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Enjoying Life One Bite at a Time!

Daring Bakers

DB: Pepper Jack and Oregano Crackers

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Do you ever walk up and down the cracker isle at the store in awe of just exactly how many types and varieties of crackers there are?  If that’s not enough to boggle your mind, then thinking about the process of what goes into making each one of those crackers will get you to thinking.  To take it one step further, I then think about the ins and outs of each process and wonder if it’s possible to make such deliciously crispy crackers at home.  Well, guess what?  It’s very possible.  And, the upside about making homemade crackers is they can be customized with the flavors that suite your tastes.  From sweet to savory, they can all be done at home.  Even better, it’s honestly not that diffucult and doesn’t require any special equipment!

I have always been curious about the process of making crackers, but actually never thought it was possible to make them at home.  Then enters the daring bakers, with a variety of cracker recipes for us to choose from for this months challenge!  I chose a savory cracker for this round, but I can’t wait to play around with different flavor combinations and different types of crackers.  My world of homemade crackers is just beginning.  I had a blast making these crackers and they were a hit with the whole family.  They are crispy, butter and packed full of flavor.  I truly enjoyed every moment of this challenge and can’t wait to try more cracker recipes in the near future!

Our July 2012 Daring Bakers’ Host was Dana McFarland and she challenged us to make homemade crackers! Dana showed us some techniques for making crackers and encouraged to use our creativity to make each cracker our own by using ingredients we love.

Pepper Jack and Oregano Crackers

Ingredients:  

For the topping-

1/4 Tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tsp Kosher salt
1 Tsp sugar

For the crackers-
1 2/3 Cup all-purpose flour
2 1/4 Cups firmly packed grated pepper jack cheese
2 Tsp dried oregano
1/2 Tsp salt
1/2 Tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 Cup vegetable oil
1/2 Cup water

Directions:

For the topping-
Combine cayenne pepper, salt and sugar in small bowl.  Stir to combine and set aside.

For the crackers-
Combine flour, grated cheese, oregano and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine.  Slowly stream in the oil, and pulse to combine until the mixture comes together and resembles wet sand.  Gradually stream in the water, until dough comes together and forms a ball.

Remove dough from food processor and evenly divide dough in half.  Form a disk shape with each piece of dough, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

When ready to make the crackers-
Preheat oven to 325.  Line baking sheet with silicone baking mat or parchment paper and set aside.

Divide one disk of dough in half and place on a well floured surface. Roll the dough to 1/8 of an inch thickness.*  Once the dough is rolled out to appropriate thickness cut into strips using a sharp knife or use cookie cutters to make desired size and shape crackers.  Transfer to prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with topping mixture.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden-brown.  Repeat process with remaining dough.

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.  Store in airtight container.  These crackers are best if enjoyed within 3 days.        

Recipe source: The American Culinary Institute. (2008). Garde Manger: The Art and Craft of the Cold Kitchen (3rd ed.) “Pepper Jack and Oregano Crackers”. John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Hoboken, NJ

DB: Battenberg Cake (and a giveaway)-Closed

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Before you start asking yourself “what the heck is battenberg?”  Let me explain!  Here’s a brief history of battenberg cake and how exactly it became popular.

Battenberg cake is a light sponge cake. When cut in cross section, displays a distinctive two-by-two check pattern alternately coloured pink and yellow. The cake is covered in marzipan and, when sliced, the characteristic checks are exposed to view. It was originally invented by the chefs of the British Royal household to celebrate the marriage of Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine and Prince Louis of Battenberg.


The chefs of the British Royal Family were introduced to the German style of cake making during Queen Victoria’s reign. This included the use of bright colours and marzipan.[1] The first Battenberg cake was made in that German style to celebrate the wedding of Queen Victoria’s granddaughter, Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, and was named after her husband to be, Prince Louis of Battenberg.
Due to anti-German resentment in Britain during the First World War, Prince Louis anglicised his name from Battenberg to Mountbatten; however the cake named after him continued to be called a Battenberg.
Source: quoted from Wikipedia

Now that you have a better knowledge of the cake and how it earned it’s name, let’s move forward with the challenge.  This month Queen Elizabeth celebrated her Diamond Jubilee, 60 years on the throne!  In honor of her Jubilee, the daring bakers went British with a Battenberg Cake.  The inspiration of the recipe, the namesake and even the creator of this recipe are all British.  What an exciting time in the Queen’s reign and life, and what a fun way to help her celebrate!

I loved making this cake, it was an incredibly fun challenge.  This challenge takes two separate flavored cakes and combines them in a fun and festive, almost checkerboard pattern.  There aren’t too, terribly many components to this cake but the end result is a beautifully fun and festive cake that is perfect for any celebration.

Mandy of What The Fruitcake?! came to our rescue last minute to present us with the Battenberg Cake challenge! She highlighted Mary Berry’s techniques and recipes to allow us to create this unique little cake with ease.

Now, for today’s giveaway!
One lucky reader with receive a $20.00 gift card to King Arthur Flour!

Picture source: King Arthur Flour  
From fine chocolates, various types of flours, baking pans, and icing tips; King Arthur Flour is your one-stop-shop for all of your baking and cooking needs.  I am so excited to be able to give one of you a $20.00 gift card to help stock your pantry or baking toolbox!  Good luck!
To enter:



*Please leave a comment on this post stating:
“What your favorite cake recipe is?”


*US residents only, please. Sorry for all of those overseas readers, I still love ya!


For additional entries:
*Subscribe to Lynsey Lou’s via RSS or email. Return to this post and leave a comment and tell me you subscribed, or already subscribe by leaving another comment.


*Become a fan of Lynsey Lou’s on facebook. Return to this post and leave a comment and tell me you’re a fan by leaving an additional comment. If you are already a fan then leave a comment telling me you’re already a fan.


*Share this giveaway on http://www.facebook.com/. Return to this post and leave a comment telling me you’ve done so by leaving an additional comment.


The fine print:
*You can earn a total of 4 entries.
*All entries must be received by midnight on Saturday, June 30.
*The winner will be announced on Monday, July 2. The winner will have 5 days to respond to claim their prize. If the winner has not claimed their prize within 5 days a new winner will be chosen.


Be sure to check out Monday’s giveaway and enter to win a Silpat baking mat and Tuesday’s giveaway and enter to win a Mezzaluna with chopping block .

Full disclosure: This giveaway is sponsored and paid for soley by Lynsey Lou’s.

Coffee and Walnut Battenberg

Ingredients:

For the cake:
¾ Cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cubed
¾ Cup sugar
1¼ Cups self-rising flour
3 Large eggs, room temp
½ Cup ground almonds (ground rice can be substituted)
3/4 tsp baking powder
3 tsp milk
½ tsp vanilla extract
1½ tsp instant coffee powder or granules
3 Tbsp walnuts, roughly chopped

For the buttercream:
½ Cup unsalted Butter
2 Cups powdered sugar
½ tsp instant coffee
1½ tsp milk or cream

To finish:
1 Cup (8 oz) Marzipan, natural or yellow

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.
Grease an 8×8 cake pan and line with parchment paper, creating a divide in the middle of the pan using either parchment paper or foil (or prepare Battenberg tin by brushing the tin with melted butter and flouring).  Set aside.

In a large bowl combine the flour, ground almonds, and baking powder and stir to combine, set aside. Place butter in a large bowl and beat on high for 2-3 minutes, until light.  Add the sugar and beat on high an additional 1-2 minutes, until the mixture is combined and fluffy.  Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just combined.  Evenly divide the mixture in two separate bowls.  In one bowl add the vanilla, 1 1/2 teaspoons milk and the chopped walnuts and stir to combine.  Spoon the walnut mixture into the one side of the prepared baking tin.  Dissolve the coffee in the remaining 1½ teaspoon milk and add to the remaining batter, stir until just combined.  Spoon the coffee batter into the other half of the prepared baking tin.  Smooth the batter with a spatula, making sure batter is in each corner

Bake for 25-30mins until the cake is well risen, springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick comes out clean.  Once baked completely, remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack to allow to cool completely.
For the frosting:
Place butter in a large bowl and beat on hight for 2-3 minutes, until light and creamy.  Slowly add the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time and mix until combined.  Reduce mixing spead to low and slowly pour in the coffee and milk.  Once all the liquids are added, increase speed to high and beat for an additional 1-2 minutes until mixture is combined and light and fluffy.

To assemble:
Once the cake has cooled completely, trim the edges serrated knife.  Cut each cake in half, lengthways, so that you are left with four long strips of sponge.  Clean the strips and trim as necessary so that your checkered pattern is as neat and even as possible.

Spread a thin layer of buttercream onto the strips of cake to stick the cake together in a checkered pattern (one vanilla next to one coffee cake. Then stack one coffee on top of the vanilla, next to the vanilla place the coffee).  Dust a large, clean surface with powdered sugar then roll the marzipan in an oblong shape that is wide enough to cover the length of the cake and long enough to completely wrap the cake.  Spread the top of the cake with a thin layer of buttercream.  Place the cake on the marzipan, buttercream side down.  Spread buttercream onto the remaining three sides.  Press the marzipan around the cake, making sure the join is either neatly in the one corner, or will be underneath the cake once turned over.  Carefully flip the cake over so that the seam is under the cake and score the top of the cake with a knife, you can also crimp the top corners with your fingers to decorate.  Neaten the ends of the cake and remove excess marzipan by trimming off a small bit of cake on both ends to reveal the pattern.

Recipe source: Mary Berry, Baking Bible

DB: Challah Bread

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Making bread is a process that honestly never ceases to amaze me.  Honestly, there is truly something magical about combining a few simple ingredients and watching it transform to a fluffy, light, buttery bread.  As much as I love bread of any sort, there is just something about homemade bread that takes it to another level.  I enjoy the process, controling the quality of ingredients and of course, getting to enjoy the end product fresh from the oven. 
I am truly excited to share this month’s Daring Baker’s challenge with you because it not only involves one of my favorite weaknesses, bread, and because I was finally able to make a bread that I’ve been wanting to conquer for quite some time,challah.  Challah bread is one of those breads that has captivated me from the first time I saw it; it’s beautiful.  It is so impressive that it could honestly be used as decoration.  I learned so much through this challenge, not only about the process of making the bread but about the history behind it. 

What is the significance of challah? 
According to Jewish tradition, the three Sabbath meals (Friday night, Saturday lunch, and Saturday late afternoon) and two holiday meals (one at night and lunch the following day) each begin with two complete loaves of bread.[4] This “double loaf” (in Hebrew: lechem mishneh) commemorates the manna that fell from the heavens when the Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years after the Exodus from Egypt. The manna did not fall on Sabbath or holidays; instead, a double portion would fall the day before the holiday or sabbath.[5] Each single loaf is woven with six strands, both loaves have twelve which represent each tribe of Israel.
Recipe source: Wikipedia

May’s Daring Bakers’ Challenge was pretty twisted – Ruth from The The Crafts of Mommyhood challenged us to make challah! Using recipes from all over, and tips from “A Taste of Challah,” by Tamar Ansh, she encouraged us to bake beautifully braided breads.

White Honey Challah Bread
Ingredients

For bread-

1 ½ cups warm water
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp dry active yeast
½ Cup honey
1 Tbsp oil
4 Large eggs
1 ½ Tsp salt
5 Cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

For egg wash-
1 egg beaten with 1 tsp. water

Directions:

Preaheat oven to 325.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. 

In mixer bowl/large mixing bowl combine ½ cup warm water, 1 tablespoon sugar and 2 tablespoons yeast.  Allow to proof approximately 5 minutes until foamy.  Add the remaining water, honey, oil, eggs, salt and 5 cups of flour to the yeast mixture and knead until smooth, about 10 minutes, adding flour as needed. 

Transfer dough to a clean, well oiled bowl, turn to coat or add a bit more oil on top. Cover bowl with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  Punch down the dough and divide it into two even pieces. Use one half to make each loaf (shaped or braided as desired)

Place loaves on prepared baking sheet, cover with a towel and allow to rise 30 minutes.  Brush the tops of the loaves with egg wash. (Sprinkle with seeds or toppings here if wanted.)  Bake loaves 30-40 minutes until done.  Remove from oven, transfer to wire racks and allow to cool.

DB: Bread with Dutch Crunch Topping

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I have to say I’ve been on quite a bread kick lately; from more complex, yeast breads like cinnamon rolls to simple non-yeast breads like my brown butter banana muffins, I love them all.  There is just something about working with yeast that never ceases to amaze me, it’s almost magical each time I make any type of bread!  The combination of a few simple ingredients, as well as a little time, helps to produce something so light, fluffy and delicious.  How could this ever get old?  Plus there is just such a since of accomplishment every time it’s a success!

Well, this months Daring Baker’s helped to carry on my bread kick. Sara and Erica of Baking JD’s were our March 2012 Daring Baker hostesses! Sara & Erica challenged us to make Dutch Crunch bread, a delicious sandwich bread with a unique, crunchy topping. Sara and Erica also challenged us to create a one of a kind sandwich with our bread!

I think it’s a must to be armed with a multitude of “go to” bread recipes for any occassion.  I just recently posted a delicious recipe for hamburger buns, this recipe provides you with a perfectly light and fluffy hamburger bun that would be the perfect base for any burger.  Now that we’ve got the hamburgers marked off our list, what’s next?  Well how about a roll with a airy texture that is extremely fluffy with a bit of a crunchy topping?  This roll is the perfect canvas for any sandwich your heart desires.  Full of flavor on it’s own, this roll could be enjoyed with any number of toppings you decided to pile on.

The roll itself is delicious.  You just can’t beat a light and fluffy roll, either alone or piled high with toppings.  This particular roll is taken to a different level with a slightly sweet topping that adds a light crunch to the top half of the roll.  This topping is unique in the fact that it uses rice flour to create that light and crunchy texture.  This topping adds another layer of texture to whatever sandwich you decide to make. 

On top of making bread, we were also challenged to make a sandwich.  Whatever sandwich we liked; it could be simple or complex, the sky was the limit.  Since I typically have sandwiches everyday for lunch I wanted this sandwich to be incredible and out of the norm from my usual turkey and cheese, something almost gourmet like and served warm.  I decided to spread both sides with an dijon- horseradish spread, top it with peppered turkey, thick-cut smoked bacon, some veggies, then drizzled with a spicy cheese sauce.  The overall verdict, this sandwich was packed full of flavor, incredibly filling and way out of the norm from my original cold turkey sandwich I am accustomed to having.  We enjoyed not only the rolls but the sandwich, as well (sandwich recipe to come). 

Soft White Rolls with Dutch Crunch Topping

Ingredients:

For the Soft White Rolls-
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
1/4 Cup warm water
1 Cup warm milk
1 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 Tsp salt
4 Cups all-purpose flour

For the Dutch Crunch Topping-

2 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 Cup warm water
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 Tsp salt
1 1/2 Cups rice flour

Directions:

For the rolls-
Preheat oven to 380.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl combine yeast, water, milk and sugar.  Stir to desolve yeast and allow to rest, about 5 minutes.  Add the vegetable oil, salt and 2 cups of flour, mix the dough until it just comes together.  Once the dough begins to come together, add the remaining flour 1/4 cup at a time, until dough begins to pull away from sides and a ball begins to form.

Turn the dough out on a heavily floured work surface until dough is smooth and elastic like, about 4 minutes.  Place the kneaded dough in a oil-coated bowl.  Turn the dough to coat, cover and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. 

Once the dough has risen turn out on a lightly floured work surface and divide into 6 equal portions, for rolls (for loaves, divide into 2 equal portions).  Shape each portion into a ball, pulling the sides and pinching underneath.  Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, being careful not to over-handle at this point.  Cover rolls with a clean towel and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Coat the top of each roll with with a generous amount of the Dutch Crunch topping (instructions below).  Once all rolls have been coated with the topping place in the preheated oven.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, until well browned.  Remove cooked rolls from oven, transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before eating.

*These rolls can be individually wrapped with plastic wrap and stored in the freezer for later use.  Simply remove the desired amount from the freezer on the morning of use and allow to thaw at room temperature through the day.    

For the Dutch Crunch topping-
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk vigorously to combine.  Once the mixture has come together it should have a stiff consistency, similar to royal icing.  The mixture should be thick but still spreadable. 
*If too thick add more water.
*If too thin add more rice flour.

Using your hands, apply a thick layer to the top of each roll or loaf.  (A pastry brush does not allow the coating to go on as well or as thick, so using your hands is the best method.)

Recipe source: The Bread Bible

DB:Garam Masala Muffins with Orange Pistachio Glaze

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It amazes me how a series of unexpted events leads to the perfect outcome.  Until recently we have never had an issue with Tucker eating.  He has never been a picky eater and he’s never met a food he doesn’t like.  If it’s edible and placed in front of him he would eat it.  However, things have changed a little.  He’s a little over 2 and reached that phase where he is only going to eat when and what he wants, we have days where he eats anything we give him and other days where we struggle to find something he will even entertain eating.  Right before I learned what the February challenge was for daring bakers’ I was looking for some type of muffin or bread to make for Tucker for breakfast.  Then I learned that this month’s challenge was quick bread.  While preparing a breakfast bread for Tucker I could also complete my challenge for daring bakers’.

The Daring Bakers’ February 2012 host was – Lis! Lisa stepped in last minute and challenged us to create a quick bread we could call our own. She supplied us with a base recipe and shared some recipes she loves from various websites and encouraged us to build upon them and create new flavor profiles.

Since I was already on the lookout for something to make for my little man I already had quite a few recipes marked to test.  I found about 15 recipes that literally jumped off the page when I saw them and I wanted to make them all at once.  After I finally composed myself and came back to reality, I decided to start off with this muffin I found on Kelsey’s blog.  Her description of these muffins drew me in and is so precise.  They are light and fluffy, not overly sweet and have the perfect hint of warmth from the garam masala.  I love that the heat is cut my the citrus from the orange zest as well as the orange juice glaze.  These are the perfect start to any morning or the perfect pick-me-up for any afternoon snack. 

Garam Masala Muffins with Orange Pistachio Glaze

Ingredients:

1 1/4 Cup All-purpose flour

1/2 Cup Whole wheat flour
1/3 Cup Packed brown sugar
1 Tsp Baking powder
1 Tsp Baking soda
1/4 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Garam masala
Zest of one orange
1 Cup Low-fat buttermilk
1/4 Cup Unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 Tsp Vanilla extract, divided
1 Large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 Cup Shelled dry-roasted, salted pistachios, chopped
1/2 Cup Powdered sugar
1 Tbsp Fresh-squeezed orange juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.  Place liners in a muffin pan, spray with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl add the flours, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, garam masala, orange zest and salt and whisk together.  Make a well in the middle of the ingredients.  In a separate bowl combine the buttermilk, butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla and egg and stir to combine.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until all ingredients are combined.

Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups and sprinkle with the chopped pistachios.  Bake for 15 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Remove and cool on wire rack for 5 minutes.

While muffins are cooling combine the powdered sugar, orange juice and remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in a small bowl, stirring until smooth.  Drizzle evenly over the muffins.       

Recipe source: barely adapted from Kelsey’s Apple A Day, inspired by All Day I Dream About Food and Gastronomy

Daring Baker’s January Challenge

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A new year, a new challenge!  That’s right, it’s time once again to share another fun, exciting and challenging Daring Baker’s project.  This time around Audax Artifex was our January 2012 Daring Bakers’ host. Aud worked tirelessly to master light and fluffy scones (a/k/a biscuits) to help us create delicious and perfect batches in our own kitchens!

That’s right, this time around we conquered light and fluffy scones.  These biscuit like pastries are known as scones in the rest of the world, but they are actually like our normal biscuits here in the U.S.  Who would have known?  If you’re like me, then you probably had no idea that our biscuits could be served interchangeably as scones in other areas of the world.  To me, it’s interesting to think about how food terms change from one society and region to the next.

This recipe proved to be relatively easy.  The scone was deliciously light and fluffy with the perfect buttery flavor.  I had to restrain myself from devouring every, last morsel fresh from the oven.  I mean is there really anything better than fresh buscuits straight from the oven?  I think not.  Spread them with a tad of butter and your favorite jelly or jam and you have the perfect breakfast, brunch or snack!  I can’t wait to try these again incorporating other flavor variations!

 Basic Scones (a.k.a. Basic Biscuits)

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tspfresh baking powder
¼ Tsp salt
2 Tbsp frozen butter, grated
½ cup cold milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 475.

Triple sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl.
Rub the frozen grated butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles very coarse bread crumbs with some pea-sized pieces if you want flaky scones or until it resembles coarse beach sand if you want tender scones.

Add nearly all of the liquid at once into the flour mixture and mix until it just forms a sticky dough (add the remaining liquid if needed). *The wetter the dough the lighter the scones (biscuits) will be!

Choose a technique below to achieve desired consistency:
A)Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board, lightly flour the top of the dough. To achieve an even, homogeneous crumb to your scones knead very gently about 4 or 5 times (do not press too firmly) or until the dough until it is smooth.
B)To achieve a layered effect in your scones knead very gently once (do not press too firmly) then fold and turn the kneaded dough about 3 or 4 times until the dough has formed a smooth texture. (Use a floured plastic scraper to help you knead and/or fold and turn the dough if you wish.)

Pat or roll out the dough into a 6 inch by 4 inch rectangle by about ¾ inch thick. Separate into four equal portions and gently form into rounds.

Place the rounds just touching on a baking dish if you wish to have soft-sided scones or place the rounds spaced widely apart on the baking dish if you wish to have crisp-sided scones. Lightly flour the tops.

Place in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes (check at 8 minutes since home ovens at these high temperatures may vary cooking times) until the scones are well risen and are golden-brown on the tops. The scones are ready when the sides are set.

Immediately place onto cooling rack to stop the cooking process, serve while still warm.

December Daring Baker’s

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Our Daring Bakers Host for December 2011 was Jessica of My Recipe Project and she showed us how fun it is to create Sour Dough bread in our own kitchens! She provided us with Sour Dough recipes from Bread Matters by AndrewWhitley as well as delicious recipes to use our Sour Dough bread in from Tonia George’s Things on Toast and Canteen’s Great British Food!

Russian Rye Bread

Servings: 1 large loaf or 2 small loaves and excess rye starter to keep for further baking.

Rye Starter – Day 1:
Ingredients

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon whole (dark) rye flour
1/4 cup hot water
Total scant ½ cup

Directions:

In a plastic container, mix the flour and water into a paste.

Set the lid on top gently, cover with a plastic bag, to prevent messes in case it grows more than expected!

Set somewhere warm.  It should be a very sloppy, runny dough, which will bubble and grow as it ferments.

Rye Starter – Day 2:

Ingredients

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon whole (dark) rye flour
1/4 cup water (at 104°F/40°C)
scant 1/2 cup starter from Day 1
Total scant 1 cup 

Directions:

Stir the flour and water into the mixture from Day 1, cover, and return to its warm place.

Rye Starter – Day 3:

Ingredients

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon whole (dark) rye flour
1/4 cup water (at 104°F/40°C)
scant 1 cupstarter from Day 2
Total 1 cup plus 6 tablespoons

Directions:

Stir the flour and water into the mixture from Day 2, cover, and return to its warm place. If you notice it has a grey liquid on top, just stir this back in and continue as normal.

Rye Starter – Day 4:

Ingredients

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon whole (dark) rye flour
1/4 cup hot water
1 cup plus 6 tablespoons starter from Day 3
Total about 1¾ cups

Directions:

Stir the flour and water into the mixture from Day 3, cover, and return to its warm place. At this point it should be bubbling and smell yeasty. If not, repeat this process for a further day or so until it is!

Rye Starter, ready for baking.

Russian Rye Bread – Step 1: Production Sourdough

Ingredients

1/4 cup less 2 teaspoons rye leaven (starter)
1 cup plus 2 teaspoons whole (dark) rye flour
1 1/4 cups water
Total 2½ cup 

Directions:

Mix everything into a sloppy dough. Cover and set aside for 12-24 hours, until bubbling. Set aside the remaining starter for further loaves – see the Notes section for tips!

Russian Rye Bread – Step 2: Final Dough

Ingredients

2 cups production sourdough (this should leave some (½ cup) to become your next loaf of bread!)
2 1/3 cups rye flour (light or whole)
1 teaspoon sea salt or ½ teaspoon table salt
3/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons water (at 104°F/40°C)
Total 5 cups plus 3 tablespoons

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together to form a soft dough. With wet hands, scoop the dough up and put it in a well-greased loaf tin.

Put the tin inside a large plastic bag, blow it up, and seal it. This should make a good little dome for your bread to proof inside. Set aside somewhere room temperature to warm.

The dough should be ready to bake with in anywhere between 2-8 hours, depending on how warm it is. I proof mine by a sunny window in about 4 hours. If the dough was halfway up the tin when you started, it will be ready when it reaches the top (i.e. almost doubles in size).

Preheat the oven to very hot 470°F. For a large loaf, bake for 50-60 minutes, reducing the temperature to moderately hot 400°F gas mark 6 after about 10-15 minutes. If baking in small loaf tins, bake for 35-45 minutes, reducing the temperature after 10 minutes. If you are unsure about whether it is done, give it a few minutes longer – it is a very wet dough, so the extra time won’t hurt.

Leave to cool on a cooling rack, and rest the loaf for a day before eating it.

Daring Baker’s October Challenge

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The Daring Baker’s October 2011 challenge was Povitica, hosted by Jenni of The Gingered Whisk. Povitica is a traditional Eastern European Dessert Bread that is as lovely to look at as it is to eat!

Can I just say how excited I was when I saw this challenge?  So very excited!  I love learning about and trying new foods.  And when those new foods are from another culture, I love to read the history of them and learn about how those particular foods play a part in their everyday life.  Before this challenge I had never heard of Povitica, but now I can say that I’ve not only heard of it but I have enjoyed it as well.

I’m sure a lot of you are thinking to yourselves, “What is povitica, exactly?”  Well here’s a brief history.  First of all it is more commonly known as a nut roll. 
” A nut roll is a pastry consisting of a sweet yeast dough (usually using milk) that is rolled out very thin, spread with a nut paste made from ground nuts and a sweetener like honey, then rolled up into a log shape. This ‘log’ is either left long and straight or is often bent into a horseshoe shape, egg washed, baked, and then sliced crosswise. Nut rolls resemble a jelly roll (Swiss roll) but usually with more layers of dough and filling, and resemble strudels but with fewer and less delicate dough layers. Fillings commonly have as their main ingredient ground walnuts or poppy seeds; see also bethy.



Nut rolls can be found in the United States and in Central European cuisines. In the United States, “nut roll” is a more or less generic name for pastries of this type, no matter where they originate.[1] Nut rolls are known also by many specific regional names, including: potica, gubana, guban’ca, or povitica in Slovenian; orechovník in Slovak; makowiec in Polish; Povitica,Gibanica, Orahnjača in Croatian (walnut variant, Makovnjača for variant with poppy seed, in Croatia can also be made with carob); and kalács and bejgli in Hungarian.


Regional variations on nut rolls are part of weddings, for Easter and Christmas, as well as other celebrations or holidays.”
Source: Wikipedia

This challenge appealed to me for so many reasons.  I won’t bore you with all of the reasons, but here’s a few.  I love trying new recipes!  I love making bread, and lastly I enjoy experimenting with new flavors and fillings.  This challenge allowed me to do all of that!  The traditional fillings for the bread seem to be more sweet; cream cheese, walnut, and apple and cinnamon.  Although I kept with tradition for this challenge I would love to see how this recipe would turn out by using some fillings of the savory nature. 

I was so impressed with this bread.  It tasted delicious, and the appearance of it was almost like a cinnamon roll in loaf form.  I can’t wait to try other flavor variations.  And the holidays are coming up, so this would be a perfect option for a gift for a foodie as well as another option for a dessert!

Povitica

Ingredients:

To activate the Yeast:

2 Tsp sugar
1 Tsp all-purpose flour
½ Cup warm water
2 Tbsp dry yeast

Dough:

2 Cups whole milk
¾ Cup sugar
3 Tsp table salt
4 Large eggs
½ Cup unsalted butter, melted
8 Cups all-purpose flour, measure first then sift, divided

Walnut Filling:

7 Cups ground English walnuts
1 Cup whole milk
1 Cup unsalted butter
2 Whole eggs, beaten
1 Tsp pure vanilla extract
2 Cups sugar
1 Tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tsp cinnamon

Topping:

½ Cup cold STRONG coffee
2 Tbsp sugar
Melted Butter

Directions:

To Activate Yeast:

In a small bowl, stir 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 teaspoon flour, and the yeast into ½ cup warm water and cover with plastic wrap.

Allow to stand for 5 minutes

To Make the Dough:

In a medium saucepan, heat the milk up to just below boiling, stirring constantly so that a film does not form on the top of the milk. You want it hot enough to scald you, but not boiling. Allow to cool slightly, until it is about 110°F.

In a large bowl, mix the scalded milk, ¾ cup sugar, and the salt until combined.

Add the beaten eggs, yeast mixture, melted butter, and 2 cups of flour.

Blend thoroughly and slowly add remaining flour, mixing well until the dough starts to clean the bowl.

Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead, gradually adding flour a little at a time, until smooth and does not stick. Note: Gradually add the flourI did not use all 8 cups of flour.

Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces (they will each weight about 1.25 pounds)

Place dough in 4 lightly oiled bowls, cover loosely with a layer of plastic wrap and then a kitchen towel and let rise an hour and a half in a warm place, until doubled in size.
 
To Make the Filling-

In a large bowl mix together the ground walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and cocoa.

Heat the milk and butter to boiling.  Pour the liquid over the nut/sugar mixture.  Add the eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly.  Allow to stand at room temperature until ready to be spread on the dough.  If the mixture thickens, add a small amount of warm milk.

To Roll and Assemble the Dough:

Spread a clean sheet or cloth over your entire table so that it is covered.  Sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons to a handful of flour (use flour sparingly)  Place the dough on the sheet and roll the dough out with a rolling pin, starting in the middle and working your way out, until it measures roughly 10-12 inches in diameter.

Spoon 1 to 1.5 teaspoons of melted butter on top.  Using the tops of your hands, stretch dough out from the center until the dough is thin and uniformly opaque. You can also use your rolling pin, if you prefer.  As you work, continually pick up the dough from the table, not only to help in stretching it out, but also to make sure that it isn’t sticking.  When you think it the dough is thin enough, try to get it a little thinner. It should be so thin that you can see the color and perhaps the pattern of the sheet underneath.

Lift the edge of the cloth and gently roll the dough like a jelly roll.  Once the dough is rolled up into a rope, gently lift it up and place it into a greased loaf pan in the shape of a “U”, with the ends meeting in the middle. You want to coil the dough around itself, as this will give the dough its characteristic look when sliced.  Repeat with remaining three loaves, coiling each rope of dough in its own loaf pan.  Brush the top of each loaf with a mixture of ½ cup of cold STRONG coffee and 2 tablespoons of sugar. If you prefer, you can also use egg whites in place of this.

Cover pans lightly will plastic wrap and allow to rest for approximately 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Remove plastic wrap from dough and place into the preheated oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes.  Turn down the oven temperature to slow 300°F gas mark 2 and bake for an additional 45 minutes, or until done.  Remove bread from oven and brush with melted butter.  Check the bread at 30 minutes to ensure that the bread is not getting too brown.

You may cover the loaves with a sheet of aluminum foil if you need to.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes, still in the bread pan. Remember, the bread weighs about 2.5 and it needs to be able to hold its own weight, which is difficult when still warm and fresh out of the oven. Allowing it to cool in the pan helps the loaf to hold its shape. 

It is recommended that the best way to cut Povitica loaves into slices is by turning the loaf upside down and slicing with a serrated knife.

Daring Baker’s June Challenge, Phyllo and Baklava

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love all of the challenges presented by the daring baker’s.  Some of the challenges involve recipes that I’ve already attempted or made but it may offer different techniques to accomplish the end result, while other recipes I’ve never heard of or are something I’ve wanted to make but haven’t found the appropriate reason to make it.  Well, this challenge was one that I have heard of and wanted to attempt for quite some time but I just haven’t gotten around to making it.

Erica of Erica’s Edibles was our host for the Daring Baker’s June challenge. Erica challenged us to be truly DARING by making homemade phyllo dough and then to use that homemade dough to make Baklava.

I have always wanted to attempt to make Baklava, but I knew it was a time consuming process and just never set aside the time for this.  Phyllo dough is something that I love; there is just something about the buttery, flakey dough that is just out of this world and I love incorporating it into different recipes.  I have seen the process of making phyllo dough one time and it was incredibly impressive, and there is such an art to the process but it never crossed my mind to attempt this dough at home.  I love that this challenge not only challenged us to make baklava but to also make the phyllo dough; which is the base of any baklava recipe.  I had a blast making not only the dough, but the baklava too.  This challenge was one of the more time consuming ones but in the end it was absolutely worth the time.  I can’t wait to try other variations on this recipe and I can’t wait to make my own phyllo dough to use in other recipes.  Thanks so much for the fun challenge, Erica!

Daring Baker’s June Challenge
Daring Baker’s: From Phyllo to Baklava

Ingredients:

Phyllo Dough-

1 1/3 Cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/8 Tsp salt
1/2 Cup less 1 tablespoon water, plus more if needed
2 Tbsp vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 Tsp cider vinegar, (white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar could be substituted, but could affect the taste)

***Note 1: To have enough to fill my 9” x 9” baking dish with 18 layers of phyllo I doubled this recipe.
*Note 2: Single recipe will fill a 8” x 5” baking dish.
*Note 3: Dough can be made a head of time and froze. Just remove from freezer and allow to thaw and continue making your baklava. 

For the Baklava-
Adapted from Alton Brown, The Food Network
For the syrup-

1 1/4 Cups honey
1 1/4 Cups water
1 1/4 Cups sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1Piece fresh citrus peel (lemon or orange work best)
a few cloves or a pinch or ground clove

When you put your baklava in the oven start making your syrup. When you combine the two, one of them needs to be hot, I find it better when the baklava is hot and the syrup has cooled.

For the filling-

1 cinnamon stick, broken into 2 to 3 pieces or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

15 to 20 Whole allspice berries
3/4 Cup blanched almonds
3/4 Cup raw or roasted walnuts
3/4 Cup raw or roasted pistachios
2/3 Cup sugar
phyllo dough (see recipe above)
1 Cup melted butter
Directions:

In the bowl of your stand mixer combine flour and salt.  Mix with paddle attachment.  Combine water, oil and vinegar in a small bowo.  Add water & oil mixture with mixer on low speed, mix until you get a soft dough, if it appears dry add a little more water (I had to add a tablespoon more)

Change to the dough hook and let knead approximately 10 minutes. You will end up with beautiful smooth dough. If you are kneading by hand, knead approx. 20 minutes.
Remove the dough from mixer and continue to knead for 2 more minutes. Pick up the dough and through it down hard on the counter a few times during the kneading process.  Shape the dough into a ball and lightly cover with oil.  Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let rest 30-90 minutes, longer is best ( I let mine rest 2 hours and it was perfect)
Rolling your Phyllo-

Use whatever means you have to get the dough as thin as you can. I have included a fantastic video at the end of the post on how to roll out your phyllo dough, using a wooden dowel, which worked perfectly for me. You may also use a pasta machine if you have one, or a normal rolling pin whatever works for you.

Unwrap your dough and cut off a chunk slightly larger then a golf ball. While you are rolling be sure to keep the other dough covered so it doesn’t dry out.

Be sure to flour your hands, rolling pin and counter. As you roll you will need to keep adding, don’t worry, you can’t over-flour.  Roll out the dough a bit to flatten it out.  Wrap the dough around your rolling pin/dowel.  Roll back and forth quickly with the dough remaining on the dowel, then remove from the dowel.  Rotate and repeat until it is as thin as you can it. Don’t worry if you get rips in the dough, as long as you have one perfect one for the top you will never notice.

When you get it as thin as you can with the rolling pin, carefully pick it up with well floured hands and stretch it on the backs of your hands as you would a pizza dough, just helps make it that much thinner. Roll out your dough until it is transparent.

NOTE: you will not get it as thin as the frozen phyllo dough you purchase at the store, it is made by machine

Set aside on a well-floured surface. Repeat the process until your dough is used up. Between each sheet again flower well. You will not need to cover your dough with a wet cloth, as you do with boxed dough, it is moist enough that it will not try out.

Baklava-

Syrup-
Combine all ingredients in a medium pot over medium high heat. Stir occasionally until sugar has dissolved.  Boil for 10 minutes, stirring occassionally.

Once boiled for 10 minutes remove from heat and strain cinnamon stick and lemon, allow to cool as baklava cooks.

Filling-

Preheat oven to moderate 350°F.

Combine nuts, sugar and spices in a food processor and pulse on high until finely chopped. If you do not have a food processor chop with a sharp knife as fine as you can. Set aside.

Trim your phyllo sheets to fit in your pan.

Brush bottom of pan with butter and place first phyllo sheet.

Brush the first phyllo sheet with butter and repeat approximately 5 times ending with butter. (Most recipes say more, but homemade phyllo is thicker so it’s not needed).

Sprinkle 1/3 of the nut mixture on top.  Continue layering phyllo and buttering repeating 4 times.  Sprinkle 1/3 of the nut mixture on top.  Continue layering phyllo and buttering repeating 4 times.  Sprinkle 1/3 of the nut mixture on top.  Continue layering and buttering phyllo 5 more times. On the top layer, make sure you have a piece of phyllo with no holes if possible, just looks better.  Once you have applied the top layer tuck in all the edges to give a nice appearance.

With a Sharp knife cut your baklava in desired shapes and number of pieces. If you can’t cut all the ways through don’t worry you will cut again later. A 9×9 pan cuts nicely into 30 pieces. Then brush with a generous layer of butter making sure to cover every area and edge.  Bake for approximately 30 minutes; remove from oven and cut again this time all the way through. Continue baking for another 30 minutes. (Oven temperatures will vary, you are looking for the top to be a golden brown, take close watch yours may need more or less time in the oven)

When baklava is cooked remove from oven and pour the cooled (will still be warmish) syrup evenly over the top, taking care to cover all surfaces when pouring. It looks like it is a lot but over night the syrup will soak into the baklava creating a beautifully sweet and wonderfully textured baklava!

Allow to cool to room temperature. Once cooled cover and store at room temperature. Allow the baklava to sit overnight to absorb the syrup.  Serve at room temperature

Daring Bakers’ April Challenge, Bacon Cups

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The April 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Evelyne of the blog Cheap Ethnic Eatz. Evelyne chose to challenge everyone to make a maple mousse in an edible container. Prizes are being awarded to the most creative edible container and filling, so vote on your favorite from April 27th to May 27th at The Daring Kitchen.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; I LOVE the monthly challenges that are presented to the the daring bakers.  Every month we are presented with a new and exciting challenge and a lot of them push me out of my comfort zone, but a lot of the challenges are things that I have wanted to make but haven’t gotten around to actually making.  This month was one of those months that we were challenged to make something that I had actually had on my “to make” wish list for quite some time.  I have wanted to make edible containers for quite some time.  I have had a couple of desserts from restaurants that were presented in edible, mostly chocolate, conainers and they were not only pretty and jaw dropping but absolutely delicious.  Having these desserts made me want to make edible containers/dishes that much more.  I mean what’s better than being presented with a dish that looks and tastes amazing?  Being presented with a dish that not only looks and tastes amazing but is also edible.  You really can’t beat that, plus there are no dishes to clean after you are finished with your dessert!

This challenge was so much fun.   Although we had the freedom to create a container out of anything I stayed close to the challenge for two reasons; I have been wanting to make a dessert including bacon and second, I LOVE the combination of maple and bacon!  Not only was it fun making the mousse and bacon cups but it was even more fun eating them!  I enjoyed this challenge so much and I can’t wait to attempt other edible containers; my mind is going non-stop thinking of other ideas! 

Bacon Cups

Ingredients:

24 thin slices good quality bacon

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Turn a muffin pan upside down and cover 6 muffin cups with aluminum foil.

Take 2 strips of bacon at a time crisscross the strips over the backs of the muffin cups and cut to size a tad longer than the bottom part of the cup.  Use an additional 1 to 2 strips to cover the sides of the muffin cups in a weaving fashion. Weave the bacon tight because the bacon shrinks quite a bit when cooking.

Tuck the ends of the bacon strips inside otherwise they will curl while cooking. A good idea is to insert 4 toothpicks where the crisscrossed bacon meets in the weave.

Place muffin pan in a cookie tray to catch drippings.

Bake in oven for about 25 to 40 minutes, or until the bacon is golden and crisp but not burned.

Cool completely, about an hour, before carefully removing cups from the foil.

For smaller cups-use a shot glass with a square of bacon for the bottom and wrap 1 strip around the side.

Maple Mousse

Ingredients:

1 Cup pure maple syrup
4 Large egg yolks
1 Package unflavoured gelatine
1 1/2 Cups whipping cream

Directions:

Bring maple syrup to a boil then remove from heat.

In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and pour a little bit of the maple syrup in while whisking (this is to temper your egg yolks so they don’t curdle).

Add warmed egg yolks to hot maple syrup until well mixed.

Measure 1/4 cup of whipping cream in a bowl and sprinkle it with the gelatine. Let it rest for 5 minutes. Place the bowl in a microwave for 45 seconds (microwave for 10 seconds at a time and check it in between) or place the bowl in a pan of barely simmering water, stir to ensure the gelatine has completely dissolved.

Whisk the gelatine-whipping cream mixture into the maple syrup mixture and set aside.

Whisk occasionally for approximately an hour or until the mixture has the consistency of an unbeaten raw egg white.

Whip the remaining cream until it forms peaks. Stir 1/4 of the whipped cream into the maple syrup mixture. Fold in the remaining cream and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Remove from the refrigerator and divide equally among the edible containers. Drizzle melted, semi-sweet chocolate over each cup.
 
Recipe Source:
Bacon cups inspired by not martha and 59 kilos

Maple mousse adapted from Jamie Oliver is not my boyfriend

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