The Daring Bakers’ October Challenge: Povitica

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!

Prepare the yeast mix first.

Prepare the dough and set it to rise.

Then make the filling. Lots of walnuts!

Then spread the dough out and begin the whole process of shaping it.

You have to get it really, really thin, so that you can see the towel, or in my case the tablecloth.

Spread the filling inside.

And roll up!

Bake.

 

Dough:
½ Cup (120 ml) Whole Milk
3 Tablespoons (45 ml/43 gm/1½ oz) Sugar
¾ Teaspoon (3¾ ml/9 gm/0.17 oz) Table Salt
1 Large Egg
1 tablespoon (30 ml/30 gm/¼ stick/1 oz) Unsalted Butter, melted
2 cups (480 ml/280 gm/10 oz/0.62 lb) All-Purpose Flour, measure first then sift, divided

Topping:
2 Tablespoons (30 ml) Cold STRONG Coffee
1½ Teaspoons (7½ ml/7 gm/¼ oz) Granulated Sugar
Melted Butter

Quarter Batch Filling Ingredients (enough filling for one loaf)
1¾ Cups (420 ml/280 gm/10 oz) Ground English Walnuts
¼ Cup (60 ml) Whole Milk
¼ Cup (60 ml/58 gm/½ stick/2 oz) Unsalted Butter
1 Egg Yolk From A Large Egg, Beaten
¼ Teaspoon (1¼ ml) Pure Vanilla Extract
½ Cup (120 ml/115 gm/4 oz) Sugar
¼ Teaspoon (1¼ ml/1 gm) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
¼ Teaspoon (1¼ ml/¾ gm) Cinnamon

To Make the Dough:
3. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk up to just below boiling (about 180°F/82°C), 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/43°C.
4. In a large bowl, mix the scalded milk, ¾ cup (180 gm/170 gm/6 oz) sugar, and the salt until combined.
5. Add the beaten eggs, yeast mixture, melted butter, and 2 cups (480 ml/280 gm/10 oz) of flour.

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

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

8. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces (they will each weight about 1.25 pounds/565 grams)
9. 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
10. In a large bowl mix together the ground walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and cocoa.
11. Heat the milk and butter to boiling.
12. Pour the liquid over the nut/sugar mixture.
13. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly.
14. Allow to stand at room temperature until ready to be spread on the dough.
15. If the mixture thickens, add a small amount of warm milk

To Roll and Assemble the Dough:
16. Spread a clean sheet or cloth over your entire table so that it is covered.
17. Sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons to a handful of flour (use flour sparingly)
18. 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 (25½ cm by 30½ cm) in diameter.

19. Spoon 1 to 1.5 teaspoons (5ml to 7 ½ ml/4 gm to 7 gm) of melted butter on top.
20. 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.
21. 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.

23. Spoon filling (see below for recipe) evenly over dough until covered.

24. Lift the edge of the cloth and gently roll the dough like a jelly roll.
25. 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.
 
26. Repeat with remaining three loaves, coiling each rope of dough in its own loaf pan.
27. Brush the top of each loaf with a mixture of ½ cup (120 ml) of cold STRONG coffee and 2 tablespoons (30ml/28 gm/1 oz) of sugar. If you prefer, you can also use egg whites in place of this.

28. Cover pans lightly will plastic wrap and allow to rest for approximately 15 minutes.
29. Preheat oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4.
30. Remove plastic wrap from dough and place into the preheated oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes.
31. Turn down the oven temperature to slow 300°F/150°C/gas mark 2 and bake for an additional 45 minutes, or until done.
32. Remove bread from oven and brush with melted butter.
33. 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.
34. 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.
35. 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.

Cinnamon Rolls

Now that fall is here, all those great, comfy foods that we love have alsostarted to surface, so I thought today was the perfect day for some cinnamon rolls.

Heat the milk and add the yeast. Let it sit fot a few minutes.

Then add the eggs, salt, sugar, butter, and flour. Let the dough rise for about an hour.

Shape the dough into a rectangle, and spread with the filling.Roll up, cut, and set to rise again.

Meanwhile, make the frosting.

When the rolls have risen, bake. Then frost.

 

Recipe: (from Cook, Bake & Decorate) 1 cup whole milk 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast 1/2 cup white sugar 2 large eggs 1/3 cup butter, melted 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup brown sugar, packed 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon 1/3 cup butter, melted 3 oz cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup butter, softened 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it’s about 105 degrees. Stir the yeast and a pinch of sugar into the milk in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the sugar, butter, salt, eggs, and flour and mix well. Knead with the dough hook on medium speed for about 4 minutes, or until the dough is smooth. Shape the dough into a ball, place in a bowl (the mixing bowl is fine) and cover with a damp towel. Let rise in a warm place about 1 hour or until dough has nearly doubled in size. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Sprinkle some flour on your work surface and lightly flour a rolling pin. Roll the dough into a 16×21 inch rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Brush the dough with 1/3 cup melted butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar-cinnamon mixture. Roll the dough up starting with the longer side and cut into 12 rolls. Arrange the rolls in a lightly greased 9×13 inch glass baking dish. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for about 30 minutes. While the rolls are rising, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake until golden brown, about 18-20 minutes. While the rolls are baking, make the frosting. Beat together the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Spread the frosting on the rolls while they are still warm.

 

The Daring Bakers’ September Challenge: Croissants

The Daring Bakers go retro this month! Thanks to one of our very talented non-blogging members, Sarah, the Daring Bakers were challenged to make Croissants using a recipe from the Queen of French Cooking, none other than Julia Child!

This one was a really fun one, although a loooooooong one. I made it all in one day, and by the time I was done I wanted to go to bed. But the croissants were yummy, so at least it wasn’t work in vain.

Make the dough first. It’s really easy, so just follow the recipe at the bottom. Then set it to rise, for the first time.

Let it rise until it’s tripled, then bring it out and fold the dough as the instructions say, how you would fold a letter.

Let rise again.

Place the dough in the fridge while you prepare the butter. Really smash the butter, I used my rolling pin, to spread it out.

Bring the dough out and spread it into a rectangle, add the butter on top.

Fold the dough again, then turn, repeat. Wrap the dough in plastic and put in fridge.

After two hours, bring it out again and refold, turn and fold again. Wrap in plastic and place in fridge two more hours. Follow the instructions at the bottom for full folding and shaping guidelines. Let rise again.

Then bake.

Ingredients
¼ oz (7 gm) of fresh yeast, or 1¼ teaspoon (6¼ ml/4 gm) of dry-active yeast (about ½ sachet)
3 tablespoons (45 ml) warm water (less than 100°F/38°C)
1 teaspoon (5 ml/4½ gm) sugar
1 3/4 cups (225 gm/½ lb) of strong plain flour (I used Polish all-purpose flour, which is 13% protein)
2 teaspoons (10 ml/9 gm) sugar
1½ teaspoon (7½ ml/9 gm) salt
½ cup (120 ml/¼ pint) milk (I am not sure if the fat content matters. I used 2%)
2 tablespoons (30 ml) tasteless oil (I used generic vegetable oil)
½ cup (120 ml/1 stick/115 gm/¼ lb) chilled, unsalted butter
1 egg, for egg wash

Directions:

1. Mix the yeast, warm water, and first teaspoon of sugar in a small bowl. Leave aside for the yeast and sugar to dissolve and the yeast to foam up a little.
2. Measure out the other ingredients
3. Heat the milk until tepid (either in the microwave or a saucepan), and dissolve in the salt and remaining sugar
4. Place the flour in a large bowl.
5. Add the oil, yeast mixture, and milk mixture to the flour
6. Mix all the ingredients together using the rubber spatula, just until all the flour is incorporated
7. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and let it rest a minute while you wash out the bowl
8. Knead the dough eight to ten times only. The best way is as Julia Child does it in the video (see below). It’s a little difficult to explain, but essentially involves smacking the dough on the counter (lots of fun if you are mad at someone) and removing it from the counter using the pastry scraper.
9. Place the dough back in the bowl, and place the bowl in the plastic bag (Photos 1 & 2)
10. Leave the bowl at approximately 75°F/24°C for three hours, or until the dough has tripled in size. (Photo 3)

11. After the dough has tripled in size, remove it gently from the bowl, pulling it away from the sides of the bowl with your fingertips. (Photo 4)
12. Place the dough on a lightly floured board or countertop, and use your hands to press it out into a rectangle about 8 by 12 inches (20cm by 30cm). (Photo 5)
13. Fold the dough rectangle in three, like a letter (fold the top third down, and then the bottom third up) (Photos 6 & 7)
14. Place the dough letter back in the bowl, and the bowl back in the plastic bag. (Photo 8)
15. Leave the dough to rise for another 1.5 hours, or until it has doubled in size. This second rise can be done overnight in the fridge (Photo 9)

16. Place the double-risen dough onto a plate and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Place the plate in the fridge while you prepare the butter. (Photo 10)
17. Once the dough has doubled, it’s time to incorporate the butter
18. Place the block of chilled butter on a chopping board.
19. Using the rolling pin, beat the butter down a little, till it is quite flat. (Photo 11)
20. Use the heel of your hand to continue to spread the butter until it is smooth. You want the butter to stay cool, but spread easily.

21. Remove the dough from the fridge and place it on a lightly floured board or counter. Let it rest for a minute or two. (Photo 12)
22. Spread the dough using your hands into a rectangle about 14 by 8 inches (35 cm by 20 cm). (Photo 13)
23. Remove the butter from the board, and place it on the top half of the dough rectangle (Photos 14 & 15)
24. Spread the butter all across the top two-thirds of the dough rectangle, but keep it ¼ inch (6 mm) across from all the edges. (Photo 16)
25. Fold the top third of the dough down, and the bottom third of the dough up. (Photos 17 & 18)
26. Turn the dough package 90 degrees, so that the top flap is to your right (like a book). (Photo 19)
27. Roll out the dough package (gently, so you don’t push the butter out of the dough) until it is again about 14 by 8 inches (35 cm by 20 cm). (Photo 20)
28. Again, fold the top third down and the bottom third up. (Photos 21 & 22)
29. Wrap the dough package in plastic wrap, and place it in the fridge for 2 hours. (Photo 23)

30. After two hours have passed, take the dough out of the fridge and place it again on the lightly floured board or counter.
31. Tap the dough with the rolling pin, to deflate it a little
32. Let the dough rest for 8 to 10 minutes
33. Roll the dough package out till it is 14 by 8 inches (35 cm by 20 cm).
34. Fold in three, as before
35. Turn 90 degrees, and roll out again to 14 by 8 inches (35 cm by 20 cm).
36. Fold in three for the last time, wrap in plastic, and return the dough package to the fridge for two more hours (or overnight, with something heavy on top to stop it from rising)

37. It’s now time to cut the dough and shape the croissants
38. First, lightly butter your baking sheet so that it is ready
39. Take the dough out of the fridge and let it rest for ten minutes on the lightly floured board or counter
40. Roll the dough out into a 20 by 5 inch rectangle (51 cm by 12½ cm). (Photo 24)
41. Cut the dough into two rectangles (each 10 by 5 inches (25½ cm by 12½ cm)) (Photo 24)
42. Place one of the rectangles in the fridge, to keep the butter cold
43. Roll the second rectangle out until it is 15 by 5 inches (38 cm by 12½ cm).
44. Cut the rectangle into three squares (each 5 by 5 inches (12½ cm by 12½ cm))
45. Place two of the squares in the fridge
46. The remaining square may have shrunk up a little bit in the meantime. Roll it out again till it is nearly square
47. Cut the square diagonally into two triangles. (Photo 25)
48. Stretch the triangle out a little, so it is not a right-angle triangle, but more of an isosceles. (Photo 26)
49. Starting at the wide end, roll the triangle up towards the point, and curve into a crescent shape. (Photo 27)
50. Place the unbaked croissant on the baking sheet
51. Repeat the process with the remaining squares of dough, creating 12 croissants in total.
52. Leave the tray of croissants, covered lightly with plastic wrap, to rise for 1 hour

53. Preheat the oven to very hot 475°F/240°C/gas mark 9.
54. Mix the egg with a teaspoon of water
55. Spread the egg wash across the tops of the croissants. (Photo 28)
56. Put the croissants in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until the tops are browned nicely
57. Take the croissants out of the oven, and place them on a rack to cool for 10 minutes before serving. (Photo Above)

Fig Brioche

Today felt like a day from bread. And not just any bread, but brioche. Yes, that’s right, warm, buttery brioche, and this time with the extra sweetness of figs.

Okay, here we go.

Dissolve the yeast in warm water.

In different bowl, add the butter, sugar, salt, eggs and egg yolk. Add the figs.

Add flour and knead.

Knead and set to rise.

Knead again and set to rise again. When it’s doubled, glaze with one egg yolk and a bit of milk and bake.

1/4 cup water

1 package active dry yeast

1/2 cup milk

2 tbsp. sugar

1/2 cup butter

3 whole eggs

1 egg yolk

1/2 tsp. salt

3 1/4 cups flour

1 cup chopped figs

In lukewarm water, dissolve the yeast. In another bowl mix the butter, sugar, eggs, egg yolk, salt. Add the warm milk and the yeast mixture. Then stir in the figs. Add enough flour to make a soft dough, then knead. Place in oiled bowl and cover, set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled. Knead again, place in prepared pan, set to rise again. Bake at 350 F. for 30 minutes, or until the dough sounds hollow when thumped.

Cozonac

Ok, so I am a pagan, which means I technically don’t celebrate the Christian Easter, but since it is based on a pagan holiday (Ostara, hence the name) I decided to bake a Romanian Easter Bread,

Scald the milk and add some of the flour.

Then heat 1/2 cup milk and add the yeast.  Add the flour paste. Let rise for 15 minutes.

Mix the flour, the sugar, 1/4 cup milk, egg youls, raisins, zest and the yeast mixture.

Knead, while adding the butter. Then add the vanilla, the rum and the oil. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.

Prepare the filling by grinding the walnuts (or almonds in my case), boil with the sugar and the milk.

Once the dough has doubled, knead again and fill as you like. Then shape in a braid or in any other way you like. Then let rise again.

Once it’s doubled, set to bake.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 tablespoons + 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup +1/2 cup + 1/4 cup milk
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 4 large egg yolks
• 3/4 cup superfine sugar
• 4 ounces light or dark raisins
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 4 ounces melted butter
• 1 tablespoon dark rum
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 ounce walnuts (optional)
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar (optional)

Preparation:

1. Scald 1/2 cup milk and stir in 2 1/2 tablespoons flour until smooth. Let cool 10 minutes.
2. Heat another 1/2 cup milk just until lukewarm. Do not scald. Place yeast in a small bowl and pour lukewarm milk over, stirring until dissolved. Add yeast mixture to flour paste and beat until large air bubbles appear. Cover and let rise at least 15 minutes.
3. Heat the remaining 1/4 cup milk to lukewarm. Do not overheat. Pour into a warmed large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer. Add, stirring after each ingredient, the egg yolks, sugar, raisins, zest, yeast mixture and flour. Knead about 10 minutes by machine or 15-20 minutes with buttered hands while still in the bowl, adding butter as necessary to achieve a nonsticky, pliable, moist ball of dough. It will probably take about 3 ounces of butter. Save the rest.
4. Add rum, vanilla and oil and knead another 2-3 minutes. Cover bowl with greased plastic wrap and let rise until doubled. Punch down and with hands dipped in some of the reserved melted butter, knead another 5-10 minutes.
5. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 10- to 12-inch round pan that is at least 3 inches deep with cooking spray. Using buttered hands, twist the dough and place in the pan. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise until dough reaches the top of the pan.
6. Mix 1 large egg yolk with 1 tablespoon cold water and brush top of dough. Sprinkle walnuts and a few raisins on the dough, if desired. Bake 1 hour or until toothpick tests clean or an instant-read thermometer registers 190 degrees.
7. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack. If you wish, while the cake is still hot, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and walnuts.

Daring Bakers March Challenge: Yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake

The March 2011 Daring Baker’s Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria’s Collection and Jamie of Life’s a Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged The Daring Bakers to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake.

This recipe was delicious! Don’t be frightened by its fancy name, it’s not nearly as complicated as it looks.

Mix 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt.

In another bowl, heat the butter , milk and water. Gradually add the warm mixture to the flour mixture.

Add the eggs one by one, and another cup of flour. Blend. Add in enough flour to make the dough soft but not sticky. Turn out on floured board and knead. Let rise until double.

When the dough is about done, make the meringue. Whip the egg whites with the sugar.

Stretch out the dough into a rectangle.

And mix the filling. I chose to do mine with pecans and chocolate chips.

Spread the meringue over the dough and sprinkle with the chocolate/pecan filling.

Roll the dough up and form into a wreath. Let rise again. Then bake.

FILLED MERINGUE COFFEE CAKE
Makes 2 round coffee cakes, each approximately 10 inches in diameter
The recipe can easily be halved to make one round coffee cake

Ingredients
For the yeast coffee cake dough:

4 cups (600 g / 1.5 lbs.) flour
¼ cup (55 g / 2 oz.) sugar
¾ teaspoon (5 g / ¼ oz.) salt
1 package (2 ¼ teaspoons / 7 g / less than an ounce) active dried yeast
¾ cup (180 ml / 6 fl. oz.) whole milk
¼ cup (60 ml / 2 fl. oz. water (doesn’t matter what temperature)
½ cup (135 g / 4.75 oz.) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 large eggs at room temperature

10 strands saffron for Ria’s version (Saffron might be hard to find and it’s expensive, so you can substitute with ½ – 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom or ground nutmeg. Or simply leave it plain like Jamie’s version)

For the meringue:

3 large egg whites at room temperature
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup (110 g / 4 oz.) sugar

For the filling:

Jamie’s version:
1 cup (110 g / 4 oz.) chopped pecans or walnuts
2 Tablespoons (30 g / 1 oz.) granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (170 g / 6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate

Ria’s version:
1 cup (130 g / 5 oz.) chopped cashew nuts
2 Tablespoons (30 g / 1 oz.) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon garam masala (You can make it at home – recipe below – or buy from any Asian/Indian grocery store)
1 cup (170g / 6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips ( I used Ghirardelli)

Egg wash: 1 beaten egg
Cocoa powder (optional) and confectioner’s sugar (powdered/icing sugar) for dusting cakes

**Garam (means “hot”) masala (means “mixture”) is a blend of ground spices and is used in most Indian savory dishes. It is used in limited quantities while cooking vegetables, meats & eggs. There is no “one” recipe for it as every household has a recipe of their own. Below, I am going to share the recipe which I follow.

4 or 5 sticks (25 g) Cinnamon Sticks (break a stick and open the scroll)
3 ½ tablespoons (25 g / less than an ounce) Cloves, whole
100 g. (3.5 oz.) Fennel seeds
4 tablespoons (25 g / less than an ounce) Cumin seeds
1 ½ tablespoons (10 g / less than half an ounce) Peppercorns
25 g (less than half an ounce) Green Cardamom pods

In a small pan on medium heat, roast each spice individually (it hardly takes a minute) until you get a nice aroma. Make sure you stir it throughout so that it doesn’t burn. As soon as each spice is roasted, transfer it to a bowl to cool slightly. Once they are all roasted, grind into a fine powder by using a coffee grinder, or pestle & mortar. Store in an airtight container and use as needed.

Directions:

Prepare the dough:

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 ½ cups (230 g) of the flour, the sugar, salt and yeast.

In a saucepan, combine the milk, water and butter and heat over medium heat until warm and the butter is just melted. Ria’s version: add the 10 saffron threads to the warmed liquid and allow to steep off of the heat for 10 minutes. This will give the mixture a distinct aroma and flavor and a yellowish-orange hue.

With an electric mixer on low speed, gradually add the warm liquid to the flour/yeast mixture, beating until well blended. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes. Add the eggs and 1 cup (150 g) flour and beat for 2 more minutes.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a dough that holds together. Turn out onto a floured surface (use any of the 1 ½ cups of flour remaining) and knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is soft, smooth, sexy and elastic, keeping the work surface floured and adding extra flour as needed.

Place the dough in a lightly greased (I use vegetable oil) bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise until double in bulk, 45 – 60 minutes. The rising time will depend on the type of yeast you use.

Prepare your filling:In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar for the filling if using. You can add the chopped nuts to this if you like, but I find it easier to sprinkle on both the nuts and the chocolate separately.

Once the dough has doubled, make the meringue:
In a clean mixing bowl – ideally a plastic or metal bowl so the egg whites adhere to the side (they slip on glass) and you don’t end up with liquid remaining in the bottom – beat the egg whites with the salt, first on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high and continue beating until foamy and opaque. Add the vanilla then start adding the ½ cup sugar, a tablespoon at a time as you beat, until very stiff, glossy peaks form.

Assemble the Coffee Cakes:

Line 2 baking/cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Punch down the dough and divide in half. On a lightly floured surface, working one piece of the dough at a time (keep the other half of the dough wrapped in plastic), roll out the dough into a 20 x 10-inch (about 51 x 25 ½ cm) rectangle. Spread half of the meringue evenly over the rectangle up to about 1/2-inch (3/4 cm) from the edges. Sprinkle half of your filling of choice evenly over the meringue (ex: half of the cinnamon-sugar followed by half the chopped nuts and half of the chocolate chips/chopped chocolate).

Now, roll up the dough jellyroll style, from the long side. Pinch the seam closed to seal. Very carefully transfer the filled log to one of the lined cookie sheets, seam side down. Bring the ends of the log around and seal the ends together, forming a ring, tucking one end into the other and pinching to seal.

Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife (although scissors are easier), make cuts along the outside edge at 1-inch (2 ½ cm) intervals. Make them as shallow or as deep as desired but don’t be afraid to cut deep into the ring.

Repeat with the remaining dough, meringue and fillings.

Cover the 2 coffee cakes with plastic wrap and allow them to rise again for 45 to 60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

Brush the tops of the coffee cakes with the egg wash. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until risen and golden brown. The dough should sound hollow when tapped.

Remove from the oven and slide the parchment paper off the cookie sheets onto the table. Very gently loosen the coffee cakes from the paper with a large spatula and carefully slide the cakes off onto cooling racks. Allow to cool.

Just before serving, dust the tops of the coffee cakes with confectioner’s sugar as well as cocoa powder if using chocolate in the filling. These are best eaten fresh, the same day or the next day.

Beignets

Picture yourself walking in the early morning light, a warm breeze swaying around you, the sounds of horses neighing, the soft leftover jazz tunes wafting by. You cross the street and there is your destination: Cafe du Monde. You choose a seat, not many to choose from even at this early hour, and you wait for someone to take your order. “A cafe au lait and an order of beignets”, you tell the woman who quickly appears. You wait, not too long, just the right amount of time to contemplate the delicacy you are about to experience. The plate is placed before you, the cup next to it and you inhale the unforgettable, rich smell. You raise one of the powdered beauties to your mouth…

That’s enough coyness, I think. Let’s get on with the recipe. You’ll love it, even if there’s no jazz music around.

Beignets use yeast so dissolve that with water and sugar.

Add all the other ingredients, forming a ball of soft, but not sticky, dough. Set it in the fridge for at least 4 hours.

Roll the dough out and start cutting squares. Now, heat your oil, make sure it’s really really hot and start frying the dough in batches. I don’t have pictures of this because frying oil and cameras do not mix. Sorry. Keep flipping them over, and when they are nice and brown, take them out. Immediately dust them with powdered sugar. How naive, “dust”, more like submerge the crispy dough until it is smothered in white.

Ahh, the yumminess. Enjoy and if you get a chance visit Cafe du Monde. It is an indescribable experience.

Ingredients

• 1 packet dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 7 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1 quart vegetable oil for frying
• powdered sugar

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar, salt, eggs, evaporated milk, and blend well. Mix in 4 cups of the flour and beat until smooth. Add the shortening, and then the remaining 3 cups of flour. Cover and chill for up to 24 hours.
2. Roll out dough 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 2 1/2 inch squares. Fry in 360 degree F (180 degrees C) hot oil. If beignets do not pop up, oil is not hot enough. Drain onto paper towels.
3. Shake confectioners’ sugar on hot beignets. Serve warm.

Daring Bakers December Challenge: Stollen

The 2010 December Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Penny of Sweet Sadie’s Baking. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make Stollen. She adapted a friend’s family recipe and combined it with information from friends, techniques from Peter Reinhart’s book………and Martha Stewart’s demonstration.

This recipe was fantastic, every one in my house loved it and ate it in about two days. No mean feat when the bread was the size mine was. We did the recipe in wreath form, which was very pretty. I kind of wanted to wear in on my head, but that would have meant brushing powdered sugar off my hair for the next few months, so I controlled myself.

Prepare your ingredients.

Set the yeast to proof. Be patient.

Put your dried fruits to marinate in your choice of alcohol. I only had red wine so that’s what I used. I never have the appropriate liquor; I always have some liquor, just not the right one!

Mix everything you have to mix, don’t be lazy, read the recipe! And set the dough to rise.

And this is what the dog was doing while I was sweating in the kitchen. Typical.

When the dough is doubled, knead it for a few minutes, then roll it out into a rectangle with a rolling pin. Then following the recipe, roll it back up so it is one fat log. Make a circle and pinch the ends. Slice some slits into it and put it to bake. When it comes back out, immediately drench it in powdered sugar. When it gets cooler, again put powdered sugar on top and voila!

Recipe:

Stollen Wreath

Makes one large wreath or two traditional shaped Stollen loaves. Serves 10-12 people

Ingredients

¼ cup (60ml) lukewarm water (110º F / 43º C)
2 packages (4 1/2 teaspoons) (22 ml) (14 grams) (1/2 oz) active dry yeast
1 cup (240 ml) milk
10 tablespoons (150 ml) (140 grams) unsalted butter (can use salted butter)
5½ cups (1320 ml) (27 ozs) (770 grams) all-purpose (plain) flour (Measure flour first – then sift- plus extra for dusting)
½ cup (120 ml) (115 gms) sugar
¾ teaspoon (3 ¾ ml) (4 ½ grams) salt (if using salted butter there is no need to alter this salt measurement)
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (6 grams) cinnamon
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
Grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
2 teaspoons (10 ml) (very good) vanilla extract
1 teaspoon (5 ml) lemon extract or orange extract
¾ cup (180 ml) (4 ¾ ozs) (135 grams) mixed peel (link below to make your own)
1 cup (240 ml) (6 ozs) (170 gms) firmly packed raisins
3 tablespoons (45ml) rum
12 red glacé cherries (roughly chopped) for the color and the taste. (optional)
1 cup (240 ml) (3 ½ ozs) (100 grams) flaked almonds
Melted unsalted butter for coating the wreath
Confectioners’ (icing) (powdered) sugar for dusting wreath

Note: If you don’t want to use alcohol, double the lemon or orange extract or you could use the juice from the zested orange.

Directions:

Soak the raisins
In a small bowl, soak the raisins in the rum (or in the orange juice from the zested orange) and set aside.

To make the dough

Pour ¼ cup (60 ml) warm water into a small bowl, sprinkle with yeast and let stand 5 minutes. Stir to dissolve yeast completely.

In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup (240 ml) milk and 10 tablespoons (150 ml) butter over medium – low heat until butter is melted. Let stand until lukewarm, about 5 minutes.

Lightly beat eggs in a small bowl and add lemon and vanilla extracts.

In a large mixing bowl (4 qt) (4 liters) (or in the bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment), stir together the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, orange and lemon zests.

Then stir in (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment) the yeast/water mixture, eggs and the lukewarm milk/butter mixture. This should take about 2 minutes. It should be a soft, but not sticky ball. When the dough comes together, cover the bowl with either plastic or a tea cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.

Add in the mixed peel, soaked fruit and almonds and mix with your hands or on low speed to incorporate. Here is where you can add the cherries if you would like. Be delicate with the cherries or all your dough will turn red!

Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin kneading (or mixing with the dough hook) to distribute the fruit evenly, adding additional flour if needed. The dough should be soft and satiny, tacky but not sticky. Knead for approximately 8 minutes (6 minutes by machine). The full six minutes of kneading is needed to distribute the dried fruit and other ingredients and to make the dough have a reasonable bread-dough consistency. You can tell when the dough is kneaded enough – a few raisins will start to fall off the dough onto the counter because at the beginning of the kneading process the dough is very sticky and the raisins will be held into the dough but when the dough is done it is tacky which isn’t enough to bind the outside raisins onto the dough ball.

Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling around to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
Put it in the fridge overnight. The dough becomes very firm in the fridge (since the butter goes firm) but it does rise slowly… the raw dough can be kept in the refrigerator up to a week and then baked on the day you want.

Shaping the Dough and Baking the Wreath

1. Let the dough rest for 2 hours after taking out of the fridge in order to warm slightly.
2. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
3. Preheat oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4 with the oven rack on the middle shelf.
4. Punch dough down, roll into a rectangle about 16 x 24 inches (40 x 61 cms) and ¼ inch (6 mm) thick.

Starting with a long side, roll up tightly, forming a long, thin cylinder.

Transfer the cylinder roll to the sheet pan. Join the ends together, trying to overlap the layers to make the seam stronger and pinch with your fingers to make it stick, forming a large circle. You can form it around a bowl to keep the shape.

Using kitchen scissors, make cuts along outside of circle, in 2-inch (5 cm) intervals, cutting 2/3 of the way through the dough.

Twist each segment outward, forming a wreath shape. Mist the dough with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap.

Proof for approximately 2 hours at room temperature, or until about 1½ times its original size.
Bake the stollen for 20 minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees for even baking and continue to bake for 20 to 30 minutes. The bread will bake to a dark mahogany color, should register 190°F/88°C in the center of the loaf, and should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.

Transfer to a cooling rack and brush the top with melted butter while still hot.
Immediately tap a layer of powdered sugar over the top through a sieve or sifter.
Wait for 1 minute, then tap another layer over the first.
The bread should be coated generously with the powdered sugar.
Let cool at least an hour before serving. Coat the stollen in butter and icing sugar three times, since this many coatings helps keeps the stollen fresh – especially if you intend on sending it in the mail as Christmas presents!

When completely cool, store in a plastic bag. Or leave it out uncovered overnight to dry out slightly, German style.

On the eve of Thanksgiving.

I had a monster baking marathon today. For days I’ve been eyeing my oven, missing the scents that usually come out of it. I’ve been saving my energies for today: the eve of Thanksgiving. So first things first, the main dessert for tomorrow, Sweet potato Pie. I wanted to try something a bit new, not the old, albeit delicious, pumpkin or pecan pies.

I found a wonderful-sounding recipe online at She Simmers, but I’ll add it at the bottom of the page for convenience.

So boil the sweet potatoes. The recipe calls for two large ones, but I did three, just in case. But really, two is plenty.

While they boil, start the dough for the pie crust. Chop your pecans, add your flour, salt, spices, butter, etc. Make a nice mess.

Place it on your pie pan, in my case cheap aluminum ones, since my ridged plate broke long, long ago.

Stick it in the fridge for a bit and then bake it at 375 for about 15 minutes. Make sure you prick the dough before or put some dried beans on it so it doesn’t rise.

By now, the sweet potatoes should be done boiling. Carefully take them out of the pot and let them cool, or if you are reckless and impatient like I am, burn your hands lobster red.

Mix in all the ingredients for the filling. Add the butter last.

And bake!

Here she is, right out of the oven. She looks delicious.

By the way, I had tons of leftover filling, so I decided to share:

Well, the next item on my list was a rosemary herb bread. This is not finished yet, since I am letting it rise overnight and baking it fresh tomorrow morning, but I’ll put up the recipe and what I have so far.

Well, you know the deal with yeasted breads. Warm water, a bit of oil, pour the package of yeast in and let it rest. Then slowly add the sugar, salt, flour, and herbs.  When you have a consistency you like, start kneading.

Let it rise!

Doesn’t mine look adorable, like a baby swaddled up?

For the bread that’s it for today.

But on to the cookies. So, my mom saw these cookies in the last edition of Coastal Living and she HAD to have them, like, NOW. Two batches. Lots and lots of butter.

Mix butter, cream cheese, sugar.

Add flour and salt. Coconut extract, a touch of brandy (this was not in the original recipe, but why not?). Then chop the nuts, the recipe calls for macadamia, but my supermarket apparently has never heard of such a nut, so pecans it is!

Put the dough in the fridge for a bit, and then start placing the cookies on the baking sheets you have prepared.

And bake!

Here are all the recipes:

Sweet potato Pie

Crust:

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup finely-chopped pecans

1/2 cup cold butter (the original recipe calls for vegetable shortening)

1/4 cups ice-cold water, or as needed

In a food processor, pulse together all the dry ingredients and the butter into short bursts until the mixture forms pea-sized lumps. Add the water through the feed chute as you pulse until the mixture forms a stiff dough and pulls away from the sides of the food processor bowl. Form the dough into a 6-inch disk and wrap it in plastic; chill for one hour. The dough can be made in advance. It can be kept refrigerated for several days and even frozen.

Filling:

2 large sweet potatoes (about 1.5 lbs total), peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

1/4 cup condensed milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon melted butter

Pecan halves for decoration

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Roll the chilled pie dough into a 12-inch round and press into a 9-inch pie pan. Flute the edges. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the crust is set and beginning to brown slightly. Remove the pie pan from the oven and let it cool.
3. Put the sweet potatoes into a medium pot and cover them with water by an inch. Bring to a boil. Boil slowly until the potatoes are tender with no absolutely no resistance at the center when pieced with a fork.
4. Drain off the water and mash the potatoes with a potato masher. Do not use a potato ricer or food processor.
5. As you mash the potatoes, add the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg; then whisk in the eggs, milk, and vanilla. The butter goes in last.
6. Once the filling is well-mixed, pour it into the baked pie crust. Arrange pecan halves around the outside edges and sprinkle the top of the pie with more ground cinnamon. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the filling is set and the edges of the crust have browned.
7. Serve the pie warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

 

Herb Bread:

1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons oil
3 1/2 cups flour
1 package dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon thyme (or herbs of your choice)

Heat water and oil to 120 F.
In a small bowl combine 1 yeast, salt and sugar.
Allow yeast to proof.
Add half of the flour and mix.
Gradually add remaining flour to form a stiff dough.
Knead until smooth about 5 minutes.
Place dough into a greased bowl, cover allow to rise for about 1 hour.
Punch down and reshape, allow dough to double in size.
Place on a baking sheet. Slash the top several times. Cover and allow to rise until double. Bake in preheated 375 for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and continue to bake for 20-25 more minutes.

And finally the cookies:

• 1  cup  butter, softened
• 4  ounces  cream cheese
• 1  cup  sugar
• 1  egg yolk
• 1/2  teaspoon  coconut extract
• 2 1/2  cups  all-purpose flour
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  cup  finely chopped toasted macadamia nuts
• 1  tablespoon  lemon zest
• 1 1/2  cups  powdered sugar

Preparation

1. Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk, and beat until smooth. Stir in coconut extract.

2. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating just until blended. Stir in macadamia nuts and lemon zest.

3. Chill dough 30 minutes. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and bake, in batches, at 350° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned on bottoms. Transfer to wire racks; let cool 2 minutes.

4. Place 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar in a bowl, and toss cookies to coat. Let cookies cool completely on wire racks. Toss in powdered sugar again, coating well.

Baba au Rhum, sort of…

So today, being my birthday, I wanted to attempt something new. I’ve never ever made a Baba au Rhum, well I still haven’t really, because I didn’t use rum in my recipe. For the simple reason I didn’t have any handy. I substituted white wine.

I decided to stick with Ina Garten’s recipe, because, hello she is a COUNTESS.

Full recipe at the bottom.

So first step: put raisins in alcohol of choice

Put that away, don’t eat the raisins.

Then mix warm milk with the yeast and two tbsps. sugar. Let ti sit for a few minutes.

This is what you get when your dog is a monster from the black lagoon and can reach the counter.

Time to let the dough rise, which is the most annoying part. Pick up a good book and wait an hour.

Now add the raisins, folding them in and put the whole thing in the prepared pan. Cover it up and let it rise once again, fun fun fun.

After it rises turn the oven on and let it bake. Mine was actually done before the 30 minutes Ina suggests, so be careful not too over bake it.

Let it cool, and make the syrup and the preserve toppings.

Use all the syrup, let the cake really soak it in, then spread the apricot preserve liberally over it.  And…that’s it!

Recipe by Ina Garten:

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup dried currants
• 1 tablespoon good dark rum
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 package dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Rum Syrup, recipe follows
• 3/4 cup apricot preserves
• 1 tablespoon water
• Whipped Cream, recipe follows

Directions

Combine the currants and rum in a small bowl and set aside. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and brush a 5-cup (6 1/2 by 3 1/2-inch) tube pan or kugelhopf mold with the melted butter. Be sure to coat every crevice of the pan. Heat the milk to 115 degrees F and then pour it into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Stir in the yeast and sugar and allow to sit for 5 minutes.

With the mixer on low speed, first add the eggs, then the flour, salt, and remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Raise the speed to medium-high and beat for 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and beater to form the dough into a ball. It will be very soft. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and allow it to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Drain the currants, fold them into the dough with a spatula, and spoon into the prepared pan. Smooth the top, cover the pan with a damp towel, and allow to rise until the dough reaches the top of the pan, 50 minutes to 1 hour.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and make the rum syrup.

Bake the cake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then tap it out of the cake pan onto a baking rack set over a sheet pan. Pour all of the rum syrup very slowly onto the warm cake, allowing it all to soak in thoroughly. Amazingly, the liquid will be absorbed into the cake, so be sure to use all of the syrup.

Heat the preserves with 1 tablespoon of water until runny, press it through a sieve, and brush it on the cake. Serve with whipped cream piped into the middle of the cake plus an extra bowl on the side.

Rum Syrup:

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup good dark rum

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place the sugar and 1 1/2 cups water in a small saucepan and cook over high heat until the sugar dissolves. Pour into a 4-cup heat-proof measuring cup and allow to cool. Add the rum and vanilla and set aside.