Best Bread Ever

I am writing today about No-Knead Bread. I may be coming late to this party, though I have been making this bread for 7 years now. 

The first time I ever heard of No-Knead Bread, was at the Farmers' Market here in town, in 2011. It is a small affair, as we are a small town, but there are interesting things going on here, nonetheless. I saw a lady with a basket of bread that looked to be artisanal in style, with a nice crusty exterior, and promising to be nicely full of holes inside. The sign on her basket read, "No-Knead Bread." I asked what that was, and she gave me a sketchy account, advising that I look it up online. I bought a loaf.

No Knead Bread

Once I tasted the loaf, I went online immediately. The first thing I came upon was a recipe from "The Minimalist," written by Mark Bittman in 2006, about the bread made famous (then why am I only NOW finding out about it!?!?) by Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery. I tried the bread recipe cited by Bittman immediately. Well, as immediately as I could get my hands on an enameled cast iron pot. I found out the hard way that the knob or handle on the lid must be metal, to stand the high oven temperatures. When I borrowed my sister-in-law's 4 quart Le Creuset, with a resin knob on the lid, it exploded in the oven!

Script "L" as Lid Handle

The bread came out great, but I went in search of an enameled cast iron pot of my own, making sure it had a metal handle on the lid. It was a signature series Lodge enameled cast iron Dutch oven, with the handle made into a script shaped letter "L". This pot has been used so much and so often that the insides are completely blackened, never to be white again, but it keeps on working just fine, no matter what gets cooked inside! Supposedly, you can use Pyrex or other oven safe pots, and also clay pots. I do not own a clay baker and am afraid to subject any glassware to the intensely high heat in the oven needed for this bread. 

Meanwhile, I also bought Jim Lahey's book, "My Bread." I wanted to know everything I could find out about it. When it comes down to it though, I just love the plain, original No-Knead Bread best of all. I made the loaf with cheese chunks in it. I made a loaf with bacon in it. I made a loaf using Guinness Stout and buttermilk. Another with Walnuts. All great. I just liked the original best, and have made it more times than I can count.

What, Exactly, is No-Knead Bread?

Over the course of many years, I have learned over and over that flour, in and of itself, is rather bland and tasteless. Witness the plain white bread in the grocery store. What gives flavor to white or whole wheat flour alike is time, and some form of fermentation, whether warm, cold or a combination. This process also unlocks some hard to digest goodness from the grain. Sourdough bread has been famous forever, and the particular flavors from sourdough starters comes from long, slow fermenting. If you don't care for sourdough bread (my husband is not fond of it), just understand that rather than keeping a starter going for years, decades or more, No-Knead Bread only ferments (in the main) for 12 to 18 hours, or overnight. This is enough to get the dough going, fermentation underway, and then it is shaped and baked. The goodness in the flour is unlocked, and the bread is just fantastic.

Rough dough in PM then Risen and bubbly in the AM

The key to this bread is in the process. A rough and shaggy dough is mixed up the night before you plan to make the bread. A quick stir to get all the ingredients dampened is all you need do. Cover and set in a place at least 70 degrees, but not more than about 75, and let the magic happen. What occurs is that the tiny ¼-teaspoon of yeast that is added to give the fermentation a kick-start, takes over on its own, and in the morning, after about 12 -18 hours, you will see a very jiggly-wet dough that oozes to one side or other of the bowl when tilted, and a whole lot of bubbles dotting the surface. In this way, you have the time and fermentation that has taken place and flavors are developed. The next step is setting the dough to rise and then baking it.

No Knead Bread

The reason the enameled cast iron pot works so well is first of all its weight. The nice, thick, heavy pot holds heat. This kind of heat mimics the heat in the kinds of ovens used in bakeries, and the method we sometimes try to copy by spraying water into the oven or setting ice cubes in a container on the oven floor. The risen dough is flipped into the screaming hot pot, the lid replaced, trapping steam from this very wet dough. The steam makes that nice crisp-chewy exterior, and the heat expands the loaf into beautiful inner holes. 

The Process

As shown in the photo above, the dough is mixed in the evening around 7 or 8 PM (if it is terribly cold outside, it may need to start around 6 PM or even earlier, in order to rise enough by morning), then in the morning will have risen and be evenly dotted with bubbles and be very jiggly.

When ready in the morning, you will need a clean surface on which to work, sprinkled liberally with flour. The dough is very wet and needs quick and light handling. 

1. Turn the dough out onto the floured surface, then toss quickly together to coat. Sprinkle with more flour and cover for 15 minutes with plastic wrap or a clean flour sack towel (any smooth towel, not terrycloth!). 
2. In this time period, have ready a baking sheet with a flour sack towel or clean, smooth kitchen towel placed on it. Liberally sprinkle an area about 12-inches in diameter with cornmeal or wheat bran. Once the 15 minutes have passed,  quickly toss the dough into a ball shape and set with the seam tucked underneath onto the center of the cornmeal or bran strewn towel.
3. Sprinkle the top of the dough with more cornmeal or bran, then cover with another clean, smooth towel - or, if using a flour sack towel, which tend to be large, put the dough onto one end, then flip the other end of the towel over top.
4. Let the dough rise for 2 hours.
5. Thirty minutes before the 2 hours are elapsed, place your enameled cast iron pot with lid on, into the oven, then set the oven to pre-heat to 475 degrees for the remaining half-hour of rising time.
6. Once the half hour is elapsed, remove the pot from the oven, being exceedingly careful, as it is screaming hot! Remove the lid and set aside. Immediately, lift the cover back from the risen dough. Slide your hand underneath the cloth to support the dough, then lift and invert the dough (bottom side upwards) into the hot pot. Quickly replace the lid.
7. Place the pot back into the oven and set a timer for 30 minutes. 
8. At thirty minutes, remove the lid and bake the bread uncovered for another 8 to twenty minutes.
9. Use a wide spatula to lift the bread out of the exceedingly hot pot and set on a rack to cool. 
10. Listen to the bread "sing." It will pop, crack, whistle and otherwise make lovely sounds as it cools. 

The entire process of mixing the dough, working with it briefly in the morning and getting into pot to bake takes about 15 minutes in its entirety. It is needful to be there in the morning, while the dough is rising and baking, but without any more hands-on time. 

Things I Have Learned Over Time

• When mixing the dough, the recipe calls for 1½ to 1⅝ (or 1½ cups + 2 tablespoons) cups of cool water. Understand, the wetter the dough, the more hole structure will form in the finished bread. If you live in a very humid environment, your flour may already be retaining some humidity, and you may not need the extra two tablespoons of water. Making this bread in South Dakota, where it is far less humid than, say, Florida or Louisiana, I have needed the extra two tablespoons of water every time. The bread is great no matter which way. Just experiment to see how much water works best for you.

• I use a baking sheet to set the towel on for the rising period. This is never stated in the original recipe, but if you have a smaller kitchen, this allows you to move the bread out of your way if you need to work in that space. I cannot begin to state how this has helped me in past!

• Jim Lahey's recipe does not call for a 15 minute rest period before shaping the loaf and setting onto the cornmeal strewn cloth. Mark Bittman's recipe did. I have done it both ways, many times, and I will say that for whatever reason, the 15 minute rest makes the bread grow higher in the end.

• Jim Lahey has the oven set to 500 degrees. For me this is just too hot. I do not care for blackened loaves, though most of the photos in Lahey's book are at least slightly blackened. My husband will not touch a blackened loaf. I use a 475 degree oven.

• Lahey has the initial bake with lid on the pot for 30 minutes, but once the lid is taken off, he says to bake a further 15 to 30 minutes. I tried once to bake a further 15 minutes, and it was already starting to blacken in spots, so I removed it. After that, I have ALWAYS baked for only 8 further minutes. This is entirely subjective!

No-Knead Bread

No Knead Bread, just baked

Makes one loaf

3 cups bread flour
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
1½ to 1⅝ (just 2 TBSP more) cups cool water
Cornmeal, wheat bran and or flour for dusting

The evening before making the bread, place the flour, yeast and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the water and using a wooden spoon, stir to a shaggy dough,  just moistening all the dry ingredients. Cover the bowl with plastic film, or a plate or a lid and set in a warm (not hot) place to ferment overnight.

After 12 to 18 hours (or even up to 24 if it is very cold), the dough should have risen, having bubbles dot the entire surface and the dough should be very jiggly upon moving the bowl. (See photos above).

Dust a clean surface with plenty of flour, then scrape the dough out onto the floured surface, as shown in the first photo below. Quickly bring up edges and then sprinkle with more flour if needed, covering the dough, allowing it to rest for a further 15 minutes, shown in photo 2. While the rest period is underway, place a clean, smooth towel, such as a flour sack towel (NO terrycloth) onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle the towel with cornmeal or wheat bran to a diameter of about 12-inches. Once the rest period ends, quickly form the dough into a ball, tucking the seams underneath, and place onto the prepared towel, shown in photo three below. The seams underneath will later form the pretty cracked pattern on top of the finished loaf.

The process of preparing and baking the loaf

Sprinkle the formed loaf with more cornmeal or bran if needed, then cover with another clean, smooth towel, shown in photo 4, above. Set aside to rise for 2 hours.

Thirty minutes prior to the two-hour rise period, place an enameled cast iron pot, with lid, into the oven. Set the oven to 475 degrees and time for 30 minutes. This is to get the pot screaming hot, approximating a bakery oven. Once the half hour is elapsed, carefully remove the pot from the oven, setting the lid aside, photo 6 above. Uncover the loaf, then slide a hand underneath the towel, supporting the loaf. In one quick movement, lift and invert the loaf into the hot pot. If it sticks to the side, give the pot a shake. It won't matter, in the end, see photo 7 above. Cover the pot with its lid, then return to the oven for 30 minutes. After the thirty minutes, remove the lid, leaving the bread to bake for at least a further 8 minutes and up to 30 minutes, if desired.

Once finished, remove the pot from the oven, then using a large spatula, lift the loaf out of the pot and onto a rack to cool. Allow the loaf to cool for at least an hour before cutting.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Mocha Spice Blend and Cookies

When I mixed up my unusual CMR Spice Blend, I was also playing with an idea for another spice blend. It sort of got put on hold for a time, but I finally put it together a couple of weeks back. Again, though the spice mixture was made, I didn't get around to doing anything with it until yesterday. 

Mocha Spice Cookies I

I called the mixture Mocha Spice, because 2 of the main components are coffee and cocoa. The other ingredients are cinnamon, cloves and Szechuan peppercorns (which are not even a relative of pepper). The mixture smells wonderful, and my thought was to make my recipe for Hermit cookies, substituting the Mocha Spice Blend for all of the spices and the coffee in that recipe. I figured that since the cookies originally called for coffee, this mixture should work well. I did a 1:1 swap for the total amount of the spices in the recipe and made the cookies last evening. This is the original Hermit cookie recipe, before changes:

Hermits

Hermits

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

½ cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons water
1½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
½ teaspoon soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¾ cup raisins
½ cup walnuts, broken

Thoroughly cream the shortening and sugar. Add egg; beat well. Mix the instant coffee into the 2 tablespoons water, then add to the creamed mixture. Sift together the dry ingredients and add in slowly until combined. Stir in raisins and nuts. Drop from teaspoon, or small cookie scoop, about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet sprayed lightly with cooking spray. Bake in a 375 oven for 10 minutes.

NOTES: These can be iced with an icing of choice, or a glaze type icing. For the glaze, use 1½ cups confectioners' sugar, a pinch of salt, ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract. Add in water or milk, one tablespoon at a time, stirring very thoroughly before adding more. It is deceptive at first, and you may not need much more than another tablespoon or so. If the cookies are baked as individual cookies, dip the tops into the glaze, then set to dry. If using the "Busy-Mom-Method" just spread the glaze over the hot cookie straight from the oven. Slice when cool. 

Hermits using Busy Mom Method

 

Today, I took the new version (below) to a luncheon, asking everyone who tasted them to tell me what, precisely, they tasted of spices. One person said ginger. Which, since there was no ginger at all, made me wonder how that flavor seemed to dominate, because I could certainly taste that also. Cinnamon was mentioned and clove. No one caught any kind of hint of coffee or cocoa, and much less the Szechuan pepper.

coffee, cinnamon, cloves, cocoa, Szechuan peppercorns

The cookies were fabulous, don't misunderstand me. The flavors were perfect for a spice cookie. The only problem was that nothing outside of cinnamon and clove was noticeable. My next thought was to come home and revise the Mocha Spice Blend. I doubled the amount of coffee, tripled the cocoa, left the cinnamon amount the same, decreased the cloves by ½ and doubled the Szechuan peppercorns. Just on a straight taste test on the tip of my finger, the bitterness of coffee and cocoa are much more apparent. I still do not taste the Szechuan peppercorns. I am tempted in add in some more cloves, but will refrain until I taste this mixture in a recipe. Once baked, the flavors may well change. 

Mocha Spice Blend I

Mocha Spice Blend I

Makes about 1/4 cup

2 tablespoons coffee beans
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cassia cinnamon
20 whole cloves
1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns

In a spice grinder, coffee grinder used only for spices or in a small Bullet type blender with the blade for dry ingredients, grind the coffee beans, cloves and Szechuan peppercorns to a fine powder. Add this to the cinnamon and cocoa on a bowl and mix well to distribute all spices equally. Place in a glass jar with tight-fitting lid and store in a cool, dark place.

Mocha Spice Blend II

Makes just over 1/2 cup

Mocha Spice Blend II

4 tablespoons coffee beans
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cassia cinnamon
10 whole cloves
2 teaspoons Szechuan peppercorns

In a spice grinder, coffee grinder used only for spices or in a small Bullet type blender with the blade for dry ingredients, grind the coffee beans, cloves and Szechuan peppercorns to a fine powder. Add this to the cinnamon and cocoa on a bowl and mix well to distribute all spices equally. Place in a glass jar with tight-fitting lid and store in a cool, dark place.

I have a whole jar of egg whites in the fridge, so I want to make an angel food cake. I am going to use Mocha Spice Blend II in the cake and see how it comes out. Meanwhile, here is the recipe for the Mocha Spice Cookies:

 

Mocha Spice Cookies I

Mocha Spice Cookies

Makes 40 - 50 cookies

½ cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon water
1½ cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons Mocha Spice Blend (either will work)
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup raisins, optional
½ cup walnuts, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (350 on Convection Bake).

Cream together the shortening and brown sugar until fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla and water; beat well to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, Mocha Spice, baking soda and salt. Add these dry ingredients and beat to just combine. Add the raisins and nuts and mix well. Drop the dough from a spoon, or use small cookie scoops. Keep the cookies at least 2-inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, until set and browned.
Another thought came to me when musing on the spices and amounts used in the Spice blends. I used a good Cassia cinnamon in the blend, which is the most commonly sold cinnamon in the US. True cinnamon, cinnamomum verum, is used in many countries around the world and has a lighter flavor with a hint of citrus. True cinnamon is the soft-quilled variety found in any Mexican grocery. These true cinnamon quills are easily crumbled and can be added to the coffee beans, cloves and Szechuan peppercorns when grinding the whole spices. If using whole true cinnamon (often named Ceylon cinnamon), I would use about 2-inches of the quill. 

All these are ideas I have for the future. For now, I have Mocha Spice Blend II already made, and will be experimenting with more uses, soon.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Using Stevia in Half the Sugar Chocolate Chip Spice Cookies

My stevia plant

When shopping last week, I finally decided to buy some of the "Stevia in the Raw" that works 1:1, cup-for-cup of sugar in a recipe. I have been wanting to try this product, but am always leery of the added fillers. I prefer stevia to any other sugar substitute and have used the liquid version and the flavored liquid versions in my morning oatmeal for years. I use Sweet Leaf brand packets in substitute for the sugar called for when making some other foods such as Basic Cole Slaw where it is indistinguishable from sugar or even in my Red Cabbage with Bacon and Apples. In these last two recipes I usually use 2 or 3 packets in a recipe. I  like the fact that stevia is a natural plant rather than a construct from some laboratory. When living in Florida, I had a stevia plant (right) and I dried leaves for my own use (below). 

My Own Dried Stevia Leaf

The large package of Stevia in the Raw states that the filler is maltodextrin. Turns out that maltodextrin is not necessarily that good for you, and sometimes also adds a lot more sweetness factor. It also translates into something nearly worse than sugar - but there are many sites out there that talk about all this. Any time there is a 1:1 ratio of usage with a sugar substitute, there has to be a filler product, so it just boils down to what you choose to accept. I will use the package of Stevia in the Raw because I bought it. I don't think I will purchase it again.

My real preference, as I mentioned, is using the liquids with flavors. I own quite a few flavors, though the ones shown in this photo above are my favorites. I just love using English Toffee stevia in my oatmeal as it approximates a brown sugar flavor that I miss. If I use fresh berries in my oatmeal I use the Mixed Berry flavored stevia. I could go on and on. 

Stevia Extract & flavors: English Toffee, French Vanilla, Mixed Berries, Chocolate Raspberry & Cinnamon

Meanwhile, since I bought the large bag of Stevia in the Raw, I wanted to try the recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies. The package suggests using half the sugar called for and substituting the stevia for the other half, as sugar has an effect on the moisture content in a recipe. I used the brown sugar called for and used the Stevia in the Raw for the white sugar called for. I didn't have another bag of the Andes "Creme de Menthe" baking chips, though I did have bags of dark chocolate chips on hand. 

"Half the Sugar" Chocolate Chip Spice Cookies

While assembling the ingredients for these cookies, I once again noticed on my counter a spice mixture I created some time back, but had yet to put to any use. At first I thought, "Why mess with flavors even more?" Because of my desire to taste this spice mixture in something - anything - I gave it a go in this recipe, sparingly. Two teaspoons of the mixture went into the dry ingredients. Ultimately, it gave a little extra flavor which did not detract from the enjoyment of the cookies, but did make you stand and wonder, "What IS that flavor?" The spice blend is of some very unusual spices when placed all together that would be equally at home in a sweet application, as with these cookies, or in a savory application. I will put some thought to a savory use for it sometime soon. Meanwhile:

CMR Spice Blend I

CMR Spice Blend I

Makes about 3/4 cup

3 tablespoons fennel seeds
10 whole cloves
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
2 whole star anise
2 teaspoons mace blades (or ½ teaspoon ground mace)
1 tablespoon unhulled white sesame seeds
1 tablespoon good quality black tea leaves
1 tablespoon ground ginger

Use whole seeds whenever possible. Mace blades may be harder to find. Place all the whole spices except the tea into a dry skillet and heat, stirring constantly, until very fragrant. The sesame seeds will be lightly colored. Turn the hot spices onto a plate to cool. Once cooled, place them with the tea leaves into a spice grinder or coffee mill used only for spices. Grind to a fine powder, then add them to a bowl with the pre-ground spices. Mix well and store in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid in a cool, dark place.

As you can see, the mixture uses some of the sweeter spices such as fennel, star anise, cloves and ginger, while bringing in the unusual element of black pepper, sesame and tea, among others. It is an unusual mixture, but can bring some really stellar results. The addition of this spice is not necessary to make the Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, nor is the use of the Stevia in the Raw. The one big difference in the outcome of these cookies using the Stevia in the Raw was that instead of the cookies flattening out after baking and becoming chewy, they stayed domes and - while not crunchy - they do have a soft crispness to them. The flavor is great.

"Half the Sugar" Chocolate Chip Spice Cookies

Makes about 50 to 60 cookies, depending on size

"Half the Sugar" Chocolate Chip Spice Cookies

2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons CMR Spice Blend I, optional
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), room temperature
¾ cup Stevia in the RAW (or use granulated sugar)
¾ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 bag Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees (350 on Convection Bake). In a bowl, sift or whisk together the first 4 ingredients and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with the Stevia in the Raw and brown sugar until smooth. Add the eggs and beat well, then the vanilla. If using an electric mixer, lower the speed while adding the dry ingredients just until combined. Add in the  chocolate chips and nuts until incorporated.

Drop the dough onto ungreased cookie sheets using rounded teaspoons or use a 1 tablespoon capacity cookie scoop, setting the cookies at least 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for 9 to 11 minutes, until golden. Allow them to set for about 30 seconds on the cookie sheet before removing to a rack to cool. 


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Pecan Mint Chip Cookies Were a Big Hit

Our holiday guests left this morning, and I have been trying to take stock of all the photos I took of the many foods prepared over this 4th of July holiday. Foods I photographed were Pecan Mint Chip Cookies, Grilled Barbecued Chicken, Chicken Rub, Barbecue Sauce II, Japanese Curly Noodle Salad, Chocolate Mousse Pie, Mascarpone Whipped Cream Topping and Blackberry Cobbler. In with all that I also made another bread from The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart, this time a Portuguese Sweet Bread. Over the next days I will be posting all these recipes (except the bread, as it is straight from the book, which I would recommend to everyone who wants to make good breads). 

Pecan Mint Chip Cookies in our Grandma Hromish's casserole

The first recipe I want to post is for the Pecan Mint Chip Cookies I made for our guests Rich and Heidi, when the arrived Friday evening. I used a simple recipe for  chocolate chip cookies, substituting a 10-ounce bag of "Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips" for the bag of chocolate chips in the recipe and using pecan chunks instead of the walnuts I generally prefer. I love mint flavors, like mint chocolate chip ice cream or York Peppermint Patties. If you do not care for mint flavor, obviously you could just use a bag of whatever chocolate chips you prefer. I knew our friend Rich was a big mint fan, as he has had lots of "Peppermint Patty" drinks here in past; hot cocoa with the addition of peppermint schnapps.

Cookie Scoops make perfect sized cookies

In general, Andes candies, though chocolate and mint are not my favorite because it feels like too fake an oily feeling in the mouth. I had this same reaction with some "cinnamon chips" from the grocery once, which is why I much prefer the Cinnamon Flav-r-Bites from the King Arthur Flour site. In these cookies however, the oily mouth feel was absent and all that was apparent was a really mild but still noticeable mint flavor along with the pecans whose flavor also stood out enough to notice. All in all, we all truly enjoyed these cookies and I would make them again in a heartbeat!

Pecan Mint Chip Cookies

Pecan Mint Chip Cookies

Makes about 45 to 60 cookies, depending on size

2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup coarse-chopped pecans
1 (10-ounce) bag Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (350 on Convection). In a small bowl sift or whisk together the first three ingredients and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer cream together the butter with the two sugars until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time until combined and then the vanilla. Lower the speed of the mixer and add in the dry ingredients just until combined. Add the nuts and mint chips and combine.

Drop the dough from teaspoons or use a cookie scoop, keeping the cookies at least 2 inches apart onto a dry cookie sheet. Bake the cookies for about 9 to 11 minutes, until golden brown.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

New Cupcakes with Beautiful Texture

I am not much of a cupcake fan, all in all, usually figuring it isn't necessary to dirty a muffin tin and have to wash all those little wells when I can just make a cake, even two-layers and only have to wash two items. Just me. Still, every so often I just want to make something small. Yesterday was one of those days. I wanted to make "Key Lime" cupcakes, but only had regular limes, so Lime Cupcakes they turned out to be. Going on a concept of what goes into a Key Lime Pie for example, I wanted something creamy in the frosting, so of course I used cream cheese. Then I wondered if using Malibu Rum would up the tropical flavors. Usually with any type of alcohol added, and most especially if it is one of the regular alcohols and not a liqueur, the alcohol flavor really shines through. Not this time. The frosting is delicious, but I do not detect any rum or coconut flavor.

The lime flavors used in the cupcakes were fresh lime zest, some lime juice and a few drops of lime oil to reinforce the flavor. I have little bottles of Boyajian Citrus Oils; Orange, Lime and Lemon. These are pure citrus oils and not extracts. The flavor is really true and very strong. Lime is my favorite of them all. I used a little measuring spoon that is deemed "just a smidgen" and holds 1/32 of a teaspoon. This turned out to be 4 very tiny drops. The overall lime flavor is lovely in the cupcakes; just enough, but not overwhelming.

Lime Cupcakes with Malibu Rum Cream Cheese Frosting

The cake itself started when I created a white cake recipe. I used 4 drops of green food color to simulate the "lime" color, otherwise it would have just been a white cake with little green flecks of lime zest in it. No matter the color, the texture of the cake is just perfect. It is very tender, with an exceedingly fine texture and crumb. I almost wish I had just made it in cake form. Oh well. Though less an exciting flavor combination than I had hoped for, they are most delicious to eat.

Lime Cupcakes

Lime Cupcakes with Malibu Rum Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes 24 cupcakes

2¼ cups cake flour
1½ cups sugar, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh lime zest
½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1⅓ cup buttermilk
1½ tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 drops green food color, optional
1 - 4 drops lime oil, optional
½ cup egg whites (about 4), room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 on Convection Bake). Prepare cupcake tins by either greasing the individual cups or lining with muffin papers. Alternatively, if making cake layers, grease two 8 or 9-inch baking pans and line the bottoms with parchment. Grease the parchment. Set aside.

Sift or whisk together the flour, 1/2 cup of the sugar, the baking powder, baking soda, salt and lime zest. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender, or use the whisk attachment on a heavy duty stand mixer until the mixture is just making crumbs. Set aside.

In a measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, lime juice, vanilla, food color and lime oil if using and set this aside.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they are just starting to have a little bit of form to them in the wake of the mixer. Begin beating in the remaining cup of sugar a little at a time until the meringue is just at stiff peaks and still very glossy.

Now go back to the flour and butter mixture and add in the wet ingredients, mixing until well combined and no dry ingredients remain. Fold in the meringue gently until no streaks remain. Divide the batter into prepared muffin tins or cake pans. Bake cupcakes for about 20 to 25 minutes. Bake cake layers for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cake layers to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning out to a rack to finish cooling.
As an alternative to using rum or Malibu Rum, coconut flavoring would be great in this frosting. Start with ½ teaspoon and go from there. The coconut flavor along with regular rum would also be good.

Malibu Rum Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes enough to frost 24 cupcakes or one two layer cake

Malibu Rum Cream Cheese Frosting

2 sticks butter at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons fresh lime zest
2 teaspoons Malibu Rum, optional

It is highly important the butter and cream cheese be at room temperature before starting with this frosting. It will not beat properly otherwise.

Place the butter and cream cheese into the bowl of a heavy duty stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat these ingredients for 8 minutes on medium speed, until the mixture is almost white and very soft. Separately, sift together the confectioners' sugar and salt and add all at once to the mixer bowl, along with the lime zest. Start the mixer on the lowest speed for about 1 minute, until most of the confectioners' sugar is moistened enough to not fly all about the room. Increase speed to medium again and beat for another 6 minutes, adding in any flavorings before this time is elapsed. Be careful to not add more liquid than needed or the frosting will be too soft to hold together nicely. Taste for flavor.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

More Great Scones for Breakfast

KAF's Cinnamon Flav-r-bites

UPDATE 10-23-2019:
As of some while back, King Arthur Flour / Baker's Catalogue discontinued the Cinnamon Flav-r-Bites and the Maple Flav-r-Bites. The Maple concept has not been replaced, but the Cinnamon ones have been replaced with something they now call Cinnamon Sweet Bits. I have yet to buy them, though they seem to look as if they would work similarly.

I think of all bread type breakfast products, scones are my favorite. This is reflected in how many different scone combinations I have concocted over the years, versus pancakes, muffins or breads. I love a good piece of toast for breakfast, and I make plenty of different breads to keep it interesting. It still comes back to scones. Eventually I just have to have them. Today was another of those kind of days. 

Some few months back, when I was placing an order from King Arthur Flour, among the items I needed to replace were the Cinnamon Flav-r-Bites I use for my Cinnamon Chip Scones, recipe here below:

Cinnamon Chip Scones

Cinnamon Chip Scones

Makes 8 scones

2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh orange zest, optional
5 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
¾ cup cinnamon chips (Cinnamon Sweet Bits)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut in the stick of butter using a pastry cutter. (To simplify, grate the cold butter using a larger holed grater and it makes cutting in easier). Add in orange rind if using, and cinnamon chips to taste - ½ to ¾ cup. With a fork, gently toss in buttermilk and stir just until moistened. Turn out onto a floured surface and gently pat the dough into an 8-inch circle. With a large knife, cut across the circle 4 times, creating 8 wedges. Transfer wedges to a greased baking sheet, allowing at least 1-inch space between them. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.


 

Maple Walnut Scones

closeup of texture

I mostly keep a similar base recipe for scones. When something works, I keep at it. I started using a combination of all-purpose flour and cake flour, but if you do not keep cake flour in your pantry, just use the combined amount of all-purpose flour. In some varieties of scones an ingredient might make a difference and then adjustments are needed, but in general the recipes are similar. I have seen scone recipes with egg, and even tried one once, but I feel they come out too much like muffins in texture. If I wanted muffins, I would make muffins. This recipe is quite similar to the Cinnamon Chip Scones.

I used walnuts in these scones because I love walnuts more than most any other nuts. Obviously, any other type of nuts can be substituted, or use none at all. Also, the amount for the nuts can be altered as desired. I used 3/4 cup. 

Maple Walnut Scones

Maple Walnut Scones

Makes 6 or 8 scones

1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup cake flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 TB) unsalted butter, cold
3 tablespoons brown sugar
¾ cup chopped walnuts
¾ teaspoon maple extract, or to taste
¾ cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees (350 if on convection). In a bowl, sift together the flour(s), baking powder, baking soda and salt. Grate the butter with a large holed grater into a separate bowl. If a large holed grater is not available, cut the cold butter into tiny cubes. Add the brown sugar and pour the sifted ingredients over all. With fingertips, rub the cold butter into the ingredients until the mixture is like coarse crumbs. Add in the nuts and Flav-r-Bites and toss to distribute evenly. Pour the buttermilk over the mixture and toss quickly with a fork until most of the mixture is moistened. With hands, bring the mass together and onto a floured surface. Gather the dough into a rough ball and flatten. Fold the dough over on itself. Flatten again and fold; repeat this a few times, trying not to overwork the dough. Gather the dough into a round mass once more and flatten slightly. Cut the dough into 6 or 8 equal wedges. Set the wedges on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake the scones for about 18 - 20 minutes, or until golden brown.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Upside Down Cake is an Old Standby

While upside down cakes have been around for what seems like forever, there are always new ways to combine flavors. Today I got an idea for a Spiced Pear Upside-Down Cake.

Growing up, my Mom made peach or pineapple upside-down cakes. I loved both, but peach was my favorite. I have made them over the years, changing the type of cake I put into the pan as I discovered new recipes. Long ago I found a recipe for an upside-down cake that used spiced apples. You know those very red colored spicy rings in a jar? I loved those things - yum. I made the upside-down cake recipe with those spiced apple rings and I really liked it, but my husband was not as keen on it. I never made it again. Last Fall, my friend Deb brought me a little bag of Seckel pears. It was such a small amount, I was unsure what to do with them, but I cut them in quarters and cored them, and made a spicy vinegar-sugar mixture and pickled them. It was enough to fill one quart jar and a partial 1-cup jar. I opened and tasted the small jar, and they are really good. I think they would be excellent with prosciutto wrapped around them as an appetizer.

Spiced Pickled Pears

Makes about 1 quart, plus a little

Spiced Pickled Pears

(Multiply the recipe as needed)

18 - 20 Seckel Pears, slightly under ripe
1 gallon water
juice of 1 lemon
1½ cups sugar
1 cup white or cider vinegar
2 (3-inch) cassia cinnamon sticks
6 allspice berries
10 whole cloves
¼ teaspoon cardamom seeds
1 teaspoon canning salt or 1¼ teaspoon Kosher salt

Have a bowl with the gallon of water and lemon juice handy. Wash the pears, then quarter and core them. They may be peeled, but this is not necessary. Cut the quarters in half again, or thirds, if they are larger, and place them into the water so they will not turn brown.

Prepare the syrup by placing all the rest of the ingredients into a large, nonreactive pot (stainless or enamel) and bring to a boil until the sugar is completely dissolved. Have the canning jar at the ready in a boiling water bath, with lid and ring.

Drain the pears and add them to the syrup and bring to a boil for 10 minutes. Pack the pears into the canning jar and top off with the syrup, ensuring that most of the spices have gone into the jar. Place the lid and ring and then put the jar into a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
 

Spiced Pear Upside-Down Cake

 Meanwhile, the larger jar of Spiced Pickled Pears was on a shelf in the basement storage room. As I pondered what to make for dessert today, I thought of those apple rings and that upside-down cake and wondered why not try this with the pickled pears? I made a spice cake recipe for the cake part of the mix and it just came out of the oven. It came out of the pan perfectly and looks nice, if unexciting. The pears are a dull color and I added pistachios in between the pears and they, also green, don't exactly jump out at you. Color-wise, it is drab, but it came out whole and lovely regardless. Once the cake cools, I am going to drizzle a thin confectioners' sugar glaze over top. Maybe that will perk up the look. Hopefully the spice cake will be moist and tasty. I know the pears are good!

Not everyone will have spiced pickled Pears around the house, and while the spiced pears will lend a certain piquancy to this cake, they are not necessary. If you want, regular canned pears, peaches or pineapple will work just fine.

Spiced Pear Upside-Down Cake

Makes one 8-inch square or 9-inch round cake

TOPPING:
¼ cup butter (1/2 stick)
½ cup brown sugar
1¼ to 1½ cup spiced pickled pears
¼ cup pistachios or other nuts

Prepare an 8-inch square or 9-inch round baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray. Set aside. In a small saucepan combine the butter and brown sugar and heat until the butter is melted. Allow the mixture to boil until it thickens and starts bubbling up in the pan. Pour this mixture into the prepared baking dish. Spread it to the edges of the pan. Place the pears or other fruit down into the butter & sugar mixture being mindful that the side that goes down will be the top when the cake is finished. Place fruit evenly all over the surface. Place nuts into spaces between, if desired. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toppings in pan, left                                                Cake batter on top, right

CAKE:
1¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon cloves
5½ tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1¼ cup plain yogurt

In a bowl, sift or whisk together the first 7 ingredients and set aside. In a mixer bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and honey until soft and creamy. Add in the egg and the vanilla extract and beat to combine. Begin adding the flour mixture alternately with the yogurt, mixing well after each addition. Do not over beat. Place the batter is small dollops all over the surface of the pears (or other fruit) in the baking dish. Gently smooth the cake batter as much as possibly. Rap the pan sharply on the counter a few times to remove bubbles or large air pockets. Bake the cake for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then set a plate over the top of the pan and invert the cake. Gently lift off the baking dish. If any fruit sticks, lift it with a spoon and invert back onto the cake. Do not wait longer than 5 minutes to turn out the cake; the brown sugar topping will ooze all over if less than 5 minutes, but longer can give the topping enough time to stick to the pan.

GLAZE:
⅓ cup confectioners' sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons water or milk

Stir the ingredients together in a small bowl. Once cake is cooled, drizzle the topping over the cake artfully.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.