4 posts tagged “baking”

I have a confession to make. I was once a closet pastry-phobe.

Not afraid to eat it mind you... but to make it. For years, I avoided any recipe that called for a flaky crust. If I could rework it with a graham cracker crumb crust (for pies and tarts) or a fluffy buttermilk biscuit topping (for savory pies and such), then I did so. Later, I discovered that one could make acceptable pastry in the food processor, so I did so from time to time. I never fell in love with making it, though.

But recently I've gone back to more primitive methods and have been delighted. I use hard butter (partly frozen) grated on a hand-held grater for the fat; I stir the shreds of butter carefully into the flour with an old silver fork, and add ice water to bind... and slowly work the whole mess together, with the aforementioned fork. The result is glorious, and something that most home cooks have already discovered long before me.

I first used this buttery, flaky substance to make Vegetarian Sausage Rolls:

Vegetarian "Sausage Rolls"

This is a Delia Smith recipe; the stuffing is a mixture of cheddar, breadcrumbs, onions, and seasonings. I took these to the all-parish annual meeting and they were completely snarfed up. Here's another view of them sitting cutely on the cooling rack:

"Sausage Rolls", cooling

I had to put one aside for my husband, or he'd never had gotten to try one. Then for the church's Easter Vigil Agape Feast, I made Eccles Cakes. These are a traditional small English pastry stuffed with dried fruit and spices. They are something like a flaky Fruit Newton with overtones of fruitcake. The pastry (sweetened a bit this time) is rolled, cut into small circles, and the filling is placed in the middle; the edges are brought together and sealed like a little drawstring bag (like making Ham Baos, if you don't mind a culture-clashing example) then they are flipped over and rolled gently with the rolling pin to flatten. Slits are cut into the top and they are baked until golden.

Eccles cakes

I filled mine with a mixture of dried cranberries, golden raisins, sugar, butter, spices, and a bit of candied peel.

Filling for Eccles cakes

Last weekend I used the basic pastry to make some little meat pies, or pasties. I filled them with a mixture of leftover shredded ham, sauteed onion, parsley, and Cheddar. They were yummy, but none survived to be photographed.

Soon I may be ready to make a Real Fruit Pie!!

Katr sent me this. Be sure to read the whole thing. I think that this culinary effort is the cousin to my Raised Game Pie.

One of my colleagues just bought a bread machine for the office. It's been great fun watching the staff get excited about the fresh bread, and it's been amusing to watch the sacks of flour and other ingredients proliferate. Now he's playing around with sourdough. Since we had a brief technical discussion of sourdough yesterday, in between patients, I decided to send him some more detailed notes, and thought I might as well post them here. There are many places to order your own sourdough starter and many sites on the 'Net that will tell you how to make your own starter, so I'll not bore anyone with that.

Here's what I do to make sourdough bread in my KitchenAid, with suggestions for bread-machine adaptations:

Proportions always depend on the thickness of your starter, first of all. I keep my starter in a little covered crock in the fridge. It's fairly thick and rubbery. The night before I want to bake, I empty the whole works (about 2 cups) into a 4-cup pyrex measuring cup. I add one cup of water and one cup of bread flour, give it a quick stir, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it sit out all night. If I am in a hurry, I use tepid water instead of cold and let the mixture ("proofed batter") stand out until it begins to bubble and foam. This just means the yeast population has increased enough to make bread in a reasonable amount of time.

I then give the proofed batter a more thorough stirring; it should remain lively with lots of new bubbles forming. Then I measure out 2 cups into the mixing bowl of my KitchenAid. For basic sourdough French, I then add 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and about 2 tablespoons of olive oil (the French would never add the oil, but it makes the bread keep better). I start the mixer on the lowest setting and add 3 cups of flour and let it all mix and knead until it is smooth and resilient. If it is too sticky, I add more flour, a tablespoon at a time. If it seems really dry, I add a teaspoon of water; but that is rarely needed. I then take it out of the bowl, oil the inside of the bowl lightly, put the dough back in, and cover the top with plastic wrap. I let it rise until doubled. I punch it down and let it rise again, if I am not in a huge rush. Then I shape it into a round pizza-shape and roll it up into a loaf. I let it rise on a baking sheet, covered with the same piece of plastic wrap, until it is nice and puffy. Then I cut slits into it with a sharp knife and bake it in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.

For a bread machine, I'd still try the ratio of about 2/3 (proofed batter or runny starter) to flour, but you will get best results if you check on the process frequently. Watch how the dough looks at the end of the mixing cycle and add more flour or water as needed. If the dough doesn't look perfectly smooth, restart the machine and let it re-mix everything. I find that the bread machines don't work the dough enough and you don't get the chewiness that you do with a good counter-top mixer. Check on the dough while it is rising and make sure that you are getting good rising action. If it still looks solid, pause or stop the machine and let the dough catch up. Sourdough will behave differently every time you bake it.

Happy Baking!

It's 102 degrees today in the lush, green (brown) Willamette Valley, and for some reason, I was out picking berries this afternoon. On my day off. Never mind why; I've got a very persuasive friend. I did get to pet and snorgle three very fine Siamese kitties, though.

Berries call for cream, and that calls for Norwegian Cream Cake (kremkake), the Official Dessert of Summer.

Norwegian Cream Cake

4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 plus 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1-2 teaspoons vanilla
Fresh berries or other fruit
Liqueur or fruit juice

Butter and flour a round 8" or 9" cake pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs and sugar until light and well combined (I use my KitchenAid) and then add flour and baking powder; stir until well combined. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for about 30 minutes until golden and springy. Cool for 10-15 minutes on a rack, then remove from pan and cool completely.

Assemble cake: Slice cake into two layers with serrated knife. Place the bottom layer on cake plate; sprinkle with as much liqueur as you think advisable. I recommend Chambord or Grand Marnier when using berries. Sherry is lovely as well. Use fruit juice if you must. Whip the cream and flavor with the sugar and the vanilla. Slather some on the bottom layer, then apply a layer of berries, then more cream. Add the second layer and repeat the cream and fruit. If you still have cream, spread it on the sides of the cake. Consume happily.

This is great with strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, you name it. I have made it with sliced peaches; I have made it for my brother's October birthday with apples (sliced and cooked in butter) and maple syrup. It can be carefully wrapped with plastic wrap and refrigerated for several days and just gets better.

In Norway, some potato flour is used; if you want to try this, substitute it for the 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour.