Tuesday, December 29, 2009

E is for English Muffins







A couple of friends received little Christmas gift bags filled with english muffins.  It was a spontaneous gift, or kinda spontaneous...meaning, I didn't sit down and write out a gift list in August and next to Lisa's name write english muffins, but rather I had some freshly baked english muffins on the counter, I was heading to work on Christmas Eve, thought of Lisa, etc...of course, spontaneous can be a multi-step process.  F'rinstance, before giving them I asked Nik (as I oft do), "Is that too wierd?"  Nik obligingly answers, "She'll be glad to get them."  But it was just a little before 6:00 in the morning and I had to wake him up to ask him and he probably would have said anything to get me to turn off the light and let him go back to sleep.  So, not quite satisfied with his first opinion, I actually toasted up one of the english muffins, spread it lovingly (and generously) with butter and raspberry jam, woke him up again and said "Taste this...is it okay?"  Because he is Nik, he opened his eyes, said "mmmm" even before taking a bite, chewed thoughtfully and said, "Yes, it's good."  It was early (still dark out, in fact), they aren't really pretty english muffins, and they did taste (I thought) a little malty (not a flavor some people might enjoy in the morning), so I pressed further and asked, "Really?  Is it okay?"  His eyes were closed again by this time, he was starting to roll over (away from me), and I think I heard him say, "mm hmmm."  Convinced, or at least more confident, that english muffins were an okay gift item, I went to work and delivered them to Lisa C....along with caveats and instructions and after-thoughts. 

The next morning, Christmas morning, I again toasted up an english muffin.  Wearing red and green flannel and my old man slippers, sipping a cup of hot coffee, sitting in front of the twinkling Christmas tree just as the sun was coming up, surrounded by 3 of 4 dogs, a little sleepy and a little excited because it was Christmas...english muffins seemed at that moment like the perfect food/gift.  Not too malty at all, temptingly crunchy and chewy at the same time, lots of nooks and crannies (which seem to be the hallmark of a good english muffin) for butter and jam, and (were it not for the butter) fairly healthy given that they are made with several whole grains.  These english muffins weren't just comfort food...they were cozy food.  Deep breath, take another sip of coffee, close your eyes, smile...a cozy start to a really nice Christmas day.


English Muffins
(adapted from Breads from La Brea Bakery, by Nancy Silverton)
Yield:  approx 17-20
SPONGE
Liquid Levain (sourdough starter).................18 oz
Skim Milk.............................................2 cups
Bread Flour...........................................8 oz
Rye Flour.............................................3 1/2 oz
1.  Mix the Sponge ingredients thoroughly in stand mixer bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and let it ferment at room temperature for 2 hours.

DOUGH
Sponge.................................all of the above
Water (room temp)..................10 oz
Active Dry Yeast......................1 Tbl
Bran Cereal (crushed)................1/2 cup
Flax Seeds.............................1/4 cup
Spelt Flakes............................1/4 cup
Cornmeal...............................1/4 cup
Bread Flour.............................8 oz
Barley Malt Syrup......................4 Tbl
Vegetable Oil..........................4 Tbl
Kosher Salt.............................1 Tbl
Semolina Flour/Cornmeal.............for dusting
Melted butter..........................2 Tbl
1.  In a small bowl (or measuring cup) rehydrate the yeast in the water.
2.  Add the rehydrated yeast mixture, crushed bran cereal, flax seeds, spelt, cornmeal, flour, malt syrup, and vegetable oil to the sponge in the mixer bowl.  With paddle attachment, mix on low until all ingredients are combined, about 1-2 minutes.  Increase speed to medium and continue to mix for 6 minutes.  The dough will be VERY wet but should begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl as it is mixing.  Add a small amount of flour if you do not see a very very wet dough forming.  Add the salt and continue to mix on medium for 2 minutes. 
3.  Cover with plastic and let rise until doubled (it will come to the top of the mixer bowl), about 1 1/2 hours.  (Dough can be refrigerated at this time...but watch it in the 'fridge, it may try to flow over the edges of the bowl).
4.  Line baking sheets with parchment and dust generously with semolina or cornmeal.  Brush inside of baking rings with the melted butter and set them on the baking sheets.

5.  With a plastic dough scraper, scoop the dough out of the bowl in portions big enough to fill each ring nearly full.  (May need to wet your hands with water and spread the dough to fill the ring -- though it will continue to look sloppy and a bit uneven.)
6.  Let them sit at room temp, uncovered, for an hour - they will rise slightly during this time.  Preheat oven to 400.
7.  Sprinkle with dough with semolina or cornmeal and bake for 20 minutes.  Rotate the trays and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.  The tops will be slightly browned when done.
8.  Let cool and remove from rings. 
9.  When serving, split in half with fork and toast.  (WARNING:  these are not so good untoasted)




Thursday, December 24, 2009

Merry Christmas!!


Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!




Thursday, December 17, 2009

D is for Donuts


Donuts are a guilty pleasure for me.  Of course, membership in that quirky club is not terribly exclusive...a healthy dedicated neurosis such as mine lends itself to a broad and varied guilty pleasure repetoire.  Along with donuts (because they are a fried and relatively large snack), some of my other rather ridiculous guilty pleasures include: turning the stove all the way up to High (because it seems excessive),  Diet Coke before noon (because soda is not a breakfast item, of course), reading for more than an hour at a time (because that seems so nonproductive), ordering something other than The Big Salad when we go out to eat (again, because it just seems excessive), and generally taking credit for something good (because it wasn't that hard and I really didn't do it all by myself and because Nik helped...). 

I like to think that one of my motto's is Don't Think So Much but I realize that the simple fact that I have more than one motto is proof enough that, yes...I do think too much.  And isn't that what quirks (or neuroses, if you must) are...cognitive overflow?  Thinking too much about what time it is when I pop open a Diet Coke, or thinking too much about if anyone will notice that I have worn the same shirt for the past 3 Thursdays.  Worrying if my socks are a couple of shades too dark, relative to the pants that I am wearing.  These are not worries that require counseling or pharmeceuticals, fear not...but they have been present on a daily basis. 

I do believe that there probably was a time when my guilty pleasures/quirks/neuroses played a greater role in shaping my daily behavior...a time when these worries/facts crossed the line from being merely a passing thought to actually prompting a behavioral change.  The process worked something like this...Quirk leads to behavior leads to thinking about the quirk and the behavior which leads to worrying about what will happen next time.  And all that takes alot of energy.  I can't talk to you right now, I'm worrying about my socks. 

And if I'm going to worry about soda or socks or any number of seemingly trivial facts of life, why not just go for it and start worrying about what impression you are making or what people are saying about you when you leave a room or worrying if you are doing as good a job as other people, or the fact that the universe is contunually expanding.  Really, soda and socks are entry-level anxieties, there are so many bigger problems to tackle...if you think about it.  Don't.

But I went to culinary school for my 40th birthday.  And it changed my life, truly.  40 years is a long time to worry about socks.  And I'm really not sure why, but as the mixers were turning and the dough was rising, and as I was learning to shape bread and roll croissants, I also learned to let go of so much that got in the way during that first 40 years.  Baking bread is/was/continues to be therapeutic.  It's ancient and basic.  It's tactile.  It's satisfying.  A few simple ingredients, a little manual labor, heat, and you have bread...there's no hiding, no excuses, no faking it...bread is what it is.  If it is good, eat it and enjoy.  If it isn't good, well then we eat it anyway and make it better the next time. 

I think that has become my new motto...If it's good, eat it and enjoy; it if isn't good, eat it anyway and make it better next time. 

Baked Donuts

Yield:  Approx. 2 1/2 dozen
These donuts are baked, rather than fried, making them slightly less of a guilty pleasure.  And the dough is soft and alive and makes sweet little breakfast treats that almost melt if your mouth.  Enjoy them...and don't think so much. 

AP Flour..................................785 grams
Warm Milk...............................361 grams
Active Dry Yeast........................2 1/4 tsp (1 env)
Sugar.....................................64 grams
Salt.......................................16 grams
Eggs......................................106 grams
Cinnamon................................1/4 tsp
Nutmeg...................................3 grams
Softened Butter.........................180 grams
Currants..................................255 grams

Melted Butter............................2 oz
Vanilla Sugar.............................1 1/2 cups

1.  In mixer bowl, rehydrate the yeast in the milk.
2.  Add all the other ingredients except butter and currants.
3.  With paddle, mix on low speed until all ingredients are moistened and dough begins to develop (about 2-3 minutes).
4.  Add the softened butter and mix on medium for additional 4-6 minutes.  Dough will be soft but cohesive. 
5.  Add currants and mix on low until currents are evenly incorporated.  May need to knead a few minutes by hand to thoroughly incorporate the currants.
6.  Round the dough into a ball, place in mixer bowl, cover with plastic and let rise 1 hour.
7.  Preheat oven to 425.  Line sheet pans with parchment or Silpat.
8.  Roll dough to approx 1/2-inch thick.  Cut with donut cutter or with large and small round cookie cutters (I used a 3-inch round).  Lightly knead the scraps together and reroll. 
9.  Place donuts on prepared pans, cover and let rise approx 90 minutes (they will be puffy but not quite doubled in size).
10.  Brush with melted butter before baking.  Bake for 10-12 minutes (Do Not Overbake).
11.  Remove from the oven, brush with melted butter while still hot, and roll lightly in Vanilla sugar.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

C is for Chocolate Car Cake




Little Jaecy (whose middle name is Svetlana) (and whom I have never actually met) will be turning one year old this week, and her mom asked if I would make a Wiggles Big Red Car cake for her birthday party.  My knowledge of The Wiggles was limited to their sometime appearance in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, and I think I probably hit the mute button when they rounded the corner.  That had to change with this cake request. 

I had to immerse myself in Wiggles, extracting just enough iconic and style information from their website and television show to design a credible cake, while ramping up the power of my blood-brain barrier to prevent catchy-kid-song-contagions from inhabiting my head and playing in a nonstop loop for the next 12-18 years.  When talking to Jaecy's mom about the cake, she did sing for me the phrase "toot toot chugga chugga big red car"... a phrase I was destined to repeat repeatedly, aloud and otherwise, for the duration of this particular cake project.  (and yes...it's playing in my head right now, as I type this sentence) 


It turned out okay...but I am not a Master of Fondant, as evidenced by the cracks and ripples in the surface and edges of the cake and car.  I recall Nik saying, mid-crisis, that I just need to practice more (true)..."Make one cake a week"...(maybe).  When done well, fondant looks spectacular; when done not-so-well, imperfections are glaring and nearly impossible to repair.  Gum Paste flowers are useful for hiding large cracks and holes in the fondant, as well as making a car-based cake look a little more girly.  My limited knowledge of The Wiggles leads me to belive that Greg, Murray, Jeff, and Anthony would just keep smiling...no matter what the cake looked like.  Works for me. 

The details:
Base Cakes:  Chocolate cake with a dark chocolate whipped ganache and a milk chocolate whipped ganache filling.
Car Cake:  Red Velvet cake with a milk chocolate whipped ganache filling. 
Coverings, Tires, Dorothy, small lettering:  rolled fondant.
Small flowers, hub caps, headlights, tail lights:  Gum Paste
JAECY flowers:  Inedible sticky-backed foam from the craft store.