Be.Baking

Freshly baked bread. How divine simple food can be.
The emotional satisfaction that accompanies opening the oven door to warm yeasty smells of freshly baked bread is kind of like being greeted by an old friend. It makes life better, and never fails to lift spirits.

Bread at the most basic level is made of just four ingredients: flour, salt, yeast, and water. Obviously, there are limitless possibilities beyond that point….and you can make “quick breads” without any yeast at all (quick breads rely instead on a fast acting leavening agent like baking powder or baking soda).

Most yeasted bread recipes have two dough “rising” steps, which require some of that pesky virtue we know as patience. One of the keys to getting irresistible bread is to let it rise properly.

The first rise takes place right after the dough has been mixed, and usually takes an hour at least (depending on temperature, what’s in the dough, etc.). You are basically looking for the dough to double in size. After it has doubled, you will need to push out the excess air in the dough (some recipes call this “punching down” the dough), and shape the dough however you please (baguette, loaf, rolls…). After the dough has been formed, it will need to rise once again to double its size before baking.

As I mentioned, there are endless variations when it comes to bread. Some recipes call for adding a bit of sweetener in the form of sugar, honey, molasses, etc. All of these will contribute to sweeter, faster-browning and tender bread. Butter, oil yogurt, buttermilk or eggs also make for a softer, richer loaf. For example, think about the difference in texture between a lean French baguette (no sweetener or fat added) versus a rich loaf of Brioche (which is typically relies upon sugar as a sweetener and contains both butter and eggs).

Also, bread doesn’t have to stop (or start for that matter) at wheat flour. You can play with dry ingredient ratios, perhaps using whole-wheat flour, rye flour, potato flour or even some cornmeal. Seeds, nuts, herbs, spices and citrus zest are also wonderful additions. I’m sure you’ve gotten the point by now…you can put pretty much anything into a loaf of bread.

The wonderful aroma of baking bread will stop you in your tracks, make you take a deep breath in, and encourage you to appreciate one of life’s simple pleasures.

We bake fresh bread at Facebook four days a week, and I still take a pause every single time I take it out of the oven. No matter how crazy the day, it is therapeutic.

Baking bread is innately appealing, and will make your day better. I can’t explain exactly why, or how. But, it will.

Julia Childs’ White Bread Recipe
Yield: 2 Loaves

This has become my “go-to” white bread recipe. It is the perfect companion to a bowl of soup or plate of pasta, and makes the most perfect peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. You can use this recipe a starting point for creating your own bread variations.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups water (105-115 F)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
7 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
1/4-1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

Directions:
1. Pour 1/2 cup of the water into a bowl and mix with yeast and sugar
2. Let sit for 5 minutes until creamy.
3. Put the yeast mixture, rest of the water and 3 1/2 cups of the flour into the mixer with the dough hook.
4. Mix slowly until blended, then add the rest of the flour.
5. Increase speed and scrape down the sides until the dough comes together (if the dough doesn’t come together, add a tbsp of flour at a time until it does.)
6. Add salt and mix at medium speed for 10 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.
7. Add butter 1 tbsp at a time (dough may come apart, but mixing will pull it back together).
8. Turn dough out on lightly floured surface and shape it into a ball, then place in a large buttered or oiled bowl.
9. Turn dough so it is completely coated in the fat, then cover in plastic for 45 minutes to an hour, until it has doubled in size at room temperature.
10. Butter 2 loaf pans.
11. Deflate the dough, cut in half and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
12. Roll out into a 9 x 12-inch rectangle.
13. With the short end facing you, fold the dough into thirds like a sheet of paper to go into an envelope, creating a roll.
14. Pinch the seam closed, and pinch the ends enough so it will fit in the loaf pan.
15. Drop in the loaf pan seem side down, and repeat.
16. Cover the loaves with buttered plastic wrap and allow to rise again (ideally in a warm place) for 45 minutes, until they double in size.
17. Preheat the oven to 375°F and put the rack in the center of the oven.
18. Bake for 35-45 minutes until they are honey brown.
19. Immediately turn out of pans onto a rack to cool.
20. Once almost completely cool, they can be cut.

With all those fine and fancy pastries out there, it’s funny how sometimes the simplest ones are the most satisfying.

The appeal of fresh, perhaps even still warm, muffins and scones upon their kitchen debuts is irrefutable. The soft and sweet smells come flirting towards your nose, just begging you to slow down long enough for a bite.

Now, let me be completely clear on one thing. When I write the praises of muffins and scones, I’m talking about the real, honest to goodness homemade versions and NOT those airy, dry impostors sold in many markets. I do not condone the manufactured muffin; it is simply a cupcake without its frosting hat. Nor do I have any space in my tummy for a dry, crumbly scone that hints at what dirt must taste like.

That being said, I love hearty and wholesome muffins bursting with juicy berries and a bit of nuttiness from the addition of whole-wheat flour. And, there will always be a place on my table for tender buttermilk-laced scones, their subtle sweetness kindly suggesting they be paired with coffee or tea.

Muffins and scones are a blank canvas for whatever ingredients or flavors you desire. They can go sweet or savory and may include endless combinations of fruit, vegetables, nuts, chocolate etc.

We make muffins and scones at Facebook every morning, the flavors dependent upon what we’re in the mood for, or what ingredients we want to use up. Perhaps we have some leftover toasted pecans from yesterday’s dessert…well then, how does a Brown Sugar Pecan Scone sound? And lets add a touch of orange zest to round out the flavors.

Somewhere along the way, after baking thousands of muffins and scones, I’ve decided that fresh or frozen fruits work best in muffins (texturally speaking), while dried fruits work best in scones. Nuts are equal opportunity players, but definitely should be given a slight toast in the oven or skillet before being added to a batter.

Another nice addition to a scone can be a simple glaze made with powdered sugar and citrus juice, or instead some maple syrup and a touch of cream. Perhaps adding a bit of jam into the center of your muffins is enticing? I encourage this exploration.

The basic muffin and scone recipes below are scaled down versions of the ones we use every morning at Facebook. They are endlessly versatile, and I doubt you’ll have any trouble making them your own.

Basic Muffin Recipe
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup whole-wheat flour
½ cup sugar
¾ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
½ cup + 2 tbsp. grapeseed oil
1 ½ cups buttermilk
1 egg, stirred to combine white and yolk
1 tsp. vanilla (optional)
zest of 2 lemons, limes or oranges (optional)
2 cups fresh or frozen fruit (and/or other mix-ins)
turbinado sugar, for sprinkling on top

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick spray and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon (if using). Set aside.

3. In another bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, egg, vanilla (if using), and zest (if using).

4. Add the wet ingredients into the dries. Stir until the ingredients are just combined, then add in your fruit or other mix-ins. Stir briefly just to combine.

5. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, making sure the batter is mounded slightly in each one. Top with turbinado sugar.

6. Bake for 18 to 25 minutes, or until the muffins feel set in the center and a toothpick put in the center comes out clean (if you press on them with your finger, the indentation should not remain).

Basic Scone Recipe
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup whole-wheat flour
¼ cup + 2 tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. salt
¾ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
1 stick cold butter, cut into chunks
½ cup + 1 tbsp. buttermilk
1 egg, stirred to combine white and yolk
1 tsp. vanilla (optional)
zest of 2 lemons, limes or oranges (optional)
2 ½ cups dried fruit (and/or other mix-ins)
turbinado sugar, for sprinkling on top

1. Preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon (if using) and salt.

3. Using a pastry cutter, work in the zest (if using) and cold butter into the flour mixture until the pieces are about the size of peas. (You could use an electric mixer or food processor instead.)

4. Add in the egg, buttermilk and vanilla (if using) stirring with a spatula until the dough is moistened, then stir in the dried fruit or mix-ins of your choice.

5. On a lightly-floured surface, pat the dough into an 8-inch circle. If it’s too wet and is very sticky, knead in a spoonful or two of flour on the countertop.

6. Use a circle (or whatever shape you please) cookie cutter to cut out scones, or use a bench scraper to divide the dough into wedges.

7. Sprinkle the tops of the scones with turbindao sugar

8. Bake the scones for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.

I was watching the news on TV last week (I accidentally caught the tail end of it right before Oprah) when the anchor proclaimed “Our country is in the middle of wedding season!” Well, that supports my theory that the news is a giant waste of time.

But, it also explains the three wedding invitations I got in the mail last week, and why the better part of my Facebook News Feed is saturated with wedding-related trials and tribulations. Apparently even flower girl dress shopping can be a traumatic event wrought with tears.

Being the hopeless romantic and closeted matchmaker that I am, hearing about all these weddings makes my heart fuzzy. It’s nice to see that love prevails…regardless of flower girl dress drama. Being the pastry chef that I am, the word wedding makes me think of one thing: CAKE. Or, maybe not…

Recently, I did something a little different for my friends’ wedding.

Rachael and Aaron decided that a wedding dessert table sounded like a perfect compromise. Instead of having one big elaborate cake, this allowed them to showcase a variety of their favorite desserts.

Their dessert table featured all sorts of cookies from French Macarons to Coconut Shortbreads to Mexican Wedding Cookies laced with pecans.

A Lattice-Topped Apple Pie filled with tart and sweet Pink Lady Apples .

Guiness Chocolate Cakes and Cupcakes.

Oh, and there were Jolly Red Velvet Cupcakes with tangy Cream Cheese Frosting.

And there were Almond Poppyseed Tartlets.

It was a lovely wedding in the beautiful Napa Valley with good people, good dancing and good times. And nary a crumb left on the dessert table.

Fresh Cherry Pie…the thought alone conjures up images of cute little grandmothers in cute little aprons rolling out pie dough and pitting cherries.

Come to think of it, it’s actually rather odd that I have such a mental picture. I never saw my own grandmothers do any of that. And, after consulting with fellow pie-eaters, it seems that I am not alone in my lack of cherry pie memories. The majority of us never had a Betty White look-a-like make us a Fresh Cherry Pie.

The reality of a Fresh Cherry Pie (Granny issues aside) is indeed just as good as you think it is. Tart and sweet and perfectly summer.

This week, Shanon and I made Fresh Cherry Pies with Oat Crumb Topping for one of the lunch desserts at Facebook. After pitting 40 pounds of cherries (which induced slight delirium), we figured out why hardly anyone makes Fresh Cherry Pies…

Once we had a pit-free (or as close to it as possible) mountain of cherries, we piled the ruby red filling into the pie shells we had made and rolled out the day before. We got exactly 12 pies, which we topped with a nice buttery Oat Crumble.

Sorry to bust a hole in nostalgia, but neither Shanon nor I is a cute little grandmother. However, we do make a mean Cherry Pie. And you can too…

Fresh Cherry Pie with Oat Crumble
Makes one 9-inch pie
Crust
* 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 1 teaspoon salt
* ½ cup plus 1 tablespoons (1 and 1/8 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
* 4 tablespoons (or more) ice water
* 1 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Oat Crumble
* 1 cup all purpose flour
*1/2 cup oats
* 6 tablespoons golden brown sugar
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
* 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling
* 1 cup (scant) sugar
* 3 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* Pinch of salt
*zest from 1 lemon
*1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 2 1/2 pounds sour cherries, pitted

Preparation
For Crust:
Blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter; using on/off turns, process until coarse meal forms. Add 4 tablespoons ice water and cider vinegar; blend until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough together. Turn dough out onto work surface; form into ball and flatten into disk. Wrap disk in plastic; refrigerate at least 1 hour.