The Healthy Vegan Kitchen

     As I continue to bake my way through my double challenges of past DB challenges, I have come across one right up my alley, challenge 13 that was originally given in November 2007. What is it do you ask? Why, Tender Potato Bread! I am a HUGE bread lover, so any bread is worthy to be made. This recipe is easy to make & the dough is heavenly to work with. The host for this challenge was Tanna from My Kitchen in Half Cups. We had to make the recipe as is (savory, not sweet), up until shaping, then we had some choices. We also had to knead by hand (the only way worthy of a good bread baking day, although, I do use my kitchen aid sometimes).

On to the recipe:

Tender Potato Bread (from Home Baking: The Artful Mix of Flour & Tradition Around the World by Jeffrey Alford & Naomi Duguid; who also wrote Hot Sour Salty Sweet)

Makes 1 large tender-crumbed pan loaf AND something more; one 10X15“ crusty yet tender focaccia, 12 soft dinner rolls, or a small pan

Suggested Toppings:

For Loaves & Rolls: melted butter (optional)

For Foccacia: olive oil, coarse salt, & rosemary leaves (optional; also see variation)

For Anchovy-Onion Focaccia: Instead of oil, salt, & rosemary, top with onions slow-cooked in olive oil or bacon fat, a scattering of chopped anchovy fillets, & flat-leafed parsley leaves.

Alternate fillings, seasons, shapes are up to you.

Some additional notes about this challenge, recipe & the dough: If you are new to bread & already your whisks are shaking (or is that your boots), you may bake the bread (or one of it’s variations) just as written.

Potatoes & potato water give this bread wonderful flavor & texture. The dough is very soft & moist & might feel a little scary if you’ve never handled soft dough before. But don’t worry: Leaving it on parchment or wax paper to proof & to bake makes it easy to handle.

Once baked, the crumb is tender & airy, with tiny soft pieces of potato in it & a fine flecking of whole wheat. The loaves have a fabulous crisp texture on the outside & a slightly flat-topped shape. They make great toast & tender yet strong sliced bread for sandwiches. The dinner rolls are soft & inviting, & the focaccia is memorable. I have chosen this recipe because it gives directions for different ways of shaping the dough & provides oven times & temperatures for those variations.

Some Notes about Flour: King Arthur Artisan Organic All-Purpose Flour is fairly new in the markets in the US now & is advertised to be best for making European-style hearth breads with a protein level of 11.3%

Conversion Chart for yeast: 1 TBSP fresh yeast = 1 ¼ tsp active or instant dry yeast = 1 tsp instant or rapid rise (bread machine) yeast.

Reference: Crust & Crumb by Peter Reinhart

4 medium to large floury (baking) potatoes, peeled & cut into chunks.

Tanna Note: For the beginner bread baker I suggest no more than 8 oz of potato; for the more advanced no more than 16 oz. The variety of potatoes you might want to use would include Idaho, Russet; Yukon gold, there are others. I used 16 oz

4 cups water, reserve cooking water

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

6 ½ cups to 8 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened I used Earth Balance

1 cup whole wheat flour

Making the Dough (Directions will be for making by hand): Put the potatoes & 4 cups water in a sauce pan & bring to boil. Add 1 teaspoon salt & cook, half covered, until the potatoes are very tender. Drain the potatoes, SAVE THE POTATO WATER, & mash the potatoes well. Tanna Note: I have a food mill I will run my potatoes through to mash them. Measure out 3 cups of the reserved potato water. Add extra water if needed to make 3 cups. Place the water & mashed potatoes in the bowl you plan to mix the bread dough in. Let cool to lukewarm (70-80°F) – stir well before testing the temperature – it should feel barely warm to your hand. You should be able to submerge you hand in the mix & not be uncomfortable. Add yeast to 2 cups all-purpose flour & whisk. Add yeast & flour to the cooled mashed potatoes; water & mix well. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Note about Adding Yeast: If using Active Dry Yeast or Fresh yeast, mix; stir yeast into cooled water & mashed potatoes; water & let stand 5 minutes. Then add 2 cups of flour to the yeast mix & allow to rest several minutes. If using Instant Dry Yeast, add yeast to 2 cups all-purpose flour & whisk. Add yeast & flour to the cooled mashed potatoes & water & mix well. Allow to rest/sit 5 minutes.

Sprinkle in the remaining 1 tablespoon salt & the softened butter; mix well. Add the 1 cup whole wheat flour, stir briefly. Add 2 cups of the unbleached all-purpose flour & stir until all the flour has been incorporated. Tanna Note: At this point you have used 4 cups of the possible 8 ½ cups suggested by the recipe.

Turn the dough out onto a generously floured surface & knead for about 10 minutes, incorporating flour as needed to prevent sticking. The dough will be very sticky to begin with, but as it takes up more flour from the kneading surface, it will become easier to handle; use a dough scraper to keep your surface clean. The kneaded dough will still be very soft. Place the dough in a large clean bowl or your rising container of choice, cover with plastic wrap or lid, & let rise about 2 hours or until doubled in volume. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface & knead gently several minutes. It will be moist & a little sticky.

Forming the Bread: Tanna Note: It is at this point you are requested to Unleash the Daring Baker within. The following is as the recipe is written. You are now free to follow as written or push it to a new level. Divide the dough into 2 unequal pieces in a proportion of one-third & two-thirds (one will be twice as large as the other). Place the smaller piece to one side & cover loosely.

To shape the large loaf: Butter a 9 x 5 x 2 ½“ loaf/bread pan. Flatten the larger piece of dough on the floured surface to an approximate 12 x 8“ oval, then roll it up from a narrow end to form a loaf. Pinch the seam closed & gently place seam side down in the buttered pan. The dough should come about ¾ of the way up the sides of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap & let rise for 35 to 45 minutes, until puffy & almost doubled in volume.

To make a small loaf with the remainder: Butter an 8×4X2“ bread pan. Shape & proof the loaf the same way as the large loaf.

To make rolls: Butter a 13×9“ sheet cake pan or a shallow cake pan. Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces. Shape each into a ball under the palm of your floured hand & place on the baking sheet, leaving ½“ between the balls. Cover with plastic wrap & let rise for about 35 minutes, until puffy & almost doubled.

To make focaccia: Flatten out the dough to a rectangle about 10×15“ with your palms & fingertips. Tear off a piece of parchment paper or wax paper a little longer than the dough & dust it generously with flour. Transfer the focaccia to the paper. Brush the top of the dough generously with olive oil, sprinkle on a little coarse sea salt, as well as some rosemary leaves, if you wish & then finally dimple all over with your fingertips. Cover with plastic & let rise for 20 minutes.

Baking the bread(s): Note about baking order: bake the flat-bread before you bake the loaf; bake the rolls at the same time as the loaf.

Note about Baking Temps: I believe that 450°F is going to prove to be too hot for the either the large or small loaf of bread for the entire 40-50 minutes. I am going to put the loaves in at 450° for 10 minutes & then turn the oven down to 375°F for the remaining time.

Note about cooling times: Let all the breads cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Rolls can be served warm or at room temperature.

For loaves & rolls: Dust risen loaves & rolls with a little all-purpose flour or lightly brush the tops with a little melted butter or olive oil (the butter will give a golden/browned crust). Slash loaves crosswise two or three times with a razor blade or very sharp knife & immediately place on the stone, tiles or baking sheet in the oven. Place the rolls next to the loaf in the oven. Bake rolls until golden, about 30 minutes. Bake the small loaf for about 40 minutes. Bake the large loaf for about 50 minutes. Transfer the rolls to a rack when done to cool. When the loaf or loaves have baked for the specified time, remove from the pans & place back on the stone, tiles or baking sheet for another 5 to 10 minutes. The corners should be firm when pinched & the bread should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

For focaccia: Place a baking stone or unglazed quarry tiles, if you have them, if not use a no edged baking/sheet (you want to be able to slide the shaped dough on the parchment paper onto the stone or baking sheet & an edge complicates things). Place the stone or cookie sheet on a rack in the center of the oven & preheat to 450°F/230°C. If making focaccia, just before baking, dimple the bread all over again with your fingertips. Leaving it on the paper, transfer to the hot baking stone, tiles or baking sheet. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack (remove paper) & let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

I made a large loaf, small loaf, 4 burger buns & 6 dinner rolls.

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.

Linda & Courtney say, “Making strudel dough has been on my personal baking to-do list for quite a while but I was always kind of scared to actually try making the paper thin dough. And as being a Daring Baker means challenging yourself, making strudel dough seemed like the perfect recipe for this month’s challenge. Not a lot of rules this month as we’re allowing you complete freedom for the filling & shaping of the dough. The only thing that’s mandatory for everybody who’s participating in this month’s challenge, is to make the strudel dough. Hopefully this will suit both the sweet & savoury DB-ers Of course you’re welcome to make the traditional apple strudel that you’ll find below but wouldn’t it be so much more fun & challenging to try something completely different? We’d love to see you get creative!”

  Okay, not so pretty, but it sure tasted good.
My first thought was, “Oh, I really don’t like cooked apples, but strudel sounds like a great challenge.” Then, I kept reading ,”Ooo, we get to fill it with whatever we want, yeah!” I had a hard time trying to decide what I wanted to fill it with. I thought rhubarb, but decided to make a pie with the 10 beautiful stalks I was given from a friend of someone who picked them from her garden! My next thought was blueberry strudel, but then I went to a wine bar & was reading through their desserts & saw a Calzone filled with nutella & bananas. That was the one! You can find the original recipe here: http://thedaringkitchen.com/  Check out everyone else’s amazing creations here: http://thedaringkitchen.com/blogroll/bakers

Preparation time for the recipe
Total: 2 hours 15 minutes – 3 hours 30 minutes

15-20 min to make dough

30-90 min to let dough rest/to prepare the filling
20-30 min to roll out & stretch dough

10 min to fill & roll dough

30 min to bake

30 min to cool

Almond“ella” & Banana Strudel

1 cup chocolate almond spread (from The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)
1 banana, in half lengthwise, then quartered

¼ cup chocolate chips
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
strudel dough (recipe below)

1. Put the rack in the upper third of the oven & preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Make the strudel dough as described below. Spread the chocolate almond spread over the dough, about a ½” from the edge. Place the bananas over the top of the chocolate almond spread. Sprinkle with the chocolate chips & cinnamon.

2. Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling. Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.

3. Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife & serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.

I found that it tasted just as good the next day. I also found that I should have used 2 bananas and about ¼ cup more almond“ella”.

  The dough came out great, flaky & crispy.

Strudel dough
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest & Prague” by Rick Rodgers

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/3 cup bread flour
1/8 tsp salt
7 TBSP water, plus more if needed
2 TBSP warm water, mixed with 2 tsp ground flax seeds
½ tsp cider vinegar

1. Combine the flour & salt in a bowl. Mix the water, flax mixture & vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water mixture to the flour while stirring. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary. Turn the dough out onto a large surface. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes or until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.

2. Continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough & throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally. Shape the dough into a ball & transfer it to a plate. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).

3. It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36“ round table or a work surface of 23 x 38“. Cover your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour & rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle & roll it out as much as you can. Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough & gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch & pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.

4. The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough & stretch & pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch & pull the dough until it’s about 2′ wide & 3′ long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.

Tips from Courtney & Linda
- Ingredients are cheap so we would recommend making a double batch of the dough, that way you can practice the pulling & stretching of the dough with the first batch & if it doesn’t come out like it should you can use the second batch to give it another try;
- The tablecloth can be cotton or polyster;
- Before pulling & stretching the dough, remove your jewelry from hands & wrists, & wear short-sleeves;
- To make it easier to pull the dough, you can use your hip to secure the dough against the edge of the table;
- Few small holes in the dough is not a problem as the dough will be rolled, making (most of) the holes invisible.

Both Courtney & I did a trial run on making the strudel. Below are our notes:

Courtney’s notes
- I couldn’t get it to stretch to 2′ by 3′, it turned out more like 2′ by 2′. But the dough was tissue thin nevertheless;
- I got some serious holes, but after rolling it wasn’t noticeable;
- I used a large cheese cloth which helped manipulate & stretch the dough more than a heavier cloth would have.

Linda’s notes
- I made the dough by hand, just mixed the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. Kneaded it for about 5 min like you would bread dough. This worked as well. Haven’t tried using a standmixer so I don’t know how it compares.
- Instead of cider vinegar I used red wine vinegar;
- I used bread flour
- Picking up the dough to let it stretch didn’t work well for me, holes appeared pretty much instantly. Instead I stretched the dough while it was lying on the tablecloth by putting my hands underneath & stretching it out further & further

Our March extra challenge:  

Cinnamon & Sticky Buns (from Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice)

Daring Bakers Challenge #11: September 2007 Host: Marce (Pip in the City)

Oh my goodness! These are the best cinnamon rolls! You totally have to make these!  I will be making these a lot. The sticky buns are really good too, except that I accidentally burnt the caramel topping. Oops. They weren’t inedible, I just cut the top off of them. I didn’t need to make very many modifications & I followed all of the directions, except for the caramel. I made it like I normally do, on the stovetop, but that made it overcook & burn in the oven. Next time, I will follow the directions they have for making the caramel. I have my modifications below.

Active/Resting/Baking Time: 15 minutes to mix, 3 ½ hours fermentation/ shaping/proofing, 20 - 40 minutes to bake Recipe Quantity: 8 - 12 large rolls or 12 - 16 small rolls

Allowed Modifications:

1. You can mix up the spices to your liking. Meaning you don´t have to use cinnamon if you don´t like it. I’m thinking you could use ginger, allspice, cardamom, etc. (Personally, I´m going to leave the sticky buns as they are & mix up spices in the cinnamon buns)

2. You can do both cinnamon & sticky buns or choose one.

3. You don´t have to use nuts for the sticky buns if you are allergic or you don´t like nuts.

4. You don´t have to use raisins for the sticky buns, & you can substitute the raisins for any other dried fruit you like & think would work with the other flavors.

6 ½ tablespoons (3.25 ounces) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

5 ½ tablespoons (2.75 ounces) shortening or unsalted butter or margarine Earth Balance

1 large egg, slightly beaten Ener-g Egg Replacer

1 teaspoon lemon extract OR 1 teaspoon grated zest of 1 lemon

3 ½ cups (16 ounces) unbleached bread or all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons instant yeast*

1 1/8 to 1 ¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk, room temperature OR 3 tablespoons powdered milk & 1 cup water Soy milk mixed with lemon juice

½ cup cinnamon sugar (6 ½ TBSP granulated sugar plus 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon, or any other spices you want to use, cardamom, ginger, allspice, etc.)

White fondant glaze for cinnamon buns or caramel glaze for sticky buns (at the end of the recipe.)

Walnuts, pecans, or other nuts (for sticky buns.)

Raisins or other dried fruit, such as dried cranberries or dried cherries (for sticky buns, optional.)

*Instant yeast contains about 25% more living cells per spoonful than active dry yeast, regardless of the brand. Instant yeast is also called rapid-rise or fast-rising.

Step 1 - Making the Dough: Cream together the sugar, salt, & shortening or butter on medium-high speed in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a large metal spoon & mixing bowl & do it by hand).

Note: if you are using powdered milk, cream the milk with the sugar, & add the water with the flour & yeast. I used my Kitchen Aid

Whip in the egg & lemon extract/zest until smooth. Then add the flour, yeast, & milk. Mix on low speed (or stir by hand) until the dough forms a ball. Switch to the dough hook & increase the speed to medium, mixing for approximately 10 minutes (or knead by hand for 12 to 15 minutes), or until the dough is silky & supple, tacky but not sticky. You may have to add a little flour or water while mixing to achieve this texture. Lightly oil a large bowl & transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

Step 2 - Fermentation: Ferment at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.

Step 3 - Form the Buns: Mist the counter with spray oil & transfer the dough to the counter. Proceed with shaping the buns. (A) Roll out the dough with a rolling pin, lightly dusting the top with flour to keep it from sticking to the pin. Roll it into a rectangle about 2/3“ thick & 14“ wide by 12“ long for larger buns, or 18“ wide by 9“ long for smaller buns. Don´t roll out the dough too thin, or the finished buns will be tough & chewy rather than soft & plump. (B)Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the surface of the dough & (C) roll the dough up into a cigar-shaped log, creating a cinnamon-sugar spiral as you roll. With the seam side down, cut the dough into 8 to 12 pieces each about 1 ¾” thick for larger buns, or 12 to 16 pieces each 1 ¼“ thick for smaller buns.

Step 4 - Prepare the Buns for Proofing:

* For cinnamon buns: line 1 or more sheet pans with baking parchment. Place the buns approximately ½” apart so that they aren’t touching but are close to one another.

* For sticky buns: coat the bottom of 1 or more baking dishes or baking pans with sides at least 1 ½” high with a ¼” layer of the caramel glaze. Sprinkle on the nuts & raisins (if you are using raisins or dried fruit.) You do not need a lot of nuts & raisins, only a sprinkling. Lay the pieces of dough on top of the caramel glaze, spacing them about ½” apart. Mist the dough with spray oil & cover loosely with plastic wrap or a food-grade plastic bag. For the sticky buns, I just sprinkled in some cinnamon & a few crushed walnuts.

Step 5 - Proof the Buns: Proof at room temperature for 75 to 90 minutes, or until the pieces have grown into one another & have nearly doubled in size. You may also retard the shaped buns in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, pulling the pans out of the refrigerator 3 to 4 hours before baking to allow the dough to proof.

Step 6 - Bake the Buns:

* Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with the oven rack in the middle shelf for cinnamon buns but on the lowest shelf for sticky buns.

* Bake the cinnamon buns for 20 to 30 minutes or the sticky buns 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown. If you are baking sticky buns, remember that they are really upside down (regular cinnamon buns are baked right side up), so the heat has to penetrate through the pan & into the glaze to caramelize it. The tops will become the bottoms, so they may appear dark & done, but the real key is whether the underside is fully baked. It takes practice to know just when to pull the buns out of the oven

Step 8 - Cool the buns:

* For cinnamon buns, cool the buns in the pan for about 10 minutes & then streak white fondant glaze across the tops, while the buns are warm but not too hot. Remove the buns from the pans & place them on a cooling rack. Wait for at least 20 minutes before serving.

* For the sticky buns, cool the buns in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes & then remove them by flipping them over into another pan. Carefully scoop any run-off glaze back over the buns with a spatula. Wait at least 20 minutes before serving.

  yeah, a little burnt, I know.

Toppings for the Buns:

*White fondant glaze for cinnamon buns: Cinnamon buns are usually topped with a thick white glaze called fondant. There are many ways to make fondant glaze, but here is a delicious & simple version, enlivened by the addition of citrus flavor, either lemon or orange. You can also substitute vanilla extract or rum extract, or simply make the glaze without any flavorings.

*Sift 4 cups of powdered sugar into a bowl. Add 1 tsp of lemon or orange extract & 6 TBSP to ½ cup of warm milk, briskly whisking until all the sugar is dissolved. Add the milk slowly & only as much as is needed to make a thick, smooth paste. I used powdered sugar & orange juice (I used a fork to drizzle the icing on).

When the buns have cooled but are still warm, streak the glaze over them by dipping the tines of a fork or a whisk into the glaze & waving the fork or whisk over the tops. Or, form the streaks by dipping your fingers in the glaze & letting it drip off as you wave them over the tops of the buns. (Remember to wear latex gloves.)

Caramel glaze for sticky buns:

Caramel glaze is essentially some combination of sugar & fat, cooked until it caramelizes. The trick is catching it just when the sugar melts & lightly caramelizes to a golden amber. Then it will cool to a soft, creamy caramel. If you wait too long & the glaze turns dark brown, it will cool to a hard, crack-your-teeth consistency. Most sticky bun glazes contain other ingredients to influence flavor & texture, such as corn syrup to keep the sugar from crystallizing & flavor extracts or oils, such as vanilla or lemon. This version makes the best sticky bun glaze of any I´ve tried. It was developed by my wife, Susan, for Brother Juniper´s Café in Forestville, California.

NOTE: you can substitute the corn syrup for any neutral flavor syrup, like cane syrup or gold syrup.

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, & ½ pound unsalted butter, at room temperature. I cooked the sugar on the stove, don’t do that! Follow these directions, unlike me, or it may turn out like this:

2. Cream together for 2 minutes on high speed with the paddle attachment. Add 1/2 cup corn syrup & 1 teaspoon lemon, orange or vanilla extract. Continue to cream for about 5 minutes, or until light & fluffy. I used golden syrup instead of corn syrup.

3. Use as much of this as you need to cover the bottom of the pan with a ¼” layer. Refrigerate & save any excess for future use; it will keep for months in a sealed container.

The health food store in town finally got the new Turtle Mountain products in.  They have made yogurt and ice cream out of coconut milk so that they are soy and dairy free! 

It comes in Plain, Vanilla, Raspberry, Blueberry and Passionate Mango.  I tried all of the yogurts, which tasted really good, but the texture was just a hint off for me.  It mixed well with granola (which helped the texture) and tasted good on their own too.  I baked a cake with the plain one and it baked up beautifully. 

Here are the ingredients and nutritional information for you.  I like that it has 3 grams of fiber in it!  If you aren’t used to eating a lot of coconut, just remember that it is a natural laxative, so you don’t want to go overboard and eat 3 or 4 of them a day.  Stick to one a day and you should be fine.  Although, if you mix it with the coconut milk ice cream, you may want to work up to eating them both in a day:

These taste amazing!!!  They come in a variety of flavors, but I have only tried these two.  I started with the coconut flavored one:

The flavor was great, but since it also had shredded coconut in it, the texture for me was a little off:

The mint chocolate chip one:

Wow, I could eat the whole pint in one sitting!!! (That would be bad though)

I’m drooling just looking at it.  Wow, yum.  Of couse, mint chocolate chip has always been my favorite flavor of any kind of ice cream (second would be Purely Decadent Cherry Nirvana), so I’m a little biased. 

If you are allergic to soy, or are just trying to stay away from it, these are a great alternative.  Get out there and try some this week!

I am on to my third Double Challenge. What was our third back challenge? Croissants! I am so glad that I did the Danish Braid challenge in June because it gave me some experience working with laminated dough. I LOVE croissants, but they are full of butter, so I don’t each them much because of my lactose intolerance. I have always wanted to try making them, but never thought I could. Well, thank you Daring Bakers for making me suck it up and dig in! What a great challenge, although I wasn’t able to start it until last night!!! Can you say, staying up until midnight!?!

I made regular croissants and a few chocolate ones. I can’t wait to try them. The only substitutions I made was using soy milk instead of non-fat milk in the Preferment. For the dough, I subbed half soy creamer and half soy milk for the whole milk as well as Earth Balance and a little soy mayonnaise for the butter. For the egg wash, I used soy creamer instead. I did make the preferement on Monday. On Tuesday, I made the dough and Danish Braid, but didn’t have enough butter to start the dough, so that had to wait until Wednesday. On Wednesday, I finished making the croissants. For the chocolate croissants, I used the rest of the ganache I had from the Filbert Gateau, which was enough for about 5 croissants. For the remaining 3 chocolate croissants, I used my chili powder infused chocolate bar, I can’t wait to try that one!

The dough rolled out better this time than for the Danish Braid and the only real problem I ran into was my complete failure in geometry. I had to call my husband in to help me figure out the triangles. He was very helpful and I was able to figure it out (he always gives me hints, but makes me figure it out, which is nice, helps me to learn). I still need to work on my croissant rolling, but they were pretty good for my first attempt. The rising went well and they baked up just like they should have. Although, my a little too big one took a little longer to bake.  My chocolate oozed out a bit, but they still tasted great!  If you would like to be a little daring, here’s the recipe, try it out!

Verdict: I would totally make these again!  I’m impressed with how flaky the layers are.  I can’t wait until the morning to try one with some Apricot jam.

Croissants (from the Tartine by Elisabeth M. Prueitt & Chad Robertson) DB Challenge #3: Jan 2007

Participants: Founders Lisa (La Mia Cucina), Ivonne (Cream Puffs in Venice). Alpha Class: Peabody (Culinary Concoctions by Peabody), Brilynn (Jumbo Empanadas), Helen (Tartlette) Beta Class: Quellia (All Things Edible), Veronica (Veronica’s Test Kitchen)

Servings: Approximately 16 - 18 croissants Time required for recipe: 1 to 2 days

Allowed modifications:

1. High altitude modifications are allowed as long as you stay “true” to the recipe.

2. Conversion for certain dietary restrictions like gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan etc. is allowed.

3. Recipe ingredient exception allowed only if allergy or an ingredient not available or cost prohibitive in your region.

Additional Kitchen Notes: To maintain the correct consistency of the dough & butter components, work in a cool kitchen up until the final rising of the shaped pastries. The preferment, a mixture of milk, yeast, & flour with the consistency of a batter, is left to rise so that it will ferment slightly, developing flavor & aroma, before the dough is mixed. It can be made in the morning allowed to rise at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours to make the croissant dough the same day, or it can be made at night, put in the refrigerator to rise overnight, & used to make the croissant dough straightaway the next morning.

Preferment:

¾ cup non-fat milk (6 oz/150 ml)

1 tbsp active dry yeast (15ml)

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour(6 ¼ oz/175g)

Dough:

1 tbsp + 1 tsp active dry yeast (20 ml)

1 ¾ cup whole milk (14 oz/425 ml)

6 cups all purpose flour(28 oz/800g)

1/3 cup sugar (2 ½ oz/70g)

1 tbsp + 1 tsp salt(20 ml)

1 tbsp melted unsalted butter (15 ml)

Roll-in butter:

2 ¾ cup unsalted butter, cool but pliable (22 oz/625g)

Egg wash:

4 large egg yolks

¼ cup heavy cream (2 oz/60 ml)

pinch salt

To Make the Preferment: In a small saucepan, warm the milk to take the chill off (between 80° to 90 °F). Pour the milk into a mixing bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the milk, stir to dissolve the yeast with a wooden spoon, & then add the flour, mixing with a wooden spoon until a smooth batter forms. Cover the bowl with cheesecloth & let the mixture rise until almost double in volume, 2 to 3 hours at moderate temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.

To Make the Dough: First measure out all your ingredients & keep them near at hand. Transfer the preferment & then the yeast to the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix on low speed until the yeast is incorporated into the preferment batter, which will take a minute or two. Stop the mixer as needed & use a spatula to clean the bottom & sides of the bowl, folding the loosened portion into the mixture to incorporate all the elements fully. When the mixture has come together into an even, well-mixed mass, increase the speed to medium, & mix for a couple of minutes. Slowly add half of the milk & continue to mix until the milk is fully incorporated.

Reduce the speed to low, add the flour, sugar, salt, melted butter, & the rest of the milk, & mix until the mass comes together in a loose dough, about 3 minutes. Turn off the mixer & let the dough rest for 15 to 20 minutes. This resting period helps to shorten the final mixing phase, which comes next.

Engage the mixer again on low speed & mix until the dough is smooth & elastic, a maximum of 4 minutes. If the dough is very firm, add a little milk, 1 tablespoon at a time. Take care not to overmix the dough, which will result in a tough croissant that also turns stale more quickly. Remember, too, you will be rolling out the dough several times, which will further develop the gluten structure, so though you want a smooth dough, the less mixing you do to achieve that goal, the better. Cover the bowl with cheesecloth & let the dough rise in a cool place until the volume increases by half, about 1-½ hours.

Lightly flour a work surface. Transfer the dough to the floured surface & press into a rectangle 2 inches thick. Wrap the rectangle in plastic wrap, or slip it into a plastic bag & seal closed. Place the dough in the refrigerator to chill for 4 to 6 hours.

To Make the Roll-in butter: About 1 hour before you are ready to start laminating the dough, put the butter that you will be rolling into the dough in the bowl of the mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until malleable but not warm or soft, about 3 minutes. Remove the butter from the bowl, wrap in plastic wrap, & place in the refrigerator to chill but not resolidify.

Laminating the dough: Lightly dust a cool work surface, & then remove the chilled dough & the butter from the refrigerator. Unwrap the dough & place it on the floured surface. Roll out the dough into a rectangle 28 by 12 inches. With the long side of the rectangle facing you, & starting from the left side, spread & spot the butter over two-thirds of the length of the rectangle. Fold the uncovered third over the butter & then fold the left-hand third over the center, as if folding a business letter. The resulting rectangle is known as a plaque. With your fingers, push down along the seams on the top & the bottom to seal in the plaque.

Second turn: Give the plaque a quarter turn so the seams are to your right & left, rather than at the top & bottom. Again, roll out the dough into a rectangle 28 by 12 inches, & fold again in the same manner. Wrap in plastic wrap or slip into a plastic bag & place in the refrigerator for 1 ½ to 2 hours to relax the gluten in the dough before you make the third fold, or “turn”.

Third turn: Clean the work surface, dust again with flour, & remove the dough from the refrigerator. Unwrap, place on the floured surface, & again roll out into a rectangle 28 by 12 inches. Fold into thirds in the same manner. You should have a plaque of dough measuring about 9 by 12 inches, about the size of a quarter sheet pan, & 1 ½ to 2 inches thick. Wrap in plastic wrap or slip into the plastic bag, place on a quarter sheet pan, & immediately place in the freezer to chill for at least 1 hour. If you intend to make the croissants the next morning, leave the dough in the freezer until the evening & then transfer it to the refrigerator before retiring. The next morning, the dough will be ready to roll out & form into croissants, proof, & bake. Or, you can leave the dough in the freezer for up to 1 week; just remember to transfer it to the refrigerator to thaw overnight before using.

    shaped and rising

Making the croissant: When you are ready to roll out the dough, dust the work surface again. Roll out the dough into a rectangle 32 by 12 inches & 3/8 inches thick. Using a pizza wheel or chef’s knife, cut the dough into long triangles that measure 10 to 12 inches on each side & about 4 inches along the base.

Line a half sheet pan (about 13 by 18 inches) with parchment paper. To shape each croissant, position a triangle with the base facing you. Positioning your palms on the two outer points of the base, carefully rolling the base toward the point. To finish, grab the point with one hand, stretching it slightly, & continue to roll, tucking the point underneath the rolled dough so that the croissant will stand tall when you place it on the sheet pan. If you have properly shaped the croissant, it will have 6 or 7 ridges.

As you form the croissants, place them, well-spaced, on the prepared half-sheet pan. When all the croissants are on the pan, set the pan in a draft-free area with relatively high humidity, & let the pastries rise for 2 to 3 hours. The ideal temperature is 75 °F. A bit cooler or warmer is all right, as long as the temperature is not warm enough to melt the layers of butter in the dough, which would yield greasy pastries. Cooler is preferable & will increase the rising time & with it the flavor development. For example, the home oven (turned off) with a pan of steaming water placed in the bottom is a good place for proofing leavened baked items. To make sure that no skin forms on the pastries during this final rising, refresh the pan of water halfway through the rising.

During this final rising, the croissants should at least double in size & look noticeably puffy. If when you press a croissant lightly with a fingertip, the indentation fills in slowly, the croissants are almost ready to bake. At this point, the croissants should still be slightly “firm” & holding their shape & neither spongy nor starting to slouch. If you have put the croissants into the oven to proof, remove them now & set the oven to 425 °F to preheat for 20 to 30 minutes.

About 10 minutes before you are ready to bake the croissants, make the egg wash. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, cream, & salt until you have a pale yellow mixture. Using a pastry brush, lightly & carefully brush the yolk mixture on the pastries, being careful not to allow the egg wash to drip onto the pan. Let the wash dry slightly, about 10 minutes, before baking.

    Mimic Cream wash

Baking & storing the croissants: Place the croissants into the oven, immediately turn down the oven temperature to 400 °F, & leave the door shut for the first 10 minutes. Then working quickly, open the oven door, rotate the pan 180 degrees, & close the door. This rotation will help the pastries to bake evenly. Bake for 6 to 10 minutes longer, rotating the pan again during this time if the croissants do not appear to be baking evenly. The croissants should be done in 15 to 20 minutes total. They are ready when they are a deep golden brown on the top & bottom, crisp on the outside & light when they are picked up, indicating that the interior is cooked through.

Remove the croissants from the oven & place them on a wire rack to cool. As they cool, their moist interiors will set up. They are best if eaten while they are still slightly warm. If they have just cooled to room temperature, they are fine as well, or you can rewarm them in a 375°F oven for 6 to 8 minutes to recrisp them before serving. You can also store leftover croissants in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day, & then afterward in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you have stored them, recrisp them in the oven before serving.

Pain au Jambon Variation: After you cut the rolled-out dough into triangles, lay 1 ounce (30 g) thinly sliced smoked ham over tow-thirds of each triangle, leaving the pointed tip (the remaining one-third) uncovered. Place some matchstick-sized batons of Gruyere or similar cheese on top of the ham. Roll up carefully, encasing the ham & cheese, & then proceed as directed for plain croissants.

Pain au Chocolat Variation: Roll out the dough as directed, but cut it into 6 by 4 inch rectangles, rather than triangles. Place 1 ounce (30 g) bittersweet chocolate batons (or 2 ounces/55g for double chocolate) in the center of each rectangle. Starting from the long side, roll up each rectangle carefully, encasing the batons in the center, & proceed as directed for plain croissants.

Its the end of the month, and that means a new Daring Bakers challenge! Yeah! This month we are doing a Danish Braid. The dough for this is a lot like puff pastry. Puff pastry, uh oh. That is all butter and flour. Its easy to sub out butter with Earth Balance, but I don’t like using it, way too much fat! Well, there is no real way to take the fat out and still get all of those flaky layers, so I decided I would go ahead and use the earth balance. More about that when I get to the recipe. To start with, our hosts for this month were Kelly of Sass & Veracity, & Ben of What’s Cookin’? Make sure you check out their adventure with the Danish Braid.

The Technique: Making & working with yeasted laminated dough
The Recipe: “Danish Braid” from Sherry Yard’s The Secrets of Baking

Why Danish Braid?
• Danish dough is in the family of butter-laminated or layered doughs with puff pastry being the ultimate. Danish dough is sweet & is yeast-leavened, however, where as puff pastry is not.
• The process of making Danish dough is less complex than that of puff pastry, but equally as important to achieve best results, & a great starting place to begin to learn about laminated doughs in general.
• Danish dough is extremely versatile, & once made can be used for a variety of baked goods. The possibilities are endless.
• Since our ever-expanding Daring Bakers group lives in 2 different hemispheres, the Danish Braid will allow for fillings that are in season in both hemispheres. Hopefully that will assist with cost factors & availability of product.
• I love pastry & have never made Danish pastry before. When I asked Ben to co-host this month, I suggested several ideas, & the Danish Braid seemed to be the best way for people to have the opportunity to learn, if unfamiliar with laminated doughs, & for those familiar, to be able to maximize choices for ingredients not only in the dough, but the fillings, toppings, & the shape of the braid as well.

Some History:
• According to many sources, “Danish” was born when Danish bakers went on strike, & Viennese bakers were brought in to replace them, creating what is referred to as Vienna Bread.
• Conversely, it is also said that Danish bakers went to Vienna to learn the techniques Viennese bakers employed, & Danish dough was created there.
• In the early 1800’s, C.L. Olsen spent time in Germany, believing in the idea of gaining inspiration from bakers of other countries. He brought knowledge back to Denmark to introduce “foreign” breads to his country, also hiring people of other nationalities to bake in his family bakery.

Why Sherry Yard’s recipe?
• The Secrets of Baking is one of the newer books in my collection, but I’ve had time to try many recipes & am more than satisfied with the results.
• The organization of recipes in the book is built upon the philosophy that if we learn basic techniques, many other recipes come from those techniques. This isn’t new information, but it’s the first time I’ve seen the information organized in such an accessible fashion.
• Her Danish dough recipe included both cardamom & orange, & the combination sounded intriguing.

Guidelines for this Challenge:
• Use the recipe as written to make Danish dough & create at least one Danish Braid. The recipe will allow you to make 2 full braids unless you choose to make only half the dough.
• Fill the Danish Braid with the apple filling provided &/or any other filling as long as it is something you make yourself from scratch.

Choices
• Dough ingredients include ground cardamom & orange zest. Cardamom is traditional in Scandinavian breads, but if it is cost prohibitive, or if you have dietary restrictions, by all means, leave it out or replace it with something else. You are welcome to omit the orange zest or choose another type of citrus to flavor your dough.
• The method or style of your braid is your choice. You may vary the width of the dough strips, type of edging, or angle of cuts.
• Often, a glaze, nuts, or sugar are used as toppings. You may choose to use any or all of these, or others you may find interesting.
• Use one or more fillings such as fresh berries, pastry cream, preserves or jams, curds – there are lots of possibilities.
• Once you’ve made a Danish Braid, experiment with Danish pastries with the extra dough.
• If there’s a way to try something savory with the extra dough, then why not?

Terminology:
• Laminated dough – is layered dough created by sandwiching butter between layers of dough
• Detrempe – ball of dough
• Beurrage – butter block
• Turn – each “fold & roll” of the dough produces a single turn in a 3-step process where the dough is folded exactly like a business letter in 3 columns. Each single turn creates 3 layers with this method.

For Your Consideration:
• This recipe calls for a standing mixer with fitted attachments, but it can easily be made without one. Ben says, “Do not fear if you don’t own a standing mixer. I have been making puff pastry by hand for many years & the technique for Danish pastry is very similar & not too difficult.” Look for the alternate directions in the recipe as appropriate.
Yard recommends the following:
• Use well-chilled ingredients. This includes flour if your kitchen temperature is above 70 degrees F (~ 21 degrees C).
• It is recommended that long, continuous strokes be used to roll the dough rather than short, jerky strokes to make sure the butter block is evenly distributed.
• The 30-minute rest/cooling period for the dough between turns is crucial to re-chill the butter & allow the gluten in the dough to relax.
• Excess flour accumulated on the surface of the dough after turns should be brushed off as pockets of flour can interfere with the rise.
• Yard calls for a “controlled 90 degree F environment” for proofing the constructed braid.
• When making cuts in the dough for the braid, make sure they are not too long & provide a solid base for the filling.

DANISH DOUGH
Makes 2 ½ pounds dough

For the dough (Detrempe)
1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
2 large eggs, chilled
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

For the butter block (Beurrage)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

DOUGH
Combine yeast & milk in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment & mix on low speed. Slowly add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, & orange juice. Mix well. Change to the dough hook & add the salt with the flour, 1 cup at a time, increasing speed to medium as the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until smooth. You may need to add a little more flour if it is sticky. Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet & cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Without a standing mixer: Combine yeast & milk in a bowl with a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk. Add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, & orange juice & mix well. Sift flour & salt on your working surface & make a fountain. Make sure that the “walls” of your fountain are thick & even. Pour the liquid in the middle of the fountain. With your fingertips, mix the liquid & the flour starting from the middle of the fountain, slowly working towards the edges. When the ingredients have been incorporated start kneading the dough with the heel of your hands until it becomes smooth & easy to work with, around 5 to 7 minutes. You might need to add more flour if the dough is sticky.

BUTTER BLOCK
1. Combine butter & flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment & beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl & the paddle & then beat for 1 minute more, or until smooth & lump free. Set aside at room temperature.
2. After the detrempe has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13“ & ¼“ thick. The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour. Spread the butter evenly over the center & right thirds of the dough. Fold the left edge of the detrempe to the right, covering half of the butter. Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed. Mark the dough by poking it with your finger to keep track of your turns, or use a sticky & keep a tally. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, & refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right & left. Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18“, ¼” thick rectangle. Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third. No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
4. Roll out, turn, & refrigerate the dough 2 more times, for a total of four single turns. Make sure you are keeping track of your turns. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight. The Danish dough is now ready to be used. If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, freeze it. To do this, roll the dough out to about 1“ in thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, & freeze. Defrost the dough slowly in the refrigerator for easiest handling. Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

APPLE FILLING
Makes enough for 2 braids

4 Fuji or other apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Toss all ingredients except butter in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat until slightly nutty in color, about 6 - 8 minutes. Then add the apple mixture & sauté until apples are softened & caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes. If you’ve chosen Fujis, the apples will be caramelized, but have still retained their shape. Pour the cooked apples onto a baking sheet to cool completely before forming the braid. (If making ahead, cool to room temperature, seal, & refrigerate.) They will cool faster when spread in a thin layer over the surface of the sheet. After they have cooled, the filling can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Left over filling can be used as an ice cream topping, for muffins, cheesecake, or other pastries.

DANISH BRAID
Makes enough for 2 large braids

1 recipe Danish Dough (see below)
2 cups apple filling, jam, or preserves (see below)

For the egg wash: 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk

1. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20” rectangle, ¼“ thick. If the dough seems elastic & shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet.
2. Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5” long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1“ apart. Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.
3. Spoon the filling you’ve chosen to fill your braid down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top & bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat & helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough & tuck in the ends.

Egg Wash
Whisk together the whole egg & yolk in a bowl and with a pastry brush, lightly coat the braid.

Proofing and Baking
1. Spray cooking oil (Pam…) onto a piece of plastic wrap, & place over the braid. Proof at room temperature or, if possible, in a controlled 90 degree F environment for about 2 hours, or until doubled in volume & light to the touch.
2. Near the end of proofing, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Position a rack in the center of the oven.
3. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, & bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown. Cool & serve the braid either still warm from the oven or at room temperature. The cooled braid can be wrapped airtight & stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or freeze for 1 month.

What changes did I make? Well, to start with, I used the active dry yeast, soy milk in place of the whole milk, just vanilla extract (my vanilla bean was totally dried up, although not suprisingly, I have had it for over a year), 1 TBSP egg replacer mixed with ¼ cup warm water for the egg, and earth balance for the butter.

Here is what I did:

Day 1: The Fillings (You can make it all in one day, but I opted to spread it out because I didn’t have enough time all in one day to wait for all of the rest times)

I opted not to make the apple filling that came with the braid. I just don’t like cooked apples. I made all of my fillings. I made an orange rhubarb filling for the braid, cherry preserves, mixed berry filling, and blueberry apricot. They were all good, but nothing amazing, so I am not going to share any of the recipes.

Day 2: The Detrempe & Beurrage

Don’t be scared off by the french names, its really just the dough and the butter block. I made the dough, but had to add about ¼ cup water because it was so dry out and the dough wasn’t coming together. The butter block came together easily. I did my first two turns as instructed, then for my third turn, I did a double book fold which was shown in a video that the hosts linked to. On my fourth turn, I finally remembered to add a little flour when the dough got sticky, which I completely forgot to do on the first three. It would have made it a lot easier if I had remembered that earlier. After all of the turns (I actually did an extra one to add a little more flour in because it was still pretty sticky), I divided the dough in two and put it in the fridge to rest overnight.

Day 3: Assembly

The next day, I assembled the braid, but I used soy milk instead of the egg wash. Proofed the dough, and baked it. The braid baked up nicely. With the remaining half of the dough, I made some different shapes, but I baked two trays at once, rotating them half way through, but they still got a little crispy.

Verdict: I would really liked it and would love to play around with it more with different fillings and learning from my mistakes, but there is just too much fat in this and my body just can’t handle it. So, I probably would not make this again. I would recommend that if you like baking, you must try this recipe at least once. I am very glad that I made this, and I may try it again for a special occasion, but I would half the recipe. K thought it was good, but he’s not a big fan of fruit fillings (except for pb & j), so he only ate a couple of pieces. I am trying not to eat it all in just a couple of days, so I froze half of the braid and gave some to my parents to try.

Any changes I would make? Well, I would do just a rhubarb filling, or an almond filling. I would probably drizzle a glaze over the top and sprinkle some almonds over the top.   I didn’t encounter too many problems.  The ones I did encounter were due to lack of focus and I was watching a movie while I had the two trays in baking, so I didn’t check on them like I would have otherwise.  The movie was pretty good, so I think it was worth it, the danish still tasted good. 

Every week, I sit down and figure out my dinner menu for the next week and write out my grocery list.  I don’t normally plan out a daily breakfast or lunch menu, just dinners.  Breakfasts are always a smoothie and then we add on either cereal, waffles or pancakes, hashbrowns, or steel cut oats.  I switch it up a little if I have a lazy morning, or find a recipe I want to try.  For lunches, we typically have leftovers, peanut butter and jelly, fakin’ BLTA or cucumber sandwiches.  Mainly depends on if I have to take my lunch with me to work or if I’m home.  Here is our dinner plan for the week (I say plan, because it is always subject to change as life happens):

Sunday - Special (check back at the end of the month to see what this was)

Monday - Quick Protein Salad with Bread

Tuesday - Vegan Patties with Corn on the Cob

Wednesday - Cajun-Seared Portobello Fillets with Avocado Cream

Thursday - Salad and Beans with pita chips and hummus

Friday - Leftovers

Saturday - Jamaican Jerk Burgers with Salad

This morning we had waffles with a ZenMatcha Power Shake (adapted from Refresh Cookbook pg. 158).  The shake turned out really good, it has 1 tablespoon of matcha powder in it which makes it a pretty light shade of green. 

ZenMatcha Power Shake 

Prep Time: 5 minutes    Yield: 1 serving

1 cup pineapple, cubed

1/2 cup orange juice

2 cups ice cubes

1 1/2 cups spinach

2/3 cup soymilk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 TBSP matcha green tea powder

1.  Place all of the ingredients in a blender in the order given and blend until smooth.  You may need to stir it a couple of times to make sure it all gets blended together. 

2. Pour into a glass and enjoy. 

Sorry, no picture, there were too many cooks in the kitchen and I was starving!   Everyone loved it though!  The matcha flavor is great!

Our trip to Seattle was great!  Cold, but great.  We had so much fun and I think we did more on this vacation than we ever have before.  Wednesday was so jam packed, I’m going to split it up a bit and just start with Mighty-O Donuts.  Now, as a precursor, when I was growing up, my parents owned a donut shop.  I ate donuts almost everyday and I loved every bite.  That was 20 years ago and I have yet to find a donut that I like as much as theirs…until now. 

Mighty-O Donuts are so good!  Mighty-O is located in a residential area with some really cute houses.  We went there for breakfast on Wednesday and got a dozen donuts for the week and to share with my sisters family.  YUM! 

We got 2 raised donuts, the chocolate covered and maple bars, then 10 cake donuts: vanilla sprinkles, vanilla glazed, vanilla glazed topped with nuts, vanilla cake coconut, chocolate glazed, lemon poppy, oreo cookie donut, french toast, chocolate coconut, chocolate peanut butter, and chocolate mint.  Every one of them was good.  My nieces and nephew liked the french toast, sprinkles, maple bar, and the chocolate glazed ones.  We actually went back again on Sunday afternoon because we ate all of the rest of them and got 6 more: chocolate cinnamon sugar, chocolate raspberry, french toast, french toast with nuts, chocolate glazed and chocolate with nuts.  Here are some pictures:

Up next, Pike Place Market! 

I made Blueberry Muffins today to take with us to Seattle. 

They turned out good, although I got a little carried away with the blueberries.  They just looked so good, that I kept adding a little more.  For the recipe, I looked through a bunch of recipes and took the best from them all and added a little of my own taste to it.  I will definitely make these again, just with a few less blueberries. 

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

This recipe can be doubled.

Makes 9 muffins

1 tablespoon flax seeds
2 tablespoons water
1 cup orange juice

¼ cup prune puree
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 TBSP sugar

2 TBSP brown sugar
1 cup quick cooking oats
¾ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup spelt flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup frozen blueberries
½ cup walnuts, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.

2. Grind the flax seed in a blender or food processor, then add the water & blend together until it begins to thicken.

3. In a medium bowl, stir together the flax meal, orange juice, applesauce, vanilla & sugar. In a large bowl, combine the oats, flours, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, & salt. Gently stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture until just combined. Gently fold in the blueberries, nuts & chocolate chips, if using. Spoon into a silicone muffin pan & bake for 20-25 minutes.

Variations: you can use chopped dried fruit instead of the blueberries.

We are getting ready to visit my sister in Seattle, WA.  We will be there for a week and since they are omni’s, I decided to make it a little easier on her and make some muffins for us to have for breakfast and snacks while we’re there.  I wanted to make some Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffins,

but that didn’t use the whole can of pumpkin that I had, so I needed to find another one.  The second muffins I made are Pumpkin, Millet, Chocolate Chip Muffins,

they turned out yummy!  But, that still didn’t use up the rest of the pumpkin (about 1/2 cup left), so I made some pumpkin pancakes this morning, WOW, they were great!  Pumpkin pancakes topped with peanut butter, chopped walnuts and maple syrup are so good.  Now I just have some blueberries to use up, so I’m going to make blueberry muffins tomorrow to take.  Here’s the recipe for the Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffins:

Oatmeal – Pumpkin Muffins

Serve with a glass of orange juice for a wholesome breakfast or light snack.

Prep Time: 30 minutes Bake Time: 20 minutes Cool Time: 5 minutes Yield: 12 muffins

3/4 cup soymilk

1 TBSP lemon juice

2 cups rolled oats (not quick cooking)

3/4 cup spelt flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 TBSP egg replacer

4 TBSP warm water

2 TBSP applesauce

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and set out silicone muffins pans.

2. Place the soy milk in a cup, add the lemon juice & mix well. Set aside. This will thicken as it sits, making a soy buttermilk.

3. Whisk together the egg replacer with the warm water until frothy, set aside.

4. Place 2 cups of oats in a food processor; cover & process until fine. Transfer ground oats to a large bowl; stir in flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, salt & cloves. Make a well in center of oat mixture; set aside.

5. Whisk together pumpkin, soymilk mixture, egg replacer & applesauce in a medium bowl. Add pumpkin mixture all at once to oat mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy & thick).

6. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set your muffin pan on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Remove from muffin pan and let cool completely before moving to an airtight container. They will keep for a week in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer.

Tip: You can also add cranberries or carob chips depending on your mood. Dried figs would be good too.