Holla for Challah!!! (Being Martha)

December 24, 2012 by Wendy Cohen Leave a Comment

I am back and baking no less! December has been a whirlwind to say the least…and unlike my usual baking extravaganza, my baking has been a bit limited this year. Check out this post and this one from last year for some yummy recipes…some of my old favorites and new finds!

So, I decided to bake some bread. Bread is like an experiment each time I make it which is why I think I like it. Plus, it rises and that is pretty cool…(gosh, I am such a dork).

Anyhow, the Challah Bread recipe in Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook is on page 307.

I cannot locate the exact recipe on line, so here is what you need:

4 1/2 Cups Bread Flour

3/4 ounce Fresh Yeast (I used one packet of active dry yeast)

1/4 Cup Sugar

3 Tbs Honey

1 Tbs Coarse Salt

1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil

8 Large Egg Yolks

1 Large Whole Egg

First, combine all of the ingredients EXCEPT the whole egg into your mixer outfitted with a bread hook.

In case you don’t have coarse salt…here’s what it looks like when you go to find it at the grocery store.

Let the mixer do it’s work for about 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is a bit shiny and well combined. It will be a workout for your machine.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface.

Create a dough packet…flatten into a disc. Fold the top third down, then the bottom third up, then the right and left sides. Give it a good pat to seal and knock off any excess flour. Place seam side down in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for an hour.

Divide dough into 1/3′s and roll into 18″ long rolls….get ready to BRAID!!

Secure the three ends at the top and start braiding. Pull the dough firmly as you go…I would have taken a photo of the action, but I don’t have a third hand!

How beautiful is that! Pretty good for the first time doing this.

Place on an oiled pan and let rise for another hour. Then, beat the whole egg and brush with egg wash generously.

Place in the oven at 375 for 50 to 60 minutes. Note…I cooked mine a few minutes too long. You will know when it’s ready to come out when the bread sounds hollow when tapped.

Let completely cool on a wire rack and then enjoy!

I have had fun over the last few days having challah bread for snacks with cheese and salami, challah bread toast and challah bread with soup. I was very tempted to try the challah bread french toast, but decided I had a bit too much bread already! :)

For reference, I just found this great Martha Stewart Video on making this bread…a little too late for me, but it is helpful.

Happy Baking…

Filed Under: baking, bread, create, entertaining, martha stewart Tagged With: Baking, Bread, bread recipe, challah, Martha Stewart, martha stewart baking, Recipe, yeast

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Cornmeal Drop Biscuits…Being Martha

May 19, 2012 by Wendy Cohen 2 Comments

This is a super simple and quick recipe to add a little homemade biscuit to your meal. Very basic ingredients and quick and easy.

Once you have your ingredients ready to go for the biscuits, I would start the chili first as the biscuits are really easy to make and don’t take much time. This is my chili from scratch; a really simple recipe. If there is interest, I can post the recipe.

Combine the dry ingredients first….cornmeal, flour, baking soda, salt, etc. Then, cut in the butter with a pastry cutter. If you don’t have one, you can use two knives or this alternate method here. The one key to cutting butter into dry ingredients is that the butter is chilled. The buter does not need to be fully blended. Small pea size chunks of butter are okay. They make the biscuits even better once cooked.

Add in the milk to the dry ingredients and butter. Mix until just combined. It will be chunky because of the butter…that is OKAY!

Use two spoons to drop 1/3 cup size biscuits onto a cookie sheet. This takes a little bit of coordination and the dough is a little sticky. Take your time and be patient with yourself.

The biscuits dropped onto the cookie sheets look like they will fall apart. Resist the urge to make them perfect little balls. They will ruin the consistency of the biscuits once they good and will not allow the butter chunks to melt throughout.

Do not overcook…pull them out when you see a tinge of golden brown start to show up around the base. The one thing that I would have done differently was to place parchment paper or a baking liner on the baking sheet. it would have made it easier to pull the biscuits off with out scraping off the good crunchy bottom. Here they are all done and ready to eat.

This is such a quick and easy recipe. I think it would be really good as a topping to a baked chili dish even. Maybe place your chili in an 8×8 glass dish, top with this cornmeal biscuit dough and cook for 20 minutes….it would be so good!!!

I would rate this an EASY recipe great for the beginner baker or even kids.

I would rate the taste a 9 out of 10.

The one thing I liked about this recipe is that the biscuits were not really dry like other cornmeal breads or muffins. Instead, they were very moist and had a great taste.

Happy Baking!

Filed Under: baking, create, fall, martha stewart Tagged With: Baking, Bread, chili, corn, cornmeal, dinner, Martha Stewart, Recipe

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Let Them Eat Cake

February 5, 2012 by Wendy Cohen Leave a Comment

It is no secret that I love to bake. I could really take or leave cooking. I like to cook as well, but it would be enjoyable if I had more time. The reality is that I have limited time to do either. So, if it comes down to cooking or baking…it is going to be BAKING!

This time the occasion is my dad’s birthday. I went back to my favorite location for baking recipes at the moment…MARTHA STEWART. I can hear my mom and mother in law sigh in disgust; Martha seems to represent someone evil to them. Despite all the stories (oh and the jail thing), I like her recipes and clear instructions. Yes, I know, she probably has an army of people working for her that make her house look so perfect and the kitchen so damn clean when she cooks with everything neatly organized in those little bowls. But, can’t a girl dream….

I would like to think that would be the reality of my life if I didn’t have a full time job. I would flit from one creative thing to another throughout the day while making sure that my sheets were pressed, the roses pinched back and dinner roasting in the oven. Wake UP…you have to go to work tomorrow!!!

So, for the cake….I used the recipe from Martha Stewart for Butter Cake. In addition, here are the details below.

Ingredients

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
1 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups milk

Shot from the Martha Stewart Baking Handbook

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9-by-2-inch round cake pans; line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter parchment, and dust with flour, tapping out excess; set aside. Into a medium bowl, sift together flours, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until combined after each addition.
Divide batter between the prepared pans, and smooth with an offset spatula. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until cakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool 20 minutes. Invert cakes onto the rack; peel off the parchment. Reinvert cakes and let them cool completely, top sides up.

First Cake Turned Over - Used My Patience on This One!

Cake All Wrapped up in Refrigerator Overnight

And, here’s the recipe for the amazing chocolate frosting….also from my friend Martha.

Ingredients

24 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon boiling water
3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
Pinch of salt
Yellow Butter Cake
Colored sprinkles (optional)

Melted Chocolate - Make Sure to Cool to Room Temperature Before Mixing w/ Butter/Sugar

Directions

Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water. Turn off heat; stir occasionally until chocolate has melted completely, about 15 minutes. Set bowl on countertop, and let chocolate cool to room temperature, 25 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, combine cocoa powder and boiling water in a small bowl; stir until cocoa is dissolved.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, confectioners’ sugar, and salt on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add melted chocolate; beat on low speed until combined, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in cocoa mixture.
Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes to make level; brush off crumbs. Place four strips of parchment paper around perimeter of a serving plate or lazy Susan. Place the first layer on the cake plate, and spread top with 3/4 cup of frosting. Place the second layer on top, bottom side up, and spread top with 3/4 cup of frosting; repeat process with the third layer. Place the remaining layer on top of the third layer, bottom-side up; insert a dowel into the center of cakes if necessary. Spread entire cake with remaining frosting. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired.

See the Disaster on the Side of the Cake - Fixed w/ A Little Construction

And, of course…my TIPS….these are the embarrassing things that no one else will admit to or tell you how to handle.

The recipe is for two 9″ layer cakes. The recipe in my cookbook is not clear so I doubled the recipe. So, if you do this and fill up each of the cake pans, you have overflowing goodness on the bottom of your oven. Lovely. If this happens, act quick and place a cookie sheet on the rack below so you don’t have burnt goodness wafting through your house. However, I did have extra cake for my husband which made him happy.
When you are mixing the flour and milk alternately, the texture seems really weird (kind of lumpy). It turns better as you empty your last batch of flour mixture.
If you have a gas oven like I do, the baking temperature should really be more like 300 degrees and the time for baking is more like one hour. My oven is calibrated, but it cooks the top and outside too quickly at 350. For baking, I typically lower it by 25 to 50 degrees and bake longer.
Be patient…HELLO! You think I would know this by now. When you take the cakes out of the oven and let them rest for 30 minutes, follow the instructions. For the first cake, I followed the instructions and turned the cake over onto a wire rack. It is simplest if you use two wire racks on either side to squeeze the cake together. It worked great. I guess I got cocky on my second cake layer and decided to do it by hand. Ooops…the cake broke in half!
Stick the cake layers in the fridge over night….it will fix everything. Hopefully.
Put a layer of parchment paper between your cake plate and your cake. I didn’t and it was a pain to clean out the chocolate frosting out of all the little holes of the cake plate. Lovely.
Cutting even cake layers is harder than it looks. Be patient and don’t cut too deep or you will have crooked layers.
Use a cold cake to fix your problems. I had a large hole in the side due to #3 above. As a result, I was able to fill this area with some cake cut off the top and do some construction with the frosting.
DO A CRUMB LAYER OF FROSTING AND THEN PUT THE CAKE BACK INTO THE REFRIGERATOR! Best tip ever…this will make it so much easier to put your second layer of frosting on without crumbs all over the place.
Make extra frosting for your husband to lick. Otherwise, you will get mad at him!