sweet potato bread

The cooler weather has me believing for autumn will soon be upon us.  Or maybe I'm falling for Starbucks PSL 10 hype.  Either way, this savory bread is delicious hint of the seasonal vegetables to come.

Yield: 1 loaf
2,550 calories per loaf
Active time: 20 minutes
Total time: 320 minutes

ingredients
1/2 cup lukewarm water
2 teaspoons yeast
2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
4 cups high gluten flour
2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt

1. In a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup, combine the lukewarm water, yeast, and a pinch of sugar. Set aside for 10 minutes.

2. In your stand mixer bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.

 

3. Pour in the yeast mixture and "stir", with the dough hook attached, until a shaggy dough forms.

4. Increase the speed to 2 and knead until a smooth and cohesive dough forms, about 5 minutes. The dough should not be sticky. If it is, add a little more flour.

5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

6. Shape the dough into a loaf, place into a parchment lined loaf pan, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to double in bulk, about 2 hours.

7. Bake at 350 degrees until golden dark brown, about 1 hour.

Original recipes found here and here.

polenta cheddar bread

Having savored the flavor of my "bacon and sweet pepper cornbread", this bread was a little less decadent but just tasty. Let's be real, you can't go wrong with cheese. In fact, while I've pondered going vegan, the dairy's been my demise.  

Yield: 1 large loaf

1,860 calories per loaf

Active time: 20 minutes

Total time: 180 minutes

ingredients

the polenta

1/2 cup coarsely ground polenta

1/2 cup cold water

1 cup rice milk

1 teaspoon salt

the dough

All of the cooked polenta, cooled to lukewarm

1/2 cup lukewarm  water

2 teaspoons yeast

2 tablespoons olive oil

2¼ cups high gluten flour

3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons rosemary

1 tablespoon pepper

preparation

1. Make the polenta by combining all the polenta ingredients into a large microwave safe bowl.  Stir well and cook on medium heat until the mixture thickens and bubbles, about 5 minutes. Stir and cook for about 3-5 more minutes, until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

2. In a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup, combine the yeast, lukewarm water, and a pinch of sugar. Set aside. See “champagne bread” for photos of fermenting yeast.

3. In your stand mixer bowl, combine the cooled polenta and remaining dough ingredients.

4. Pour in the yeast mixture and “stir” until a shaggy forms.

5. Increase the speed to 2 and knead until a smooth and cohesive dough forms, about 5 minutes. The dough should feel wet, but not sticky. If your dough is sticky, add a little bit more flour.

6. Form the dough into a ball, place it into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

7. Turn the dough out onto your counter top and shape it into a loaf, placing it into a parchment lined loaf, covering it with plastic wrap, and setting aside until very puffy, about 1 hour.

8. About 30 minutes into the final proof, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

9. Bake until lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

Original recipe found here.

birthday cake extravaganza!

As I continue to enjoy baking goodies for the fantastic parties Extra-Ordinary Birthdays provides for children and their families living in homeless shelters, this month was a Mickey Mouse, basketball, and princess extravaganza.

Pinterest is a great resource, which I used to find ideas for the My Little Pony cake and microphone cupcakes that were served at previous celebrations. Believe me, there were plenty of great photos on Pinterest for this batch of cakes.

The cake recipes I used can be found here and here. I used store bought frosting.

For the Mickey cake:

-Use a 8 inch round cake pan and a 8 by 8 square pan. From the square pan, you'll use a mold to cut out circles after the cakes have cooled. I made two Mickey cakes, so cut the square cake in half across the diagonal, cut out the "ear", and then cut the ear in half horizontally. 

-If you'd like your cakes to be more flat, use a parchment collar.

For the basketball cake

-Use gel food coloring for the main frosting, and chocolate frosting for the laces. I used a small Ziplock bag to pipe. See "let them eat cake" for more on food coloring and piping.

For the cupcakes:

-Again, used gel food coloring.

-Gave the frosting a twist by coloring some cream cheese frosting purple and piping it on top of the chocolate frosting. You can also swirl the frosting.

-See "champagne cupcakes" for tips on piping with a Ziplock.

muddy buddies

To me, Muddy buddies and Chex Mix are the quintessential snack foods.

Yield: 9 cups
220 calories per serving, if using 1/2 cup portions
Active time: 5 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes

ingredients
9 cups assorted rice ad corn square cereal
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup nut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

preparation
1. In a large bowl, measure out the cereal and set aside.

2. In a medium sized microwave safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips, nut butter, and butter.

3. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, stir, and microwave for 1 minute.

4. Add in the vanilla and stir until very smooth.

5. Pour the chocolate mixture over the cereal and stir until evenly coated.

6. Pour the cereal until a 2 gallon bag, add in the confectioner's sugar, seal the bag, and shake well to coat.

7. Pour the cereal out onto parchment or wax paper, lightly cover with sprinkles, and allow to cool.

Original recipe found here.