I have a new camera. At least, it’s new to me. My love of analog photography has led me to become a member of the Polaroid cult. As a longtime film photographer, I’ve been drawn lately to the Polaroid-like digital images created with some of the new apps (you know the ones). With [...]]]>

I have a new camera. At least, it’s new to me. My love of analog photography has led me to become a member of the Polaroid cult. As a longtime film photographer, I’ve been drawn lately to the Polaroid-like digital images created with some of the new apps (you know the ones). With my foot planted firmly in the technology of yesterday, unwilling to trade in my simple no-frills cell phone and pink iPod mini with its charming pea green screen that doesn’t respond to the touch of a finger, I satisfied my curiosity in the only way that felt right to me: I bought (rescued?) a pre-owned Polaroid camera. The camera cost nearly nothing, but the film – well, the film costs more than I paid for the camera! Per roll. But just look at those yellow spots and strange tint on the film from years of sitting on the shelf long past expiration. How charming! I am addicted.

With October Unprocessed coming to a close, I’ve introduced some sugar back into my diet. Honestly, I could no longer resist making pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. But I’ve taken to reducing the amount of sugar given in most recipes, and using the least processed sugar that I can find on the shelf (organic and vegan too, of course!). I have been inspired by each and every guest post on Andrew’s blog this month, and have a whole bunch of bookmarked recipes to work through! One major change that we will stick with for sure is homemade granola. It’s simple, versatile, filling, and delicious. I’ve even made a version with pumpkin – just add 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree to the maple syrup and butter as it’s heated.

Pumpkin puree couldn’t be easier to make at home. Here’s how:

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Rinse off a pumpkin or two and place them on a baking sheet.

Place the baking sheet with pumpkins into the oven and bake for 60-90 minutes, depending on the size of the pumpkin. They’re done when a knife can be easily inserted through the side.

Allow the pumpkins to cool. Slice in half, scoop out the guts and seeds. Spoon the pumpkin flesh out of the skin and puree in a blender or food processor. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week, or in the freezer if you’d like to keep it for longer.

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!

I love my readers. Truly I do. I am grateful for each and every one of you who stops to read my recipes and look at my photos. I strive to bring you the very best recipes, and to make them simple enough for anyone to make. I don’t like to post a [...]]]>

I love my readers. Truly I do. I am grateful for each and every one of you who stops to read my recipes and look at my photos. I strive to bring you the very best recipes, and to make them simple enough for anyone to make. I don’t like to post a recipe here unless it’s been tested and approved by The Boyfriend and I (tough job, but someone has to do it!).

I think it’s important to post recipes that could use a little work as well. I certainly have learned from others’ mistakes in the past. And with an entire community of food bloggers out there, collaboration will only make a recipe better! So I’d like to tell you about these pumpkin twinkies.

Homemade twinkies are consistently one of the most popular posts on Simple Math Bakery. So I decided to give them an autumn makeover. These pumpkin twinkies taste incredible but I just wasn’t satisfied with the consistency of the chocolate filling. It was packed with chocolate flavor but just a bit too gooey for filling. I had a bit of difficulty piping the filling into the cakes. Perhaps a sturdier chocolate buttercream would work better. Or is there a way in which I could improve upon the chocolate cooked frosting that I used?

Either way, I recommend making these. The pumpkin sponge cake is light and fluffy, with the perfect hint of pumpkin flavor. The cooked chocolate filling is best used if the cakes are to be eaten immediately (as we did), or frozen. I stashed a couple of filled twinkies in the freezer and they were just as tasty after defrosting!

Pumpkin Snack Cakes with Chocolate Filling
Created by Simple Math Bakery
Yield: 8 twinkies

Pumpkin Snack Cakes:
3 eggs, separated
1 cup unbleached cake flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice*
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
6 tablespoons cold water
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil (or vegetable oil)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a canoe pan or muffin tins with cooking spray and set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Add the pumpkin, water, oil, vanilla, and egg yolks, beating until smooth.

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in 1/3 of the egg whites until the whites are no longer visible. Repeat with each remaining 1/3 of the egg whites.

Fill each well of the canoe pan 2/3 full. Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until the cakes are golden brown and just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan. The twinkies will puff up while baking, but the bottoms will flatten as they cool. Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove them gently with a rubber spatula and place them on a cooling rack to cool completely.

*If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice on hand, it’s easy to mix your own! I use 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg, 4 teaspoons ground ginger, and 1 teaspoon ground allspice.

Cooked Chocolate Frosting:
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup milk (I used rice milk)
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used 60% chocolate chips)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Heat the flour and milk over medium heat, stirring constantly. When the mixture thickens and becomes the consistency of paste, stir in the chocolate chips. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and beat until smooth.

Use the pastry filler that comes with the pan (or a pastry bag with round tip) to fill the cakes. Place the tip about halfway into the cake and squeeze gently. Holding the cake in your palm while filling it will allow you to feel when it is full. Fill each cake 3 times to ensure that each bite contains chocolate filling!

Whew. Things are finally back to normal around here. I wasn’t too keen on participating in Project Food Blog at first, but as I read the list of challenges I was inspired. The creative part of my brain took over and I began to imagine how I could take each challenge and create [...]]]>

Whew. Things are finally back to normal around here. I wasn’t too keen on participating in Project Food Blog at first, but as I read the list of challenges I was inspired. The creative part of my brain took over and I began to imagine how I could take each challenge and create something new and unique. With the support of each of you who voted for me, I was able to present five different challenges. It was a whirlwind five weeks. It was stressful at times, but somehow each challenge got completed on schedule.

It was a joy to peruse the new entries every Monday and discover new blogs. Every single contestant has their own special flair and it has been such a treat to sift through the entries each week. I’d like to take the time to share some of my favorite new blogs along with a few that I’ve been reading for a while now.

This award was given to me by Beth at Of Muses and Meringues. Beth has quite a lovely blog herself. Her reflections on baking, writing, and travel always bring a smile to my face. Plus, I’m super impressed that she has published three children’s books!

I would like to pass the award on to the following bloggers with a heartfelt thank you for inspiring me.

Anecdotes and Apple Cores – Monet is a brilliant writer and she’s always baking something wonderful. She has an incredible amount of passion and creativity and it shows in each and every post.

Baking Without A Box – I was drawn to the name of Amanda’s blog immediately! She’s always tempting me with ice cream and has the cutest kitchen assistants.

Callieflower Kitchen – Every time I visit Callie’s blog I want to take a bite of the cupcake at the top. She’s got a great writing style, and that moustache mug is something else.

Delta Kitchen – From home-baked bread to pumpkin curry, I always discover something new and tasty on Andreas’s blog. Plus, he always gets my math jokes.

Fro and a Fork – I am hooked on Kashia’s hilarious commentary. She thinks she’s not a baker, but her cupcakes look outstanding to me.

Hot Polka Dot – Lindsey’s down-to-earth writing style and eye-catching photographs always make me smile. She’s definitely an artist.

Minimalista – Hannah’s inspiring photos and perfectly presented baked goods are always a treat.

Namely Marly – Marly’s blog is a collection of vegan goodies and gorgeous photography, coupled with thoughtful posts and research about names.

Oven Love – Natalie is a super talented blogger and baker. Just check out that rainbow cake!

Ravenous Rowie – After visiting the British Columbia Gulf Islands this summer I really want to live there, but instead I live there vicariously through Rowie’s blog.

The Witchy Kitchen – Stella’s healthful twist on traditional treats inspires me to eat more consciously. She’s a true kitchen witch with a flair for photography.

Vegan Thyme – Kelly’s blog is one of my old favorites: a treasure trove of vegan goodies coupled with plenty of gardening and outside-the-kitchen commentary.

If you would like to pass along the award, simply share 12 blogs that you find lovely. Make sure to notify the recipients!

As you peruse some new blogs, I suggest snacking on a batch of pumpkin swirl brownies. I’ve been meaning to make the famous Baked brownies for some time now. But the recipe calls for 11 ounces of dark chocolate, and it’s rare that I have even a bag of chocolate chips in the pantry. In fact, I usually only buy chocolate with specific recipes in mind, otherwise it gets consumed pretty quickly. I finally broke down and bought the chocolate for these brownies, and you should do the same. They’re totally worth it.

These brownies are soft and gooey in the middle, slightly crispy around the edges. The pumpkin swirl adds extra moisture and the perfect touch of autumn spice.

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
Adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking
Yield: 24 brownies

For the pumpkin swirl:
1 cup pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon brown sugar

For the brownies:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
11 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used 72%)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
5 eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan with butter and set aside.

Whisk together all of the ingredients for the pumpkin swirl and set aside.

In another bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder.

Put the chocolate, butter, and instant espresso powder in yet another bowl (make sure this one is heatproof). Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted. Turn off the heat and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan and allow to cool to lukewarm.

Add 3 of the eggs to the chocolate mixture, whisking until combined. Add the remaining 2 eggs and whisk until thoroughly combined. Stir in the vanilla extract, just until combined.

Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and fold the flour in with a rubber spatula. Fold until just barely combined and a small amount of flour may still be visible.

Pour about 2/3 of the brownie batter into the pan and spread to cover the bottom of the pan. Dollop the pumpkin mixture over the chocolate, then pour the rest of the brownie batter over the pumpkin. Using a rubber spatula or knife, swirl the pumpkin and chocolate batter together.

Bake for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. The brownies are done when a toothpick inserted in the center has a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Place the pan on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before slicing.

Black cat, cross my path – good fortune bring to home and hearth. When I am away from home, bring me luck wherever I roam. -British Proverb

I’ve got this black cat who simply adores pumpkin. Whenever a container of pumpkin is cracked open, he will come running from near or far, nose [...]]]>

Black cat, cross my path – good fortune bring to home and hearth. When I am away from home, bring me luck wherever I roam.
-British Proverb

I’ve got this black cat who simply adores pumpkin. Whenever a container of pumpkin is cracked open, he will come running from near or far, nose sniffing the air to determine the location of his favorite treat. He certainly crossed my path a few times while I put together this pie, ready to mop up any stray dollops of pumpkin puree.

Depending on local culture, black cats can be seen as harbingers of good or bad luck. In North America, the black cat has become an icon for witchcraft and Halloween, frequently with a negative connotation. Sadly, this prevents many people from adopting black cats. My cat doesn’t have a shred of evil in his body, but he still volunteered to promote my Halloween pie. I couldn’t keep him out of the photos. Perhaps black cats should be Halloween icons because they love to eat pumpkin!

Making the filling for this pie is a snap. Measure all the ingredients into the blender, and with the touch of a button you’ve got your filling.

Roll out the crust, pour in the filling, garnish with a few little pumpkins, and pop it in the oven!

Before the recipe, I’d like to throw in a little self-promotion. Voting has opened for challenge #4 of Project Food Blog, which I am thrilled to be a part of. Check out my entry and if it tickles your fancy, cast a vote. I am grateful for your support!

Maple Pumpkin Pie
Created by Simple Math Bakery
Yield: One 9″ pie

1 pie crust
2 cups pumpkin puree
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice*

Preheat oven to 425°. Roll out pie crust and carefully transfer it to a 9″ pie plate. Trim the edges and use the extra dough for garnishing the pie, if desired.

Place all ingredients in a blender, and blend until combined. Pour the filling into the crust.

Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°. Bake for another 40-45 minutes, or until the center has set. Place the pie plate on a cooling rack to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.

*If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice on hand, it’s easy to mix your own! I use 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg, 4 teaspoons ground ginger, and 1 teaspoon ground allspice.

Do you prefer cookies or muffins?  Well, now you can have your pick.  Or, if you can’t make up your mind, make both!  That’s what I did today.

I love the cake-like, moist texture of pumpkin cookies.  My first attempt at pumpkin cookies last month came out a little too moist. [...]]]>

Do you prefer cookies or muffins?  Well, now you can have your pick.  Or, if you can’t make up your mind, make both!  That’s what I did today.

I love the cake-like, moist texture of pumpkin cookies.  My first attempt at pumpkin cookies last month came out a little too moist.  Excellent for eating, but not sturdy enough to pack with lunch or send to a friend.  So this is my second, much improved attempt.  Still moist, but slightly sturdier for travel.

The dough is very moist, so I recommend using a spoon to plop dough onto the baking sheet.  I normally use just a sheet of parchment on the baking sheet, but the first batch stuck to the parchment a little bit.  Spritzing the parchment with a light mist of cooking spray remedies this problem.

They will spread slightly when baked, so give ‘em a little breathing room!

These cookies are a birthday gift, and will be traveling halfway across the country.  I did sample one just to make sure that they’re good enough for the birthday recipient (who is hopefully not reading this post)!  To prevent myself from sampling the whole batch, I made the muffin version as my weekly muffin fix.

So, now you’ve got your choice.  Cookies, below.  Muffins, over here.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
By Simple Math Bakery
Adapted from My Baking Addiction
Yield: 24 cookies

1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice*
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon buttermilk (you can also use regular milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, or line with parchment and then spray with cooking spray.  The cooking spray is important, even if you’re using parchment. These cookies like to stick to the pan!

In a large bowl, stir together the pumpkin, sugar, applesauce, and egg.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.  In a small bowl, combine the baking soda and buttermilk to form a paste.

Stir the flour mixture and baking soda mixture into the pumpkin mixture.  Add vanilla extract and chocolate chips, stirring to combine.  Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are firm and just starting to brown around the edges.

Place the baking sheet on a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then remove cookies from pan and allow to cool completely on the rack.

*If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice on hand, it’s easy to mix your own!  I used 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg, 4 teaspoons ground ginger, and 1 teaspoon ground allspice.

Autumn is my favorite season for baking.  The weather is just starting to get cool enough to turn on the oven more frequently.  The apple orchards in Oak Glen have fresh apple cider and a large variety of apples to choose from.  Pumpkin patches have cropped up all over [...]]]>

Autumn is my favorite season for baking.  The weather is just starting to get cool enough to turn on the oven more frequently.  The apple orchards in Oak Glen have fresh apple cider and a large variety of apples to choose from.  Pumpkin patches have cropped up all over the area.

Apples and pumpkin are two of my most favorite ingredients.   A few weeks ago, on my Saturday stroll down the baking aisle at Trader Joe’s, I was ecstatic to see that they had finally made room on their shelves for cans of organic pumpkin.  Just in case this pumpkin shortage that I’ve heard about is for real, I bought a few cans.

I made these muffins last week, and just had to make them again.  Yes, they are that fabulous.  Besides, how can you go wrong with pumpkin and chocolate?

The recipe is incredibly simple and quick.  It’s from one of my favorite blogs, Smitten Kitchen.  Just mix all the ingredients together and pop ‘em in the oven.  Beautiful.  And delicious!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Yield: 12 muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
1/3 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice*
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line muffin cups or grease with butter.

In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add flour and baking powder and whisk until just combined.  Stir in chocolate chips.

In a small bowl, mix cinnamon and granulated sugar.

Spoon batter into muffin cups, and sprinkle cinnamon-sugar over the top of each muffin. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Place on cooling rack for five minutes, then remove muffins from pan and cool completely.

*If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice on hand, it’s easy to mix your own!  I used 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg, 4 teaspoons ground ginger, and 1 teaspoon ground allspice.