It’s on

The oven that is.

Working again (for the moment)

Batch of bagels…done

Cowboy Cookies …. done

Doggy Treats…done

36 cupcakes….coming soon (with photos, I promise!)

Growl

Oven Broken Again/Still…
This hyatus from baking is making me so sad.

Though I have thought of many things I’d like to bake in the future

I have been reading and dreaming a lot about recipes to try.

First on the List:

Danish Cream Cake

The gist of this cake is whipped cream folded with flour.

It is something so new for me & I am dying to see how it turns out.

Seems perfect for spring!

Tastespotting Whipped Cream Cake

The Bagel

As my oven was dying last week * I had a batch of bagels baking away.

Thank goodness the bagels were done before the oven completely gave out, or there would have been hell to pay.

For the last year or so I have been baking bread religiously, once a week. I am still in awe at how easy it is to make a wonderful french loaf at home in less than 6 hours, and at some point I will share how with you all.

Recently I discovered just how easy it is to make good bagels at home and for the last month or so that has been the only bread in the house.

Bagels are quick and easy and they are so handy. I just always thought they were too daunting for the home cook. Then I stumbled upon a goodfood** reciepe that opened my eyes to the simplicity of home bagel baking.

So here it is… I think the secret is sugar in the water.

Good Food Magazine Bagel Recipe

(Nov 2005, Emma Lewis)

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon dried yeast (1-1/2 satchels)
• 1-1/2 Tablespoons sugar (+ 3 Tablespoons for the water)
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 1- 1/2 # flour

1. Place yeast sugar and 150 ml warm water into a large bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes until frothy
2. Pour 300 ml warm water into the yeast bowl and stir in the salt and half of the flour.
3. Stir in the remaining flour until you get a soft, not too sticky dough
4. Knead for 10 minutes until dough is smooth & elastic.
5. Place in a clean bowl & cover with towel, leave in a warm place for  1 hour to rise
6. Heat oven to 425
7. Divide dough into about a dozen balls (3 oz each). Shape into round semi-flat disks and using the handle of a wooden spoon make a hole in each about 1 in wide.
8. While shaping bagels bring a large pan of water to boil along with 3 Tablespoons of sugar
9. Slip a few bagels into the boiling water and let cook 2 minutes, turning periodically until puffy and a slight skin forms. Remove bagels from water and let drain (i put them on a cooling rack).
10. Sprinkle some cornmeal on 2 baking sheets and arrange bagels not too close together. Sprinkle the top of the bagels with your choice of topping (I like salt and zatar)
11. Bake for 25 minutes or until base is brown and crisp and sounds hollow when you tap it.
12. Place on cooling rack
13. MMM….BAGELS

(*it is a bit better now, though fixed would be an overstatement.)

(** As anyone who has followed any of my food blogs, you know my love affair with GoodFood magazine)

Broken

My oven is broken and I am lost without it.
Must have a back-up plan for how to proceed.

The new, new day dream.
An international farmer’s market bakery with one stand in Seattle the other in Hamburg, Germany….is that stretching myself too thin??

The Hummingbird

MMM….Hummingbird Cake.

It is as tasty as I thought it would be.

Adapted from Art Smith’s Hummingbird Cake

(my changes in italics)

Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups mashed ripe bananas
1 cup pineapple tidbits, lightly crushed
1 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup (4 ounces) finely chopped pecans

Icing:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 pound confectioners’ sugar (about 4 1/2 cups sifted)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

To make the cake, position racks in the center and bottom third of the oven and preheat to 350°. Lightly butter a bundt cake.

Sift the flour, sugars, baking soda, cinnamon and salt into a bowl. In another bowl, stir or whisk the bananas, pineapple, oil, eggs and vanilla until combined. Do not use an electric mixer. Pour into the dry mixture and fold together with a large spatula just until smooth. Do not beat. Fold in the pecans. Spread evenly into the pans.

Bake until the cake springs back when pressed in the center, 50 to 55 minutes. Transfer the cake to wire racks and cool for 10 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the racks. Turn right side up and cool completely.

To make the icing: Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until combined. On low speed, gradually beat in the sugar, then the vanilla, to make a smooth icing.

Spread icing all over the cake.

Source: Art Smith – Back to the Table