Homemade Oreos

I have recently gotten into homemade everything. I have been surprised how often these delicious goodies have turned out to be better than the original. Some of them definitely would make it into my bakery. For my next few posts, I will be showcasing these homemade versions.
  Now whether this homemade version is better than the original it depends on your opinion of the original. Personally, I am not a huge fan of oreos. I find the icing kind of gross--too sweet for me I guess. I also find it somewhat unnerving that the cream is that thick. I haven't found any cream I have made from scratch that solid, so it makes me think that whatever I am eating isn't natural. (That may be a little too much of whole foods mentality coming out. Sorry if I overthough one of your favorite cookies.) So, for me this homemade version is much better because the icing is better.
  I have made homemade oreos before using cake mixes, but I think those are called homemade oreo because they are a chocolate sandwich cookie but not really more like the cookies. This recipe tastes a lot more like the store-bought version. The cookie tastes almost exactly the same, but it is thicker. It has the same crunch. The icing is a nice thick (but not too thick) icing. 
Bakery worthy? No, they are a delicious homemade treat, but they are not worthy of being in my bakery. They aren't tasty enough to ask money for, but they are good enough to bring to friends and feed to family with plenty of compliments returned. Enjoy!

The recipe came from http://marcussamuelsson.com/recipes/homemade-oreos who got the recipe from the Flour Bakery Cookbook by Joanne Chang



Cookies:

1 cup (2 sticks/228 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (200 grams) semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled slightly
1 egg
1 ½ cups (210 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
¾ cup (90 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking soda

Vanilla Cream Filling:

½ cup (1 stick/114 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1 ⅔ cups (230 grams) confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk
Pinch of kosher salt

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter and granulated sugar until well combined. Whisk in the vanilla and chocolate. Add the egg and whisk until thoroughly incorporated.

2. In another medium bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda until well mixed. Using a wooden spoon, stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture. The dough will start to seem too floury, and you will find it easiest to switch to mixing it with your hands until it comes together. It will have the consistency of Play-Doh. Let the dough sit at room temperature for about 1 hour to firm up.

3. Transfer the dough to a 15-inch square sheet of parchment or waxed paper. Using your hands, shape the dough into a rough log about 10 inches long and 2 ½ inches in diameter. Place the log at the edge of the sheet of parchment paper, and roll the parchment around the log. With the log fully encased in parchment, roll it into a smoother log, keeping it at 2 ½ inches in diameter. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until firm. The log may settle and sink a bit in the fridge, so reroll it every 15 minutes or so to maintain a nice round log. (At this point, the dough log can be well wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month. If the dough is frozen, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before proceeding.)

4. Position a rack in the center of the oven, and heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.

5. Cut the dough log into ¼-inch-thick slices. Place the slices about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.

6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cookies are firm to the touch. Check them frequentl after to 16 to 17 minutes, poking them in the middle. As soon as they feel firm to the touch, remove them from the oven. You can’t judge by color because they start out black. Let cool on the baking sheet to warm or room temperature. They don’t have to cool completely before you fill them, but you can’t fill them while they are hot.

7. To make the filling: While the cookies are cooling, using stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a handheld mixer,) beat the butter on low speed for about 30 seconds, or until completely smooth and soft. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and beat until the mixture is perfectly smooth. Add the milk and salt and again beat until smooth. It will look like white spackle and feel about the same–like putty. You can also mix this filling by hand. Make sure the butter is very soft, and use your hands to mix and knead the sugar into the butter. You should have about 1 cup. (The filling can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Bring to room temperature before using.)

8. Scoop about 1 rounded tablespoon of the filling onto the bottom of one cookie. Top with a second cookie, bottom-side down, then press the cookies together to spread the filling toward the edges. Repeat until all the cookies are filled.

Daring Bakers Challenge: Pumpkin Donuts

 

So, I am a little late with posting this challenge, but I have been sick as well as a very busy. This was my first encounter with donuts. It may be my last. I really don't like cooking with that much oil. It just makes me feel sick. However, the donuts did taste good. I just needed to learn how to do it. The pumpkin donuts I made were cake donuts, so I didn't need to wait for the yeast to rise or anything. The pumpkin made them seasonal, but I couldn't taste it very much. However, I brought them to a party and everyone raved about how good they were.These wouldn't make it into my bakery, but I am glad I have now made donuts.


The October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up.
The pumpkin doughnuts are from Bon Appétit: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pumpkin-Doughnuts-with-Powdered-Sugar-Glaze-and-Spiced-Sugar-Doughnut-Holes-230926
 
Pumpkin Doughnuts:
Preparation time:
Hands on prep time - 15 minutes
Chilling time - 3 hours
Cooking time - 10 minutes
Yield: About 24 doughnuts & 24 doughnut holes
Ingredients
All Purpose Flour 3.5 cup / 840 ml / 490 gm / 17 ¼ oz
Baking Powder 4 teaspoon / 20 ml / 24 gm / .85 oz
Table Salt 1 teaspoon / 5 ml / 6 gm / .2 oz
Cinnamon, ground 1 teaspoon / 5 ml / 6 gm / .2 oz
Ginger, ground ½ teaspoon / 2.5 ml / 3 gm / .1 oz
Baking Soda ½ teaspoon / 2.5 ml / 3 gm / .1 oz
Nutmeg, ground ¼ teaspoon / 1.25 ml / 1.5 gm / .05 oz
Cloves, ground 1/8 teaspoon / .6 ml / ¾ gm / .025 oz
White Granulated Sugar 1 cup / 240 ml / 225 gm / 8 oz
Butter, Unsalted 3 Tablespoon / 45 ml / 42 gm / 1.5 oz
Egg, Large 1
Egg Yolk, Large 2
Pure Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon / 5 ml
Buttermilk ½ cup + 1 Tablespoon / 135 ml /
Pumpkin 1 cup / 240 ml / 285 gm / 10 oz (Canned pure pumpkin or fresh cooked and pureed pumpkin – DON’T use pumpkin pie mix!)
Canola Oil DEPENDS on size of vessel you are frying in – you want THREE (3) inches of oil (can substitute any flavorless oil used for frying)

Powdered Sugar Glaze:
Powdered (Icing) Sugar 2 cup / 480 ml / 250 gm / 9 oz
Whipping Cream (About 32% butter fat) 4 Tablespoon + more if needed / 60 ml
Directions:

Whisk together the first 8 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until blended (the mixture will be grainy and not smooth). Beat in egg, then yolks and vanilla. Gradually beat in buttermilk; beat in pumpkin. Using rubber spatula, fold in dry ingredients in 4 additions, blending gently after each addition. Cover with plastic; chill 3 hours.

Sprinkle 2 rimmed baking sheets lightly with flour. Press out 1/3 of dough on floured surface to 1/2- to 2/3-inch (12 mm to 15 mm) thickness. Using 2 1/2-inch (65 mm) -diameter round cutter, cut out dough rounds. Arrange on sheets. Repeat with remaining dough in 2 more batches. Gather dough scraps. Press out dough and cut out more dough rounds until all dough is used.

Using 1-inch (25 mm) diameter round cutter, cut out center of each dough round to make doughnuts and doughnut holes.

Line 2 baking sheets with several layers of paper towels. Pour oil into large deep skillet to depth of 1 1/2 inches (40 mm). Attach deep-fry thermometer and heat oil to 365°F to 370°F (185°C to 188°C). Fry doughnut holes in 2 batches until golden brown, turning occasionally, about 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Fry doughnuts, 3 or 4 at a time, until golden brown, adjusting heat to maintain temperature, about 1 minute per side. Using slotted spoon, transfer doughnuts to paper towels to drain. Cool completely.

Glaze Directions:

1. Whisk powdered sugar and 4 tablespoons whipping cream to blend. Whisk in additional cream, 1 teaspoon at a time, to form medium thick glaze.
2. Can be made up to 3 hours ahead.
3. Add doughnut holes to bowl of spiced sugar and toss to coat.
4. Spread doughnuts on 1 side with powdered sugar glaze.
5. Arrange doughnuts, glazed side up, on racks. Let stand until glaze sets, at least 30 minutes.

Daring Baker Challenge: Decorating Cookies

So, I recently joined the Daring Bakers, which is a blogging group that does a monthly secret recipe. The goal is to get you to try new things. This month's secret recipe was decorating sugar cookies, fancy-style. While I did like seeing how easy it is to make cool designs with frosting (and with a little more time, a lot prettier, better cookies), I am not a huge fan of sugar cookies. If I am going to eat and make something sweet, I better enjoy it! But, this recipe was a success. It got me to make a frosting that contains egg whites, which for anyone that knows me and my raw-egg phobia (that is, besides cookie dough) is a really big deal. Also, I am not the craftsy sort. I get really impatient with trying to make things look perfect, so I am not all that interested in spending a bunch of time making something look cutesy, especially when I know it will go in my stomach shortly. So, again this challenge stretched me to try something that I know I wouldn't do otherwise. I could see me making these for Christmas or something festive like that.


Now for the recipes:
My roommate kept raving about how delicious the cookies were, so there is one big fan. However, I don't really love the icing. It was too sugary--and lacked the whole reason for frosting, which I think is the fluff.  Below is the information of who hosted the challenge. The links for the recipes are below the title of the recipes and the information on how to decorate the cookies I believe comes from Mandy, whose information is below.
The September 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mandy of “What the Fruitcake?!” Mandy challenged everyone to make Decorated Sugar Cookies based on recipes from Peggy Porschen and The Joy of Baking.
That being said, here are the recipes:


Basic Sugar Cookies:
http://www.peggyporschen.com/images/press/pdf/Coso-Bride-Oct-Nov-2008.pdf
Makes Approximately 36x 10cm / 4" Cookies
200g / 7oz / ½ cup + 6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
400g / 14oz / 3 cups + 3 Tbsp All Purpose / Plain Flour
200g / 7oz / 1 cup Caster Sugar / Superfine Sugar
1 Large Egg, lightly beaten
5ml / 1 tsp Vanilla Extract / Or seeds from 1 vanilla bean
Directions
• Cream together the butter, sugar and any flavourings you’re using. Beat until just becoming
creamy in texture.
• Tip: Don’t over mix otherwise you’ll incorporate too much air and the cookies will spread during
baking, losing their shape.
• Beat in the egg until well combined, make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the sifted flour and mix on low until a non sticky dough forms.
• Tip: I don’t have a stand mixer so I find it easier to switch to dough hooks at this stage to avoid
flour flying everywhere.
• Knead into a ball and divide into 2 or 3 pieces.
• Roll out each portion between parchment paper to a thickness of about 5mm/1/5 inch (0.2 inch)
• Refrigerate for a minimum of 30mins.
• Tip: Recipes commonly just wrap the whole ball of dough in clingwrap and then refrigerate it for an
hour or overnight, but by rolling the dough between parchment, this shortens the chilling time and
then it’s also been rolled out while still soft making it easier and quicker.
• Once chilled, peel off parchment and place dough on a lightly floured surface.
• Cut out shapes with cookie cutters or a sharp knife.
• Arrange shapes on parchment lined baking sheets and refrigerate for another 30mins to an hour.
• Tip: It’s very important you chill them again otherwise they’ll spread while baking.
• Re-roll scraps and follow the above process until all scraps are used up.
• Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C Fan Assisted) / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
• Bake until golden around the edges, about 8-15mins depending on the size of the cookies.
• Tip: Bake same sized cookies together otherwise mixing smaller with larger cookies could result in
some cookies being baked before others are done.
• Tip: Rotate baking sheets half way through baking if your oven bakes unevenly.
• Leave to cool on cooling racks.
• Once completely cooled, decorate as desired.
• Tip: If wrapped in tinfoil/cling wrap or kept in airtight containers in a cool place, un-decorated
cookies can last up to a month.

Royal Icing:
http://www.joyofbaking.com/RoyalIcing.html
315g – 375g / 11oz – 13oz / 2½ - 3 cups Icing / Confectioner’s / Powdered Sugar, unsifted
2 Large Egg Whites
10ml / 2 tsp Lemon Juice
5ml / 1 tsp Almond Extract, optional
Directions

Nasty Egg Whites

• Beat egg whites with lemon juice until combined.
• Tip: It’s important that the bowls/spoons/spatulas and beaters you use are thoroughly cleaned and
grease free.
• Sift the icing sugar to remove lumps and add it to the egg whites.
• Tip: I’ve listed 2 amounts of icing sugar, the lesser amount is good for a flooding consistency, and the larger amount is for outlining, but you can add even more for a much thicker consistency good for writing. If you add too much icing sugar or would like to make a thinner consistency, add very small amounts of water, a few drops at a time, until you reach the consistency you need.
• Beat on low until combined and smooth.
• Use immediately or keep in an airtight container.
• Tip: Royal Icing starts to harden as soon as it’s in contact with air so make sure to cover containers with plastic wrap while not in use.

Decorating Your Cookies: Royal Icing
The most important thing when it comes to decorating with Royal Icing is the consistency.
There are two ways of flooding your cookies. Some like to do the outline with a thicker icing and then flood with a thinner icing. Some like to use the same icing to do both which saves time and you don’t have to have two different piping bags for each colour you’re using.
The Same Consistency Method
Consistency:
• Mix your royal icing according to the recipe/instructions
• Drag a knife through the surface of the Royal Icing and count to 10
• If the surface becomes smooth between 5 & 10 seconds, the icing is at the correct consistency
• Tip: If your icing is too thick, thin it by adding a few drops of water. Mix, do the 10 second test, then if it’s still too thick, add a few more drops of water, repeat, etc.
• Tip: To thicken your icing, add small amounts of icing sugar until thick enough for the 10 second test
Two Different Consistencies Method
Consistency:
• Mix your royal icing according to the recipe/instructions.
• Separate into 2 different bowls, one lot of icing for outlining, the other for flooding.
• For the outlining icing, drag a knife through the surface of the Royal Icing.
• If the surface becomes smooth at around 10 seconds, the icing is at the correct consistency.
• Tip: If your icing is too thick, thin it by adding a few drops of water. Mix, count to 10 seconds, then if it’s still too thick, add a few more drops of water, repeat, etc.
• Tip: To thicken your icing, add small amounts of icing sugar until thick enough for the 10 second test.
• For the flooding/filling icing, drag a knife through the surface of the Royal Icing.
• If the surface becomes smooth at around 3-4 seconds, the icing is at the correct consistency.
• Tip: If your icing is too thick, thin it by adding a few drops of water. Mix, count to 3-4 seconds, then if it’s still too thick, add a few more drops of water, repeat, etc.
• Tip: To thicken your icing, add small amounts of icing sugar until thick enough for the 3-4 second test.

Colouring
• Separate Royal Icing into separate bowls for each colour you plan on using.
• Tip: Make sure to cover the bowls with cling film or a damp cloth to prevent the top from setting and then making lumps
• Using a toothpick, add gel or paste colouring to each bowl and mix thoroughly until desired colour is reached
• Tip: You can use liquid food colouring but you might not be able to get the desired strength of colour, liquid colouring will also thin out the icing so you’ll need to add more icing sugar to thicken it again.

Making Purple from Scratch

Prepping and Filling Your Bag
• Attach your icing tips to the piping bags using couplers
• Tip: You don’t need to use a coupler but it makes it easier if you want to change tip sizes
• Tip: A size 1 tip is best for doing intricate details. A size 2 tip is good for some details and outlining. Fill or flood with sizes 2 – 5.
• Tip: You don’t need a piping bag, you can use a parchment cone or ziplock bag with a tiny bit snipped off the corner. I would however recommend getting a piping set if you don’t have one as it will be much easier and more precise.
• Stand the piping bags in glasses with the tops of the bags folded over the top of the glass.
• Fill your icing bags with each coloured icing.
• Tie the ends of the piping bags with elastic bands.

Decorating: Outlining
• Fit the piping bag with a size 2 or 3 tip.
• Tip: Or snip a very small bit of the corner off of a parchment cone or Ziploc bag
• Hold the piping bag at a 45 degree angle above the cookie where you want to start the outline.
• Gently squeeze the piping bag and start moving in the direction you want to outline the cookie.
• Start lifting the piping bag away from the cookie so that the flow of icing falls onto the cookie, making it an even and neater outline.
• As you start to reach the beginning of the outline, bring the piping tip closer to the surface of the cookie to meet the start of the icing outline.
• Tip: If you’re doing an intricate cookie, like a snow flake, you won’t be able to lift the tip as far away from the cookie.
• If you’re doing a different colour border, eg a black border, let the outline dry before flooding. If using the same colour for the outline as you’re flooding with, begin flooding after doing the outline.
Decorating: Flooding
• Fit the piping bag with a size 2-5 tip, the bigger the area being filled, the bigger the tip.
• Tip: Or cut slightly more off the corner of a Ziploc bag to create a slightly larger opening.
• Quickly zigzag back and forth over the area you want to fill.
• Tip: You need to be quick when flooding the cookie so don’t worry too much if it’s not filled in neatly.
• Using a toothpick or clean paintbrush, push the icing around into the gaps that are still remaining.
• Either pick up the cookie and tip it from side to side to even out the filling, or lightly bang the cookie down on your kitchen counter.

Decorating: Melding Colours
• If you would like to add lines or dots to the base colour that you flooded the cookie with so that they meld and dry as a smooth surface, you need to add the lines/dots/patterns as quickly as possible after flooding and smoothing the surface of the cookie.
• Tip: Make sure to have all the colours you’re planning on using ready and close by so that you can switch between colours quickly
• Simply pipe other colours onto the flooded surface in patterns or lines which you can either leave as that or then drag a toothpick through to make marbling patterns.

Decorating: On top of flooding
• If you’d like to do other patterns/outlines or writing on top of the flooded surface so that they are raised above the flooded background, simply allow the icing to dry, preferably over night.
• Fit the piping bag with tip sizes 1-3.
• Pipe patterns or write on top of the dry icing
• Tip: For writing, the consistency of your icing should be thicker rather than thinner, drag a knife through your icing and when the surface smoothes around 12-15 seconds, the consistency is correct.

I got bored after three cookies, and they were all slightly misshapen and the icing ran off so I stopped making them.

Graham Crackers

So, summer means hiking, and hiking means good hiking snacks. Luckily, I have just discovered the smorgasbord of food blogs, sharing with me delicious treats to make. (My favorite waste of time tastespotting.com. It is a collection of the Web's best food pictures, updated constantly.) There are tons of recipes that you can make from scratch.
   One I just discovered is graham crackers, which are also a great hiking food. I am headed out on a trip where I will be doing a lot of hiking. Thus, it is time for graham crackers. These crackers surprisingly taste like, well, graham crackers. I love them because of the sea salt that you add. It gives this kick of saltiness that I always love combined with sweet flavors. The key thing with these crackers is to make them thin. They aren't as crunchy and crumbly if they aren't thin. Enjoy!

Graham Crackers
 from 17andbaking.com

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (375 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour (can swap 1/2 cup for whole wheat flour, or 1 cup for whole wheat pastry flour)
1 cup (176 grams) dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon (6 grams) baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt (4 grams)
7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces or 100 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
1/3 cup (114 grams) mild-flavored honey, such as clover
5 tablespoons (77 grams) milk, full-fat is best
2 tablespoons (27 grams) pure vanilla extract

1. Pulse the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in a food processor to incorporate. If you don't have a processor, like me, you can whisk it together. Add the butter and pulse on and off, on and off until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal. At this point, I used a hand mixer. It took some work, but I got it done.

 2.  In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and pulse on and off a few times or mix on low until the soft, sticky dough barely comes together.

3.  Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and dust it lightly with flour, then turn the dough out onto it and pat it into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Wrap it, then chill it until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.

4.  Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator.
5.  Sift an even layer of flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/8 inch thick (thinner is better). The dough will be sticky, so flour as necessary. Cut the dough into 2″ squares using a fluted cookie cutter or rolling cutter.

6.  Place the crackers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets and sprinkle with the topping. Chill 15 to 20 minutes in the freezer. Repeat with the second batch of dough. Gather any scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and re-roll.
8.  Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 350°F. Prick the crackers with a fork or wooden skewer, then bake 15 – 20 minutes, or until golden brown, rotating the pans halfway through. The cracker will not seem completely firm, but will harden as it cools. You might want to test out a few crackers to see what time works best for you.

Sticky Toffee Pudding-or Heaven on Earth

Before I go on an extended description of the transcendental nature of this dessert hitting your taste buds and removing, momentarily, all sorrow and pain--let me explain something. Pudding  in the dialect of the Britons is not the Jell-O-packet concoction that we Americans think of. Pudding is essentially the word for cake.
  Now that there is more clarity on the name of this  loveliness, I will begin to explain what this particular pudding is all about. I first tried this pudding while studied abroad in Scotland. So, this treat is not just a dessert for me; it is the entrance to memory--memory of a land I adore. Needless to say, I had very high expectations for this dessert and this recipe succeeded. Imagine rich caramel sauce with layers of flavor poured abundantly over a moist, warm spiced cake and you have Sticky Toffee Pudding. As I took my first spoonful of the sticky toffee (the sauce was done before the cake was fully cooked), I kept saying again and again to myself, I can't believe this tastes this good; I can't believe I cooked this. It is one of those recipes that you feel like has come from a restaurant with a skilled chef at its head. The best part is that anyone can make this cake. There is nothing super hard about any of it. The only thing for you to do is mix it up real quick, sit back, relax, smell the ambrosial aromas swell within your kitchen, and then forget about all the sugar and butter that is in it.
Cheers!

Sticky Toffee Pudding
(recipe from http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Udny-Arms-Sticky-Toffee-Pudding-113993)

Ingredients

Pudding

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups flour
• 8 ounces dates (pitted and cut into pieces)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups boiling water

Sauce

• 1 cup butter
• 2 3/4 cups brown sugar
• 1 pint whipping cream

Directions

For the Pudding:.

1. Cream butter and sugar until white and fluffy.[Yes, it is correct that you are using powdered sugar, and yes, you are essentially making icing here.]
2. Beat in eggs gradually.
3. Fold in flour. [The consistency is a dry dough, kind of like a pastry.]
4. In a separate bowl pour the boiling water over the dates and soda.
5. When water is absorbed, add other ingredients and cream mixture.[There is a lot of water still left over. When it says "water is absorbed" it means that the dates have plumped up not that the water is removed.]
6. Bake in 9" x 13" cake pan in moderate hot oven (350 F) for 40 minutes. 

For the Sauce:

1. Mix all ingredients and bring to a boil.
2. Poke holes in top of cake and pour half of mixture over top, allowing sauce to soak into cake.
3. Brown under grill before serving.
4. Keep remaining sauce hot and spoon onto still warm pieces of cake cut into 3" squares.
5. Top with whipped cream. [The cake is just fine without whipped cream, but it is very rich. This would taste delicious with vanilla ice cream. There is plenty of extra sauce to pour over ice cream.]

This cake is so good; I hope any readers out there will try this cake. It is a definite on my bakery list. Please enjoy!

Amazing Bread

So, this bread may very well be the genesis of my love of bread making. Oh, the loveliness that is warm bread fresh from the oven. I really can't think of very many things that are more amazing than that smell, wafting through the air, entering my soul with the warmth of a mother's hug. Homemade bread is like, in the words of the great Michael Jackson, L-O-V-E, L-O-V-E, love.

Now, I share this precious recipe with you. It is the recipe that began my inquiry into finding the best bakery recipes around. It goes by no other name but Amazing Bread. My only challenge left with this bread is to practice making it just as wonderful as a whole wheat or half whole wheat rendition.

This recipe comes in two sizes, so I will do each size (4 loaves and 2 loaves--they are probably about a 2 pound size loaf each)

Amazing Bread

4 Loaves:

5 1/3 C. warm water (so as to not kill your yeast, but warm enough to wake those little guys up.)*

2 Tbsp. yeast
2/3 C. sweetener**
2/3 C. oil
2 Tbsp. salt
13 1/3 C. flour (you can do half of the flour whole wheat and half regular white wheat)

2 Loaves:
2 2/3 C. warm water*
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/3 C. sweetener**
1/3 C. oil
1 Tbsp. salt
6 2/3 C. flour

*For those of you who have never baked with yeast before, I generally try to get the water just a little warm to the touch. You aren't looking for hot water.
**I use honey here, which I think makes a little difference. The loaves come out smelling like honey, but if you want to use sugar, it will still be a great loaf of bread.

So, I have made this bread by hand and by throwing all the ingredients into my bread maker on dough setting and then cooking it in the oven. (I personally hate the way my bread machine cooks bread. The crust is usually disgusting, so I just use it to mix up doughs.)

When making it by hand, you mix the first five ingredients together. If you want to proof your yeast, you can put the first three ingredients in a bowl and wait for the yeast to bubble, showing that it is awake and ready to make some amazing bread for you. Then I mix in about three cups of flour until combined. I keep adding a cup of flour at a time. Around the time I have 6 cups in the batter, I need to take the dough out and begin kneading it on the counter. I continue to add the flour until the dough is no longer sticky. As with most baking, the flour measurements are not exact. If you get a nice, not-too-sticky dough after 6 1/3 cup, you can stop. If you still have a sticky dough after adding all the called for flour, then add some more. (The measurements I describe in this paragraph are for the 2 loaf version.)

After you have kneaded the dough together, place it back in your mixing bowl, cover it with a greased piece of plastic wrap and let rise until doubled.

After it has doubled, knead the bread once more in flour on your counter. Split into loaves and place in greased pans. I have cooked this bread in bread pans and also just free form on a cookie sheet. Both taste great, just different looks. Let rise, covered,  until doubled once more.
Once doubled, cook at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. I have had to work with this 20 minutes quite a bit depending on the size of the loaf, so you will want to check the centers of your bread.

And then you enjoy this blessing of bread that has entered your home. It is a lovely, lovely treat--especially with honey or jam.

Here is a picture of these loaves using some "antique" bread pans I just inherited from my grandma. There is something magical about these pans. They cooked the bread perfectly--perfect crust, perfect bottom, perfect inside. I am excited to own these pans. But, don't worry. This bread turns out really well no matter how I have made it.

Cheers!

Irish Soda Bread

So, I had never eaten or baked this bread before, so I am not sure what it is supposed to taste like.  But it is interesting, and not in a bad way. It has a very distinctive flavor. No, I don't want to make this bread again and again, but it is fun to make around St. Patrick's Day. I also think it is really cool that it tastes as good as it does without using any yeast.

Quick story about this bread before I move on to the recipe. We had a potluck on St. Patrick's Day at work. I brought the Irish soda bread. After lunch, I ran it up to our breakroom and put it in th fridge. When I came up three hours late to claim my bread, someone had taken it. I was shocked. I work with a bunch of elderly volunteers doing Church history. I guess it must of just looked that good.


Irish Soda Bread (from Our Best Bites blog)
 

1 cup flour 

2 3/4 cups whole wheat flour 

1 1/4 teaspoons salt 

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda 

2 teaspoons white sugar 

4 Tbs butter

2 cups buttermilk 

1/4 cup vegetable oil 

For Topping:

1 tablespoon buttermilk or milk

1 teaspoon white sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a cookie sheet or other shallow baking pan.

 

Whisk together the flour, whole wheat flour, salt, baking soda, and 2 teaspoons sugar in a bowl.

Cut the butter into the flour mixture until pieces are crumb-size. 

Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the oil and buttermilk. (As you can tell, I underestimated the depth that would be needed so make a large well.

Stir with a spatula until dry mixture is completely moistened. Move the dough to a lightly-floured surface. Lightly knead the dough a few times and then form into a round ball and pat down a little. 

Place the dough into the prepared pan; pat down and around to form a round loaf. Cut a cross into the top of the loaf with a sharp knife. Brush the top with 1 tablespoon buttermilk or milk, and sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar over the top. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees F, rotate pan and bake another 25-30 minutes. 

Allow loaf to cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes before slicing. 

Cheers!