Baking Rose’s Bread.

Kayte, Laurie, Gaye, and Nancy were baking from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s the bread bible. They invited me along on their journey. How could i refuse baking with such great company. By the time I joined in they had already made her Cheddar Loaf and Rosemary Focaccia Sheet. I’ll go back for those later.

I did get in on the Ginger Scones. Scones are one of my favorite breads to make. We use them for our tea parties and i make them for a small local coffee shop. These were delicious. Lots of flavor from the powdered ginger and the crystallized ginger (which I had trouble finding).

These are definitely going into the scone rotation. I discovered I had Rose’s book on my Kindle. If you don’t have her book you can find the recipe HERE. And when you make them eat them fresh from the oven with lots of butter!

Check out the other’s Ginger Scones.
Kayte

Gaye

Nancy

If you have this book come bake with us!

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{CC#10} Cranapple Scones

It was wonderfully cool this morning.  Perfect for a hot cuppa and some warm buttered scones

Cranapple to be exact.

These delicious scones are from The Bluepoint Bakery located in Denver, CO. 

I make scones quite often for breakfast or for friends.  These were among the best I have ever made.  They contained cream cheese which I have never used in scones before.  They added a certain creaminess to the scones.  While the recipe called for frozen cranberries I used dried instead.  I like the sweetness they added to the mix.  I also used Granny Smith apples.

I will definitely make them again – often!

The recipe is on page 165 of The Colorado Farmers’ Market Cookbook.

I’m linking this post with Cookbook Countdown hosted by Kitchen Flavours and Emily’s Cooking (Makan2).

 

{ABC} SCONES!!!

If you know me, and the blog – Tea and SCONES – you know how I feel about scones. I love them! I don’t make them as often as I used to because I have NO WILLPOWER and would eat them all. All the time. With butter. And jam. And clotted cream. But when the KAF scones made the list for Avid Baker’s Challenge for June I knew I had to make them. I had, with some others, asked for scones. And these did not dissapoint.

The original recipe called for

“1 cup to 2 cups chopped dried fruit, chocolate or other flavored chips, nuts, or a combination, optional”

so we were free to fill them with just about anything. I divided the dough in half. I left some plain and just sprinkled the tops with turbnado sugar. The other half I added in some Heath Bar bits. {About 1/2 cup}

Those added just a hint of sweetness. And the others were great with some butter and Blackberry jam. YUM!!

These are definite keepers. And most of them are in the freezer so I will be enjoying these for a while.

The original recipe for the SCONES is on the KAF page.

And after you have a look at the recipe, have a look at the scones the other ABC bakers made. It will be on the ABC page after June 3.

 

{IHCC} Say CHEESE!!!! Please.

The whole time I was eating one of these CHEESE SCONES from Nigel Slater I was thinking how good these would be with a nice thick slice of ham. What could be better than ham and cheese? Especially when the cheese is already IN the bread.

Can you believe all that cheesy goodness oozing from that HUGE scone?? I filled mine with gruyere and sprinkled sharp cheddar on top. It was wonderful!!

450g/1lb plain flour, plus extra for dusting
4 tsp baking powder
85g/3oz cold butter, cubed
350ml/12fl oz milk, plus extra for glazing
250g/9oz assorted cheeses, cut into 1/4″ cubes, plus extra grated cheese to sprinkle on top

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
In a food processor mix the flour and baking powder.
Add in the butter and process only until the mixture resembles coarse, fresh breadcrumbs.
Pour in the milk to create a soft dough.
Add the chunks of cheese and ensure it is evenly distributed by pulsing the mix only once or twice for a short period.
Remove the dough from the processor and shape the dough into a rough round and place on a baking tray dusted with flour.
Press down on the top of the ball to flatten it slightly, then brush it with a little milk to glaze.
Sprinkle the extra cheese over the top, then cut the dough into four pieces, Or six if you want smaller scones, with a sharp knife but do not separate the pieces..
Bake in the preheated oven for around 30 minutes, or until the cheese topping looks golden-brown and crisp. {Original recipe}

This was only 1/2 of the recipe and the scones were HUGE!!!

BTW this weeks theme for Nigel Slater was CHEESE!!! Check out the other’s cheesy goodness at I Heart Cooking Clubs

 

{BwJ} Tea Time with SCONES

I make a lot of scones. Some I post about (20 anyway). Some I don’t. I have to tell you, these are definitely in my top two recipes. Thank you, Marion Cunningham! I made the whole batch because I had been invited to a friend’s house for tea. She is from Scotland so she is my taste tester when it comes to scones. She agreed, these were very, very good ones.

They rose beautifully due to the Buttermilk AND baking powder AND baking soda! They were sweet but only a little. They were delicious with just some Irish butter or with jam and butter. I was wishing I had some clotted cream, but…alas…it is all gone.

I went to her house with 12 scones. I came home with 4 and just barely had a chance to photograph them before they disappeared. Guess I will just have to make more!! Twist my arm!!!!

I did make a couple of changes – minor. I didn’t have any zest so I left it out. I made the dough in the food processor. I also patted the dough out into circles and used sugar instead of flour on the board, so both sides got sugared. They turned out just fine.

The recipe is on page 210 of Dorie Greenspan’s Baking with Julia but you can also find it on line – Buttermilk Scones

This was our ‘assignment’ this week for the Baking with Julia group so drop on the other BAKERS and share their scones.

 

{IHCC} TeaTime = Scones

To me Tea Time means SCONES. I mean really, what else would you serve with a nice cuppa. I make scones quite often so one more recipe is always welcome. Donna’s are sweet and easy.

Donna’s Basic Scones

3 cups (450g) self-raising (self-rising) flour, sifted
½ cup (110g) caster (superfine) sugar
75g cold butter, chopped*
1 cup (250ml) milk, plus extra, for brushing
curd or jam, to serve

Preheat oven to 180ºC (355ºF). Place the flour and sugar in a bowl and mix to combine. Add the butter and use your fingertips to rub it into the flour mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk. Use a butter knife to gradually mix the milk into the flour mixture until just combined. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and gently bring the dough together. Roll out to 2cm thick and use a 6cm-round cutter to cut 12 rounds. Place the scones on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper and brush with extra milk. Bake for 18–20 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.

* Use cold butter to ensure a flaky texture to your scones.

I mixed everything in a food processor and they were perfect. Light, sweet, delicious. And served with some scuppernong jelly.

The theme for this week was TEA TIME!. What did the others bring to tea?

 

{TWD2} Pecans, Rhubarb and Cherries!

WHEW!! I really didn’t think I would get a post up today. Halfway through the morning I realized it was Tuesday and I had not baked in almost a week!! What IS my problem?? So on went the oven, out came the measuring cups.

I have been trying to do all the catch-ups in month and date order – not year – but it looks like it isn’t going to happen this time. I just didn’t have the ingredients or wasn’t in the mood for something – like making brioche dough – so these are July recipes just not by date – sorta kinda!

Scones are always welcome. I had missed these…

Chestnut Pecan Scones from July 19, 2011 and the only reason I had not made them on a rewind was because of the chestnut flour. Not available unless I wanted to purchase at least 3 pounds and all I needed was 3/4 cup. Following the lead of other bakers I used another nut – pecans – and made some flour/meal.

OH! MY! GOODNESS! These were so sweet and delicious and nutty and…Shucks! They were just good!! They didn’t need any butter or jam. They were perfect alone. And crunchy! And sweet. Wait!! I said that already…..

There was only one problem when I decided to make these. I gave up sugar about a month ago. I love scones. I would eat them all the time, but the sugar….. So I made them with Splenda and they came out just fine!!

This was chosen by Andrea of Andrea in the Kitchen. Andrea lives in Australia and while it was hot and NOT chestnut season here it was cold and wintery in Australia. Maybe some day I will find chestnut flour and make these the right way. Until then they are tasty made with pecans.

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I was on a roll so after making (and devouring several) scones I went for the

Cherry Rhubarb Cobbler

picked by Amanda of Like Sprinkles on a Cupcake July 22, 2008.

I got smart back in April during Rhubarb season and bought enough rhubarb for this cobbler and the Strawberry-Rhubarb Double Crisp. And I had bought a pound of cherries only a week ago so I was ready. Until I looked in the fridge and found all I had left was about 1/4 pound of cherries. HMMmm!! Wonder who ate those…..

Anyway, it was enough to make a single serving cobbler (1/4 recipe) in 4 inch bowl. Which B ate after lunch today. I get ONE bite and it was quite good. NOT real sweet but not real tart with the rhubarb. The topping is made with AP and whole wheat flour which gave it a nutty flavor. both the filling and the topping contained ginger and that added a real kick to the treat. The whole cobbler fits in an 8″ x 8″ pan and is topped with several balls of dough. Yes, balls. After putting all the ingredients together it is formed into loose balls and placed on top of the cherry/rhubarb filling. 1/4 of the topping mixture was more than enough to make 3 small balls and have some left over. I will have to make this again. Next year. When rhubarb comes back into season.

The recipes for these two delightful treats can be found on Amanda’s and Andrea’s blogs. If you have Dorie’s book – Baking from My Home to Yours, the scones are on page 34 and the cobble on page 415.

 

{TWD2} Pie and Scones

Today is Tuesday. And while I should be talking about Biscotti I decided to to some more catch-up instead. And I really wasn’t in the mood for biscotti which is what the BwJ Bakers were making for today!!

I love scones so when I saw that there were two scone recipes I missed these were high on my list. Unfortunately the first ones underwhelmed me.

Apple Cheddar Scones

Sorry, Dorie, but these were pretty bland. I used sharp cheddar cheese but I really couldn’t taste the cheese. I used the dried apple, chopped fine, but they ended up being little tough nuggets in the scones. Next time I would use pieces of fresh apple. I served the scones with some Honey Apple Butter we picked up on our last camping trip. Good stuff.

There was this little stand….

…on the side of the road. Anyway, the butter was perfect with these scones.

1/2 of the recipe gave me about 6 really good sized scones. Thanks to The Floured Apron who loves breakfast and choose these for us to bake July 1, 2008. You can find the recipe on her blog and on page 32 of Dorie’s book.

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July 8, 2008, was Blueberry Pie Day!! I have to confess I have never made blueberry Pie. In fact I have never even HAD Blueberry Pie. I KNOW!! I really wasn’t a blueberry fan until recently. Boy, I didn’t know what I was missing. We planted some plants this summer but they really haven’t produced yet. We visited a Farmer’s Market last week and these big, fat, sweet, juicy berries were calling my name!! I had forgotten all about the pie until I got home. It was fate!!

I cannot begin to describe how excellent this pie is. Sweet and creamy. I was afraid it was going to be runny but by the time time pie cooled it was just right!! The berries have everything to do with the way this pie turns out. If we had bought the berries that were tasteless and mealy the pie would have been AWFUL!! But with good berries – good pie! Delicious Pie!! Repeat soon Pie!! Amy….

….GREAT PICK!! Amy has South in Your Mouth and the recipe is on her lovely blog. (Page 361 in BFMHTY) As usualy, I made 1/2 of the recipe and that gave me three 5″ mini pies. This is definitely in our top FIVE from Dorie’s book.

 

{SRC} Heritage Cooking!

While I have done some cooking or baking from OLD cookbooks that is NOT what I mean by Heritage Cooking. This month for Secret Recipe Club my ‘Assignment’ was

THE HOST!!

Yes, Jane, I got your blog. A little intimidating – I mean YOU ARE THE HOST – but after looking through your blog I found lots of great recipes I could easily do in my little kitchen. And I knew I had to do you proud!! Hope I did!!

Jane’s Blog is The Heritage Cook. Jane says,

I learned to cook at my grandmother’s side, watching her create delicious meals and treats for our family. I love sharing the lessons she taught me. “

And share she does. Just about every post has at least one hint or tip to make kitchen time easier. What to do, what not to do, how to make it better. I learned a lot from Jane just reading through her posts and recipes. And, as is the case with most of the blogs assigned for SRC it was hard to narrow down which one or ones to try. I had six marked for sure but the month of April was completely crazy and I only had time for Three. But they were a good three.

For Breakfast one morning I made Jane’s…

Pumpkin Scones

For me THAT was must. I mean, look at my blog title. And even though Fall is far far away the scone that caught my attention was this one. I had made pumpkin scones before and found them very lacking in flavor. NOT THESE!!! They were wonderfully flavorful! I am so glad I made a whole batch because I want these for breakfast EVERY morning. I used butterscotch chips in them and topped them with sprinkled Turbinado sugar which gave a sweet crunchy crust to to the tops. The only change I made in Jane’s recipe was to bake them in a Convection oven with the temp lowered to about 375. They were done in about 18 minutes.

2-3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon {I used heaping for all the spices.}
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 cup cold butter
1 cup to 2 cups minced crystallized ginger, cinnamon chips, or chocolate chips {I used butterscotch.}
2/3 cup canned pumpkin {I actually, accidentally, used 3/4 cups.}
2 large eggs
Coarse white sparkling sugar, for topping

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices. Work in the butter just until the mixture is unevenly crumbly; it’s OK for some larger chunks of butter to remain unincorporated. Stir in the ginger and/or chips, if you’re using them.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin and eggs till smooth. Add the pumpkin/egg to the dry ingredients and stir until all is moistened and holds together.

Line a baking sheet with parchment; if you don’t have parchment, just use it without greasing it. Sprinkle a bit of flour atop the parchment or pan. Scrape the dough onto the floured parchment or pan, and divide it in half. Round each half into a 5 to 6-inch circle. The circles should be about 3/4″ thick. Brush each circle with milk, and sprinkle with coarse white sparkling sugar or cinnamon sugar, if desired. Using a knife or bench scraper that you’ve run under cold water, slice each circle into 6 wedges. Carefully pull the wedges away from the center to separate them just a bit; there should be about 1/2″ space between them, at their outer edges.

For best texture and highest rise, place the pan of scones in the freezer for 30 minutes, uncovered. While the scones are chilling, preheat the oven to 425°F.

Bake the scones for 22 to 25 minutes, or until they’re golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean, with no wet crumbs. If you pull one of the scones away from the others, the edges should look baked through, not wet or doughy. Remove the scones from the oven, and serve warm. Wrap any leftovers airtight, and store at room temperature. Reheat very briefly in the microwave, if desired.

This past Saturday we had our annual Family Reunion. I usually take something sweet but there are usually so many gooey sweet desserts I decided on savory instead. I adapted Jane’s recipe for Creamy Herbed Potatoes Anna to the Slow Cooker and made about 1 1/2 recipes. YUM!! Lots of garlic, thyme, cream and FLAVOR!!

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed

1 bunch fresh thyme

1 large white or yellow onion, peeled and cut in half lengthwise

3 lb Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes

4 oz butter, melted

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9x13x2-inch baking pan.

Heat the cream and garlic together with several sprigs of thyme in a small saucepan over medium heat until steaming, but do not let boil. Stir in a pinch of salt. Remove from the heat and let steep while you layer the potatoes and onions.

Meanwhile, if you are using Russet potatoes, peel them. The Yukons do not need to be peeled. Using a mandoline, food processor, or very sharp knife, slice the potatoes as thin as you can and slice the onions the same thickness. There is no need to put the potatoes in water.

Strip the leaves off of about 4 to 5 sprigs of thyme, depending on how much herb flavor you want in your dish.

Start layering the potatoes in the buttered pan, completely covering the bottom. Sprinkle with some of the thyme leaves, salt, and pepper. Top with some of the onions and drizzle with a little of the butter. Repeat layers until you have used all the potatoes and onions. If there is any butter left, drizzle it over the top.

Strain the cream, discarding the solids. Pour the infused cream over the top of the potatoes. Place in the hot oven and bake until potatoes are tender and golden brown on top, 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 15 minutes before serving. This lets the potatoes set up and makes serving them easier.

If you want to make them in a Slow Cooker they will need to cook on HIGH for about 3 hours for doneness. I doubled the Garlic Cream sauce even though I only increased the potatoes and onions by 1/2.

And then, last night for dinner we had pork chops with Jane’s

Cheddar, Bacon, and Fresh Chive Biscuits

I am always a sucker for a good biscuit and definitely one with added ingredients – like bacon, chives, cheese!! There were light, tasty and perfect with the pork chops. More Pork!! AND I got to use some of the Chives in my first Herb Garden. It was a Win/Win/Win/Win situation!!

Now about those other recipes on my list. Definitely the

Potato Kibbeh and probaboly the
Pan Seared Scallopsand then there’s the
Mexican Potato Casserole just for good measure, followed by the
Wontons

Do I really need to go on?? Thanks, Jane, for all the tasty treats and suppers of the future. I hope I did you proud!!

Now, hop over the the Secret Recipe Club Blog and join in the fun. Discover a new baker/cook/innovator every month.

 

{TWD} Tea and …..

…Scones. NEVER pass up a chance to make scones. So this week was a gimme.

Honey Nut Scones

Rustic. Slightly sweet. Delicious. ‘Nuff said!!

I made 1/2 the recipe and ended up with 4 GOOD sized scones. Perfect for BREAKFAST!!on a cool Fall morning. They were good with and without butter. That’s what makes them good. They don’t need any accompaniment to be tasty.

Sweetened with honey and I had some good local to use. Rustic because of the use of AP flour and WW flour. Textured with chopped walnuts.

So thanks to my Twitter Buddy, Jeannette of Whimsical Cupcake for a delightful treat which is on page 31 of Dorie’s Baking from My Home to Yours.

Since there are only about a dozen recipes left and we are trying to finish by the end of the year we are actually given two recipes/week. The other one chosen was the Far Breton (page 202 – 203 ) . This one was Nicole’s (of Cookies on Friday) pick. Sorry, Nicole, this week I could only handle one, but it is on my list to make later.

Please visit the other <a href="http://www.tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com&quot; TARGET="_window"TWD bakers for their treats.

And, if you are interested, we are starting Baking with Julia (Childe) in January, also a Dorie book. I will put more information here when the details are completed. Love to have y’all!!