Lazy day

I woke up to a world of white this morning after my short night...I stayed up late since I have to be in bed again by 1:00 pm for my overnight shift tonight. There is something so peaceful about a big snow. Right now it is just coming down in light flurries, and after the huge breakfast/brunch I just had, I am ready for some shoveling and snow angels.

But I am out of bread. So, instead of making breakfast first thing this morning, I got the dough going for some sandwich bread. The recipe is basically from On Baking with some minor refinement. It is super easy and rises quickly. The last several times I've made this bread, I needed two loaves, but today I plan on freezing one after fermentation. This is after you let it rise in the bowl, portion and shape it. Sour dough bread is extremely difficult to thaw and bake (I haven't been successful yet), but I am hoping this recipe will be easier. I'll find out next week!

Here is the recipe:
NOTE: You will need a scale. If you don't have or want whole wheat, just use all bread flour. And remember to adjust your water temperature! Last time I made it, I used 90 degree water, this time I needed 100.

Sandwich Bread

Yield: 2 large loaves

Method: Straight dough

Fermentation: 1 to 1 ½ hours

Proofing: 30-60 minutes

-Adjust water temp according to surroundings AND ingredients

-Soften butter

-ALWAYS keep dough covered to keep from drying out, except in proofer

-Remember yeast ratios

            Compressed: ½ less than Dry Active

            Dry Active: ½ less than Instant

Preheat Oven: 

-400° for large loaves to 200° (approx. 35 min)

-375° for sm. loaves/rolls to 190° (approx 20 min)

-Place old sheet pan in oven now for placing water in during baking

Active Dry Yeast                                    .5 oz                                                 15 g

Water, temp controlled*                        12 oz                                                  360 ml

-Dissolve yeast

Nonfat dry milk powder                        1.25 oz                                                35 g

Bread flour                                            12 oz                                                   360 g

GS                                                         1 oz                                                     30g

Salt                                                       .5 oz                                                    15 g

-Blend together in mixer

-Add yeast mixture

Butter, softened                                        1 oz                                              30 g

Eggs, rm temp                                          3.2 oz (approx. 2 eggs)                100 g

-Add to bowl

-Stir together w/ dough hook

-Scrap bowl as needed

Bread flour                                                6 oz                                                180g

Whole wheat flour                                    6 oz                                                 180 g

-Blend together

-Add to mixture, a little at a time

-Knead w/ dough hook until combined & dough reaches 77°*

-Windowpane test

-Splash some veg oil in bowl, mix 10 seconds on low

-Cover & place in a warm spot

-Ferment until doubled (approx 1-1 ½  hours)

-Punch down dough & let rest 5 min.

-Divide into loaves, rolls or cloverleaf rolls (3 balls placed together in a muffin pan)

-Spray pan with cooking spray; I like to also sprinkle with corn meal.

-Proof until doubled or freeze

Egg wash (whole or whites. Will produce thick crust)  OR spritz with water                

-Brush or spritz as needed

-Place in oven

-Pour 1 C of extremely hot tap water in sheet pan

-CLOSE DOOR IMMEDIATELY

-Bake at 400° for large loaves to 200° (approx. 35 min)

-Bake at 375° for sm. loaves/rolls to 190° (approx 20 min)

Your nonstick pan: cast iron

It may have always been in your cupboard, shoved in the corner under the rest of your pans. It may have been the overlooked pan given to you by your grandmother. You may have thought, "She's giving me this old pan because it's so heavy." But what she was giving you was her best pan in her kitchen.

Cast iron has been apart of our kitchens for centuries.  I have a friend that was ecstatic when he found an old pan in his mother's basement that was over 100 years old. As a historian, he celebrated the significance of the find, but as a camper, he couldn't wait to try it out on his family's next outing, "Nothing is like peach cobbler in a cast iron pan over a camp fire," he claimed. And I don't doubt it.

I've been thinking lately about cast iron and since making the cornbread this past week, I need to re-season my wedge pan.

Anyway, I have learned to really appreciate cast iron. Prior to culinary school and having any knowledge of how things really cook, I loved the look and history of cast iron, but now I can add that I love the cooking ability of cast iron too.

Cast iron is the original nonstick pan. It cooks evenly and can go from stove to oven without a problem, and as already discussed, lasts forever (if properly maintained). Need to sear steaks, not a problem. Cook coq au vin, no sweat. And hash browns fried in bacon fat...oh, they are the greatest. I can even fry or scramble eggs without an issue. And don't forget desserts. I used my dutch oven last week for the rice pudding, but I still need try that cobbler.

The secret is in the pan. Cast iron, because of its weight and density retains heat, so once it's hot, it stays that way. You should heat it slowly and spray it with vegetable oil (or bacon fat) prior to cooking, especially if your pan is newly seasoned. After it cools, wash in warm water and let it air dry. You may wish to dry it by heating it on low on your stove or placing it in the oven. Do not use soap or wash it in the dishwasher (it will rust...but if that happens, scour it and re-season it. I'm telling you, these pans last). If you happen to get a burned on spot, I heat my pan with a little water in it, but after doing so will always re-season it. You could also scrub the spot with coarse salt and hot water.

To season your pan: You may season your pan in a variety of ways. Some use melted shortening (this is what the Lodge site advises) while others use only olive oil (but I wouldn't, olive oil turns rancid if over heated), and Alton Brown suggests using solid shortening (& a different seasoning procedure all together). But regardless of your choice in oil, make sure you completely cover the pan...top, bottom, and handle. Directions for heating the pan in the oven also range significantly from 300-500 degrees, but the objective is to cook the fat into the pan without leaving a sticky residue. So after you determine your oven temp (Lodge suggests 350-400 degrees), place aluminum foil on the bottom of your oven to catch any drips. Bake the pan for one hour, turn off the oven and let it cool. Store uncovered in a cool, dry location...but not shoved in the corner under all the rest of your pans anymore. I hope this is your pan of choice whenever you fry, saute, sear, roast, bake or braise.

For more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cast-iron_cookware
http://www.cookingincastiron.com/
http://www.staubusa.com/
http://www.lodgemfg.com/
http://www.lecreuset.com/

Well, that batch gets tossed

So, here I am writing how baking is easy if you just follow the instructions....

The BakeWise muffin recipe calls for fresh berries, and although I know it's a delicate batter with low gluten, guess what I did anyway? Yes, I used frozen blueberries. And the batch failed. Out it goes (literally into the trash...it was a runny & gooey mess even after 45 minutes) and onto making my ol' stand-by recipe, whipping it together in just enough time to get to school. It's a good thing I did though; seven kids devoured 20 (regular sized) muffins in two hours. That seems a lot to me, but maybe I'm still learning kids' eating habits?

I like my old recipe, but not enough to keep it. So, I plan to tweak it, and see where it goes. I hope to post a new recipe in the next month or so.

So, do as I say, and not as I do...make sure you really read, and then follow the instructions of your baking recipes. Yes, there are times where you may substitute and add ingredients, but be prepared to fail and start over (but I would suggest not to do this when you have to take muffins to school that day). And I certainly don't mind failing, because as we all know, that is sometimes the best way to learn.

Hope you all have sunshine like we do on this beautiful winter's day!

Scrambled Eggs!

My quest for achieving the best scrambled eggs was a long one. My grandmother, Colleen, made the best. We would visit her for a week every summer, and I would always request, "Grandma's eggs." They were always soft and creamy. Not that my mother's were anything to complain about, but they just weren't the same. But did I ever think to ask what Grandma did? No. I guess I had more fun trying to figure it out. I tried mixing them with water or with milk. I tried to be cautious of how much I whipped the eggs or the length of time they sat before actually being cooked. But I always used nonstick spray in the pan. When I changed to butter, I had it figured out. Butter, go figure. ~As a side note, check this out:  
http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/519-why-butter-is-better.html

However,  I have since refined my scrambled egg cooking even further. The method I now use produces an almost a custard like texture.

Place whole eggs in a cold pan, add butter, heat slowly while breaking up the eggs. This method can take 7-10 minutes or longer depending on the amount of eggs. But they are sooo good. And now they are referred to as "Mommy's eggs." Can it get any better than that?

Bread Day

Yesterday I started with Bread Day. I made banana bread in the morning, followed up with sesame-peanut breadsticks to have with lunch. While making chili, I threw together some skillet cornbread, and after dinner I made the starter for the sour dough pancakes we're having tonight for dinner. My family always loves breakfast for dinner!

I had planned to make the banana bread for breakfast, but as I was mise en placing (organizing) my recipe, I noticed that when I originally transcribed it, I had forgotten the flour. The recipe was from my baking instructor, so there was no point in trying to find the original. Instead, I chose Shirley Corriher's recipe from BakeWise. Many times Shirley adds buttermilk and/or whip cream to her recipes to soften the crumb and create an extremely moist product. Although the baking times were off significantly, the bread was unbelievable. Where many recipes call for two bananas per loaf, this one required 4-5. And the toasted pecans hit a home run. It was moist, light and full of banana goodness.

The other great thing about Shirley's recipes (besides that I haven't had a bad one) is that she always tells you why you are doing something: the whipped cream, oil instead of butter (add to moistness), muffin method vs creaming method, etc.

The sesame-peanut breadsticks came from Coyote Cafe's Flavored Breads by Mark Miller (who has long since sold the Cafe). I was looking for something to compliment the Asian flavors of my Thai one-pot, and the sticks were it. I would, however, add some cayenne or other pepper to give it a nice kick through the nuttiness. The recipe was easy and didn't take long to rise. It is a soft dough, something I am not as comfortable with (I like my sour dough, but more on that later), so it was all good.

The cornbread recipe was created yesterday. Although it was very good, I'm not convinced. I was looking for simple and full of corn flavor, so I mixed only 25% AP flour with med-coarse cornmeal. I also used buttermilk instead of regular milk, so I think that lightened it, but the problem was still the texture. The AP flour separated and sank to the bottom of my cast iron skillet (or the cornmeal rose). I am wondering if it had to do with my oven temp. which was set at 350. Definitely something to work on.

Today is another bread day. My daughter asked me to make giant blueberry muffins for an after school activity. This is one of my favorite recipes from Shirley Corriher. Her blueberries and cream muffins uses her same muffin method of oil, buttermilk and whipped cream. She also uses baking powder instead of soda to increase the acidity (the lemon and orange zest help too) which in turn helps create higher peaked muffins.

I am also making a white sandwich bread today. I usually make sour dough, but since I just fed "Mother" last night after making the pancake starter, I thought I would make something different. The recipe comes from On Baking, my textbook from my baking class. And of course, the last bread item of the day is finishing the pancakes and topping them off with real and local maple syrup.

Here I go!

This is where I plan to write about my journey in becoming a pastry chef. I have already started by attending culinary classes, and I am currently working as a pastry cook for a resort. I love it!

But instead of attending classes this semester, for a variety of reasons, I decided to explore what I have already learned, refine my recipes, and overcome my fear of certain techniques (like keeping chocolate tempered!)  I thought about doing something similar to the Julie-Julia project by going through a baking text like Shirley Corriher's BakeWise or Roland Mesnier's Dessert University, but it didn't seem like the right idea. So, as I mentioned before, what I do plan to do is concentrate on specific areas that I want to improve and refine. For example, I'll focus on bread for a couple days, chocolate on another, pie crusts and then maybe fondant work. Much of my schedule will depend on when I work. Right now, I'm on the overnight shift (10 p.m. to 6 a.m.), so that presents its own challenges.

I think the first step, however, is to introduce myself and give you the reason I'm here today. My nickname is Cat and this is a very different career path from the one I started; this is my second chance. When I was younger, I hated to bake, but I have always loved to cook. However, when I was diagnosed with an intolerance to both lactose and gluten, I had to drastically change my eating habits. Fortunately, I no longer have these dietary restrictions, but that time had a profound effect on my life. The largest was discovering that the science of baking was intriguing, and that I wanted to learn more about the formulas that make baking work. But I also wanted to learn the art of baking as well. Pretty birthday cakes are fun, but nothing is more beautiful to me than layers of laminated dough (Danish, croissant, puff). So...I'm a bit of a nerd.

When I finally fell in love with baking, I fell hard. Many focus on a particular area, for example: pastry, cake decorating, or baking breads. But I haven't decided which path I should follow, or if I should follow any path at all. One of the benefits of working at a resort is that I may work on breads and breakfast pastries one night and then work a day shift (4 a.m.-noon) where I work on cakes, tarts and components for plated desserts for our fine dining restaurant. I have also learned to a assemble dessert buffet for 1000 guests or preset plated desserts for 450. So, perhaps, as this self discovery unfolds, I may find a focus that intrigues me more than another.

I can't wait to get started! It's time to have some fun!