The combination of the food, the weather, more food, friends and family, great shops, did I mention weather?

My husbands company is headquartered there.   He’s often traveling there for training, meetings, etc, and whenever I can, I tag along.  Here’s our view from the front entrance (gasp!)

Usually we stay at your run-of-the-mill hotels near his office, but once in a while, we’ll arrive early, or stay longer, and venture into the city.  This most recent time we stayed at the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental. It was wonderful!  Here’s the (blurry) view from the very top of the hotel (“the Top of the Mark”) where Hubby and I enjoyed some coffee and Creme Brulee.

This most recent stay was so much fun, thanks to my new friend Jennifer!  She and I spent two whole days driving around the Bay Area, fabric hunting!  I think its safe to say that we both liked Peapod Fabrics the best, and I can’t wait to go back!

Once place that we’ve stayed a few times and really enjoy is the Inn 1890.  Located in the Upper Haight district, its a very eclectic mix of stores and people.  Hubby is thoroughly entertained there because of the Haight-Ashbury Music Center, and we both really enjoy Cha Cha Cha’s sangria and tapas!

**update – Inn 1890 has closed  :(  The sweet owners have decided to sell – hopefully someone will take on the challenge of re-opening!

The entire quilt is sashed in a 4″ kona white, and I love the way it made the colors pop!  The binding was a vibrant orange that was used as some of the orange squares in the quilt.

The back was lots of my favorite Amy Butler Mist, Kona white, and the pattern piece (please forgive, I don’t know who made it – any ideas?) that was speckled all over the front.

For the quilting, this was my first foray into machine free motion quilting.  I’m really thrilled with how it came out.  I used a really vivid orange variegated thread by “signatures”.  I loved how non-linty it was.  I was so hesitant at first to do a bright thread for the quilting, thinking it would detract from the quilt itself, but it did so much to tie it all together – I’m so glad I took the risk.

Once it was all quilted, I washed it to get that crinkly goodness.  Everyone seemed really smitten with the quilt; the little girl across the street, Sarah, that watches our dogs for us offered to give it a home if Lainey didn’t want it  :)

In our third SOB installment, Charity (of sweetcharitypie) and I bring to you vanilla ice cream!  I was surprised about a few things -

1. I had NO idea how many egg yolks went into ice cream
2. How bad for you the-real-thing-from-scratch ice cream really is for your arteries
3. How cream colored the real thing is, and,
4. how much I enjoyed the taste of it.

You see, I’m not a vanilla ice cream kinda gal.  If you mix in some cookie dough or butterfinger, I’m fine, but I really like chocolate ice cream – the more chocolate the better.  I see now why Sherry Yard says that this is her favorite dessert.  (like of them all). This was so decadent.  Even my husband was blown away with the taste.  His words were “this is definitely the best ice cream I’ve ever had”.

And much to my surprise, it was really easy to make.  The only variation I made of the recipe was to use a tablespoon of vanilla bean paste in place of the vanilla bean and seeds.   Be sure to check out Charity’s ice cream! She’s also got the recipe typed up over there.  I’m feeling particularly lazy today :)

Like most things I attempt for the first (or second) time, the results are mediocre.  Sometimes I get lucky, and sometimes I get persistent.  The latter was the case with the truffles.  You see, Charity and I had chosen truffles to kick off our SOB baking bonanza.  I did the first batch exactly according to her directions.  And they were a hopeless failure.  The ganache never set up firm enough to withstand the warm (90F) melted chocolate, and I felt more like a child in the kitchen, making more of a mess than an edible creation.

I did some research in other books I have, including Truffles by Dede Wilson, and on youTube, and I got a few valuable lessons.

*It is now my experience that I need more than a 8oz chocolate : 1 cup heavy cream ratio for the ganache to be firm enough to withstand the rolling and subsequent melted chocolate.

*instead of keeping the ganache in a bowl to cool in the fridge, put it on a cookie sheet and cover with plastic wrap.  This will give more surface area to the cool fridge air, and allow for a more stiff ganache.

*if the ganache is too soft as to not even hold a real ball when rolling, then it definitely won’t withstand the warm melted chocolate.

*Its easier to cut the ganache into even squares (to then be rolled) by using a pastry cutter dipped in water.

*Lastly, I definitely like the crunch of the chocolate coating than without.

Peanut Butter Truffles (adapted from Truffles by Dede Wilson):

1 cup heavy cream
1 lb plus 2 oz milk chocolate
6 Tablespoons natural, lightly salted smooth Peanut Butter

8 oz bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts, crushed into small pieces
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1. Place cream in a 2-quart wide saucepan over medium heat until it just comes to a simmer.  Remove from heat and immediately sprinkle milk chocolate into cream.  Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes; the heat should melt the chocolate.  Stir very gently until smooth.

2. Stir in peanut butter until well blended. Pour mixture into a half-sheet pan that is covered with plastic wrap, and cover the top in plastic wrap as well.  Let sit out at room temperature for 2 hours to cool, then place in fridge for 4 hours to firm up.

3.  Melt 8 oz bittersweet chocolate in a double boiler until it reaches 90F, not letting it go above 115F. Gently stir until temp is reached.  Once at 90F, place in a shallow plate or dipping dish.

4. Combine the chopped nuts and finely chopped chocolate into a shallow dipping bowl or plate.

5. Using a pastry knife, cut the ganache into 60 even squares, and roll each into a ball.

6. It will certainly be messy, but roll each ball in the chocolate by hand and then drop the ball into the crushed peanut and chocolate mixture, then place onto a parchment lined sheet pan or in a mini muffin liner.  It helps to keep the water of the double boiler at a simmer the entire time so that when the chocolate cools to the point of being too thick, you can just warm it up right over the warm water.

7. Be prepared to lose your mind with the incredible flavor! These went in a flash at work, with people often eating over 6 each!!!

Be sure to check out Charity‘s truffles! She’s deciding what we’re baking next, and I can’t wait to find out!

]]> http://www.melissaleray.com/2008/11/peanut-butter-chocolate-truffles-finally/feed/ 8 http://www.melissaleray.com/2008/10/twd-lenox-biscotti-plus-some-extra-flavors/ http://www.melissaleray.com/2008/10/twd-lenox-biscotti-plus-some-extra-flavors/#comments Tue, 14 Oct 2008 06:43:44 +0000 Melissa http://www.bakingasweetlife.com/?p=359

My experience with biscotti is limited at best.  I was never turned on by the whole idea of biscotti because to me it appeared to have the same texture as (very) stale bread sticks.  That and they’re not overly sweet and not overly savory, so their function seemed rather limited as well.  <enter complete and pure love for cappuccinos> What was I saying about biscotti? Oh yes – how perfect they are as dunkers for coffee and chocolately drinks alike.  I think what truly turned me off to biscotti in the past was that where its usually sold, its just plain old.  Fresh biscotti seems totally unheard of.  Its usually individually wrapped, loaded with preservatives, and sold months years past its expiration date. Luckily Gretchen of Canela & Comino gave me the chance to whip up some fresh biscotti, which I haven’t done in quite some time.

I really wanted to spruce these up.  I love almond, but I love it more as the accent rather than the star of the show.  To the basic recipe I added the zest of one orange (large clementine, actually) at the same time as creaming the butter and sugar, 1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries, and replaced the slivered almonds with chopped pistachios. Oh*My*Goodness good! The aroma of the kitchen was so intoxicating. The cranberries and pistachios were both added at the very end of mixing.   Lastly, I was short on cornmeal, so I substitute masa harina, which did well in a pinch.  Masa Harina is made by cooking dried corn kernals in lime water, and then finely ground.  It is often the base for tortillas and tamales. I wasn’t able to detect any lime flavor (I could barely smell it in the masa harina bag) and I thought that if I was able to detect it, it would only enhance the orange flavor that I did want to shine.

At this point I am totally convinced that Dorie does all of her baking at atleast 10000 feet above sea level (maybe even Mt. Everest???)I am having very (in)consistent issues with baking temps and times when following her recipes.  Things shouldn’t still be RAW when they should be “browned”.  These biscotti were no different.  The initial bake is supposed to be for 15 minutes – other biscotti recipes suggest 25-30 at the same temp, which was what I needed in order for this recipe to work.  For the 2nd bake I dropped the temp to 300 so as not to darken them anymore, and I let them bake for 25 more minutes.  They definitely needed this.

I was thinking of other appealing flavor combinations – maybe pumpkin and white chocolate; dark chocolate and cherry; lime and coconut.  I have already consumed two of these addictive sticks.  So, beware! Be sure to check out Gretchen‘s site for the recipe and TWD headquarters to see what everyone else has baked up!

I’ve been so eager to try this bread, and I’m so glad I finally did! The reason I had put it off for so long is that the high extraction do-it-yourself-part had intimidated me. I don’t know why – it ended up being so easy to do, and so worth this 4 extra minutes that it took.

This bread was gargantuan! But so incredible. It was probably 14″ across, and about 8″ or 9″ tall. This would be my first jumbo-sized loaf, and it really could feed an army. Well, a small army. Maybe a small baseball team. Anyway. I have an electric mill and normally mill my own wheat, spelt, kamut, etc for my whole grain breads. I wasn’t sure that I would be able to sift anything out of it, since the entire wheat berry is milled at the same grind.

As it turned out, the sifting process took out a good bit of bran/germ. I was really impressed with how fine the flour looked after sifting! Of course I’m not sure what my extraction rate was, but I just discarded all that I sifted from the flour. Next time I’ll save it to sprinkle on top of the miche as it goes into the oven.

I had totally forgotten to fold at 30-60 and 90-minutes, and so when I remembered about 150 minutes into it, I did a fold then, and then just did the final shaping 30 minutes later. I had to use the largest bowl I had on hand to keep it as a round, but it did just fine.

I placed it in the oven, with an ice-steam just beforehand, and I spritzed with water just as I put it in the oven, and then two minutes later. Then I let it sit undisturbed until about 55 minutes in the oven, at which time I covered it with aluminum foil so that it wouldn’t get too browned. I think it came out of the oven just perfect.

Here’s a picture of the crumb:

The crust was so crisp and crunchy, and the interior was so soft. This struck me as the perfect sandwich bread, cut thick or thin. Hubbs and I were really amazed with it. I think this would be an overwhelming gift on its own, but it would be great maybe split in half, or baked as two boules.

Here’s the recipe as it appears in Maggie Glezer’s “Baking Across America”

Makes one 4 pound (1.8-kilo) loafTime: At least 18 hours with about 30 minutes of active work

Much of what makes this bread so special is the high-extraction flour used in it. This is a bolted whole-wheat flour much lighter in color and sweeter in flavor than a whole-wheat flour (at 100% extraction), but much darker and more flavorful than a white flour (at 72% extraction).

The method I give here for making your own high-extraction flour will work best on coarsely ground whole wheat flour. If you already have a good high-extraction flour, substitute it for the whole-wheat and bread flour in the final recipe. Thom also includes a little of his sourdough rye starter in the dough, but it is such a small amount that I have bumped up the levain slightly and added rye flour to the final dough instead.

RECIPE SYNOPSIS The evening before baking – making the Levain:

25 grams (1 1/2 tablespoons or 0.8 oz) fermented firm sourdough starter refreshed 8 hrs before (17%)

140 grams (2/3 cup or 4.9 oz) water, lukewarm (100%)

140 grams (1 cup minus 1 tablespoon or 4.9 oz) unbleached bread flour (100%)

Dissolve the sourdough starter in the water in a small bowl. Add the flour and beat this batter-like dough until very smooth. Place in a covered container and let it ferment overnight for 8 hours, or until fully risen and just starting to sink in the middle.

Bake Day – Mixing the Dough:

350 grams (about 12 oz or about 2 1/2 cups) Coarsely ground whole-wheat flour, preferably milled from an organic, hard winter wheat (eventually 25%)

750 grams (26.5 oz or 5 cups) unbleached bread flour, preferably organic (75%)

30 grams (1 oz or 1/4 cup) organic whole-rye flour (3%)

660 grams (24 oz or 3 cups) water (66%)

Fermented levain (30%)

23 grams (0.8 oz or 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons) salt (2.3%)

Preparing the flour:

Sift the whole-wheat through your finest sieve or flour sifter. The large flakes of bran should be caught in the sieve (use them for flouring your peel or for muffins). Measure out 2 cups 3 tablespoons (8.8 ounces, 250 grams) sifted flour. Mix this dark flour with the bread flour and the rye flour in a large bowl or in the work bowl of your mixer.

Add the water to the fermented levain to loosen it from the container.

Mixing the dough:

By hand: Pour the watered levain into the flours and stir with your hands or a wooden spoon just until a rough dough forms. Turn the dough out onto the unfloured work surface and continue kneading until the dough is very smooth and shiny, about 10 minutes. This is a lot of dough and will take some muscle. Sprinkle on the salt and continue to knead the bread until the salt has fully dissolved and the dough is very smooth and shiny.

By stand mixer: Add the watered levain to the flours in the work bowl and stir the dough together with a wooden spoon or your hand (this will make the mixing go more quickly). Using the dough hook, mix the dough on medium speed for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until the dough is very smooth and almost cleans the bowl. Add the salt and continue mixing until the dough is much tighter and cleans the bowl, about 5 more minutes.

This should be a soft, sticky, and extensible dough.

Fermenting and turning the dough:

Place the dough in a container at least 3 times its size and cover it tightly with plastic wrap. Let it ferment until it is airy and well expanded but not yet double in bulk, about 3 hours. Turn the dough 3 times at 30-minute intervals, that is, after 30, 60, and 90 minutes of fermenting, then leave the dough undisturbed for the remaining time.

Rounding and resting the dough:

Flour the surface of the dough and your work surface and turn the dough out. Tuck the edges of the dough in to tighten it, round it, and cover it loosely with plastic wrap. Let it rest until well relaxed, 10 to 15 minutes. While the dough is resting, sift flour over a linen-lined basket or line a large colander with a well-floured tea towel.

Shaping and proofing the dough:

Shape the dough into an even and tight round loaf without deflating it. Place the dough topside down in a linen-lined basket or large colander, lightly sprinkle it with flour, and cover it well with plastic wrap. Proof the dough until it is well expanded, about doubled in volume and remains indented when lightly pressed with a floured finger, after about 4 hours.

Preheating the oven:

At least 45 minutes before the dough is fully proofed, arrange a rack on the oven’s second-to-top shelf and place a baking stone on it. Clear away all racks above the one being used Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).

Baking the bread:

If desired, just before baking the bread, fill the oven with steam. Turn the bread out onto a sheet of parchment paper or a floured peel and slash 3 to 4 diagonal slashes and 3 to 4 horizontal slashes into the top. It will look like a skewed grid with diamond-shaped openings. Slide the bread, still on the paper, onto the hot stone and bake until the bread is dark and evenly browned all around and sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom, 70 to 80 minutes, rotating it halfway into the bake. If the bread is browning too quickly, reduce the oven temperature to 400°F (205°C), but still bake the bread for at least 70 minutes. Let the bread cool on a rack.

When Holly of Phemomenon asked for participants in her one-off foodie event, “Blogging for Babies – An Invitation for Little Wonders” I didn’t hesitate to say yes. This is an event to promote the March For Babies, which does amazing work in the way of improving the life quality of infants, both full term and premature.

I have a particular interest in causes like this one because I work at a childrens’ hospital, specifically doing anesthesia on these little miracles. We sometimes have to anesthetize patients as little as 23 weeks gestation, and they barely weight ONE pound. They are so tiny, and are fighting so hard for their life. Its both heartbreaking and amazing, and I’m so glad that there are organizations like this that are able to help these little ones make it through this rough start to life. Please consider going to the link above to donate to this cause – your money will be truly well spent.  Please see below for Holly’s personal statement to everyone regarding this event/cause.

For this event, Holly asked that we make something miniature, to symbolize the little lives that this cause benefits. So, my contribution is mini madeleines! I used David Lebovitz’s recipe. Let me first preface this by saying that this was my first ever attempt at madeleines, period. I have tins for both the mini and regular size, and I thought this would be the perfect time to try out the mini tin.

These. Were. So. Tasty. Everyone (repeat, everyone) that tried them, loved them. My only exposure to madeleines previously were those served at La Madeleine, and those are the full-sized ones. I’m wondering if you can’t get the scalloped edge as defined in the mini pan as you can with the full-sized pan. I’m looking forward to trying those next!

The Recipe:

Lemon-Glazed Madeleines

24 cookies (about 80 minis)

If you use baking powder, they may take another minute or so to bake since the batter will rise higher. They’re done when the cakes feel just set if you poke them with your finger. Avoid overbaking them. There’s nothing better than a fresh, buttery madeleine.

I also prefer to bake these in the upper-third of my oven, so the tops get slightly-browned. I love the lemon glaze, but you can omit it if you want your madeleines nekkid.

3 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup (130g) granulated sugar
rounded 1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup (175g) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder (optional)
zest of one small lemon
9 tablespoons (120g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature, plus additional melted butter for preparing the molds

3/4 cup (150g) powdered sugar
1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons water

1. Brush the indentations of a madeleine mold with melted butter. Dust with flour, tap off any excess, and place in the fridge or freezer.

2. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, whip the eggs, granulated sugar, and salt for 5 minutes until frothy and thickened.

3. Spoon the flour and baking powder, if using, into a sifter or mesh strainer and use a spatula to fold in the flour as you sift it over the batter. (Rest the bowl on a damp towel to help steady it for you.)

4. Add the lemon zest to the cooled butter, then dribble the butter into the batter, a few spoonfuls at a time, while simultaneously folding to incorporate the butter. Fold just until all the butter is incorporated.

5. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (Batter can be chilled for up to 12 hours.)

6. To bake the madeleines, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

8. Plop enough batter in the center of each indentation with enough batter which you think will fill it by 3/4′s (you’ll have to eyeball it, but it’s not brain-surgery so don’t worry if you’re not exact.) Do not spread it.

10. Bake for 8-9 minutes or until the cakes just feel set. While the cakes are baking, make a glaze in a small mixing bowl by stirring together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and water until smooth.

11. Remove from the oven and tilt the madeleines out onto a cooling rack. The moment they’re cool enough to handle, dip each cake in the glaze, turning them over to make sure both sides are coated and scrape off any excess with a dull knife. After dipping, rest each one back on the cooking rack, scalloped side up, until the cakes are cool and the glaze has firmed up.

Storage: Glazed madeleines are best left uncovered, or not tightly-wrapped; they’re best eaten the day they’re made. They can be kept in a container for up to three days after baking, if necessary. I don’t recommend freezing them since the glaze will melt.

From Holly:

“Want to know more about Little Wonders March for Babies Team? Fantastic!! Here is the Team Page. Any amount that you can sponsor is extremely appreciated. Please, please help spread the word and sponsor Little Wonders if you can! Thank you!

So, to all you amazing food bloggers out there, you will never know how much your friendship, comments, kind words and encouragement have saved my life (at the very least, my sanity) this winter. I am so blessed to be home with my sweet boys and I am so grateful to have them and I have been so amazed by this community and being able to be a small part of it.

If you want to see why I am passionate about this, here is a video of pieces of Cole’s first month of life. I will warn you that, though there isn’t anything gruesome in the video, it isn’t easy to watch. Again, compared to what happens to other families, I still feel so lucky. It is just a small clip – about three minutes, that covers our journey to where we are now. If you want to really see who we are you are welcome to look at our family blog here.

Thank you!”:

The difficultly level of this bread is marked as “advanced” in Maggie Glezer’s book. I took one look at that and thought, what the heck. I’ve got a bread class under my belt, and I just won’t take pictures of it if its inedible :).

I adapted the recipe from her book Baking Across America, and this particular recipe is from Della Fratoria’s Bakery. I happened to have all the ingredients on hand which was about 70% why I chose to get started on this recipe last night. The other 30% was that it used sourdough starter, and I’m always looking for a reason to use it! I keep my starter at 100% hydration, and adapted the recipe to account for that.

I thoroughly enjoy polenta on its own, and was curious how it would turn out in a bread. One of the steps is to have the polenta absorb about 5x its weight in water, and that made for a great bread with a lot of taste and texture.

You can see the amazing crumb in the pictures, and the crust was just as fantastic. The polenta that was dusted on the top gave a great additional crunch. We enjoyed this with black bean chili, and it was the perfect accompaniment. I brought the rest of the bread to work today to share, and it was gone in no time. I even had someone ask about purchasing some – hmmm :)

One last thing – the spiral shaping was a bit harder than I had thought it would be . I normally use a curved lame, which I did for this, but I would think a straight knife would’ve made the work easier. The dough is tacky, and the polenta on the top makes it that much harder to get a smooth cut. But I still think that it turned out fantastic!

Polenta Bread
(adapted from Polenta Bread in Maggie Glezer’s Baking Across America)
makes two 650g boules

Recipe Synopsis

Refresh Starter – Depends on how current yours is :)
Make polenta and chill – 30 min
Rough mix and autolyse dough – 15 min
Mix dough – 20 min
Bulk Ferment – 3 1/2 hours
Shape and bench proof – 2 1/2 hours
Bake – 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 225 g mature sourdough starter – 100% hydration
• 35 g coarse polenta
• 175 g cold water (for polenta)
• 345 g cold water (for final dough)
• 265 g unbleached bread flour
• 335 g unbleached high-gluten flour
• 18 g salt
• coarse polenta for coating the dough

Method

1. Mix the polenta and water in a microwavable container and microwave on high power for 4 minutes. Stir and microwave for 2 minutes more. The mixture should be very thick. (you could also do this on the stove top, it will take about 5 minutes). Then spread the mixture out on a plate to cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
2. Measure the cold water (for dough) into the mixing bowl, add the flours, and stir with your hands or a wood spoon just until a rough dough forms. The water will not absorb all the flour at this point. Let the dough rest (autolyse) for about 15 minutes.
3. Using the dough hook, mix on medium speed until the dough forms (and it will) a smooth, cohesive round. Add the starter and salt, and mix until the dough is firm and smooth. The dough will be incredibly wet to start with, and it will seem like it won’t come together. It will. I was mixing at about speed 5 here, and in about 5 minutes it had come together. Add the cooked polenta in small bits, mixing until fully incorporated. This whole process can take up to 15 minutes to achieve moderate gluten development.
4. Place the dough in a large container and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let it ferment until it is well expanded, but not yet doubled in size, with folds at 30-, 60-, and 90-minutes. Then, leave the dough undisturbed for the remaining 1 1/2 – 2 hours. The entire bulk fermentation time should be around 3 1/2 hours.
5. Flour the surface of the dough and your work surface and turn the dough out. Cut the dough in half; each piece should weigh roughly 640 grams (23 ounces). Lightly round the pieces and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rest for 15 minutes.
6. Pour some coarse polenta into a large pie plate. Shape the dough pieces into even and tight round loaves without deflating them. Spray their tops with water, then roll them in the polenta to coat them. Place each shaped loaf coated side down in an unlined tightly woven basket, or plastic bowl. I was concerned that they would not release, so I lightly sprayed my bowls with spray oil. Cover them well with plastic wrap and proof the dough until it is well expanded, about 2 – 2 1/2 hours.
7. About 45 minutes before baking, arrange a rack on the oven’s second-to-top shelf and place a baking stone on it. Clear away all racks above the one being used. Preheat oven to 425F.
8. If desired, just before baking the bread, fill the oven with steam (I used ice cubes and spritzed the loaves as they went into the oven). Turn the breads out onto separate sheets of parchment paper. In one continuous motion, slash a spiral on top of each loaf: Begin at the bread’s center and, holding the razor almost horizontally, turn the bread on its paper while you cut the spiral. Slide the breads, still on paper, onto the hot stone. Bake the loaves until dark and evenly browned all around, about 40-45 minutes, rotating them halfway into the bake. Let cool on rack for at least an hour.

It’s that time again! Except this time I feel like a fool. Somehow I had it in my head that this month’s posting was to be done on the 31th (last day of the month, just like last month, which was my first time participating). But my assumption was wrong, and I just realized it today. I went to a few of my favorite DB‘ers sites and saw that they had put theirs up yesterday. I initially thought that they must’ve been breaking the DB rules, (gasp!!) but it was I that hadn’t paid attention. To my fellow DB’ers, I apologize!

I have only made a layer cake on one other occasion, and I think that my layers were merely the two 9″ rounds stacked on top of one another with a bit of frosting in between. This was far fancier!

Morven of Food Art and Random Thoughts had made the executive decision this month that we were going to make Dorie Greenspan’s Celebration Cake, which came out of her book Baking: From my Home to Yours. When I saw that we were basically given the option to do whatever we wanted (within cakes, now), I was thrilled! Then overwhelmed. What flavor and color combinations would I choose? What decorations (if any) would I use? I’m the kind of person that will do well with, say, two or three choices. But given endless opportunities, my mind goes numb with exhaustion. And it did in this case. So, I deviated from the original recipe in almost no way. Very creative, I know. I did add some colorful little sprinkles to the cake batter, which, if you’re not sure what you’re looking at can appear to look like mold. Or other colorful little additives. But they are just mini sprinkles in the spirit of celebration! I followed her cake recipe to the letter, although I did add about 1 tsp of almond extract just cause.

I’m most happy with the fact that I didn’t deviate from her buttercream recipe. It is by far the best I’ve ever had. I know there’s like 400 lbs of butter in it, but it just doesn’t taste all that heavy. It really has great flavor, which I hope to spice up soon with some different extracts/citrus.

I used seedless red raspberry preserves between the layers, with the buttercream as well. That spread quite nicely and really made for a nice color contrast against the light cake and buttercream. To add some “flair” I put fresh raspberries on top of the sweetened – shredded coconut smotherings. I wish I had been clever enough at the time to add some lemon peel shavings…

I have the cake all packaged up and ready to go to work with me in the morning. I had to stop at just one piece of this amazing cake – it really was THAT good. I’m sure everyone at work will agree.

Here’s the recipe:

For the Cake

2 1/4 cups cake flour (updated 25 March)
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk (I prefer buttermilk with the lemon)
4 large egg whites
1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ teaspoon pure lemon extract

For the Buttercream
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For Finishing
2/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves stirred vigorously or warmed gently until spreadable
About 1 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut

Getting Ready
Centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9 x 2 inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

To Make the Cake
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.
Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant.
Add the butter and working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light.
Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed.
Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated.
Add the rest of the milk and eggs beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.
Finally, give the batter a good 2- minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.
Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean
Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unfold them and peel off the paper liners.
Invert and cool to room temperature, right side up (the cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to two months).

To Make the Buttercream
Put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or another large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a plan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes.
The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream.
Remove the bowl from the heat.
Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes.
Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter a stick at a time, beating until smooth.
Once all the butter is in, beat in the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes.
During this time the buttercream may curdle or separate – just keep beating and it will come together again.
On medium speed, gradually beat in the lemon juice, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla.
You should have a shiny smooth, velvety, pristine white buttercream. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the buttercream and set aside briefly.

To Assemble the Cake
Using a sharp serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, slice each layer horizontally in half.
Put one layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper.
Spread it with one third of the preserves.
Cover the jam evenly with about one quarter of the buttercream.
Top with another layer, spread with preserves and buttercream and then do the same with a third layer (you’ll have used all the jam and have buttercream leftover).
Place the last layer cut side down on top of the cake and use the remaining buttercream to frost the sides and top.
Press the coconut into the frosting, patting it gently all over the sides and top.

Serving
The cake is ready to serve as soon as it is assembled, but I think it’s best to let it sit and set for a couple of hours in a cool room – not the refrigerator. Whether you wait or slice and enjoy it immediately, the cake should be served at room temperature; it loses all its subtlety when it’s cold. Depending on your audience you can serve the cake with just about anything from milk to sweet or bubbly wine.

Storing
The cake is best the day it is made, but you can refrigerate it, well covered, for up to two days. Bring it to room temperature before serving. If you want to freeze the cake, slide it into the freezer to set, then wrap it really well – it will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer; defrost it, still wrapped overnight in the refrigerator.

Playing Around
Since lemon is such a friendly flavour, feel free to make changes in the preserves: other red preserves – cherry or strawberry – look especially nice, but you can even use plum or blueberry jam.

Fresh Berry Cake
If you will be serving the cake the day it is made, cover each layer of buttercream with fresh berries – use whole raspberries, sliced or halved strawberries or whole blackberries, and match the preserves to the fruit. You can replace the coconut on top of the cake with a crown of berries, or use both coconut and berries. You can also replace the buttercream between the layers with fairly firmly whipped sweetened cream and then either frost the cake with buttercream (the contrast between the lighter whipped cream and the firmer buttercream is nice) or finish it with more whipped cream. If you use whipped cream, you’ll have to store the cake the in the refrigerator – let it sit for about 20 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Mmm, mmm, good…

I was so excited when Susan of Wild Yeast posted that she was going to be hosting this current BBD, and I was also thrilled that the theme was celebration breads. That excitement didn’t last long though. I sat there for a while and thought about the different celebrations that I’ve been a part of. There were no breads that made a regular appearance, unless you count white sandwich bread, but that was merely a celebration of lunch time at school. There really was nothing that I could say was a heritage bread or a “from my grandmother’s family” bread… I come from a long line of non-cooks. If anything was baked, it was baked by Publix, or Nature’s Own. I liked that Susan had baked Hot Cross Buns for her entry. That got me thinking of a holiday celebration bread, even if it wasn’t my own. I liked the idea of a Pannetone, but I didn’t want to spend the 85 days doing it just as we were coming into spring. So I started to look into Easter breads, or spring celebration breads, and actually found a good number of them out there. **please see the second recipe in this post for my actual “submission” to this BBD – it was much better**

I made two breads, the second one coming out much better than the first. But it still wasn’t to its very best because I was a little rushed and really thought in my heart that it had final-proofed enough. Oh my was I wrong…

The first bread I made came from Beth Hensperger’s The Bread Bible, and is the Alpine Easter Bread. This definitely resembled more of a cake in flavor (a little flat in that area, though), but ultimately looked like a giant hamburger bun. Seriously. See for yourself.

I thought that this had baked plently long enough as well. But it was very dense and moist inside… definitely underbaked.

If you can not think of this as a hamburger bun, then it actually looked quite pretty sitting upon the cake stand. The glaze, which was just powdered sugar and lemon juice was fabulous against the crisp crust. I didn’t have lemon extract on hand, so I added a whole lemon’s worth of juice to the dough, and added about a tsp of almond extract just ’cause. I think it really NEEDED the lemon extract – it definitely needed more punch. I think orange extract would’ve been fabulous here, too.

Here’s the recipe:

Makes one 10-inch round loaf

Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk
8 tbsp unsalted butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup warm water
1 1/2 tbsp active dry yeast (I did 1 tbsp instant)
2/3 cup sugar
4 to 4 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour (I did bread flour)
2 tsp grated lemon zest
(I added the entire juice of one lemon)
1 1/2 tsp salt (I used fine natural sea salt)
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract (I did vanilla bean paste)
1/2 tsp lemon extract (I did almond extract, since I added the lemon juice)

For the Nut Liquor Glaze: (I didn’t do this – just a lemon juice and powdered sugar glaze)

1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2-3 tbsp nut liquor such as Pistacha, Amaretto, Frangelico, or Nocino
10 whole toasted, chocolate-coated almonds, for garnish.

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, combine the milk and butter. Heat until the butter is melted. Let cool to 105-115F, about 20 minutes.

2. Pour the warm water in a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast and a pinch of sugar over the surface of the water. Stir to dissolve and let stand at room temperature until foamy, about 10 minutes.

3. In a large bowl using a whisk or in the work bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 1 1/2 cups of the flour, the remaining sugar, lemon zest and salt. Add the yeast and milk mixtures, eggs, and extracts. Beat until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, on low speed until a soft dough that just clears the sides of the bowl is formed. Switch to a wooden spoon when necessary if mixing by hand.

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until the dough is soft and springy, about 3 minutes, dusting with flour only 1 tbsp at a time as needed to prevent sticking. The dough should not be dry. If kneading by machine, switch from the paddle to the dough hook and knead for 2-3 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and springy and springs back when pressed. If desired, transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead briefly by hand.

5. Place the dough in a greased deep container. Turn once to coat the top and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours. Do not rush this dough, as the full rising time is important to develop flavor and texture.

6. Gently deflate the dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and shape into a smooth, round loaf. Grease a 10-inch (I only had a 9″ on hand) springform pan or a 10-inch round cake pan 4 inches deep. Place the dough in the pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at warm room temp until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

7. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350F. Bake 50-60 minutes (or a LOT more in my case, and it still wasn’t done) or until brown and a cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the center. Transfer the loaf from the pan to a cooling rack. Place the rack over a plate or a sheet of wax paper to catch the drips.

8. To prepare the glaze: In a small bowl, combine the ingredients and whisk until smooth. Adjust the consistency of the glaze by adding hot water a few drops at a time as needed. Drizzle the glaze over teh warm loaf, letting it drip down the sides. Stud the outer edge with whole almonds, if desired. The glaze will set as the loaf cools.

Ooookay… now for my real entry: This bread was amazing in every way. Taste, texture (even the dough was something to behold), color, GIRTH. This is the Artos Greek Celebration bread by Peter Reinhart in his BBA book. I’m not Greek, but I know they make good stuff, and I happened to have all the ingredients on hand which tickled me. Especially ’cause the hamburger bun was made the day before, and I needed something good to come out of the oven this time. Let me first say this… I have never touched dough so luxurious. I wanted to make sheets out of it and sleep on it. Yes, I’m serious.

If you look closely, you’ll see that the right side of the bread is nicely scored, and left side is, well, round. You see… I followed the recipe to the letter. I was certain that this would be my all-time best creation (and it really was – just not in the looks department). This recipe not only calls for sourdough starter, but instant yeast as well. And although that set off alarm bells in my mind, I wasn’t quite prepared. I thought I had given enough time for the final proof. I was starting to get concerned that I may not make my dinner plans if it kept on rising, and I felt fairly certain that it had at least doubled in size while there. So I score it, throw it in the oven with a little bit of steam, and get started on making the glaze. Its looking awesome right off the bat. I check on it again about 10 minutes into baking, and to my horror, the loaf split from basically the north pole to the south pole, right along my left most slash. No beauty contests for you, my friend. I was feeling particularly frustrated with this BBD when I saw that, but I decided that I could at least dress it up nicely, and cut it in half and serve each half to unsuspecting friends/coworkers. The reviews were out of this world. I had cut a little wedge for myself and knew immediately that this could not stay in the house.

I gave half of it to one of my best girlfriends who is Greek, as I thought she may really appreciate this bread. She sounded so convincing when she said that this was truly the best celebration bread that she’s ever had. She (Christina) said that this was probably because it was so fresh – I delivered it to her only hours after coming out of the oven.

The other half went to work, and was completely devoured by 9am. I received so many compliments on it – I really think that this would be a fabulous bread to accompany any holiday gathering, and would be really great braided. The loaf it self was almost 14″ in diameter on the long end, and about 12″ on the shorter end. It really was quite massive.

Artos, from Wikipedia, says “Artos: (Á????, “leavened loaf”) refers to a loaf of leavened bread that is blessed during services in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches. A larger Artos is baked especially for use at Pascha (Easter), smaller round loaves (used five at a time) are blessed during the All-Night Vigil in a ritual called Artoklasia.

Artos in the Greek language once referred to any sort of leavened bread, but in Modern Greek now only refers to bread used in church.

This bread is the parent bread for a lot of different Greek celebration breads, according to PR, with christopsomos at Christmas, vassilopita which is served on New Years Day, and the Easter bread – lambropsomo (also called tsoureki). It seems that the breads deviate when it comes to additives (dried fruits, nuts), different toppings, and most obvious, shape.

Now for the recipe!

1 cup starter (100% hydration) or poolish
3 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp minced orange or lemon zest, or extract
1 tsp almond extract
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup honey
1/4 olive oil
3/4 cup whole or low-fat milk, lukewarm (~90F)

Optional Glaze:

2 tbsp water
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp orange or lemon extract (I did a squirt of lemon juice and a tiny bit of almond extract)
sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Remove the measured amount of barm (starter) from the refrigerator 1 hour before making the dough. (If using poolish, make it the day before.)

2. Stir together the flour, salt, yeast, cinnamon nutmeg, allspice, and cloves in a large mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). Add the barm or poolish, the extracts, eggs, honey, oil, and milk. Stir together with a sturdy spool (or mix on low speed with a paddle attachment) until the dough forms a ball.

3. Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and knead (or mix on medium speed with the dough hook). Add more milk or flour as needed to form the dough into a soft, but not sticky, ball. It should be tacky and very supple (it really was). Knead (or mix) for approximately 10 minutes. The dough should pass the windowpane test and register 77-81F.

4. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and ferment the dough at room temp for 90 minutes or until it doubles in size.

5. Remove the dough from the bowl and shape into a boule. Transfer it to a sheet pan that has been lined with baking parchment. Mist the dough with spray oil and loosely cover with plastic wrap.

6. Proof at room temp for 60-90 minutes, or until the dough nearly doubles in size. (**make sure this happens**)

7. Preheat the oven to 350F with the oven rack on the middle shelf.

8. Bake the loaf for 20 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees for even baking and continue baking for 20-25 minutes, or until the loaf is golden brown and registers 190F. It should make a hollow sound when thumped on the bottom. You may glaze the loaf as soon as it comes out of the oven, if desired.

9. To make the glaze, combine the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the honey and extract and turn off the heat. Reheat the glaze, if necessary, before applying it to the bread. Brush the loaves with the glaze and immediately sprinkle with sesame seeds.

10. Transfer the bread to a rack and cool for at least 1 hour before slicing or serving.

**Your house will smell incredible**

Thank you, Susan, for hosting this month’s BBD, and thank you Zorra, as the founder of BBD!