Feelin’ Salty

Just to share my current love of salty sweet treats, here are two great cookie recipes to try. They are both from the NY Times. The first is a salted tahini chocolate chip cookie.  The tahini paste adds a subtle, almost elusive,  nuance to the cookie and for the chocolate I used a combination of bittersweet and semisweet chunks. A sprinkle of kosher salt as soon as the cookies come out of the oven adds the right finishing touch.

Find the recipe here….

 

The second is a Salty Peanut Butter Sandie. If you love peanut butter, you will love this cookie. Made with all natural, unsalted peanut butter, it is then mixed with brown sugar and crunchy salt for a deep satisfying flavor. The top is sprinkled with Maldon sea salt and turbinado sugar. Addictive, to say the least.

Find the recipe here….

 

These are both worth trying. Enjoy!

Happy Easter

Wishing everyone near and far, family and friends, a very happy Easter and Purim. Celebrate with good people and don’t forget to eat some Cake!

Prune and Flaxseed Ciabatta Bread

 

 

Where does the time go? All of a sudden, I look up at the  calendar and realize that it is the end of the month already. Arghh… What was the Bakers Challenge?? Lamingtons – sounds great. Make them in hurry, three varieties. Taste great. I now realize that it is past the 27th and it takes me hours to post something. I just don’t have the motivation to stay up until midnight blogging. I guess I am skipping another month….  Am I the only one who feels like a loser for doing this?

Okay, so what about the Bread Baking Babes? Maybe I will give this a shot and be on time. Cathy, from Bread Experience was the babe of the month. A quick look at the recipe and I see that a poolish is needed. It takes 14 + hours, but I really want to try this recipe. Oh well, I guess being on time is not my thing. I could have done it if I stayed up until midnight, but no, I chose to pop my final dough into the fridge overnight before shaping and baking this morning. More flavor, right? Right!

All kidding aside, this is a fantastic bread and so worth the time and effort. I wouldn’t say that this is a beginner’s bread, since it is a very wet dough (I think that Cathy  said 90% hydration), but I wouldn’t be scared of giving it a go either. All that moisture creates a light, chewy bread with lots of air pockets. there is no kneading, just folds at 45 minute intervals. I love prunes (or should I say “dried plums”) so I upped the quantity, but another dried fruit would work fine. Or olives. Or roasted garlic.

(later on…)

So now that the bread is baked and has cooled (perfect time to take my daughter to dance class), all I can say is “Delicious”!, but I better hurry since one loaf is already gone and another is half eaten. Even my daughter loved it. Except I told her it was plums in the bread (Why do prunes get such a bad rap?)

So, all I can say is Bake On!

Flaxseed and Prune Ciabatta-Style Loaves

 

Poolish:

(I improvised here and did 85 grams 100% hydration starter, 85 grams flour, 85 grams water, and a tiny pinch of yeast.  It sat for 10 hours before moving forward)

• 125 grams / ~ 1 cup bread flour or all-purpose flour
• 125 grams / 1/2 cup water
• pinch of instant yeast

Mix all ingredients until well incorporated with D.D.T. of 70°F.
Allow to ferment 12 – 14 hours at room temperature (65 -70°F)

 

 

 

 

Flaxseed soaker:

This makes the seeds more easier to digest. You will notice that the mixture gets very gelatinous, which is normal.

• 48 grams/ 1/4 cup + 1 T flax seeds
• 72 grams / 1/3 cup water

Mix all ingredients until well incorporated, cover and set aside.
Let it sit for at least one hour.

Final Dough:

• 300 grams / ~ 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour or bread flour
• 50 grams / ~ 1/3 cup coarsely  whole wheat flour
• 25 grams / 1/4 cup coarsely  whole rye flour
• 278 grams / ~ 1 1/4 cups water
• 10 grams / 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 84 grams / ~1/2 cup prunes (I used 140 g)
• 2 grams / ~3/4 teaspoon instant yeast (I used 1/4 tsp)

Mixing: Hand Mix

1. Mix together all the ingredients except the flax seeds, and plums.
2. Once everything is thoroughly incorporated, mix in flax soaker and dried plums.
3. Transfer the dough into an oiled container.

Dough Temperature: 76-78°F

First Fermentation: a total of 3 hours with 3 folds

• 45 minutes at room temperature; fold
• 45 minutes at room temperature; fold
• 45 minutes at room temperature; fold

At this point I covered the dough bowl and placed it in the fridge overnight for a nice slow rise

Divide: Dough is not scaled. It is divided by measurement (i.e. eyeballing the dough).

Place loaves on a floured couche, proofing board or a baking sheet lined with parchment.

Rest : 20 minutes at room temperature

Preheat Oven: to 475°F with a baking stone on the bottom rack and a steam pan or iron skillet on the top rack of the oven.

Transfer loaves to baking stone: Carefully transfer the loaves from the baker’s couche (or proofing board) to the preheated baking stone.

If you proof the loaves on parchment, which is what I did, just transfer the loaves (parchment and all) to the baking stone and remove the paper partway through the bake cycle.

Quickly add several ice cubes to the steam pan (I just added a cup of water), spritz the loaves with water (oops, I forgot that) and immediately turn the oven down to 450 degrees F.

Bake: 15 minutes, then rotate the loaves for even baking and bake an additional 10 – 15 minutes or until done. They should be a rich, dark color. I turned my oven off, cracked the door ajar, and let them sit for another 10 minutes.

Let cool completely.

Romanian Easter Bread

How about instead we just call this swirly delicious bread? I would hate to think that this would/could only be made at Easter time. It was so fluffy and yummy. Oh, and gone in less than 24 hours. Maybe it should be called dangerous…

Elle, over at Feeding My Enthusiasms, has chosen a delightful filled bread for this month.

“The description of the recipe in The Festive Bread Book, by Kathy Cutler talks about “The delicious walnut filling” but the recipe calls for ground almonds. I suspect that you could use any ground nut you desire…walnut, almond, pecan, hazelnut…and you will get a nice filling. The full description is, ” the delicious walnut filling of this bread helps make it a Romanian classic. Serve it as a snack or with Easter dinner.” It doesn’t have any icing, so it may be a bread that is somewhat unsweetened. You can always add a sweet glaze and/or nuts once the baked bread has cooled if you prefer it a bit sweeter.”

I chose to make a poppy-seed filling for mine so I am not sure I can say it is Romanian, but it is still very much keeping with European flavors. The bread is rich with eggs, milk and butter resulting in a dough that is a pleasure to work with. Seriously though, isn’t all bread dough wonderful? The magic of bread is never-ending.

My poppy-seed filling is just something I made up but I  ended up with too much. That is okay  with me since I am planning on making another one later today in just a simple jelly roll style but I am adjusting it here for you, or double it like me. I like a lot of filling. Ah,gluttony (it’s my middle name)

Bake On!

Romanian Easter Braid

makes one loaf

from The Festive Bread Book, by Kathy Cutler

3 1/2 – 4 cups flour, divided
1/2 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest (I used the zest of I orange)
2/3 cup milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt (I used 3/4 tsp kosher salt)
2 eggs

Filling: (Please see Elle’s site for the original version)

5 oz poppy seed
6 oz whole milk
2 oz honey
2 oz |(1/2 cup) granulated sugar
2 oz butter

Grind the poppy seeds in a clean coffee grinder to break them down a bit. Place into a small pan with the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Lower the heat slightly and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Take off the heat and let cool completely.

Glaze: 1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons milk (I skipped this)

Preparation: Combine 2 cups flour , the yeast, and  zest in a mixing bowl.

Heat milk, butter, sugar and salt until butter melts; remove from heat and let cool until it reaches 90-100 degrees F.

Add milk mixture and eggs to dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly.

Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (I used it all). Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth – about 10 minutes (I used my stand mixer)

Place in greased bowl, turning to coat top. Cover; let rise in warm place until double – about 1 hour.

Punch down dough. Divide dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll each into a 7 x 16-inch rectangle.

Use 1/3 of filling one each rectangle, spreading filling, but leaving a margin around edges; roll up jelly-roll style. Seal seam and ends. You will have three filled and sealed ropes. I used way too much filling on my first roll!

Braid ropes; place on greased baking sheet.

Cover; let rise in warm place until double – about 30 minutes.

Make glaze and brush on loaf.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 40 minutes or until done. Cool on wire rack.

(Optional: Make a sweet glaze with 1 tablespoon warm milk and enough powdered sugar to make a drizzle glaze. Drizzle cooled bread and then sprinkle with sliced almonds, for decoration, while glaze is still wet. Let dry.)

Here are the links for the other Babes:

BakeMy Day  –  Karen
Blog from OUR Kitchen –  Elizabeth
Bread Experience –  Cathy
Girlichef –  Heather
Life’s a Feast –  Jaime
Lucullian Delights –  Ilva
My Diverse Kitchen – Aparna
My Kitchen in Half Cups – Tanna
Notitie van Lien – Lien

A Wee bit O’ the Irish

Irish soda bread muffins,  that is.

On St. Paddy’s day, I am always reminded of the  “holiday” cards my mom would get from the O’Wileys or the O’Gormans. Her friends always adding the “O'” to their last names to get in the spirit of things. I also remember my mom making corned beef and cabbage back when I was in grade school. I haven’t eaten beef since I was 12 yrs old but I was just telling my husband yesterday that I remember it tasting SO good. While he won’t be having that tonight I did just buy some Guinness beer and will make him a beef irish stew. As for me, I have already had a delicious irish soda bread muffin with my morning coffee.

These are super fast and easy to put together. Since they are baked in a muffin tin the baking time is only 20 minutes. The size is perfect. One went in my daughters lunch box, another wrapped up for her teacher.

Back in the day, for a few years I had an office that overlooked 5th Avenue in Manhattan and had the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade pass under my window. The streets would be filled with many drunk folks and after work I am sure I was one of them too. Never green beer though. Now I bake muffins. O’ the times they are a changin’….

Bake On!

IRISH SODA BREAD MUFFINS
Yields 12 muffins

1 1/2 cups (177 g) AP Flour
3/4 cup (85 g) whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (74 g) granulated sugar (I actually used 1/4 c)
1  cup (135g) currants
1 teaspoon caraway seeds, or to taste
1 large egg
1 cup (8 oz)  buttermilk
1/3 cup (2 3/8 oz) canola oil

Preheat your oven to 400 F and line a muffin tin with papers.

Whisk together all of the dry ingredients.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (egg, buttermilk and oil) wet

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and give a few quick stirs with a large spoon to combine everything. Do not overmix! As with all muffin recipes, this only toughens the dough. It will be a thick batter. Fill each muffin tin 3/4 of the way full and sprinkle with some course sugar (I used green).
Bake for 20 minutes or until light golden brown. Flip them out of the pan so the bottoms don’t get soggy. Let cool slightly before digging in.

 

 

 

 

 

The leprechaun catcher…….

 

 

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour

Kouign Amann

So that 4 mile walk I did this morning? Down the drain after digging into these gorgeous, caramelized morsels of pastry. Can you stop at just one? I dare you. I double dog dare you. Holy cow, these are unbelievable. I am on a sugar high right now and probably on the verge of diabetes (just kidding)….

Lien of Notitie van Lien has chosen the French pastry Kouign amann (pronounced “queen a-mahn”) and it  hails from Brittany, France. It’s kind of like a croissant but also  a palmier, with layer after layer of buttery, flaky pastry on the inside, yet caramelized with sugar on the outside. Pure heaven.

It’s the 7 year anniversary for the Bread Baking Babes and as a tag along buddy I wanted to share in their celebration.

Since I have been quite lazy about posting anything I really felt it was about time I got back on the bandwagon and here is the perfect opportunity. . Even though, I have been quiet as a mouse I still have been baking along with them.

Last month was chapatis

 

December was a yummy nutella bread ( It was so much fun I made it twice)

So I start getting my ingredients together and get the scale out. I weighed the butter and realize that my butter is underweight. I weigh it again. A pound of butter should be 452 grams and I am coming up at 260. What???  I am ready to write the butter company telling them they ripped me off when my husband asks about my digital scale. Mmmmm…. I just changed the batteries so it can’t be that. so I put 8 oz of water on the scale and sure enough…4 1/2 oz. I have never heard of a digital scale going wacko like this, I figured it would just stop one day. So, no scale for now. Oh well…

And now onto this lovely, layered treat. It is a laminated dough, which just means that butter (and lots of it) is incorporated into the dough through layers so when it goes into the hot oven the steam from the butter puffs up the dough to amazing heights. For some strange reason, I adore making laminated dough. The first time I made puff pastry though, it was not so pretty, not to mention a waste of butter. A few more tries, and a few more pounds of butter, and now I love it.The multi day process of making croissants is actually fun and I look forward to making them. By comparison, these were a breeze to make. I still made them over two days but that was just because it fit better into my schedule. That is the beauty of laminated dough. You must let it rest for at least 30 minutes between each “fold”. Fear not, you can easily make and enjoy these in one day though

This is a great recipe to try for your first go at a laminated dough and if you are anything like me, it won’t be your last.

Now word on butter. I always buy unsalted butter. I love salt, but I like to add my own. I always keep a few pounds on hand tucked away in the freezer. For laminated dough it is recommended that you use good European style butter. It has a higher butterfat content and less moisture. It is also very expensive. I admit I do not spend the money on it. Instead I soften my butter that is needed for the recipe and cream in some flour. For this recipe I used about 3 tablespoons.

For laminated dough’s you also need a “butter block”. This is just butter formed into a square so that it fits into the center  of the dough, which is then wrapped around it and rolled out. My foolproof  way is to line a square cake tin and line it with cling wrap, overhanging it on the sides. I then take my softened flour butter (see above) and press it into a plastic lined square pan, using the overhang as a shield between my hands and the butter and making an even surface. this now gets popped back into the fridge to chill until needed. So easy and convenient. For this recipe I used a 6 inch cake pan.

Since Thursday was national pistachio day, I inserted some pistachio paste into the center of some of them. I also upped the sugar by using some Belgium sugar in the final fold.

BAKE ON!

Equipment and preparation: for this recipe you will need a 12-cup muffin tin and a freestanding mixer fitted with a dough hook. I made 6 large ones using my muffin tin and 18 petit ones using a mini muffin tin. It was for portion control. It didn’t work…

KOUIGN AMANN

1-2 hours preparation time

30 mins to 1 hour cooking time

300-340 g strong plain flour (I used 2 1/2 cups unbleached AP flour)

5 g fast-action yeast (1 1/2 tsp SAF gold)

3/4 tsp salt

200 ml  warm water (roughly 3/4 cup)

25 g unsalted butter, melted (2 tablespoons)

250 g cold unsalted butter, in a block (1/2 pound)

100 g caster sugar for sprinkling on the dough (the final fold just before rolling it out and after it’s been rolled out – not between the other layers), plus extra for sprinkling on top (1/2 cup)

Put the flour (start with 300 g) into the bowl of a freestanding mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the yeast to one side of the bowl and the salt to the other. Add the water and melted butter and mix on a slow speed for two minutes, then on a medium speed for six minutes. Add a little extra flour if the dough is too sticky. The dough should be soft but not sticky (so don’t add too much).

 Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and shape into a ball. Put into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with cling film and leave to rise for one hour. Prepare your butter block (6×6 inch square) and chill until needed.

 On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a measure 7 x 14 inches. Place the butter at one end leaving about 1 inch at the edge and then fold the  other half of the dough over it. Pinch the edges firmly to seal in and encase the butter block.  I find this much easier than the standard “envelope” method.

 Roll the dough into a 6 x 18 inch rectangle. Fold the bottom third of dough up over the middle, then fold the top third of the dough over. You will now have a sandwich of three layers of butter and three layers of dough. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. This completes one turn.

          

Repeat this process twice more, so you have completed a total of three turns, chilling the dough for 30 minutes between turns. On every turn rotate the dough before you begin rolling it out. In other words, if you end a fold with the two sides seams horizontal, then after the 30 minute rest when you begin rolling again the two sides seams should now be vertical.

Roll the dough into a rectangle as before. Sprinkle the dough with 1/4 cup  sugar and  fold into thirds again. Working quickly, roll the dough into a large 12 x 16 inch rectangle. Sprinkle the dough with the remaining 1/4 cup  sugar and cut the dough into 12 squares.

Grease a 12-cup muffin tin well with oil. Gather the dough squares up by their four corners and place in the muffin tins, pulling the four corners towards the centre of the muffin tin, so that it gathers up like a four-leaf clover. Press these corners well together, they can open up when unattached to each other (as mine did) Sprinkle with some more sugar and leave to rise (room temperature), covered with a clean tea towel, for 30 minutes until

slightly puffed up.

 Preheat oven to 425 F.

Bake the pastries for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden-brown. Cover with foil halfway through if beginning to brown too much (and they will). Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a couple of minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Be careful not to burn  yourself on the caramelized sugar, but don’t leave them to cool for too long, or the caramelized sugar will harden and they will be stuck in the tin. Serve warm or cold. Warm is best!

If you don’t want to eat them all in want go (of just if you want to, but shouldn’t), bag and freeze them.  Before you eat them: Defrost them and place them in a warm oven (275 F ) for about 4-6 minutes or until warm, they will crisp up again.

 

Carmelized onion and cheese stuffed bread

Okay, it’s been a few months since I participated as a buddy with the Bread Baking Babes. Enough already. The funny thing is that I have actually baked the bread every month….

Polenta Bread

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Historical Bread

 

 

 

 

 

 

So this month, Katie, from Thyme for Cooking chose a delicious bread that is meant to be eaten from the oven. Mmm….who doesn’t love warm bread oozing with gooey cheese??? Since it is just days before Halloween I made my version  a spooky blend of sourdough, pumpkin,roasted garlic (to ward off the vampires), onions carmelized with blood-red balsamic vinegar, and orangey cheddar cheese. Half was gone 20 minutes out of the oven. Enough said.

Please visit Katie’s site for the original recipe!

Make 1 large loaf

3 oz  active 100% hydration starter
4 oz (1/2 c) pumpkin puree
1 tsp instant dry yeast
2 oz (1/4 c) water
1 egg
1 egg yolk
4 oz whole wheat flour
6 oz AP flour (I had to add another tablespoon of flour)
3/4 tsp salt

Mix the starter, yeast, water and pumpkin puree together in a large bowl. Add  the flours and salt. Knead together for 10 minutes. Let rise until doubled, about 2 hours. Punch down and place in the fridge overnight in a bowl covered tightly with plastic wrap.

Meanwhile, make the filling…

2 heads garlic, roasted and the cloves peeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp salt
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1-2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese

1 egg, beaten (for a wash)

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium low heat and sauté the onions until soft. Add the herbs, the roasted garlic, and the balsamic vinegar; continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

The next morning…..

Take the bread dough out of the fridge and roll it into a rough 10 x 13 inch rectangle. Spread the mustard down the center in a strip, leaving about a 1 inch border at the top and bottom. Pile the onion/garlic mixture over the mustard strip then sprinkle liberally with the cheese, saving a small amount to sprinkle over top.

Using sharp knife and starting at 1 corner of dough, make diagonal cuts 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart almost to filling to form strips along 1 long side of dough. Repeat on other side, cutting diagonal strips in opposite direction.Alternating strips from each side, fold strips over filling to resemble braid, overlapping ends by 1 inch (2.5 cm) and brushing with some of the egg to seal. (which I totally forgot to do)

Cover with towel; let rise in warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Brush with the beaten egg .and place in your preheated oven for about 25 minutes then pull it out and sprinkle with the remaining cheese that you saved. Bake for another 5-10 minutes. Serve warm (or let cool completely).

 

You could also sprinkle the bread with black sesame seeds and paint a goblin face on the bread for a Halloween treat. My 8 year daughter loved it.

Happy Halloween

Sachertorte

 

 

The infamous Viennese Sachertorte is taking center stage today. This is a very traditional cake that has been made famous by the argument of who originated the recipe. This is between the Sacher hotel and the Demel Bakery, and it has even gone before the courts to decide, with intense legal battles ensuing between 1954 and 1963. In the end, the Sacher hotel won the rights to call it’s cake the “original” sachertorte  and gave the Demel the rights to decorate its tortes with a triangular seal that reads Eduard-Sacher-Torte.

In the end, it is a chocolate sponge cake brushed with apricot glaze and covered in a chocolate glaze. Perfect after a night of music at the Vienna opera house. Better yet, at your house after a delicious meal with friends.

 

This months Baker’s challenge is hosted by Korena of Korena in the Kitchen. Korena is a crazy good baker, so I insist that you must visit her blog and show her lots of praise. She deserves it.

It has to be 15 years since I made a sachertorte, so this was a treat to bake. It really is a pretty dessert. Please visit Korena’s page to see her recipe for a 9 inch torte. Since I have don’t have a need for such a large cake, I made a 6 inch version, which will easily serve 6 people.

Overall, it is a pretty simple cake to bake if you break it down. You will need 2 bowls to make the cake; one to whip the egg whites, another for the eggs/butter/flour portion. I whipped my whites, then transferred them to a clean bowl while I then mixed up the remaining batter. The apricot glaze is just strained jam. The boiled chocolate glaze is traditional, but does require a candy thermometer. I am going to say that if you don’t have a candy thermometer that you could just use a chocolate ganache poured over it with the same results. It’s all about working recipes around what you have. So my friends, Bake On!

SACHERTORTE

Chocolate sponge:

3 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup (2.2 oz) all-purpose flour
1/4  cup (1 oz) almond flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 oz (3/4 stick ) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

Apricot Filling/glaze:

2/3 cup apricot preserves (I actually used low sugar spread and I  eyeballed the amount)
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon rum

strong>Boiled chocolate icing:

3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup (30 g)  cocoa powder
1/3 cup (80 ml) water

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease and flour (I prefer to use cocoa powder) a 6 inch springform pan.

In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly add 2 tablespoons of the sugar and continue beating until firm peaks form. Set aside.

In another bowl, beat the butter and the remaining sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, until well mixed. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined, then gently fold in the beaten egg whites until no white streaks are left. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, level off the top and bake for 30-35 minutes or until tested with a clean toothpick. Let cool for 10 minutes then loosen the ring and let cool completely.

Invert the cake onto a cake board or plate (the bottom is now the top). Slice the cake horizontally in two.

make the filling/glaze

Put the preserves and the water in a bowl and heat until warm. Give it a good stir, mix in the rum, then strain to get out any big fruit bits.

Place the bottom layer of cake (on the cake board) onto a wire cooling rack  set over a piece of wax paper.This is to catch the drips; if you skip this step you will have a mess on your hands! Brush the top of the layer with some of the warm jam. Let it set up for 5 minutes before placing the top on. Remember, your top layer started out as the bottom of the cake. Brush the entire outside of the cake with the remaining jam mixture. Let this set while you make the chocolate icing.

make the boiled chocolate icing

Place the sugar, chocolate, cocoa powder and water into a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir until blended and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring, until the sauce registers 220 F on a candy thermometer.

Pour the hot sauce (be careful!) into a bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth and glossy. Stirring makes it thick and smooth.

Pour the chocolate icing over the top of the cake and spread with a spatula to cover the cake completely. Work as quickly as possible as to get the smoothest surface. Let stand until the icing is set (about 20 minutes) Lift the cake with two flat spatulas onto a serving plate. ..

NOW… if you want to get fancy (and who doesn’t?) you can melt a little chocolate and pipe it over the top to write out “sachertorte” or some pretty designs. Feel free to thin the chocolate out a little with a pinch of coconut oil or shortening. I used semisweet chocolate for my writing so it would show up better against the dark chocolate glaze. It really looks just a pretty without it so don’t stress yourself out if you are afraid of piping on your now beautiful cake.

Serve with a large dollop of whipped cream. Enjoy!!!

 

Kolache

Since I skipped the last two Daring Bakers Challenge’s I was determined to get back in the swing this month. The September challenge was hosted by Lucie of Chez Lucie and she chose a traditional Czech pastry called Kolache. We were given thee different versions to try: Pražský koláč (Prague Kolach), Chodské koláče (Kolache from Chodsko), and   Dvojctihodné/Moravské koláče (Two Fillings/Moravian Kolaches) .   According to Wikipedia, Montgomery, Minnesota is the kolacky capital of the world. Who knew?? Maybe because they are so tasty….

I made the Prague Kolache two weeks ago for a dinner we had with friends. I really was incredibly simple to put together and was light and delicious. When people ask for seconds I know it’s a winner. I could have eaten the whole thing myself. It’s essentially a large, round bread filled with a lightened pastry crème. For mine I chose to make a homemade butterscotch pudding for a little added flavor but the original calls for a simple custard. Do what floats your boat (or what you have on hand).

The Moravian Kolaches are little pillows of dough filled with a lightly sweetened quark and topped with a fruit jam.   Since I didn’t have any quark I used sour cream that I strained for 24 hours to thicken it. Again, make it work for you. I cheated on the third version by using some of the leftover dough and filling from the morovian version (see the  photo above). Please stop by Lucies blog to see her great step by step photos of all three versions.

 

 

While I really liked every version, the Prague version was hands down the winner, both for flavor and ease of preparation. Please try them and get back to me which was your favorite. Bake on!

 

Ingredients
for cake:
1¾ cups (420 ml) (9 oz) (250 gm) all-purpose (plain) flour
½ cup (120 ml) (125 gm) mayonnaise (store-bought or home-made), room temperature (yes, mayonnaise)

2 tablespoons (30 ml) (1 oz) (30 gm) granulated sugar
1 small egg, room temperature
15 gm (½ oz) fresh yeast or 1 packet (2 teaspoons) (7gm) dry active yeast
5 tablespoons (75 ml) milk, warm
½ teaspoon (3 gm) salt
for the pastry cream:
2 cups (500 ml) milk, divided
½ cup (120 ml) (3½ oz) (100 gm) granulated sugar plus 1 tablespoon (½ oz) (15 gm)vanilla sugar
½ cup (120 ml) (2-2/3 oz) (75 gm) vanilla pastry cream powder (such as Birds)
1 stick (½ cup) (4 oz) (125 gm) butter, room temperature
5 tablespoons (75 ml) heavy whipping cream, chilled
for streusel topping:
1/3 cup (1¾ oz) (50 gm) plain flour
¼ cup (60 ml) (1¾ oz) (50 gm) butter, chilled and diced
¼ cup (60 ml) (1¾ oz) (50 gm) caster (or granulated) sugar
½ teaspoon (2 gm) ground cinnamon
for finishing:
1 small egg, lightly beaten

Directions:
In a bowl of your stand mixer, sift flour and make a hole in the middle. Crumble the yeast into the hole, add 1 teaspoon sugar and about 3 teaspoons warm milk. Mix yeast, sugar and milk with fork and lightly sprinkle the surface with flour. Cover the bowl with towel and let rise for 10-15 minutes. Add rest ingredients (mayonnaise, sugar, milk, egg and salt) and knead with dough hook on low speed for 10 minutes, until you have smooth dough. If you are using instant yeast, it is okay to place everything into the bowl at once.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Cover with towel or plastic wrap and let rise for about an hour to double in volume. Form the dough into a ball and place it onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. With your palms and fingers press the dough and shape it to disc about 20–25 cm (8-10 inch) in diameter and 2–3 cm (¾-1 inch)thick. Let rise for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile preheat your oven to moderate 320°F/160°C/gas mark 3 .

Make the streusel topping. In a medium bowl, mix together sugar, flour and cinnamon. Add cold butter and with your fingers, mix all ingredients until crumbly. Brush the cake with the beaten egg and sprinkle with generous amount of streusel topping. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack.

 

Prepare the pastry cream.
In a small bowl, mix well ½ cup (125ml) milk with the vanilla pastry cream powder. Set aside. In a saucepan, mix the rest of the milk 1½ cup (375ml) with the sugar and vanilla sugar and bring it to boil, stir occasionally. Add the milk-pasty cream powder mixture and boil for 3 – 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Transfer the mixture into a bowl of your standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment and let cool completely, while stirring constantly on a low speed. Add diced butter and mix together.
Separately whip the double cream until stiff. Mix with vanilla cream.

Don’t be ashamed to use boxed vanilla pudding!

Cut cooled cake lengthwise and spread the cream onto the bottom part. Cover with upper part. Cut into 8 to 10 pieces

 

 

MORAVIAN KOLACHES

Servings: about 30 small or 10 large kolaches 

 

Ingredients
for dough
3-2/3 cup (880 ml) (17-2/3 oz) (500 gm) all-purpose (plain) flour (use semi-coarse grounded if you can find in your store)
¾ cup (180 ml) (3½ oz) (100 gm) confectioner’s (icing) sugar
1 cup (250 ml) milk, warm
1/3 cup (80 ml) (2-2/3 oz) (75 gm) butter, melted
30 gm (1 oz) fresh yeast or 2 packets (4 teaspoons) (½ oz) (15 gm) active day yeast
pinch of salt
2 small egg yolks
for quark filling
3 cups (1-2/3 lb) (750 gm) quark
1 small egg yolk
confectioner’s (icing) sugar to taste
for plum filling
2/3 cup (160 ml) (7 oz) (200 gm) plum jam
rum or hot water to soften jam if too thick
for streusel topping
1/3 cup (1¾ oz) (50 gm) plain flour
¼ cup (60 ml) (1¾ oz) (50 gm) butter, chilled and diced
¼ cup (60 ml) (1¾ oz) (50 gm) caster (or granulated) sugar

for finishing
1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions:
In a bowl mix together yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar. Add 4 tablespoons (¼ cup) warm milk, mix well and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon flour. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 – 15 minutes. (Skip this if you are using instant yeast. I used SAF Gold. Everything goes in the bowl together)
In a bowl of your electric mixer (or in a large bowl) mix flour, sugar, salt, egg yolks, butter, milk and leavened yeast. Knead with dough hook (or with wooden spoon) on low speed for about 10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about one hour to double its volume.

Prepare quark filling – just mix all ingredients

and

plum filling – mix plum jam with rum or water to soften it. Set aside.

 

Prepare streusel topping. In a medium bowl, mix together sugar, flour and cinnamon. Add cold butter diced in small cubes and with your fingers, mix all ingredients until crumbly. Alternately,  in a saucepan melt the butter, add flour and sugar at once and mix with fork until crumbly. Set aside.

 

When the dough is risen turn it onto a lightly floured surface and roll it with rolling pin to a thickness of about 2 cm (¾ inch). Cut with 10cm (4 inch) cookie cutter or just with a glass (if you want small kolaches) or divide the dough into 10 equal pieces (if you want large kolaches). Flatten each piece with your hands and fill with about 1 rounded teaspoon of  quark filling. Wrap it into a “purse” shape and pinch all the seams to seal.Preheat oven to moderate 340°F/170°C/gas mark 3. Line 2 – 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Put each kolach onto a prepared baking sheet with seam down. Press each kolach in the middle to make an indent. Brush it with egg wash and fill holes with plum filling. Sprinkle it with streusel topping. Bake for about 20 minutes to golden brown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Storage & Freezing Instructions/Tips:
All kolaches are best the first and second day but you can store them in an airtight container in a fridge up to 3 (Prague kolach) or 5 (Chodske and Double filling kolaches) days. You can also freeze Prague kolaches WITHOUT filling in a freezer for one month.

Additional Information:
Some additional recipes, in Czech:
http://dolcevita.blog.cz/0707/grandiozni-ceske-kolace
http://dulique.blogspot.cz/2010/01/sweettoothday-prazsky-kolac.html
http://www.svasniprojidlo.cz/2014/05/prazsky-kolac.html
http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/10084897100-kluci-v-akci/206562221900…

Panmarino (Tuscan Rosemary Bread)

 

This is going to be short. I just finished writing this post up (the past hour) and just lost it all. Arrggghhhh…..

Just bake this bread.

Adapted from The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking from The French Culinary Institute. 

The source of the story about the origins of Panmarino is found here

According to Cathy’s research, it originated in the area called Ferrara, near Venice and was created by a baker named Luciano Pancalde.

The idea for Panmarino came about as Luciano was reading the chronicles of the d’Este family who once ruled Ferrara. When he learned about the magnificent court banquets where they served rosemary bread with a crust that “sparkled with diamonds,” it gave him the idea to create his own loaf. He experimented and baked and tested some more until finally, he had the bread he was aiming for, an aromatic, dome-shaped bread that is scored in the pattern of a star and sprinkled with salt crystals.

*A few personal notes:

The recipe calls for 23 grams of salt which works out to be almost 2 tablespoons. I thought it was a typo but no, it is correct. It turns out that the bread did not taste salty at all. Next time though I will decrease the salt by 3/4 teaspoon and use the leftover salt to sprinkle over the tops.

It takes about 14-16 hours to make the biga so plan ahead

I am in New York for the summer, staying at my mom’s house. so I have no baking stone, no couche, no lame. So what.

These were proofed and baked on a regular baking sheet with parchment paper. I spritzed the loaves with water 3 times in the first 5 minutes for steam. The crusts came out beautiful. I’m saying this because there is no excuse not to bake your own bread.

I doubled the amount of rosemary called for in the recipe. I like rosemary.

This recipe yields 4 small loaves, perfect for sharing or freezing, or you could make 2 larger loaves instead.

 

Panmarino

makes 4 small loaves

 

Biga:

• Bread flour 143 grams/5 ounces
• Water 122 grams/4 1/4 ounces
• Pinch of instant yeast

Final Dough:

• Bread flour 884 grams/1 pound 15 ounces
• Water 477 grams/1 pound 1 ounce
• Milk 44 grams/1 1/2 ounces
• Biga 265 grams/9 1/3 ounces
• Salt 23 grams/3/4 ounce
• Pinch of instant yeast
• Olive oil 88 grams/3 ounces
• Chopped fresh rosemary 9 grams/1/3 ounce

Prepare the Biga:

Combine the flour, water and yeast in a mixing bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon or Danish dough whisk until well blended.  Scrape down the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest at 75 degrees F. for 14 to 16 hours.

Making the  Dough:

Combine the flour, water, milk, and biga in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the dough hook, mix on low speed until blended.

Add the salt and yeast and mix on low speed for 5 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and mix for about 7 more minutes, or until the dough is smooth.  When the gluten is fully developed, mix in the olive oil and rosemary on low speed.

Lightly oil a large bowl. Scrape the dough into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough ferment for 45 minutes.

Remove the dough to a lightly-floured work surface and divide it into four (or two if you halved the recipe) 450-gram /16-ounce pieces. Shape the dough pieces into rounds. Cover with plastic wrap and let them bench rest for 15 minutes.

Place two couches on a separate work surface or bread board and dust them with flour.

Uncover the dough and, if necessary, lightly flour the work surface. Gently press on the dough to degas and carefully shape each piece into a tight and neat rounds.  Place one loaf on one side of the couche, fold the couche up to make a double layer of cloth to serve as a divider between the loaves, and place a second loaf next to the fold.  Repeat the process with the remaining two loaves and the second couche.  Cover with plastic wrap and proof for 1 hour.

About an hour before you plan to bake the loaves, place a baking stone (or tiles) into the oven along with a steam pan (underneath) or iron skillet (on the top rack) and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. See my notes above*

Uncover the dough and score the top of each loaf in a star pattern using a lame or sharp knife.

Optional: sprinkle sea salt into the crevices as the original baker did to make it “sparkle with diamonds.”

Carefully transfer the loaves (on the parchment paper) to the preheated baking stone using a peel or the back of a baking sheet. To make the steam, add 1 cup of ice to the iron skillet or steam pan. 

Bake for 40 minutes, or until the crust is light brown and crisp and the loaves make a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom.

Remove the loaves from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. 

 

Check out how the Real creative Babes handled this bread:

The Bread Baking Babes (current dozen) are:

• Bake My Day – Karen
• blog from OUR kitchen – Elizabeth
• Bread Experience – Cathy
• Feeding my Enthusiasms – Pat/Elle
• girlichef – Heather
• Life’s a Feast – Jamie
• Living in the Kitchen with Puppies – Natashya
• Lucullian Delights – Ilva
• My Diverse Kitchen – Aparna
• My Kitchen In Half Cups – Tanna
• Notitie Van Lien – Lien
• Thyme for Cooking – Katie (Bitchin’ Bread Baking Babe Bibliothécaire)