Daring Bakers - Pizza!

This month's challenge was hosted by Rosa from Rosa's Yummy Yums and dedicated to the late Sher of What Did You Eat.

We were called upon to make our own crust and to top it with toppings of our choice. I was really excited about this challenge because I love nontraditional toppings and looked forward to the opportunity to make pizza my way. Rosa's recipe from The Bread Baker's Apprentice promised a "tasty, thin, crispy, yet chewy pizza crust". And it delivered. The technique used is cold fermentation with the first rise happening overnight in the fridge. The dough was quick and simple, coming together smoothly by hand. It was extremely elastic and pliable, stretching easily when I went to toss it (something I was really bad at). I've only had the chance to make one pizza, but I still have 7-8 small dough balls in the freezer, so it's going to be a delicious few weeks.

Basic Pizza Dough
Makes 6 pizza crusts (about 9-12 inches)

4 1/2 cups unbleached high-gluten (14%) bread flour or all purpose flour, chilled (I used all purpose)
1 3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp instant yeast
1/4 cup olive oil or vegetable oil (both optional, but better with)
1 3/4 cup water, ice cold
1 tbsp sugar
semolina/durum flour or cornmeal for dusting

Day 1:
In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and yeast. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the water, oil, and sugar. Mix well and then knead to a smooth ball (about 5-7 minutes).

Dust a board and pour some oil into a large bowl. Turn the dough out onto the floured board and cut into 6 pieces, or smaller if you're making smaller pizzas. Coat in oil (especially if you're storing the dough in the freezer) and wrap in plastic. Dough can rest in the fridge for 2-3 days or up to 3 months in the freezer. Just be sure to move the frozen dough to the fridge the night before you plan on making the pizza.

Day 2:
About 2 hours before you're planning on making the pizza, take the dough out of the fridge and place them on a dusted board. Gently press the dough balls into disks about 1/2 inch thick and 5 inches in diameter. Cover lightly and let them rise for 2 hours.

45 minutes before you are ready to make the pizza, preheat the oven to 500 degrees and heat up your pizza stone. If you don't have a pizza stone, a regular baking sheet would work, just don't preheat it. Toss or press the dough into desired size. Sprinkle pizza stone or baking sheet with cornmeal or durum flour and lay the dough on top.

Now go to town with the toppings! Once you've topped to your heart's content (remember that less is usually better in this case), bake in the preheated 500 degrees oven for 8-10 minutes.

I made my personal pizza with:

• Roasted garlic white sauce
• Caramelized onions
• Yellow and green squash
• Mozzarella, Asiago, Provolone, Parmesan shredded cheese blend
• Greek feta crumbles

The roasted garlic white sauce was just a basic roux and milk sauce base with mashed roasted garlic stirred in, seasoned simply with salt and pepper.



The red onions were cut thin, then sauteed in olive oil over low heat until they're soft and caramelized (about 25-30 minutes since I didn't make much). A pinch of salt sped up the process.


The yellow and green squash were cut into thin rounds, rubbed with olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, and briefly grilled.

And assemblage:

sauce and 4-cheese blend

caramelized onions go on top

grilled squash and feta cheese


Baked and ready to eat ^^

Hello Fall...

Ok, so it doesn't feel like fall up here in the Bay Area. The days have been clear and pleasantly warm. But the spirit of fall is here, and with it the welcoming excitement of the holiday season. Soon the fiery leaves will dance in the snappy breeze, scarves and gloves will make an appearance, and fireplaces will alight with cheery flames. It's time to bust out the roasting pans and pie dishes, for the house to smell like turkey and spices. But first up...Halloween :)

My friend Agnes hosted a pumpkin carving party this weekend (she was aghast that so many of us have been deprived of attacking giant orange things with knives). The weather was gorgeous in Marin on Saturday and a group of us frolicked in the pumpkin patch, doing the whole wheelbarrow thing and everything. Here's our handiwork, all lit up...


I made cornbread for the occasion. I like the moist, sweet, cake-like cornbread, so that's what I made. Apparently, this style isn't traditional Southern. But I prefer it this way. Everything is made in one pot, so easy cleanup. I used just shy of 2/3 cup of sugar in this and drizzle the top of the batter with honey (which explains the crosshatch pattern in the picture) before baking. It's definitely on the sweet side and in this case I didn't mind it (but I have been having a major sweet tooth this weekend). You might want to decrease the sugar to 1/2 cup or even less.

Grandmother's Buttermilk Cornbread (from allrecipes)
Make 1 8x8 square pan

1 stick butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk (I used 1 cup milk with 1/2 tsp vinegar added in)
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Melt butter in a pot. Remove from heat and add in sugar. Add in eggs and whisk quickly to prevent eggs from curdling. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into butter mixture. Add in cornmeal, flour, and salt. Stir until combined and a few lumps remain.

Pour into a greased 8x8 pan and bake in a preheated 375 degrees oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.


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Edit
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I made another batch tonight and played around the recipe to reduce the fat. So here's what I came up with. The procedure is the same.

1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup low-fat yogurt
1/3 cup white sugar
2 tbsp honey
1 cup non-fat milk + 1/2 tsp vinegar
2 eggs
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda (I added extra by accident)
1/4 tsp salt

This version was moist and tasty as well, but not as dense as the original. The texture was quite spongy and light.

Sweet Clover Rolls

The lovely and talented Miriam baked crescent rolls using this recipe a few weeks ago. Served with honey butter, they were amazingly good. Here's my rendition.

Sweet Clover Rolls
makes 18 rolls

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 egg
2 1/2 tsp yeast
1 tsp salt
3 3/4 cup all-purpose flour


Heat up water, milk, sugar, and butter until butter is melted and liquid is warm. Sprinkle on yeast. Let the mixture stand for about 10-15 minutes to revive the yeast; the end mixture should be foamy.

In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture, beaten egg, and salt. Add the flour cup by cup to form a smooth dough. Cover and let the dough rise for about an hour. Pinch off about 1-inch rounds and place 3 of them in one muffin tin. They'll bake into pretty clovers. Let them rise for another 20 minutes, then bake in a preheated 400 degrees oven for 11-13 minutes until they are golden brown.

Serve with honey butter, and try to not eat the whole batch in one sitting.


I made 12 of these clover rolls and used the rest for miniature cinnamon rolls. Roll out the dough into a rectangle, spread with softened butter, sprinkle with lots of brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts, and then roll tightly. Slice into 1 1/4" thick rolls and place into a butter pan. Let it rise for 20 minutes and bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Daring Bakers - Danish Braid (chocolate croissants, etc.)

Finally. I'm sorry I'm so so late for June's challenge. I've been busy getting settled with my internship, continuing with Taekwondo and starting Judo. I've also ran out of eggs and sugar (how is that possible in my kitchen?!) I finally finished the laminated dough yesterday and assembled and baked the pastries today.

I was really excited for this challenge. I love croissants and danishes and I looked forward to playing around with different flavor combinations. I've been leery of making laminated dough before because of the sheer amount of butter involved. But after making buttercream that calls for 3 sticks of butter, 2 doesn't seem so bad ^.*

I made enough dough for 2 whole danish braids, but I'm taking my time baking them off. I know if I bake it all, I'll also eat it all. I used a third of the dough today for 2 small braids, 2 mini plain croissants, a chocolate croissant, and a pinwheel danish. I filled some of them with the caramel apple filling and the rest with bittersweet chocolate. The chocolate filling was just a small block of Belgian bittersweet chocolate. Once the chocolate croissant and braid had cooled a bit, I drizzled them with melted bittersweet chocolate. OMG, so good. I have to give the rest away before I eat it all.

For the dough (detrempe):
Makes 2-1/2 pounds dough

For detrempe:

1 tbsp active yeast
1/2 cup whole milk (I used 2%)
1/3 cup sugar
zest of 1 orange, finely grated (omitted)
zest of 1 lemon, finely grated (omitted)
3/4 tsp ground cardamom (omitted)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped (omitted)
2 large eggs, chilled, lightly beaten
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt

For beurrage (butter block):

2 sticks cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour


To make dough:

Detrempe (direction for manual method):

• Combine yeast and milk in a bowl. Add in beaten egg, orange juice, sugar, vanilla, cardamom, vanilla bean, and zest. Mix until well blended.
  
• In another bowl sift together flour and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the wet ingredients.
  
• Bring the flour into the wet mixture. Knead until smooth (about 5 minutes). Add more flour if it is sticky (the feel of the dough depends on the humidity). Transfer the dough ball into a floured board and pat into a rectangle. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Beurrage:

• Cut butter into small cubes or grate using a box grater
  
• Combine butter and flour in a bowl with high sides and beat until smooth and lump-free
  
• I cubed my butter and tried to use a hand-held electric mixer on it. I got flying pieces of butter everywhere. So instead I mashed the butter into the flour with the back of a spoon, then used the mixer to smooth it out at the end. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  

To make laminated dough:

• After the detrempe has chilled for 30 minutes, turn it out onto a slightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a 18x13 inch rectangle (approximately 1/4 inch thick).
  
• Spread the butter on the right 2/3 of the dough. Fold the left 1/3 (the portion without butter) to the right, covering half the butter. Fold the right 1/3 of the rectangle over the center third. You should never fold butter onto itself. This is the first turn. Wrap the rectangle and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  
• Place the dough lengthwise on a floured surface (the short ends should be to your left and right). Roll the dough into another 18x13 inch rectangle (approximately 1/4 inch thick) Again, fold the left 1/3 over the center third and the right 1/3 over the center third. This is the second turn. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  
• Repeat the process two more times for a total of 4 turns. After the final turn, refrigerate the dough for 5 hours or overnight. If not using the dough within 24 hours, wrap tightly in plastic and freeze. Defrost the dough in the refrigerator for easy handling.
  

Caramel Apple Filling
Makes enough for 2 braids

4 Fuji or other apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
1/2 cup sugar (I used brown sugar)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped (omitted)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (I used orange)
4 tbsp unsalted butter

Heat the butter in a pan over medium heat until slightly brown and nutty. Add the sliced apples, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and lemon juice. Saute for 10-15 minutes until apples are softened and the butter sugar mixture has reduced to coat the apple slices in luscious strands. Let the apples cool completely before using as a filling (and try to avoid eating all of them). Leftover apples can be used as a topping for ice cream, cheesecake, oatmeal, or just eaten straight out of the bowl.



Danish Braid

1/2 recipe of the above danish dough
1 cup apple filling, jam, preserves, etc.
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk (for egg wash)

To assemble:

• Roll danish dough into a 15x20 rectangle (1/4 inch thick). Place on a parchment-papered baking sheet to assemble.
  
• Along the long side of the pasty, make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts, each about 1-inch apart, making sure to line up the cuts with the other side.
  
• Spoon the filling of your choice down the center of the rectangle.
  
• Starting with the top and bottom "flaps", fold the top flat down and the bottom flat up to cover the filling. Next fold the side strips over the filling, alternating left and right, until finished.
  
• Beat together the whole egg and yolk in a bowl. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the braid.
  
• I was out of eggs by this point, so I just brushed the pastries with milk.

To Proof and Bake:

• Spray cooking oil onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid. Proof at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until doubled in volume and light to the touch. My braid didn't rise too much during this process.
  
• Near the end of proofing, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Position a rack in the center of the oven.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake about 15- 20 minutes more, or until golden brown. The baking time will be shortened if you are making smaller braids or danishes.
  
• Since my braids and danishes were smaller, I only baked them for 8-10 minutes after reducing the temperature.
  
• Cool and serve the braid either warm from the oven or at room temperature.
  

fold left 1/3 over middle 1/3

fold right 1/3 over middle 1/3

Orange and Cranberries

I'm out of brown sugar and I'm still cutting weight, the combination of which rules out baking a lot of my favorite things. So no more gooey chocolate chip cookies, chewy oatmeal raisin, moist banana bread...But I did come across this recipe on Nicole's blog Baking Bites for Orange Cranberry Bread. With no butter and only 1 egg and 2 tbsp of oil, I thought it was a fairly good compromise.

Despite the lack of (a lot of) fats, the bread came out moist and delicious. The crumb was brilliantly golden, dotted with pops of red from the cranberries. The orange flavor was surprisingly pronounced, pairing well with the tartness of cranberry. The crunch from the walnuts and pecans added an extra layer of texture. I ate almost the entire loaf myself (what did I expect when I leave it out on the counter with a knife next to it) so I'm planning on baking another one next week to take to Stanford for post-weigh-in snacking.

I highly recommend using fresh orange juice and orange zest for this recipe, since it is such a major flavor. I also reduced the sugar by 1/4 cup and found the bread to be just sweet enough. The batter was quite thick when I followed Nicole's recipe, so I added a tablespoon of milk to it to loosen it slightly. It will still be stiff going into the pan, but just spread it out in an even layer, and it'll bake up beautifully.

Orange Cranberry Nut Bread - adapted from Baking Bites
Makes 1 9x5 inch loaf

2 cups flour
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 1/2 tbsp orange zest
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp milk
1 cup frozen or fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped if large
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts and pecans)

Rub sugar and orange zest together until orange zest is distributed well. Add to flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir well to combine. Add in orange juice, oil, milk, and egg. Stir until just mixed. Fold in the fresh (or frozen) cranberries, dried cranberries, and nuts. Pour into greased loaf pan. The batter will be slightly stiff.

Bake in a 375 degrees preheated oven for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool, slice, and enjoy

Daring Bakers - Julia Child's French Bread

The weather up at Berkeley has been temperamental. It's been a week of sun, a week of rain, a week of sun, cycle repeats. This weekend, unfortunately, was rain. I prefer working with yeast when it's warm outside, but since time is running out for this month's challenge, I made the bread to the sound of falling rain.

The process wasn't hard and since I like making bread, I had an enjoyable time. I have to admit though, I've never made anything so time intensive. I started at 9:30 in the morning, finished the first rise around 1:30pm, the second by 3:30, shaped the loaves and let them rise until 5:30, and finished baking them off at 6:45. I went out to dinner (since I couldn't eat the darn thing yet), and sampled the bread at around midnight.

The looks of them weren't beautiful, which is why I only have one shot of the somewhat decent-looking boule. I've never free-formed bread before; it's a lot harder than it looks. The taste though, that mattered more.

I whipped out the bread knife, pulled it through the golden crispy crust, smelled the delicious yeastiness perfuming the air, and took a look at the fruits of my labor. Webs of white, lots of holes, just like the bread I buy from Acme Breads. I popped a slice into the toaster oven, waiting impatiently as the slice turned golden. Mmmm...crispy crust, warm chewy crumb, slightly salty....it was wonderful. And I sliced some more...and some more...It's amazing how yeast, water, flour, and salt - four simple ingredients - can produce such a tasty morsel.

Julia Child's French Bread
It's a long recipe, so I linked it...




Flour, yeast, salt, and water all mixed and kneaded, waiting for the first rise










After the first rise














I let the dough rise in an warm oven (turn it on to 150 degree, turn it off, and maintain the temperature at around 70 degrees) because it was so cold that day. The dough rose beautifully the first two times. It didn't rise as much after I shaped the dough though (not three times the size, as the recipe said). I also had problems transferring the dough from the rising sheet and my baking sheet (I'll probably just use the same one next time). That was why my batard looked so ugly (tasty as it was, it was sadly deformed). The boule and rolls looked better, though I had issues slashing the top (my knife wasn't sharp enough).

All in all, my first challenge was successful. I had a lot of fun and the recipe turned out really well. I can't wait for next month :)

the overripe and the blue...

It seems that we always have a bunch of bananas getting brown and overripe. So they become excuses to make either banana pancakes, banana muffins, or banana bread. Instead of adding in the usual chopped walnuts or chocolate chips, I threw in some blueberries. Toss the berries with some flour to prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the bread during baking. I like this recipe for moist banana bread - they keep well and are wonderful with a cup of hot tea. The blueberries add a burst of sweetness against the mellow banana flavor.

Blueberry Banana Bread
make 1 9x5 loaf

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
a pinch salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
5 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large bananas)
1/3 cup fresh blueberries
1 tbsp all purpose flour

Cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Add in beaten egg and mashed bananas, and mix well. Stir in vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add to banana mixture and mix until just combined. Add in milk, being careful not to overmix. Toss blueberries in 1 tablespoon flour to coat; add to batter and gently fold in. Pour batter into greased loaf pan and bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 60-65 minutes, until the top is golden brown and cracked, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

little eukaryotes...

I started working with yeast a few months ago, baking my first loaf of bread - honey oat. I then proceeded to make a second loaf of honey oat the next day, then a batch of French bread, then cinnamon rolls, raised cakes, Chinese-style buns, etc. I was pretty much hooked on working with yeast. I love kneading the dough, working it from a sticky mess to elastic smoothness; I love the smell of rising bread.

Finding myself deprived of bread when I came home, I set out to make myself something. I turned to my trusted recipe with a few modifications.

Honey Walnut Bread
make 1 9x5 loaf

1 1/4 cup warm water
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp salt
3 1/4 cup all purpose flour
4 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped

Dissolve honey in warm water, add oil, and sprinkle over yeast. Mix until yeast has dissolved and let sit for a few minutes until foamy. In a separate bowl, combine flour and salt. Add yeast mixture to dry ingredients and knead for 10-15 minutes, until dough is elastic and smooth. Cover and let rise in a warm area until double in size. Punch dough down and add in walnut. Place dough into bread pan and let rise again. Bake in 350 degrees preheated oven for 35 minutes. Brush top with a mixture of honey and milk during the last 10 minutes of baking to obtain a golden and sweet crust.

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I used the bread for eggs-in-a-basket the next morning.
I like the yolk runny :)