Bake your bread, make your desserts 2020

Thank you! I should have included the steps.

After being twisted, they were boiled for 30 seconds in water and baking soda and brushed with an egg wash. Then baked at 450 for what ended up being 13 minutes (recipe said 15).

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Those turned out great! Did you have lye water? I found some at the Asian market recently.

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Ah, lye waterā€¦thatā€™s what itā€™s called? Was trying to think of the term. Took a tour of the Sturgis Pretzel Factory (the ā€œfirstā€ in the US, circa 1800s in Lititz PA some years ago) and they were explaining the chemical process involved that differentiated twisted bread from an actual pretzel.

We mixed water and baking soda for the boiling. Worked just as well, I imagine.

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Gotcha, yeah. I have made ā€œbaked baking sodaā€ for pretzels, which is more alkaline and closer to lye water. Worked better for me - chewier with better browning. But yours look pretty hard to improve upon.

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May I ask for the recipe? :blush:

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So Iā€™m jumping on the sourdough bandwagon with a ā€œquarantinyā€ starter - couple of tsp of flour for a small starter with minimal discard.

Started a regular whole wheat one and a GF one because half the current household is GF.

Wish me luck!

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Ah brownies. I have been craving them for 6 weeks now and resisting the temptation to bake a batch.

This is the one he used:

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Hooray! I so wanted to ask but didnā€™t want to be too beggy. But now I have it! Woo hoo!

Weekend savory snacks, here we come :yum:

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Donā€™t do it @Saregama - just have a couple squares of dark chocolate, a small handful of walnuts, close your eyes and pretend. :upside_down_face: Find myself with the double whammy of a primal hunger after having no appetite for so long, as well as wanting to eat for comfort and stress relief through these weird times. The brownies ticked all the boxes for my cravings, and Iā€™m not even much of a chocolate fan. Until recently, I guessā€¦ hope youā€™re doing well - I know itā€™s hard to be away from home for a lot longer than expected, but Iā€™m happy you are where you are. Your family is reaping the benefits of your presence too!

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My thanks too, I have it saved. Never made them before, but your pictures looked fantastic.

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Post pics! :slight_smile:

Thank you @Lambchop for your kind sentiments. Itā€™s hard, and it comes in waves, but thereā€™s also gratitude for being with family and in relative safety and isolation. So many emotions. Those brownies would definitely help, lol.

BUT - you should try date balls. The kids are gaga over them, and they are a pretty good chocolate / brownie with nuts substitute - and definitely healthier (if you donā€™t eat 6 at one goā€¦ being around kids constantly is reminding me of the need to be very specific about these things :joy:)

On the dessert front, I tried to make water chocolate mousse yesterday and failed for the first time. No electric whisk, interrupted four times by various child related things, and then I just gave up and ate a few spoons of essentially ganache and satisfied myself.

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Baking is normally the domain of the missus but hey things are different now. She was busy sorting out the wardrobes so I made her homemade granola which beats any granola you can buy hands down.
Here is the recipe if anyone is interested.
Granola

350g jumbo rolled oats

Or

175g jumbo rolled oats

175g choice of grain (eg, spelt, barley or rye flakes )

250g choice of nuts roughly chopped (any nuts incl coconut flakes)

50g choice of seeds (eg pumpkin, sunflower, chia, cacao nibs)

40g choice of oil (eg coconut, olive, sunflower (just not butter))

120ml choice of syrup (eg honey, agave, maple, golden)

Ā½ tbsp flaked salt

1 generous pinch choice of ground nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger or cardamom (optional)

1 large egg white

80-100g choice of dried fruit (eg sour cherries, pineapple, apple, apricots, dates (or chocolate chips etc))

Heat the oven (mine is a fan oven) to 150C for pale granola to 160C for more toasted

Tip your rolled oats and other grains (if you have them) in a large bowl add & mix the seeds & nuts

Melt together the oil and syrup on a low heat, stir occasionally

Pour the warm mixture over the grains and mix well, add a pinch of salt and spices (if using any)

Beat the egg white until it forms soft peaks, add to the mixture and mix very well

Line a tray baking tray with grease proof paper, tip the mixture in and spread out.

Bake for 30 ā€“ 35 minutes, stir two or three times during cooking maybe more if baking at the hotter temp. Also keep an eye on your nuts.

Let it cool down completely before adding the dried fruit, combine gently, store in an airtight container

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When I make granola I add raw wheat germ which is a good source of iron. I did this originally for my middle daughter who was a granola fiend & chronically anaemic.

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Much thanks~ Will be trying these today :smile:

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Lemon tart with almond shortbread crust for dessert last night. Really good, and served with whipped cream.

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Made the whole wheat version of bravetartā€™s wonderbread. Itā€™s a good loaf for sandwiches and toast. Not sure what the dif would have been if I had not forgotten the honey - all measured out but unnoticed until loaves were in the oven. Still, delicious but Iā€™ll have to try again to see what the honey adds.

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I wanna see your bread knife! Those slices are amazing. :star_struck:

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Recipe please?? :slight_smile: I made a loaf yesterday and used honey and coconut oil because Iā€™m down to my last 2 sticks of butter and got scared! No major noticeable differences except it smells like coconut when it is toasting which is cool.

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