Homemade Bagels May 31, 2009

A long time ago, my friend Robin issued me a baking challenge – Bagels.

Now, I love bagels, and have been intrigued for a while about the process of making bagels.  There’s something about the texture (which is always even better when the outside is crispy from being toasted. I was a little worried about the actual process of making bagels, since it requires both boiling and baking. When I made soft pretzels (which has a similar process), they turned out OK but fell apart. Part of what makes bagels so great is the shape, so I kept my fingers crossed. At the end of the day, these were PERFECT, and I look forward to making bagels again.

This recipe is from the Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Baking cookbook, and was really easy to follow. The recipe makes a dozen large (4 to 4 1/2 in. diameter) bagels, but if you like a smaller bagel, it could make 16-20 depending on the size of the bagels.

A couple of quick notes on this recipe:

1. I didn’t have any russet potatoes, so I used three medium sized red-skin potatoes, peeled and cubed. You’re trying to get as much starch out of the potatoes as possible and in to the water.

2. It’s really important that you bring the eggs to room temperature. It enables them to whip up fluffier and helps the texture of the bagel. You can either let them sit out for 30 minutes OR put uncracked eggs in a bowl of warm water for exactly two minutes. I went with the slow method.

Requests? May 10, 2009

Hey folks! I’m looking for some suggestions of things to bake!

Anyone have any things they’d like to see?

Ultimate Oatmeal Cookies May 10, 2009

Since it’s Mother’s Day, my brothers and I are all going to our Mom’s house to grill for dinner tonight. We split up who was bringing what, and I was in charge of bringing the meat (burgers and chicken) and something sweet for desert. I decided to bake some old fashioned oatmeal cookies. Since my mom isn’t fond of raisins, I decided to switch up the traditional recipe. These are a great cookie to make and share with your friends and loved ones. This recipe made about three dozen cookies.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you moms and future moms!

Oh wow May 6, 2009

Well I have been slacking on the blogging, haven’t I.

Since my last post I’ve been quite busy. Work got crazy, I moved, and now I have what some might consider a sub-par kitchen for baking.

Last Friday I was let go from my job, but instead of dwelling, I’m taking some time for myself and doing things I hadn’t been able to do due to my busy schedule.

Today marks my official return to the world of baking (and blogging about it). To kick off, I’m going to make my Challah (it always gets me ready to bake up a storm) and then look up some new recipes.

I may even tackle croissants!

Eek! January 31, 2009

Oh, my dear dear adoring fans.

I’m so sorry I’ve been negligent.

More posts to come soon!

Banana Bread January 4, 2009

Banana Bread 1

Originally uploaded by Dramamonkey

Mmmmm.

Consider this entry a placeholder until I get a chance to upload the recipe.

Pizza Dough January 3, 2009

Happy New Year everyone!

I just got back from visiting my boyfriend’s family in Alabama. We had a great time and I did a little bit of baking with his 9 year old neice. We made cinnamon swirl bread and she had a grand time kneading the dough, rolling it out, and sprinkling the cinnamon sugar.

While I was there, she was playing a game on her Nintendo DS called Cooking Mama that has recipes on it (the game was pretty fun too). We took a look at all of the recipes,  and she decided she wanted to make pizza. When it came down to it,  she let ME make the pizza.  I found the recipe on recipezaar.com, but added some extra stuff to the dough to make it flavorful and appeal to grown-ups and kids alike.

This dough was really easy to make (I even mixed it with my own two hands!) and made enough for two crusts.

Pizza Dough

adapted from recipezaar.com

1 cup warm (not boiling) water

2 tbsp sugar

1 pkg yeast

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp garlic powder (optional)

1 tbsp basil (optional)

1. In a small bowl (or your measuring cup) combine the water, sugar, and yeast. Let proof for about 10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl combine flour, salt, and herbs.  Make a small well in the middle of the bowl and pour oil and yeast mixture in the well.

3. Stir to combine in to a soft dough, adding more flour if it becomes too sticky.

4. Knead until smooth on a lightly floured surface.

5. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

6. Punch down and rest for ten minutes.  You can then roll out the dough or hand toss (if you have the skills!) until it’s the size of your pizza pan.

When you’re ready to bake, top with your favorite sauce, cheese, and toppings, and bake at 450 for about 12 minutes or until cheese is bubbling.  Bake longer for a crispier crust.

Snickerdoodles December 21, 2008

I asked a favor of some actor-friends today. After their matinee of Peter Pan this afternoon, they came and did a talk-back with some Girl Scouts. I asked DV? what his favorite baked goods, and he said, without pause, SNICKERDOODLES.

I happily baked some for him (and my boyfriend) today. Light and buttery with a crisp outside and a soft center. The trick to perfect ‘doodles is figuring out the exact baking time… depending on the size of cookies they could take six to ten minutes.

I’ll post the recipe a little later once I find where I stuck it!

I hope you also noticed that pictures are back! PLUS I also used my awesome non-stick silicone baking sheet (my Chanukkah present from my older brother – along with a pastry blender, and oval cookie cutters).

Lemon Bars December 14, 2008

My older brother told me at Thanksgiving that he really really really (really) was craving some lemon bars. Since his birthday was this past Tuesday I agreed to make some for him – but I didn’t get around to it until today.

They’re in the oven at the moment, but they smell pretty good. I love things that are tart, so these are one of my favorite treats. This recipe is from the Better Homes and Garden’s cookbook.

Focaccia with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Basil November 30, 2008

The original recipe (found in Perfect Baking a recipe book that I procured from TJ Maxx!) is actually with roasted cherry tomatoes, basil, and crispy pancetta – something that I’m sure would make Giada proud. Instead of going with the pancetta, I drizzled the final product with a balsamic reduction that matched perfectly with the herbs and tomato.

I made this for Thanksgiving (I was in charge of salad, bread, and desert – of course) and it was a HUGE hit.

This might be one of my personal favorite recipes, and it was a really easy one to boot.