Hanukkah starts Sunday at sundown. Jelly donuts are always a part of our Hanukkah celebration. Of course, it’s part of many of our celebrations… like Thursdays, or the First of The Month Days and many others.
Making these donuts is strait forward with only a couple of possible pitfalls. One is to overwork the dough. Knead it for 2 minutes only! Another is to be sure it fully proofed. When poked, the dough should bounce back slowly, but bounce back. Lastly, regulate the frying temperature. Too hot and they will bake on the outside but not on the inside. Too cold and the donuts will be greasy.
You don’t need an occasion or excuse to make donuts. Try them anytime. It’s a fun bake and the results are delicious.
JELLY DOUGHNUTS
INGREDIENTS • 1 tablespoon dry yeast • ¾ cup about 100° F milk • ¼ cup melted butter • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt • ½ cup sugar • 1 large egg and 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten • 2 ½ to 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg • Vegetable oil for frying • ¾ cup jam or jelly, any flavor For the Coating: • 1 cup sugar • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon METHOD
Generously flour a clean work surface and lightly oil a medium-size bowl.
In the bowl of a standing mixer, add the warm milk, then sprinkle the yeast over the milk. Using the dough hook in the stand mixer, stir to dissolve and allow it to sit until it gets foamy, about 10 minutes. Add the butter, salt and sugar, and stir to combine. Blend in the egg and egg yolk, then beat in 2 cups of the flour. Beat until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, then beat in another ½ cup flour plus the nutmeg.
When the batter has formed into a cohesive ball, turn it onto the floured work surface and knead the dough for two minutes. (No more!) Add more flour as needed if the dough feels too sticky. Form the dough into a ball, and place in the oiled bowl. Cover with a dishtowel or plastic wrap and let sit in a warm, draft-free place until the dough has doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Check with the poke test.
Re-flour your work surface. Turn the dough onto the floured surface and roll it out with a floured rolling pin to a ½-inch thickness.
Depending on how big you want your final donuts (2 1/2 – 3 inch) cookie cutter, cut as many rounds as you can,. Gather the scraps, let them sit for another 15 minutes, then roll the dough out again, and cut as many more circles as possible. Place the circles on a very lightly floured baking sheet with a couple of inches between each doughnut, cover with a clean dishtowel or loose plastic wrap, and let sit for about 1 hour, until they are quite puffy, about 1 inch thick.
About 15 minutes before you are going to fry the doughnuts, place paper towels on a clean surface. Make the sugar coating: In a shallow bowl, mix together the 1 cup sugar with the cinnamon. And pour at least 2 inches of oil into a deep skillet or pan. Heat to 375° F over medium heat.
Use a spatula to transfer two or three doughnuts into the pan. They will rise and bob on the surface; fry for about 1 minute, until golden brown on the underside, then flip them and cook until the second side is golden brown, another 1 to 2 minutes. You can occasionally gently press the doughnuts down into the oil to cook the sides evenly. Remove the doughnuts, allowing excess oil to drain back into the pan, and let them rest for a minute on the paper towels.
Then place them in the bowl with the sugar coating and turn to coat completely.
Use a chopstick or wooden dowel to poke a hole into the side of each doughnut, and as you slide it in, give it a wiggle to create a small pocket in the center of the doughnut. Fill a pastry bag or sturdy plastic bag with the jelly. Insert the pastry bag into the hole on the side of the doughnut. Gently squeeze a couple of teaspoons of jelly into the middle of the doughnut. Remove the bag carefully from the doughnut, and repeat until all the doughnuts are filled.
I was born and raised just a few miles from Charlotte, VT and never knew that had a pastry named for them. “Oh! What was that QC?” Sorry, I was just told Charlottes were not named for that town, rather the name originated from a pastry made in British, unless you prefer the “alternate facts” that point to Russian origins.
There are many variations of Charlotte cakes. After sampling so many amazing pastries in Paris, I decided to try some mini charlottes. They retain the charlotte basics of lady fingers, creams and berries. In this version the lady fingers are smaller than usual to fit into my entremet cups. The creme chiboust may not be “authentic” but maintains the essential of being a blend of creme patisserie and Italian meringue.
Creme chiboust ingredientsHeating ingredients (not the bananas)Sieving cooked creampat
For the the creme patisserie in eclairs I made last week I used the “old fashioned method” of tempering the eggs and adding back into the hot mixture. I prefer Martha Stewarts method of adding everything to the sauce pan, except the vanilla, heating until it thickens, sieving, then adding the vanilla and stir. Depending on how thick you want the final creampat you can heat the mixture as long or short as you wish.
Heating sugar water to make Italian meringue Pouring hot sugar water into whipped egg whitesFinished Italian meringue. Delicious!
Once the creampat is cooled, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar to soft peaks. Meanwhile heat the sugar/water mixture to 240F. Drizzle the hot sugar water into the whipped egg whites and beat on high to firm peaks.
Creme Chiboust piped into moldsScrape excess from hemisphere mold
Fold the Italian meringue into the creampat without deflating the meringue. Pipe the resultant creme chiboust into hemispherical molds, cover with plastic directly on the creme chiboust and freeze. The diameter of the molds should be at least 1 cm less than the molds you will use to make the charlottes.
Pie plate lined with plastic wrapRaspberry jelly poured into pan
I was pleased (surprised?) how well the raspberry jelly set up and then released from the plastic wrap. I used agar agar to set the jelly (and everywhere else throughout this bake) to keep everything vegetarian.
I set all the ingredients required for the chocolate mousse and took a picture. Unfortunately, that is the only picture I took during the process. Imagine, if you will, chocolate and butter on a Bain Marie. Imagine the stand mixer making whipped cream, then being cleaned and making a meringue, both with soft peaks. Imagine folding the two whipped ingredients into the cooled chocolate. Now, you are up to date.
Making the raspberry/white chocolate mousse is very similar to making the dark chocolate mousse. In fact, pretend the red raspberry puree is chocolate and you won’t even miss photos in the above section.
Imagine, if you will, I actually took pictures while making the raspberry mousse. Dang! I took a picture of all the ingredients (left) and of the completed raspberry confit (right,) but missed all the intermediate steps.
Consistency of lady finger batterPiped long lady fingers. These were too thin and too far apart.Left over lady fingers in back
The first batch of lady fingers were piped with too much space between them. Plus they were over baked and cracked when trying to bend them into the entremet molds. The lines of lady fingers should touch when baked to create a “sheet” that is smooth on one side and have the rounded “lady finger” look on the other. The second batch were just right, but only filled 8 of the 12 molds. The third batch were slightly underdone so I let them dry in the turned-off oven for a few more minutes. While they were then slightly over done, I was able to salvage enough to finish all twelve molds.
Filling molds with lady fingersFilling lined molds with mousse and raspberry jellyRemoving frozen creme chiboust domes from silicon moldsAdding creme chiboust domesCompleted charlottes, ready for freezer and finishing
Charlottes are traditionally wrapped with a ribbon. The set mousse should hold the cake together but the ribbon looks pretty and suggests it is (erroneously) required to hold the cake together.
Cutting 1/2” wide parchment paperTools for tempering chocolateStrips taped downStrips coated with tempered chocolateDried but still flexible parchment paper lined chocolate strips
I found the chocolate releases from parchment paper easier than from acetate. Most of my photos show the first attempt using acetate.
4” x 1/2” strips of parchment paper, coated with chocolate and allowed to dry some were folded over and the ends put together to form the loops of the bow. Other short straight pieces were used for the ends of the ribbons. A little chocolate was used to glue the parts onto the side of a charlotte to resemble a ribbon bow.
Sliced raspberries and blueberries plus some chocolate shavings sprinkled on top finished the charlottes. They need to be refrigerated or frozen until serving. QC and I decided the flavor and texture were excellent, but other pastries I previously made were as good and much, much easier.
Mini Red Berry / Chocolate Charlotte
Crème Chiboust
INGREDIENTS Crème Patisserie • ½ c sugar • ¼ c corn starch • Pinch salt • 2 c whole milk • 4 egg yolks • 2 Tbl butter • 2 tsp vanilla Italian Meringue • 1 cup sugar (200g) • 1/2 cup water • 4 large room temperature egg whites • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
METHOD Crème Patisserie
Whisk eggs and milk together and add to all other ingredients (except vanilla) to a medium saucepan.
Bring to boil whisking constantly
Cook until thickened (it will look lumpy, its ok)
Sieve lumpy mixture into a bowl and add vanilla, mix thoroughly
When incorporated, cover with plastic directly on the cream and cool about an hour.
Italian Meringue
In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water. Heat over high heat, stirring only until it comes to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, stop stirring. Cook until sugar syrup registers 240°F (115°C) on an instant-read or candy thermometer. Brush down sides of pot as necessary with a pastry brush dipped in water.
Meanwhile, combine egg whites and cream of tartar or lemon juice in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (see note). Set mixer to medium speed and mix until soft peaks form (when lifted, the head of the mixer should form gentle peaks in the egg whites that very slowly collapse back into themselves), about 2 minutes.
With the mixer running, carefully and slowly drizzle in hot sugar syrup. (Hot sugar is just as dangerous as fryer oil, so use caution!) Increase speed to high and whip to stiff peaks.
Crème Chiboust
Stir the cooled crème patisserie to loosen slightly then mix in about one-third of the meringue. Then add the crème patisserie mixture to the remaining meringue and mix in.
The crème chiboust is ready to use.
Lady Fingers
INGREDIENTS • 4 large separated eggs • 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar • 1 cup all-purpose flour • 4 teaspoons cornstarch • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt • Powdered sugar, for dusting
METHOD
Separate 4 large egg yolks, placing the yolks into the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl if using an electric mixer) and the whites into a small bowl. Let sit out until room temperature. Meanwhile, arrange 2 racks to divide the oven into thirds and heat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Fit a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch round tip.
Add 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar and 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract to the egg yolks. Beat with the whisk attachment on medium speed until the egg yolks are lightened in color, about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until doubled in volume, very pale yellow, falls off the whisk in thick ribbons, and the whisk leaves visible lines through the egg yolk mixture when the mixer is running, about 2 minutes more.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Clean and dry the stand mixer and whisk attachment.
Add the reserved egg whites and 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar to the stand mixer. Attach the whisk attachment and turn on to on medium-low speed. Slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar and beat until the mixture is foamy and beginning to grow in volume, about 2 minutes.
Increase the speed to medium and beat until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until glossy and stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes more.
Add half of the egg yolk mixture and fold until just combined. Add the remaining egg yolk mixture and fold until almost fully incorporated, some streaks are okay. Do not over-mix.
Sift 1 cup all-purpose flour, 4 teaspoons cornstarch, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt into the egg mixture. Fold together until just incorporated with no dry bits remaining, it’s okay if the mixture is not smooth. Do not over-mix.
Transfer the mixture to the pastry bag. Pipe 4-inch long ladyfingers onto the baking sheets, spacing them 3/4 to 1-inch apart, 20 per sheet. Dust an even layer of powdered sugar over the ladyfingers.
Bake until puffed and just turning golden around the bottom, 11 – 14 minutes, until they feel firm, but not brown.
Let the ladyfingers cool completely on the baking sheets.
RECIPE NOTES: Ladyfingers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 10 days
Agar Agar Raspberry Jelly
INGREDIENTS • 2 Cups Raspberries • 1/2 Cup Sugar • 2 tsp Agar Agar powder • 1/4 Cup Water METHOD
Pour the 1/4 cup water and 2 cups raspberries into a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally until raspberries have softened.
Use a stick blender to puree the mixture.
Strain to remove the raspberry seeds.
Pour the 1/4 cup water in saucepan and add 2 tsp agar agar powder. Mix well. cook on medium heat.
Stir in agar until completely dissolved. Add raspberry juice and mix well.
Add sugar, heat the mixture to a rolling boil and continue to cook the mixture for 2 minutes.
Pour into a baking dish or into silicone molds.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm.
Remove and cut into desired shapes.
Dark Chocolate Mousse
INGREDIENTS • 2 Cups • 4 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped • 2 tablespoons salted butter, diced • 2 tablespoons expresso or hot water • 1 cup cold heavy cream • 3 large eggs separated • 1 tablespoon sugar
METHOD
Combine the chocolate, butter, and espresso in the top of a double boiler over hot, but not simmering, water, stirring frequently until smooth.
Remove from the heat and let cool until the chocolate is just slightly warmer than body temperature.
Meanwhile, whip the cream to soft peaks, then refrigerate. Once the melted chocolate is sufficiently cool, whip the egg whites in a medium bowl until they are foamy and beginning to hold a shape. Sprinkle in the sugar and beat to soft peaks.
When the chocolate is cool, stir in the yolks. Gently stir in about one-third of the whipped cream. Fold in half the whites just until incorporated, then fold in the remaining whites, and finally the remaining whipped cream.
Add the mousse to a piping bag and twist close. Store in the refrigerator until required.
Raspberry/White Chocolate Mousse – with Agar Agar
INGREDIENTS WHIPPED CREAM – YIELDS ¾ CUPS OF WHIPPED CREAM • ½ cup Heavy whipping cream • 2 tablespoons Confectioners sugar • ¾ teaspoons Cream of tartar • ½ tsp vanilla bean paste WHITE CHOCOLATE • ½ cup White chocolate chips • 1 ½ tablespoons Heavy whipping cream STRAWBERRY PURÉE • 225 grams (8 oz) fresh raspberries • 1 Tbsp lemon juice • 58 grams (2 oz) powdered sugar • 200 grams (7oz) white chocolate • 1-3 Tbsp warm milk • 250 ml (1 cup + ½ tablespoon) cold heavy cream • Red food coloring to suit (1-2 drops) AGAR AGAR • 1 Tsp Agar Agar • 1 Tbl cup water
METHOD PREPARE WHIPPED CREAM
Before beginning with the recipe, place the mixing bowl and whisk in the freezer for at least 10 minutes to chill.
Once the bowl has chilled, add heavy cream and vanilla and beat on low speed until the cream starts to thicken slightly. There will be fewer and larger bubbles.
Add the cream of tartar and powdered sugar and beat with increasingly higher speed until stiff peaks form. Once done, set it in the fridge to chill.
AGAR AGAR MIX
Add 1 teaspoons Agar agar powder to 1 tablespoons lukewarm water
Stir until agar agar is completely dissolved
PREPARING THE RASPBERRY PURÉE
Combine raspberries, lemon juice and confectioners sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes until the syrup thickens and raspberries are very soft.
Keep stirring occasionally. When the raspberries are very soft and the syrup has thickened, take it off the flame and allow it to cool.
When completely cooled, puree it with an immersion blender. Sieve to remove seeds, add raspberry flavoring and set aside. Measure the syrup – you will require ¾ cup+ 2 Tbl (200 ml) of thick syrup.
Cool to near room temperature.
PREPARING WHITE CHOCOLATE
Heat a pan 1/2 filled with water over low heat. Lower the heat and place the white chocolate bowl over the water when it simmers. Keep stirring the chocolate as it softens and melts.
Add dissolved agar agar and 4-5 Tbl warm milk and mix until the chocolate is thick but runny.
FOR RASPBERRY MOUSSE:
Add half the cooled whipped cream to the cool white chocolate mixture
Add the raspberry purée that was prepared earlier to the whipped cream/white chocolate mixture
Mix gently to not deflate.
Add the rest of the whipped cream to the raspberry -white chocolate.
I was in Versailles, Fr last month and had what was undoubtedly the best baguette of my life. The crust had the exact right crunch and the interior was soft and light. Then and there I decided I needed to perfect my baguette baking to at least approach this level of perfection.
My go-to recipe is from King Arthur and it served me well. Upon returning home I searched for differences in recipe ingredients and methods keying on authors who tauted the bread qualities that I wanted.
From what I understand the hydration level, (this recipe is 72%) at least in part, determines the size of the holes in the bread. By using the stretch and fold technique with a long rest (45 min) between each helps develop the gluten. These two properties contribute to the characteristics I desire.
This is the first attempt of “perfecting” my baguette. Do you remember my five attempts at baking an acceptable rye bread? Well, here we go again,
Classic French Baguettes
INGREDIENTS
• 500 g all purpose flour • 360 g water • 10 g salt • 3 g instant yeast about 1 tsp • 25 g honey about 1 Tbsp
METHOD
Mix all ingredients in a bowl, cover with a plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.
Stretch and fold every 45 minutes and repeat at 3 times, flipping the dough upside down after each set. The rest time between stretch and folds is important.
Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight for about 12-14 hours.
Turn the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Divide into 3 equal parts and gently shape into rectangles without knocking the air out of the dough. Cover and let rest for 45-60 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 500F, with a baking stone positioned in the upper half the oven. I like to use a small cast iron skillet with water to provide steam. Add the water below when the loaves are put into the oven.
Stretch each dough rectangle slightly and fold into a cylinder, sealing the seams as you roll. Using your hands, roll the cylinders gently stretching them from the center towards the ends to desired length, about 14-15 inches.
Place each loaf on a lightly floured couche, seam side up. Cover and proof at a room temperature for about 30-60 minutes, or until the dough has sufficiently proofed. Press dough with a finger. If it springs back slowly it is properly proofed. If it never springs back it is over proofed and if it springs back quickly it is under proofed.
Transfer the baguettes to a piece of parchment paper, seam side down and dust off excess flour. I like to use a serrated break knife to make 5 scores on each baguette. Don’t cut straight across the loaf, but with a shallow long cut down the length. Each cut should be 4-5” longWhen scoring, use a swift and firm motion to ensure nice and clean cuts.
Carefully open the oven, and slide the rack with the baking stone out. Slide the baguettes off the parchment paper and onto the baking stone. Add a cup of water to the cast iron skillet, close the oven and reduce temperature to 475F. Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove the water pan, rotate the baguettes, drop the temperature to 450F and continue baking for another 10- 15 minutes, Check how brown the baguettes are after 10 minutes and every couple of minutes thereafter. They should be a nice dark brown, but not too dark. Over baking will make the crust and interior too hard. Experience will tell you when it is Goldilocks just right.
I make choux pastry for eclairs and/or profiteroles several times a year. When we were planning our European vacation with a stop in France I had the opportunity to include an afternoon, small group class on making choux pastry (and it was taught in English!)
There were six of us in the class, myself, three young(ish) people from Utah and a mother/daughter from London. It was a good mix of friendly, fun people. I was the only student with experience making choux or cream patisserie, but that wasn’t an issue for any of us.
Our instructor was James who was a head pastry chef in England and France for 20 years before retiring and taking this position as a teacher. While not a trained teacher he did develop apprentices for his kitchens throughout his entire career.
The process of making choux is quite easy, but there are always tips and tricks that experience can teach you.
James previously weighed the water, butter and salt. He also portioned the eggs and flour for us.Once the butter melts, add the flour all at once and stir continuously.When a heavy film forms on the bottom of the pan it is ready for the next step.Transfer the hot batter to a bowl and stir to cool. Once cool, add the egg a little at a time. The choux is ready when it slowly drips off a spoon and forms a “V”.First tip/trick is to twist the piping bag near the tip and tuck it into piping tip to keep dough from running out.Second tip is to use a flat side of a bowl scraper to push all the dough down to just inside the tip.
James set up three stations and we worked in teams of two. I worked with Mary, sister of Russ, both of Utah. You will occasionally see Mary’s hands and arms. You can tell us apart as I only wear one ring. We were both too busy to take pictures while we were filling the piping bags, also our hands were covered in raw choux.
Once the piping bag is filled grip it like this with your dominant hand,Gently twist the bag to seal the choux inside.Tip the bag upright, and twist the choux filled end, not the empty bag to force the choux until it just enters the tipPick up the filled, sealed bag with your dominant hand and place the tip on the paper, holding the bag at a 45 deg angle. (James is behind me)
Pipe eclairs in straight(ish) lines just less than half the width of the paper and about 3/4” wide.
When all the eclairs are piped use any leftover choux for chouquettes. Marys hands,Relatively straight eclairs. My piping.Poke the tips of the Chouquettes or ends of the eclairs with a wet finger.For chouquettes sprinkle with coarse sparking sugar before baking. For profiteroles leave plain but add desired filling after they cool.
Each team made a different variety of filling. Mary and I made coffee, the others made chocolate and vanilla. Cream patisserie is fairly easy to make. I use Martha Stewarts’ method of mixing everything together before heating, then sieving the thickened mixture. We did the traditional egg tempering method in class.
James previously measured the ingredientsMary mixed the water, corn starch, and coffee and thoroughly mixed in the egg.The water is brought to a minimum boil and a little is added to the egg mixture. This is tempering the eggs.The egg mixture is added back into the hot water and mixed until smoothThe hot mixture is poured onto a plastic lined pan, covered with more plastic and cooled in the fridge.
Two great tips for filling the eclairs, neither of which I knew. Use the tip of a knife to bore three holes in the bottom of each eclair. Let gravity be the force, do not push the knife down or you will break the eclair. Also, fill each end hole first. When you fill the center last the creampat will push up through the two end holes assuring the entire eclair is full. Believe me, this works great.
The pastries are baked according to the instructions,Baked eclairs and chouquettes,Light airy inside of a chouquettes,3 holes are bored into each eclair with the tip of a knife. Don’t force the knife. Let gravity ease it into the choux.Filled eclairs with creampat in each hole.
James made the topping in advance. I usually just use a simple chocolate ganache, but learning this technique was fascinating. It was so messy neither Mary or I were able to photograph the procedure.
Don’t tell QC, but I could imagine a week of baking courses in Paris, learning so many new techniques. It was a blast.
I was not a fan of my previous pretzel experiment using KAB Measure For Measure gluten free flour. While the taste was acceptable, the texture was wrong and the resulting pretzels (both dough and baked) were very fragile. That batch ended up being binned.
This batch used Kim’s Flour Blend, the flour used to make the Artisan nGDS bread a few days ago. This flour provided the correct texture and dough strength for the pretzels to hold their shape, although the taste was not as close to a traditional pretzel as the Measure For Measure flour. As an extra precaution I cut the parchment paper under each un-baked pretzel and used a large spatula to carefully slide the pretzel and paper into the alkaline bath. The paper slid off the boiled pretzel and was discarded.
This recipe required a longer bake time. Depending on your oven, bake 9 to 10 minutes, rotate the baking tray, then bake another 9 to 10 minutes.
nGDS Soft Chewy Pretzels with Kim’s Flour
Ingredients: • 3 cups (420g) Kim’s blend GF flour – weighed or poured & leveled • 1 ½ tsp xanthan gum • 1 ½ tsp psyllium husk powdered • 1 tbl active dry yeast • 1 tsp salt • 1 cup water • 3/4 cup almond milk • 2 tbl olive oil • 1 tbl honey • 3 ½ tbl red palm and coconut oils shortening (Nutivia) melted – cooled slightly
Directions:
Heat the water in the microwave for 20-30 sec to achieve a temperature of about 120-130 deg then combine with the cold milk in a small bowl for a resulting solution temperature of 110 to 115 degrees F. Add the sugar and salt to the warmed water and milk and stir to combine. Sprinkle in the yeast and mix with a fork. Allow the mixture to sit for about 5 minutes or until it becomes foamy.
Pour the foamy mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and add the melted, cooled, unsalted butter and flour. (I add the flour a cup at a time to be sure it mixes well.) Mix on low speed for until combined and no dry flour remains in the bowl. Scrape the bowl as needed. Continue to mix for about another 7 minutes or until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is smooth. Scrape the dough from the hook if it comes up to far. Note: The dough may begin to pull away from the bowl after only 2 minutes, but may look a bit pulled or shaggy and still be sticky. It is not done kneading until it is smooth to the touch and no longer sticky.
Remove the dough from the bowl and form into a ball. Wipe out the bowl, if necessary and grease it with 1-2 tablespoons of oil. Place the dough ball back into the bowl and turn over a couple of times to coat thoroughly with the oil. Cover the bowl with a dish towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm area , free from drafts or cool air (a microwave, turned off is a good location), for about 1 hour, until the dough has risen and doubled in size.
Refrigerate covered for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, but up to 10 days.
On baking day, remove the dough from refrigerator and dump it out onto well-floured surface. Loosely cover with plastic wrap (the piece that covered the bowl in the fridge) and let the dough warm to room temperature.
When the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 450 F and position the oven rack in the upper third of the oven. Line a large (15″ x 20″) baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with Bakers Joy. Set aside. Note: You may need 2 baking sheets to avoid crowding the pretzels. If only one small, puny sheet is available, make one batch of pretzels and keep the remaining dough covered, so it does not become dry. Between batches, allow the baking sheet to cool, before filling with remaining pretzels.
Place in proofing oven (or other draft free, warm location such as an oven, turned off, with the light on) for 1 hour
In a large, wide pot (6-8 quarts) add 8 cups of water, baked baking soda and malt powder. Stir to combine and bring to a full boil. Place a plate lined with paper towels nearby, as well as the kitchen spider or slotted spoon.
In the meantime, dampen a kitchen towel with water and set aside. Heavily dust your work surface with Kim’s Blended Flour, remove the dough from the bowl, place it on the work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Cover the pieces that you’re not rolling with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel, so they don’t become dry. Using the palms of your hands, roll each piece of dough to a 24-30 inch long rope and then shape into a “U”. Don’t be afraid to use plenty of flour. The dough is sticky! Grab the ends of the rope and cross them over each other once or twice and then bring the ends down to the bottom of the ‘U” and press them down to seal, forming the shape of a pretzel. Place the pretzels onto the greased parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with a damp kitchen towel to prevent the dough from drying out, while you continue to roll the remaining dough. You can also cut some of them into 1 ½” logs to make nuggets.
Place the formed pretzels in a warm, draft free location (such as a proofing oven, or regular oven (Off) with the oven light on to proof for an hour.
The lack of gluten results in a more fragile structure than a traditional gluten pretzel dough. To help maintain the pretzel shape I cut the parchment paper around each pretzel and gently lowered them into the mixture as described in the next paragraph. The paper floats off when the pretzel is flipped. The boiling gave the dough more structure and helped they stay in shape.
One at a time, lower each pretzel into the boiling water mixture for about 30 seconds. I push them down underwater a few times to assure the top is treated as well. The pretzels will puff up while boiling. Using a kitchen spider or slotted spoon, carefully remove the pretzel from the water, blot slightly on paper towels and then place back onto the parchment lined greased or sprayed baking sheet a few inches apart.
Using a pastry brush, brush the top and sides of each pretzel with the almond milk wash and then sprinkle with coarse salt.
Place the pretzel filled baking sheet on the upper oven rack and bake for about 7 minutes. Open the oven and quickly rotate the baking sheet so that the pretzels that were facing the front are now facing the rear of the oven. It may seem like a pain, but it’s quick and easy and will ensure even baking. Continue to bake for another 7 minutes or until pretzels are dark golden brown.
Remove sheet from oven and place pretzels on a wire rack to cool slightly before serving. Outrageously good if served warm. Mildly spectacular if served later.
Kim’s Gluten Free Bread Flour Blend 700g (5 c) 1.4kg (10 c) 2.1kg (15 c) 2.8kg (20 c) Bob’s Red Mill potato starch 285 g 570 g 855 g 1140 g superfine white rice flour (DON’T use 250 g 500 g 750 g 1000 g regular rice flour, ie Bob’s Red Mill) Tapioca flour 75 g 150 g 225 g 300 g Egg white protein 75 g 150 g 225 g 300 g Xanthan gum 15 g 30 g 45 g 60 g
We needed a thank you gift for a friend, who happens to love my soft, chewy pretzels and as my golf was cancelled due to rain…
I had trouble rolling the dough into long enough ropes to make good pretzel “knots.” I believe the dough wasn’t wet enough to allow the 24”-30” rope. Today’s was only about 18”.
That aside the flavor and texture was wonderful. QC gave it a big thumbs up.
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.
