melissa makes bread

Gingerbread & Hot Spiced Wine

It's cold out. And, my brother sent me 15 pounds of my favorite dark brown sugar from India Tree for Christmas. I couldn't think of anything better to make than gingerbread and hot spiced wine. The gingerbread recipe came from Martha Stewart Living magazine - the December 1997 issue. In case you're wondering, I'm a Martha fan, and I love the earlier magazines and publications in particular.

For the hot spiced wine, I used a bottle of cheap red wine, added not quite 1/2 cup granulated sugar, threw in whole cloves, allspice, cinnamon and white pepper, and then sliced an orange and placed the halves on top. I brought the wine to a boil, reduced the heat and let it steep for a little bit before enjoying.

Blueberry Buckle

A buckle is an American fruit dessert that began to appear in the mid-twentieth century.  It is essentially a coffee cake.  The cake batter is thick, filled with fruit, usually blueberries, and covered with a crumb topping.    The recipe I used calls for 5 cups of blueberries, which meld with the cake to create a deliciously moist breakfast cake, perfect with coffee.  Recipe to follow soon....

Semolina Pound Cake

Pound cake is a moist, tender and rich butter cake.  It stands elegantly on its own without buttercream or frosting.  It's name comes from the original recipe - a pound of butter, a pound of sugar, a pound of eggs and a pound of flour.  Most of the versions you find today are modified from the original, including this cake.  Here, semolina flour substitutes for some of the all-purpose flour, lending a rusticity to the cake. 

Semolina comes from Durum wheat, a hard high-protein wheat used in pasta-making.  Semolina is coarsely ground and ressembles a fine-textured cornmeal. 

Because pound cakes are rich, they are easily complimented by fruit compotes and marmalades.  Kumquats make beautiful marmalades because their skin is not bitter.  Though they are a bit tedious to prepare (the multiple seeds in each kumquat must be removed and kumquats are small - about an inch long and three-quarters of an inch wide), the resulting marmalade is fragrant, sweet and tart! 

The recipe for this cake comes from Marcrina Bakery and Cafe Cookbook.  Marcrina Bakery is located in Seattle and makes beautiful artisan breads and pastries.  And I am quite excited to be heading to Seattle next week, where I will be able to taste and try some of their wonderful things.

Please watch and enjoy the following video on making this Semolina Pound Cake!

Boston Brown Bread

Boston Brown Bread dates back to colonial times.  It slightly sweet, wholesome and is traditionally eaten with baked beans.  It is leavened not with yeast, but chemically with baking powder and baking soda.  It is either baked or steamed, and the recipe I used called for it to be baked at a low temperature for an hour and a half.  The dough ressembles a batter and requires a pan or some type of support in which to be baked.  Traditionally that support is a can.  The cans that I used are about 4-1/2 inches wide by 5 inches tall, and the batter fills three quarters of each can before baking. 

This Boston Brown Bread contains various flours:  whole rye, whole wheat, all-purpose and stone-ground white cornmeal.  The stone-ground white corn meal is also called Jonnycake Meal, and I ordered it from Gray's Grist Mill.  Gray's Grist Mill takes White Indian Flint Corn from Rhode Island and stone grinds it into a meal.  White Indian Flint Corn is harder than other varieties of corn and therefore is able to be ground into a much finer meal.  The seed from this corn is descended directly from the corn the Indians gave the Pilgrims. 

The bread is sweetened by molasses and dried currants.  Although it is great with baked beans, I think it would be most perfect when simply toasted and spread with sweet butter.

Steamed Persimmon Pudding

Steamed persimmon pudding is yummy.  It might not be the most beautiful or enticing dessert on the dessert table, but one bite and you'll be hooked.  I first made this pudding several years ago from a recipe from Marion Cunningham, and it immediately became a favorite holiday recipe that I make every year, either for Thanksgiving or for Christmas.

This pudding uses one cup of persimmon pulp from Hachiya persimmons.  Hachiya persimmons are bright orange and oblong and are preferred to Fuyu persimmons, which are short and squat, for baking.  When they are ripe, Hachiyas feel mushy, and their flesh ressembles really ripe mango. 

This pudding has a beautiful and addictive flavor, almost spicy, yet there is just a small amount of ground cinnamon in the recipe.  There is also a little dark rum in the batter.  As the pudding steams, the persimmons turn the cake a deep brown. 

Persimmon Currant Squares

Every fall around the middle of October I begin to look for Hachiya persimmons at the market. Hachiyas are bright orange and oblong and are best for baking, whereas Fuyu persimmons are more squat and are great in savory preparations. Hachiyas are a bit tricky to find in New York, and I often scour various markets in search of them. Once found I bring them home and let them ripen in the refrigerator until they are very, very soft, almost mushy, but not quite. Then, I carefully peel their skins and place the interior pulp in the food processor and puree. The puree can then be used in baking similar to pumpkin puree.

These persimmon currant squares come from Deborah Madison's The Savory Way. They have a warm, earthy flavor and beautiful lemon glaze and seem to be the perfect afternoon snack.

Persimmon Currant Squares

Makes 24 2-inch squares

Ingredients:

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup persimmon purée

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice

1 egg

1 cup granulated sugar

4 ounces unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and cooled

1 cup dried currants

1 cup powdered sugar

2 lemons, juiced

Preheat the oven to 350 ˚F.  Butter an 8 x 12 – inch baking pan and set aside.

Whisk together the flour and spices in a bowl and set aside for a moment.  In another larger bowl whisk together the persimmon purée, baking soda, salt, lemon juice, egg, and sugar.  Then slowly whisk in the melted butter.  Gently stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no dry pockets remain.  Then stir in the dried currants. 

Spread the batter into the buttered pan and place in the center of the preheated oven.  Bake for approximately 25 minutes until the cake springs back when touched lightly in the center.  Remove from the oven and let cool.

Once the cake is cooling, prepare the lemon glaze.  Whisk the lemon juice into the powdered sugar until smooth.  With a spoon dribble the glaze over the top of the cake.  Let the cake continue to cool and the glaze dry.  Then cut the cake into 2-inch squares.

Mom's Apple Spice Keeping Cake

My mom's apple spice cake is an excellent keeping cake. The moisture from the apples keeps the cake fresh longer than a cake without fruit. This is really a simple cake to make, and it combines the flavors of autumn ~ apples, walnuts, raisins, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. My mom would make this cake every October when McIntosh apples filled the grocery store. When I studied in France in college, I made this cake for the family I was living with. The family had three young sons, and the middle son, Geoffroy, who was quite particular, ate the cake almost singlehandedly, a very good sign.

I made this cake using Red Cortlands, which are good baking apples. Their flesh is soft and gently sweet, and it doesn't oxidize and turn brown when cut.

Mom’s Apple Spice Keeping Cake

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients:

5 large apples, approximately 1 lb 12 ounces

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

2 cups granulated sugar

12 ounces unsalted butter (3 sticks), melted and cooled

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup walnuts

1 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 350 ˚F.  Once the oven has come up to temperature, place the walnuts on a baking sheet, and toast them in the oven for 10 minutes, until they are nicely browned.  Once they are taken out of the oven, let them cool down, and then chop them coarsely.

Butter a 12-cup capacity Bundt pan (you can substitute a 9x13-inch baking pan, but the baking time will vary).  Set aside. 

Peel, core and cube the apples into ¼-inch to ½-inch thick dice.  If you are using

Cortland

apples, they will not turn brown as you proceed to make the cake batter.  If the apples are turning brown, toss them with a little lemon juice to prevent further browning. 

Make the cake batter.  Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices in a bowl, and set aside.  Place the sugar and melted butter in a mixing bowl and mix on medium speed with a paddle attachment until the mixture is light and a little fluffy.  Then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is combined, before adding the next egg.  Continue mixing on medium until the mixture is homogenous and fluffy.  Then mix in the vanilla extract.  Remove the bowl from the mixer stand and stir in the dry ingredients by hand, mixing until there are no pockets of dry ingredients.  Then add the apples, chopped walnuts and raisins and stir to combine.  Pour the batter into the Bundt pan.

Place the cake in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.  Remove the cake from the oven and carefully invert it onto a serving platter.

Pear & Cardamom Spice Bread

The Clapp pear in an American heirloom pear, developed in 1840 in Dorchester, Massachusetts by Thadeus Clapp. It is one of the first pears of the season to ripen and is good to eat fresh without any preparation or cooking. It is a cross between a Bartlett and a Flemish Beauty. Its skin is golden green with red blush, and its flesh is juicy with buttery flavors of pineapple.

I used several Clapp pears in a pear and cardamom spice bread. The pears were quite juicy, which adds moisture to the bread making it a great keeper. The flavors of the pear and cardamom fully develop several hours after the bread has been baked.

Cardamom is a dried spice that comes from India. It is from the ginger family and its flavor marries well with pears, just as ginger does. Cardamom is a traditional spice in Danish pastries and is often the distinguishing ingredient between danish pastry doughs and croissants doughs.

Pear & Cardamom Spice Bread

Makes 9” x 5” loaf

Ingredients:

4 pears (approximately 1 1/3 pounds), such as Clapp or Bosc

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon ground cardamom

1 cup granulated sugar

4 ounces unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 ˚F.  Melt the butter first and let it cool as the batter is prepared.  Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and cardamom together in a medium-sized bowl.  Peel, slice in half and then core two of the pears.  Then chop them into dice, between ¼” and 3/8” thick.  Stir the chopped pears into the dry ingredients and then set aside.

Place the granulated sugar, butter and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl, and mix on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes.  Add the eggs and mix on medium speed until the mixture is light in color and fluffy in texture.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir gently until no streaks of flour remain.  Spread the batter evenly into a buttered 9” x 5” loaf pan.  Peel, slice in half and core the remaining two pears and then slice them lengthwise ¼” thick.  Arrange the pear slices decoratively in rows over the top of the batter. 

Bake in the center of the preheated oven for one hour to one hour ten minutes.  Rotate the pan half-way through the baking time to ensure even baking and browning.  And start checking for doneness during the last 15 minutes.  The quick bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top of the loaf is a light golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.  Then remove the bread from the loaf pan to finish cooling.

Pear Upside Down Cake

Pears have begun to appear at the market, and last week Locust Grove Farms had beautiful heirloom Devoe pears. These pears have a long narrow neck and tight, juicy, honey-flavored flesh. They were rather firm at the time that I purchased them, but after a few days, they ripened evenly and were juicy throughout. They made a very pretty pear upside down cake.

Pear Upside Down Cake

7 ounces unsalted butter (1 ¾ sticks), at room temperature

½ cup light brown sugar

1 lemon

5 pears

1 cup pastry (or all-purpose) flour

½ cup almond flour

1 cup cornmeal

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cups milk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Melt ¾ stick of butter with the light brown sugar in a small saucepan over low heat. As soon as the sugar dissolves, remove the topping from the heat. Pour it into a 9-inch round cake pan, and spread it out to reach the sides.  Set aside.

Juice the lemon and strain the juice into a medium-sized bowl. Add one cup of cool tap water to the bowl. The diluted lemon juice will prevent the pears from discoloring as they are prepared. One by one, peel each pear, cut it in half and trim off the stem. With a melon baller remove the seeds, and then cut each half in half. Place the pear quarters into the diluted lemon juice, tossing them gently to coat.

When all of the pears have been quartered, arrange them in a concentric circle on top of the upside down topping.

To prepare the cake batter, sift the pastry flour, almond flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and sugar onto a piece of parchment or waxed paper. Then place 4 ounces of butter (one stick), and the granulated sugar into the mixing bowl and cream on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Then add the vanilla extract.

Add one-third of the flour mixture to the mixing bowl and mix on low speed to combine. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides and add half of the milk. Mix on low speed to combine. Continue to add the flour mixture and milk, ending with the flour. Pour the batter on top of the pears.

Place the cake on the center rack in the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and let it rest for just a couple of minutes and then invert it onto a serving platter.

Rocket Muffins

Rocket muffins from Macrina Bakery in Seattle are not necessarily the yeasted breads I was solely going to journal about, however, I like the mix.  And these muffins are exceptional.  They are healthy muffins that taste great and are good for you too.  And they are perfect at breakfast time. 

I followed Macrina's recipe and substituted almonds for hazelnuts.  Other yummy ingredients include whole wheat flour (I used Bob's Red Mill), thick rolled oats, grated carrots, banana and raspberry jam.  Since I baked mine in paper cups, the baking time was cut down to about 23 minutes (my oven also tends to be on the hot side).  The raspberry jam is added at the end when the muffins come out of the oven and cool a bit.  The muffins are very dense and don't rise much.  The large amounnt of baking powder and soda help to create a lighter version than would be otherwise.