Things I Really Need To Bake

Blame it on pregnancy cravings, or the fact that I've been too sick to do much cooking in the last 5 months, or a stress-induced desire for comfort food, or the search for procrastination, or anything else you like, but the fact of the matter is the last few weeks have been one giant, continuing saga of OHMYGOSH THIS THING I MUST BAKE. 

Obviously, the whole being-sick-and-exhausted-because-growing-new-minion thing has put a damper on my abilities to actually DO any of this cooking, and the list of things I desire to make is growing to such proportions that I'm going to start forgetting things if I don't write them down soon. Which, on the one hand, so what, but on the other: LIST-MAKING EXCUSE FOR THE WIN!! I love me a good list after all.

And because I'm a) a sharing-and-caring kind of person, and b) am attempting to post more regularly on The Blog, you get to share the list too. Ha. If you do end up making anything off the list, I'd love to know how it goes :) But without further ado:

Amy's List Of Things I Really Need To Bake

1) A really good Laos curry. Or Thai, at a pinch. But it has to be GOOD. After visiting Laos/Thailand with school in 2013, I've fallen in love with good, proper, authentic southeast Asian cooking, but my tolerance for mediocrity in this food genre is low, and finding the good stuff near where I live seems nigh impossible. So: I need to learn to cook it myself.

 2) Good spring rolls. Ditto the above.

 3) Sweet potato and feta frittata, which I used to make all the time and is the best lunch snack ever, but which I literally have not made in yeeeeears.

 4) Cream potato bake, which is in the same category as (3) but is also, like, the ultimate comfort food. (I mean c'mon, it's potatoes, cream and cheese with a bit of spice. How is this NOT the ultimate comfort food?)

 5) Chocolate peppermint creams, because Mint Slices are my favourite biscuits* in the whole entire world, so a homemade version? OM NOM NOM. * Cookies, for those from America ;)

 6) Blood orange oil brownies, because Liana Brooks kept mentioning them on twitter :P

 7) Scones, preferably of the pumpkin or cheese variety. Maybe these ones from Smitten Kitchen (which, yes, American terminology says biscuits :P).

 8) Jam doughnuts, preferably these ones.

 9) Homemade ice cream. Any variety, I'm not too fussed. The only thing holding me off here is a present lack of freezer space.

 10) Bread rolls, or scrolls, or a pull-apart, or all of the above. Just, fresh, homemade, devourable bread.

 And in addition to all that, at some point this week or next I need to do a practice cake. Little sister's birthday is coming up and she has requested a pear and white chocolate mud cake, for which recipes apparently don't exist :P Which is fine, I like making up my own just fine, but given it's a Big Birthday I do need to do a test run first. In terrible news, it will also necessitate making a batch of salted caramel buttercream, which OH NOES WORLD IS ENDING, clearly, because you guys? The caramel recipe I use seriously tastes like the inside of Fantales lollies, for those of you who've ever eaten such things. It is glorious; truly, truly glorious.

 So. That's my to-bake list. If I can summon up some energy at some point, I'll make said items and post pictures and recipes and trivia when I do. But for now, I'm going to go find something quick and easy to eat for lunch, before my blood sugar levels drop to zero :P :D

 ~Amy

Quick Honey-Wheat Bread

2 cups water
2 tablespoons yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups wheat flour
4 cups bread flour
1/4 cup honey

Heat the water so it's warm to the touch but not too warm (2 minutes in the microwave and let sit for five minutes while you chase a screaming kid).

Stir the sugar into the water to dissolve. Add the yeast, stir again. Let it sit for five minutes until frothy.

Add the oil. Stir.

Add the wheat flour. Stir.

Add two cups of bread flour and the honey. Stir.

Add the salt. Stir.

Add the last two cups of bread flour. Knead for 3-5 minutes.

Cover loosely and let the dough double in size, about 1 hour in normal conditions. It will take longer if your house is cold.

Grease the inside of your loaf pan (this makes one large loaf of bread or two smaller ones).

Knead the dough for another 3-5 minutes. Please the dough in the loaf pan and let it rise until it's an inch over the top.

Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake the bread for 30-35 minutes.

Total working time... 20 minutes.

Sourdough Soft Pretzels

Recipe adapted from various sources.

Soft pretzels really are a labor of love. They aren't quick to make, but they are delicious. This fall I've been on a major "make it at home" kick. I've stopped buying jam and jelly at the store. I can make my own at home and can the resulting deliciousness. We're getting away from store bought bread, and that means homemade loaves that we like.

Sourdough is one of my favorite sandwich breads. It suits my lifestyle. Yes, it takes patience and planning to have sourdough starter lying around, but once you have the starter this is a 15 Minute Bread. You stir, abandon, knead, abandon, knead again, abandon, and then bake! Total time actually spent in the kitchen or the house with abandoned bread? Less than 45 minutes if you include the bake time.

The pretzels take a little bit more effort, but the basic sourdough bread is there. I usually split my dough so I have a small loaf, and a batch of palm-sized soft pretzels for snacks.

Sourdough Starter
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup warm water (90 seconds in microwave)
- 1 packet yeast
- 2 teaspoons sugar

Combine all ingredients in large mason jar. Cover with cheese cloth held down by a rubber band. Let sit on counter for at least three days. The jar will need to be stirred several times the first day, and once every day thereafter. The starter needs to be refreshed (fed) every week whether it is used or not. Add a heaping tablespoon of flour and a teaspoon of sugar or honey every week.

Sourdough
- 1 cup sourdough starter
- 1 packet of yeast
- 3 cups bread flour
- 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ cups warm water (90 seconds in microwave)
- 3 teaspoons butter
- 2 teaspoons sugar

Heat water and butter – the water should be warmer than bath water but not boiling. Stir together sourdough starter, yeast, sugar, and the bread flour. Add the water and baking soda. Slowly mix in the unbleached flour.

Knead for several minutes until no flour stick to the side of the bowl.

Set in a warm place to rise for 1-4 hours. You can preheat the oven to 350 for a few minutes, then turn off the oven and stick the bowl in there to rise as long as it isn’t hot. The oven should feel slightly to warm for comfort, but if it is too hot the yeast will due.

After the dough has risen knead it again for five minutes.

Bread-- Grease loaf pan or the locking rim on a springform pan (to shape round loaves). Place the kneaded loaf in the pan and let rise until double in size (1-4 hours depending on temp). Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Pretzels--
- White from one egg
- 2 tablespoons baking soda
- Kosher salt or other large rock salt for sprinkling
- Large pot of water for boiling
Divide dough into fist sized balls. Let balls sit five minutes to relax than roll out into long snakes.

To fold the pretzel grab the snake in the middle, cross the ribbons twice, then fold the ribbons back up the the body of the snake and pinch the dough together.
Let the pretzels sit and rise for 30-60 minutes. Preheat the oven to 475.

Fill a pot large enough to accommodate 2-3 pretzels at a time and fill halfway with water. Add the baking soda and bring to a low boil. A full rolling boil will be to hot.

Bake for 4 minutes at 475. Remove pretzels and turn oven down to 350.

Drop pretzels into boiling water in batches. Boil for 1 minute on each side.

Place boiled pretzels on baking sheet and brush with egg whites. Sprinkle salt over the pretzels. Bake for 15-25 minutes until pretzels are golden brown. Enjoy!