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ME: "Thanks Bernie.... it does look much nicer inside than the last one doesn't it"?
BERNIE: "Yup..... there are only a few little holes in it this time"....
ME: "I have no idea what happens sometimes..... or why those big air holes or open areas show up... it is so annoying"
BERNIE: "Don't forget.... your bread baking buddies all say who cares what it looks like.... as long as it tastes great"
ME: "I know... but, it sort of does matter to me Bernie.... I like it to look nice too and, I want to understand why it happens."
BERNIE: "Yeh.....I know....."
Geoff Cooper's Wholewheat Loaf
That's a mouthful just to say....and, oh, may I just also say..... they are YUMMY!
Some Christmas baking has been going on over here... shortbread yesterday. .. but, I totally forgot to bother with my camera.... maybe I can still do something.........later...........
The Flickr Lounge
"Multiples"
A long baking day yesterday, with several rise times, etc... and, doing things inside and outside...like tossing things onto the roof for somebody to clean out the eavestroughs, picking weeds and trying to dig in some new dirt...etc....
....but, in the end....wow.... what great buns! I'll defo make these again.
But, the size of them!
Next time Charlie....I think I'd better divvy the dough into at least 6 instead of the 5 ... maybe 8 ..... already there is only 1 left .. and I'm sure I'd feel a lot less guilty eating one half the size, never mind just sightly smaller. More jumping jacks..................... or whatever...........
And, like Charlie... I thought I had totally 'butchered' them trying to cut in a cross or at least some type of scoring. Nope... didn't cut nearly deep enough to get it to remain after the oven spring that happened! Look at how big and puffy they are...
Amazing flavour with the hit of rosemary.... love it with the sweet raisins. I've read some recipes that add walnuts as well .....
next time!!!
These are soooooo tasty!!
... which this time was just about one minute longer than it should have been.
I don't like it quite this toasty looking...although, it tastes great..
I had a bit of trouble slicing it too as it was so full of nuts and cranberries that it was breaking a bit at the ends... but, ...hey...I love the rustic look so it suits my eye.
Cranberry and almond Biscotti....
This still life I took this morning reminds me of a picnic with the little gingham napkins. Wishful thinking but at least it warms my heart. Submission to Flickr Lounge theme "edge" Happy Friday everyone.
I baked and iced the warm buns...but, did not make them. They were made by a neighbour from Julie Van Rosendaal's recipe and given to us for Christmas. Sadly, they've been hiding in the freezer until my oven got fixed.. which it finally did on Valentine's Day.
Yesterday I got them out and baked them.....mmmm.... lovely and sticky and gooey....
and then, I made drizzling consistency icing and slathered them with it as well. If I'm going to eat sugary stuff I may as well make it count.!!
BERNIE: "I think she's over done it this time Radcliffe"...
RADCLIFFE: "Me too Bernie .... I can't even see over it ...and, this is the smaller one....
BERNIE: "It's all that Lady Nina's fault.... she makes BIG POUFFY bread... so ... 'you-know-who' just had to keep baking until she finally figured out how to make some too.
RADCLIFFE: "Maybe it's time to get back to baking regular old bead."
BERNIE: "Are you going to explain it to her Radcliffe?"
RADCLIFFE: "No way ... that's YOUR job Bernie"...
BERNIE: "Me.... but, why's it always me????"
Happy Teddy Bear Tuesday
I love to bake and at Christmas I like to drag out some old fashioned recipes and get busy making yummy stuff!
Nanaimo Bars .... a well known treat in Canada...but, not everywhere else. Oh, they are soooo goooood..... very rich, so small squares are perfect.
Caramel Macchiato shortbread .... mmmmm...
and, Butter Tarts... another Canadian recipe.... and, I've discovered a German pastry (only cream cheese and butter and flour) that is lovely. More malleable than regular pasty and easy to use ... perfect for tiny bitesize tarts. Which are a nuisance to get into tart tins....
Help yourself to one ... or even two, and you won't feel guilty because they are just tiny.....
The only reason I can see to call it 'bread' is the fact that the recipe writers say to "bake in a bread pan".
Sometimes you see loaves of any sort referred to as 'quick breads'...I never call them that....just call them a loaf. Like Banana Loaf...but, you also see it called Banana Bread.... same recipes.
Also... they call the topping Dutch Crumb Topping... but, it is just Streusel to me.
Anyway....I saw it, wanted to try it and so I did. it is very tasty... but no more so than my usual Apple Cake recipe ..which I bake in an 8 x 8 square pan.
However, if you'd like to give it a try here is a link to the site. I love the look of their site..the photos are excellent... and, all the loaves are called Quick Breads...hahha... oh, well.
Some of their recipes I have tried have not worked perfectly...but, trust the measurements on this one. It worked beautifully.
One tip though..... it says dice the apples...but, I think you need to dice them smaller than I did. It left rather large openings around some of the chunks of diced apples and, therefore makes it a bit difficult to slice. It falls apart at the edges if you some upon an airy spot.
Also.. don't try slicing it until it cools completely...the streusel topping is pretty crunchy when it first come out of the oven and causes edges to crumble as well. Just sayin' ....
Definitely worthwhile to make ... and...as you can see...I didn't bother with the icing on top of the Dutch Crunch (Streusel) Topping.... it was plenty sweet enough for me.
Enjoy!
I bought some blueberries ..on sale. But, honestly, they were so tart I couldn't eat them.
Not one to be thwarted by some things.... I can't say 'all things', but I do say some! ,,,, I tossed the berries into a pot with some lemon juice and sugar and made a version of quick jam.
Then, made a blueberry yogurt loaf; but, instead of individual berries, I dolloped the jam in with spoonfuls of the batter to get them more or less evenly spaced without smearing it around and getting blue-ish cake.
It worked perfectly.
A new recipe to me and I was happy with the result...quite a lemony loaf with 1/3 cup of lemon juice and zest of a whole lemon in it. And, most of my jam....
Yum!
I took a few shots and then, thought .. I wonder what it would look like in High Key....I like it.
My latest endeavour in the kitchen.
The cutest little orange tarts with a centre like molten lava.
Got them from Geoff's site again... that guy makes some yummy things and they usually turn out very well. These were a bit more fiddly than I bargained for ... his video made them look easier somehow. (Don't they always?!)
There is a second video of an Italian girl making the original; upon which he based his version .. and, she seemed to have a more pliable dough for the pastry. I'll try her version next time. And, yes...there will definitely be a next time as they were sooooo tasty!!
I say were because they are definitely all gone. Sorry guys.....
We did give two to some neighbours...but, the recipe only makes 9, and we pigged out on the rest...albeit over several days.
I was surprised that the pastry crust stayed nice for days. The crust is like a fruit tart. It is only slightly crisp on the outside, but just nice texture on the inside of it.. the little balls on the surface stay so light and almost puffy.....and the orange centre is liquid gold. Yuummmmm!!!
Orange zest in the pastry just gives it a hint of orange too and it all is a very special treat.
Here are all the links ... my food blog, Geoff's recipe, and also the Youtube of the Italian site if you might like to give them a try.
I decided to do a raisin loaf... just not a sourdough or natural starter loaf. I'm pushing the boundaries.........
However, I found this little blurb on the website touting the week long celebration.
"It’s not just about sourdough ...
While all genuine sourdough is Real Bread, not all Real Bread is made by the sourdough process. As long as it’s made without additives, bread leavened with baker’s yeast nestles within our definition of Real Bread – as do unleavened flatbreads".
And, so ... I give you my loaf of Real Bread... which, this time I made with commercial yeast ...and, which 'pouffed' up considerably.......
I've made the loaf a few times in the past.... twice it has gone way above the pan.
However, it is a massive amount of dough even for my large KitchenAid 9 x 5 sort of rounded edges pan...
Next time I may add a bit more flour, some yogurt and divide it into 2 loaves.... they'll be smaller, but they'll fit into the toaster much better.
Even though it toasts up beautifully....I do have to put the slices in sideways in order to pop them down..... but, who cares when it is so tasty! I do add a bit of ginger, a sprinkle of cinnamon and a bit more sugar to it ..... mmmmm.......
This is an ancient recipe in an old Canadian Cookbook. My tried and true recipe for scones. And, I like to blob them onto the baking pan instead of forming or cutting them out..... I love a rustic looking scone.
Back in the day, it was just a recipe called Sweet Tea Biscuits (basic recipe). Under the main recipe... there were some variations. The first one was Currant Scones. So, as much as I've read about scones vs biscuits.... the only difference in these was .... the currants or raisins. I guess they didn't differentiate.
I added some lemon juice to the milk .... and, 1/2 tsp. Maple Flavouring and also some real Maple Syrup as well ...and then...when they came out of the oven...drizzled more Maple Syrup on them while they were hot.
These particular scones got slightly more brown than I like .... because I was doing the usual... 4 things at the same time.
"Somebody" said they were the best ever. ... and, that I should over brown them regularly.... hmppff .....
... and, of course, to Mrs. Binns.... my 'starter' ...
That's right ...I jumped onto the bandwagon.....you know the one. The sourdough wagon. Or as some call it ...the Natural Leaven crew..... either way, you must create your very own starter or leaven with which to raise your dough ...instead of using commercial yeast.
It's been happening for years, of course ... but, I've resisted. Until now.
Didn't really want to get into it I guess; couldn't see the lure..... what:: (hahhaha... yeh, right, a fishing metaphor) ... I meant.... the 'allure'... didn't want to bother with the feeding and baby-ing of growing a starter...etc...
But.... now that I've done it... and, baked my first loaf of bread with it .... and it rose!! may I just say .. wow!! It was kinda thrilling.
First of all ...the sense of accomplishment; yes, I know, it's just a little thing really (to most people) in the overall scheme of things... but.....we should celebrate even small victories..(H. Jackson Brown Jr). and...it took a full 14 days of feeding and coaxing and finding a warmer place to keep her (thanks to Nina for figuring out she was too cold and thinking perhaps we should knit her a sweater) .... ....but, then... she finally did as hoped for, and almost expected ... she became a "Starter" .... and, then... using her in a recipe and fingers crossed for the two days necessary to produce a loaf ... baking it and waiting the full 6 to 8 hours before slicing ..... yes, I did wait but it was difficult.
My biggest cheerleader, Mister BumbleVee .. picked it up at least twice during the afternoon and marvelled at the aroma. He mentioned that it smelled even better than 'store bought' and couldn't wait for us to slice it.
We had our first slice buttered with supper ..but honestly, ate only bread for the first few minutes ... then, half way through... sliced another ... and mmmm'd and ahhhh'd some more.
It is the simplest of sourdough breads. But, it tastes amazing. Has a lovely chewy interior, a light crispy crackly crust that is difficult to explain ... and, the bottom is quite leathery ...
All in all.... I declare it a huge success. And, it is just the beginning of new bread adventures ...
Mrs. Binns will grow stronger and I will become more proficient in various aspects of this particular bread baking technique.... ... lots of unique bakes and interesting variations to try now....
Can you believe I just saw one for Lemon and White Chocolate Sourdough...I kid you not! See? ... right up the aisle of a baker....
I dug out my cute little vintage cake plate for this one... I wish I had a matching tea cup... but, it is just a plate I found at a garage sale.
Mocha (coffee and chocolate) cake... from an ancient cookbook... with a lovely mocha icing... for Valentine's Day.... but, didn't get around to it til Saturday. It is still as moist and delicious as that day. Those cake saving covers with the handles ... for cake stands .. work wonders... old fashioned as they are too....... this is the last of it. Sorry if anybody thought they would like to drop by for some... we were piggies and ate it alllllll........
...in my head I see it as 'savage' blueberries..hahahhah... love it.
Bluets Sauvage de boisé ... wild woodland blueberries...
Smaller than the regular blueberries that I normally see on the shelves at the shop or in the frozen section... but, very tasty.
Frozen is always a bit of a nuisance when making muffins because even with careful folding in... it causes streaking. But, the flavour is there, so ...who cares.
I opted out of bread baking for a few days .... but, today I have a new 'expermient' on the go.... we'll see what transpires....
... hmmm... indeed. It does sound like a bit of an oxymoron doesn't it?
However, mes amis at the Baking Buddies group have encouraged the use of a small amount of yeast along with my 'youngish' natural leaven in order to get a bit more rise in a shorter amount of time ...and, it worked. Of course.
It did rise up quite strikingly only on one side ...almost tearing the dough at the upper edge above the pan.
Now, to cut back the amount of yeast a bit each time I suppose... until the starter is robust enough to raise my dough to about this height on its own or with only the tiniest bit of commercial yeast.
The other criteria of flavour and texture have truly been met in this loaf.... no sour tang (which is what I am striving for with same day loaves)... but just a hint of something ... something different from regular bread. And, the texture is lovely.... soft and yet holding its shape so well when sliced and not nearly as crumb -y ..... if you know what I mean.
We love it.
After my chocolate test layer cakes in the tiny toaster oven...I decided to try a carrot cake. It is pretty dense and moist cake and probably should have stayed in about 10 minutes longer, but the toothpick test showed clean and therefore....baked. So, that's all one of the layers got...the second..I left a bit longer and it was probably better. The piece of parchment on the bottom peeled off easier and the bottom of the cake wasn't quite as sticky ...
The word on my oven is...it may be getting repaired on February 14th...yaaaayyyy!!!!
I'll be able to bake bread once again. This oven is just too tiny for that.
Here is the recipe for the carrot cake if you'd like to try it. I cut it from a magazine many years go.... but, use it all the time. Add or subtract as you like with spices and raisins . .....
NUTTY CARROT CAKE
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 cups shredded carrots
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt (there is plenty for me with just the salty butter)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped nuts (we use walnuts...sometimes toasted)
........(we also like to toss in some raisins....and add some other spices too.... a smidge of Ginger, teensy "sprink" of Nutmeg and a bit of All Spice) all optional and to your own taste of course. Once you make it... you can decide which spices might enhance the flavour for your own palate.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well blended. Add carrots and vanilla; mix well. Add combined dry ingredients alternately with milk..mixing well after each addition. Stir in nuts. Pour batter into a greased 9 inch tube pan or 9 X 13 inch cake pan. Or, two round 9 inch pans.
Bake at 350 F (180 C ) for 55 to 60 minutes for tube pan Only 45 to 50 minutes for 9 X 13 pan. Round pans take about 30 minutes. Test with toothpick for done-ness. Cool cake completely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Icing
1 125 gram pkg cream cheese
1 Tbsp. milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 cups sifted icing sugar (test every so often to determine how much to suit your own taste)
Combine softened cream cheese and several large spoonfuls of icing sugar; stir til well blended. (If you didn't sift the sugar there may be lumps..) Add vanilla, blend well; add more icing sugar .... add a tiny bit of the milk alternately with icing sugar making sure it does not get too runny. Barely a dribble of milk and you have to add another cup of sugar.. ... I prefer to maintain the cream cheesy taste and don't add nearly the amount of icing sugar or milk the recipe calls for. Check every so often to see how it tastes. Wait til cake is completely cool before frosting.
YUM!!!
I used to bake a coffee cake when I was a teen that was so good. I lost the recipe and have been looking for a similar recipe. To this day, I am still searching for that perfect recipe. This coffee cake was ok but is not the one I’m looking for. Onward with my search.
I found recipe on this website.
Added pecans to topping.
Added 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to batter.
Used a 9x9 pan, not muffin tins.
Quite enjoyed this loaf.
It is by John Kirkwood .. a 'retired cook from the north east of England' as he calls himself.
Easy, no nonsense loaf ... but, next time I won't bother dusting the top with flour ...it looks cute, but it's messy and there is flour ('fairy') dust all over the counter every time I cut a slice. And, I won't bother baking it hotter at the end either .. ..it just encourages those light cracks that I don't like the look of and that everybody else thinks are great and are supposedly a sign of a good loaf. I prefer smooth and firm.
Anyway... just sayin'...... a great every day loaf of bread that makes wonderful toast.
I give his and my own 'regular' bread loaves two thumbs up.
Sounds strange, but has great flavour.
Our Mom used to make it on occasion and have no clue where she got the recipe... but, must have been from an older cookbook.
I have her old recipe that she typed out on her little old portable Remington type writer all those years ago.
Been down and out with Covid...first time we've had it....and, yes, I've had the shots and the boosters too..... but, this was still NOT fun...and, .still have no sense of smell or taste...so have lost a few pounds. Don't feel like eating ... had no energy until yesterday.... been sick since August 10 .... I think I'm finally on the road to recovery.
Click on this to go to my food blog and the recipe if you'd like to give it a try ...
Fresh Oat Bread cooling on the rack.
The bread has a nice brown crust,
baked in the new convection oven.
I used to bake a coffee cake when I was a teen that was so good. I lost the recipe and have been looking for a similar recipe. To this day, I am still searching for that perfect recipe. This coffee cake was ok but is not the one I’m looking for. Onward with my search.
I found recipe on this website.
My additions:
Added pecans to topping.
Added 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to batter.
Used a 9x9 pan, not muffin tins.
Home baked bread
cooling on a rack.
Baked in an induction oven.
Recipe from Farm Girl's site.
Lots of oat brand and
rolled oats in it, a nice bite
and very tasty, toasts great.
Same day Ciabatta....
Plenty of versions and methods for this bread. Depends on what you want for an end result I suppose.
This one called for folding over in the shaping procedure and that means plenty of flour on the bench and for me created a bit firmer crust than I was expecting. Although, it is still a thin crust.
Next batch, no shaping at all. Just pat gently out and cut into 2 pieces and place on my tray.
It also didn't get much browning in the short baking time...so I left it a bit longer, which, of course, contributed to a firmer still crust...
However, such a lovely soft airy crumb... even though the airiness seems a bit uneven here and there. No matter...it is lovely Ciabatta.
I put it in a plastic bag over night and the crust softened wonderfully .... not enough so that it becomes just a French loaf..hahahha...but, softer and chewy ... man, it is so much fun to try to get what we strive for, or maybe more like what we hope for, in the bread world, isn't it???
Here is the abbreviated version of the recipe that I used to make it.
350 g plain or bread flour
280 g water
1 tsp. yeast
1 tsp. salt.
Mix all ingredients together, cover bowl and rest in warm place 30 minutes. (I use my microwave after warming something in it. It's nice and cozy in there)
Do 3 sets of stretch and folds during the next 1.5 hours.
After the 2 hours total time.... transfer dough onto floured surface and shape into rectangle.
Roll up as for a jelly roll and pinch edges to seal.
Divide into 2 or 3 as you choose.
Flour surfaces and cover and let sit for 45 minutes.
Lift and slightly stretch each piece as you transfer it to a baking sheet.
Lightly spray with water. ( I totally forgot to do this)
Bake 450F for 10 minutes; reduce to 400F and bake for another 12 - 15 minutes. Do not open oven during baking.
~~~~~~~~Options for shaping: .... I didn't roll it up, Just folded it over 1/3 like a letter and then, the other third over. I did find that it made the dough seem somewhat dry and over floured even though they always say it is supposed to be like that. Part of the charm of Ciabatta.
Also it was a huge rounded piece that I felt I had to gently press down a bit and, it got even more rounded as it baked. If you like it nicely rounded up like this one...go for it!!
Next time I'm not going to play with it at all...just cut my shapes and transfer it gently while stretching it out a bit and bake it.
Although, having said that...I am enjoying the nicely plump pieces ... as sandwiches, toast, dippers for oil and vinegar, etc....
Honestly, these are the best 'biscuits' I've ever made.
(Scones to the Brits) ..and, I found this info so we can all try to figure out the difference. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"" In the book Baking With Julia, based on the PBS series hosted by Julia Child, Dorie Greenspan says that "[Scones] are made in a manner similar to biscuits and, in fact, share biscuits' buttery-layered texture, but their name, their shape, and the fact that they're served with tea rather than gravy, lift them to the level of fancier fare.""
""A closer look, however, suggests that the difference is not quite so superficial. Scones tend to be richer, frequently including both eggs and cream in the recipe, though not always. Some biscuit recipes will enrich the dough with eggs, but use milk or buttermilk instead of cream. Scones also use a bit more liquid than regular biscuits, which should make them a bit more cake-like in their consistency. While biscuit recipes may or may not call for sugar, scones typically use sugar, but not as much as sweetened biscuits.""
""Scones originated in Scotland and were made with oats. The dough would be pressed into a round and then cut into wedges, and cooked on a griddle. While scones may contain dried raisins or currants, they are traditionally not made with other ingredients that have become de rigueur in many pastry and coffee shops.""
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, that's what they say....whoever "they" are ... on any given day.
This recipe is from Baker Bettie...who I've never really seen or heard before this recipe... but I'll go back to her YouTubes now just to see what else she may have that is of interest.
Because this one reeeellly worked.
I cut them with my little brother's cookie cutter that he made at school in 'shop class' as they used to call it. It was a lot of years ago.
It is 2 3/8 inches across and. only 1 inch high..so I know I cut them out at "patted to one inch high" as suggested. And, look at how big they got! I measured and they are now 2 inches high!
Very tasty... and, I am ashamed to admit that I ate 3 yesterday ... yup....3 whole GIANT biscuits. Not all at one sitting..but, you know......during my day... my husband looked quite smug as he had his second and declared that he was going to stop at two.
So...today....I'm going to steel myself .... stand firm...and, deny myself seconds .....and thirds. I'm only having ONE .... and, that's it !!
Let's see how long that resolve lasts... although, as we all know...biscuits are usually best straight from the oven anyway, or at least ..eaten on the same day as baked. But, I could always wrap one in a paper towel and gently nuke it in the microwave and it will be as soft and wonderful as yesterday........
Here is the link to her page and method and Youtube on that page.
Dinner time, Focaccia Bread with salad and pasta,
while these bread pieces cool.
To be consumed at a later date.
They are just the little plums that grow in your back yard really ... but, they are called Italian Plums at the grocery store and they charge more for them than they do other plums... like Black or Red plums....
They only show up in stores at this time of year ..or earlier ..and, if you miss them...well, too bad. They don't get many and they don't hang around long. This year I missed them, plus, I have not been doing as much baking... so I am showing you a photo from eons ago... and here is the recipe.
Italian Prune Nut Bread
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt (I use less)
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon cinnamon (or a sprinkle of ginger, cinnamon &ginger)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup sour cream (I used fat free yogurt)
2 teaspoons grated orange peel (or lemon peel)
2 cups Italian prunes, pitted and chopped in 1/2 inch pieces.
1 cup chopped nuts
Cream butter, sugar and vanilla until fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Combine flour, salt, cream of tartar, cinnamon and baking soda.
Blend sour cream and orange peel...
.. add to creamed mixture alternately with dry ingredients.
Stir til blended.
Add prunes and nuts; mix well.
Divide between two greased loaf pans (9x5x3).
Bake at 350F for 50-55 minutes
.... or until tooth pick inserted in centre comes out clean.
Cool 10 mins. in pan
Remove from pan and cool thoroughly on rack.
............ options .... I added a bit of ginger, all spice and nutmeg to the cinnamon. Be careful with nutmeg and all spice..just a tiny "sprink" goes a long way! The nuts in mine were walnuts and I lightly toasted them before chopping. Double wrapping with foil and plastic keeps loaves as fresh as the day you bake them. Just thaw and enjoy later. Last week I sliced an egg nog loaf from Christmas baking..... perfect for a surprise treat at tea time ...
Mennonite Girls Can Cook is the site where I found the recipe .... look under quick breads if the link doesn't take you immediately to the page. Have a look at all the other wonderful recipes while you are there ..... I love the beautiful photos. It seems that Mennonite Girls can indeed cook .... and they all seem to be pretty amazing photographers as well.
Check out my food blog sometime.. at this link below..
~~~ and, get the recipe at this link below ~~~
A twisted cinnamon roll,
pull-apart, with frosting.
Baked from scratch.
Just painted with frosting,
hot from the oven.
Three oat bread loaves,
and one white bread loaf.
Taken in natural light,
coming through a filtered,
sunlit window, two by three foot.
Taken with a very long exposure.
Hand made, BAKED FROM SCRATCH chocolate mud cupcakes with edible cows.....
No time for a good photo :(