Interesting things are brewing

Image by .brioso. via Flickr

 A couple of interesting things are in the works here.One of which we will benefit directly from and another is an opportunity to see something neat.
  Last fall when I bought apples from Fruits of our Neighbors Nat and I talked about a trade at some point,some of our bacon for some of his hard apple cider.The cider is ready and the trade is in place.Tomorrow we are swapping samples! Then next week when the bacon is ready we will do the full swap.7 bottles of cider for 5 pounds of bacon.Some good eating and times are head.
   A couple of days ago our neighbor stopped by to let us know that he would have his churches big canning machine for the morning on Saturday(tomorrow) ,he invited us to use it if we liked. This machine uses big 5 pound cans to process whatever it is you want to can.Some of the things he mentioned were,flour,seeds,beans or any other goods one would want to store safely away.Although Chance and I do not A. have the cans or B.have anything we would want to store this way, we are hoping to stop by and check this machine out.I am hoping I can take a few photos of the whole thing to share with all of you. Part of me wishes we were not missing out on the use of the machine but then again it's not quiet what we are doing.The offer is kind and we are glad he thought of us.
  It is Friday! And I have this feeling in my gut that by afternoon my house may become full with extra bodies,most likely of the teenager size.So I called Chance and asked him for a request for a treat,he chose my Sticky Cinnamon Rolls. This is good suggestion, I can do a double batch easily and no one can say no to them. I could make a bet with Chance about how long the rolls will last if the house fills up,I could be owed some sort of riches by bed time tonight.These do not have frosting on their tops but rather have a sticky caramel type goo and how much spice they have can be left up to the baker.I sometimes add in raisins or nuts to the filling.Today I am opting for just gooey yum.  Now that I may have your attention here is my recipe.


Sticky Cinnamon Rolls:

Dough -
   4 1/2 teaspoons yeast
   1/4 Cup Sugar
   1/4 Cup lukewarm Water
   2 eggs
   2 Cups lukewarm milk
   3 teaspoons Salt
   6-6 1/2 Cups Flour  plus some for kneading
   1/4 Cup Oil

Soften the yeast and sugar with the lukewarm water,Beat the eggs,add the milk add the yeast-sugar mixture,salt,half the flour,then mix thoroughly.Add the oil and beat well.Add the rest of the flour or enough to make a soft dough.Turn out on to a well flour surface to knead or knead using a stand mixer,until smooth and elastic but no longer sticking to the bowl or surface. ( this dough is SUPER soft and sticky, when I do not use my mixer to knead it I am sure to oil my hands to prevent the dough from sticking.You will need some extra flour to get the dough to not stick.) Place in a well oiled bowl.Oil the top of the dough to keep it from drying out.Cover with a towel and let rise until double in bulk.Knead down then let it rise for another 45 minutes.
  At this point you can use the dough for rolls baking them at 425 for 15-20 minutes or continue on for Sticky Cinnamon Rolls.

The above dough will make a double batch of the rolls. I rarely bother with a single batch because they are so good.A single/half batch of dough will make around one 9x13 sized pan of Sticky Rolls.The recipe below for the syrup is for a  doubled batch of dough.But first you need to make the rolls.

Roll dough about 1/2 inch thick.Brush rolled dough with some melted butter,sprinkle with a generous amount of brown sugar and cinnamon which you have mixed together.Usually 1 Cup of Brown Sugar and 1 Tablespoon of cinnamon,adjust to taste.Roll the dough carefully beginning at the wide side and working away from you.Seal the dough bt pinching the edges together. Cut roll into 1 inch slices.Cover the bottom of a oiled pan with the cooled syrup,add cut slices,cut side down in pan.Do not crowd or the middles will pop up.Bake in a preheated oven at 375 F for 20-25 minutes.Remove from oven and let them stand for 5 minutes to give the syrup time to thicken. Now place a cookie sheet or preferably a jelly roll pan on top of the pan and flip the pan of rolls over.Voila!

Syrup for Rolls-
  2 Cups brown sugar
  1/2 Cup butter
  4 Tablespoons corn syrup or honey 
 1/2 Cup water
 Cook until sugar has completely dissolved,stir most of the time. Cool before placing rolls in the syrup.
  For those of you who like nuts you can pour the syrup into your baking pan and then sprinkle chopped nuts over the syrup before placing the rolls.

Enjoy your days everyone, I am  off to roll out my dough.
  Rois







  
 

Those Mennonite Girls CAN Cook and other bits.

I may have mentioned the blog I follow called Mennonite Girls Can Cook before but, to prove how much I enjoy their blog I am raving about them one more time (for now.) Mondays have become my Bread Baking Day,I am off work and mostly just at home doing house stuff so it works pretty good.
A week or so ago MGCC posted a recipe using a bread dough 3-4 ways that caught my eye.It was not so much the dough it's self but one of the ways to use it called Platz. I reminded myself to try this out the next time I was baking bread.

When I make bread dough I make enough for two loaves at a time because that is all my mixer can handle.Some of the time I make one loaf's worth of the dough into something other than a loaf. A special treat I make with the dough my Great Grandma handed down,she called them Lard Cakes.Ok lard is not on most peoples lists of tasty bites but all they are is Fry Bread.You take blobs of dough,pat them out and fry them in oil, that's where I think the lard bit came in.Then we eat them with jam or rolled in sugar.

The MGCC's Platz is a bit different.You pat out dough into a baking pan,top with fruit or jam,sprinkle the top with crumb and bake it.I liked the fact that it was all things I have on hand all the time.Today when I tried this out I used Apple Butter and one apple diced up for the filling.From the dough for one loaf of bread I was able to make 2 Platz,one was in a Springform pan and the other in an 8 inch round cake pan.And as my smoke alarm told me the Springform pan was the better choice because the dough rises,the dough in the 8 inch pan goo-ed and I now have burnt sugar in the bottom of our oven,lucky me.

So far the recipes I have used from their blog have all worked just like they said and were good. Not only do they have a great list of standard Mennonite dishes they also have a Gluten Free heading as well,bonus! I also love the way they write,it reminds me of how my Mother and Grandmother would explain recipes to me and write them down.

Another Blog I follow and an author who's books we own is Michael Ruhlman. Today Michael posted a blog about Cultured Butter which has me intrigued.Unlike just plain everyday Butter this one has a bit of yogurt added to the cream giving a different flavor.The posting stated that this butter is common in Indian dishes.The next time I go to the market I want to pick up the cream and some plain yogurt to try this out.And like Mr Ruhlman says,homemade butter dose make a difference in taste.

The Platz is still cooling on the counter,if Chance is lucky there will be one for him to take to work for his crew's morning break.
Rois

Seven Minute Frosting

A reader left a comment wanting more information about "the" frosting.I am hoping it was the Seven Minuet frosting they were wanting because it is the only frosting I have an actual recipe for.When I make a Butter Cream type it is all just a bit of butter,powdered sugar and what ever I am flavoring it with,no measurements.

My recipe is from one of my vintage baking books that has lost its cover and title page so I can not be honest and give the title as I should.None the less here it is.

Seven Minute Frosting-

2 Egg Whites
1 1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar
1/2 Cup Water*
1 Tablespoon White Corn Syrup (that much is not going to kill you.)
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract **

Combine egg whites,sugar,water,corn syrup and salt in a double-boiler top. With an electric mixer at high speed,beat about 1 minute to blend;then place over rapidly boiling water and beat till mixture holds a peak when beater is raised.(don't be surprised if it take longer than 7 minuets.) Remove from boiling water.(For smoothest frosting,empty into a large bowl.) Add vanilla and continue to beat till mixture is stiff enough to spread.
Fills and frosts top and sides of:
2- 8 or 9 inch layers
or
8x8x2 or 9x9x2

* For crusty surface reduce water to 1/3 Cup

** Flavor Variations-
Chocolate- fold in 2-3 squares of melted unsweetened chocolate
Harvest Moon- Sub 1 1/2 Cups Brown Sugar for Granulated
Peppermint- Sub 1/4 teaspoon Peppermint extract for vanilla and add in 6- 5 inch
peppermint sticks crushed. Or a handful of the small round peppermints crushed.

A couple of times I had this recipe not work to well,I assume it had something to do with the humidity.Like I mentioned in my last posting the frosting comes out kind of like soft Marshmallow Cream and dose not crust or dry out. It is not as stiff as Meringue. Be careful when frosting your cake, if you over fill it the layers will slide.

My brother loved the chocolate cake with the peppermint seven minuet frosting and always had it for his birthday cake.The year he turned 12 my parents got him a dog for his birthday,we named the dog Sam. After we brought Sam home on my brothers birthday, we had birthday cake for my brother.There was just the 4 of us so half of the cake was left at bedtime. Bedtime also brought up where to put the new dog for the night.My Mom worried about chewing or peeing on the carpeting,the dog was an unknown factor so I can't blame her.Her solution was to shut Sam in the kitchen for the night in the big butlers pantry,not much to chew and a floor that could be mopped. No one thought about the cake sitting on the counter smelling like heaven to a dog with a sweet tooth.In the night Sam got the cake down and ate every single lick of it and then puked it all up,good thing the floor was mop-able. That was the beginning of our education of life with Sam,Sam LOVED sweets. I was only 4 at the time and still short,I had to learn that any time I had a treat that was not eaten at the table, I had to raise my hand holding the treat as high as I could.Why? Well Sam had a talent for sneaking up behind you and gently but swiftly snatching your goody. He really was a good dog we named him for Frodo's Sam with the hopes the dog would be as faithful as the other Sam and he was,he just had to have his sweets.Fitting I'd say,those Hobbits and their meals and all that.

Well "L" I hope that was what you were asking about.If not post a comment again and it will motivate me to measure out a batch of Butter Cream Frosting.
I ended up not baking a cake today.There was a break in the weather and this time of year we have to use those days to their fullest.We planted 3 Blueberries and 1 Italian Prune tree today.The start to filling in our empty front with garden beds.The next 2 days I'll be working and hope to bake a cake soon,I am craving cake badly and just need to get that need filled.
Rois

Chocolate Cake

This posting is dedicated to both Margaret and Rachel. I raise my fork to you and your love of chocolate cake.


On my to do list for tomorrow is to bake some sort of cake for home. I have not picked which kind yet but I thought I'd share with all of you my families most favorite chocolate cake.My Aunt started baking this cake forever ago and it is now what the extended family expects when chocolate cake is on the menu. This cake is great with whatever kind of frosting or icing you may like.We are overly fond of peppermint flavored seven minute frosting slathered on and sprinkled with crushed bits of peppermint candies. Seven minute frosting is a rare treat here,it involves egg whites and like meringue is fussy about humidity,remember we live in wet Oregon so it dose not always turn out.But the marshmallow cream likeness is a slice of heaven. Chocolate Ganache is great too. MMM

Chocolate how could one go wrong? So here is the recipe which came from the back of the Hershey's Baking Chocolate box that my Aunt had and then passed on to me.The recipe that is currently on the box is not the same and in my opinion not as good.

Hershey's Chocolate Cake-

Preheat the oven to 350

Mix in the following in order:

1 3/4 Cups Flour
2 Cups Sugar
3/4 Cup Baking Cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
2 Eggs
1 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Veg Oil
2 teaspoons Vanilla

Once you have the above all mixed together add to it.

1 Cup Boiling Water I turn on the kettle as I start to mix the batter by the time I need the water it is boiling.

Makes: 1-9x13 cake
2- 9 inch cakes
3-8 inch cakes
Or about 24 cupcakes.If you are packing these in a lunch box send two,the cupcakes have
amazing trading power at lunch time.
For the cakes bake for 30-40 minuets.If you touch the top of the cake to check for done-ness the top will seem moist and stick to your finger tip.Try the straw test to check for done-ness instead.
For the cupcakes it is about 10 minutes baking time.

Happy baking.
Rois