National Homemade Bread Day

Squeaking in under the wire here -- today is National Homemade Bread Day. It's said that only a very small percentage of people bake their own bread. I guess my universe must be skewed, because, among the people I know, nearly all bake their own breads.


At the last minute this evening, I decided to make some focaccia to go with dinner.


Dinner was buttermilk baked chicken from issue #2 of Everyday Food, published back in March 2003. This is a quick standby, never-fail recipe that I've been using for over 6 years now.



In addition, we had brussels sprouts. I know this is an iffy vegetable for many people, but I've always liked them. My daughter, however, needed convincing.

Tonight, I finally achieved success. The brussels sprouts were oven-roasted in bacon fat. The message was clear: bacon makes everything taste better.


One nice thing about this meal was that everything baked in a 400 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes. Easy and efficient.

If you want to try the focaccia, here's the recipe:

Quick Focaccia ( adapted from Gourmet, June 1996)

3/4 cup warm water (105°-115°F.)
a 1/4-ounce package (2 1/2 teaspoons) fast-acting yeast
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
coarse salt to taste


Lightly grease a baking pan, 13 by 9 by 2 inches.

In a bowl stir together water, yeast, and sugar and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. In a small bowl stir together flour and table salt and gradually stir into yeast mixture until mixture forms a soft dough. On a lightly floured work surface with floured hands knead dough 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic, and shape into a ball. Invert bowl over dough and let dough rest 10 minutes.

On lightly floured surface roll out dough into a 13- by 9-inch rectangle and transfer to baking pan pressing into corners. Let dough rise, covered loosely with plastic wrap, in a warm place 30 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Lightly rub some olive oil over the top of the dough. Press indentations about 1/4 inch deep and 1 inch apart all over dough with lightly oiled fingertips. Sprinkle with Parmesan, rosemary, coarse salt, and pepper to taste. Bake focaccia in middle of oven 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool focaccia in pan on a rack.

TWD: All-in-One Holiday Bundt Cake

Lucky for me that November's TWD posts can be all mixed up. With my copious amounts of free time (not), it made life easier to bake all these yummy things out of order.

This week, instead of the luscious molasses cookies, I tackled the Holiday Bundt cake. It was actually made in time for Sunday's National Bundt Cake Day, but, of course, I had to stay mum until today.



I only made one teensy change to the cake. In an act of subterfuge, I grated the apples instead of dicing them, since I wanted my cooked-apple-hating daughter to eat and enjoy the cake, unaware that her nemesis was contained within. Ha Ha! Success!


I also put a fairly thick maple syrup-flavored glaze over the top. (That's my favorite part. Call it maple and I'm all over it.)



Both the texture and flavor of this cake improves with time. The grated apples provide moisture without a lot of texture since they practically melt into the cake itself. The cranberries add a nice tang, and the nuts give it a crunch. The pumpkin is a subtle flavor, mainly adding color.


Thanks to Britin of The Nitty Britty for choosing a nice, festive cake for the season. Wander over to the TWD site to see all the delicious November offerings.

BB: Crème brulée

The first Barefoot Blogger recipe for November is an Absolute Winner! Crème brulée was the choice of Suzie from Munch + Nibble.


It was so easy to make, too. While my egg yolks and sugar were gently mixing, I heated the cream in the microwave, using my 1-qt glass measuring cup.

Then I slowly poured the cream into the egg/sugar mixture.

When it was blended, I poured the cream/egg/sugar mixture back into the measuring cup. It was a piece of cake to fill the glass ramekins.

Just before serving, I use my handy little torch to caramelize the sugar topping.



The texture on these brulées is fantastic -- so velvety and smooth. Although there's a bit of Triple Sec in mine, it was barely noticeable. May have to use more next time, because it does add a little something extra.



I highly recommend this particular Crème brulée recipe, both for the ease of preparation and the deliciousness. Go on over to the Barefoot Blogger site for more opinions.

Healthy Breads: Pumpkin Pie Brioche Braid

One of my summer projects involved working on a new bread baking cookbook, Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. Michelle, at Big Black Dog, formed a baking group for all the HBin5 aficionados, and Pumpkin Pie Brioche was the first bread out the gate. (Regular baking events will begin after the first of the year, when members have had time to acquire a copy of the book.)




With the HBin5 technique, this bread is easy to prepare. All the ingredients are mixed in a large container (you only have to wash the spoon!), then left to rise for a few hours before refrigerating. The next day, the dough will be ready to form, although it can be refrigerated for several days. The original recipe calls for a standard loaf pan, so you don't have to get all fancy with shaping.


The pumpkin and spice flavors are somewhat subtle, so quite a few of the bakers are doubling the spice amounts called for in the recipe. The color is already lovely because of the pumpkin, and when toasted, the spiciness pervades the room.



If you haven't already seen a copy of this cookbook, head to your local library or bookstore to read and drool over all the great recipes.


The recipe can be found at either Susan's or Michelle's blogs.

TWD: Cran-Apple Crisp

Overheard at the library last night:

If a cookie is baked not cooked, why isn't it called a bakie?

Good question.



Now, on to the topic at hand. Crisps.



Let me go on record as saying that I love apple crisps. I've been making them for 30+ years. I still use the apple crisp recipe from my 1964 edition of Betty Crocker's New Dinner for Two cookbook, even though both the front and back cover have become detached. Actually, I still use quite a few recipes from that book.

I also make individual crisps using a creme brulee dish, one sliced apple, and crumb topping mix that I keep in the freezer, and then bake in the toaster oven. Sort of an on-demand dessert, and one that I made regularly at the restaurant where I worked.

So, I was really looking forward to making Dorie's version with the addition of fresh cranberries and golden raisins. While the topping called for sweetened coconut, I used some of the unsweetened coconut from my stash, which was a nice balance to the filling.

All I can say is Wow or Yum or some combination like that. It took every bit of self control I had not to eat the whole lot at one sitting.



Since I don't have individual baking dishes, I used my trusty long-time friend, the 9x9 Pyrex dish that I acquired from my Mother when I left home.


I managed to get a few photos of a crisp serving before it disappeared. Please note that the cranberries weren't nearly as lurid in person as in the photo.


I finished the remaining bits last night. Lucky for me, my daughter doesn't like cooked apples, so this was all mine. I'm not sure she even tasted it. Her loss.

Thanks to Em at the Repressed Pastry Chef for a super delicious choice. Stop by the other TWD blogs to read about their opinions.

Cook the Books in France

I'm down to the wire here, but I'm still legal. It will still be November 8 for 3 1/2 more hours. Enough time to quickly post my entry for the latest Cook the Books Club choice, French Lessons by Peter Mayle.





I enjoyed reading about the various food-related events that take place in France. How I wish I'd known about the restaurant in Avignon when I was there!


But, what really brought a smile to my face was the story about the Marathon du Medoc, the connoisseur's marathon. How civilized to jog through the countryside, wearing outlandish costumes and sipping local wines.

Why, it reminds me of the few times I participated in San Francisco's infamous Bay to Breakers race.

I don't recall any wine stands, but the outlandish costumes were certainly there.

Even un-costumes.

My younger daughter, who was about 14 at the time, saw more naked people during the race than most other people have seen in their entire lives. (But, then, she also went bar-hopping in Portugal at 14, which is yet another story.)

Along with the undressed runners and the serious runners, there were runners bedecked costumes of every imaginable kind. One of my favorites was the group of runners dressed like a salmon. You guessed it -- they ran the opposite direction of everyone else. Upstream.



Those were the days. . . .

For my French meal, in honor of Mr. Mayle's adventures, I made a Gratin Savoyarde



and Porc a la Normande.



Our reading choice was courtesy of Johanna.



Here's to good food, good stories, and good memories!

TWD: Yummy Molasses Spice Cookies

Indecision is a terrible thing.

For instance, in trying to decide which Dorie delight I would make this week, I waffled back and forth until Wednesday. On Wednesday, I decided to bake the molasses spice cookies, and I'm glad I did.



They are absolutely delicious. And that's according to everyone who had one.



I rolled the cookie-dough balls in my large crystallized sugar bits and sprinkled more on top just for kicks.



I only baked 6 cookies per sheet because I knew they would spread. I also let the baked cookies sit a few minutes on the baking sheet so they would be easier to remove to the cooling racks.




These cookies will definitely go on the bake-again list. Thanks to Pamela of Cookies with the Boys for a top-notch choice. Visit the TWD blog to learn more.

(Yes, I did include the black pepper. It adds a nice depth to the spicy flavor.)