madly baking

Posts for the month of December feel kind of redundant to me.  I bake so many of the same family recipes that I could just repeat posts.  This year, I am four days behind due to the unexpected Christmas party that was out of town.  

The vanilla and chocolate shortbread are done.  But that means the sables and molasses crinkles still need to be baked.  Also, scones for a couple people.  I am thinking about sneaking a pumpkin cake into Koda Bear's box because pumpkin pie does not ship well.  Pumpkin pie is his favorite.  Just like mine!

None of this includes any baking I would do for myself.  Travelling is happening for me at the end of the month.  There needs to be enough bread for every day let alone travels.  And I really wanted to get a kuglehopf and a panattone made.  I have a few of the cookies as they are baked but really I wish the yeasted cakes.

I do want to run one experiment past the boyos.  I wish to make a sour cream raisin pie here as a test.  I will be with my parents after Christmas and before my Dad's birthday.  I was going to make him a sour cream raisin pie for his birthday.  I was told the last one I made was the closest to what his Mom used to make.  I think I tweak now.  Brown sugar instead of white.  But I wish to test it on the boyos before I try there.  Which also means a gluten free crust because one cannot eat gluten.  

I have not even talked about the sewing that needs to go on!  Stocking my shop has slowed down as I sew for family but I keep making nine squares so there will be more quilts as the year starts.  Maybe even the one I am making for this home.  That would be a surprise!

Thanks so much for listening to the babble.  The cookie bowl should have soaked enough so I can make more dough.  Sables next.  Hopefully I can wait to walk to the grocery store tomorrow.....

semla

For Shrove Tuesday, also know as Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday, I decided to make semla.  It is a Scandinavian tradition for Shrove Tuesday.  I needed something different because part of me really wished to be celebrating in New Orleans.  Which is totally odd because I truly only enjoy one parade, Zulu.  I am just in a strange spot.

Last year I looked at a lot of recipes for semla.  I thought that maybe.  This year I used Magnus Nillson's tome.  I knew I liked the dough that he used for selma.  The sweet dough he has in his cookbook I really like and have used for other things.  I made a few rolls and used the rest for a cinnamon swirl loaf.  

I shaped a half dozen rolls.  Baked.  Cut off the tops and filled with slightly sweetened whipping cream that also had a touch of vanilla added.  I liked them.  The dough is rich and flavoured with cardamom which I like.  It was not as sweet as King Cake which I also enjoyed.  

I would make these again.  I might make the dough into the rolls for easy traveling sandwiches.  I like the flavours.

panettone experimentations

I have been telling people for years that I do not like cake.

I have come to realize that I do not like cake leavened with baking powder.

And the texture of most American cakes.

I do like yeasted cakes so I decided to play with panettone.

I thought I had failed with the recipe I tried, and there are many out there.  But my end product did look like other people's finished cake, though I should have hung it.

The texture was not quite like what I had seen in purchased panettone.  The texture really did remind me of cake.  Now, I will admit that my kitchen has been very cold and I did not get the rise I hoped but I do not think I every would have.  Because I used just sourdough and not extra yeast.  The recipe also called for malt and I did not have any in the house.  I was not willing to either order or go hunting.

It was tasty.  I chose to do chocolate and vanilla.

Koda Bear requested a piece toasted with butter and frosting.  I have to admit that was quite good.

The flavor was good enough that I am going to try again.  The original recipe is from the 1300's so I am going to see if I can find one that does not use and electric mixer.  And I wish I could find one that is just naturally leavened.  I do have some possibilities but there may be further "failures."  I know people who would be willing to take the failures off my hands!

I would have to disagree

I follow Bon Appetit on facebook.  They post some interesting articles and recipes.  Recently, the best easiest cocoa recipe came across my feed.

I would have to say not the best.  Fairly easy.  But I bake so much I am not a good judge.  I work on laminations most weekend.  I realized what these reminded me of was boxed brownie mix brownies.  If that is what you wish, the best.  If not, not.  But the batter tastes right if that is what you grew up with!  Oh well.  It was an interesting experiment.

Today was a long day.  Work is starting earlier due to a required meeting I am going to.  Then, I got called on the carpet for telling the truth.  Doing the right thing and striving for excellence.  My response to being told off was I am sorry but if it is that big of a deal just fire me, I am tired.  

That is never the response people expect.  It is the second time I have made that statement which is why I say people.  My industry has this attitude that if you have a job you must be desperate to keep it.  Not a good time in the industry to go looking but being fired is much better then the other options.  Life is always interesting.

together

I am not sure I should be writing now.  My head is hurting something fierce and I have a tendency to babble when it feels like this.  It may actually be the stress of the week is over causing my head to hurt.  The comedy of errors that is going on is astounding.  But I cannot do much about the comedy other then survive.  It is going to be interesting.

The quilt top I have been working on is together.  I now need to finish putting the back together.  I do not have a piece of fabric that I like to go with it that is the correct size.  But I can basically make a simpler quilt for the back.  Which I am working on.  I hope to have it finished it time for me to baste it without the help of Koda Bear.  He sneaks off with my safety pins!  You should see what he does with my button box!  Did you know straight pins and buttons become swords?  Koda Bear is a trip but it is much easier to baste the quilt without his help.  I just to make sure doughnuts are ready to be fried on Sunday.  I promised.

It will be a quiet weekend at my machine and wheel for me this weekend.  I will continue to be amazed at how large my pumpkins are getting.  And I was thinking about playing with lamination again.  Though I saw a crazy video with plain and chocolate laminated doughs with a chocolate filling that makes me wish to experiment.  I should have started something like that this morning so it may have to wait until next week.  It was mentioned to a chef this week that I bake a little bit.  As the story goes, he mentally rolled his eyes until he found out that I play with kouign amman.  I have difficulties spelling it and enunciating it at times but I do.  I was thinking about a cardamom roll or a croissant or a cornetti or . . .  Do not leave unattended butter and dough in my vicinity this weekend.  Which reminds me, I do think I need butter.

Some stitching is going to happen soon.  Black fabric is being washed because it is all I wish to wear.  Even though I picked up some flowered (floured :) ) linen.   Something  I have been looking for for years and found today.  When I wish to wear is dark colours.  I will wash it away and put it away until I feel like wearing colours again or have an event where black is not appropriate.  Very few places where black is not appropriate but you never now.

See.  I said I babble.