Yeast, A Life of it's Own

[rapunzel]

'Come on Over'

I am booking my ticket as we type (wishful thinking).

It so true that the biggest pleasure in cooking is to observe people enjoy your efforts.

I have a friend who is also passionate about cooking. She actually dreams about recipes in her sleep and will get up at all hours of the morning to put them into reality.

She sets her table with all the trimmings, including artistically shaped cloth napkins. She doesn't just cook and eat, she creates masterpieces and eating for her is akin to a religious experience.

rapunzel

 

[rapunzel]

Sometimes, if I haven't the time, I will cheat with my b

When I do a stuffed bread, with boiled eggs, parma ham, basil, sun dried tomatoes, fresh mushrooms and two or three types of cheese, I place the ingredients for the dough into my bread maker and let it rip. After allowing it to rise in the machine I take it out, roll it and wrap all the indredients inside. Then I let it sit for another half an hour before baking.

 

[gansky1]

I think you posted the recipe for the dough and schmear to make cinnamon rolls before but I didn't save it. Did anyone else keep a copy?

One of my very favorite things is baking rolls - and red velvet cake.

I guess this means we have to marry ;-)

 

[toggleswitch2]

If you've got sticky buns, it means a good time is in store.

YUMMY! Don't bother to wrap it; I'll eat it here!

 

[mixfinder]

Can You Even Imagine

We both love kids, like to clean, enjoy laundry and even ironing, a clean house is a happy house, each appliance has a hidden trailer hitch, ready for the next move and we both love our mothers. We would set the House and Garden on it's ear.
Buttermilk bread
1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon yeast
let foam and add
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs
2 cups warmed buttermilk
2 teaspoons salt
6 cups flour
You know the drill, mix and beat and raise and punch and raise and punch and shape and raise and bake.
Schmear
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 egg whites

Red Velvet Cake
Combine and set aside
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup red food coloring
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon soda
2 teaspoons vanilla

In the mixer bowl combine
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cocoa
Mix until no traces of butter remain. Add the buttermilk mixture and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add
4 eggs
Beat in eggs one a time and beat 1 minute on medium speed after the additon of the last egg. Pour batter into 3 prepared 9 inch cake pans and bake for exactly 22 minutes at 350. Do not overbake.

Red Velvet Frosting
In a saucepan combine
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
dash of salt
Slowly whisk in:
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil and then cook for one minute. Cool completely. Turn pudding mixture into the mixer bowl and beat on medium speed. Add
1 cup room temperature butter
Drop the butter in a few tablespoons at a time. Then increase speed to high and beat for 5 minutes.

 

[tlee618]

We really have to work on a Cook-IN

Kelly thank you so much for sharing all of this fun with us!! Todays bread looks fantastic!! Those of us that are interested in the cook-in we really need to start think about a location for this event. One would have to starve for a week before it and a week after but it would be worth it!!

 

[frigilux]

It all looks great, but I'd eat a couple of those sticky buns right off the counter, Kelly!

And few things are more satisfying than cutting into a fresh, homemade sandwich loaf and slathering a thick slice with butter. Or making a perfectly-tanned piece of toast with homemade peanut butter. Yum!!

 

[appnut]

Well, since you visited two doctors' offices yesterday with all those cookies, I'm glad to see you took it easy today and loafed about and a little crusty. I have no doubt you could sell each one of those products and make a nice stash of dough at the same time. OK, I won't coin any more puns, but it was the yeast I could do to contribute and get a rise out of some of you.

 

[bernina]

a clean house is a happy house

mixfinder, thanks for sharing your bread-making and cinnamon roll process. Everything looks wonderful!

Can I ask you how you clean your oven? Do you use self-clean mode or some other method?

(We love to cook and bake, and our oven is downright embarrassing compared yours.)

Thanks!

 

[mixfinder]

Cremation Welcomed

I have never experienced such a leap forward in technology as the self cleaning oven. Added insulating allows the oven to hold heat for longer periods which calls for the radiant heating element to cycle less producing superior results in baked goods. All that aside, I live for a self cleaning oven. In my 5 Wishes when asked how the funeral should look I direct the kids to throw me in the self cleaning oven and have a party! In the 60's when self cleaning ovens first came along I experimented with self cleaning pots and pans etc. The oven not only cleans itself it will clean all things aluminum, cast iron, Pyrex, Corning as well as waffle grids and barbeque grates. In the 80's I had a second hand store and I gathered inventory everywhere I went. I had a GM Frigidaire in those days and I would run it as often as 4 or 5 times a week cleaning up the items I wanted to place in the store as pristine. Now that I am retired and live in relative obscurity I seldom find the need to clean the oven. Cooking in large vessels and shielding possible runovers with foil or a cookie sheet helps to minimize mess. The range I have now has a convection mode for both baking and roasting and it is very seldom I activate the lower calrod. If things boil over on the oven floor they are easily wiped up because the element isn't fusing the sugar and grease to the oven floor. The cost of running the cleaning cycle is minimal and low impact on the environment. I marvel watching someone spray oven cleaner at $7.00 a can with fleurocarbons and lye into the oven and run gallons of water down the sink washing and rinsing out the oven because they didn't want to run the cleaning cycle since it must use a lot of electricity. I'm a low rage environmentalist but I let the holier than thous have it when I hear about oven cleaning or watch them run gallons of water down the sink rinsing dishes before loading the dishwasher. So to end my rant, I use the self cleaning oven when indicated but always attempt to cook and bake in such a way no mess is created and I never rinse anything before laoding the dishwasher. Clean is easy.

 

[rapunzel]

To keep equipment clean requires a bit of planning...

and persistence. Chickens, roast beef, lamb shanks and roast vegetables can all be cooked in oven bags. We place a tray underneath to catch any spills should the bag burst. If there is a mess, it is best to get in there and clean it up as soon as the oven has cooled down enough. If the mess isn't allowed to set it should come clean without the use of caustic oven sprays and too much effort. Our gas oven is over 20 years old and still looks pristine. I line cookie sheets and tins with baking paper and find that baking doesn't cause much mess anyway. All the wire racks and utensils go in the dishwasher.

Self-cleaning ovens are only now gaining popularity over here. In fact, I don't recall ever having seen a self-cleaning oven during the first 20 or so years of living in Oz. They were probably around, though prohibitively expensive and, thus, not common.

rapunzel

 

[ronhic]

I'm hungry now....

Kelly, you're a treasure. You're 'cooking classes' give me much pleasure to read and the photos are better than many a magazine...

Thanks.

 

[panthera]

Kelly,

Funny, I thought I'd posted a big thanks a few hours ago - well, let's try again.

I'm always impressed by how easy your recipes are to follow.

Your idea for keeping the schmear from schmearing, is great. That's a wonderful word in German, by the way.

 

[toggleswitch2]

Can you say gimmick?

Whirlpool and Sumsung offer a steam-cleaning "cycle" for ovens.

One fills a dimple in the floor of the oven with water and maybe some detergent, sets the heat and timer and about 15+/- minutes later the oven has been steamed and the grease softened, ready for hand-scubbing. (A bowl of ammoina set inside overnight will accomplish the smae end).

One is not impressed. I'm not a fan of a hidden bake/roast element, but it does make an electric oven easier to keep clean by hand. Personally, the old style unpluggable lower oven element was fine by me!

Yes Easy-off oven cleaner and similar are LYE (sodium-hydroxide) which, when combined with grease SAPONIFIES (big fancy Greek word that means nothing more than "becomes soap" which further lifts grease and dirt. In theory, most of the chemical is rendered harmless as it does its job.

 

[jons1077]

Kelly,

You are absolutely incredible. I'm constantly amazed by your knowledge of the kitchen. I love making bread but it always takes me hours (usually about 4 from start to finish). You made that dough rise, punch down, and rise again in just a few minutes. That takes me a few hours!!! I need lessons from you big time!!!

Jon

 

[leolady]

Wonderful job!

I wish I was there to enjoy and eat to my heart's content -- even if I am on a soup and salad diet.

Fresh bread and rolls are my nemesises.

Looks like Silver Surfer is holding up well in the comparison tests! Wooo! What a relief!

 

[lotsosudz]

I think it should be mandatory, that if you show nummies on this site, that you should have to ship all of us members a portion of them. I mean, sure you show a picture of them, but how do we know there as good as they look? LOL If there are any takers that are bakers, please e-mail me for my address. HAHA.

 

[mixfinder]

If Only

I want to install a tube like the ones at the drive up bank where you put in the tube and it sucks it away. I want to cook all day and then let it all be sucked away before I eat it. The cookies I gave away and the bread I froze, but here I am alone with 4 pies. At least I have company for dinner which will help.

 

[bendix5]

Well, I tried. It has been many moons since I have made bread. I love cinnamon rolls and just couldn't help myself. I must have put too much of the schmear in them. They are still cooling and we can't wait to taste them. The loaf of bread was intentionally made smaller so we can eat it with dinner. Thanks Kelly for sharing your baking and cooking knowledge. It is a great part of our day to read about your goodies. Dano, Bendix5

 

[sudsmaster]

Goes On For Pages

;-)

 

[tlee618]

Hey Dan, looks like you had great luck with the cinnamon rolls and bread! Love those Canisters too!!

 

[mixfinder]

Yummyee

Thank you for the good words. I am glad you enjoyed it and reminded yourself how easy it can be to turn inert ingredients into a vibrant, fragrant and self nurturing experience.

 

[mixfinder]

Help Me Understand

I taught a cooking class on Sunday in an upscaled kitchen with Viking appliances. I have used it before and found the oven to be quirky. I took along an oven thermometer and the temp was spot on. Regular heat seems to add 25% to my normal baking times and convection speeds it up but makes everything brown unevenly. Not being used to domestic gas ranges are there any rules of thumb to follow in baking conversion. Years ago I spent hours cooking on a friends old Magic Chef and another Universal from the smae era. I enjoyed those ranges and really enjoy the simmer plates on the upper grates.