When I research a new recipe from someone else’s blog or website, I alway read both the good and bad reviews to find any possible problems. This recipe had very few less than 5 star reviews and were primarily due to the reviewer not reading the instructions. (I gave it 5 stars.)
The “burst” on the lower right side of the bread is due to under proofing.
I made this excellent bread as printed, except I substituted the recommended whey protein isolate with egg white protein. I also used the baking-stone/steam method.
The only change I would make to the method would be to let the dough warm to room temperature before shaping and resting for the second proof. I let the bread rest in my proofing oven for almost 90 minutes at 115F and it was still under proofed. I will try this on the second loaf.
I saw this in Bon Appetite and thought it a strange pairing. As it turns out, it is a fantastic pairing. The sweet/sourness of the lime caramel paired with the sweet, moist, delicate yellow cake is fantastic! Thank you Bon Appetite.
Arranged Plum WedgesLime CaramelCake Right Outta the OvenReady for QC to Test
INGREDIENTS • ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan • 1½ cups all-purpose flour (188 g), plus more for pan • 4–5 large red plums, cut into ½”-thick wedges (about 1 lb.) • 1 tsp. baking powder • 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt, divided • 2 Tbsp. finely grated lime zest • 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar, divided • 2 large eggs, room temperature • 1 tsp. vanilla extract • ½ cup whole milk, room temperature • ¼ cup fresh lime juice • Vanilla ice cream (for serving; optional) METHOD
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Lightly butter a 9″-diameter cake pan and dust with all-purpose flour; tap out excess. Line bottom of pan with a parchment paper round. Wrap wet bake even strip around the cake pan to reduce doming.
Arrange 4-5 large red plums, cut into ½”-thick wedges (about 8 oz.), in a circular pattern in pan,starting from center and working outward and overlapping if needed.
Whisk 1 tsp. baking powder, 1½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a large bowl.
Combine 2 Tbsp. finely grated lime zest and 1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar in a large bowl and rub together with your fingers until evenly distributed, sugar starts to clump, and mixture is very fragrant. Add ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, and beat with an electric mixer on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add 2 large eggs, room temperature, one at a time, beating to combine between each addition, then add 1 tsp. vanilla extract and beat 10 seconds. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in dry ingredients, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add ½ cup whole milk, room temperature, and mix just until combined. Set batter aside.
Bring remaining ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, remaining 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 3 Tbsp. water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Carefully add ¼ cup fresh lime juice, watching out for spatter, and cook undisturbed until liquid is thickened and beginning to turn a deep amber color, 5–7 minutes. Gently stir, remove from heat, and immediately pour lime caramel evenly over plums in pan. Scrape reserved batter over and smooth surface if needed.
Spoon cake batter in large portions over all the plum layer and spread with an offset spatula.
Bake cake until golden and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool in pan.
Run an offset spatula along edges of cooled cake to loosen. Set a platter upside down over pan and flip over to release cake. Carefully remove pan and peel away parchment paper; discard. Serve warm or room temperature, topped with scoops of vanilla ice cream if desired.
Here is another version in my search for excellence in gluten, dairy and soy free sandwich bread. The universal acclaim indicated this version was “incredible.” Personally, QC and I thought it was pretty darn good. Nearly comparable to “regular” bread.
Two more versions to go to “perfection!”
Gluten Free Sandwich Bread (White Gold)
INGREDIENTS: • 1 package (1.1 Lb) Extra White Gold gluten free bread flour • 1 Tbsp. dry yeast (1 envelope) • 2 tablespoons honey • 3 eggs • 1 c. lukewarm almond milk • ¼ cup vegetable oil • 1 ½ tsp. salt • 1 egg for egg wash • Sesame seeds (optional)
METHOD:
Add the flour, honey and yeast to a stand mixer bowl. Mix for 3 minutes with a paddle attachment.
Add the eggs and almond milk and mix for 3 minutes.
Add vegetable oil and salt and mix on low speed for 4 minutes. The dough should be sticky.
Let it rise for 90 minutes, in the mixer bowl, covered, in a warm dry place. (Such as a proofing oven)
Pour/scape the dough in a bread loaf. (A narrower bread pan will help shape the bread.)
Let the dough rise for 20 minutes.
Pre-heat the oven to 375 deg. Place a shallow dish in the lower part of the oven
Brush the bread gently with an egg wash and sprinkle sesame seeds (optional).
Place the bread pan on a center rack and pour 1 cup of water into the shallow dish.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, until golden brown. (Don’t overtake!)
I needed to make some snacks for someone with dietary restrictions. The challenge was to make gluten and dairy free pastries, without sacrificing taste and texture. Severe modifications to my drop berry scones filled the bill.
Replacing regular AP flour with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free AP flour, substituting cold cubed Crisco for cold butter and using almond milk instead of whole whipping cream paid the bill in full.
They were delicious, every bit as good as the standard “gluten-y” scones, with comparable texture. While I prefer blueberries for these scones, I have a large bag of Costco frozen mixed fruit (blueberries, raspberries and blackberries) I am trying to use up.
Gluten Free Berry Drop Scones
INGREDIENTS • 2 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free AP flour • 1 tablespoon baking powder • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt • 1/3 cup sugar • Zest of 1 small lemon (I froze the zest of several lemons and take a pinch when needed) • 1/2 cup Crisco chilled and cut into cubes • 150-175g fresh raspberries (about a cup) • 1 cup almond milk • Coarse or turbinado sugar for topping
METHOD
Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and zest. Pulse a few times to incorporate.
Add the cubed Crisco and pulse to incorporate. The mixture should resemble very coarse sand.
Empty the flour mixture into a mixing bowl. Add the almond milk and stir until just barely incorporated.
Gently fold in the berries. It’s fine if the raspberries break up a little – it adds a nice pink stain to the dough. The dough should just be moist, not wet, but also not crumbly or powdery looking. If it looks too dry, add a tablespoon of cold water.
Spoon the dough into 9-12 equally-sized pieces on the parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle some coarse or turbinado sugar over the top, if desired.
Bake for 16-19 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. The scones should be lightly golden and cooked through.
Cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes then carefully remove to a cooling rack.
aBatteredOldSuitcase 