Bread Art

Eleanor and Olivia getting creative with bread dough.

My daughter Eleanor and I invited our friend Olivia over to make homemade French bread during spring break but our baking project morphed into an art project when the girls decided they wanted to shape bread characters instead of loaves.

With just a bit of flour to keep the dough from sticking, a knife and some raisins for eyes and other features, the girls created the most adorable characters.

Eleanor's work in progress.

Olivia's creation just needs to rise for an hour before baking.

Bread art is definitely something we are going to have to tackle again. The soft dough was easy to shape and the the results were fun to eat. It is important though to keep an eye on your creations as they bake since the baking times will vary depending on size.

Eleanor's art.

Olivia's art.

This is Anpanman which is a popular character in Japan. Translated, the name means "Bean Bun Boy." Eleanor shaped him and brushed him with an egg wash right before baking to highlight his eyebrows, nose and cheeks.

 Anpanman didn't stay intact for too long. Warm homemade bread is just too delicious!

Here's my favorite recipe for French Bread:


French Bread
(makes 4 loaves)
2 packages yeast
2/3 cup tepid water
1/2 teaspoon sugar
7 cups bread flour (additional may be needed)
2 tablespoons rye or whole wheat flour
4 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups cold water
(cornmeal for sprinkling on sheet pan or parchment paper)

Combine yeast, sugar and tepid water. Let set for 5 minutes. Combine the remaining ingredients then add yeast mixture. Knead.

Let rise 40 to 60 minutes in a clean, dry bowl. Then deflate and punch into a 14-inch rectangle and fold into thirds.

Return dough to bowl and let rise 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Punch down the dough and shape into loaves, place them on baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal or lined with parchment paper and let them rise for an hour.

Use a sharp knife to slash the top of each loaf in three places and place the sheet pans in a preheated 450 degree oven. Toss in 1/4 cup of water and quickly close the door. The steam makes for a nice crust. Bake the loaves for 20 minutes and then bake an additional 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

A loaf of just-baked French bread.

Logan Bread

As soon as I saw the recipe for Logan Bread I was fascinated and wanted to bake a batch.

You see there is a claim at the beginning of the recipe that states that a 2-by-2-inch square of the bread will sustain a man for a day. And at the end of the recipe it says the recipe yields enough squares of the bread to sustain two men for 16 days.

The statement at the beginning of the recipe that caught my attention.

The recipe makes 32 squares or as the recipe states, enough to sustain two men 16 days.

The cookbook from my childhood. I remember loving the cover art.

The recipe for Logan Bread comes from "The New York Times Natural Foods Cookbook," by Jean Hewitt and published in 1971. According to the book, the recipe is called Logan Bread because it was developed for numerous Canadian ascents on Mount Logan.

The cookbook was passed onto me from my parents and as a teenager I remember making a really good recipe for Oatmeal Bread from it but somehow missed seeing the Logan Bread recipe until a few weeks ago when I was just flipping through the pages.

Now of course sustaining and satisfying are not the same, so I think eating just a square of this bread for a whole day wouldn't be much fun. But after making and tasting the bread, I can definitely see why you wouldn't starve.

The bread is dense and made with nutrient rich ingredients like wheat germ, sesame seeds, powdered dry milk and whole wheat flour. There also is a good amount of sweetness from honey, molasses and raw sugar.

The bread is made by mixing all of the ingredients together in one bowl and it requires no kneading or rising. 

In the recipe it states to bake the bread in a roasting pan, with no mention as to the size of the pan. I ended up baking it in two pans, one was 9x13 and the other was 10x14. I also increased the baking time by 25 minutes.

The original recipe called for baking the bread for one hour but when I checked it I could tell that it was still doughy in the middle. 

After baking, you should cut the bread into squares and set them on a cooling rack to dry out a bit before individually wrapping and enjoying when you are in a rush and need some serious sustenance. Store the bread in the refrigerator.


Here's the recipe with my alterations:

Logan Bread
1 quart water
4 pounds whole wheat flour
1 1/2 pounds raw sugar or brown sugar
12 ounces non-fat dry milk solids
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sea salt
2 cups honey
1 cup blackstrap molasses
1 1/2 cups oil (I used canola)
1 cup sesame seeds
1 1/2 cups wheat germ

Preheat oven to 300 degrees and grease two baking pans (9x13 to 10x14).

In a very large bowl mix all the ingredients together very well. Divide the batter between the two baking pans and bake for 1 hour and 25 minutes or until brown and baked through.

Put all the ingredients into one bowl.

Mix well.

Divide the dough among two greased baking pans.

Bake for an hour and 25 minutes and cut into 2x2 squares.

Cut the bread into 2x2-inch squares and allow them to air-dry until semi-dry. Individually wrap the squares with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.

Let the squares air-dry until they are semi-dry before individually wrapping.

Nutty Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

In less than thirty minutes, you can make and bake these delicious and satisfying Nutty Oatmeal Raisin Muffins.

They are made with old-fashioned rolled oats and walnuts which makes them perfect for a quick and nutritious breakfast on a busy morning.

There's also a little bit of cinnamon sugar on top which besides tasting great makes your house smell so good during baking. Believe me, the aroma alone will rouse the troops.

Here's the recipe:

Nutty Oatmeal Raisin Muffins
(makes one dozen)

1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup raisins
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk

Topping: 2 tablespoons sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon

The cinnamon sugar topping.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease or line with papers 12 muffin cups.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, sea salt, oatmeal, walnuts and raisins.

Mix together all of the dry ingredients.

In a small bowl, mix together the oil, egg and milk.

Mix together the egg, oil and milk before adding to the dry ingredients.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until combined. Fill the muffin cups 2/3 full.

Fill the muffin cups 2/3 full. The recipe makes one dozen.

Top each muffin with a sprinkling of the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Sprinkle a bit of the cinnamon sugar mixture on top of each muffin.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Ready to eat!

Mexican Chocolate Banana Nut Muffins

I had a bunch of overripe bananas that my husband brought home from his trip to the Sasquatch Music Festival and decided they'd be perfect in a batch of banana muffins with some added healthy ingredients — dark cocoa powder, cinnamon, olive oil, walnuts and non-fat yogurt.

The muffins were quick to mix up and turned out great. I'm glad I took the time to take notes as I made them because the recipe is definitely a keeper.

Mexican Chocolate Banana Nut Muffins
(makes 18 regular or 12 large muffins)

 3 large overripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup non-fat yogurt
1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup dark cocoa powder
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl combine all the ingredients except the flour and walnuts. Mix well.

Add the flour and walnuts and mix just until combined.

Muffins ready for the oven.

 Fill cupcake papers 2/3 full and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Berry Cobbler

If you need an easy dessert for your Memorial Day gathering, consider a berry cobbler.

It can be pulled together in minutes, makes the house smell great and is a breeze to serve —Just drop a portion into a pretty bowl and add a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

For some reason, berry cobbler is not a dessert you find at many bakeries or restaurants. It's primarily made at home. Maybe that's why it holds a special place in the hearts of many.



Berry Cobbler
2 3/4 cups mixed berries, fresh or defrosted frozen berries
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Add sugar and vanilla to berries, mix well and set aside.

Defrosted mixed berries with sugar and vanilla.

In another bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add milk and mix well. Stir in melted butter and pour into a 9'' ungreased baking dish.

Drop the berries in spoonfuls over the batter. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes.

Berry cobbler ready for the oven.

My niece Maya with the finished cobbler.

Toasted Coconut Macarons

I think I'm addicted to making macarons. In fact, I know I am.

It's so much fun coming up with new flavors that I don't see an end in sight. Good thing I have lots of willing taste testers.

Today, it's toasted coconut macarons. Why?

Well, my sister gave me a bottle of coconut extract, I had shredded coconut in my pantry and I thought it would be interesting to make up a batch of macarons without adding any coloring to the batter.

I like the way they turned out — simple but beautiful.
Toasting the coconut enhances the flavor of the filling as well as adding a nice texture.

A perfect macaron should be dense, crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside.

Here's the recipe:

Toasted Coconut Macarons
180g ground almonds, sifted
270g powdered sugar, sifted
150g egg whites, aged 2 to 4 days in the fridge and then brought to room temperature
100g granulated sugar

Line four heavy baking sheets with good quality parchment paper and set aside. Also, set aside two pastry bags for the piping of the macarons.

Sift together your ground almonds with the powdered sugar and set aside.

Whisk the egg whites (at room temperature) to glossy firm peaks adding the granulated sugar gradually in four parts.

Incorporate the dry ingredients into the beaten egg whites using a large rubber scraper.  Mix well. 
Fold the mixture with the rubber scraper by pulling down the sides and flipping the mixture over. Do this until you have a smooth mixture that falls like a “ribbon” off the scraper.

Transfer the mixture into the two piping bags. Use rubber bands to close the piping bags. Clip the tip of the bags, one at a time, and pipe small quarter sized rounds, leaving 1-inch of space between each because they spread as they set.

Leave to set for about 30 minutes or until the top has formed a crust and is not sticky to the touch.

Piped macarons need to set out at room temperature before baking.

While they are setting, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. A convection oven is preferable. 

Bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven for about 12 minutes or until the cookie is firm, matte and doesn't wobble when touched.
Leave them on the baking tray until cool then lift them all off the parchment carefully. You may need to use a thin knife to help lift them off.

Sort into pairs and fill with coconut cream cheese filling

Even macarons without coloring are beautiful! Be sure to let the macarons cool completely before lifting them off the parchment paper.

Coconut Cream Cheese Filling
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons coconut extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread shredded coconut onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 5 to 8 minutes or  until coconut is lightly toasted. Set aside to cool completely.

Lightly toasting the coconut enhances the flavor of the filling.

Whip butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and coconut extract. Whip until thoroughly mixed and add toasted coconut.

Use a pastry bag without a tip to fill the macarons.

Packaged macarons ready to give.

Orange Cream Macarons

Once you've mastered making macarons, it's fun to experiment with new flavors and colors.

My niece Maya has been requesting for some time an orange macaron so here it is, my newest creation — Orange Cream Macarons.

To make them, I made a basic macaron batter and added orange coloring.

For the filling, I made a reduction of fresh squeezed orange juice, zest, sugar and a touch of orange extract and added it to whipped butter and cream cheese. I finished it off with a touch of vanilla extract.

Here's the recipe:


Orange Cream Macarons

180g ground almonds, sifted
270g powdered sugar, sifted
150g egg whites, aged 2 to 4 days in the fridge and then brought to room temperature
100g granulated sugar
orange food coloring

Line four heavy baking sheets with good quality parchment paper and set aside. Also, set aside two pastry bags for the piping of the macarons.

Sift together your ground almonds with the powdered sugar and set aside. 

Whisk the egg whites (at room temperature) to glossy firm peaks adding the granulated sugar gradually in four parts.  Towards the end of mixing, add the food coloring.

Egg white mixture with the orange coloring.

Incorporate the dry ingredients into the beaten egg whites using a large rubber scraper.  Mix well. 
Fold the mixture with the rubber scraper by pulling down the sides and flipping the mixture over. Do this until you have a smooth mixture that falls like a “ribbon” off the scraper.

Transfer the mixture into the two piping bags. Use rubber bands to close the piping bags. Clip the tip of the bags, one at a time, and pipe small quarter sized rounds, leaving 1-inch of space between each because they spread as they set.

Piped macarons.

Leave to set for about 30 minutes or until the top has formed a crust and is not sticky to the touch.

While they are setting, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. A convection oven is preferable. 

Bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven for about 12 minutes or until the cookie is firm, matte and doesn't wobble when touched.
Leave on the baking tray until cool then lift them all off the parchment carefully. You may need to use a thin knife to help lift them off.

Sort into pairs and fill with Orange Cream Filling

Macarons ready to be filled.

Orange Cream Filling
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, room temperature
2/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
zest of 1 orange
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a small saucepan, combine orange juice, orange zest, sugar and orange extract. Over medium heat, reduce mixture by half until it is a thick syrup. Be sure to watch closely and stir frequently. This takes about 7 minutes. Set aside to cool completely. You may put the syrup in the fridge to speed up the cooling process.

The zest of one orange. Be sure to use an organic orange and rinse it before zesting.

Reducing the orange juice, zest, sugar and orange extract.

The finished orange reduction.

In a large bowl, whip the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add vanilla and whip again.
Add cooled orange mixture and whip again.

Put the filling into a piping bag and fill macarons.

Refrigerate macarons and bring to room temperature before serving. Macarons taste best after two days in the fridge.

Wrapped macarons for my sweet niece Maya.

Tomato Pie

A little over a year ago, my good friend Anne who also volunteers with me at the Wednesday Community Meal, asked me if I had ever made a Philadelphia-style tomato pie?

I hadn't. I didn't even know what one was.

Anne described it as similar to a pizza but without the heavy layer of cheese and toppings. The star of tomato pie is just a thick layer of really good homemade tomato sauce. 

So, with the guidance of Anne and her daughter Tiffany, who both have lived in Philadelphia and know what an authentic tomato pie should taste like, we made one together.

It was so good. The sauce was tomato heaven — intense and fresh tasting at the same time.

With such a dense layer of sauce, I was worried that it would run all over when sliced. But, it didn't. It held up beautifully.

In Philadelphia, tomato pie is served by the slice and at room temperature which makes it an ideal choice for entertaining. A light sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and some fresh basil finish it off.

I'm so glad Anne introduced me to this classic Philly treat. I make it often and my family loves it.

Here's the recipe to make one large tomato pie:

Tomato Sauce
1 (28 oz) can whole plum tomatoes (I like imported Centa San Marzano)
1 (28 oz) can ground tomatoes (I like 7/11 Brand)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt, to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
olive oil


Drain the juice off the whole tomatoes and reserve for later.

Put the whole tomatoes in a glass baking dish that's been greased with olive oil and seasoned them with kosher salt, 1 teaspoon of the oregano and garlic powder.

Put them the oven at 375 degrees and roasted them for about 1 to 2 hours or until they are reduced and more flavorful. Keep checking them and stir them if they are getting dark around the edges.

While the tomatoes are roasting,  put the reserved juice in a sauce pot and over medium high heat, reduced it by half. 

In another large sauce pot, saute the onions and garlic and then add the ground tomatoes and reduced juice. Season this to taste with salt, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon oregano, sugar and balsamic vinegar.  Keep simmering and keep tasting and adjusting the seasoning as needed.

When the tomatoes are done roasting, use a knife to rough chop them in the pan and add them to the simmering sauce. Keep seasoning to taste and let it cook for another 30 minutes to an hour until it's nice and thick. Let it cool before assembling the tomato pie.

Dough
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoons sugar
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 to 5 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water. Add sugar and set aside until the yeast foams.

In a large bowl, add remaining water, olive oil and salt. Add yeast mixture and stir. Add 3 cups of the flour and stir to form a dough. Add more flour, a bit at a time until the dough comes together.

Put the dough on a floured work surface and knead until the dough forms a smooth ball. Add more flour as necessary.

Place the dough in bowl in a bowl that has been lightly greased with olive oil.
Let rise until double in bulk (about 1 1/2 hours).

To Assemble Tomato Pie
Tomato sauce
Dough
Parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup)
Fresh basil to garnish
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Spread half of the dough on a sheetpan that has been lightly greased with olive oil.

Dough that's been spread on the sheetpan.

Put the dough in the oven and bake for just 5 minutes. Partially baking the dough before adding the sauce helps keep the crust from getting soggy.

A partially baked crust that's ready for sauce

Spread enough sauce to form a thick layer. No dough should be showing through. Leave a 1inch border of dough around the edges.

After a thick coating of sauce, it's ready to go back into the oven.

Put the tomato pie into the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the crust is brown and cooked through and the sauce is bubbling. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and return to the oven for 3 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with torn pieces of fresh basil.

Let the tomato pie sit for at least 5 minutes before slicing. It can be served hot or at room temperature.

The sauce sets up nicely and holds even after slicing.

Cookie Cups

My friend Cheryl gave me this clever idea of making cookie dough and then pressing it into mini muffin tins to make a cookie cup. Then, you can fill it with a dollop of whatever you like — cream cheese icing, jam, chocolate....be creative.

I made peanut butter cookie cups and filled them with chocolate ganache and crushed peanuts.


Here are some tips:

Be sure to spray your mini muffin tin with nonstick spray to help release the baked cookie cups.

Find a kitchen tool to help press a deeper indentation into the cookies after they've baked. I like to use the round 1-inch end of my spatula.

My perfect tool for pressing an indentation into the baked cookies.

Let the cookies cool before lifting them out of the pan.


Have fun and experiment with interesting flavor combinations. And, please share your ideas with me.


Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookie Cups 
1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg

Cream the peanut butter, shortening, and sugars until well mixed. Beat in the egg and finally add the dry ingredients.

Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place in greased mini muffin tins. Press down the ball in the center to make and indentation and force the dough up the sides.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

When the cookies come out, immediately press down on the center of the cookie cup to force the indentation to stay. Cool and remove from pans.

Fill with chocolate ganache and crushed peanuts.


Ganache
12 ounces chocolate, chopped into small pieces (chips also work)
1 cup heavy cream

Place the chocolate pieces in a large bowl. Heat the heavy cream on medium high until it comes to a boil. Immediately remove from heat and pour over chocolate.

Stir until the chocolate is melted and glossy. Allow to cool until it's the desired consistency for piping. It's okay to put it in the refrigerator to speed up the process. Keep checking the ganache. If it gets too firm, it will be difficult to pipe.

Pipe or spoon into the cookie cups and top with crushed peanuts. The chocolate with set up more as it cools.