they" liked it (though did wonder if all the pumpkin flavor came from the pumpkin beer or if it also had pumpkin puree in it). Now, considering "they" are residents who work way too much and only have access to McDonald's on nights and weekends, I don't know that it would even have to be good for it to be consumed with gusto. Nevertheless, I'll take it as a compliment.
Next time you're craving pumpkin bread, I say you give this one a try (especially if you have pumpkin beer on hand). If you don't have pumpkin beer on hand, I suggest buying a 6-pack, using one of the beers to make this bread, then gifting the rest of the beer plus a mini loaf of bread to someone you love who loves beer. Brilliant, right?
Supplementary Materials
The original recipe called for honey beer, but I have absolutely no idea what that is or where to get it. Mead? Apparently not the same thing. When I asked C if we had any beer laying around that was sort of sweet to use in pumpkin bread, he handed me a pumpkin ale from last fall that apparently wasn't good for drinking (and therefore still hanging out in the pantry). I have to disagree with his stance, because I actually drank a little bit of it and that says a lot. I definitely didn't taste pumpkin, but it was also a pretty weak beer (probably why I could drink it--not that I'd drink a whole bottle).
I've been using a lot of whole wheat pastry flour in place of all purpose flour and am getting bolder every time I bake (you'll note I used mostly whole wheat pastry flour in this recipe). I also decided that quick breads are often a bit too oily, so I subbed out some of the oil in favor of the last little bit of our homemade apple butter. I cut the sugar a lot, but added in just a touch of honey since I didn't use honey beer. I used canned pumpkin puree, but if I had a squash or pumpkin on hand, I would have used that instead.
Objective
Make pumpkin bread with pumpkin beer based on Pumpkin Honey Beer Quick Bread from Cooking Light.
Materials
1 cup + 2 tbsp. whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp (heaping) ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp (heaping) pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup pumpkin beer
2 tbsp. + 2 tsp. ground flaxseeds
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. granulated white sugar
1 tbsp. honey
1/3 cup oil (I recommend 50:50 light olive oil and apple butter/sauce)
1/3 cup pumpkin beer
2 large eggs
7.5 oz. (3/4 cup + 2 tbsp.) pumpkin puree
Methods
1. Preheat the oven to 350º. You can make either a 9x5" loaf or 2-4 mini loaves, depending on the size of your mini loaf pans. Grease loaf pan(s) and line the bottom with greased parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside. In a small bowl, stir the flaxseeds into 1/4 cup beer. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl (you can use your mixer, but it's isn't necessary), stir together the sugar, honey, oil, apple butter, and 1/3 cup beer until homogenous. Note: it's going to be wet and sloshy, so if you use a mixer, start on the lowest speed setting. Add the flaxseed mixture and pumpkin puree and stir to mix. Fold in the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
4. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan(s), filling the pans 2/3 to 3/4 of the way to the top.
5. Bake at 350º, just until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. For a 9x5" loaf, that's about 70 minutes; for mini loaves, around 45 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then loosen the edge with a plastic knife, flip out, and cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap tightly in saran wrap and store at room temperature.
Results
The loaves are moist and flavorful with a beautiful golden yellow hue. You can't taste the beer very much, but you can taste pumpkin and spice. The crust is a nice golden brown on the mini-loaves and a deep brown on the 9x5" loaf (see photo under Supplementary Materials).
Discussion and Future Directions
Well, I think I found the best way to consume beer! I will be happy to make this bread again. The flavor is very pumpkiny and not too sweet. This recipe is nice because it uses whole grains and flaxseed, has reduce sugar and oil. I took a loaf to C at work this afternoon (he's on call tonight) and "they" liked it (though did wonder if all the pumpkin flavor came from the pumpkin beer or if it also had pumpkin puree in it). Now, considering "they" are residents who work way too much and only have access to McDonald's on nights and weekends, I don't know that it would even have to be good for it to be consumed with gusto. Nevertheless, I'll take it as a compliment.
Next time you're craving pumpkin bread, I say you give this one a try (especially if you have pumpkin beer on hand). If you don't have pumpkin beer on hand, I suggest buying a 6-pack, using one of the beers to make this bread, then gifting the rest of the beer plus a mini loaf of bread to someone you love who loves beer. Brilliant, right?
Supplementary Materials
15 September, 2013
Apple Butter Sticky Buns
As you know, we made a huge batch of apple butter. Surprisingly, we're already down to about 1/2 cup. I'm done making apple butter everything and will leave the rest for C to eat with toast. If I find that I absolutely have to make something else after he's finished it, we bought a backup jar at the farmers' market while we were in Madison that I'd be happy to open. The last thing on my list of things I had to make with apple butter this season was apple butter sticky buns. While I love cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting, I find that sticky buns are a lot more fail-proof. It can be hard to get just the right balance of sweet and tart when making cream cheese frosting. As soon as you add too much milk, you're stuck adding a mouth puckering amount of powdered sugar. Sticky buns, on the other hand, simply require adding the right amount of syrup and sugar and the baking process does the magic.
On Friday night, I started making dough as soon as I got home from work. By 7:30 p.m., the rolls were in the refrigerator for the final raise overnight. Saturday morning, they were out of the oven by 7:45 a.m. so we could get on the road for a weekend trip to San Antonio. Not 15 minutes after pulling them out of the oven, our roommate groggily walked to the kitchen and said "That is a wonderful smell to wake up to." I bet your loved ones would agree!
Objective
Make pecan sticky buns with apple butter filling. Finding apple butter recipes on the internet is easy. Finding recipes that use apple butter is a different story, let alone finding recipes for sticky buns that use apple butter. I found a few, but none of them jumped out at me. I decided to use the dough from Orange Rolls on Pastry Affair (because it's so simple and very light and fluffy) and I improvised the filing and topping based on my sticky buns/cinnamon roll preferences.
Materials
(This recipe makes 8 rolls)
Dough:
1 tsp. yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. butter, melted
1 egg
1/4 cup greek yogurt (or sour cream, light works fine)
1 1/2-2 1/2 cups bread flour (depending on the amount of moisture in your dough)
Filling:
1/2 cup apple butter
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
Topping:
1 tbsp. butter, melted
2 tbsp. honey*
2 tbsp. maple syrup*
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
*Note: this makes a fairly thin sticky topping. If you want a thick, caramel-like topping, use 1/4 cup light Karo syrup, 1 1/2 tbsp. butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 1/2 cup chopped pecans.
Methods
1. To prepare the dough: Dissolve the yeast in the warm water (120º-130ºF) and let proof for 5 minutes. Stir in sugar, salt, butter, eggs, and sour cream. Gradually stir in 1 1/2 cups of bread flour, mixing well. If the dough is still very sticky (tacky is fine), add more flour (about 2 tbsp. at a time). You want the dough to be tacky, even a tiny bit sticky is ok. Knead it a few times to make a smooth ball. Move the dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover and rise to double (about 1 1/2 - 2 hours). Punch the dough down and rise to double again (about 1 hour). Pat the dough out to a 16" by 12" rectangle.
2. To prepare the topping: During the final rise, prepare the topping. Stir together the melted butter and the honey/syrup. Pour into an ungreased 8" cake pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar and pecans. Set aside.
3. To make the rolls: Spread the dough with apple butter (leaving a 2 inch border along one long edge). Sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar. Roll the dough, starting with the long apple buttery edge to the edge with the 2" border. Use a knife to mark where to cut for 8 rolls. Then, use dental floss to cut the rolls. Slide a long piece of dental floss (about 12" should work) under the roll at one of your division marks. Switch each end to the other hand to form a loop, and pull. You should have a nice clean edge. Place the roll with this clean edge up in your pan, spacing the 8 rolls evenly over the prepared topping. Cover the rolls and let rise 30 minutes (if you're planning to bake them right away) or 15 minutes (if you're planning to refrigerate overnight. If you're ready to bake, proceed to step 4. If not, place the rolls in the refrigerator overnight. Make sure to take them out at least 30 minutes prior to baking, but 1-2 hours is better (you want to get the chill off and let the yeast start working again).
4. To bake the rolls: Preheat the oven to 350º. Place the cake pan with risen rolls on a sheet pan to catch drips. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden on top. Take the pan out of the oven, loosen the edge with a knife (you can skip this if you use a non-stick pan) and flip out onto a parchment paper-lined plate. Cool 15 minutes before serving.
Results
Sweet, but a little tart (like a good apple). The sticky topping is more earthy than caramely sweet. The rolls are soft and fluffy with a bit of a crunch from the pecans.
Discussion and Future Directions
These are very good and make a great fall breakfast treat (as do the orange rolls I linked to above). The bread is extremely light and fluffy. I think that's due to the greek yogurt (which surprised me since I used 0% fat greek yogurt instead of sour cream and I would have suspected that the added fat would have been the key). I was also surprised the recipe called for bread flour as it contains more gluten which would make a tougher bread if over-worked. My usual cinnamon roll recipe uses all-purpose flour and potato starch flour. It also makes a nice light bread, but not nearly as light as this recipe. For that reason (and that it's simple to throw together), this might be my new go-to bread dough.
The sticky buns weren't quite as appley as I was hoping, so I think that next time, I'd stir a few tablespoons apple butter into the topping. If you want a spiced roll, add a pinch each ginger, allspice, and clove to the filling with the cinnamon. I chose to use a combination of maple syrup and honey for the topping to make it more natural and earthy in taste rather than sweet and caramely like Karo syrup. I am pleased with that decision though it would be great either way. While there is no such thing as a healthy sticky bun, I feel like there are a few things about these that make them less bad as some of the others (just pretend you don't use as much sugar as you do)!
Supplementary Materials
On Friday night, I started making dough as soon as I got home from work. By 7:30 p.m., the rolls were in the refrigerator for the final raise overnight. Saturday morning, they were out of the oven by 7:45 a.m. so we could get on the road for a weekend trip to San Antonio. Not 15 minutes after pulling them out of the oven, our roommate groggily walked to the kitchen and said "That is a wonderful smell to wake up to." I bet your loved ones would agree!
Objective
Make pecan sticky buns with apple butter filling. Finding apple butter recipes on the internet is easy. Finding recipes that use apple butter is a different story, let alone finding recipes for sticky buns that use apple butter. I found a few, but none of them jumped out at me. I decided to use the dough from Orange Rolls on Pastry Affair (because it's so simple and very light and fluffy) and I improvised the filing and topping based on my sticky buns/cinnamon roll preferences.
Materials
(This recipe makes 8 rolls)
Dough:
1 tsp. yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. butter, melted
1 egg
1/4 cup greek yogurt (or sour cream, light works fine)
1 1/2-2 1/2 cups bread flour (depending on the amount of moisture in your dough)
Filling:
1/2 cup apple butter
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
Topping:
1 tbsp. butter, melted
2 tbsp. honey*
2 tbsp. maple syrup*
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
*Note: this makes a fairly thin sticky topping. If you want a thick, caramel-like topping, use 1/4 cup light Karo syrup, 1 1/2 tbsp. butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 1/2 cup chopped pecans.
Methods
1. To prepare the dough: Dissolve the yeast in the warm water (120º-130ºF) and let proof for 5 minutes. Stir in sugar, salt, butter, eggs, and sour cream. Gradually stir in 1 1/2 cups of bread flour, mixing well. If the dough is still very sticky (tacky is fine), add more flour (about 2 tbsp. at a time). You want the dough to be tacky, even a tiny bit sticky is ok. Knead it a few times to make a smooth ball. Move the dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover and rise to double (about 1 1/2 - 2 hours). Punch the dough down and rise to double again (about 1 hour). Pat the dough out to a 16" by 12" rectangle.
2. To prepare the topping: During the final rise, prepare the topping. Stir together the melted butter and the honey/syrup. Pour into an ungreased 8" cake pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar and pecans. Set aside.
3. To make the rolls: Spread the dough with apple butter (leaving a 2 inch border along one long edge). Sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar. Roll the dough, starting with the long apple buttery edge to the edge with the 2" border. Use a knife to mark where to cut for 8 rolls. Then, use dental floss to cut the rolls. Slide a long piece of dental floss (about 12" should work) under the roll at one of your division marks. Switch each end to the other hand to form a loop, and pull. You should have a nice clean edge. Place the roll with this clean edge up in your pan, spacing the 8 rolls evenly over the prepared topping. Cover the rolls and let rise 30 minutes (if you're planning to bake them right away) or 15 minutes (if you're planning to refrigerate overnight. If you're ready to bake, proceed to step 4. If not, place the rolls in the refrigerator overnight. Make sure to take them out at least 30 minutes prior to baking, but 1-2 hours is better (you want to get the chill off and let the yeast start working again).
4. To bake the rolls: Preheat the oven to 350º. Place the cake pan with risen rolls on a sheet pan to catch drips. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden on top. Take the pan out of the oven, loosen the edge with a knife (you can skip this if you use a non-stick pan) and flip out onto a parchment paper-lined plate. Cool 15 minutes before serving.
Results
Sweet, but a little tart (like a good apple). The sticky topping is more earthy than caramely sweet. The rolls are soft and fluffy with a bit of a crunch from the pecans.
Discussion and Future Directions
These are very good and make a great fall breakfast treat (as do the orange rolls I linked to above). The bread is extremely light and fluffy. I think that's due to the greek yogurt (which surprised me since I used 0% fat greek yogurt instead of sour cream and I would have suspected that the added fat would have been the key). I was also surprised the recipe called for bread flour as it contains more gluten which would make a tougher bread if over-worked. My usual cinnamon roll recipe uses all-purpose flour and potato starch flour. It also makes a nice light bread, but not nearly as light as this recipe. For that reason (and that it's simple to throw together), this might be my new go-to bread dough.
The sticky buns weren't quite as appley as I was hoping, so I think that next time, I'd stir a few tablespoons apple butter into the topping. If you want a spiced roll, add a pinch each ginger, allspice, and clove to the filling with the cinnamon. I chose to use a combination of maple syrup and honey for the topping to make it more natural and earthy in taste rather than sweet and caramely like Karo syrup. I am pleased with that decision though it would be great either way. While there is no such thing as a healthy sticky bun, I feel like there are a few things about these that make them less bad as some of the others (just pretend you don't use as much sugar as you do)!
Supplementary Materials
04 June, 2013
Rhubarb and Sorrel Scones
Last weekend at the farmers' market, I saw bunches of sorrel for sale. I had no idea what it was. In my head, I thought it was a type a mushroom, but I could clearly see that it was a leafy green of some sort. I didn't think much of it. This weekend, I saw it again and decided I wanted to try it. I still had no idea what it was, but I knew there was a recipe for Rhubarb and Sorrel Crisp in the cookbook C gave me for Christmas, Simply in Season. However, in my mind, crisps are more of a fall food. So, how was I going to use this large bunch of sorrel?
I had a stalk of rhubarb leftover in the fridge from the Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake I made for Memorial Day. One end was starting to get mushy, so I knew I needed to use it or risk losing it. I also had about 3/4 cup cream in the fridge on its "Best By" date. My plan for the rhubarb and cream was to make scones. Since rhubarb and sorrel pair well for a fruit crisp, I didn't see why I couldn't put them together in a scone. Plenty of people make savory scones with spinach, so why not sorrel?
What is sorrel anyway? Sorrel is a perennial herb that is related to buckwheat and rhubarb. Like rhubarb leaves, it contains oxalic acid, which can cause kidney failure by chelating metals and precipitating crystals in the kidneys. Luckily, sorrel contains less oxalic acid than rhubarb leaves and is safe for consumption (but can be lethal if high quantities are eaten). Lots of foods we eat other than rhubarb, buckwheat, and sorrel contain moderate levels of oxalic acid, for example: black pepper, parsley, spinach, beets, nuts, berries, and beans.
Objective
Make Rhubarb & Rye Scones from Apt. 2B Baking Co. with chopped sorrel.
Materials
2 stalks rhubarb (~4.5 oz), chopped to 1/2" pieces
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
zest of 1 lime
1 oz. sorrel, cut in half lengthwise then chopped
4.5 oz. rye flour (or another whole grain flour: barley, whole wheat)
6 oz. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, cold and cut into 1/2" cubes
4-6 oz. heavy cream (1/2-3/4 cup)
2-3 tbsp. turbinado sugar (or other coarse sugar), for sprinkling
Methods
1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix the chopped rhubarb with 2 tbsp. white sugar and the zest of one lime. Place the chopped sorrel on top of the rhubarb, but don't mix it in.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt, and 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Use a pastry blender to cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly with the butter well-distributed.
4. Find your small bowl of rhubarb and sorrel. Give the mixture a stir to combine the sorrel and rhubarb and distribute the sugar and juices. Scape the vegetables (yes, they are both vegetables) with the sugary juice into the bowl with the dough and stir to mix.
5. Pour the cream in slowly as you gently stir the dough. You only want to add enough to bring the flour together into a dough. Once you get there, stop.
6. Gather the dough together in a ball. I suggest dumping the dough onto saran wrap and pulling the wrap up and around the dough to shape it into a ball. Then, still on the saran warp, flatten the ball to a 1" thick disc. Cut the disc in half, then continue making cuts until you have 8 triangles. Place the triangles on the prepared baking sheet with at least 1" of space around them (see the pictures in Supplementary Materials to see how much they expand). Brush the tops of the scones with cream and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400ºF. If you can see unbaked dough in any of the cracks, continue to bake. When they are done, the tops should be lightly golden. Remove the scones from the oven. Slide the parchment paper from the pan onto a wire rack and allow the scones to cool. Best served fresh.
Results
The scones are very light and moist. The sugar topping adds a nice crunch. The sweet to tart ratio is great. The rhubarb broke down to "little jammy pockets" just as Yossy from Apt. 2B Baking Co. said it would! The sorrel lost its bright green hue and broke down quite a bit, but maintained its flavor.
Discussion
I tried my first scone just a few months ago. I always thought scones were dense, dry, and hard. Maybe I was confusing them with biscotti, which I have had and do not like. I made a recipe for cardamom and orange scones with orange blossom water and honey mascarpone from Homemade Winter by Yvette van Boven. I learned that I do not like orange blossom water, but that I do like scones. They aren't the dry, dense little hockey pucks I thought they were.
This recipe is even better than the cardamom and orange scones I made. The texture is amazing. The flavor is also very good. If you can't get sorrel, leave it out. Yossy's recipe is a keeper. So much so that I'm going to start craving scones. I like that the scones get all of their flavor from the flour, vegetables, and citrus zest. There are no spices. The scones have a crisp rhubarb flavor that is very refreshing (quite the opposite of the rhubarb cardamom combination I used when I was looking for a warm, comforting cake). I am so glad we came across sorrel today so that I could try this recipe, with my own little twist.
Since this recipe only used 1 oz. of sorrel, we still have quite a bit left. We had the scones for "second breakfast." For lunch, I made blue cheese and sorrel grilled cheese sandwiches from Seattle Times. Both sorrel and blue cheese have strong flavors. I felt like the blue cheese won the battle and I couldn't really taste the sorrel. Nevertheless, it was fun to try. I'm going to have to be creative to figure out how to use the rest!
Supplementary Materials
I had a stalk of rhubarb leftover in the fridge from the Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake I made for Memorial Day. One end was starting to get mushy, so I knew I needed to use it or risk losing it. I also had about 3/4 cup cream in the fridge on its "Best By" date. My plan for the rhubarb and cream was to make scones. Since rhubarb and sorrel pair well for a fruit crisp, I didn't see why I couldn't put them together in a scone. Plenty of people make savory scones with spinach, so why not sorrel?
What is sorrel anyway? Sorrel is a perennial herb that is related to buckwheat and rhubarb. Like rhubarb leaves, it contains oxalic acid, which can cause kidney failure by chelating metals and precipitating crystals in the kidneys. Luckily, sorrel contains less oxalic acid than rhubarb leaves and is safe for consumption (but can be lethal if high quantities are eaten). Lots of foods we eat other than rhubarb, buckwheat, and sorrel contain moderate levels of oxalic acid, for example: black pepper, parsley, spinach, beets, nuts, berries, and beans.
Objective
Make Rhubarb & Rye Scones from Apt. 2B Baking Co. with chopped sorrel.
Materials
2 stalks rhubarb (~4.5 oz), chopped to 1/2" pieces
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
zest of 1 lime
1 oz. sorrel, cut in half lengthwise then chopped
4.5 oz. rye flour (or another whole grain flour: barley, whole wheat)
6 oz. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, cold and cut into 1/2" cubes
4-6 oz. heavy cream (1/2-3/4 cup)
2-3 tbsp. turbinado sugar (or other coarse sugar), for sprinkling
Methods
1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix the chopped rhubarb with 2 tbsp. white sugar and the zest of one lime. Place the chopped sorrel on top of the rhubarb, but don't mix it in.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt, and 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Use a pastry blender to cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly with the butter well-distributed.
4. Find your small bowl of rhubarb and sorrel. Give the mixture a stir to combine the sorrel and rhubarb and distribute the sugar and juices. Scape the vegetables (yes, they are both vegetables) with the sugary juice into the bowl with the dough and stir to mix.
5. Pour the cream in slowly as you gently stir the dough. You only want to add enough to bring the flour together into a dough. Once you get there, stop.
6. Gather the dough together in a ball. I suggest dumping the dough onto saran wrap and pulling the wrap up and around the dough to shape it into a ball. Then, still on the saran warp, flatten the ball to a 1" thick disc. Cut the disc in half, then continue making cuts until you have 8 triangles. Place the triangles on the prepared baking sheet with at least 1" of space around them (see the pictures in Supplementary Materials to see how much they expand). Brush the tops of the scones with cream and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400ºF. If you can see unbaked dough in any of the cracks, continue to bake. When they are done, the tops should be lightly golden. Remove the scones from the oven. Slide the parchment paper from the pan onto a wire rack and allow the scones to cool. Best served fresh.
Results
The scones are very light and moist. The sugar topping adds a nice crunch. The sweet to tart ratio is great. The rhubarb broke down to "little jammy pockets" just as Yossy from Apt. 2B Baking Co. said it would! The sorrel lost its bright green hue and broke down quite a bit, but maintained its flavor.
Discussion
I tried my first scone just a few months ago. I always thought scones were dense, dry, and hard. Maybe I was confusing them with biscotti, which I have had and do not like. I made a recipe for cardamom and orange scones with orange blossom water and honey mascarpone from Homemade Winter by Yvette van Boven. I learned that I do not like orange blossom water, but that I do like scones. They aren't the dry, dense little hockey pucks I thought they were.
This recipe is even better than the cardamom and orange scones I made. The texture is amazing. The flavor is also very good. If you can't get sorrel, leave it out. Yossy's recipe is a keeper. So much so that I'm going to start craving scones. I like that the scones get all of their flavor from the flour, vegetables, and citrus zest. There are no spices. The scones have a crisp rhubarb flavor that is very refreshing (quite the opposite of the rhubarb cardamom combination I used when I was looking for a warm, comforting cake). I am so glad we came across sorrel today so that I could try this recipe, with my own little twist.
Since this recipe only used 1 oz. of sorrel, we still have quite a bit left. We had the scones for "second breakfast." For lunch, I made blue cheese and sorrel grilled cheese sandwiches from Seattle Times. Both sorrel and blue cheese have strong flavors. I felt like the blue cheese won the battle and I couldn't really taste the sorrel. Nevertheless, it was fun to try. I'm going to have to be creative to figure out how to use the rest!
Supplementary Materials
04 May, 2013
Berry Muffins with Whole Grains
Vegetables aren't my favorite, but C makes me eat them because he's a pediatrician and it's his job to make people eat vegetables (at least I think that's what he does on days when he has clinic). I like them with peanut sauce, but I can't eat them that way everyday. So for the other days, why not stick them in baked goods? (To give myself some credit, I think I ate a whole week's worth of vegetable servings yesterday, so I deserve something yummy today.) Yes, I understand that there's only one serving of veges in the entire recipe, but if I eat the whole batch... just kidding. To make it not seem so bad if I do eat the whole thing, I used lots of whole grains: whole wheat, barley, and steel-cut oats! The first recipe I tried using steel cut oats was banana muffins from The Kitchn and I loved them. When I think quick-bread or muffins, I think banana. If not banana, then blueberry. For some reason, C always makes raspberry muffins. I suspect it's a functional reason, because he keeps raspberries on hand for a raspberry mint drink that he makes with Bourbon and doesn't have other fruits in his freezer. So, since I made banana muffins last time (um, 2 nights ago), I thought I'd mix it up with blueberry. I only had a quarter cup of blueberries, so threw in some of C's raspberries.
Objective
Make muffins with steel cut oats and other grains, berries, and carrots. This recipe is based on Chew Out Loud's recipe which was based on this NY Times recipe.
Materials
Dry ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup barley flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. flaxseed meal
[2 tsp. baking powder--hmm, how did I forget that?]
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
Wet ingredients:
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup cooked steel-cut oats
1/2 cup grated carrot
1 cup berries (ex. blueberries, raspberries) tossed with 1 tbsp. flour
Turbinado/Raw sugar, for sprinkling.
Methods
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tin and set aside. I recommend making these into jumbo muffins for maximum moisture.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside.
3. Combine the wet ingredients (eggs through vanilla) in a blender. Mix until the mixture is homogenous. Add the cooked steel-cut oats and carrot. Pulse a few times to incorporate and break the steel-cut oats into slightly smaller pieces.
4. Fold the blended mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir in the berries.
5. Fill the muffin cups with batter. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before moving the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in a sealed container to keep the muffins moist.
Results
Yum! These are hearty but still taste good. In flavor, they are reminiscent of bran muffins. They are denser than your average muffin, but lighter than a bran muffin. This is kind of funny because I tried substituting millet for bran in a banana muffin and it failed--maybe the combination of steel cut oats, barley, and whole wheat pastry flour is the secret.The muffins are very moist and even moister on the second day.
Discussion and Future Directions
I really like these in a why-don't-I-eat-muffins-for-breakfast-every-day sort of way. For whole grain muffins, the combination of cooked steel cut oats and barley ensures a moist product (not a hockey puck). Having had my share of gluten-free baked goods, I know how disappointing it is to make something so hard you think you might break your teeth. The texture is soft with a touch of chew from the oats. The carrot is not noticeable.
Next time, I would try to skip the maple syrup. I'm not a huge fan of maple syrup in baking. Even grade B just doesn't do it for me. And to be honest, it's too expensive and not sweet enough. Though I joke about it, I don't eat baked goods for health foods. I eat them as a treats. I would keep the refined sugar where it is, and eliminate the maple syrup. I think I would add more carrot or add zucchini if I had some on hand. Once in awhile, I crave a cupcake-like muffin and I have a recipe for that. When I'm looking for a less guilty recipe, this recipe and the banana muffin recipe I mentioned above will be perfect! I'm excited to play around with different mix-ins.
Objective
Make muffins with steel cut oats and other grains, berries, and carrots. This recipe is based on Chew Out Loud's recipe which was based on this NY Times recipe.
Materials
Dry ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup barley flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. flaxseed meal
[2 tsp. baking powder--hmm, how did I forget that?]
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
Wet ingredients:
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup cooked steel-cut oats
1/2 cup grated carrot
1 cup berries (ex. blueberries, raspberries) tossed with 1 tbsp. flour
Turbinado/Raw sugar, for sprinkling.
Methods
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tin and set aside. I recommend making these into jumbo muffins for maximum moisture.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside.
3. Combine the wet ingredients (eggs through vanilla) in a blender. Mix until the mixture is homogenous. Add the cooked steel-cut oats and carrot. Pulse a few times to incorporate and break the steel-cut oats into slightly smaller pieces.
4. Fold the blended mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir in the berries.
5. Fill the muffin cups with batter. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before moving the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in a sealed container to keep the muffins moist.
Results
Yum! These are hearty but still taste good. In flavor, they are reminiscent of bran muffins. They are denser than your average muffin, but lighter than a bran muffin. This is kind of funny because I tried substituting millet for bran in a banana muffin and it failed--maybe the combination of steel cut oats, barley, and whole wheat pastry flour is the secret.The muffins are very moist and even moister on the second day.
Discussion and Future Directions
I really like these in a why-don't-I-eat-muffins-for-breakfast-every-day sort of way. For whole grain muffins, the combination of cooked steel cut oats and barley ensures a moist product (not a hockey puck). Having had my share of gluten-free baked goods, I know how disappointing it is to make something so hard you think you might break your teeth. The texture is soft with a touch of chew from the oats. The carrot is not noticeable.
Next time, I would try to skip the maple syrup. I'm not a huge fan of maple syrup in baking. Even grade B just doesn't do it for me. And to be honest, it's too expensive and not sweet enough. Though I joke about it, I don't eat baked goods for health foods. I eat them as a treats. I would keep the refined sugar where it is, and eliminate the maple syrup. I think I would add more carrot or add zucchini if I had some on hand. Once in awhile, I crave a cupcake-like muffin and I have a recipe for that. When I'm looking for a less guilty recipe, this recipe and the banana muffin recipe I mentioned above will be perfect! I'm excited to play around with different mix-ins.
01 February, 2012
Banana Bread Recipe Challenge
Objective
To make banana bread with leftover bananas and give crème fraîche another chance. I'm kind of particular when it comes to banana bread (ok fine, I'm kind of particular in general). I'm a lot better at knowing what I don't like than I am knowing what I do like. When it comes to banana bread, I don't like cinnamon and I don't like chocolate chips. I do, however, like nuts. My go-to recipe for years has been a one bowl, one spoon version from Simply Recipes. My biggest complaint is that the crust comes out super dark. I love that it doesn't require sifting or a mixer, which makes it accessible to everyone. The recipe I'm making here is a little more complicated in that it requires a sifter and, unless you want to whisk by hand for 10 minutes, an electric mixer. Recipe adpated from Flour's Famous Banana Bread Recipe. Makes one loaf.
Materials
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt, heaping
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
3 very ripe bananas, mashed with a fork
2 tablespoons crème fraîche (for lower fat use sour cream)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup pecans (or walnuts), chopped and toasted
Methods
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line the bottom of a 9"x5" loaf pan with parchment paper and grease the inside of the pan.
2. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. Beat sugar and eggs with a whisk until they are light and fluffy (I whisked them on medium speed on my mixer for 5 minutes).
4. Keep whisking and drizzle in the oil.
5. Turn the mixer off. Mix in the bananas, crème fraîche and vanilla.
6. Fold in the dry ingredients and nuts.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean (for me, at least 70-75 minutes, but I would start checking it around 50 minutes).
Results
The crust is very dark. The center is light and moist. The flavor is very banana-y and delicious!
Discussion and Future Directions
This banana bread is worth the extra effort! The flavor is wonderful, as is the texture. I visited some friends on Sunday night and took them half of the loaf because I knew it would be a bad idea to keep it in the house! The only real complaint I have is that the crust is borderline burned. I say borderline because as a kid, I would have called it burned, but as an adult I can tolerate the flavor a lot more. Next time I would try reducing the cooking time and making mini-loaves. I can't quite judge how many loaves to make because the batter did rise quite a bit in the oven (maybe 3 or 4 little loaves?). However, I think baking the batter into smaller loaves would help the middle cook more proportionately to the crust. With smaller loaves, I have some fear that the middle will dry out before the crust browns, but it's worth the risk. This will definitely be my new go-to banana bread recipe. Next time you have overripe bananas, give this a try! I promise you won't regret it (unless you eat the whole loaf in one sitting and make yourself sick)!
Supplementary Materials
To make banana bread with leftover bananas and give crème fraîche another chance. I'm kind of particular when it comes to banana bread (ok fine, I'm kind of particular in general). I'm a lot better at knowing what I don't like than I am knowing what I do like. When it comes to banana bread, I don't like cinnamon and I don't like chocolate chips. I do, however, like nuts. My go-to recipe for years has been a one bowl, one spoon version from Simply Recipes. My biggest complaint is that the crust comes out super dark. I love that it doesn't require sifting or a mixer, which makes it accessible to everyone. The recipe I'm making here is a little more complicated in that it requires a sifter and, unless you want to whisk by hand for 10 minutes, an electric mixer. Recipe adpated from Flour's Famous Banana Bread Recipe. Makes one loaf.
Materials
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt, heaping
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
3 very ripe bananas, mashed with a fork
2 tablespoons crème fraîche (for lower fat use sour cream)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup pecans (or walnuts), chopped and toasted
Methods
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line the bottom of a 9"x5" loaf pan with parchment paper and grease the inside of the pan.
2. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. Beat sugar and eggs with a whisk until they are light and fluffy (I whisked them on medium speed on my mixer for 5 minutes).
4. Keep whisking and drizzle in the oil.
5. Turn the mixer off. Mix in the bananas, crème fraîche and vanilla.
6. Fold in the dry ingredients and nuts.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean (for me, at least 70-75 minutes, but I would start checking it around 50 minutes).
Results
The crust is very dark. The center is light and moist. The flavor is very banana-y and delicious!
Discussion and Future Directions
This banana bread is worth the extra effort! The flavor is wonderful, as is the texture. I visited some friends on Sunday night and took them half of the loaf because I knew it would be a bad idea to keep it in the house! The only real complaint I have is that the crust is borderline burned. I say borderline because as a kid, I would have called it burned, but as an adult I can tolerate the flavor a lot more. Next time I would try reducing the cooking time and making mini-loaves. I can't quite judge how many loaves to make because the batter did rise quite a bit in the oven (maybe 3 or 4 little loaves?). However, I think baking the batter into smaller loaves would help the middle cook more proportionately to the crust. With smaller loaves, I have some fear that the middle will dry out before the crust browns, but it's worth the risk. This will definitely be my new go-to banana bread recipe. Next time you have overripe bananas, give this a try! I promise you won't regret it (unless you eat the whole loaf in one sitting and make yourself sick)!
Supplementary Materials
22 January, 2012
Blueberry Quickbread with Crème Fraîche
Objective
To use crème fraîche in place of sour cream in quickbread. I have heard nothing but wonderful things about crème fraîche. It's widely popular in Europe, but you don't hear much about it in the United States. It is cultured like sour cream, but closer to 30% butterfat whereas sour cream is only up to about 20% butterfat. The flavor isn't quite as sour as sour cream.The texture of crème fraîche is much thicker than sour cream and the best description I can give is that it's "goopy." For you scientists out there, as I was stirring it, it reminded me of cell lysate, but not as cohesive. Needless to say, I quickly became skeptical. I elected a blueberry muffin recipe because I had fresh blueberries that needed eating and the combination of sour cream and blueberry is popular in baking. Adapted from Doris Greenspan's Baking with Julia.
Methods
1. Preheat the oven to 400° and grease two 8" x 2.75" loaf pans (or muffin tins if you prefer).
2. Sift the dry ingredients three times. Use two tablespoons of the flour mixture to coat the blueberries and set the blueberries and flour mixture aside. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the milk and crème fraîche and set aside.
3. Cream the butter on medium speed until it is pale (I used speed 3 or 4 on my mixer and it took just under 3 minutes).
4. Add the sugar and continue to beat another 3 minutes.
5. Add the egg and egg yolk and beat 2 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
6. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Add half of the dry ingredients and half of the milk/crème fraîche mixture and fold into the batter with a spatula until just incorporated. Repeat with the other half.
7. Gently fold in the blueberries.
8. Divide the batter evenly between prepared loaf pans (or muffin tins). Bake 10 minutes, or until the tops are just starting to brown, reduce the oven temperature to 350°, tent the loaves with foil, and continue baking another 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (less time for muffins).
9. Cool on a cooling rack 10 to 15 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature.
Results
The bread is light and flimsy. All of the blueberries sunk to the bottom. The top is nicely browned. The texture is light. The flavor is rich, but not sweet.
Conclusions and Future Directions
The first two things I ever made from scratch were chocolate chip cookies and banana bread. These were my favorite baked goods growing up. Both are sweet, but not rich. This recipe for blueberry quickbread is rich, but not sweet. Because I was expecting something much sweeter, I'm hesitant to say that I didn't like the bread. It's simply not what I expected. The use of cake flour had me dreaming of a sweet, rich pound cake sprinkled with blueberries for a little tang. If that's what you're looking for, the richness is there, but increase the amount of sugar. I think the addition of brown sugar could do wonders!
That being said, the bread probably would have been sweet enough if the blueberries hadn't all sunk to the bottom. If they had been evenly distributed, it would have added sugar to each bite. The purpose of coating the blueberries with the flour mixture was to reduce sinking. It simply didn't work. I've read that some people swear by frozen berries coated in flour instead of fresh berries. The argument that ice is less dense and more buoyant doesn't work here--it's a weight thing. This batter is really light and airy. I think the batter simply can't withstand the weight of the berries. Making muffins might be the way to go because the shorter baking time might catch the berries in their fall so a few of them will be incorporated.
But, back to the point: crème fraîche! The point of adding sour cream or crème fraîche is moisture. These loaves are incredibly moist and tender, so the crème fraîche did its job! I don't think there will be a next time for this blueberry quickbread. Quickbreads and muffins with fruit always seem to disappoint me, unless that fruit is banana. I have 12 or so bananas sitting to ripen for an ice cream recipe I'm planning to make with a Mexican sugar called piloncillo. I think I'll use the extra bananas next weekend to give crème fraîche it's chance to shine in banana bread!
Supplementary Materials
To use crème fraîche in place of sour cream in quickbread. I have heard nothing but wonderful things about crème fraîche. It's widely popular in Europe, but you don't hear much about it in the United States. It is cultured like sour cream, but closer to 30% butterfat whereas sour cream is only up to about 20% butterfat. The flavor isn't quite as sour as sour cream.The texture of crème fraîche is much thicker than sour cream and the best description I can give is that it's "goopy." For you scientists out there, as I was stirring it, it reminded me of cell lysate, but not as cohesive. Needless to say, I quickly became skeptical. I elected a blueberry muffin recipe because I had fresh blueberries that needed eating and the combination of sour cream and blueberry is popular in baking. Adapted from Doris Greenspan's Baking with Julia.
Materials
1 ¾ cup cake flour
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon salt
1 pint fresh blueberries
¾ cup milk
¼ cup crème fraîche (could use full-fat sour cream)
1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg, at room temp
1 large egg yolk, at room temp
Methods
1. Preheat the oven to 400° and grease two 8" x 2.75" loaf pans (or muffin tins if you prefer).
2. Sift the dry ingredients three times. Use two tablespoons of the flour mixture to coat the blueberries and set the blueberries and flour mixture aside. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the milk and crème fraîche and set aside.
3. Cream the butter on medium speed until it is pale (I used speed 3 or 4 on my mixer and it took just under 3 minutes).
4. Add the sugar and continue to beat another 3 minutes.
5. Add the egg and egg yolk and beat 2 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
6. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Add half of the dry ingredients and half of the milk/crème fraîche mixture and fold into the batter with a spatula until just incorporated. Repeat with the other half.
7. Gently fold in the blueberries.
8. Divide the batter evenly between prepared loaf pans (or muffin tins). Bake 10 minutes, or until the tops are just starting to brown, reduce the oven temperature to 350°, tent the loaves with foil, and continue baking another 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (less time for muffins).
9. Cool on a cooling rack 10 to 15 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature.
Results
The bread is light and flimsy. All of the blueberries sunk to the bottom. The top is nicely browned. The texture is light. The flavor is rich, but not sweet.
Conclusions and Future Directions
The first two things I ever made from scratch were chocolate chip cookies and banana bread. These were my favorite baked goods growing up. Both are sweet, but not rich. This recipe for blueberry quickbread is rich, but not sweet. Because I was expecting something much sweeter, I'm hesitant to say that I didn't like the bread. It's simply not what I expected. The use of cake flour had me dreaming of a sweet, rich pound cake sprinkled with blueberries for a little tang. If that's what you're looking for, the richness is there, but increase the amount of sugar. I think the addition of brown sugar could do wonders!
That being said, the bread probably would have been sweet enough if the blueberries hadn't all sunk to the bottom. If they had been evenly distributed, it would have added sugar to each bite. The purpose of coating the blueberries with the flour mixture was to reduce sinking. It simply didn't work. I've read that some people swear by frozen berries coated in flour instead of fresh berries. The argument that ice is less dense and more buoyant doesn't work here--it's a weight thing. This batter is really light and airy. I think the batter simply can't withstand the weight of the berries. Making muffins might be the way to go because the shorter baking time might catch the berries in their fall so a few of them will be incorporated.
But, back to the point: crème fraîche! The point of adding sour cream or crème fraîche is moisture. These loaves are incredibly moist and tender, so the crème fraîche did its job! I don't think there will be a next time for this blueberry quickbread. Quickbreads and muffins with fruit always seem to disappoint me, unless that fruit is banana. I have 12 or so bananas sitting to ripen for an ice cream recipe I'm planning to make with a Mexican sugar called piloncillo. I think I'll use the extra bananas next weekend to give crème fraîche it's chance to shine in banana bread!
Supplementary Materials
14 January, 2012
Candied Orange Toasting Bread
Objective
To make a bread similar to Craquelin from Joanne Chang's cookbook Flour. Instead of making individual pastries, make a candied orange brioche loaf. Reduced the amount of butter in the brioche to make it a lighter and more airy product. As delicious as the original recipe is, I found it a bit too dense, which I think could be due to the amount of fat in the dough. The candied orange will give the brioche a little something extra.
Hypothesis: I will find the dough tasty in spite of the butter reduction and the texture of the dough will be light. The candied orange will lend the bread a sweet and refreshing citrus flavor.
Materials
For Brioche:
150 g starter* (flour, water and yeast), see supplementary materials for direction
230 g all-purpose flour plus additional to moderate texture
340 g bread flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon salt
1/4 cup warm water (110-120°)
2 T warm water plus 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast (let sit a few minutes before adding)
6 eggs
1 cup butter, room temperature, cut into tablespoon size chunks
*could be omitted but increase the water to 1/2 cup and increasing the all-purpose flour by about 1 cup
For Candied Orange:
2 cups water
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 navel orange
Methods
1. Place starter, all-purpose flour, bread flour, sugar, salt, warm water, yeast mixture and 5 eggs into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Beat on low until the flour is completely hydrated and incorporated into the dough. This will require occasional stopping to scrape the flour at the edge of the bowl into the mass. Once the dough has come together, beat on low for another 3 to 4 minutes.
2. On low speed, add the butter piece by piece. Continue mixing 10 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed.
3. Once the butter is incorporated, beat on medium-low speed for another 10 minutes or until the dough is soft and a bit shiny. Pull on the dough to see if it is a firm mass. If it isn't, add more all-purpose flour until when you tug on the dough, it doesn't break off (I added about 3/4 of a cup more flour). Once you get the correct toughness, beat on medium for a few more minutes.
4. Remove the dough from the bowl. Weigh, and separate into 2 even chunks (my dough gave two 800 gram pieces). Knead each chunk into a ball, making sure the dough is smooth and there are no chunky spots.
5. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate (6 hours to overnight). This will help the butter firm up and aid in shaping of the dough.
6. Meanwhile, prepare the candied oranges. Bring water and sugar to a boil, stirring constantly to dissolve. Slice off the two ends of the navel orange and slice the orange into small rings (about 1/4" thick). Simmer on low until the oranges are translucent and the liquid forms a thick syrup. On a gas stove, this may take 2-3 hours. On an electric stove, this may take closer to 4. Cover and cool. Can be stored in the fridge prior to use.
7. To prepare the bread, remove a chunk of dough from the fridge (the other can be used for loaf of simple brioche or made into another pastry (check out Joanne Chang's cookbook for delicious ideas). Roll the dough into a rectangle 9 inches by as long as you can make it the other direction!
8. Remove the candied orange from the syrup and chop the oranges. Spread the oranges over the top of the dough. Starting from one of the short ends, roll the dough into a log. place in a greased 9x5 inch pan. Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel.
9. Put loaf in a cold oven with a large pot of hot water (or, fill a batter bowl with water and microwave it 5-10 minutes and put that in the oven with the loaf). Sit 4-5 hours or until the dough is beginning to feel softer and looks puffier. Because of the quantity of butter, the dough won't raise much. Gently remove from the oven and set aside.
10. Preheat the oven to 350°.
11. When the oven has preheated, brush the top of the loaf with a beaten egg. Bake 40-55 minutes or until a kitchen thermometer in the middle of the loaves reads 190°. If the bread begins to brown too early, tent the loaf with foil.
12. When the bread is done baking, remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Eat immediately or wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature.
Results
The smell from the oven was quite heavenly. The top of the bread is shiny (I sprinkled it with a little sugar while baking, so the shine isn't so glaring). The crust has a rich color and I did have to tent it with foil about 25 minutes into baking to prevent it from burning. The bread is dense but the candied orange is delicious.
Discussion and Future Directions
To begin, Joanne Chang's cookbook Flour is really fun. From homemade Oreos and Poptarts to brioche and a lemon raspberry cake that would be well suited for a wedding, it is a great cookbook for a beginner who is ready to take their baking to the next level! I have yet to tackle the Oreos or Poptarts (my friend Andrea simply cannot believe it's possible, so I will definitely have to show her that it is), but have enjoyed all of the pastries I've made so far as well as the Red Velvet Cake (it may have been the wine I was drinking while baking or the type of cocoa I used, but whatever it was, mine didn't turn out red. So, I termed it "break-up cake" and used it to cheer myself up. Note: the cake is not to be confused "Drown Your Sorrows in Cake" Cake but the frosting is the same.)
The flavor of this bread is good. It is dense and moist, which reminds me more of a cinnamon swirl toasting bread rather than a brioche. I was going for something with less calories than brioche, so I certainly sacrificed the soft, supple texture. Next time I would probably skip the starter (I only used it because I had it and wanted to use it up). Even with the little rise after 5 hours and the rise in the oven, the bread was still quite dense. The best remedy for this would be to use the Brioche recipe in Joanne Chang's cookbook or another brioche recipe you've had luck with (I've also used and enjoyed King Arthur Flour's Brioche recipe). Definitely don't try to skip on the calories! It's supposed to be luxurious, and in this case, the luxury comes fat calories!!
Beyond my criticism of the bread, the flavor was great. I was nervous that the candied orange might be too tough--particularly the orange peel. That simply wasn't so! It was delicious and really added something special to the bread. Next time I have the time for pastries, I'd love to try it again. The candied orange is time consuming in that you have to tend to the stove and stir every 15 minutes or so for up to 3 or 4 hours. If you're home anyway, don't let that be a deterrent! This would be a great treat for someone you know fighting scurvy (scientist joke--it was a long semester), or anyone who loves citrus!
Supplementary Materials
Starter Dough
1 cup all-purpose flour (plus more)
1 1/2 cups water, warm
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
Mix together and let sit on the counter for up to 8 hours. It should start to smell yeasty and get bubbly. Stir in enough flour to make the starter a loose dough (half cup to a cup). Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days before using. This starter can be maintained by saving a piece of dough, adding more water and flour and repeating the process.
To make a bread similar to Craquelin from Joanne Chang's cookbook Flour. Instead of making individual pastries, make a candied orange brioche loaf. Reduced the amount of butter in the brioche to make it a lighter and more airy product. As delicious as the original recipe is, I found it a bit too dense, which I think could be due to the amount of fat in the dough. The candied orange will give the brioche a little something extra.
Hypothesis: I will find the dough tasty in spite of the butter reduction and the texture of the dough will be light. The candied orange will lend the bread a sweet and refreshing citrus flavor.
Materials
For Brioche:
150 g starter* (flour, water and yeast), see supplementary materials for direction
230 g all-purpose flour plus additional to moderate texture
340 g bread flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon salt
1/4 cup warm water (110-120°)
2 T warm water plus 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast (let sit a few minutes before adding)
6 eggs
1 cup butter, room temperature, cut into tablespoon size chunks
*could be omitted but increase the water to 1/2 cup and increasing the all-purpose flour by about 1 cup
For Candied Orange:
2 cups water
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 navel orange
Methods
1. Place starter, all-purpose flour, bread flour, sugar, salt, warm water, yeast mixture and 5 eggs into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Beat on low until the flour is completely hydrated and incorporated into the dough. This will require occasional stopping to scrape the flour at the edge of the bowl into the mass. Once the dough has come together, beat on low for another 3 to 4 minutes.
2. On low speed, add the butter piece by piece. Continue mixing 10 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed.
3. Once the butter is incorporated, beat on medium-low speed for another 10 minutes or until the dough is soft and a bit shiny. Pull on the dough to see if it is a firm mass. If it isn't, add more all-purpose flour until when you tug on the dough, it doesn't break off (I added about 3/4 of a cup more flour). Once you get the correct toughness, beat on medium for a few more minutes.
4. Remove the dough from the bowl. Weigh, and separate into 2 even chunks (my dough gave two 800 gram pieces). Knead each chunk into a ball, making sure the dough is smooth and there are no chunky spots.
5. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate (6 hours to overnight). This will help the butter firm up and aid in shaping of the dough.
6. Meanwhile, prepare the candied oranges. Bring water and sugar to a boil, stirring constantly to dissolve. Slice off the two ends of the navel orange and slice the orange into small rings (about 1/4" thick). Simmer on low until the oranges are translucent and the liquid forms a thick syrup. On a gas stove, this may take 2-3 hours. On an electric stove, this may take closer to 4. Cover and cool. Can be stored in the fridge prior to use.
7. To prepare the bread, remove a chunk of dough from the fridge (the other can be used for loaf of simple brioche or made into another pastry (check out Joanne Chang's cookbook for delicious ideas). Roll the dough into a rectangle 9 inches by as long as you can make it the other direction!
8. Remove the candied orange from the syrup and chop the oranges. Spread the oranges over the top of the dough. Starting from one of the short ends, roll the dough into a log. place in a greased 9x5 inch pan. Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel.
9. Put loaf in a cold oven with a large pot of hot water (or, fill a batter bowl with water and microwave it 5-10 minutes and put that in the oven with the loaf). Sit 4-5 hours or until the dough is beginning to feel softer and looks puffier. Because of the quantity of butter, the dough won't raise much. Gently remove from the oven and set aside.
10. Preheat the oven to 350°.
11. When the oven has preheated, brush the top of the loaf with a beaten egg. Bake 40-55 minutes or until a kitchen thermometer in the middle of the loaves reads 190°. If the bread begins to brown too early, tent the loaf with foil.
12. When the bread is done baking, remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Eat immediately or wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature.
Results
The smell from the oven was quite heavenly. The top of the bread is shiny (I sprinkled it with a little sugar while baking, so the shine isn't so glaring). The crust has a rich color and I did have to tent it with foil about 25 minutes into baking to prevent it from burning. The bread is dense but the candied orange is delicious.
Discussion and Future Directions
To begin, Joanne Chang's cookbook Flour is really fun. From homemade Oreos and Poptarts to brioche and a lemon raspberry cake that would be well suited for a wedding, it is a great cookbook for a beginner who is ready to take their baking to the next level! I have yet to tackle the Oreos or Poptarts (my friend Andrea simply cannot believe it's possible, so I will definitely have to show her that it is), but have enjoyed all of the pastries I've made so far as well as the Red Velvet Cake (it may have been the wine I was drinking while baking or the type of cocoa I used, but whatever it was, mine didn't turn out red. So, I termed it "break-up cake" and used it to cheer myself up. Note: the cake is not to be confused "Drown Your Sorrows in Cake" Cake but the frosting is the same.)
The flavor of this bread is good. It is dense and moist, which reminds me more of a cinnamon swirl toasting bread rather than a brioche. I was going for something with less calories than brioche, so I certainly sacrificed the soft, supple texture. Next time I would probably skip the starter (I only used it because I had it and wanted to use it up). Even with the little rise after 5 hours and the rise in the oven, the bread was still quite dense. The best remedy for this would be to use the Brioche recipe in Joanne Chang's cookbook or another brioche recipe you've had luck with (I've also used and enjoyed King Arthur Flour's Brioche recipe). Definitely don't try to skip on the calories! It's supposed to be luxurious, and in this case, the luxury comes fat calories!!
Beyond my criticism of the bread, the flavor was great. I was nervous that the candied orange might be too tough--particularly the orange peel. That simply wasn't so! It was delicious and really added something special to the bread. Next time I have the time for pastries, I'd love to try it again. The candied orange is time consuming in that you have to tend to the stove and stir every 15 minutes or so for up to 3 or 4 hours. If you're home anyway, don't let that be a deterrent! This would be a great treat for someone you know fighting scurvy (scientist joke--it was a long semester), or anyone who loves citrus!
Supplementary Materials
Starter Dough
1 cup all-purpose flour (plus more)
1 1/2 cups water, warm
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
Mix together and let sit on the counter for up to 8 hours. It should start to smell yeasty and get bubbly. Stir in enough flour to make the starter a loose dough (half cup to a cup). Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days before using. This starter can be maintained by saving a piece of dough, adding more water and flour and repeating the process.
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