Today's Secret Ingredient Is...

Compassion! I have no recipe to share nor photo for you to admire, but rather I have a challenge for you. I know that sounds a little trite, but in light of recent events I think I'm going to issue you a challenge to make something with your own two hands and give it to someone you love. I don't want to hear any whining about how you can't bake or don't have time, or that it won't be as good as so-and-so's. Here's one of my favorite quotes regarding baking:

“I can’t emphasize enought how important it is to let yourself try and fail—it’s only flour and water and time. Remember, success is a poor teacher... The most important thing to remember is to get in the kitchen and have a good time...
“I once heard a famous Parisian baker who inspired so many bakers speak about being invited for dinner at a family’s home. The hostess set a basket of bread on the table and immediately apologized for it, saying she had made it herself and of course, it didn’t compare to his masterful loaves. But he said, on the contrary, this bread was far batter than anything he had ever sold, for she had made it to feed her family—with her own two hands and all her heart.”
—Maggie Glezer

Some Loot From Amy's Fridge

One happy consequence from Amy's move to Boston was my acquisition of some interesting perishables: Dijon mustard, whipping cream (much to Ed's delight—he pours a little on his morning cereal), fig jam, apple jelly, and marscarpone cheese. Anyone have any thoughts as to what creations I could make with those random and obscure ingredients?

Focaccia redux

After making the focaccia featured in a previous post several times, I thought it would be a good time to compare similar recipes. In an attempt to put my too-large baking book collection to good use, I'll often compare recipes side-by-side and make a couple of versions to see which I like best, or how I can improve on the original. Martha's focaccia was easy to make and delicious, but I was ready for something different. The Tender Focaccia from King Arthur Flour's Baking Companion was next on my list. It contained non-traditional ingredients like potato flakes and powdered milk (possibly a minus) but also utilized an overnight rest for the dough (always a plus).
The finished bread was tender as promised (a result of the potato and milk powder) and had a more complex flavor than Martha's. But it didn't have that nice, chewy crust. This would be a perfect bread for sandwiches, though.

Cake-tastrophe

So here's proof that things can go most definitely wrong in my kitchen. While frosting the chocolate cake for Jane's birthday, it started to fall apart before my eyes. After pacing around my kitchen in rage, I placed it in the fridge to let the frosting harden up, then I "molded" the cake back together. Well, I guess it worked, and let's face it, when it comes to chocolate cake, does anyone really care what it looks like?

Sunday Bread

I must qualify my blog title of “iron homemaker”. I’m not presuming to have “Iron Chef” skills but rather a desire to make awesome food from whatever crap is lying around the house. Sunday was a great example. Due to the flurry and excitement of recent holiday events, I had neglected to buy enough bread for the family. It was Sunday, and since we stay away from the stores on that day, I half-heartedly set about making a couple of loaves.
This is the most basic white bread recipe I know, and making it reminded me how much I love the taste of homemade bread. Side note: we were also out of sugar, if you can believe it (due to having to make four batches of sugar syrup for the croquembouche – but that’s another blog for another day), so I substituted honey for the sugar.
Another side note: I became aware of the sugar shortage when Ed announced that in an effort to put sugar on his cereal, and finding no sugar about, added powdered sugar in desperation. Unfortunately, it was not powdered sugar but a container of cornstarch, which quickly turned his cereal to paste. Sorry Ed!

White Pan Bread
2 1/2 t. yeast
2 c. warm water
5 to 5 1/2 c. flour
1 T. salt
1 T. sugar (or honey)
5 T. unsalted butter (or oil)
Whisk the yeast into the warm water and set aside. Place 5 cups of flour, salt, sugar in a mixing bowl. Stir in yeast mixture and melted butter. Stir until mixture forms a rough dough and then turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Add more flour if the dough is excessively sticky. Alternatively, mix dough in your KitchenAid for about 5 minutes.
Place the dough in an oiled bowl and turn to oil all surfaces. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise until doubled in buld, about 1 hour.
Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured work surface (you may need the help of a scraper). Deflate the dough and divide it into two equal pieces. Form a two loaves and place them in two oiled 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" pans. Cover the pans with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 hour. When the loaves are almost doubled, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. When loaves are completely risen, place in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes.

Zucchini Ginger Cupcakes

Okay, these are really, really good. I made these because I had some zucchini in the fridge that I was too stingy to throw away. Omit the frosting, and these cupcakes could easily pass for muffins. With chopped candied ginger, orange zest, zucchini, and honey, they turn out really moist, have a great texture, and have that “good-for-you” appearance (although they’re not really low-fat).
Zucchini Ginger Cupcakes

What a Fruitcake

I found an intriguing recipe in this month’s Gourmet for a fruitcake. I really like fruitcake, but I don’t like an abundance of that sticky, candied fruit that you find in weird colors. Rather, I prefer the English-type fruitcakes that call for “mixed fruit”, a combination of raisins, sultanas, currants, and who knows what else. I also love any cake that has ground almonds, so this one definitely fit the bill. This one has golden raisins, chopped dried apricot, dried cranberries, and currants. After a soak in some apple juice, the chopped fruit looked like a bowl of shiny jewels. More like a pound cake with fruit, the end result didn’t disappoint. Moist, a little crumbly, buttery, with the fruit adding tang rather than just sweetness, I urge anyone with an aversion to fruitcake to have a go with this one – it might just change your mind.
Holiday Fruit Filled Pound Cake

Focaccia Bread

I’ve been on a Focaccia kick, so I think it’s high time I put it on the blog. This recipe is adapted from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook, and I think it’s a great bread to make for the novice bread baker. More like a batter than a dough, this bread can be kneaded in your KitchenAid or by hand with a spoon or sturdy spatula. There’s also no shaping – just dump in into the prepared pan and spread it out with your fingertips. Cut it into breadsticks, split horizontally for sandwiches, sprinkle with herbs or cheese, or divide it between two pans for a thinner dough and make it into a pizza crust.
Focaccia
2 1/4 lbs (about 7 cups) bread flour
3 1/2 cups warm water
1 t. active dry yeast
2 T. coarse salt
1/2 c. olive oil
sea salt or kosher salt for sprinkling
In large bowl (or if you have a KitchenAid, in that bowl) stir together the flour, water, and yeast. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm mplace until the mixture is tripled in bulk and full of spongelike bubbles, about 2 hours.
Add the salt. Attached the bowl to a mixer fitted with the dough hook and mix on low speed for 3 to 5 minutes. If you don't have a mixer, just stir with a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon the best you can. The dough should be wet, slack, and very sticky.
At this point, Martha instructs to scrape the dough on a large, well-floured work surface and "fold" the dough by bringing the edges toward the center, working your way around the dough. Then place the dough, seam side down, in a well floured bowl to rise. However, if you're feeling particularly lazy, keep the dough in the original mixing bowl and just oil your hands and bring up the sides of the dough and fold toward the center and then flip it over and cover the bowl.
Let the dough rise until double, about 1 hour, and then repeat the folding process. Cover and let dough rise again until double, about 1 hour.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees and pour about 1/3 - 1/2 c. olive oil into a 17x12-inch baking sheet, coating the bottom completely. (Note: even with all of this olive oil, I still had problems with the bread sticking to the pan during baking. The last two times I made this I first placed a sheet of parchment in the pan and then added the oil on top of the parchment, and this solved my sticking problem.)
Dump the dough in the prepared pan and turn to coat with oil (add more oil if necessary). Using your fingertips, press out the dough to the sides of the pan. If the dough springs back, cover with plastic wrap and wait 10 minutes for the dough to relax and try again. Drizzle any remaining oil over the dough and sprinkle liberally with sea or kosher salt.

Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until focaccia is evenly browned on top and bottom, 25-30 minutes. Immediatelyi slide the focaccia onto a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.