CHERRY MACARONS

Posted in macarons by sallybr

And we are absolutely thrilled to have Prince ruling The Kingdom! Now, back to Cherry Macarons!

Shells were made using my default recipe, which you can find here. I added a mixture of red, orange and brown dyes, eyeballing everything, trying to get the color I had in mind. Never very easy to do with macarons, as the dye goes in the meringue component but then the almond mixture lightens it up a bit. Still, I am happy with the outcome…

CHERRY MACARONS
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

For the cherry compote:
(you won’t use the full amount)
1 pound sweet cherries, pitted and coarsely chopped
50g sugar (1/4 cup)
½ teaspoon almond extract
zest of 1/2 orange
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tablespoon of water

Cook cherries, sugar, almond extract, orange zest, and salt in medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until cherries release their juices, and mixture is visibly thicker, about 8 minutes.

Add the slurry of cornstarch and add to the cherries. Cook for a minute or two, transfer to a bowl and allow it to cool completely.

White Chocolate Cherry Ganache:
200g white chocolate (chopped fine)
70g Cherry Compote (made as above)
70ml heavy whipping cream
Red Food coloring (optional, but nice)

Melt the white chocolate very gently in the microwave at 50% power, whisking every 20 seconds or so. Bring whipping cream and cherry compote to a boil and mix well with the melted chocolate. Add a touch of red food dye if you like. Use an immersion blender to emulsify it all together, place it in the refrigerator covered with a plastic wrap until fully set (I made it 6 hours before using).

Use the cherry ganache to fill macaron shells made with your favorite recipe, or using the one I linked in the first paragraph of this post. Allow the filled macarons to sit in the fridge overnight before consuming them.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

To decorate the shells, I made a simple drawing of two cherries and a couple of leaves. I used food safe pens to color them. The easiest, fastest way is to use one color at a time, and just do them all as in a little factory line.

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25Aug2024

PUFF PASTRY TWISTS WITH CINNAMON AND CARDAMON

Posted in Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts, Sweets, Sweets by sallybr

You can conceivably use store-bought puff pastry (try to find a brand that uses real butter, not shortening), but a lot of the fun is making your own. For this type of pastry, no need to do too many folds. Great project for a weekend, but avoid days of excessive heat.

PUFF PASTRY TWISTS WITH CINNAMON AND CARDAMON
(from The Bewitching Kitchen, adapted from several sources)

3 cups (390g) all-purpose flour
1½ tablespoons sugar
1½ teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 cup ice water (you may not need the full cup)
for butter square:
3 sticks unsalted butter, chilled

Process flour, sugar, and salt in food processor until combined. With processor running, add vinegar, followed by ¾ cup super cold water. Add remaining ¼ cup water as needed, a little at a time with the machine always running. Stop adding water when the dough comes together, and immediately remove from the processor, gathering the dough gently with your hands. Form into a square, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 full hour.

Start working on the butter block: Lay the three butter sticks side by side over a sheet of parchment paper and cover with a plastic wrap. Gently pound butter with rolling pin until butter is softened, then roll out as an 8-inch square, trying to keep the thickness equal all over the extension of the butter. Wrap the square in plastic and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

Roll chilled dough into 14 inch square on lightly floured counter. Place chilled butter square diagonally in center of dough. Fold corners of dough up over butter square so that corners meet in middle and pinch dough seams to seal (see first photo of the composite below). Gently roll dough into 14-inch square, dusting with extra flour as needed to prevent sticking. Fold dough into thirds like a business letter, then fold rectangle in thirds to form a square, try to make it as neat as possible. Wrap dough in plastic, freeze for 30 minutes and remove to the refrigerator, keeping it there for 60 minutes more.

Repeat the folding and rolling twice, if you can do it fast no need to refrigerate, but if at any time you feel the butter warming, place it in the fridge for 45 minutes before the next rolling out. Once you complete the foldings, let the dough rest for 2 full hours before finally using it.

MAKING THE TWISTS
1/2 of the puff pastry made as above
½ cup sugar
3 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

Mix sugar, salt and spices in a small bowl. Reserve. Heat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (it works better than silicone for this type of bake, disregard what you see in the composite picture below, I switch to parchment on the second batch).

Roll the puff pastry into a large square (about 12 x 12 in), the thinner the better without allowing it to crack. Brush melted butter all over the pastry, then sprinkle the sugar-spice mixture, pressing gently with the fingers. Fold the pastry sheet in half, enclosing the sugar mixture. Cut narrow strips with a pizza roller. Twist each piece and place on the parchment-lined sheet.

Bake for 14-15 minutes until golden brown.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: These turned out absolutely delicious, although they un-twisted quite a bit during baking. I should have pressed the ends harder on the parchment paper, but still it didn’t compromise the experience. I cut the long strips in half because I did not want to have very long twists, so do what you think is best for you.

Yes, making puff pastry from scratch takes a bit of work, but quite a bit of it is waiting for the dough to chill. I will make turnovers pretty soon, so stay tuned!

ONE YEAR AGO: Three Delicious Bakes

TWO YEARS AGO: Banana Bread from the Experts

THREE YEARS AGO: Shrimp Stir-Fry with Snow Peas and Cashews

FOUR YEARS AGO: Pickled-Roasted Chickpeas with Cashew Cream

FIVE YEARS AGO: Twice-Baked Goat Cheese Souffle

SIX YEARS AGO: A Star from England in the Bewitching Kitchen

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Hommage to the Sun

21Aug2024

SOURDOUGH BUBBLE BREAD

Posted in Breads by sallybr

This is my third attempt at covering sourdough with a thin layer of a cocoa-dyed wrap. I stumbled by accident on a youtube site that got me lost for a while in the many possibilities of sourdough fun. She does incredibly beautiful loaves, pushing the envelope with gilding the lily. This is my first adventure following her overall method. The Bubble Bread.

Contrary to my usual method, which I consider simple and straightforward, this one involved autolysis, adding the starter and salt at different stages, and a lamination step. I followed her recipe to a T, although I opted for making only one loaf instead of two. The real game changer was the way she handled the cocoa-dyed dough. That is a must!

SOURDOUGH BUBBLE BREAD
(slightly modified from Hungry Shots)

for the main dough:
88g sourdough starter (100% hydration)
388g bread flour
50g spelt flour
270g water
9g salt

for the cocoa-wrap:
85g discarded sourdough
85g all-purpose flour
30g water
7g cocoa powder

Mix water with the two types of flour until combined. Leave at room temperature, covered, for one hour. Add the starter and mix until combined. Leave for 1 hour at room temperature. Add the salt and mix by kneading gently for about 4 minutes until incorporated. Leave at room temperature for 1 hour.

Spray a little water on your countertop and place the dough over it. Do a set of stretch and folds, and let it proof for one more hour at room temperature.

Laminate the dough (you can watch her youtube video if you have never done it). Allow it to rest for 90 minutes. Right after lamination, make the cocoa-dyed dough by mixing all the ingredients and kneading until fully smooth. To help with flexibility of the dough, roll it thinly with a rolling pin, fold it, and knead it again. Make sure the dough is very smooth and pliable before you form is into a ball and let it ferment at room temperature until you are ready to cover the dough with t.

Go back to the main dough: Do three sets of gentle foil colds (watch her video for details). Do the first one, wait 30 minutes to do the second one, 1 hour to do the third one. One hour after the third coil fold is done, you are ready to shape the dough and cover it with the cocoa wrap.

Roll out the cocoa dough to an extension that allows you to wrap the whole bread. Cut circles of different sizes with a cookie cutter. Shape the main dough as a batard (or round if you prefer), cover it with the cocoa dough, and place in the banneton. Proof for 30 minutes at room temperature, then place in the fridge overnight.

Next morning, heat oven to 450F. Invert the dough over parchment paper, make a deep slice off-center, and bake covered in a Dutch oven for 30 minutes, remove the cover and bake for 20 minutes more. Allow it to cool completely before slicing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This was so much fun to make! I have tried to cover sourdough with a dark wrap using the pie lattice cutter, but I did not care for the way it turned out (see it on this post of my past). However, the key is making the dough extensible enough, and that is achieved by thorough kneading, rolling, kneading again. If you go through the process, your outcome will be much better.

I would cut holes of different sizes next time, some a lot smaller, like she did, but this time I was a bit too anxious and nervous about the whole thing, so I kept is simple. Used only two sizes of circles. I could not take pictures of the wrapping of the dough, as I was alone in the house and it was impossible to do it on my own, but her videos show it all in great detail. Check the bubble bread video here.

The bread had amazing oven-spring, particularly considering that the wrapped dough constrains it quite a bit. As to the crumb, it was very moist and tender, in fact the husband professed it to be his very favorite of this year! Can you say mission accomplished?

I am not convinced that the lamination and coil-folding are absolutely necessary to bake this type of bread, but definitely the handling of the cocoa dough will be key. I hope you give this method a try, it is so cool to see the outcome when you get that lid open after 30 minutes!

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17Aug2024

SHIROI KOIBITO BISCUITS

Posted in Cookies by sallybr

I’ve flirted with the idea of making these Japanese cookies for a long time, but finally took a deep breath and went for it. I consider this project a work in progress because there is room for improvement. And also, there are so many other shapes and options of fillings to make them. BUT the most traditional kind is Shiroi Koibito, that translates as White Lover. So the biscuit is white and the filling is a square of white chocolate. The filling is never spread inside but instead it is formed using the exact same mold that the biscuit component was formed with (I used the square one from this set). Such a cute concept!

SHIROI KOIBITO BISCUITS
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

50 g softened butter
50 g powdered sugar
50 g all-purpose or pastry flour
1 egg white
100 g white chocolate for the filling

Heat oven to 350F.

Using a mixer, beat the butter until soft, gradually add in the powdered sugar, egg white and flour. Mix until you get a smooth batter.

Spread the batter onto a square chablon stencil placed on a baking tray lined with silicone mat, or parchment paper (I prefer silicone mat). Use a dough scraper to remove the excess dough. Lift the stencil carefully. Bake the biscuits for 10 minutes until the edges become slightly golden.

Temper the white chocolate then pour on the same chablon stencil (washed and fully dried). Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set completely. Remove the chocolate squares from the stencil and assemble the chocolate square on the cookies with some melted chocolate.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: The trickiest part of this recipe is baking the squares homogeneously. It is easy to get some a bit too dark whereas others are not yet there. But removing them as they get ready is not feasible, they are too delicate to lift while warm. So maybe turning the baking sheet around more often is going to help. I will try it soon. Many recipes I’ve seen around omit tempering the chocolate, but I advise you to bite the bullet an temper it, or else use compound chocolate to make life easier. I don’t have much luck trying to melt white chocolate in the microwave and keep it at temper, both me and the chocolate and up losing it. If you have that skill, go for it!

This is the exact same dough used to make the famous French cookie called Langue de Chat (Cat’s Tongue). They are delicate, crunchy, thin, and delicious. I can hardly wait to make Shiroi Koibito again!

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TEN YEARS AGO: Headed to Colorado!
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13Aug2024

BUTTERFLY PEA FLOWER ACCORDION BREAD

Posted in Breads by sallybr

I am so thrilled with this recipe! You can use different ingredients to obtain the bicolor effect: charcoal powder, carrot powder, ube, sweet potato powder, just keep in mind that it needs to be concentrated enough not to mess up with the dough, so liquid things won’t work well. Stick to powder and thick pastes. I used butterfly pea flower powder from Selefina (click here for ordering info).

ACCORDION BREAD
(adapted from this recipe)

180 ml warm milk
4g instant yeast
375g bread flour
18g dry milk powder
7g salt
50g sugar
1 large egg
56g softened butter
5g butterfly pea flower powder dissolved in 2 tsp milk
Egg wash (1 egg + 1 tbsp milk)

Combine yeast, warm milk, and 5 g of the sugar in a small measuring cup or bowl. Stir and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.

In a stand mixing bowl fitted with the dough hook, add the flour, salt, milk powder, egg, yeast mixture, and knead on med-low speed until dough comes together and no dry flour is visible. Add in remaining 45g of sugar. Incorporate all the butter, little by little. Knead on med-high for 8-10 mins, or until dough is smooth and releases from the sides of the bowl.

Split dough into two, placing one half the dough back in the mixer, adding the dissolved butterfly pea powder over it. Knead until color is well combined. Cover both doughs in clean bowls, and let rise 1.5 to 2 hours or until they have doubled in size.

Punch and degas doughs. Using a rolling pin, roll out each dough into an oblong shape. Layer the two doughs with colored dough on the top. Perform an envelope fold meeting both sides in the center. Wrap dough in cling wrap and chill in fridge for 15 minutes.
Unwrap dough and roll out into a long even rectangle. Staring from one end, roll in dough to create a swirl, making sure colored dough is inside while regular dough is facing out. Using a sharp blade or razor, score the dough evenly across the top to create “accordion” effect. Lines should be approx 1/4 inch apart and 1/8 inch deep to reveal the colored dough. Place in 450g Pullman loaf pan, cover, and let proof for 45 mins.

Heat oven to 355 F. Brush egg wash and bake for 40-42 mins until loaf is golden brown. Release bread from pan after 10 minutes, then cool completely on wire rack before slicing and smiling at the swirl…

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: The dough, like most enriched doughs, is a pleasure to work with, rolls very easily and you can stretch it and adjust so that both layers sit perfectly on top of each other.

Make sure to slice the external layer with a sharp razor blade and all the way through to see the colored dough underneath. The sugar and milk in the recipe give it a nice brown color after baking.

But the best part? That swirl revealed once you slice through!

The bread has a very mild flavor, the butterfly pea flower does not contribute much in terms of flavor, just color. I will be making other versions for sure…

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NINE YEARS AGO: Tomato Tatin

TEN YEARS AGO: Headed to Colorado!

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Farofa Brasileira

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Thai-Inspired Pork Tenderloin