Simple pleasures are never underrated. A beam of winter sunshine slanting in through the window. A cat that knows just where that [...]]]> Audax Artifex was our January 2012 Daring Bakers’ host. Aud worked tirelessly to master light and fluffy scones (a/k/a biscuits) to help us create delicious and perfect batches in our own kitchens!

Simple pleasures are never underrated. A beam of winter sunshine slanting in through the window. A cat that knows just where that sunshine will fall on the floor each afternoon, and lies in wait. A mug of hot tea in the morning, with the power to warm cold fingers faster than the overtaxed heating system. Fifteen minutes spent with hands immersed in butter and flour, yielding a tray full of buttery flaky biscuits (or scones, if you live outside of North America).

These biscuits rose immensely high and were characterized by visibly, flaky layers. This was accomplished by leaving fairly large “crumbs” of butter in the dough and by folding the dough instead of kneading it. By folding the dough, layers of butter are created within the dough. The butter melts and produces steam when the biscuits are baking, pushing apart the layers of dough and giving it a flaky texture. Just perfect for a pat of butter and a spoonful of jelly!

Since the Daring Bakers were tasked with discovering the combination of ingredients and techniques that produce our favorite type of biscuits, I made another batch for comparison. This time, I added some sourdough starter and aimed for a tender rather than flaky texture. A tender crumb results when the butter is rubbed into the flour until it resembles bread crumbs. No large chunks of butter remain in the dough to give it that extra volume. When I cut the scones, I forgot to cut around the edges and they rose unevenly as a result. In the photo below, you can see where the left side would have risen higher if I had made a vertical cut on that side as well.

The biscuits had a tangy flavor, a tender crumb, and an overall heartier feel due to the whole wheat flour in my sourdough starter. And with a bit of butter and a drizzle of honey, they were irresistible!

Audax Artifex was our January 2012 Daring Bakers host. Aud worked tirelessly to master light and fluffy scones (a/k/a biscuits) to help us create delicious and perfect batches in our own kitchens!

Below, you will find the two recipes that I used this month, and the techniques I chose. Audax tested a variety of different techniques for incorporating the ingredients, as well as a variety of different ingredients. Make sure to check out his results too!

Basic Biscuits (known as scones in other parts of the world)
Created by Audax Artifex
Yield: approximately eight 2″ biscuits

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold or frozen and chopped into 1/4″ cubes
1/2 cup cold milk
extra milk for glazing the tops of biscuits, optional

Add the dry ingredients to a fine mesh sieve or a sifter, and sift them into a large bowl. Some sources recommend triple sifting the dry ingredients, but I found that sifting once worked fine for me.

Add the cold cubes of butter into the bowl, and use your fingers to rub the butter pieces into the flour mixture. The mixture should resemble coarse crumbs, with some pea-sized lumps of butter.

Add most of the milk, reserving a small amount in case the dough gets too wet. Mix the dough gently with a butter knife just until it comes together. Add the rest of the milk if necessary. It should be sticky, but you don’t want it to be too sticky. A wetter dough will produce lighter biscuits.

Cover the dough and place it in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 475°.

After the dough has rested, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Lightly flour the top of the dough and give it a couple of gentle kneads. Pat it into a rectangle about 6″ by 4″. Fold the two sides into the center, overlapping them as you would fold a letter. Rotate the dough a quarter turn, pat it into a rectangle again, and repeat the folding. Repeat the process again, for a total of 3 folds.

Pat the dough into a rectangle one final time (it should be about 3/4″ thick). Use a well-floured round biscuit cutter to cut the biscuits, using a vertical motion only (no twisting the cutter!). Gently re-gather the dough scraps and cut more biscuits as needed. Alternatively, cut the biscuits into squares or rectangles with a well-floured knife. If you want the biscuits to rise evenly, make sure to cut all four sides with the knife, not just the sides in the center of the rectangle.

Place the biscuits on a parchment-lined or ungreased baking sheet. If you’d like soft-sided biscuits, leave the sides just touching. For crisp-sided biscuits, leave some space in between each biscuit. Brush the tops of the biscuits with milk, if desired.

Bake the biscuits for 8-10 minutes, or until they have risen and are light brown on top. The sides should be set. Remove the biscuits from the pan and place them on a cooling rack. For maximum enjoyment, eat ‘em while they’re still warm!

Sourdough Biscuits
From Food.com
Yield: approximately eight 2″ biscuits

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/4″ cubes
1 cup sourdough starter

Add the dry ingredients to a fine mesh sieve or a sifter, and sift them into a large bowl. Add the butter cubes. Using your fingers, rub the butter into the dry ingredients. For tender scones, combine until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.

Add the sourdough starter and mix gently with a butter knife, just until the dough comes together. Cover the dough and place it in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425°.

After the dough has rested, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough gently 2 or 3 times, until it is a bit more cohesive. Pat it into a rectangle or circle 3/4″ thick. Use a well-floured round biscuit cutter to cut the biscuits, using a vertical motion only (no twisting the cutter!). Gently re-gather the dough scraps and cut more biscuits as needed. Alternatively, cut the biscuits into squares or rectangles with a well-floured knife. If you want the biscuits to rise evenly, make sure to cut all four sides with the knife, not just the sides in the center of the rectangle.

Place the biscuits on a parchment-lined or ungreased baking sheet. If you’d like soft-sided biscuits, leave the sides just touching. For crisp-sided biscuits, leave some space in between each biscuit.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the biscuits begin to turn brown. Remove the biscuits from the pan and allow to cool on a cooling rack. I recommend eating them while they’re still warm!

There’s always something special about bread with a spiral inside. Its unassuming exterior renders it almost indistinguishable from [...]]]> The Daring Baker’s October 2011 challenge was Povitica, hosted by Jenni of The Gingered Whisk. Povitica is a traditional Eastern European Dessert Bread that is as lovely to look at as it is to eat!

There’s always something special about bread with a spiral inside. Its unassuming exterior renders it almost indistinguishable from any other loaf of bread. But far from being just any other loaf of bread, it has something special to offer. Perhaps it’s a savory, herby filling that, when surrounded by dense bread, could just about pass itself off as an entire meal. Or that classic cinnamon swirl that so many of us loved as a child. Or just maybe, an autumn treat filled with spiced pumpkin butter. No matter your filling of choice, this Povitica recipe will have you racking your brain for new flavor combinations to pair with the slightly sweet, dreamy dough.

The Daring Bakers October 2011 challenge was Povitica, hosted by Jenni of The Gingered Whisk. Povitica is a traditional Eastern European Dessert Bread that is as lovely to look at as it is to eat!

Povitica (pronounced po-va-teet-sa) is a traditional holiday sweet bread served in Eastern European countries. It is also known by other names such as Nutroll, Potica, Kalachi, and Strudia. The technique by which the dough is rolled paper thin and the filling is rolled into the dough has been passed down through the generations. In order to keep this tradition alive, the Daring Bakers have prepared an astounding collection of Povitica this month. And I’m sure that many of us will be making this recipe over and over with different variations. I know I will!

I adapted the bread dough to use pure maple syrup instead of refined sugar, and the pumpkin butter uses raw honey as a sweetener to fit in with my October: Unprocessed guidelines. I think this choice actually gave the bread a greater depth of flavor!

I’m sending this bread to YeastSpotting, where you can find an inspiring collection of yeast bread every Friday.

Povitica
Created by Jenni of The Gingered Whisk
Yield: 2 loaves

1 cup milk
6 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
4 cups all-purpose flour

Approximately 2 cups pumpkin butter for filling (recipe follows)
1 egg white for brushing top of loaves

In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and maple syrup to just below boiling (180°F), stirring constantly. Once it has reached 180°F, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool to 110°F.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl stir together the instant yeast, salt, and 2 cups of the flour. Add the milk mixture and stir until combined. Mix in the eggs and melted butter.

Stir the dough until it is well combined, continuing to add flour until the dough begins to clean the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it until it is smooth and no longer sticky, adding more flour if necessary.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it, and allow it to rise for approximately 90 minutes, or until doubled in size.

While the dough is resting, prepare the filling (recipe below).

Spread a clean sheet over your work surface, and flour it sparingly with a small handful of flour. Place half of the dough onto the sheet, and leave the other half in the rising container until you are ready to roll it out. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until it is roughly rectangular, approximately 12″ by 15″. Brush a few teaspoons of melted butter over the surface of the dough.

Using the rolling pin or the tops of your hands, gently continue to stretch the dough in a rectangle shape until it is opaque. Pick up the dough from each side as you are stretching it, to ensure that it is not sticking to the sheet. If the dough seems too elastic to hold its shape, let it sit for a couple of minutes and then continue to stretch it.

When you think the dough is thin enough, try to stretch it just a little more. It should be thin enough that you can see the color/pattern of the sheet underneath.

Spread half of the pumpkin butter evenly over the surface of the dough, leaving about 1/2″ around the edges.

There are many different ways to roll up the dough and place it in the pan, and each of the methods will produce a different spiral pattern. No matter how you choose to roll your dough, use the sheet to help you.

Starting from the short side of the rectangle, gently lift the sheet so that the dough starts to roll up like a jelly roll. The dough is so thin and fragile that you don’t want to try rolling it with your hands. Continue to lift the sheet and roll the dough until you reach the center of the dough rectangle. Starting at the opposite side, roll the other half of the dough into the center.

Carefully fold this entire roll in half – layering the side-by-side spirals on top of each other. Seal the edges by gently pressing the edges of the dough together. Carefully transfer the dough into a loaf pan greased with butter.

Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Cover the pans lightly with a kitchen towel and allow the loaves to rest for 20 to 30 minutes while you preheat the oven.

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Beat the egg white with a teaspoon or two of water, until frothy. Brush the tops of the loaves with egg white mixture. Place the loaves into the oven and bake for 15 minutes.

Turn the oven down to 300° and bake the loaves for an additional 45 minutes, or until the top is a deep golden brown. If the top gets too brown before the loaves are done, cover the pans loosely with aluminum foil to prevent the tops from burning.

Allow the loaves to cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack. The loaves are so heavy that they might collapse if you attempt to remove them from the pans before they have cooled.

The recommended method for cutting Povitica is to turn it upside down and slice it with a serrated knife.

Pumpkin Butter
Adapted from Serious Eats
Yield: approximately 2 cups (enough to fill 2 loaves of Povitica)

1 can pumpkin
3/4 cup apple cider
1/2 cup raw honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves

Bring all the ingredients to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once the mixture starts to boil, cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until thick (about 1 hour).

You may want to make an extra batch so that you can spread it onto a slice of Povitica!

Fluffy lemon chiffon cake, ice cold whipped cream, and just-picked organic strawberries. What more could you want from [...]]]> Jana of Cherry Tea Cakes was our July Daring Bakers’ host and she challenges us to make Fresh Frasiers inspired by recipes written by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson in the beautiful cookbook Tartine.

Fluffy lemon chiffon cake, ice cold whipped cream, and just-picked organic strawberries. What more could you want from a summer dessert? Though it may appear daunting, all of the components can be broken down into manageable segments that can be spread over a few days. You won’t have to be in the kitchen all day to create such a masterpiece. And believe me, the taste is just as impressive as the presentation. The cake has a pleasant lemon flavor, while the pastry cream filling manages to bring out the fresh flavor of summer strawberries without overpowering them with artificial sweetness.

Jana of Cherry Tea Cakes was our July Daring Bakers host and she challenged us to make Fresh Frasiers inspired by recipes written by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson in the beautiful cookbook Tartine.

I deviated from the given recipe slightly, by omitting the almond paste topping and the gelatin in the whipped cream, opting to freeze the dessert instead of using a stabilizer.

Lemon Chiffon Cake
Yield: One 8″ cake

1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
5 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat the oven to 325°. Line the bottom of an 8″ square (or 8″ springform) pan with parchment paper. Do not grease the sides of the pan.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder. Add all but 3 tablespoons of the sugar, and all of the salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the oil, egg yolks, water, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Whisk thoroughly. Pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients and whisk for a minute, until smooth.

In a large, clean bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer, using the whisk attachment, until frothy.

Add the cream of tartar and continue to whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Slowly add the remaining 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar and continue to beat the egg whites until they hold stiff and shiny peaks.

Using a grease-free rubber spatula, scoop about 1/3 of the egg whites into the yolk mixture. Fold in the egg whites gently, to lighten the mixture. Fold in the remaining egg whites just until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack.
Note: My cake collapsed in the center as it cooled. Some chiffon cake experts recommend cooling the cake upside down, which may help to prevent collapse.

To unmold the cake, run a knife around the edges to separate the cake from the side of the pan. If you’re using a springform pan, simply remove the sides of the pan. Invert the cake onto the cooling rack and peel off the parchment paper.

Pastry Cream Filling

1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Combine the milk, vanilla extract, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Heat the liquid over medium-high heat, until it is close to boiling. Stir occasionally.

Meanwhile, whisk the corn starch and sugar with an electric mixer. Add the eggs, continuing to whisk until smooth. When the milk is ready, slowly pour it into the bowl while the mixer is running, aiming for the small gap between the whisk and the bowl. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and continue to heat until the custard thickens, is just about to boil, and coats the back of a spoon.

Remove the pan from the heat. Strain the custard through a fine mesh strainer to remove any lumps. Allow the custard to cool for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Slice the butter into 4 pieces. Whisk each piece into the pastry cream, one at a time, stirring until dissolved. Cover the pastry cream with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap onto the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.

When you are ready to assemble the fraisier, remove the pastry cream from the fridge. Place the whipped cream in the bowl of your mixer. Whip the cream with the whisk attachment until it forms medium-stiff peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream with a rubber spatula.

Simple Syrup

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Combine the water and sugar in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil and the sugar has dissolved. It is not necessary to stir the syrup, but it won’t hurt if you do. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove the syrup from the heat and cool slightly. Stir in the vanilla extract.

To assemble the fraisier:

1 chiffon cake
1 recipe pastry cream filling
1 recipe simple syrup
2 pounds fresh strawberries

Line the sides of an 8″ springform pan with plastic wrap. Do not cover the bottom. Since I don’t have an 8″ springform pan, I used two small plastic containers. I lined them both with plastic wrap.

Using a serrated knife or a cake slicer, level off the top of the cake and then cut the cake in half horizontally. Trim the cake to fit your pan or container if necessary.

Place the bottom layer of cake into the pan. Drizzle with simple syrup until it is the consistency of a moist sponge.

Hull and slice in half enough strawberries to place upright, around the edges of your container. Arrange the strawberries so that the cut side faces out, pointy side up.

Spoon or pipe the cream filling in between the strawberries, filling the container to the top of the strawberries. If you desire, slice some more strawberries and place them on top of the cream layer. I chose to place one unsliced strawberry into the center of the cream layer.

Place the second layer of cake on top of the cream layer. Moisten this layer with simple syrup. Cover the cake and freeze for at least 4 hours.

If the cake has not completely frozen, you can invert the container and gently tug on the plastic wrap to remove the cake from the container. If the cake has frozen, you may need to let it sit out at room temperature for a while before it can be removed. If you have used a springform pan, simply remove the sides of the pan to serve.

Top the cake with remaining pastry cream filling and fresh fruit.

Are you still looking for that perfect arm workout? Or perhaps you’re searching for that zero-net-calorie dessert. Well, [...]]]> Erica of Erica’s Edibles was our host for the Daring Baker’s June challenge. Erica challenged us to be truly DARING by making homemade phyllo dough and then to use that homemade dough to make Baklava.

Are you still looking for that perfect arm workout? Or perhaps you’re searching for that zero-net-calorie dessert. Well, look no more, because made-from-scratch baklava is the answer! It will have you on your feet in the kitchen all day, running from stove to countertop to oven and back. You’ll be completing the near-impossible task of rolling dough into paper thin sheets. You’ll easily burn more calories making it than you gain by consuming it. And since every killer workout has an element of pure torture, you won’t even be able to enjoy the baklava until it sits overnight.

After completing a solid hour of arm exercise (read: rolling phyllo dough paper thin), I was thrilled to have 16 sheets of transparent dough, stacked and ready to layer with walnut filling. The only remaining step was to slice the dough to fit my pan. As pictured in the recipe, I sliced through all of the sheets at once with a pizza cutter.

The edges ended up hopelessly stuck together! After carefully considering a number of options (baking the dough as is, shoving the filling in between some of the layers, or completely starting over), I broke the dough into 16 pieces and immediately started rolling again. The dough never got as thin as it had the first time, but I still managed to roll out enough sheets for four layers of phyllo and three layers of filling. This time the sheets were trimmed individually as I layered them into the pan.

Being a member of the Daring Bakers certainly has many advantages, not the least of which is an entire global community of bakers who have made the same mistakes, and are there to offer advice and encouragement. This month, we were treated to a special baklava tutorial by Audax. He was lucky enough to have two baklava experts, one Greek and one Turkish, walk him through the entire recipe. They gave very specific instructions for baking temperature, and advised the use of clarified butter when layering the phyllo sheets. These changes are reflected in the recipe below.

This baklava was such a sticky, wonderful treat. I chose to use exclusively walnuts in the filling, since I had a huge bag of fresh walnuts from my CSA. To complement the walnuts, I also substituted pure maple syrup for the honey in this recipe. This made the baklava a bit less sweet, and definitely more enjoyable. The recipe is long and daunting, but I can assure you that it’s well worth the effort. Since the workout makes up for all the calories, what do you have to lose?

Erica of Erica’s Edibles was our host for the Daring Bakers June challenge. Erica challenged us to be truly DARING by making homemade phyllo dough and then to use that homemade dough to make Baklava.

Phyllo Dough
From Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague
Yield: enough dough for a 9″ x 9″ baklava

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer. In a separate bowl, combine the water, oil, and vinegar. With the mixer on low speed, add the water mixture to the flour and mix with the paddle attachment until well combined. If the dough does not come together, add more water, one tablespoon at a time. The dough should be soft and should form a ball.

Switch to the dough hook and knead for about 10 minutes. The dough will be incredibly smooth and silky. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for another couple of minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down onto the counter a few times during the process. It’s fun.

Shape the dough into a ball, lightly oil it, and wrap it in plastic wrap. Allow it to rest for at least 30-120 minutes (2 hours is ideal).

When the dough has almost finished resting, make the filling for the baklava.

Spiced Walnut Filling

1 cinnamon stick, broken into 2 or 3 pieces, or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
16 whole allspice berries, or a few pinches of ground allspice
1 1/2 cups raw walnuts
1/3 cup granulated sugar

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. If you do not have a food processor, chop all ingredients as finely as possible and combine in a bowl. Set aside.

To assemble the baklava:
You will need 1/2 cup melted clarified butter. I used 10 tablespoons of unsalted butter to make 1/2 cup clarified butter. For a good tutorial on making clarified butter, head to Allrecipes.com.

The dough is not as tricky to roll out as it sounds. Make sure to remove any jewelry or rings that may snag the phyllo sheets. The best tool to use is probably a wooden dowel as shown in this video, though I managed to get the dough very thin with my regular rolling pin.

Dust your work area, rolling pin or wooden dowel, and hands with flour. Unwrap the dough and break off a golf ball sized chunk. Rewrap the dough with plastic wrap, so that it won’t dry out while you are rolling each sheet of dough.

Start by flattening the dough and rolling it into a circle. I found it to be a little tough and elastic at first, but as I kept rolling it softened up and flattened out. Continue to work the dough in a circle, rotating and adding flour generously as needed. Don’t worry if there are small rips in the dough, you can press it together or just leave it. The baklava will have many layers so it’s not a big deal.

When you have rolled the dough as thinly as possible with your rolling pin, pick it up and gently stretch it over the backs of your hands as you would pizza dough. This should get it a bit thinner. The dough is ready when it is transparent and will fit inside a 9″ square pan. Set the dough aside on a well floured surface. Follow the same steps to roll out the rest of the dough, making sure to flour well between each sheet as you stack them. You should end up with 16-18 sheets.

Note: I stacked the dough as described, but would not do it this way again. I would recommend that if you do stack the dough, the sheets should be sliced individually as you assemble the baklava. Alternatively, you could roll each sheet out, trim, and place in the pan immediately. This would prevent the edges from sticking together if you were to trim the entire stack at the same time.

Preheat the oven to 390°. Trim your phyllo sheets to fit a 9″ square pan. If you are using a dark-colored pan you may want to line the pan with foil to prevent the edges of the baklava from burning.

Brush the bottom of the pan with clarified butter, and place a phyllo sheet into the pan. Brush this phyllo sheet with butter and layer another phyllo sheet on top. Repeat until you have 4 or 5 layers of phyllo (depending on how many sheets you rolled out).

Spread 1/3 of the walnut filling over the phyllo. Repeat the entire process again, layering 4 or 5 phyllo sheets and another 1/3 of the walnut filling. Repeat one more time. On top of the nuts, layer 4 or 5 more phyllo sheets, alternating with the clarified butter as before. When you have the final phyllo layer on top, tuck in the edges so that the top looks neat.

With a sharp knife, cut your baklava into slices – but only cut 2/3 of the way through! Brush the top of the baklava with one more layer of clarified butter.

Bake the baklava at 390° for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300° and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 210° and bake for another 30 minutes. Turn the oven back up to 390° and allow the baklava to bake until the top has browned, about 10 minutes.

While the baklava is baking, prepare the syrup.

Maple Baklava Syrup
1 1/4 cups pure maple syrup (the good stuff)
1 1/4 cups water
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 of a fresh lemon
a few cloves or a pinch of ground cloves

Combine all ingredients in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally until all the sugar has dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil and allow it to boil gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the syrup from the heat and strain out the lemon half, cinnamon, and cloves (if using whole cloves). Allow the syrup to sit at room temperature until the baklava is done baking.

When the baklava has finished baking, remove it from the oven and place the entire pan on a cooling rack. Pour the syrup (it will still be slightly warm) over the baklava, making sure to cover the entire top and get it in between the slices as well.

The baklava will be swimming in syrup! But don’t panic, it will soak in overnight. Allow the baklava to cool to room temperature, cover, and let sit overnight. My baklava didn’t quite soak up all the syrup, but it was still plenty saturated.

The next morning, slice the baklava and serve! Store the leftovers, if there are any, in an airtight container at room temperature.

I love a good baking challenge, but my favorites [...]]]> The May 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Emma of CookCraftGrow and Jenny of Purple House Dirt. They chose to challenge everyone to make a Chocolate Marquise. The inspiration for this recipe comes from a dessert they prepared at a restaurant in Seattle.

I love a good baking challenge, but my favorites are the challenges that lend themselves to creative shapes. For these challenges, my mind is able to wander through mathematical equations, searching for an appropriate symbol or pattern to re-create in edible form. This month it’s one of my favorites: Pi.

As excited as I was to mold the marquise into a shape of mathematical significance, when the dishes had piled up and the dessert was finally plated, I discovered an irrationally fabulous combination of flavors.

The marquise is a rich, velvety chocolate pillow. Even just out of the freezer, it softens into the most glorious texture. Which, by the way, makes it extremely difficult to get out of the Pi molds without breaking the legs off. Out of six attempts at unmolding Pi-shaped marquise, only one was successful. But one was all I needed for the photo!

The rest of them, no matter how many pieces they broke into, got plated atop soft, marshmallowy meringue broiled to golden brown perfection. Fresh strawberry sauce, starring organic local strawberries from our CSA, complemented the marquise and meringue splendidly.

The simple conclusion is that you need to make this dessert. As daunting as it may look, it breaks down into manageable segments. It is well worth the effort!

The May 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Emma of CookCraftGrow and Jenny of Purple House Dirt. They chose to challenge everyone to make a Chocolate Marquise. The inspiration for this recipe comes from a dessert they prepared at a restaurant in Seattle.

Recipe Source: Emma and Jenny learned how to make this marquise dessert when they worked together at a Seattle restaurant. The recipe is adapted from one developed by Bennie Sata, a Seattle-area pastry chef who introduced the city to one of its iconic chocolate desserts.

Chocolate Marquise
Yield: approximately 6 servings

3 large egg yolks, room temperature (save the whites for the meringue!)
1 large egg, room temperature
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon water
Chocolate base, barely warm (recipe follows)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup cocoa powder for rolling
Torched (or broiled) meringue (recipe follows)
Strawberry sauce (recipe follows)

This recipe will fill a 6″ x 6″ pan, or you may substitute silicone molds or any other shape pan of your choosing. It’s a good idea to line the pan with parchment paper or plastic wrap to facilitate easier removal of the frozen marquise. This may not be necessary for silicone molds, depending on the shape of the mold.

Pour the cream into the bowl of your mixer. Whip until the cream reaches soft peaks. Do not beat the cream until stiff, as it will be difficult to fold into the chocolate marquise. Transfer the cream to a small bowl, cover, and place in the refrigerator while you prepare the marquise.

Prepare the chocolate base (recipe below), and allow it to cool while you prepare the marquise.

In the bowl of your mixer, combine the egg yolks and whole egg. Whip with the whisk attachment on high speed until very pale and fluffy, 10-15 minutes. While the eggs are being whipped, prepare the sugar syrup.

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cook over medium heat until it reaches the soft ball stage (235°F). For me, this took about 10 minutes (just enough time to whip the eggs).

With the mixer on low speed, drizzle the hot sugar syrup into the eggs, attempting to pour it right between the beater and the bowl. The sugar will begin to harden immediately, so do this fairly quickly. As soon as the sugar has been added, turn the mixer back to high speed and whip until the bowl is cool to the touch.

Add the chocolate base to the egg mixture, and whip to combine. Don’t whip for too long, as you might lose the air that you whipped into the eggs. I mixed for about 1 minute.

Remove the whipped cream from the fridge. Using a rubber spatula, fold in 1/3 of the cream to lighten the chocolate mixture. Gently fold in the remaining cream.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan or mold and cover tightly with plastic wrap (making sure the plastic wrap touches the chocolate so that no air can get in). Place the pan into the freezer until very firm, preferably overnight.

Chocolate Base
This is an ingredient for the marquise recipe above.

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used 86%)
1/3 cup + 2 teaspoons heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/16 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
dash of black pepper
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature

Break or chop the chocolate into coarse pieces and place in a medium sized mixing bowl. Set aside.

In a double boiler, or a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, warm the cream until it is hot to the touch but not boiling. Pour the cream over the chocolate. Let sit for a minute or two, then stir until the chocolate has completely melted.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Allow to sit at room temperature while you prepare the marquise, above. Do not place in the refrigerator, as the base must be soft when added to the marquise.

Broiled Meringue

3 large egg whites
1/2 cup less 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Splash of apple cider vinegar
1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Combine the egg whites, sugar, and vinegar in the bowl of your mixer. Using your (clean!) hand, reach into the bowl and stir the ingredients together. The sugar should be evenly moistened.

Place the bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water. Stir continuously with your fingers. As the liquid heats up, the sugar will dissolve and the egg whites will thicken. Remove the bowl from the heat when you no longer feel grains of sugar and the mixture is uniformly warm, but not hot.

Using the whisk attachment of your mixer, whip the egg whites until they form soft peaks. During the last 10 seconds of mixing, add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

Torch the meringue with a blowtorch, or broil as directed below.

Strawberry Sauce
Adapted from Epicurious
Yield: approximately 1 cup (you may want to double this if you are serving all the marquise at once)

8 ounces strawberries (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Remove the tops of the strawberries and chop them coarsely. Add them to a small saucepan, along with the rest of the ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes.

Allow the sauce to cool, and refrigerate until served.

To plate the dessert:

Use a blowtorch to broil the meringue, or optionally use the broiler of your oven. To do this, lightly spray a piece of aluminum foil with cooking spray. Spoon a dollop of meringue onto the foil. Set the broiler to the lowest heat setting, place the meringue under the broiler, and watch it carefully until it has browned. Transfer the broiled meringue to your serving plate.

Remove the marquise from the freezer. Carefully pop it out of the molds, or invert it out of the pan. Slice into cubes if you have used a larger pan. Measure the cocoa powder into a small bowl. Handling the marquise as little as possible (I used two large spoons), roll it in the cocoa powder and then place it on top of the meringue. The marquise will start to melt as soon as it is removed from the freezer.

If your cubes are large enough that they aren’t melting fast enough, you may want to place them in the fridge for about 15 minutes while you are broiling the meringue. My Pi-shaped marquises were thin enough that I knew I wouldn’t have a lot of time to transfer them from molds to plate before they started melting!

Carefully place the marquise atop the broiled meringue. Drizzle sauce over or around the dessert as desired. Enjoy!

This is no ordinary coffee cake. Or rather, tea cake in my case. Soft, sweet dough with plenty of oven [...]]]> The March 2011 Daring Baker’s Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria’s Collection and Jamie of Life’s a Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged The Daring Bakers to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake.

This is no ordinary coffee cake. Or rather, tea cake in my case. Soft, sweet dough with plenty of oven spring envelops a dreamy citrus and meringue filling. The meringue is so subtle that you can hardly detect its presence. Perhaps it’s meant to be the baker’s secret for a fluffy and just perfectly moist cake interior.

To be honest, this meringue was not a complete joy to work with. Of course, my choice to add another liquidy substance (blood orange curd) didn’t help the situation any. I’ll warn you that it’s not easy to roll a thick, slippery layer of meringue inside a supple rectangle of dough. I encountered a fair amount of oozing and general slippage of filling which had me worried about placing the cakes into the oven. But after all was said and done, I ended up with two beautifully browned coffee cakes that were gone in an instant on a Monday morning at the office.

The March 2011 Daring Bakers Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria’s Collection and Jamie of Life’s a Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged the Daring Bakers to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake.

Meringue-Filled Coffee Cake
Source: Jamie found this recipe on a piece of yellowed paper in her dad’s collection of clipped out and hand-written recipes from the 1970’s, no source, no date. She tried the recipe and it was brilliant!
Yield: Two 10-inch round coffee cakes

For the coffee cake dough:
4 cups bread flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
3/4 cup milk (I used goat milk)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 eggs, room temperature
1 egg, for egg wash

For the meringue filling:
3 egg whites, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup blood orange curd

In a large bowl, or the bowl of your electric mixer, stir together 1 1/2 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt, and yeast. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, water, and butter. Heat over medium heat just until the butter melts. While mixing the flour mixture on low speed, gently pour in the liquid and mix until combined. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Add the eggs and 1 cup of the flour, and beat on medium speed for 2 more minutes. Using a wooden spoon or your mixer on low speed, add just enough of the remaining flour to bring the dough together.

Knead the dough by hand (8-10 minutes) or mixer (6-8 minutes). The dough is done when it is soft, elastic, and smooth. Place the dough in a lightly oiled, large bowl. Turn the dough to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise until doubled, 45-60 minutes.

When the dough has doubled, prepare the meringue filling. Using a clean, grease-free bowl, whisk the egg whites and salt. Start on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase the speed to high and beat until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla extract and continue to beat on high while you add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat until very stiff, glossy peaks form.

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the blood orange curd into the meringue.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Punch down the dough and divide it in half. Keeping one half covered, roll out one half into a rectangle approximately 20 inches by 10 inches.

Spread half of the filling over the dough, leaving at least 1/2 inch border around the edges. Starting at the long side, carefully roll the dough up. This is not an easy task as the meringue will try to ooze out from all sides. Seal the roll as best you can and carefully transfer it to the baking sheet.

Leave the roll as a log, or fold the ends around to create a circle. Pinch the ends together to seal. Using scissors or a sharp knife, make cuts around the edge of the circle or along the top of the log, 1 inch apart.

Repeat the filling/shaping process with the other half of the dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rise for 45-60 minutes.

During the rise, preheat the oven to 400°. When the dough has risen, beat the egg and brush it over the dough. This gives the coffee cake a beautiful golden brown color as it bakes.

Place the baking sheets into the oven, and turn down the heat to 375°. Bake the cakes for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. The cakes will be golden brown and should sound hollow when tapped.

Carefully slide the cakes off the baking sheets and parchment. Cool directly on a cooling rack.

I’m submitting this cake to YeastSpotting. Be sure to check out the weekly showcase of yeasted goodies on Friday!

I have good news and bad news. Shall we start with the good news? These florentine cookies manage [...]]]> The February 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mallory from A Sofa in the Kitchen. She chose to challenge everyone to make Panna Cotta from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe and Nestle Florentine Cookies.

I have good news and bad news. Shall we start with the good news? These florentine cookies manage to achieve both chewy and crunchy cookie status in the same bite. And as an added bonus, the dough is basically a big sweet bowl of oatmeal with tons of butter in it. Definitely good news.

The bad news? Panna Cotta and I just didn’t gel. I haven’t had a very successful track record with desserts that gel, but I approached this challenge with optimism. I was defeated yet again. I used the vegetarian gelling agent, agar powder, which was successful for many of my daring baker peers but not so for me.

I have a feeling that the secret lies somewhere within the instructions for heating the cream. The recipe instructions: “heat until hot, but not boiling, about 5 minutes”, and after adding the rest of the ingredients, “making sure that the mixture doesn’t boil, heat for 5-7 minutes”. The instructions on the agar package: a very unspecific “heat for 5 minutes”. I heated for 7 minutes, just to be safe. The cream was not even simmering. Maybe it should have been simmering but not boiling? If you know the secret to gelling panna cotta, I’d love to hear it.

As I waited hours in vain for my panna cotta to gel, at least I had a big comforting bowl of oatmeal cookie batter. Delicious.

These cookies were a breeze to whip up, and they baked just as thin and almost as crispy as promised. My first batch came out rather chewy so I left the second batch in the oven for a few minutes longer, until the edges were dark brown. The crispy edges balanced the chewy, buttery oatmeal center perfectly. A drizzle of dark chocolate on top adds the perfect touch!

The February 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mallory from A Sofa in the Kitchen. She chose to challenge everyone to make Panna Cotta from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe and Florentine Cookies.

Here’s the panna cotta recipe, as I tried it. I can make no guarantees as to whether this will work for you. It didn’t gel for me.

Maple Panna Cotta
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis
Yield: 6 servings

1 cup whole milk
4 teaspoons agar powder
3 cups whipping cream
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
pinch of salt

Pour the cold milk into a saucepan, sprinkle in the agar powder, and let sit for 5 minutes. Heat the mixture until it is hot but not boiling, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Making sure the the mixture doesn’t boil, continue to heat and stir occasionally until the maple syrup and salt dissolve, about 5-7 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly. Pour into glasses or ramekins and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until firm, at least 6 hours or preferably overnight.

I do highly recommend these Florentine cookies, and I can say that they make a particularly good consolation prize if your panna cotta doesn’t gel!

Florentine Cookies
Adapted from Nestle Classic Recipes and Meals.com
Yield: 18 cookies

2/3 cup unsalted butter
2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup agave syrup
1/4 cup rice milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
3 ounces dark chocolate (I used 70%)

Preheat the oven to 375°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Melt the butter over medium heat, then remove from the heat and add the oats, sugar, flour, agave syrup, milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir until well combined. Drop tablespoonfuls of dough onto the cookie sheet, 3 inches apart. These babies spread quite a bit! Flatten the dough balls slightly with the back of your spoon.

Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown. Place the cookie sheet on a cooling rack and allow the cookies to cool completely before removing from the cookie sheet.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, or a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Dip cookies in melted chocolate, use chocolate as cookie sandwich filling, or drizzle abstract designs onto cookies with a spoon.