The Starter

As requested, here's some info on the starter.

You'll need a small clear plastic container--probably one that's about 8-12 ounces would be ideal. You'll also need water and flour. The book suggests a wide range of flour options: bread flour, all purpose flour, white/wheat flour blends... All should work well enough for developing the initial culture. I used the half and half mix of white all purpose flour and whole wheat flour.

If you have a scale, maintaining the starter is a little easier. For the most part, you'll be adding equal weights of water and flour. For the initial mixing, I started with about 3 oz each of the flour blend and the water. Mix this in a container until it's the consistency of a THICK batter. (I did it wrong the first time and ended up with something way too watery for the first few days--even so, it was easy enough to recover.) You can mix with either a spoon or your hand. Hands are suggested for the first mixing, so that the starter can take advantage of the wild yeasts that are naturally on the surface of the flour and the baker...

You'll want to cover the container with a clean kitchen towel or a washcloth, and put it somewhere dark and fairly cool. I used a closet. Weird but effective. Check it after about 2 days. It should start looking fairly active by then--if not, give it another day. This is what mine looked like after 48 hours:


Note: it smelled far from pleasant after the first few days. It was beginning to overpower the apartment, which was not ideal--I was worried my home would smell like that eternally, but after a few feeding cycles it stopped being noticeable.

The starter needs to be fed about once every 24 hours. For me, the process was something like this:

1. Using a spoon, lift off the top layer and discard. Then discard more of the starter until you're left with about 20-25% of the original volume.
2. Add equal parts flour (whatever flour option you originally used) and water--I ended up doing about 1.5 oz of each for the feeding.
3. Stir until it resembles a thick batter again. Cover, and replace in a cool dark spot.

Start to learn what it smells like before and after the feeding, and make notes of its appearance, too. It took about 2 weeks for mine to start smelling recognizably like bread, and for the culture to behave the same way every day. Once that's happened, it's usable.

Now that I want to be making bread regularly, I'll need to keep up the daily starter maintenance. The idea that these cultures can become many years old is both creepy and totally awesome.

I just wrote a fair amount about the starter, but it's only a fraction of the material they present about the starter in the book--for all the facts, you may want to get your information directly from the source!

Bread!

As promised, a progress report on my bread resolution. I've been tending my starter for a few weeks now. Once it started to "behave predictably", I decided to give the actual baking a try. I'll say upfront that this turned into a full day ordeal. I was determined to follow the instructions to the letter, so I decided to do this on a day that I could devote pretty much fully to the project. That day was yesterday.

Without going into much detail, a portion of the starter is incorporated into a leaven. I let the leaven develop overnight--the book said it would be ready when it passed "the float test". So here is photographic evidence that my goo did indeed float:


Now I'll leave out all the middle stuff--basically you mix the dough and then let it sit at various stages for long periods of time--I took a lot of pictures, but they all looked like... dough. So I'll spare you. This develops structure and flavor. I didn't have to do much hands-on work during these phases; just a lot of waiting to let the bread become magical. Or so I hoped. In the end, the rising and dividing and shaping and baking ended pretty well:




It has the texture of *actual* bakery bread! And a flavor that's like a mild sourdough, with more pronounced wheat--deliciousness. For a first try, I have to admit that I'm thrilled with the results. Now that I've done it once I won't be so terrified about screwing up the process in future. Knowing that bread like this can actually come out of my oven means I'll probably stop buying bread elsewhere, and that's extra exciting! And the recipe made enough for two, so here's my bonus loaf (the two had their final rises in different containers, hence the different surface patterns--quite pretty!):

Holiday Baking

I did a LOT of baking during the last few months--especially around the holidays--so I thought I'd toss together a few photos here. I'm not posting recipes for everything now, but I may in future, or if any are specifically requested. (Some photos are from my phone, so forgive the low resolution!)

The four kinds of cookies I made while still in RI--pfeffernussen, speculaas stars, Mexican hot chocolate, and glittered shortbread.

The cardinal was the new addition to our gingerbread repertoire this year--I think they're pretty adorable.

Some of the gift boxes that mom and I put together--gingerbread, and about five other kinds of cookies underneath!

We made gingerbread scone-men for Christmas brunch. Awesome with apple butter!

Profiteroles! A favorite dessert in our family, and now I finally know how to make them myself!

I was making cardamom bread for the holidays, and I discovered this amazing plastic wrap dome over the dough after it had risen. I thought it was just about the coolest thing ever, so I took a lot of pictures of it. And no pictures of the bread...

A cake loaded with fresh ginger and frosted with fresh vanilla flavored whipped cream.

Brownies. Really Good Ones.

Do you ever have those days when you just NEED brownies? I do. They don't happen very often, but when they do, brownies are pretty much all I can think about until I have some of my own. This week, I had one of those days.

On the weekend, I had seen an episode of America's Test Kitchen that started with an experiment--a head-to-head blind taste test comparing homemade brownies to the kind you make from a box. The box brownies won by a landslide. I was inclined to agree. I was raised on box brownies--my grandma used to make them and then cover them with chocolate frosting (and she would sometimes let me have a brownie for breakfast... if mom wasn't around), and no matter how much I want to stop using mixes, I was pretty sure the grandma brownie standard would never be met with real ingredients. I've tried various brownie recipes before, and while they all have awesome chocolate flavor, the texture tends to be lacking--dry, crumbly, and nothing like you get from the box stuff. Turns out the Test Kitchen folks came to a similar conclusion, and were determined to come up with a recipe that would rival the mix. My mind was sufficiently blown as I watched this play out, so I knew it wouldn't be too long before I tried the recipe myself. Four days later, I had a giant pan of these in my kitchen.

I'll go ahead and call myself a fairly well qualified brownie tester. These did NOT disappoint. So much so that my good intentions of sharing were shattered after the second bite.

This recipe is very easy to throw together, and if you have a moderately well-stocked kitchen, you probably have all the ingredients already (which is VERY handy when you're snowed in, I might add...). The real challenge--believe me--is waiting TWO AND A HALF HOURS for them to cool completely. That was torturous, but worth it in the long run. I cut all the brownies into reasonable portions before packing them away. If brownies are your weakness, I would strongly recommend doing so--if I hadn't, I'd be passing a quarter of the pan off as "one brownie".

Better-than-Boxed Brownies

-1/3 c. Dutch processed cocoa powder
-1 1/2 t. espresso powder
-5 oz. boiling water
-2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
-4 T. unsalted butter, melted
-5. oz. vegetable oil
-2 large eggs
-2 large egg yolks
-2 t. vanilla extract
-2 1/2 c. sugar
-1 3/4 c. flour
-3/4 t. salt
-3-6 oz. bittersweet chocolate pieces or chips (I used ~3 oz. of chips)

1. In a large bowl, whisk together cocoa powder and espresso powder. Add the boiling water and whisk, then add chopped chocolate and whisk until melted.
2. Add in the melted butter, oil, eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla, whisking after each addition until the mixture is smooth.
3. Whisk in the sugar until smooth, then fold in the flour and salt with a spatula until combined. Add in the chocolate chips.
4. Pour batter into a 13"x9" baking dish that has been lined with aluminum foil slings and coated with non-stick spray. Bake on the bottom rack at 350* for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs attached.
5. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 90 minutes. Use the foil sling to lift the brownies out of the pan, and let rest on the rack for an additional hour, until completely cool.


I was ready to go at this with a spoon.


Giant brownie or tiny plate? You'll never know...

Bread?

I don't ordinarily make too many resolutions, because I tend to drop them very quickly. Because I spend a good 40% of my time thinking about food, however, I figured some kind of kitchen-skill-improvement would stand a fighting chance of lasting past February. We'll see if I'm singing a different tune once another semester is underway...

I love bread. Possibly more than any other food. I can make a passable loaf of bread. When Blake visited in the fall, we made this:


We were quite pleased with ourselves, because it was delicious, and because we could make these with it:


We had to make three because we had three kinds of cheeses...


Hungry yet?

Anyway. I can make bread, but when I see an artisan loaf at the store, it calls to me. I would LOVE to be able to make them on my own. I know it will be tricky with a conventional oven, and with an apartment that has crazy temperature fluctuations. But, I'm going to try. And to make myself accountable, I'll post progress reports here.

I've got a lovely new book to guide me, and a rather obscene amount of flour stashed in my cabinet, so I think I'm ready to go. Also, I've got the beginning of a starter hanging out in my hall closet (weird place, I know, but it's the most temperature-stable...)--more on that in a few days; right now it's just a bowl of unimpressive goo. Should be fun!

Carrot Cupcakes

Before this, I had never made carrot cake. I was never a huge fan of carrot cake--mostly I think I avoided it because recipes usually include nuts, but I was also not totally convinced vegetables would be good in cake. But when asked to make some cupcakes that would be appropriate for morning, I thought these might be a good bet. I thought these were delicious--granted, I don't have much to compare them to, but others seemed to like them as well!

Carrot Cupcakes
-1 lb. peeled finely grated carrots
-3 eggs, room temp.
-1/3 c. buttermilk, room temp.
-2 c. sugar
-1.5 c. vegetable/canola oil
-1.5 tsp. vanilla extract
-1/2 c. raisins
-3 c. all purpose flour
-1 tsp. baking soda
-2 tsp. baking powder
-1 tsp. salt
-1 tsp. cinnamon
-1 tsp. ground ginger
-1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1. Whisk together carrots, eggs, buttermilk, sugar, oil, vanilla, and raisins.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.
3. Stir the flour mixture into the carrot mixture until combined. Divide batter into 24 lined cups and bake at 325* for 23-28 minutes, rotating tins halfway through.

Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
-1/2 c. softened butter
-8 oz. softened cream cheese
-1 c. packed light brown sugar

1. Beat together butter, cream cheese, and sugar until smooth.

Chocolate Spice Cupcakes

In the fall and winter, I have a tendency to want to add spice to everything. So instead of a regular chocolate cake recipe, I opted for this chocolate spice cake recipe. I coupled it with a chocolate cinnamon buttercream frosting, and I was totally in love.

This recipe makes a weird batter, but the texture of this cake is unbelievable. The molasses flavor really jumped out--I ended up using organic molasses for these, and it seems to have a stronger flavor than the kind I normally buy; I'd be interested to try this again with the "normal" kind too, just for the sake of comparing. Either way, I don't think these will disappoint.

Chocolate Spice Cupcakes
-5 T. softened butter
-1/4 c. Dutch process cocoa powder
-1 t. baking soda
-2/3 c. boiling water
-1 1/4 c. flour
-1/4 t. salt
-1 t. ginger
-1 t. cinnamon
-1/4 t. nutmeg
-1/2 c. packed dark brown sugar
-1 egg, room temperature
-2/3 c. molasses

1. Add baking soda to the boiling water. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and spices.
2. Beat together butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Add in the egg. Add molasses and hot water.
3. Gradually add in the flour mixture until well combined.
4. Divide batter among 12 lined baking cups. Bake at 350* for 20 minutes, rotating tin halfway through.

Chocolate-Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting
-1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
-1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
-3/4 c. cinnamon
-1/8 c. milk
-1/4 c. butter, softened

1. Combine sugar, cocoa powder, and cinnamon. Add in butter and milk. (Adjust the consistency with more sugar or more milk, as needed.)

Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes

Fall came, and my cabinet was ready with a healthy supply of pumpkin. I don't generally need much of an excuse to make cupcakes--in this case, having pumpkin handy was reason enough. And cream cheese frosting...

Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes
-2 c. cake flour
-1/2 t. baking soda
-2 t. baking powder
-1/2 t. salt
-1 t. cinnamon
-1 1/2 t. ginger
-1/2 t. nutmeg
-1/4 t. cloves
-1/2 c. butter, softened
-1 1/4 c. light brown sugar, packed
-2 eggs, room temperature
-1/2 c. buttermilk, room temperature
-3/4 c. pumpkin puree

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices.
2. Beat together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat until incorporated.
3. Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with two additions of buttermilk. Once combined, beat in pumpkin puree.
4. Divide into 16 lined baking cups, and bake, rotating tins halfway through, for 15-18 minutes at 350*.
5. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cardamom Bread

Back again, with two months of posts! I'm starting with this, because it was one of my favorites. Last Christmas our neighbors brought us a large loaf of cardamom bread, sprinkled with red and green sugar--it was beautiful, and we enjoyed it for days. We had never tried cardamom bread before that, but all of us loved it. I did a little researching and found out that it was fairly common to put cardamom in sweet breads in Scandinavian countries. When I found a recipe for "Swedish Coffee Bread" (from King Arthur Flour, as usual) that called for cardamom, I hoped it would produce something like the loaf we had last winter.

The dough didn't rise as much as most yeast doughs--I was a little worried that I had ruined it somehow--but in the end, it made a perfect loaf. I managed to devour it in about two days (which is why I don't usually let myself bake bread alone...)--plain slices, toast with butter, toast with apple butter... I plan on making it again over the holidays, hopefully when I'll have help eating it?


Cardamom Bread
-1/2 c. lukewarm milk
-1 package active dry yeast
-2 1/2 c. flour
-1 egg
-1/4 c. sugar
-3 T. softened butter
-3/4 t. slat
-1 t. crushed or ground cardamom
-melted butter
-cinnamon & sugar

1. Combine the milk, yeast, and 1/2 c. flour in a large bowl, and let stand for about 15 minutes, until bubbling and expanded.
2. Beat in egg, sugar, butter, salt, and cardamom.
3. Gradually add the remaining flour until the dough forms and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead for 3-4 minutes. Allow it to rest while greasing a large bowl, and then knead for another 3-4 minutes. Once the dough is smooth and elastic, return it to the greased bowl and turn it over several times to coat it with oil. Cover and let rise from 1.5 to 2 hours.
5. Punch down the dough, turn it out again onto a floured surface, and knead briefly.
6. Divide the dough into three equal parts, and shape each into a long rope. Braid the ropes together.
7. Place the braid into a greased loaf pan (4.5"x8.5"), brush the top with melted butter, and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Cover the pan and let it rise again for 1 hour.
8. Bake the loaf at 350* for 30 minutes. Turn the loaf out and cool completely on a rack.

Blueberry White Chocolate Ginger Cookies

Last time I was home, mom gave me this recipe. I've gotten into a routine of making the same kinds of cookies over and over again lately. This looked new and interesting, so I thought I'd give it a try! These have a unique texture--they're a little more dense than most cookies, but the flavors work well together.

Blueberry White Chocolate Ginger Cookies
-1 1/4 c. flour
-1/2 t. salt
-1/2 t. baking soda
-1 t. ginger
-1 egg
-3/4 c. packed dark brown sugar
-1/3 c. canola oil
-1 t. vanilla
-1/2 c. oats
-1/2 c. dried blueberries
-1/2 c. white "chocolate" chips

1. Whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and ginger in a small bowl.
2. Beat together sugar, egg, oil, and vanilla until smooth. Add flour mixture.
3. Stir in oats, blueberries, and chips.
4. Drop heaping tablespoons onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 375*.

Banana Carrot Bread

I've been on a mission to use up miscellaneous ingredients lately. When I found this recipe, I was able to check two items off the list. I wasn't sure about the carrot banana combination, but it was delicious! I'll absolutely make this every time I have a couple spare carrots.

Banana Carrot Bread
-2 c. flour
-1/2 t. salt
-2 t. baking powder
-1/4 t. baking soda
-1/2 t. cinnamon
-1/4 t. cloves
-4 T. softened butter
-3/4 c. granulated sugar
-2 eggs
-2 ripe bananas, mashed
-1 t. vanilla
-2 medium carrots, grated

1. Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices.
2. Beat together the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add eggs one at a time until incorporated. Beat in mashed bananas and vanilla.
3. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Stir in the grated carrot.
4. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour at 350*. Let cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before turning the loaf out onto a cooling rack.

Mocha Cake with Espresso Buttercream Frosting

When Blake was visiting I had a double-birthday occasion to make cake--after a little collaboration we decided on this combination. I split the full recipe into a dozen cupcakes and a 9 inch single-layer cake.

For the cake I used the same recipe I posted here, and the buttercream recipe is the same as well, except for the addition of a heaping tablespoon of espresso powder with the vanilla.


(I managed to convince some other grad students to help me finish these...)

What made this cake extra special? I got to make it with my truly amazing (not to mention gorgeous!) birthday present:


I am either horribly spoiled, or incredibly lucky, or both. I'm also very thankful, and really impressed with how fantastic the cake came out because of this!

Mint Ice Cream

And here it is! I made the ice cream and then kept it in the freezer for longer than I thought my will-power would make it. I promised I'd have it around for Blake when he visited. I credit him with getting me to try mint ice cream in the first place. I never much cared for mint in food because it reminded me too much of toothpaste. But real mint... that's something I discovered recently, and it's another story altogether.

I got this recipe here, and followed it to the letter, with the exception of using the melted chocolate. I threw in some Bunny Grahams instead (partly as an inside joke, partly because they are highly delicious and I wanted an excuse to buy a box). Thus, VerMint Chocolate Bunny was created! This might be my new favorite ice cream ever. The effort is absolutely worth it, because the flavor and texture are divine. Now I'm working on growing a giant mint plant so I can make it all the time...

Mint!

Last time I went to Vermont, Luann gave me this beautiful bunch of mint from her garden. Confession: I bought myself a little ice cream maker earlier this summer. So, when I saw the mint, I knew ice cream was inevitable. The finished product will be documented later--I promised to save it for a special upcoming occasion...


Still, I'll leave you with a couple photos of the process. Boiling mint leaves with cream and sugar...


Eggs waiting to turn into custard...


So why no ice cream posts yet? Mostly because I've eaten all of it too fast. There's some coffee frozen yogurt in the freezer now, though, and maybe I'll manage to photograph a couple scoops before it's all gone...

Early Grey Cupcakes with Lemon Glaze

Last weekend I had an absolute craving for the Earl Grey cupcakes that I had posted previously. I changed the recipe slightly from before--I was looking for a denser cake, so I adjusted the butter and baking powder proportions a bit, but otherwise it was mostly the same. In the past I had frosted these with both chocolate and vanilla frostings, but both of those overpowered the tea flavor a bit too much. This time I thought a glaze would be ideal--particularly a citrus-flavored glaze to complement the bergamot in the tea. I think it worked! I had always shied away from glazes prior to this because of the uncontrollable dripping, but enough paper towels can make me comfortable with almost any mess, I suppose...

Lemon Glaze
-the juice of 1 lemon
-1-2 c. confectioners' sugar

1. Whisk the lemon juice with quarter cup additions of confectioners' sugar until it is the thickness desired. (Very difficult to be exact with this--just wing it until it looks and tastes right.)
2. Dip the cakes into the glaze, let most of the excess fall off, and let them rest upright on racks over paper towels until the glaze has set.

Summer Squash Cupcakes

July was a very warm month--so much so that I had (sadly!) minimal desire to bake. I made a couple batches of cookies, sure, but nothing new, and nothing that was very labor-intensive. There have been little breaks in the heat since August started--enough for me to want to try making these cupcakes, at least. I probably won't get back into a full-baking swing until next month, but hopefully I'll have a couple things to share this week.

We have been getting a LOT of zucchini and squash from the farm lately--I think all of us are running out of creative ways to cook them. I had 3 small summer squash, and decided cupcakes might be fun. I suspected it would be feasible to substitute grated squash for grated zucchini, and it definitely is. Couldn't tell the difference! Hence, squash cakes...

Summer Squash Cakes
-3 c. flour
-1 t. baking soda
-1/2 t. baking powder
-1 t. salt
-2 t. cinnamon
-1/2 t. nutmeg
-1/2 t. cloves
-1/2 c. vegetable oil
-1/2 c. olive oil
-2 eggs
-2 t. vanilla
-2 c. packed light brown sugar
-3 c. grated summer squash, some of the excess water removed

1. In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat together the oils, eggs, and vanilla. Add the sugar and beat until smooth, then stir in the squash.
2. Gradually add the flour mixture, taking care not to over-beat.
3. Pour the batter into lined baking cups. Bake 20 minutes at 350* F, rotating the tins halfway through.
4. Let cool. Top with cream cheese frosting.

Strawberry Shortcake

Last week after getting a lot of gorgeous strawberries in the CSA share, I decided to try my hand at strawberry shortcake. As it happened, I had about four different recipes for shortcakes in four different cookbooks. Most were cornmeal-based, so I decided to go in that direction. I think they came out very well--an excellent dessert to showcase the fresh fruit!

Strawberry Shortcakes
-1 1/2 c. flour
-1/2 c. cornmeal
-3 T. sugar
-4 t. baking powder
-4 T. unsalted butter (cold)
-1 c. heavy cream

1. In a food processor, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, and baking powder. Pulse.
2. Add cubes of cold butter and pulse again until it resembles a course meal. Transfer to a mixing bowl, and add the cream. Combine with a fork until the dough comes together.
3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead gently. Form it into a rectangle 1 - 1 1/4 inches thick.
4. Either cut the dough into squares with a knife, or use a 2 or 3 inch biscuit cutter to make rounds. The final count will vary depending on size. Work quickly, as the butter will begin to soften with repeated handling.
5. Bake on a greased or lined baking sheet for 12-15 minutes at 425* until golden.

Whipped Cream
-1 c. heavy cream
-1 T. powdered sugar
-1 t. vanilla

1. With the whisk attachment of a mixer, whip the cream until soft peaks form.
2. Add in sugar and vanilla and continue to whisk until combined.

Macerated Strawberries
-2 c. fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
-1 1/2 T. raw sugar
-1 T. marsala

1. In a large bowl combine berries, sugar, and wine. Stir, and let stand for at least an hour before serving.
2. Assemble as desired! (I split some of the cakes--as shown--and others just served as a base for the berry mixture; delicious either way!)

Thawing Cupcakes

I made a very large batch of red velvet cupcakes a few months ago--some to share, and others to hoard. Rather than eating all of mine at once (believe me, I was tempted), I decided to try freezing them to make the joy last a little longer. I wrapped them in plastic wrap, and then stored them in an airtight container in the freezer. When I was ready for them again (during finals week...), I took them out, unwrapped them, and left them to thaw on the counter. Within less than an hour, they were perfect and fresh, and exactly what I needed to keep my spirits up during the studying!

Not Baking

I considered in an earlier post the possibility of adding in documentation of my attempts at cooking actual food (I do try to eat things that aren't cake sometimes). My need to compartmentalize has led me to start a spin-off blog for non-baking recipes.

If you're interested, you can check the new site out here--if you're only into the baked goods, these posts will continue as usual!

An Order!

This week I put together a cupcake order for a friend throwing a bridal shower. It ended up being four dozen cupcakes--Devil's food and yellow cakes with buttercream or dark chocolate frosting. I was given the wedding invitation as inspiration--it was covered in blue flowers, so I tinted some fondant and tried to make some to match.

Apart from making a lot of consecutive little messes in my kitchen (that by the end had merged into one big one), it was fun to try something on a larger scale! And now I'll be ready for next time! A few photos of the finished products: