Search Results for '("C'

[BakerAunt]

Friendship Cake Fruit Starter & Care Instructions
Submitted by uninvited-guest on May 02, 2011 at 2:12 am

This starter is used to make a "30 Day Friendship Cake" that is chock full of fruit. This fruit is also good just spooned over vanilla ice cream or pound cake with whipped cream!

Yield: 1 starter

1 (15 oz.) can pineapple chunks, drained
1 (15 oz.) can of apricot halves, drained
1 (15 oz.) can sliced peaches, drained
1 (10 oz.) jar maraschino cherries, drained
1 1/4 cup Rum or Brandy
1 1/4 cup white sugar
****************
=Day 1=
2 1/2 cup white sugar
1 (29 oz.) can of sliced or diced peaches, WITH juice
****************
=Day 10=
2 cups white sugar
1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple, WITH juice (or 15 oz. can of chunks)
***************
=Day 20=
2 cups white sugar
1 (17 oz.) can fruit cocktail, WITH juice
1 (14 oz.) jar maraschino cherries, WITH juice

Instructions
DO NOT REFRIGERATE STARTER - Keep loosely covered

In a large glass jar, combine drained pineapple chunks, drained apricot halves, drained sliced peaches, drained maraschino cherries, brandy or rum, and sugar. Stir with a large plastic or wooden spoon.

Cover loosely and let stand at room temperature for 3 weeks, stirring once a day.

Drain the fruit, reserving the liquid. The liquid is your starter.

You can use the fruit in a cake, but you do not have enough starter to share at this time.
Feed your starter (the liquid) as follows:

Begin feeding and caring for you starter within 5 days of receiving it.

=Day 1=
In a large glass jar or crock, stir 2 1/2 cups of sugar and a 29 oz can of peaches (with juice) into the starter.
Stir starter once a day.

=Day 10=
Stir in 2 cups sugar and a 20 oz can of crushed pineapple (or 15 oz can of chunks) with juice.
Stir once a day.
***************

=Day 20=
Stir in 2 cups sugar, a 17 oz. can of fruit cocktail with juice, and a 14 oz. jar of maraschino cherries with juice.
Stir once a day.
***************

=Day 30=
Drain juice from the fruit. Divide juice into 1 1/2 cup portions and place in separate containers. Give the containers to friends with a copy of these instructions and a copy of the cake recipe, or keep one starter for yourself and give the others away.

YOU ARE NOW READY TO MAKE YOUR CAKE.

comments

Submitted by meedee on Thu, 2011-05-05 18:35.
What can I use in place of rum or brandy?

Submitted by uninvited-guest on Fri, 2011-05-06 19:14.
Are you looking for a substitute because you don't like rum or brandy, or are you trying to eliminate the spirits?

Submitted by meedee on Sun, 2011-05-08 13:53.
I am trying to eliminate the spirts. What about orange juice?

Submitted by uninvited-guest on Wed, 2011-05-11 17:09.
I have not tried anything else, but I'll ask around and try to see if I can find out if anything else can be used.

*Update* Still can't find an answer as to what non-spirit can be used. I will continue to keep my ear to the ground.

Submitted by meedee on Wed, 2011-05-11 19:49.
Thank you for helping me.

Submitted by member-xwickslady1 on Tue, 2011-07-19 11:17.
What type of canned fruit should I be using - the type in light syrup, heavy syrup, or "natural" pack (I think that's just water??) Thanks.

Submitted by uninvited-guest on Tue, 2011-07-19 15:17.
I used juice packed, but I really don't think it matters. The way I see it, if it mattered, the recipe would specify. I think this recipe originally used home canned fruits and such, and everyone canned differently... some in water, some in syrups.

• This topic was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Victory Pie Crust
Submitted by uninvited-guest on January 24, 2011 at 4:52 pm

wingboy's persistence has paid off by getting this recipe from a little old lady from his church whom he dubbed "The Crust Queen."

Makes 6 single pie crusts or 3 double. You can halve the recipe or keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Yield: 3 double
Source: wingboy's "Pie Crust Queen"

6 c. flour
2 1/2 cups lard
2 tsp. salt
1 egg beaten
1 tsp. vinegar
10 T cold water

Mix together and divide into 6 single crust parts or 3 double crusts. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. Use as needed.
I mix the flour and salt and add the lard. Mix well until small pea size particles form. Add the slightly beaten egg, vinegar and water. Form in crusts. (I often do the final mixing with my hands and knead it slightly until all is well mixed.)

comments

Submitted by ddoug on Mon, 2011-01-24 21:40.
You can use butter or a combination of butter and margarine; it is the vinegar that makes the crust so easy to roll and so forgiving. I'd use as much as a tablespoon for six cups of flour. You can also add a couple tablespoons of sugar for a sweet crust. Deanna

Submitted by Yolie on Tue, 2011-01-25 16:51.
THANK YOU!!!! just what I needed....perfect!

Submitted by Morgana on Thu, 2011-01-27 15:36. Can you use veg shortening for the lard?

Submitted by uninvited-guest on Fri, 2011-01-28 05:14.
Certainly, but it won't have the same "umph." Lard is just the old fashioned fat used in a pie crust. Now days most people use shortening and/or butter. Just remember that if using butter, it has about 20% water in it, so you won't need as much water to be added.

Submitted by candace1234 on Sun, 2011-02-06 19:31.
I have this recipe and use it all the time, I use Crisco for the lard.

Submitted by carolinorygun on Fri, 2011-01-28 20:00.
Leaf lard has a higher melting point, resulting in a flakier crust. The mouthfeel of shortening is different and it's bland compared to lard. That doesn't mean shortening is unsuitable, just that the results won't be quite the same. You can't duplicate the effect of really good fresh leaf lard (which can be hard to locate).
Carol

Submitted by wingboy on Sun, 2011-01-30 18:10.
I tried the crust. Made an apple pie last night. The crust is good, but not the same as the Crust Queen's. I probably over-mixed. It was a dream to roll out, however. I will try it again!

Submitted by emmaus on Mon, 2011-01-31 11:09.
What flour do you use? Is it King Arthur All Purpose? Thanks a lot for the recipe.

Submitted by wingboy on Mon, 2011-01-31 23:20.
I used KAF AP

Submitted by Julie T. on Thu, 2011-02-03 14:56.
From my mother's tattered 1949 mimeographed copy of Favorite Recipes of Hope Lutheran Church is a pie crust recipe she used to use that is much like the Pie Crust Queen's but with different proportions.

3 cups flour
1 cup lard
1 tsp salt
5 T. cold water
1 T. vinegar
1 egg, beaten

Makes 4 crusts

Haven't tried a comparison of the recipes; I'd be interested to know what others find.
JT

Submitted by nickvello on Fri, 2011-05-20 10:25.
Hi: I'm pie crust challenged !!! I try, but with very little success?? I can stand some helpful suggestions.
Thanks

Submitted by peghayes on Thu, 2011-07-14 09:37.
I tried this recipe and did not have good luck with it. (Most likely, human error!) I need a crust recipe that makes several, so I want this to work for me. So, a question: I used fresh lard from a farmers market vendor - would that make any difference? The crust turned out to have too much lard. Could you give a weight for the amount to be used, instead of in cups? I did have a difficult time measuring it out and maybe ended up with too much. Thanks for anyone's help!

Submitted by brenda5105 on Tue, 2011-08-30 12:47.
From Cook's Illustrated I found a recipe that adds vodka to the mixture. 1/4 cup in fact. Vodka doesn't create gluten so it helps with the dough. You also use 1/4 cup cold water so it is more liquid than I have seen before but it really works well. You obviously need to add more flour. Uses butter and shortening.

[BakerAunt]

Cream Cheese Frosting

Submitted by uninvited-guest on October 06, 2011 at 12:03 am
8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
8 oz. Butter, softened
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 lbs. Confectioner's sugar (approx.)
Cream together cream cheese and butter. Beat in lemon juice and vanilla. Beat in confectioner's sugar. To adjust consistency, add more or less confectioner's sugar.

[BakerAunt]

Cranberry Orange Pecan Fudge
Submitted by uninvited-guest on November 13, 2011 at 11:33 pm

A white fudge studded with cranberries, pecans, and orange zest. Makes for a beautiful presentation.
Yield: 64 1" cubes

2 Tbl. Butter
5 oz. Can of Evaporated Milk (2/3 cup)
1 3/4 cup Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt
4 oz. Marshmallow Fluff (1/2 pint jar)
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
12 oz. White Chocolate, chopped (or white chips)
6 oz. Dried Cranberries (about 1 generous cup)
6 oz. Pecan halves, or other nut (optional)
Zest of 1 Orange, grated fine
Grease or line an 8” x 8” pan with parchment paper (or a 7” x 10” biscuit pan).
In a medium saucepan, combine butter, milk, sugar, and salt. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium heat. Continue stirring and boiling for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the marshmallow fluff, white chocolate, cranberries, nuts, vanilla extract, and orange zest. Stir quickly for about 1 minute, until the chocolate melts, and it is well blended.
Pour into prepared pan, cool, and cut into squares.

*2007 Great Frederick Fair – Best in Show – Candy*

Notes:
I prefer to use "bar chocolate." White chips can be used in a pinch, but I don't think the final product is as creamy. Most often I will use Ghirardelli bars that I grab in the baking section at the regular grocery.

Any kind of pecans will do for the recipe, but I think using the halves makes for a prettier fudge when cut.

I personally use the biscuit size pan and line with parchment, allowing some to hang over the edge of the pan. This is because it is easy to lift the whole mass out of the pan, and makes cutting easy, as you don't need to navigate pan edges. You can just cut straight down with a long knife... makes very clean and straight edges to the pieces.

This also has the best flavor when made at least a day prior to the day you intend to serve it. The flavor of the orange oil (in the zest) really gets to spread throughout the fudge. Also, the long wait time allows the fudge to really set well, and cut cleanly. If you cut it too early, it will be softish, and the chunks of pecans and cranberries will "catch" on the knife, causing the fudge to break and squish more than cut.

comments

Submitted by themuffinmaker on Wed, 2011-11-30 22:15.
Can you use dried zest? How about orange oil?

Submitted by uninvited-guest on Thu, 2011-12-01 00:38.
I'm sure you *could* use dried zest, but I personally have never done that. I'd probably put about 1/8 tsp orange oil over the dried zest and let it "hydrate" somewhat then use the whole mass. Whatever you decide to do, please be sure to post your results for others!

• This topic was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.
• This topic was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Chocolate Fudge Icing
Submitted by uninvited-guest on July 10, 2011 at 11:45 pm

A fudge icing that isn't sickeningly sweet. Enough for an 8 inch cake
Source: Roselyn Bakery (former Indianapolis bakery)

Chocolate Fudge Base (yield 1/3 cup):
7 1/2 Tbsp Cocoa
1 Tbsp Sunflower seed oil
1 3/4 Tbsp Crisco shortening
2 1/2 tsp light corn syrup
2 drops vanilla
*****
1 Tbsp light corn syrup
1/3 cup Land-O-Lakes butter
2 drops vanilla
5 Tbsp simple syrup
(1 T corn syrup, 2 1/2 T water and 2 1/2 T sugar, heated until dissolved)
4 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbsp. water

Start by making the Chocolate Fudge Base.
Add cocoa, sunflower seed oil, shortening, corn syrup, and vanilla to a mixing bowl. Mix at low speed until smooth.
*******
Combine corn syrup, butter, vanilla, 1 Tablespoon of the simple syrup, and the chocolate base to a bowl, blend together. Scrape down bowl.

Add remaining 4 Tablespoons of simple syrup. Mix well, and scrape down bowl.

Add 2 cups of powdered sugar with 2 Tablespoons water. Mix until incorporated.

Add 2 cups of powdered sugar with 1 Tablespoon water. Mix until incorporated.

Add an additional teaspoon of water to thin to consistency needed.

comments
Submitted by dachshundlady on Tue, 2011-07-19 20:09.
What is the consistency of this icing? I just wondered because the recipe seems quite involved. Intriguing . . .

Submitted by uninvited-guest on Wed, 2011-07-20 16:24.
It was nice and smooth, and spread like a dream (I used it on a Smith Island Cake and didn't tear any layers). Oddly, it *looks* more involved than it actually is.
In the past, I've made a larger batch of the base, and scooped out 1/3 cup as needed for making icing. As long as it gets used before the oil or Crisco go rancid, there is no reason to not make a bigger batch if you like the icing.
Submitted by dachshundlady on Thu, 2011-07-21 15:28.
Do you keep the base refrigerated?

Submitted by uninvited-guest on Thu, 2011-07-21 15:34.
I've done it both ways. It depends on where I have the extra room! If kept cold, it needs to brought to room temp before mixing the icing.

Submitted by Mrs Cindy on Sat, 2011-08-13 21:31.
This recipe specifies Land-O-Lakes butter and safflower seed oil. Can I use any high quality salted butter? Can I use Wesson oil or vegetable oil? Why safflower seed oil? I'm planning to use this frosting on the Favorite Fudge Birthday Cake. Any problems with that?

Submitted by uninvited-guest on Sat, 2011-08-13 22:33.
Any brands would be fine. The recipe from the Roselyn Bakery specifies the brand names. I copied it as it was written. I have used plain vegetable oil and another brand of butter with no ill effects.

Submitted by Mrs Cindy on Sat, 2011-08-13 22:54.
Wonderful! Thank you so much.

[BakerAunt]

What Makes a Great Coconut Frosting?

Hello, all. I bake the birthday cakes at work. I have a request for Monday's cake to be that wonderful lemon cake. That I can handle. However, the birthday boy has specified coconut frosting. I'm going to look through my various books and see if I can find a likely recipe, but I wondered if anyone can point me towards a favorite, or can tell me what she or he considers makes a good coconut frosting.
#
The combination with lemon seems odd to me, but maybe not? I don't have coconut frosting in my repertoire because my husband cannot eat coconut. I, however, love it.
posted by: bakeraunt on April 20, 2016 at 2:38 pm in Q & A

reply by: swirth on April 20, 2016 at 2:48 pm
I'd use LorAnn Coconut Oil..it is so wonderful!

reply by: Livingwell on April 20, 2016 at 2:52 pm
To me, coconut frosting means white frosting with sweetened shredded coconut on the top and sides, like so: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/coconut-cake-recipe

reply by: JennC13 on April 20, 2016 at 3:59 pm
I would add coconut milk powder. If you don't have time to get some from KAF, you can often find it in Asian grocery stores. It usually comes in a can like tuna fish (which I find bizarre)!

reply by: swirth on April 20, 2016 at 4:45 pm
Here is what I meant in my first post:

http://www.lorannoils.com/

reply by: KAF Customer Support on April 20, 2016 at 5:35 pm
This recipe uses coconut milk and coconut flavor for just the right frosting to complement the birthday cake! bit.ly/1IyEPek Happy Baking! Irene@KAF

reply by: cwcdesign on April 20, 2016 at 5:37 pm
bakeraunt, my Michael's favorite cake was coconut and he especially liked the one from Susan Branch's Summer cookbook that had lemon filling and this Marshmallow-like frosting that was then coated in shredded coconut, either sweetened or unsweetened.

1/3 cup water
1 cup sugar
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
Pinch salt
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine water, sugar, cream of tartar & salt in small, heavy pan. She recommends using a candy thermometer while you boil the ingredients without stirring until it reaches 240. Best egg whites til stiff. Then pour syrup in a thin stream over the egg whites, beating constantly until thick and glossy. Stir in vanilla.

I have tried to change up the directions as best I can, but I have also given credit to the author.

reply by: BakerIrene on April 20, 2016 at 5:46 pm
It would be a good idea to ask what he means by coconut frosting. The combo sounds OK to me.
.
The LorAnn coconut candy emulsion is a really good flavour to add to any icing recipe (also omit vanilla) but add it one drop at a time because it really is that strong. I think a seven-minute recipe is a good base.

reply by: frick on April 20, 2016 at 6:06 pm
I vote for the recipe cwcdesign offers you. To me, the quintessential southern cake, made by my Granny every holiday for us, was a white cake with lemon filling and coconut frosting which was slathered with shredded FRESH coconut. Buy a coconut. Pierce the eyes and drain the milk; use it in the cake. Peel the coconut and shred it. Make a great lemon filling, either a lightened curd or a good lemon pie filling. Perfect flavor combination. The birthday boy has good taste.

reply by: bakeraunt on April 20, 2016 at 6:42 pm
Fresh Coconut is not going to happen.

reply by: cwcdesign on April 20, 2016 at 9:00 pm
Ha!

reply by: bakeraunt on April 20, 2016 at 11:23 pm
The KAF recipe to which Livingwell posted the link is identical to the coconut cake recipe in the first issue of Sift, except that the frosting is less complicated in the version in Sift. I'm leaning toward making this one because I have some KAF cake flour blend to use up, and I also have some powdered coconut milk. (I must have had something in mind when I bought it....). I need to see if I can locate canned coconut milk locally, and I need to check what kind of coconut flavoring I have, since it is too late to order.
#
The birthday boy is ok with a full coconut cake rather than a lemon cake with coconut frosting--a flavor combination that just does not seem right to me. I suppose that I think of lemon with cream cheese frosting, and that is that. Curiously, Susan Purdy uses cream cheese in her frosting for a coconut cake. She says it cuts the sweetness.

reply by: frick on April 21, 2016 at 2:05 am
So sorry a fresh coconut isn't in the cards, but I probably wouldn't either. I was talking 'best case scenario'. At any rate, lemon filling, white cake, coconut frosting -- heaven. I always glaze lemon cake with more lemon. Cream cheese frosting is for carrot cake, chocolate cake, pumpkin cake, etc. But cream cheese filling with chocolate chips in chocolate cupcakes, I'm talking wow.

reply by: cwcdesign on April 21, 2016 at 5:59 am
Not sure I'd use cream cheese icing on coconut cake, but that's just me. Having made the coconut cake, lemon filling, & the frosting I posted many times, I can attest to its deliciousness.

reply by: bakeraunt on April 21, 2016 at 9:16 am
Come to think of it, I don't use cream cheese frosting on my lemon cake. I use a simple buttercream with some lemon juice and zest.
#
From what people are saying here, lemon and coconut are a perfectly good combination. However, the person at work for whom I baked the first lemon birthday cake (I've now done three) also thought that lemon and coconut was an odd combination. I suppose that I could try it and see how it comes out, but I'm not sure that I'd do the lemon curd filling until I tried milder lemon and coconut together.
#
Oh, decisions, decisions.

reply by: dachshundlady on April 21, 2016 at 10:44 am
I agree that WHITE cake, lemon filling and Carol's marshmallowy frosting and loads of coconut sprinkled on would be great.

reply by: frick on April 21, 2016 at 2:02 pm
That's it exactly. White cake, lemon filling, frosting with loads of coconut sprinkled on top. Classic.

reply by: cwcdesign on April 21, 2016 at 4:46 pm
So I went to see if I could find her recipe online - found it on food.com

http://www.food.com/recipe/coconut-layer-cake-with-lemon-filling-and-marshmallow-like-frost-179632

The lemon filling is more filling, less curd-like in that it has way less butter. That may be why it works well. Be interested to hear what you decide
-
And you should be able to find canned coconut milk in the Asian section of any supermarket - the Thai brand is one and Harris Teeter has a decent store brand

reply by: bakeraunt on April 22, 2016 at 7:36 pm
Thank you all for your thoughts on coconut cake. If I had time, I would try all recommendations. I have decided to go with the coconut cake in the first issue of Sift. As Cwcdesign helpfully told me, there was coconut milk in the Asian section.

The secretaries at work were relieved when I told them it would be an all coconut cake. It seems I was not the only one uncertain about that particular lemon cake recipe with coconut. I may put a KAF lemon wafer on the birthday boy's slice.

Since the cake calls for six egg whites, I'll be baking Kid Pizza's Challah.

I will also need to find a recipe that will use up the rest of the coconut milk, since the recipe only uses about 1/2 a cup.

reply by: frick on April 23, 2016 at 1:30 pm
I made a coconut pull apart bread last year when my family visited. It wowed everyone. If you want the recipe, I'll post it. And if you don't find anything to your liking right away, you can freeze the coconut milk.
.
Since we have a plethora of Asian markets in our area, and you can even buy it at TJ's, I had a choice of brands. For what it's worth, one in particular stood out, Chaokoh, from Thailand, for it's ingredient list: only coconut extract, water, citric acid and sodium metasbisulfite as preservatives. I also chose it because it was higher in calories and fat (saturated, of course). I know that seems antithetical due to the unhealthy aspects, but it was going to be used rarely, and I thought it would give more flavor punch.
.
Since it's another example of combining lemon and coconut, I'm going to post it here anyway. Feel free to curse from afar. It's very sweet. I may have used sweetened coconut even though I have unsweetened in the freezer. Also, if you want to use unsweetened coconut and that isn't available. I'll bet you could rinse the excess sugar from supermarket shredded coconut, spreading it on paper towels to dry.
.
Helpful hint: Stacking slices of slippery, sticky dough in a bread pan is easy if you stand the pan on end first. I also mix simple doughs like this in the bread machine.
.
Lemon Coconut Pull-Apart Bread
.
Dough
400g (3 + 1/3 cups) strong white bread flour
7g (2 tsp) fast action yeast
50g (1/4 cup) sugar
1 tsp salt
50g (scant 1/4 cup) butter
120ml (1/2 cup) coconut milk (or whole milk)
2 eggs
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
.
Filling
.40g (3 tbsp) butter, melted
125g (2/3 cup) sugar
finely grated zest of 3 lemons and 1 orange
60g (packed 1/4 cup) desiccated coconut
.
Glaze
150g (1 + 1/2 cups) icing (powdered) sugar
2 tbsp coconut milk (or whole milk)
1 tbsp lemon juice
.
Instructions
.
1. 
Place the flour in a large bowl, add the yeast to one side and the sugar and salt to the other. Melt the butter in a small pan, remove from the heat and stir in the coconut milk. Add the butter mixture to the flour along with the eggs and lemon zest.
.
2. 
Mix until it forms a rough dough, turn out on to an un-floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic (use a stand mixer if you have one), the dough will be sticky at first but will become smooth after a few minutes of kneading.
.
3. 
Place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with greased clingfilm, either place in the fridge to rise overnight or in a warm place for an hour or so until doubled in size.
.
4. 
If you let it rise in the fridge overnight, let it sit out at room temperature for half an hour to warm up before continuing.
.
5
Line an approx. 22x11.5cm (9x4.5in) loaf tin with greaseproof paper.
.
6. 
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into an approx. 30x50cm (12x20in) rectangle. Brush the melted butter all over the dough. Mix together the sugar, zest and coconut and scatter it evenly over the dough, press it down gently.
.
7. 
Slice the dough into 5 even strips (roughly 10x30 cm) (a pizza cutter is the ideal tool), lay the strips on top of each other then slice in to 4 pieces.
.
8. 
Stack the dough pieces upright in the tin and loosen them slightly. Cover, and leave to rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes until puffy.
9. 
Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5.
.
10. 
Bake for about 45 minutes until the temperature in the centre registers as 94C/200F, or a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
.
11. 
Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin on a wire rack.
.
12
. Meanwhile, make the glaze; sift the icing sugar into a small bowl and stir in the coconut milk and lemon juice. It should be pourable but not runny, add a little more lemon juice if it is too thick or a little more icing sugar if it is too thin.
.
13. 
Turn the bread out onto a serving dish and pour over the glaze. Serve warm.
domestic gothess http://domesticgothess.com/

reply by: bakeraunt on April 25, 2016 at 12:35 am
Note to all: Kid Pizza has noted that the 4 tsp. of baking powder in the coconut cake from Sift is excessive. He suggests 3 1/2 tsp. He said that is likely why I had a crack on one of the layers.
#
That frosting (the one in Sift) is wonderful--both in taste and in ease of frosting. I didn't even have to do a crumb coat. It obligingly went on a split cake layers that had been refrigerated for 30 minutes before I started the frosting. I didn't have the coconut oil, and it was too late to order what Swirth and Baker Irene recommended. I did have some Organic Coconut Extract made by Flavororganics that I had bought a month or so ago at T.J. Maxx. I used 1/4 tsp in place of the coconut oil in the cake and the frosting. I did find it a little hard to stick the coconut on the sides of the cake, but I managed to do it and not make too big of a mess. The cake is now in the refrigerator. I'm looking forward to how the cake itself tastes.

reply by: Livingwell on April 25, 2016 at 7:38 am
Bakeraunt, the cake sounds super yummy and I hope the birthday boy loves it!

reply by: bakeraunt on April 26, 2016 at 12:26 am
The cake was definitely a hit. It is moist, and the combination of cake and frosting is perfect. Both have definite coconut flavor. If you love coconut cake, this is the one to try.

[Note: Here I have included a second thread on using up leftover coconut milk.]

Substituting Coconut Milk for Eggnog

I have leftover coconut milk from making that stunning and delicious coconut cake. I am wondering about using it in the following recipe in place of eggnog:
#
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/eggnog-mini-cakes-recipe
#
The original recipe just used cream and eggnog flavoring, so I have already made a change by using low-fat eggnog. This would be full fat coconut milk. If needed, I could up the flavor with some coconut flavoring.
#
Do you think it would work? If I try it, I will post the result before the Baking Circle is shut down.

posted by: bakeraunt on April 27, 2016 at 11:33 pm in Q & A
reply by: KAF_MaryJane on April 28, 2016 at 9:45 am
I think it would work out just fine. The natural sweetness of coconut milk would play very nicely with the recipe, and a bit of extra coconut flavor can give it a boost if you need it.
~ Maryjane

reply by: bakeraunt on April 28, 2016 at 10:08 am
Thanks, Mary Jane. I will give it a try, maybe this weekend.

reply by: bakeraunt on May 06, 2016 at 7:41 pm
I baked these cakes yesterday in my new Nordic Ware quartet pan. I deleted the nutmeg and added 1/4 tsp. coconut extract. It's a lovely cake with wonderful light texture. It does not taste that strongly of coconut. Still, it's a great way to use leftover coconut milk.

reply by: cwcdesign on May 06, 2016 at 8:22 pm
Bakeraunt when I was saving my recipes this evening I found I had saved a coconut cake recipe from naughtysquirrel. Haven't tried it yet because I forgot I had it, but I can share it with you if you like

reply by: bakeraunt on May 07, 2016 at 9:39 pm
Thanks, Carol. I did go to her recipe page and look at it. I'm sure it is delicious. However, my husband does not eat coconut (I had to eat the remainder of the cake I baked by myself), so I will stick to the recipe from Sift if I ever need a coconut cake again.
#
I'm just glad to have found a way to use up the leftover coconut milk.

• This topic was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.
• This topic was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.
• This topic was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Fresh Strawberry Bread

I adapted this recipe from a “My Best Recipe” that appeared in the Los Angeles Times over 25 years ago, and I've noted what changes I make.
*
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (4 oz. or 1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. strawberry extract (original recipe used almond extract, which is also good)
2 eggs (original recipe separated them and beat the whites separately)
*
2 cups flour (I use 1 1/2 unbleached flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour)
1/4 cup powdered milk (I added; you may omit)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
*
1 cup strawberry puree (original recipe says crushed or chopped) [For best flavor use very ripe strawberries. The recipe also said that you could use a thawed 10 oz. package of frozen ones, but I’ve not tried that.
*
*
In medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Mix in the extract. One at a time, beat in the eggs (or egg yolks, if you separated them). In another bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture, alternately with the pureed strawberries, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. (I use a low mixer speed–1 or 2). If you separated the eggs, beat the egg whites until stiff, then fold into the strawberry mixture.
*
Grease and flour (I spray with Baker’s Joy) a 9×5-inch loaf pan, or three mini-loaf pans. (Sizes on mini-loaf pans vary, so use your judgment. I use three “Baker’s Secret” ones that are at least as old as this recipe.)
*
Bake at 350F for 50-60 minutes for the large loaf. The small ones take about 30 minutes. They are done when a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on rack. It freezes well when double-wrapped and bagged.

Note about the strawberry extract: I used pure strawberry extract from Olive Nation that I bought at the Fancy Flours site. I had bought it for a strawberry cake and realized it would be a great addition to this bread.

[BakerAunt]

I do not get to do many vinaigrettes, as my husband does not do well with acidic foods. When I saw this topic, I remembered a recipe for Pasta con il Pollo e il Rosmarino--Pasta with Rosemary Chicken that appears in Nick Stellino's Glorious Italian Cooking: Romantic Meals, Menus and Music from Cucina Amore (Putnam, 1999), pp. 78-79. I made it for him once, but he said it did not go well with his digestion. Sigh.

In this recipe, boneless chicken breasts are marinated overnight in the refrigerator in 4 Tbs. olive oil, 3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar, 1/2 tsp salt, and 2 Tbs. chopped rosemary. The next day, the chicken is roasted, then cut into pieces and served with pasta in a light cream sauce. It is delicious, and I miss being able to do this kind of cooking. It would be a more interesting post in the "What Did You Cook?" thread than what I have been posting.

I used to watch Nick Stellino's show, Cucina Amore, on PBS. Then, suddenly, he was gone, and a not very charismatic host narrated dishes by the "chefs" of Cucina Amore. I googled him, and he is still cooking and has a PBS show. I must not be in an area where it is shown.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.

[Italiancook]

From ATK's "The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook," I made Minute (Cubed) Steak with Garlic-Parsley Butter.

I also made my second favorite meal -- beef liver with mashed potatoes 'n gravy and tomatoes. Bought the tomatoes at the farmer's market, and they tasted good.

My favorite meal is the liver, gravy & mashed potatoes with slow-cooked green beans. I bought the green beans at the farmer's market, but by the time hubby brought back the cottage ham from the meat market, it was too late to start them. I'll cook them today.

[BakerAunt]

Strawberry Cake and Leftover Egg Yolks

Note: This thread began as a quest to use up egg yolks, but like so many of the Baking Circle threads, it became a lot more.

It's my husband's turn to take a cake for an office member's birthday, and she asked for a strawberry cake. Actually, she asked for it, then said that strawberry ice cream would be ok instead. She clearly thought that her chances of getting a strawberry cake were pretty small. Don't we all deserve the cake of our dreams on our birthday? When my husband asked me if I could make one, I took up the challenge.
*
The KAF site did not yield any recipe that excited me, nor was there one in Susan Purdy's The Perfect Cake, my go-to cookbook for baking cakes. However, I had seen one on the Fancy Flours site that I wanted to try one day, so what better occasion? (If disaster hits, I can always whip up a pound cake and take strawberries to put over slices. Always have a back-up plan!) Here's the recipe:
*
http://www.fancyflours.com/product/fresh-strawberry-cake-recipe/basic-re...
*
So I've ordered the real strawberry extract from FF, and today I found some good fresh strawberries. I will go ahead and puree them and freeze it. (The birthday is not until a week from Monday.) I hope it comes out well. I will let people know. I particularly like the fact that the cake has strawberry puree in it.
*
I will, however, need recipes that call for egg yolks, since this cake takes 5 egg whites. Clearly I will need to bake something(s) with those yolks Suggestions?

reply by: KIDPIZZA on September 19, 2015 at 5:10 pm
BAKERAUNT:
Good afternoon. Marliss, my dear friend I thought I would mention to you that the best CHALLAH BREAD is made with 20% egg yolks instead of just eggs. However if you already know this tidbit forgive me.
.
. Good luck in your next bake.... I am certain it will come out well as usual.
. .
~CASS.

reply by: Livingwell on September 19, 2015 at 5:30 pm
Wow, bakeraunt, that cake looks delicious! I especially like that it's made with fresh fruit and extract instead of strawberry jello. Please let us know how the cake turns out and post a photo. You could make crepes, pudding, or cookies with the leftover egg yolks, unless you're specifically looking for another cake recipe. I like Cass's idea about using the yolks in challah. I use the ATK's challah recipe and it calls for 2 whole eggs and 1 yolk. I've heard you can sub 2 yolks instead of 1 whole egg in baking (haven't tried it myself), so making one loaf of challah would use up those yolks.
.
And speaking of Cass....hi, my friend! I bought jasmine rice to make your rice pudding and will be doing that soon! "Penelope"

reply by: bakeraunt on September 19, 2015 at 6:39 pm
Hi, Cass: Thank you for the suggestion. I've never made Challah bread, but I will start looking at recipes. I remember that the best French toast I ever had was made with leftover Challah.

reply by: swirth on September 19, 2015 at 7:54 pm
What a lucky recipient...that is a gorgeous cake! The extract shows out of stock so I guess you were lucky to get it. For many great ways to use your egg yolks, you can Google on egg yolk recipes...lots of ideas for you as well as ways to freeze them for later.

reply by: Mrs Cindy on September 20, 2015 at 7:52 am
Absolutely make Challah! Your DH will love the sandwiches made with it. Nothing better. And, yes, the best French toast is made using nice thick slices of Challah. Like bread pudding? Use your leftover (if there is any) Challah. I vote for Challah, can you guess? And, like Swirth says, you can always freeze the leftover yolks to use later.
.
~Cindy
p.s. Challah doesn't HAVE to be braided. It can be baked in a regular loaf pan.
~C

reply by: Rascals1 on September 20, 2015 at 12:40 pm
Notice most recipes for challah on kaf are dairy free. That's one bread I've never tried.

reply by: bakeraunt on September 25, 2015 at 2:19 pm
The strawberry extract arrived today. I will bake the cake on Sunday.
*
I noted that the KAF Challah recipes do not take extra egg yolks. Neither did the one in Bernard Clayton's bread book. I think that they may be simplifying for readers who do not want extra whites around or do not want to separate eggs. I did find a recipe in Secrets of a Jewish Baker that takes two extra yolks, so I may try that one. I note, however, that his recipes seem to call for a LOT of yeast. Is that typical of Challah, or is this the 1980s, 1990s "put in a lot of yeast because home bakers are impatient" approach? The book was published in 1993 and won the 1994 James Beard Award for best baking and dessert cookbook.

reply by: Mike Nolan on September 25, 2015 at 3:34 pm
Interesting question. I looked up 4 recipes I had, though I haven't made all 4.
.
Peter Reinhart has published at least 3 Challah recipes, the amount of yeast in them range from on the low side (in BBA) to on the high side (in ABED.) I remember when I tested the ABED recipe before the book was published, it was a larger recipe and outgrew the largest bowl I have!
.
Jeffrey Hamelman's recipe in Bread uses 3% yeast, but I think he's specifying liquid yeast which only commercial bakers have access to.
.
So I guess even professionals vary how much yeast they use in Challah.

reply by: KIDPIZZA on September 25, 2015 at 6:44 pm
BAKERAUNT:
Good evening to you friend. Listen Marliss if you are referring to KAF recipe the 4, braided one I scrutinized this recipe for you. It isn't correct Their lack of baking science shines thru this recipe. It begins with the polish.
.
If you are interested in this one I will re~formulate it so that you will get a viable loaf of bread including with the employment of the egg yolks.
.
Enjoy the rest of the day.
.
~CASS.

reply by: bakeraunt on September 25, 2015 at 7:16 pm
Hi, Cass. No, I decided not to do any of the KAF recipes, since they do not call for additional egg yolks. I'm looking at a recipe in Secrets of a Jewish Baker, by George Greenstein. Let me give you the list of ingredient for this two loaf recipe, and you can tell me what you think:
.
1 cup warm water
2 packages active dry yeast (that would be 4 1/2 tsp.
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tsp. sugar
4 to 4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 tsp. salt
.
Maybe the sugar requires that much yeast?

reply by: Mike Nolan on September 25, 2015 at 11:55 pm
4.5 tsp of yeast to 4.5 cups of bread flour means that the yeast is about 3.5% of the flour weight, depending on how heavy his 'cup' measure is. But even at 5 ounces per cup, that'd be a bit over 3% yeast. That would definitely make it on the high side for how much yeast it uses.

reply by: KIDPIZZA on September 26, 2015 at 8:15 am
BAKERAUNT:
Good morning my friend. Marliss, I scrutinized this recipe at your request. This is what I find.
.
The yeast measures out to 2 3/8ths% for close to 21, oz of flour (4.5,cups) All you need is half this amount one packet or .25, oz of instant yeast. Even this is excessive ordinarily. But like you picked~up on, the yeast is excessive in this recipe because of the large amount of sugar in this recipe. It is at 9 5/8ths% which is under 12% when total failure occurs. I congratulate you for picking up on this baking science tidbit.
.
Hydration is very low at 8, oz. Marliss, observe the dough while it is being mixed for hydration amount. I believe you may have to add some water a tsp at a time till you get the proper consistency. Do not use warm water...use room temp or cold water. Salt is excessive at 2, tsp...this amount is very very close 1/2, oz. all you need is 1,1/4 tsp of table salt.
Marliss dear, this recipe is 1 whole or 2, yolks short.
.
Marliss, Member ROBIN, bakes many CHALLAH bread recipes. Ask her to give you one of hers.
.
Let us know of your decision on of your intentions.
.
Good luck & have a nice day my friend.
.
~CASS.

reply by: Livingwell on September 26, 2015 at 9:11 am
Bakeraunt, I make the challah recipe from America's Test Kitchen and have always had good luck with it. The crust has an almost pastry-like flavor to it that we and others really like, especially the next day. I also like that it has two rises before shaping the dough for the third, final rise. The recipe is below if you want to try it. The original recipe makes the dough in a stand mixer, but I mix and knead it by hand, so have changed the directions to reflect that:
.
3 to 3-1/4 C. bread flour
1/4 C. sugar
1-1/4 tsps. salt
1 T. active dry yeast (the original recipe uses 2-1/2 tsps., but I like using 1 T.)
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 C. plus 1 T. warm water (about 110 degrees)
4 T. unsalted butter, melted and cooled a few minutes
2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
.
Egg wash:
.
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp. cold water
Sesame seeds (optional)
.
In a large bowl, whisk together scant 3 C. flour, 1/4 C. sugar, and salt; set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together yeast, 1 tsp. sugar, and warm water until yeast is completely dissolved. Let stand 5-10 mins. or until foamy. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, egg yolk, and melted butter until blended. Whisk into yeast mixture. Stir in flour mixture and knead until dough forms a ball and is smooth and elastic, adding remaining 1/4 C. flour, 1 T. at a time, as needed, to prevent sticking (sometimes I have to add even more than that to get the dough to come together on a humid day). Transfer dough to greased bowl, turning once so greased side is up. Cover and let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Gently press down dough to deflate it. Cover and let rise until doubled in size again, 40-60 mins. Divide dough evenly into three parts. Cover and let rest a full 10 mins. Roll each part into a 16-18 inch rope, about 1-inch in diameter. Braid, pinching ends together and tucking them under. Place bread on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise in warm, draft-free place until loaf becomes puffy and is almost doubled, about 30-45 mins. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and 1 tsp. water. Gently brush a light wash over top of loaf and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake 20-25 mins. or until golden brown. The original recipe says to bake 30-40 mins. or until an instant-read thermometer reads 190 degrees. When I've baked it that long, the outside is very dark, almost black in spots, even though my oven registers that the temp is right on with an oven thermometer, so keep an eye on it in our oven. Makes 1 large loaf.
.
Note: Recipe can easily be made into two smaller loaves and baked 20-25 mins.
.
Most times, I use a 4-strand braid. There is a picture of it on my personal page if you want to see how pretty it looks. I read somewhere that you can sub 2 egg yolks for 1 whole egg, so maybe using all yolks in this will get rid of those yolks for you. If you try it, I would be interested in hearing about the result.

reply by: bakeraunt on September 26, 2015 at 9:52 am
Hi, Cass: I looked at the threads, and Robin says that her favorite recipe is in Secrets of a Jewish Baker. However, she also says it takes about 8 egg yolks, and there is no such recipe in the book.
.
Robin also mentioned the Williams-Sonoma recipe for challah, which is supposed to be based on the one from Secrets of a Jewish Baker:
.
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/challah.html
.
It also uses a lot of yeast and uses fewer eggs. One reviewer mentioned using less flour.
.
I might use your suggestions for the ingredient list I posted, reducing the yeast and salt, as you suggest and adding an additional egg yolk or two. What do you think?

reply by: bakeraunt on September 26, 2015 at 9:50 am
Hi, Livingwell. I do have their Baking Illustrated Cookbook, so I will look at the Challah recipe. However, the idea is to use up egg yolks, since I will have 5 of them after baking the Strawberry Cake. I will keep this recipe in mind for when I only have one or two extras.

reply by: Livingwell on September 26, 2015 at 10:44 am
If it's true that you can sub egg yolks for whole eggs, the ATK will use up all of your extra yolks. Five just in the bread (2 each for each of the whole eggs, plus the extra yolk) and one in the egg wash, for a total of 6 yolks. Actually, you'll have one leftover egg *white* if you do the wash. Does that sound as clear as mud?

reply by: KIDPIZZA on September 26, 2015 at 12:58 pm
BAKERAUNT:
Hello again. Marliss, These recipes that have been gifted for you may bake well, so I cannot comment on them. Soooo, this is what I am going to do, I am gifting the recipe we used in culinary college many years ago.

I will not state the directions because they are the usual proofings & mixing order & I know you know how to prepare & bake yeasted bread.... BAKE at 40O Degrees. This recipe will bake (2) 1# loaves. If you wish to reduce tell me the exact amount you wish & I will reduce it for you.
.
Bread flour-------------------------20, oz------------------------------------------100%
Water--------------------------------8,oz---------------------------------------------40%
Instant yeast----------------------.25,oz--------------------------------------------1.25%
Sugar--------------------------------1.5, oz------------------------------------------7.5%
Salt--------------------(2,tsp)------.375,oz------------------------------------------1.75,%
Malt syrup---------------------------1/8,oz-------------------------------------------5/8%
Veg Oil--------------------------------2, oz--------------------------------------------10%
Egg Yolks--------(7)-----------------4,oz---------------------------------------------20%
-----------------------------------------36.25,oz----------------------------------------181.25%-------------------------
Good luck & enjoy the baking & the day as well.
.
~CASS.

reply by: bakeraunt on September 26, 2015 at 1:48 pm
Thank you, Cass. I have everything I need to bake it except for malt syrup, so that ingredient is a problem. I don't know if I can find it locally, but I will look. I do have malted milk powder. Is it possible to substitute that and increase the liquid?
.
I also have active yeast, but I have used it interchangeably with instant yeast with no problem.
I will have 5 egg yolks from the recipe, so I may use one whole egg along with those.
.
I will bake the Challah on either Monday evening or Tuesday, since I first need to bake that cake so that I have the egg yolks to use! That will be tomorrow.
One final question: How long do you bake the Challah (or to what temperature)?

reply by: Mike Nolan on September 26, 2015 at 3:41 pm
Malt syrup and malted milk powder are not interchangeable.
.
Most Challah recipes take 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees, depending upon the size of the loaf. The loaf should be a golden brown, even in the cracks (if it is a braided loaf.)

reply by: KIDPIZZA on September 26, 2015 at 5:34 pm
BAKERAUNT:
Hello again. You can omit the MALT... In general you can subst extra sugar for it...it is used for extra flavor as well as for extra crust color. One more thing when fermentation time is short in comm kitchens it aids in speeding up the proofing times. SOOOOO, Marliss just omit it.
Yes Marliss, you can successfully use 4, yolks & 1, whole egg it will give the same weight as 7, yolks.
.
Yes Marliss you can subst the active yeast for the instant yeast. the baking temp is 375 / 400, degrees Either temp. will bake it well enough.
.
Marliss due to the eggs in this recipe & the egg wash it helps to brown the crust quickly...Soooo, watch it carefully you can tent the top. Bake till it reaches 190 / 200 internal degree. Bake for approx. 25, minutes to see if it requires tenting overall I think 35 /40 minutes max. Cool for at least 1, hour min. Then you can cut into it..
.
Also Marliss, if you are going to seed the crust, approx. 3 to 5 minutes before you are to remove the bread apply another application of egg wash....turn off oven. Remove the bread after 3, minutes. This is done so the seeds stick...otherwise they will fall off very easily...just some more of my free baking secrets.
.
Good luck Marliss..
.
~CASS.

reply by: bakeraunt on September 26, 2015 at 6:46 pm

Thank you, Cass. I will let you know how I do with the Challah. I won't be seeding it, since my husband does not do well with most seeds, and that includes poppy and sesame, but thank you for the baking secret on how to get seeds to stick. Have a lovely rest of the day.

reply by: bakeraunt on September 27, 2015 at 5:30 pm
One final question, Cass. I have a scale and will weigh ingredients, but my scale won't do small amounts like .25 oz. (This is the cheaper scale; the more expensive one expired due to battery leakage, and I haven't had time to research its replacement.) I checked a conversion chart (Thank you, Swirth, in a previous post!), and .24 is 1 tsp. active dry yeast. So, will 1 tsp. of active dry yeast do the trick? Thanks!

reply by: KIDPIZZA on September 27, 2015 at 8:45 pm
BAKERAUNT:
Good evening young lady. 1, tsp of active yeast weighs .125 of an oz. Soooo, Marliss 2, 1/4 tsp
will suffice dear friend.
.
Now Marliss allow me to care of your small problem about your scale About a few years ago while I had an few extra bucks there was a super duper scale on sale at local BBB stores I had a $5.00 off coupon
There was a pretty looking scale there & so being I am a sucker for BIG BARGAINS like our most learned buddy SWIRTH is (She is cheaper than me...REALLY SHE IZZZZZ)
I still have not open the package yet It still in the box.
.
Marliss I know I will die before I will need it. Sooo, let me gift it too at my expense. Send me the address that you would like me to send to you at.
.
~The
MASKED MARVEL.

reply by: bakeraunt on September 27, 2015 at 7:28 pm
Dear Masked Marvel,
Thank you for making sure that I use the correct amount of yeast. I misread Swirth's chart, so that was my mistake. I now see that it says .25 oz. of active yeast = 2 1/2 tsp.
*
Thank you also for the generous offer of the scale. I will e-mail you.
.
You might want to remove your e-mail address from the post, so that it does not get picked up by those blasted spammers.
Bakeraunt

reply by: Mike Nolan on September 27, 2015 at 8:11 pm
About a year ago I bought a digital 'pocket scale' that weighs in 0.1 gram increments. I use it to weigh anything less than about 20 grams.
.
Since I've been doing a lot of re-scaling of recipes, I find it helps me be consistent from batch to batch. (For example, the other day I made a batch of apple pie filling. I took 2 bags of apples and weighed them after they were peeled, cored and sliced, and then adjusted the quantities for all the other ingredients to the right proportions.)
.
Google for 'digital pocket scale', you may find them on Amazon and other sites for $10 or less, often even with shipping.

reply by: bakeraunt on September 29, 2015 at 1:44 pm
I will definitely look at these. Thanks,

reply by: bakeraunt on September 29, 2015 at 1:57 pm
For those of you wondering about the strawberry cake: I took it to my husband's office yesterday, and the birthday girl was not in! It stayed overnight in a refrigerator there, so I hope that it is ok for today. I made my husband promise to try to save me a little slice. (Twelve people will be at the celebration, so it may not be so easy.) I did taste the frosting (and I even have extra for a small cake), and it is delicious. I hope that I get to taste the cake!
*
It is not a hard cake to mix and bake, but it does require separating five eggs and pureeing strawberries. I also bought the strawberry extract. I mixed the cake in my Cuisinart 7-qt stand mixer. (I'm finally getting the hang of how it works on cakes), but I whipped the egg whites with my Cuisinart hand mixer, which has a balloon whisk attachment, then folded them in by hand. It makes three, not very thick, 9-inch layers. I baked two in my regular oven and one in my Cuisinart convection oven. (It does a great job, but oh how I hate doing the settings on that thing). The frosting was ready to use right after I mixed it up, and it was easy to spread. I did do a crumb coat and refrigerated for 30 minutes before doing the final coat. The cake is a gorgeous pink, with little flecks of strawberry.
*
IF I get to taste it, I will report back later today.

reply by: Livingwell on September 29, 2015 at 7:11 pm
Oh my gosh, I can't believe that after requesting the strawberry cake, the birthday girl didn't come in today! Maybe she had an emergency. I hope so and it's not a case of just deciding to take her birthday off. Did you get a picture of the cake before you sent it off with your husband? I can taste it just from your description!

reply by: bakeraunt on September 30, 2015 at 7:02 pm
Everyone loved that strawberry cake. Two pieces went home with the birthday gal for her children. My husband was able to save me a nice-sized piece (ah, the advantages of 3-layer cakes!), and I shamelessly ate it all last night. I will definitely bake this cake and make this frosting again.

reply by: Livingwell on September 30, 2015 at 9:05 pm
Yaay, bakeraunt! I'm glad you got to eat some of your creation. That's OK that you ate it all by yourself.....chef's perks 😉

reply by: bakeraunt on October 01, 2015 at 6:59 pm
I suppose this is a Part II. We all know that we never waste any ingredient. This afternoon, I used my leftover scant cup of strawberry puree to make three mini-loaves of strawberry bread. I am also in the midst of baking Kid Pizza's Challah! I have two braided loaves rising on the parchment-lined baking sheet and I've started heating the oven. I used the directions from Secret of a Jewish Baker to do a 15 minute rest period after first degassing the dough and dividing it in half. Then I cut each half into three pieces and rolled each into a rope. I then went back and rerolled the first three ropes and braided them. (I did not try to do a top braid.) I did the same with the next three. (I've found that bread flour usually requires a rest period or it "fights!" the shaping.) I brushed them with a mixture of beaten egg and 2 tsp. water. I will brush them again before putting them into the oven. The first rise was about 70 minutes. I think that the second one will be about 45.

reply by: Livingwell on October 01, 2015 at 7:24 pm
I didn't know that about bread flour and resting the dough. Ya learn something new every day! Thanks, bakeraunt!

reply by: Mike Nolan on October 01, 2015 at 7:54 pm
The gluten in wheat flour comes from two protein groups, glutenin and gliadin. Some strains of wheat have more of one protein group than the other. Glutenin gives dough its elasticity, gliadin gives dough its plasticity.
.
Since hard red wheat, a major component of most bread flours, is high in protein, it has lots of glutenin. As a result, it produces a dough that has more elasticity. Resting the dough gives the glutenin time to relax.

reply by: Livingwell on October 01, 2015 at 10:06 pm

When I make challah, I divide the dough into three or four pieces before braiding and rest them about 10 minutes. They're easier to use, but I'm going to try the 15 minute rest bakeraunt suggests and see if that helps even more. With a dexterity problem, I need all the help I can get working with bread dough.

reply by: bakeraunt on October 02, 2015 at 2:13 pm
Well, Kid Pizza's Challah recipe baked up beautifully. I took pictures, and I will see if I can post them on my personal page. I might have let it get a wee bit too brown (might try tenting it at 23 minutes) next time. The total bake time was 35 minutes.( I do use a very heavy baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and I find that cookie sheet prevents the bottom of whatever I'm baking from over browning.). I shamelessly had three slices for breakfast this morning, including one with my homemade jam from this summer. I froze the second loaf, so I hope that it will keep well.
*
Thank you, again, Cass for this great recipe. I will never again wonder, when I have egg yolks left over, how I can use them.

reply by: Livingwell on October 02, 2015 at 8:12 pm
Yaaay, I am glad to hear your challah came out so well. Homemade bread and homemade jam are a marriage made in heaven! I can't wait to see the photos and the recipe (hint hint KidPizza and/or bakeraunt). I used to make oatmeal bread and white bread, but found we like challah the best, so that is what I make when I get around to making bread.

reply by: bakeraunt on October 02, 2015 at 11:17 pm
Llivingwell: The recipe is right here in this thread. Cass listed the ingredients. I put them together in the standard way, but I included some of my notes here as well for people who might have less experience with baking bread.

reply by: Livingwell on October 03, 2015 at 6:38 am
I saw the list of ingredients you posted and Cass' re-work of it, but I don't see the amounts by volume. I wasn't kidding when I said I need exact ingredients and specific instructions or am hopeless at figuring out a recipe - haha! The ATK recipe I posted is a good example of how I type out recipes for my tried and true file.

reply by: KIDPIZZA on October 03, 2015 at 7:21 am
LIVINGWELL:
Good morning Penelope. Being that I didn't know that you wanted the recipe I didn't provide for you. Soooo, I am going to post for your benefit the ingredient amounts in volume for you in the same order as the listed recipe is. Go to the recipe & print it out Then alongside write in the amounts as I am now writing in for you.
.
Good luck my dear friend.
.
4 1/4, cups
1, cup
2 1/4 tsp
3 1/4 TBLS
2 tsp
Malt syrup can be omitted.
1/4 cup, less 2,tsp.
Eggs, you can use 1, whole egg... plus 4, yolks.
.
Good luck my dear friend. Enjoy the rest of the day.
.
~CASS.

reply by: Livingwell on October 03, 2015 at 7:31 am
Thank you, Cass! You are always so thoughtful in making sure your recipe amounts are listed by volume so I can try them. I really appreciate that! I just bought a new jar of yeast when I went grocery shopping the other day because my old one had expired. That's how seldom I've made bread this year 🙁 Quick question: In the original recipe, there is a (7) next to the eggs, but the volume amount says 1 whole egg and 4 yolks. Which should I use? I'll let you know when I make the bread. Have a good week-end! "Penelope"

reply by: KIDPIZZA on October 03, 2015 at 9:30 am
LIVINGWELL:
Hello again. The answer is use either one. The reason I went from 7, yolks to 1, whole egg plus 4, yolks is that Bakeraunt only had 4, yolks left from a previous bake. It really doesn't make a large difference. You have an option here. It is less expensive using 4, whites.
Good luck & remember to check up on the bread after about 22, minutes to see if you should tent the bread. it should bake in 35 / 40 minutes.
.
enjoy the day my friend.
.
~CASS.

reply by: Livingwell on October 03, 2015 at 9:48 am
OK 🙂 Thanks again! "Penelope"

reply by: bakeraunt on October 03, 2015 at 3:17 pm
Hi, Cass,
*
I wanted to let you know that the scale arrived today. Thank you so much. I will enjoy using it, and I will think of you when I do.
*
My stepdaughter stopped by, and I offered her an impromptu lunch: ham sandwich on the Challah bread. She pronounced it delicious!
Enjoy your day!
Bakeraunt

reply by: frick on October 04, 2015 at 5:56 pm
Marking this thread for when decent strawberries are again available.

reply by: bakeraunt on October 06, 2015 at 5:48 pm
Frick: Here is the recipe for the strawberry bread.
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Fresh Strawberry Bread (adapted from a "My Best Recipe" that appeared in the L.A. Times over 20 years ago.
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1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (4 oz. or 1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. strawberry extract (original recipe used almond extract)
2 eggs (original recipe separated them and beat the whites separately)
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2 cups flour (I use 1 1/2 unbleached flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour)
1/4 cup powdered milk (I added; you may omit)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
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1 cup strawberry puree (original recipe says crushed or chopped) [For best flavor use very ripe strawberries. The recipe also said that you could use a thawed 10 oz. package of frozen ones, but I've not tried that.
*
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In medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Mix in the extract. One at a time, beat in the eggs (or egg yolks, if you separated them). In another bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture, alternately with the pureed strawberries, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. (I use a low mixer speed--1 or 2). If you separated the eggs, beat the egg whites until stiff, then fold into the strawberry mixture.
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Grease and flour (I spray with Baker's Joy) a 9x5-inch loaf pan, or three mini-loaf pans. (Sizes on mini-loaf pans vary, so use your judgment. I use three "Baker's Secret" ones that are at least as old as this recipe.)
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Bake at 350F for 50-60 minutes for the large loaf. The small ones take about 30 minutes. They are done when a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on rack.

reply by: frick on October 06, 2015 at 8:42 pm
Thank you in duplicate. The recipe is copied and pasted into my own files as we speak.
.
I wrote you a missive in the Sharing a Recipe thread. You are a dear, and an excellent and dedicated baker to boot. Pun intended.

reply by: Mrs Cindy on October 07, 2015 at 4:23 pm
Oh, my, oh my! This sounds delicious. Beyond delicious. Could you save a piece for me? I'll be right over. Coach is all cleaned up and ready to go on the next trip.......
.
reply by: bakeraunt on October 08, 2015 at 9:40 am
Mrs. Cindy: You are welcomed to sample my baking any time! 🙂

reply by: Mrs Cindy on October 10, 2015 at 12:29 pm
Next time I'm near you, be aware and leave the door unlocked. I'm on my way in!
.
~Cindy

reply by: bakeraunt on December 08, 2015 at 1:56 pm
Early in October I baked Kid Pizza's Challah bread (recipe is in this thread). I froze one of the loaves. I pulled it out last week and defrosted it. I worried about having frozen it: would the texture be ruined? My fears were groundless. That defrosted bread was soft and tasty, as if I had just baked it! What a great recipe! I love it in sandwiches.

reply by: aaronatthedoublef on December 08, 2015 at 2:48 pm
Most challah recipes, in general, are dairy free. I've started to see a few with butter in recently but growing up my mom's challah (and my recipes now) were and are dairy free.
In addition to all the wonderful uses for challah mentioned in the thread, challah is used for various Jewish celebrations, most notably every week when we usher in the Sabbath.
Such meals often times had meat and as such, everything accompanying the main course had to be dairy free for the meal to be kosher.

• This topic was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

While I will turn on the oven to bake, I was not going to use it for any main dishes when temperatures were in the high 90s and low 100s all week. On Sunday, I made a beef pot roast with potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and red bell pepper in the crockpot (a secret ingredient is the Penzey's Paprika Smoked Spanish Style), which lasted through Wednesday. On Thursday, I created a pasta dish with spinach fettuccini, canned salmon, vegetables, and a sauce made with 2% yogurt, dried mustard, and Penzey's Mural Seasoning. (It's salt free, but not garlic free.) Tonight, my husband finished it up, and I had an omelet (used the Mural Seasoning again).

[BakerAunt]

With temperatures in the upper 90s and low 100s, I've not been rushing into the kitchen. On Tuesday, I really wanted something for breakfast other than cold cereal, so I tried a recipe for Sweet Barley [Drop] Scones from Elizabeth Alston's Biscuits and Scones. I have posted the recipe with my changes.

We are out of bread today, so I am baking my version of Grandma A's Ranch Hand Bread from bellesaz's recipes. (I have posted her recipes, and all the comments on this one, so take a look. Zen helpfully scaled it for a single loaf she could do in a bread machine.) I wanted a 3-loaf recipe! My husband and the dog plow through a two loaf recipe in no time. I've substituted in a cup of barley flour for a cup of the whole wheat that I use, and this time I've used 3 1/4 cups of buttermilk in place of some of the water.

I've also mixed up the dough for the Soft Barley Cookies, from the KAF Wholegrain Baking Book. My husband requested them for Father's Day. The dough has to sit overnight, so I won't be able to bake the cookies before midnight.

[Mike Nolan]

I'm not sure exactly what you did, Sarah, but if I look at it as the sysadmin, I see -DEL- tags rather than -IMG- tags. That would also explain the strike-throughs.

Below is what happens if I use the -img- tag at the top of the text box. (This requires having the image stored on a server accessible on the Internet, of course. If you want to upload the image to this server, you need to use the attachments link at the bottom of the page.)

And here's your image in an -IMG- tag:

• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by Mike Nolan.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by Mike Nolan.

[Mike Nolan]

I think the reason it's coming up as an attachment rather than a small version of your picture is that what you posted is a docx (Word) file, not a graphic (JPG, GIF, etc.)

It's probably has to do with how you web-scraped it from KAF, which means you'll need an extra step or two to get it to upload as an image.

Another thing I just discovered is that only logged-in users can see attachments, whereas -IMG- links work for anyone.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by htfoot.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by Mike Nolan.

[BakerAunt]

My Nana's Stollen
posted by: Cindy Leigh on November 06, 2012 at 3:31 pm in General discussions. I'm putting it into the recipe section, along with the discussion about it, for easier locating.

Stollen
6 cups AP flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
10 tbsp butter
1 cup warm water
4 pkgs dry yeast
1 tsp mace (or nutmeg)
5 eggs
1 tsp salt
Golden raisins, brown sugar, nuts, maraschino cherries, apricots, butter), almond paste, cinnamon)

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs.

Dissolve yeast in warm water.

Add salt and mace to flour.

Add yeast/water to flour and mix.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture.

Knead well, should be moderately slack but not sticky.

Allow to rise about an hour.

Roll out into a long rectangle. Will be almost a yard long and 18" wide. Very important to roll as thin as possible. This is important.

Dot with small butter pieces, sprinkle with cinnamon, and my optional item is to pulse some almond paste with brown sugar and sprinkle this on. I also add chopped apricots. Chopped nuts of your choice. I also ad sultanas. (Yellow raisins) and maraschino cherries, chopped. Not citron.

Roll up as tightly as possible. bring ends together to form into a very large oval. You may need to foil two cookie sheets together or use a sheet cake pan. Or, divide into thirds or quarters and make smaller stollens. Last year I used the small brown wax disposable tube pans from KAF and baked small ones in that to give as gifts.

Slash the top in diagonal slashes through at least two layers, about every 2 inches.

Bake about 45 min at 350F until Light golden brown. You can put an egg wash on first if you want some shine.

Cool and Glaze with confectioners sugar and milk glaze, and sprinkle with finely chopped nuts. Dot with maraschino cherry halves.

Keep tightly wrapped to keep moist. Also good toasted- just slice and pop in toaster.

.
reply by: Cindy Leigh on November 06, 2012 at 5:44 pm
Oh yeah I meant to say I like a bit of buttery sweet dough emulsion in this. Not around in my grandmother's day, but I enjoy it.

reply by: blondie8591 on November 06, 2012 at 5:46 pm
Thanks, Cindy, I've been looking for a stollen recipe with almond paste in the middle, to make for my mom this year. Thank you so much for sharing a treasured family recipe!

reply by: dachshundlady on November 06, 2012 at 6:19 pm
I love stollen, but have never duplicated that made by a friend of ours who had been a baker in Germany. He left Germany in the 40's and worked in the bakery of a large state institution for the developmentally disabled. Boy he made wonderful things like Danish, pies and terrific bread not unlike Pepperidge Farms white.

Question about your stollen. 4 envelopes of yeast seems like a lot for 6 cups of flour. Is it due to sugar content or add-ins perhaps?

reply by: frick on November 06, 2012 at 6:54 pm
I must be tired. At first I thought it said My Nana's Stolen, as in kidnapped. Yikes!
Good recipes, though. Thanks.

reply by: Cindy Leigh on November 06, 2012 at 8:04 pm
Yes four packets is correct. It rises like crazy, too!

reply by: Cindy Leigh on November 06, 2012 at 8:06 pm
Blondie, did you see the thread about homemade almond paste? I'm going to give it a try soon. Almond paste is so pricy!

reply by: dachshundlady on November 10, 2012 at 7:21 am
Cindy, I would love to try this but like a denser stollen. Do you think if I just cut back on the yeast it might work? I like the idea of dabs of butter rolled up inside. Yum. Right now I am eating one I bought at Home Goods. I know, not anything like your Nana's but I was jonesin' for stollen!

Maybe Kidpizza or Mike Nolan could chime in here. Maybe even a KAF expert!

reply by: KIDPIZZA on November 10, 2012 at 10:47 am
D'LADY:
Good morning. Mary~Ann, Baking science dictates that when we employ granulated sugar in excess of 13% to the weight of the flour, we will end up with a decrease in the strength in the dough. This recipe has 22% sugar ratio based on 18.5,oz. of flour. It will bake but you will have a very tender crumb. Soooo, if you wish a dense baked product you must then reduce the sugar to say 12.5% meaning 2,3/8th oz. (1/3rd,cup)

As far as the yeast is concerned it has to have approximately 4 packets (1,0 oz.) because of the excessive amount of sugar. If you decide to reduce the sugar then you can reduce the yeast to 1.5, packets....or 3,tsp. of instant.

Mary~Ann I might add here if you notice the last entry the additions of dried fruit. If you wish a further dense baked product, increase the fruits & nuts somewhat. But Mary~Ann, not too much; otherwise you will need to increase the yeast for the added weight.

Mary~Ann whatever you do it must be done in moderation.

If you do the modification report back.
Good luck & enjoy the day my friend.
~KIDDO
[NOTE: KP corrects the sugar amount in a post below this one.]

reply by: dachshundlady on November 10, 2012 at 11:19 am
Thanks Kiddo. Have to gather the ingredients AND my courage.
reply by: KIDPIZZA on November 10, 2012 at 12:47 pm

D'lady;
Hello again. Mary~Ann I hope you will forgive me. I made a math error. I just discovered it. The flour weight is 28.5, oz not 18.5 oz. Hence the sugar ratio is 15% to the flour & should be decreased to just 1/2, cup (3.5,oz.) The yeast you can decrease to 3,packets. This modification I believe will increase the density somewhat.

I am sorry Mary~Ann. When I wrote this post I just completed baking 2, dozen cookies as an experiment & I was tired. Half I burnt. Right into the trash. The other half much better but not good enough. Needs more experimenting. I just finished my nap. Then I realized my error.
Enjoy the day Mary~Ann.

~KIDDO.

reply by: KitchenBarbarian aka Zen on November 10, 2012 at 1:18 pm
Frick, the exact same thought passed through my mind as well, LOL!

reply by: KitchenBarbarian aka Zen on November 10, 2012 at 1:23 pm
It happens to us all, KidPizza. Some of us worse than others - the other day I went through half a pack of bagels and burned every single one - in the TOASTER.

reply by: Cindy Leigh on November 10, 2012 at 2:31 pm
It is dense. I'd say, cut the ingredients in half and try it as written, and see if you like the consistency. It's not at all light and fluffy like an egg bread, for instance.

reply by: dachshundlady on November 10, 2012 at 4:38 pm
Thanks Kid and Cindy. I really want to put some almond paste or marzipan in it too. Love that stuff. And Kid, I get so mad when sometimes part of my cookies get too brown on the bottom. Of course, DH never complains. He loves his sweets in all forms.

reply by: Cindy Leigh on November 11, 2012 at 8:12 am
I'm going to use Gina's recipe today for homemade almond paste!

• This topic was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.