Rolling

For the past 8 months or so I have been holding my cousin's Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum hostage. I had used it a few times, but was still overall intimidated by the excessive length and detail of all the recipes. Nonetheless, when my cousin requested that I bring dinner rolls to Thanksgiving, I resolved to rise to the challenge (an unintentional but brilliant pun!)

For the week before T-day I fretted on and off about my upcoming task. I planned to do a test run; I contemplated starting the night before to allow sufficient time for the dough sponge (a new concept for me) to do whatever it is that it does for 1-24 hours. Neither of these ideas came to fruition.

Instead, I awoke painfully early on Thursday morning and got to work. Here is a summary of how it went:

8:30 AM
I mixed together
* 1/4 tsp yeast
* 1 1/2 cups/170 g flour
* 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp warmish water
* 1 tbsp + 1/2 tsp honey

This was the sponge that was meant to sit for 1-24 hours.

I waited about 2 hours. Next, mix:
* 1 1/3 cup/156 g flour (reserve 1/4 cup)
* 1/2 tsp yeast
* 20 g dry milk
Sprinkle the mixture over the sponge (when I say sprinkle I mean dump unceremoniously) and leave to sit for 1-3 hours. It was around this time that I realized I was only making enough dough for 12 rolls, and I was asked to make 24. After kicking myself repeatedly and crying it out, I began on a second batch which followed about 1 hour behind batch #1.

After the 2 hours or so of sitting, add:
* 4 1/2 tbsp butter, softened
* 1 1/2 tsp salt

and mix the whole thing into a dough.














Knead the dough for a few minutes, then rest under the mixing bowl for 20 minutes. Then knead it again, put it in an oiled bowl, cover the bowl with a lid, and let the whole thing sit in front of the heater for about 1 1/2 hours. (At this point in the process, I took the time to finish reading the recipe and became aware that I did not have enough time for both doughs to rise and rest for the full times proscribed by the recipe. The adjustments I made have been factored into the following.)

After letting the dough rise, punch it down, flatten it, then fold the corners together and re-form a ball. Let the dough again rose in front of the heater for about 45 minutes. Towards the end of the rising time, melt 4 tbsp butter and let cool.

Next comes the shaping. Cut the dough into quarters, then each quarter into 3 pieces. Pinch the corners of the dough pieces together at the bottom to make a good skin around the balls. You heard me. Pour the melted butter into a bowl and dip each roll into the butter.














Poppy/sesame seeds are optional (thanks to Wilma for the suggestion). Place the buttered balls into an 8x8 square baking dish. Cover, and let rise for another 45 minutes or so.

When the balls are rising, preheat the oven to 400˚. Place a cast iron pan at the bottom of the oven and a baking sheet on the lowest rack. Once the final rise has been completed, place a few ice cubes into the cast iron pan and place the baking dish onto the baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from pan and cool on a rack. Reheat gently before consuming. Praise whoever made them profusely.

Sunday blues

Yesterday was supposed to be baking day. I had grand plans for Swedish cinnamon buns, or a test run of the dinner rolls I've been commissioned to make for T-giving. It was meant to rain all day, confirming the need for baked goods to be prepared.

Well, following an awe-inspiring sun-rain-shower at 8 AM, the predictions of downpours proved to be failures. Furthermore, my 4 hours of sleep the night before left me with something wanting in the energy department. A grand experiment with yeast and rising and patience was not in the cards.

Later that night, though, as I sat in Dani's kitchen struggling to keep my eyes open, baking something seemed the only possible way to alleviate the boredom of being at Dani's house while she hacked away on her computer and grumbled about how she hates watching TV with me and republicans. I turned to her mum's excellent recipe cut out collection and landed upon newspaper page from 1995. It was here that I discovered Peanut Butter Fudge Cookies. They needed a bit of adjustment - Dani managed to pause her computering for long enough to insist that I use butter (extra butter) instead of canola oil, and that I include chocolate chips. I also used hot chocolate mix, rather than unsweetened cocoa powder, and I halved the recipe.

Do it.

PBCC fudge cookies

* 4-5 tbsp butter
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 1/2 cup peanut butter
* 1 egg
* 1/2 tbsp vanilla
* 1/3 cup hot chocolate mix
* 1/2 cup flour
* 1/2 tsp baking soda
* pinch salt
* like, 1-2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350˚.

If you are privileged enough to have access to a microwave, heat the butter in it for about 20 seconds. No need to melt it all, but it can be pretty melty. Mix butter with sugar and pb. Add the egg and vanilla. Add the hot choc (do this first to avoid cocoa lung), flour, baking soda and salt. Mix. Add choc chips. Mix again.

Use a spoon (you don't have to, but you should) to place cookies onto a baking sheet. Bake about 8-10 minutes. Let them cool/set on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing.














Keep out of sight of chocoholics and pb addicts.

Wanna have soup?

Earlier this week I was struck with a compulsion to bake something. It had been a busy week. I hadn't slept much the night before. I was worn out and tired, and baking is one of my most fool-proof stress relievers. Furthermore, I wanted cookies.

I met Wilma when I entered the kitchen, and told her I was planning to bake something. "No," was her response. Now, I realize that I might be slightly spoiled and that it is a rare and privileged fate to never hear "no" from one's mother. However, all that this really means for me is when I am shot down in such a forthright manner, I am more than a bit taken aback.

"Really?" I asked, crestfallen.
"Well, I would rather you make something with all the vegetables we have. Like soup."

She had a point. Our refrigerator was practically exploding with kale, spinach, and the like. So I took the rational path and proceeded to soup making.

I have never been one to follow a recipe for soup, unless it is something very specific, but it can be nice to have a reference. I consulted 101cookbooks' excellent ribollita recipe in this instance, but more or less just threw everything in a pot and let it work itself out.

Soup a la Bass

* 2 tbsp olive oil
* 1 onion
* 3 leeks
* 1 bunch kale
* 1 bunch spinach
* 1 can tomatoes (crushed is good, but whole is fine)
* 1 can cannellini beans
* 4 cups vegetable broth
* 1-4 tsp chili flakes
* water
(I did not have too much variety to throw into this soup, but other possible additions would be carrots, zucchini, celery, potatoes, etc.)

Chop everything. Heat the oil in a big pot. First add the onions and leeks and sautee over medium heat for about 10 minutes. If you have a carrot and/or celery, add this now also. Next add the kale and spinach, then the tomatoes. If the tomatoes are whole, break them up as you add them (hands are the best tool). Then comes the vegetable broth (I use cubes of stock and dissolve it in hot water, but ready made broth, or homemade is also acceptable).














The 101cookbooks recipe suggested mashing up some of the beans before adding them, and leaving the rest whole. I followed this method and was pleased with the results, as it gives more richness to the soup, but leaving all the cannellinis whole would be equally delicious.














Add more water until everything is covered and/or there is enough soup to satiate all the people you want to feed. Add the chili flakes. As far as I am concerned (as usual), more is merrier, but this is a matter of taste.

Lesbian Money

Aren't birthdays the best? Almost as fun can be when your friends have birthdays. This past weekend Becky turned 23. Deciding to step out of my comfort zone, I volunteered to contribute something sweet to the edible aspect of her party. Due to time constraints I planned to stick with the unfailing crowd pleaser - chocolate chip cookies. My trusty sidekick even consented to the use of her mini peanut butter cups in the cookies. After stopping at safeway for brown sugar and bubble gum, it seemed like everything was going to work out swimmingly. Until Dani started thinking.

"Let's make something chocolatey," she said. Personally, I see nothing un-chocolatey about chocolate chip cookies, but Dani's mind was made up. Whatever we were going to make had to have a significant chocolate to anything else ratio. We consulted two baking books before concluding that we would just have to make something up ourselves.

And so were born Chocolate Becky Cookies a la Dani.

Chocolate Beckies

* 2 1/4 cups flour
* 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
* 1/2-3/4 tsp salt
* 1/2 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
* 1 cup (2 sticks) butter (salted is good. I used one salted on unsalted)
* 3/4 cups brown sugar
* 3/4 cups white sugar
* 2 huevos
* 2 tsp vanilla extract
* hella teeny pb cups, some chopped, some not (at least 1 cup)














Preheat oven to 350˚.

Have your subordinate cream the butter and sugar together (again, wooden spoon is way more badass). Add the eggs and vanilla and combine well.

We had some troubles with the dry ingredient additions. Although I usually oppose mixing them separately before together, in this case it might have been a good idea to mix the cocoa powder with the flour, bs and salt. We did not do this, and I ended up with a serious case of cocoa lung. Also, it is best to pour in the dry ingredients in 3 or so additions. Lastly, add the pb cups. If you have chocolate chips, put these in too.














The dough is sticky, so using a teaspoon to get it onto the baking sheet was helpful. Bake for about 10 minutes (I actually have no idea how long they baked for, but I believe in your ability to assess when cookies are done baking). Let them sit on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before removing or they will be extremely mushy (which is awesome unless you are trying to transport them somewhere).

Yum.

Sconsicles

On Tuesday I made scones. Not only did I make scones, I made pumpkin scones. Not only did I make pumpkin scones, I made them for a bake sale hosted by some co-workers to benefit children in developing nations. I commenced writing this post with my usual edgy wit, making biting comments about how lame pumpkin baked goods are and how I'm too cool to care about children in the third world, but then I decided that I don't want to go to hell.

Sure, I find pumpkin baking just slightly too evocative of homemaker stereotypes, and women who spend the months of november and december slaving in the kitchen for ungrateful guests and claiming to love every minute of it (what? What issues?). I also generally elect not to participate in fund raising activities, especially those benefiting something as obscure and vast and distant as impoverished children in lands far away (sorry, I can't control my inner satan). Nonetheless, on Tuesday afternoon I found myself in the kitchen, holding a can of pumpkin, and scouring my brain for what I could contribute to the bake sale.

I landed on scones. Let's be real. Scones are delicious. Yes, they are kind of wimpy in that endearing British way, especially when exacerbated by the addition of pumpkin, but they are supereasy to throw together, and challenging to ruin.

I turned to my friend joyofbaking.com and came up with this:

Pumpkin sconsicles - no nuts and NO raisins

* 2 cups flour
* 1/3 cup brown sugar
* 1/2 tsp ground ginger
* 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 1/2 tsp baking soda
* pinch o salt
* 1/2 cup cold butter
* 1/2 cup buttermilk
* 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
* 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 400˚.

Mix the flour, brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, bp, bs and salt. Crumble in the butter (most recipes will recommend a pastry cutter or two knives. I use my hands) until the mixture consists of many small balls of butter and dry ingredients.

Pour in the buttermilk and mix. Stir in the pumpkin and vanilla. Do not overmix. Divide the dough into two equal halves. Place one on a floured surface. This dough turned out pretty sticky, so I suggest using extra flour. Shape the dough into a pancake-like shape about 1 1/2 inches thick. Cut into 8 even pieces and place on a greased baking sheet. Repeat with the second half of dough. Yes, these are mini-scones. Adorable.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove, then cool on a rack.

Yumsicles.