It's Good to be Home 08/05/2011
 My friends...if I still have any...I am happy to back in the blog-o-sphere. I have been on a very long vacation. Although I offer my apologies, I can't make any excuses. The truth is, I just haven't been baking much. Seriously. Last night I began a new book. It is called A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg. She is also the the author of the award-winning blog Orangette. As I began reading her charming tales of kitchen-life lessons, I realized how much I missed being The Fabulous Baker Girl (and after viewing that pitiful picture of the Tarte Tatin on the home page, a little guilty). I don't know how much of a following I have out there (especially now after such a long absence) but, to be honest, this blog has always been more for me than anyone else. I like writing it as much as I do the baking. In fact, I was thinking of expanding it so I have more to write about. That may happen in the future. Or it may not. For right now I am just happy to be back home. It seems appropriate that my first recipe back would be from Molly herself, the one who inspired me to get back at my desk and slip on my fabulous baker hat once more. One of the early recipes in her book is for banana bread with chocolate and crystallized ginger -- an intriguing combination, I must say. I just pulled it from the oven and it is wonderfully golden brown and beautiful and smells heavenly. I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of flavor. Banana, chocolate, and ginger are kind of outside of my flavor radar. I like banana and chocolate, but combine with ginger? Hmmm... Here's what I found. This recipe was really easy to make and didn't even require an electric mixer. The loaf baked up perfectly golden, rising just the right amount. It was hard for me to wait until it cooled to eat it. I sliced a piece off for myself figuring it would cool faster. I went about my business but kept coming back to pick up the plate and sniff it. I could definitely smell the ginger and something else that was very subtle, the banana I presume. Finally, I had waited long enough. I made myself a cup of tea and sat down at the table, taking full advantage of the fact my girls were occupying themselves for the time being. This wasn't something I wanted to share. It seemed a far more grown-up thing than your average banana bread. So...I took my first bite. It tasted like...well...it tasted like banana bread. This isn't a bad thing, mind you, just a bit surprising. I was expecting the flavor profile to have some sort of synergistic property. That said, I really enjoyed the ginger in this. The larger pieces had a bit of chew to them. The flavor wasn't overpowering and there wasn't that tell-tale heat that ginger usually has. In fact, I think I may have chopped the ginger a little too fine because I found myself wanting more of it. I actually added a thin layer of raw sugar to the top and I really liked the crunch it added to the bread. The chocolate was in perfect amount -- neither leaving me wanting more nor taking over the whole recipe. I did want to taste more banana though. It was almost there but not quite. That could be my fault though. I didn't actually measure the banana. I just guessed. To be honest, I wasn't as wild about this recipe as I had hoped. On the other hand, I do keep coming back to it. I actually made it for a meeting and I had to stop myself from eating more than one (okay, two) pieces before I left. And boy was happy that it hadn't all been eaten at the meeting! Given that banana bread is probably one of my favorite foods, it's no surprise that I do like this recipe. I just wish it had been more. More of what I'm not sure but it doesn't matter. Banana bread is supposed to make you feel all warm and fuzzy and like it should be eaten straight out of the oven. And in that regard....mission accomplished! Molly Wizenberg's Banana Bread with Chocolate and Crystallized Ginger 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 3/4 cup sugar 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup chocolate chips 1/3 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger 2 large eggs 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 3 large bananas) 1/2 cup whole milk plain yogurt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Set a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease a standard-sized (9"x5") loaf pan with cooking spray or butter. In a small bowl, microwave butter until just melted. Set aside to cool slightly. I actually used half butter and half canola oil, not because I have anything against butter. That's just all I had as I forgot to buy butter when I went to the grocery store.) In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add the chocolate chips and ginger. Whisk well to combine. Set aside In a medium bowl, lightly beat eggs with a fork. Add the mashed bananas, yogurt, melted butter and vanilla. Stir to mix well. Pour the banana mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir gently with a rubber spatula, scraping down the sides as needed, until just combined. Do not overmix. The batter will be thick and a little lumpy, but there should be no unincorporated flour. Scrap batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until the loaf is a deep shade of golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 50 minutes to an hour. If the loaf seems to be browning too quickly, tent with aluminum foil Cool the loaf in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Then tip it out onto the rack and let it cool completely before slicing. Add Comment Northern-Style Cornbread 03/19/2010
 I grew up eating cornbread...the traditional Southern kind that my grandma used to make. It was one of those things that I kind of liked but was never really excited about. I found it too dry and crumby. As an adult, it's still not a favorite. I did find one recipe that was really good and when I make cornbread, that's the recipe I use. That recipe, however was a bit fussy. When I found this recipe for Northern-Style cornbread in The Food Nanny Saves Dinner, decided to make it to serve with my BBQ chili. This cornbread turned out soooo good! I'm having a hard time staying away from it! It is so moist, it's almost cake-like. It's much sweeter than the the Southern-style cornbread I grew up with and although there will always be a special place in my heart where I remember my grandma eating crumbled cornbread with buttermilk poured over it, I'll stick to this kind for myself. Northern-Style Cornbread 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2/3 cup sugar 1/2 cup cornmeal 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/4 cups salt 2 eggs 1/3 cup canola oil 3 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted Butter and honey for serving Preheat over to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 x 8-inch baking pan. Combine th flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, combine milk, eggs, oil, and butter. Mix well. Add to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Do not overmix. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 minutes. The cornbread is done when the edges are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Note: Cut leftovers into large squares, split and toast. Top with butter and strawberry jelly. So delish! O'Fabulous Irish Scone Bread 03/17/2010
 They say everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day. I guess I'm no different. While I'm not big fan of corned beef and cabbage, I couldn't pass up making Irish Soda Bread. I didn't like the recipe I used last year, so I decided I would use recipe for scones (which I love) and just make the dough into a loaf rather than individual scones. I am sure that there are some Irish among you who are gasping at the thought of me making scones and trying to pass it off as soda bread. However, I figured the ingredients couldn't be that different. so I decided to compare the two recipes. As it turns out, I was right...and wrong. My scone recipe called for more sugar than the the recipe for the soda bread and the soda bread used shortening instead of butter. The scone recipe called for heaving cream while the soda bread called for buttermilk. The rest, you know, is pretty much the same. Because there was some difference, I just combined the two recipes and came up with a different one all together. One that I call "Irish Scone Bread". Whatever you call it, it's delicious. As soon as I took it out of the oven, I knew I was in big trouble. Now I have to spend the rest of the day trying not to eat the whole thing. The loaf spread quite a bit more than I expected but it turned out golden with a crunchy outside and a tender, rather moist inside. It's not too dry and the currants give it a nice sweetness. This was much easier to make than scones and much tastier than Irish Soda Bread (at least what I've had). It is perfect for a snack with tea or coffee or even milk. Or for lunch. But who would do that? So whether your Irish or not, whether it's St. Patrick's Day or not, all eyes are smiling over this irish Scone Bread. Give it a try!  Irish Scone Bread 1 stick butter 3 cups pastry flour 1/2 cup sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup buttermilk Scant 3/4 cup currants (I like currants better than raisins, but feel free to use either one) 1-2 tablespoons butter, melted Raw sugar (or regular) Preheat oven 350 degrees. Cut the butter into quarters lengthwise and then into chunks. Place in freezer. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking sugar, and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture is crumbly. Toss in currants. Pour in buttermilk and mix into flour mixture. You should have a kneadable dough. You won't have to knead the dough, but that's the consistency you are looking for. You can knead the dough once or twice if you need to in order to incorporate all the flour. Spray a large cookie sheet. Put the dough in the middle of the sheet and pat into a circle about 8 inches across. The dough will spread out so make sure you have plenty of room around it. Using a serrated knife, cut an X into the dough. Brush melted butter over the top and sprinkle generously with raw sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly on cookie sheet before transferring to a cooling rack. Don't skip this step or the outside won't stay crunchy. Enjoy! Really Good (for you) Banana Bread 11/17/2009
 I don't remember my mom cooking much when I was a kid. Her one specialty is goulash but what I do remember is her baking, especially around Christmas. Banana bread was always a favorite because she would let me mash the bananas -- with my hands. What could be more fun when you're so young? I'm not sure what recipe she used but a few years ago I came across a recipe by Emeril Lagasse. It was so good. The best ever. So I decided to make it even better. Now you may think that it was a bit presumptuous of me to think I could improve something of Emeril's. I suppose it was but one of his ingredients is sour cream which makes the bread super moist. However, I know that yogurt does the same thing and is way more nutritious. So I changed that. Then, I added ground flax seed. And a bit more cinnamon. And then I added some whole wheat flour. Then I just made it with all whole wheat flour. And before I knew it, I had a really, really yummy whole wheat banana bread that my whole family actually eats! They don't even know it's good for them! I love it when I pull the wool over their eyes and make them eat healthy despite themselves! This bread is very moist and delicious warm from the oven. I like it lightly toasted with butter for breakfast or as a snack with some tea. It even makes good French toast or peanut butter sandwiches. Anyway you slice it...this is a yummy addition to your baking repertoire. Really Good (for you) Banana Bread 3 ripe bananas 2 eggs 1 cup packed brown sugar 3/4 cup vegetable oil (sometimes I use 1/2 cup but the bread comes out slightly drier than usual) 1/2 cup plain yogurt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup ground flax seeds 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour Lightly grease a 6 X 9-inch loaf pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place peeled bananas in a small bowl and mash until there are no big lumps. In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, oil, and yogurt. You can do this by hand but I usually use my stand mixer. Mix in the cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, salt, and bananas. Whisk to combine. Whisk together ground flax seeds and whole wheat flour. Stir gently into the banana mixture until just combined. Pour batter into the loaf pan and bake for about 70 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Take out loaf and set on a wire rack to cool before slicing. If you cut too early the bread will fall apart.  |
