Ultimate Coconut Black Sesame Bundt Cake (gluten-free and traditional recipes)

In my kitchen, I go through spurts of experimenting with different types of global cuisines.  In the past week, I've been doing lots of Thai food.  This cake is inspired by traditional Thai dessert flavors, albeit not at all influenced by traditional Thai textures.  Black sesame is a very common ingredient in desserts of many kinds, and coconut is a ubiquitous ingredient when it comes to traditional Thai desserts.  Palm sugar is typically used for both savory and sweet dishes in Thailand, and plays an important role in many traditional baked desserts, such as the beloved toddy palm cake.

This cake is pretty easy.  You don't even need an electric mixer.  It's a great weeknight cake, since no mixer or frosting is necessary.  If you desire topping, whip up heavy cream with powdered coconut milk and sugar until heavy peaks are achieved.  Please note that a cake with this topping is only good for a day or two before the whipped cream begins to weep.  Refrigeration and avoidance of hot weather are also a must if you do the whipped topping.  You could always make it on the side and serve a dollop with each slice :).

Ingredients
1 c flour (or gluten-free flour sub blend., in my case)
1 c fine unsweetened  desiccated coconut/coconut flour*
1- 3/4 granulated white sugar
1/4c softened palm sugar (microwave for 30 seconds)
1 TB baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 eggs, room temp.
1 stick butter, melted
1/2c vegetable oil
2 TB black sesame seeds**
2 tsp vanilla, preferably Bourbon vanilla***
1 tsp coconut extract
1c + 2 TB milk (or Indian yogurt or sour cream)
2 TB white rum or cachaca

* found at your local Indian market or often in gluten-free aisle of fine supermarkets
**found at SE Asian market
***TJ sells a great one at a great price

Procedure
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2 In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, coconut, baking powder, and salt until well-blended.  Set aside
3. In a large, microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in microwave and allow to cool slightly.
4. Whisk in oil, vanilla, coconut extract, rum, white sugar, and palm sugar until blended uniformly.
5. Whisk in eggs, one at a time.
6. Alternate whisking in flour mixture and milk, one third at a time, starting and ending with flour.
7. Stir in sesame seeds until combined.
8. Bake for about 1 hour, or until cake springs back when touched in center.
9. Allow to cool,slice, and enjoy.

References/Inspiration: http://bit.ly/1qTTcDh

Traditional French Fluffy Almond Sponge Cake - Financier aux amandes

A financier is another one of those things that I had heard of, but never actually seen or tasted before I made it myself.  I had heard of chefs making financiers, whatever that was, and people made it sound so delicious, but I was skeptical.  I like the nice, moist style of cakes that I would argue that we Americans do better than Europeans.  The European sponge-y style of say, the genoise, or the panetela is just not my thing.  Dry, airy sponge cakes will never be my fancy, no matter how much fat they pack into them.  Financiers, however, are different.  How did I know?  I looked at the ratio of fat to dry ingredients, as well as the absence of egg yolks, which was awesome.  The high percentage of yolks is what creates the dry sponge cake texture that I typically try to avoid in my kitchen.

After looking at a few yummy recipes in my Desserts Festifs cookbook by Sylvie Ait-Alie that I ordered on Amazon France (thank you, global marketplace), I decided that a financier actually looked like the perfect dessert endeavor for my weekend.  I did not, however, opt to use a recipe from this book, as these are fancier cakes that use financiers as the base.  I just wanted to try the basic financier first to ensure that I would like it before I made a more fanciful creation down the road.

After Googling some recipes in French, this is a translation of the recipe I used.  The result was the perfect, dainty little cake with a beautiful golden crust, and an other-worldy soft and fluffy interior.  The texture reminds me more of a moist chiffon cake than a sponge cake, although technique-wise, it is a sponge.  Because of all of the egg whites, there is no need for leavening, and the almond and brown butter provide enough flavor that vanilla is unnecessary.  This cake is characterized by a light almond flavor and a nutty background flavor, thanks to the brown butter.  Simple, easy-to-make, and delightful, this cake is sure to be a crowd pleaser at your next brunch, tea party, or elegant shower.  Take advantage and take it to the next level using a variety cute mini brioche pans, mini loaf pans, or diamond shaped mini loaf pans for added elegance.

Financier aux amandes

Ingredients:

50g white AP flour
50g almond flour*
130g powdered sugar

4 egg whites
70g butter

*You can make this yourself using chopped skin-on almonds, chopped blanched almonds, or slivered almonds ground into a uniform flour in the blender, coffee grinder, or food processor.  Simply sift and re-process any chunks that do not pass through the strainer.

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 375 and grease pans well with shortening.

2. Chop butter into pieces and melt in a small sauce pot over medium-low to medium heat.  Allow to continue boiling until a light golden brown color is achieved.  Swirl the pan occasionally throughout this process.  If any bits form at the bottom of the pan, be sure to strain them out well.

3. Using a fork or a whisk, blend together the AP flour, almond flour, and powdered sugar.  Set aside.

4. Beat in egg whites with an electric mixer until well-blended.

5. Once butter is browned, allow to cool slightly before using electric mixer to incorporate into batter.

6. Bake cakes for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown on the edges and cake begins to separate from the sides of pan.  Cake is done once it passes spring test, but you may brown further, if desired.

7. Remove cake from pan immediately after baking and allow to cool.  This is not the type of cake that you want to taste while hot, as it will taste eggy.  This taste will dissipate once the cake has cooled.  Cool completely and enjoy :).

I think next time I will add in some lemon zest and almond flavoring to create a bolder flavor, as the cake already tastes like vanilla.  The cake has a simple tastiness to it, as is.

Variations:
add some lemon zest, add 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, add 1/2 tsp almond extract, add a combination of extracts, drop sliced almonds over the top of each cake before baking, top with sweetened fresh berries before baking

References:
http://www.lesfoodies.com/lafeecrochet/recette/financier-facon-cyril-ligniac
http://www.750g.com/recettes_financiers.htm --video recipe

Multi-Grain Muffins **Low Iodine and Almost Vegan**

This is yet another find for low iodine and vegan diets.  It's not for everyone, but I happen to love grains of all kinds.  If you like bran muffins and multi-grain bread then you'll love these muffins.  They are packed with nutrition and are very tasty.

Ingredients:
Streusel
1/2 c multi-grain oatmeal
5 TB brown sugar (1/4 c + 1 TB)
2 TB oil or softened vegetable margarine
1.5 tsp cinnamon

Muffins
1 c multi-grain oatmeal
1-1/2 c white flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
2 TB shredded frozen coconut (Walmart, Asian market, Latin market)
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup unsweetened natural applesauce
2 TB honey
1/2 c coconut milk
1/4c - 1/3 c chopped walnuts or pecans
1/4 cups raisins (optional)
1/2 c + 2 TB brown sugar
1/4 c vegetable oil
2 egg whites

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Line a muffin pan with baking cups

3. Prepare topping by blending brown sugar, oats, oil or margarine, mixing well.

4. Prepare muffins by combining flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  In a separate bowl, blend egg whites, applesauce, coconut milk, brown sugar, and oil.

5. Stir in dried coconut, nut, and raisins, if using.

6. Fill the cups with a spoon of batter, just enough to cover the bottom.

7. Spoon in a layer of streusel.

8. Fill the cups 3/4 of the way full with more batter.

9. Bake 18 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges.

References: http://www.countrychoiceorganic.com/products/recipes/

Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Bun Pull-Aparts**Brioche Effeuiller a la Cannelle**

*ugly, but it sure was yummy!*  Sorry,  I ate quite a bit long before I photographed*

*I overstuffed the pan, that's why mine was ugly.*

It's dough mania at my house these days!  I've been making lots of pastries with brioche.  This particular recipe uses French technique  but with an American twist from a nice cinnamon sticky bun topping.  The result is a cute (not-so-cute in the photo, but cute functionally :)) pull-apart roll stuffed with rum-soaked raisins, cinnamon, brown sugar, and white sugar topped with a perfectly ooey gooey, buttery brown sugar sauce on top.  

Brioche itself is a soft, tender, buttery, sweeter, richly flavored bread.  It is also used as the base of many traditional French pastries, or viennoisserie.  This particular sweet bread, brioche effeuiller, literally "leaves or leaved," since leaf and layer are often communicated with the same word in most romance languages, but it actually means layered brioche.  For this recipe, I took the rum-soaked raisins of pain aux raisins and fused a great American-style sticky bun sauce with this delicious, homey French treat!  I know that you will enjoy as much as I did!

Just a note, be very careful with loading the pan.  I overloaded the pan with dough, forgetting that although the risen dough in the pan still fit, the dough would rise to 1.5 times it's pre-baking size in the oven.  Needless to say, my dough spilled over, and I found myself skimming the browned bread off the top and waiting forever for the interior dough to fully cook.  Long story short, this recipe is for 2 loaf pans.  Yours will be much prettier than mine and they won't spill over this way ;).

Brioche *for 2 loaf pans*

http://downtownfoodie.blogspot.com/2011/12/fluffy-silky-buttery-brioche.html

Ingredients *for 2 loaf pans*
filling
160g of raisins, soaked in 7 TB of dark rum
1 stick of butter, softened
1-1/2c packed brown sugar
2 TB cinnamon

sauce
1 stick of butter, cut into pieces
1/2c packed brown sugar
1c white sugar
1/4c milk
3 TB cornstarch
2TB corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of cinnamon
1 small pinch of nutmeg

Note: The original recipe uses evaporated milk with 1/4c brown sugar and 3/4c white sugar, but we didn't have any evaporated milk at the time.  I had to increase this and add cinnamon and vanilla to compensate for the milk substitute and the addition of starch, which tends to mask flavor.

Procedure and Technique

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Prepare dough per brioche dough instructions.  Once the dough has risen a second time and been punched down.  Begin rolling dough out on a floured surface.  Roll the dough into a rectangle no more than 1/4" in thickness.

3.  Butter the dough surface evenly with very soft butter.  Once completely buttered, sprinkle evenly with the topping.
4.  Begin cutting the dough lengthwise, as photographed here in the 4th row of photos.  You will lose topping in the process moving the layers on top of one another, but simply replace the topping before moving to the next layer.

5. Once the dough is placed in the pan, allow it to rise for about 15 minutes.  This is the perfect time period to begin making the sauce.

6. Next, place all sauce ingredients, besides the corn starch, into a sauce pot over medium heat.  

7. Once the mixture is homogeneous and hot, but not yet boiling, place the cornstarch into heat-proof mug or small heat-proof bowl and mix in a couple of tablespoons of the liquid from the pot.  Stir rapidly with a spoon until homogeneous and all lumps are out.  Add the cornstarch liquid back into the pot and stir until homogeneous. 

8. Allow mixture to boil gently 2-3 minutes, until thickened.  

9.  Once thickened and cooled slightly, just so that it is no longer boiling. pour generously and evenly on top of dough that has fully risen in the pan, just before baking.  I like to push the sides of the bread in a bit to pour some sauce a long the sides too, it won't hurt to pull the layers themselves apart to a bit to give them some extra love as well.  

10.  Bake at 350 in 2 separate loaf pans *that are placed on top of a baking sheet* for about 25 minutes, or until browned and a quick check between the center layers shows that the bread is done.  The baking sheet part is very important as that topping is very likely to spill over.

11. I actually inverted mine and poured more sauce before flipping over again.  The actual top is where it's easiest to pull the bread apart from.

12.  If you happen to overload your pan and your bread is browning too quickly without cooking enough in the center, simply cover to top loosely with foil, move the oven rack higher up, as the bottom is likely going to burn otherwise, and continue baking.

TIPS: For the brioche, you have to be sure to knead intensively the first time.  If you do not, your dough will be to slack, and once you add the butter there will be no repairing this since the butter will shorten the gluten strands, thus weakening the strength of the dough and causing it to be to slack, soft, and sticky.  After the first kneading, your dough should not leave bits here and there on the counter top.  You should be able to roll the dough and pick up any bits and lift the ball with minimal stickiness and the dough should form a smooth, very soft, yet minimally sticky ball.


Please see the link below for dough shaping process photos
http://www.papillesetpupilles.fr/2011/10/brioche-a-effeuiller-au-sucre-et-a-la-cannelle-pull-apart-bread.html/

References
http://www.patiss.com/recette/pates/brioche.html

http://www.papillesetpupilles.fr/2011/10/brioche-a-effeuiller-au-sucre-et-a-la-cannelle-pull-apart-bread.html/

http://morebutter.wordpress.com/2008/12/25/papa-moreheads-cinnamon-rolls/

http://megsvegrecipes.blogspot.com/2005/02/ooey-gooey-cinnamon-rolls.html

French Style Brioche Sweet Rolls *Pain aux Raisins*

I have never had pain aux raisins before, but I have been teaching myself to bake a number of traditional French pastries using French recipes.  Pain aux raisins is soft, tender, and fluffy with a dark, golden sweetness from the rum-soaked raisins, and a nice creamy, rich creamy surprise from the custard baked into the roll.  Even if you don't like raisins, you'll enjoy this special treat since the raisins are plumped and completely transformed by the rum.  

This sweet treat is a very common French viennoiserie, or pastry.  Viennoiserie is a class of pastry that doesn't have a true translation in English, but it encompasses things like croissants, brioche, pain aux chocolat,and  pain aux raisin.  These are all very elegant pastries that seem super complicated to us Americans, but in France, these are everyday pastries that are ubiquitous when it comes to bakery fare.  Surprise your friends and family with this delicious, fine and elegant treat!  It looks just as wonderful as it tastes!

Dough
http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8723226212538786428#editor/target=post;postID=9071726447115682002

After the first rising and punch down, brioche is fine for freezing.  Just wrap the dough tightly in plastic and place in a freezer bag, being sure to press out all air.

Filling
Michel Roux's Pastry Cream from Pastry
6 egg yolks
1/2 c + 2TB sugar
1/4c all purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
          *if you don't have the bean, use about 1 TB of good vanilla extract

rum soaked raisins *Kid friendly, the rum cooks out
150 g raisins (maybe about 1/2 c)
6.5 TB dark rum (my favorite for baking is Barbancourt)


Procedure
1. In a heat safe bowl, whisk together the yolks and 1/3 of the sugar until a ribbon like, or thick glossy consistency that forms a brief fold or ribbon when poured,  is achieved.

2. Bring the milk, vanilla bean, and the rest of the sugar to a boil.  Once a boil is reached, gradually pour the milk into the bowl with the yolk mixture, whisking continuously.

3. Return the mixture to a pan over medium heat.  Cook for 2 minutes, whisking continuously.

4. Set custard aside to cool.  Protect the custard from developing a skin on the top by either sifting powdered sugar over it or placing thin slices of butter over the top.

Assembly
1. Roll out the dough into a rectangle 1/3" thickness.  Spread a layer of cooled custard over the dough and sprinkle the rum soaked raisins evenly across the dough.  Tightly roll the dough length-wise.

2. Slice the rolls in about 2 inch thickness.  You can do this either with a metal pastry cutter or by placing unflavored floss or thread under the roll and pulling each end to the opposite side to cut through the dough.

3. Place the rolls into a well-greased pan or baking sheet and allow to double in size.  Brush with an egg wash of egg and 1 TB of milk.  Bake at 375 until golden brown, about 15-17 minutes or so.  Brush the eggs with egg wash a second time midway through baking.

References: http://www.patiss.com/recette/viennoiseries/pain_raisins.html, http://www.patiss.com/recette/pates/brioche.html

Mini Moist, Buttery Caramel Fig Cakes

*photos shown are without caramel sauce*

I was craving something sweet with a rich flavor tonight, but I didn't want to make a full-sized cake.  Inspired by Hog's Head Cafe's pineapple upside down cake which is topped in a beautiful caramelized sugar syrup, I decided to bake mine flan style with a sugar syrup in the bottom of the pan.  I made this recipe off the top of my head, just bearing in mind that I wanted a nice rich flavor and moist texture.  I always start with one cup of flour for four ramekins and usually 1-1/2 tsp baking powder, and I went from there.  When I opened the fridge for the milk, I saw the fig jam so I went for it. The result is a wonderful buttery flavored cake with a very tender crumb and a sticky glazed bottom.

The flavor has a nice rich, buttery taste in the foreground and a mild, dark fig flavor in the background.  Serve it inverted to display the caramelized-sugar-coated top.  This recipe is perfect for four ramekins. Enjoy this deliciously delectable cake, mmm, mm, mmmmm!  It would surely be a crowd leaser with a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream, and maybe even a capful of dark rum drizzled on top.  In less than 30 minutes you'll be ready to go!


*of course if you want this to be a full size cake, double everything and there you'll have it*
Ingredients
1 cup flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2c + 2TB milk
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 TB dark fig spread (mine is Trader Joe's fig)
2 tsp dark rum (I prefer Barbancourt)
1/2 tsp vanilla

sugar syrup
1c brown sugar
1/4c water (or less, just enough to moisten the sugar, the goal is a thick syrup)
2 tsp dark rum (Barbancourt preferred)
dash of salt

Procedure

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees with a water bath pan in place.
A water bath just means that you will place a pan large enough to fit your ramekins into the oven and fill it with water after having placed it into the oven (as this avoids spills).  The water bath prevents the crystallization of the caramelized sugar syrup and keeps it in liquid state.

2. Stir together flour, salt, and baking powder

3. Meanwhile, prepare caramelized sugar syrup in a sauce pan over low to medium low heat.  Do not stir, swirl pan to blend ingredients then let boil until thickened

4. Immediately coat ramekins or mini pans with sugar syrup, swirling to coat generously on the sides and bottom.

5. Blend sugar with melted butter, oil, and rum

6. Alternate blending flour and milk by thirds with a spoon, starting and ending with flour

7. Stir in egg

8. Stir in fig jam and vanilla

9. Divide batter evenly into all four ungreased ramekins or mini pans

10. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the center of the cake springs back when pressed

Amazing Fluffy Roasted Banana Bread

*See the yummy banana chunks?*

I just made the most amazing banana bread I've ever had!  The texture is soft and fluffy instead of being that typical, almost excessively dense and sticky banana bread.  What's more, using chunky mashed bananas instead of puree leaves you with wonderful, flavorful chunks of banana in the finished bread.  The banana flavor is intensified by roasting, and the palm and demarara sugars give this bread such an amazingly rich flavor that you don't even need cinnamon or other spices!  Who knew?!  Take that coming from a total cinnamon freak.  The rum also aids in intensifying flavor and it, along with the yogurt, create a soft, silky texture.  I also topped the bread with some coarse demarara sugars and that created a nice crunch on the top of the bread, yum!

Whether you love banana bread or aren't all too crazy about it, I'm telling you, try this recipe!  It really is amazing!  It is infinitely better than the old school recipe.  Plus, who can complain when the process for making it is so simple and the reward is oh so great?!  Do tell me how you like the recipe or any changes that you make.  Enjoy :)!!

Roasted Banana Bread


Ingredients:
1/2 cup palm sugar (in the jar--microwave until just softened, if necessary) (if in a solid block, grate first)*
1/2 c demarara/turbinado sugar* (my favorite brand is Florida Crystals)
1/2 cup of butter, softened
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
4 unpeeled bananas, roasted and mashed coarsely
1 TB yogurt or sour cream
2 TB dark rum (my favorite is Barbancourt, Haitian rum)
1 TB vanilla
2 cups + 1 TB flour
3 tsp baking powder

*If you do not have palm sugar or demarara sugar, just use all regular Domino brown sugar.  The taste will be different, but still delicious.

Procedure:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2. Roast the bananas on a baking sheet while still inside the peel.  When roasting, the peel will brown and you may hear some mild hissing from some of the banana juices seeping out.  Do not be alarmed by this; it is normal.  Allow the bananas to cool.  Remove the peel and the threads.  Mash the banana by hand, leaving the mixture full of small chunks

3.Cream the sugars, salt, and butter with an electric mixer.

4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated

5. Stir in the yogurt, rum, and vanilla.

6. Stir in the flour and baking powder just until the batter is moistened and all ingredients are fully incorporated.

7. Bake in a prepared pan for 1 hour or until the bread springs up when pressed in the center. Do not use the toothpick test for doneness with this recipe.  When done, the bread will be golden brown on the tops and sides, and the sides will pull away from the side of the pan.

8. Allow to cool for at least 10-15 minutes before serving.

References: http://danicasdaily.com/brown-sugar-banana-nut-bread-recipe, http://doesnttaztelikechicken.com/2009/03/22/the-amazing-banana-bread/, http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giadas-weekend-getaways/flours-famous-banana-bread-recipe/index.html

On a side note, sorry for the lack of photos lately.  My computer's SD drive is malfunctioning, and it has already damaged one of my memory cards.  Would anyone happen to know how to repair memory cards that show up with a read error when inserted in the camera itself?

Breadmaking and Baking with Yeast 101--Tips, Tricks, and Explanations

Although I haven't been using yeast for long, only about a month, I have played with it enough, watched enough videos, and read enough recipes to learn a few things here and there.  I am still by no means an expert, but I've learned how to avoid some commonly-made mistakes as well as some tricks for manipulating the texture of breads and other yeasted doughs.  I'll share with you the ones I've found to be most critical.  Please feel free to share with me any tips that you may have.  If you have any questions, go for it and I'll try my best to answer them.

#1 Dry yeast is inactive.
Activating dry yeast requires mixing it with warm water.  If you make your water a little warmer, it expedites the rising process.  However, never make your water hot hot.  It should just be warm to the touch, never hot enough to burn or cook anything.  Hot water kills yeast, which is a living organism, much like the active cultures in yogurt.

Because yeast is inactive, yeast should be allowed to proof, which essentially means to activate.  This is done by mixing the yeast in 1 cup of warm water until it is dissolved then placing this mixture in a warm place (no need to cover at this stage) until it forms a froth.  Typically, if you leave the mixture for 10 minutes, you are good to go.  Depending on the environment, less time may get the job done but, when in doubt, stick to 10 minutes as a rule-of-thumb.  Some yeast proofing is done prior to adding flour and some is done once the dough is formed.

#2 Salt Counteracts Yeast
Almost all recipes with yeast also contain at least a minimal amount of salt.  How do these recipes work if salt counteracts yeast?  Salt does counteract yeast, however, this issue is resolved fairly easily.  The key is to never let salt come into direct contact with yeast.  What that means is that when you are allowing your yeast to proof, although it is perfectly fine to add in things like oil and sugar into your yeast liquid, do not add the salt at this point.  Any salt should be added once you have moistened the dough with any liquid until there is no more loose liquid present.  At this point, the salt-yeast contact is no longer direct, so the yeast is able to do its thing with no problem.

#3 Sugar Helps Yeast Grow
In most cases, when using yeast in baking, your recipe for call for you to add a teaspoon or so of sugar to the yeast and water liquid.  The sugar aids the yeast in proofing.  You will taste the sugar's sweetness in the final product even though it is part of a chemical reaction.  The sweetness does not go away once the reaction is completed and your dough is cooked.  So what that means is, don't call yourself being a super genius by trying to double the sugar in hopes of doubling the proofing time.

#4 The Key to Crunchy Bread is Water
If you want a nice, crusty bread, such as a ciabatta, a traditional focaccia or a similar rustic/artisan bread, water is essential.  I don't mean that you need to make the dough really runny.  What I mean here is that the strategic use of water during the cooking process after the dough has been formed is what creates the perfect crunch.  The steam delays the formation of crust so that once the crust forms it is thinner and crispier.

There are a variety of ways to achieve this.  You can put a pan full of water on the rack beneath the baking bread or you can spray the top of the bread with water before baking.  I have even seen someone spray the sides of the oven.  I haven't used this method yet, but I can tell you that my preferred method would be to just spray the top of the dough with water.  By the way, if you opt for the pan of water, don't be a silly little mess maker!  Put the empty pan in the oven first, then add the water to it using a bowl that you have filled with water.  Such a small step can avoid a huge mess.  Just a few drops of spilled water is all it takes to make a total mess of your floor.

#5 Chewy, Pliable  Baked Goods Start with Soft, Sticky Dough
So, remember when I told you that baking with yeast was easy?  Well, it is, but but the worst of it comes when you are making what you want to be an especially chewy, pliable final product.  What I am talking about here are things like hodduk (Korean sweet filled pancake), really soft and fluffy naan, and the like.  Basically, anything that is either marked by a distinct chewiness or pliability is likely to require a sticky dough. The reason for this is that the chewiness comes from a high liquid-dry ingredient ratio.  When you think about it, it is similar to cakes.  When you make really moist cakes that are also really dense yet springy, your batter tends to be thicker and stronger, if you will.

You don't have to be afraid of making anything chewy now.  Just adjust your technique for handling the dough.  Keep your hands well-oiled at all times following the dough's first proofing (rising).  You may even need to drizzle a little oil or sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough prior to handling it.  I would suggest maybe even drizzling a TB of oil in a small boil to dip your hands into throughout the process. The key here is to resist the urge to add extra flour.  Kneading develops gluten which strengthens the dough and reduces the wet stickiness that you initially experience. 10-15 minutes of intensive kneading should do the trick for super sticky doughs.

Also, keep any surfaces the dough touches in the prep process very well-floured--that means the space you are working the dough on, the rolling pin, etc.  With all of these surfaces, flour and re-flour after each time you lift the dough and go to work with another portion of the dough in the same spot.  Once you fully develop the gluten, the stickiness will go away and the dough will form a ball, pulling away from the counter, rather than sticking, during kneading.

*Use a plastic dough cutter to scrape doughs off of the counter when they are still sticky.

#6 Tricks for Accelerating Proof Time
The part that most people fear with yeast baking is the proofing time...well, that and the kneading, of course.  For the proofing, I can tell you that I have seen some ridiculous time estimates reaching as high as six hours.  Let me tell you, six hours is just outrageous and definitely not necessary.  I have never spent more than an hour to allow dough to proof and with a few simple tricks, I generally get it done in 30 minutes.

The first trick is one that I have mentioned before.  This particular trick comes courtesy of my grandma.  Preheat your oven to 200 degrees for literally about a minute.  When you open the oven after turning it off, you shouldn't feel a burst of heat, rather just a mild warmth.  You should be able to touch the grills without being even slightly burnt.  The grills should just feel warm to touch, not hot enough to cook anything.  Once you get the oven to this point, you have achieved the oh-so-important warm place in which you can allow your dough to rise.

The second trick I have shared before as well.  Just cover the bowl with oiled plastic before placing it in the warmed oven that, remember, is turned off.  This traps the gases of the yeast, intensifying its action on the dough.  You remember chemistry class--it's like when you shake up soda and it explodes because the gas has so little room to work in.  A similar principle is at work here.

The third trick is one that you can use lieu of the oven trick.  You just take your bowl of yeast that you've covered with oiled plastic wrap and put it into a bowl of very warm, but not hot water. Again, we don't want to cook the dough and kill the yeast.  We just want to coax it into working a bit faster.  We have lives and things to do, so we need this thing to happen yesterday, lol.  This trick works like a charm just like the oven trick.  Be sure that the water does not go more than halfway up the side of the bowl with the yeast in it.  You don't want to risk any water seeping into your dough.

#7 Cleanup
If you're an at-home baker like me, you are probably rolling out your dough on your counters.  If so, you just  might have a brief freak-out moment when you see the sticky mess on your counters.  Never fear!  Just wipe off the excess flour and pour some little puddles here and there and then pour some baking soda into the puddles.  The baking soda and vinegar mix will bubble up and the effervescence will help remove the sticky crud.  No worries.  It always works like a charm!

Useful Vocabulary:
- proof - allow the yeast and water liquid to activate and froth or allow the dough to double in size

- strong flour - bread flour (there is a difference and it is very noticeable, so if your recipe calls for it, I
          recommend against substitutes.  I will discuss this in further detail in a later post).  Bread flour is higher
          in proteins and gluten and helps create the chewiness that you associate with things like bagels and
          other breads but not, say, cakes and cookies.  This type of flour absorbs more water, so you cannot substitute without making significant adjustments in the amount of liquid.

- knead - knock the air bubbles out of the dough by folding and rolling it with your hands until you feel the
          dough becomes stronger and denser.  Kneading is key for achieving the right texture in the final
          product.

My First Homemade Bread

So I told you that I finally got over my fears and picked up some yeast at the grocery store.  Well, I made hodduk (Korean sweet filled pancake) so many times that I decided it no longer made sense to buy the yeast in the packet.  I went ahead and got a whole jar of yeast.  Whew!  Talk about moving fast!  I opted for the RapidRise bread machine yeast by Fleischman's because, well, it's fast, and it says it's perfect for regular oven use, too.  Thus far, it has worked like a charm.  A full doubling of the dough usually takes 20-30 minutes, when covered in plastic and placed in a warm oven as mentioned in my "Conquering Kitchen Fears" post.

Well, having bought all that yeast, I convinced myself that I would have to play with it every weekend.  My first venture was a basic poppy seed loaf bread.  It is a spin on your basic sandwich loaf.  It has a touch of sweetness, a nice crunch and slight nuttiness from the poppy seeds, and a really nice, delicate background flavor of almond and vanilla.  I know you are thinking what I was, but, no, this is not a dessert bread.  It is still perfect for any sandwich and it tastes nothing like cake or cookies; it's just a more flavorful loaf that what you find in stores.

In terms of process, I am telling you this is beyond easy!  You will be so shocked that you've never done it before because it's so easy.  Baking this bread from start to finish is much easier than baking a cake.  I know, I know, it takes time to let it rise and blah blah blah.  Well guess what, when it's rising, you can get on with your life--exercise, go pick up groceries, do your homework, wash clothes, clean the house.  The point is, life need not stop because your bread is rising.  This bread required two risings and, as mentioned above, generally 30 minutes was sufficient for me, but bear in mind that I live in a hot and humid climate, so rather than going by time, just visually check that your dough has doubled in size.

Well, here goes the recipe.  It's not a DF original.  Remember, I told you I am still a novice.  Just the same, it turned out perfectly, despite my oven, which has a mind of its own.  My oven is probably from 1960 and I usually end up setting it at 200-250 to get 375 : /.  That's not even the end of it...  For fast-cooking foods, sometimes I have to let it brown at 350 then drop the temperature by about 150 degrees or so.  If my weirdo oven can make this bread come out perfectly, you have no excuse but to try and see for yourself how wonderful your own homemade bread will be!

http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Poppy-Seed-Yeast-Bread-TasteOfHome?columns=4&position=1/36

The BEST coconut Macaroons EVER!

So I have really been craving something sweet, but I didn't want anything chocolate-y, and I really had no idea what I wanted because nothing was satisfying. I was surfing the net for recipes and came across Puerto Rican limbers (home-made popsicles), which are amazing! I fell in LOVE with the limber de coco and limber de mani (recipes forthcoming), but lately I've been wanting something else different. Finally, I remembered the amazing coquitos/besitos de coco (macaroons) that I had in Samana and La Romana, Dominican Republic. They were the amazing kind that had a cake-like softness to them.  I had them at the Shell gas station there, believe it or not.  They were homemade, too, lol.

I tried going to a local cuban bakery, El Brazo Fuerte, here in Miami, but the macaroons weren't what I was looking for. They were good, but they were the flourless kind and I had a craving to dive into some nice, soft yumminess! So...today after surfing online, I found this beauty and made a few tweaks.  ABSOLUTE PERFECTION, friends! I promise!
Spanish - http://foro.univision.com/univision/board/messageboard.id=cocinadepuertorico&message.id=5585
English - http://www.ricanrecipes.com/recipes/detail.php?category_id=23&id=88.

For the sugar, go to your local Southeast Asian market (Battambong or Sahath By in Chesterfield, Horsepen and Rigsby Rd area markets off of W. Broad in West W. End--I recommend Far East, which is in the middle area across from Pho So 1) and ask for Palm Sugar. If they don't know what you're talking about, just look around. I promise, they have it. It's like $2 something in the pack and maybe a little more in the jar. Yes, it makes a HUGE difference in the flavor. It's rich with a great depth of flavor, like nothing you've ever tasted before and brown sugar won't cut it. Anyhow, read the back of the packet and make sure all it says is "palm sugar" or "coconut sugar." Basically, you just want to be sure that it's the real deal natural stuff.

Soooo...what I was getting at is that the change I made to the macaroon recipe is that you use 1/2 cup palm/coconut sugar (same thing) and and 1/2 cup white sugar. Break up the palm sugar (you want it in block form, not jarred) with a fork or grate it (don't do a pressed/packed measure), then mix it up with the white sugar, using the fork to break up the palm sugar more and mix it with the white. Other than that, just use 1/2 tsp vanilla instead of 1/4 and there you go!! These are soooo good!! The palm sugar gives them an amazing texture. You'll get a little crunch on the edges, but a nice one!!!  I'm sure you could get a similar effect with brown sugar, but the taste will be soooo different, and perhaps a bit too dark for the coconut flavor and you might overpower it. But...try, if you wish. If you try it, write back to let me know how it turns out or if you made any changes.

Important Tips:

Baking in a glass dish is best if you don't want the crust, in other words, if you want the more traditional softness. But, guys, I'm telling you, the way I did them in the oven in a metal pan was a really tasty change. The bottom had a thin, lightly crispy crust, and a very slight crust on the top from the palm sugar, and the inside was warm and soft. 

As far as bagged coconut goes, you get what you pay for. Go for the gold on this one and use Baker's brand. It's a lot more moist than others. You'll use a full 14 0z bag of Baker's.

This recipe is from Puerto Rico, so when they say brown sugar (azucar marron o azucar negra), what they're referring to is not the sticky molasses kind that's popular in the contiguous States. Rather, what they are referring to is turbinado or raw sugar (also known as demarara), which is abundant and much more affordable than refined sugars in much of the Caribbean. Brown sugar is preferred for use in desserts and coffee throughout the region, while white is only used for things such as juices and other drinks that would otherwise be altered by the flavor of raw sugar.

*The English version of the recipe says to use lemon, but it has been mistranslated. The Spanish version specifies lime, and that's what I used. Both work, but there's a widespread preference for lime in the Caribbean and it's really nice in this recipe.

*Best if consumed within 3-4 days.

What on EARTH is palm sugar, you ask?

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-palm-sugar.htm