1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610, 987…

Have you deciphered the pattern? Each term is the sum of the previous two terms, creating the Fibonacci sequence. I find the graphical representation of this sequence beautiful and intriguing. Using squares whose sides correspond to the [...]]]>

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610, 987…

Have you deciphered the pattern? Each term is the sum of the previous two terms, creating the Fibonacci sequence. I find the graphical representation of this sequence beautiful and intriguing. Using squares whose sides correspond to the numbers in the sequence, each consecutive square is placed in an outwardly spiraling manner. There is something satisfying about the way that each square nestles against the previous squares, and the pattern seems to contribute equally to the fields of mathematics and art. Since baking is a bit of both, I used this pattern as the inspiration for my berry dessert pizza.

I filled each square with a different berry: blueberries, pomegranate seeds, raspberries, cranberries, and strawberries. Atop a honey whole wheat crust with a layer of sweetened mascarpone cheese, each of the berries adds a different degree of tartness. A drizzle of caramel sauce balances the flavors perfectly!

Berry Dessert Pizza
Created by Simple Math Bakery
Yield: 8 servings

Dessert Pizza Dough
Adapted from King Arthur Flour

2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups unbleached bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 to 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water

In a large bowl, or the bowl of your mixer, combine the yeast, whole wheat flour, bread flour, and salt. Add the olive oil, honey, and 1 cup of the water. Stir with a wooden spoon or the paddle attachment of your mixer until the dough comes together. If necessary, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time to get the dough to come together.

Knead the dough by hand or mixer until it becomes a cohesive dough. It may still look a little rough, but should hold together well. This will take about 5 minutes with the dough hook of a mixer.

Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour. It should be very puffy and not quite doubled in size.

Lightly flour a piece of parchment paper (if you are baking the crust directly on a pizza stone) or grease the pizza pan of your choice. Stretch the dough into shape. If it won’t hold its shape, cover it and let it rest for 15 minutes then try to stretch it farther.

Cover the shaped dough with lightly greased plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise for about 1 hour. It will puff up quite a bit. Preheat the oven to 450° for at least 45 minutes during this last rise.

Use a peel to transfer the pizza directly onto a baking stone (or place the pizza pan in the oven) and bake for 10-12 minutes. The crust should be golden brown. Remove the crust from the oven and allow it to cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before adding toppings.

Dessert Pizza Sauce

3/4 cup homemade mascarpone cheese
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

Whisk the maple syrup into the mascarpone until combined. Spread a thin layer over the pizza crust.

Top with berries of your choice. Fibonacci sequence art is optional.

Place the pizza back into the oven for about 5 minutes. The mascarpone sauce should be bubbly and just starting to turn brown. The berries will soften ever so slightly. Place on a cooling rack and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Slice and serve with a drizzle of warm caramel sauce.

Caramel Sauce
Adapted from Simply Recipes
Yield: 1 cup

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make sure all of your ingredients are ready and accessible before starting. Boiling sugar is extremely hot and can go from caramel to burnt very quickly. You don’t want to be trying to measure the cream while your caramel burns!

In a 2 or 3 quart saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. When the liquid comes to a boil, stop stirring and allow it to boil until the sugar starts to brown. Gently swirl the pan if necessary to keep the liquid heating evenly.

When the sugar becomes a dark amber color, carefully add the butter, stirring vigorously. It will bubble up and then subside as the butter melts. When the butter has melted completely, remove the pan from the heat. After 3 seconds, stir in the cream and vanilla extract. Again, the mixture will foam up. Keep stirring vigorously until the mixture is smooth.

Allow the sauce to cool for 15-20 minutes before drizzling over the pizza. When completely cooled, the sauce can be stored in the refrigerator.

Challenge #5 of Project Food Blog prompted the remaining 72 contestants to put their own spin on a common theme: pizza. Voting starts Monday, October 18th at 6AM Pacific Time, and runs through Thursday, October 21st at 6PM Pacific Time. As always, I truly appreciate your support!

Assembling this pièce montée made me feel just a bit like a French pastry chef. Part [...]]]> The May 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Cat of Little Miss Cupcake. Cat challenged everyone to make a piece montée, or croquembouche, based on recipes from Peter Kump’s Baking School in Manhattan and Nick Malgieri.

Assembling this pièce montée made me feel just a bit like a French pastry chef. Part of the fun of the Daring Bakers group is that we get to make many different recipes that some of us have only dreamed of making (or never dreamed of being able to complete)! A pièce montée is a dessert that I’ve admired on other blogs and in cookbooks, but never would have attempted under my own pretenses. Yet here it is, my latest masterpiece!

A pièce montée, also referred to as a croquembouche, is an architectural feat of pastry. Cream puffs are built into a cone shape, cemented together with chocolate or hard caramel. They can reach great heights and serve as a backdrop for some astoundingly beautiful sugar art. Mine, however, is more humble.

I was excited to try spun sugar. Admiring many a croquembouche wrapped in delicate strands like spiderwebs inspired me to try it myself. To my surprise (and relief), it was remarkably simple! The trick is letting the caramel cool to just the right temperature. Then you have a small window of time before the caramel gets too hard.

Use a skewer, a fork, chopsticks, or any other utensil to scoop the caramel out of the pan. As it drizzles off the utensil it will start to form delicate tendrils of sugar. Move the utensil in the desired pattern around the croquembouche to wrap it in sugar. This simple method produces a stunning result.

While melting the butter for the pâte à choux, I discovered a new galaxy. I’m sure that there are all kinds of delicious creatures living in this butter galaxy. In fact, I know they’re delicious, because I ate quite a few of the resulting cream puffs!

The May 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Cat of Little Miss Cupcake. Cat challenged everyone to make a pièce montée, or croquembouche, based on recipes from Peter Kump’s Baking School in Manhattan and Nick Malgieri.

This challenge consisted of three components: pâte à choux (cream puff pastry dough), crème pâtissière (pastry cream), and caramel glaze used to hold the structure together. We were encouraged to be creative with the pastry cream flavors, so I chose to incorporate raspberries.

I made the full batch of pastry cream, and a half batch of pâte à choux. This yielded 8 puffs, generously filled with cream.

Raspberry Crème Pâtissière
Yield: enough to fill 8-10 cream puffs

1 cup whole milk (I used half & half)
2 tablespoons corn starch
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup raspberries (fresh or thawed frozen), mashed

Dissolve the corn starch in 1/4 cup of the milk. Add the remaining 3/4 cup of milk along with the sugar to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.

Beat the whole egg, then the egg yolks, into the corn starch mixture. Pour about 1/3 of the heated milk into the corn starch mixture, whisking constantly to avoid cooking the eggs.

Return the remaining milk mixture to a boil. Whisking constantly, pour the hot egg mixture into the saucepan in a slow stream. Continue to whisk until the cream has thickened and come to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the butter, vanilla extract, and raspberries.

Pour the cream into a metal/glass/ceramic bowl and press some plastic wrap directly onto the surface. This will avoid having a skin form over the cream. Place in the refrigerator immediately and chill until ready to use. I chilled mine overnight before continuing.

Pâte à Choux
Yield: approximately 28 puffs

3/4 cup water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs

Egg wash: 1 egg, lightly beaten with a pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 425°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a saucepan, combine water, butter, salt, and sugar. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the flour until completely incorporated.

Return the pan to the heat and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the batter dries slightly and starts to pull apart. There will be a thin layer of dough coating the bottom of the pan. Don’t scrape the dough off the bottom of the pan.

Transfer the mixture to a heatproof bowl and stir for about a minute to cool the mixture slightly. Add one egg. I added a cool egg straight from the fridge so that it wouldn’t cook when adding to the hot mixture. The batter will be loose and rather chunky. It may look like the egg won’t blend in, but keep stirring.

It will magically become a smooth batter soon enough.

Add the remaining eggs, one at a time, incorporating each one completely before adding the next. You may not need the last egg if the batter seems to be getting too liquidy.

Transfer the batter to a pastry bag with a large opening or plain tip. Pipe mounds 1 inch high, 1 inch wide, and 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. Use your fingertip dipped in water to gently flatten any “hats” that formed while piping the choux. The tops should be gently rounded.

Brush the choux with egg wash and place the baking sheets into the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, or until puffy and just starting to brown.

Lower the oven temperature to 350° and continue to bake for 20-25 minutes. They should be deep brown in color and dried out. If they are underbaked, they may collapse after being removed from the oven. When the choux are finished baking, remove them from the baking sheet and cool them directly on a cooling rack.

For best results, use the choux right away. However, they may be stored overnight in an airtight container.

Just before you assemble the pièce montée, fill the choux with pastry cream. Transfer the cream to a pastry bag with a circle or star tip. Pierce the bottom of each choux with the pastry tip and squeeze in the cream.

Prepare all of your ingredients and tools to assemble the pièce montée: filled choux, serving plate, bowl of ice water (hot sugar burns!), and utensils to spin the sugar (I used a double-pronged skewer). It may help to practice stacking your choux (before filling them) to figure out which pieces fit together best.

Hard Caramel Glaze

1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Combine the sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan, stirring until the mixture resembles wet sand. Heat over medium heat without stirring until the sugar melts in the middle and starts to bubble and smoke. Stir the sugar and continue heating, stirring occasionally, until all the sugar has liquefied and is amber in color. Remove from heat and use immediately.

Keeping a bowl of ice water nearby, carefully dip each choux into the sugar mixture and begin to build the pièce montée. I found it easiest and safest to just dip the bottom of the choux in caramel and place it on the tower. Drizzle a tad more caramel on top of the choux, using a metal spoon. Continue building until the desired height and shape are achieved. If the sugar hardens or gets difficult to work with, return it to the stove over medium heat for a minute or two.

To spin sugar around the outside, I used a double-pronged skewer. The sugar should be slightly cooler than the temperature used for dipping the choux. You’ll be able to tell when the sugar has cooled to the point of “spiderwebbing” – that’s my technical term for it. If you dip the skewer in the pan of sugar and pull it back out, a glob of sugar will fall off and thin strands of sugar will dangle from the skewer. Circle the pièce montée with the skewer, pulling the sugar strands around in circles to wrap the tower.

Serve immediately. It won’t last long, anyway.

This challenge put me out of my comfort zone not only with a new technique, but with a new ingredient as [...]]]> The April 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Esther of The Lilac Kitchen. She challenged everyone to make a traditional British pudding using, if possible, a very traditional British ingredient: suet.

This challenge put me out of my comfort zone not only with a new technique, but with a new ingredient as well: suet. I rarely eat meat, so my first thought was to forge ahead with the vegetarian suet version or to just make a sweet sponge pudding.

But the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to attempt the traditional version of the challenge. I put aside my objections so that I could try an authentic dish from another culture. And then I decided to try the sweet sponge pudding as well!

Both puddings were delicious! The bacon leek filling was out of this world. I thought that the suet crust was a bit thick, and it was very rich. Perhaps the measurements were a little off due to my conversions. I don’t have a scale so I had to convert all the measurements to cups, tablespoons, etc. It seemed like I had too much dough, but I used it all anyway as I thought it would make the pudding sturdier.

The suet was actually pretty easy to work with, since it is a solid at room temperature. Most instructions recommend rendering the suet to remove the membrane and then shredding it. I didn’t choose this method, for a couple of reasons. The challenge hostess, Esther, explained that she simply crumbles it off the membrane when it’s frozen. Since I generally take the lazy way out, and a pan of hot beef fat doesn’t sound too safe to me, I decided to skip the rendering step. I peeled off as much of the membrane as I could and crumbled the frozen suet into small chunks.

Setting up the steaming apparatus was also a challenge. In order to steam the pudding, the bowl must be placed inside a large pot without touching the bottom or sides. There should be enough water in the bottom of the pot that it doesn’t boil dry, but not so much that it boils up and into the pudding bowl. Thanks to a recommendation from a fellow Daring Baker, Audax, I set up my Crock Pot to steam the pudding.

I placed a folded kitchen towel underneath the bowl to keep it off the bottom of the pot. I had plenty of room to put an inch of water in the bottom without it coming up too far on the sides of the bowl. Using the Crock Pot was a great method, since virtually no water escapes during cooking. I didn’t have to top off the water at all during steaming.

The chocolate raspberry pudding batter reminded me of cake batter. The steaming process introduced a unique texture. It was spongy and rather dense, but very tasty! Guess what it tasted like? Banana bread. Weird, I know. There were no bananas in sight, that could have snuck into this pudding. But The Boyfriend and I both got a banana bread flavor from this pudding. Very interesting.

I’ll definitely be making pudding again, as it’s a relatively simple cooking method with an infinite amount of adaptable recipes. I recommend visiting the blogs of my fellow Daring Bakers to see all the beautiful adaptations of this traditional British dish!

The April 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Esther of The Lilac Kitchen. She challenged everyone to make a traditional British pudding using, if possible, a very traditional British ingredient: suet.

Bacon and Leek Pudding
Adapted from Farmers Weekly
Yield: 4-6 servings

Filling:
6 strips bacon, cooked
1 tablespoon butter
1 leek
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup vegetable broth, warmed
2 sprigs fresh thyme, stripped from stalks
1/3 cup cream, room temperature
salt and pepper to taste

Suet crust:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded suet
salt and pepper to taste
scant 1 cup of milk

To prepare the filling:

Slice the cooked bacon into pieces. Trim the roots and the tips off of the leek and slice it into small pieces. Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan and saute the leeks until tender. Sprinkle the flour over the leeks and stir it in.

Slowly pour in the vegetable broth while whisking to prevent lumps. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until it thickens. Turn the heat down to a simmer, and add the thyme, cream, and bacon. Stir well and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

To prepare the crust:

Grease a 1 liter pudding basin or heatproof bowl (I used a Pyrex bowl) with butter. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the flour and suet together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Work in the milk, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough is elastic and cleans the sides of the bowl. I needed a scant cup of milk, but you may need more or less liquid. Try not to handle or knead the pastry as it will get tough.

Reserve 1/4 of the dough for the lid. Roll out the rest of the dough and line the bowl with it. Pour the filling into the crust. Roll out the lid and attach it by moistening the edges of the bottom crust with water. Press the edges together, using a fork to crimp.

Cover the pudding with foil or other greaseproof paper, pleated in the middle to allow for expansion of the pudding. Press the foil tightly under the lip of the bowl. Wrap a length of kitchen twine around the bowl to secure the lid and prevent any water from leaking into the pudding. Fashion the twine into a handle over the top of the bowl if desired (this will facilitate easier removal from the steamer).

Steam the pudding for about 5 hours. Carefully remove the twine and foil, and turn the pudding out onto a plate.

Chocolate Raspberry Steamed Pudding
Adapted from Telegraph
Yield: 6-8 servings

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen
1 cup bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2-3 tablespoons milk or water

Grease a 1 liter pudding basin or heatproof bowl (I used a Pyrex bowl). Line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.

Cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla extract, and beat well. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture.

Add 2-3 tablespoons of milk or water, enough to produce a “dropping consistency” (I assumed this meant that the batter should drop back into the bowl when lifted out on the back of a spoon). Stir in the raspberries and chocolate.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pudding basin or bowl. Cover with foil or parchment paper, leaving a crease in the middle for the pudding to expand while cooking. Tie the cover on with string, leaving a handle on top if desired (recommended for easy removal of basin from steaming container). Steam for 2 hours.

Turn the pudding out onto a plate, and serve with fresh raspberries.

I’m learning to bake vegan. I really enjoy eating vegan goodies, so naturally the next step is to learn to make them myself. I baked a vegan cake last year (before I started blogging), and it was amazing! This time, I tried my hand at vegan muffins.

I don’t drink cow’s milk, but [...]]]>

I’m learning to bake vegan. I really enjoy eating vegan goodies, so naturally the next step is to learn to make them myself. I baked a vegan cake last year (before I started blogging), and it was amazing! This time, I tried my hand at vegan muffins.

I don’t drink cow’s milk, but I do use buttermilk when it’s called for in a recipe. It helps keep muffins tender and lends a somewhat tangy flavor as well. So when I discovered that I could make vegan buttermilk with soy milk and a little apple cider vinegar, I decided to bake some muffins!

Part of what fascinates me about baking is the chemistry. I know next to nothing about chemistry, but I just love watching how the ingredients come together to create a delicious result.

Sometimes the chemistry of baking fails me and I end up with bread as hard as a brick, or sunken cupcakes. But vegan buttermilk couldn’t be simpler: pour out a cup of soy milk, stir in a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, and a few minutes later it curdles!

The rest of the recipe comes together just as easily. I left out the egg that I usually add into my muffins, and substituted some (homemade!) unsweetened applesauce. My anticipation heightened when I tasted the batter and found it to be delicious!

The finished muffins tasted just as wonderful as the batter. I love how the raspberries deliver a burst of flavor when you bite into them. This raspberry burst too soon, leaving a cavernous hole in my muffin!

I can’t wait to dream up some more vegan goodies!

Vegan Raspberry Applesauce Muffins
Recipe by Simple Math Bakery
Yield: 12 muffins

2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup soy milk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup frozen raspberries

Preheat oven to 375°. Grease muffin tins or line with paper liners. In a small bowl, stir together the soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Let sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes, until it starts to curdle.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk together the applesauce, vanilla extract, and buttermilk mixture. Add the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Gently fold in the raspberries.

Divide the batter between 12 muffin cups. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and cool the muffins directly on the cooling rack.