Baking Weekend

[unicornduke]

Things I meant to do yesterday: write this post, call Shark about not working steam cleaner, wash a fleece. What I did instead: help put plastic on the high tunnel in the wind.

Wednesday last week I made Fig Newtons from Stella Parks' Bravetart book, which is one of my all time favorite baking books. It is thorough and everything is delicious. I'm also trying to digitize the recipes that are in the cookbooks I like, so I can check ingredient lists while I'm at the grocery store if I decide to make them randomly. Usually recipes have both cup and weight options which is nice. I've only typed weights since that's what I usually use. Some recipes she provides gluten free options but I mostly don't have issues with adapting the ones I don't. The fig newtons are the exception, I still haven't quite figured out how to get them right, the dough likes to spread a lot but I make them anyway because they're good.

This recipe is annoying so I usually make it by itself since it's fiddly. But it produces a full sheet pan of snacks that are amazing and tasty.

Dough ingredients

• 10.5 oz flour = 6.3 oz sorgum flour, 3.15 oz potato starch, 1.05 oz tapioca starch
• 1 1/4 stick | 5 oz unsalted butter, softened
• 4 oz light brown sugar
• 1/2 plus 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1 tbsp orange juice
• 3 egg yolks

Filling ingredients

• 12 oz dried mission figs, stems trimmed
• 1/3 cup | 3.5 oz applesauce, sweet or not, your choice
• 2 tbsp orange juice

Make the dough

1. Combine butter, brown sugar, baking soda, salt cinnamon, honey, orange zest in a stand mixer bowl - paddle
2. Mix on low speed to moisten, then medium to cream until light and fluffy
3. add orange juice, then egg yolks one at a time, beat until smooth
4. reduce speed to low, add sifted flour, mix until well combined
5. make into a ball, flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic (gf will be very soft and it's easier just to spoon onto plastic then shape into disk)
6. refrigerate for an hour
7. While dough is refrigerating, cut the figs in half and remove the stems
8. if you don't have applesauce on hand like me, make applesauce (cut up an apple, add water and apple to pot, simmer until water boils off and apples are soft and turning brown, then mush them with a spoon)
9. pulse figs with applesauce and orange juice in food processor until a thick smooth paste, make sure no chunks!
10. Fill piping bag with 1/2 inch tip or just cut an inch off the bag if you use disposible
11. preheat oven to 350
12. dust counter and dough with flour, then roll out dough to 8 inch square, then to long rectangle the length of your sheet pans
13. cut into 4 long strips, hopefully 3 inches wide but eh
14. pipe filling onto center of strips, holding piping bag 90 degrees, perpendicular to counter to make flat strip of filling ~1 inch wide
15. fold sides of dough over the filling and press flat, using a offset spatula under to loosen the dough when it inevitably sticks.
16. roll bar so it's seam down and transfer to baking sheet (parchment paper), all bars will fit, give it a little press to make sure everything is all together, repeat with others
17. bake for 18 minutes, bars should be puffy and firm, no browning
18. IMMEDIATELY cut into 1 inch pieces and transfer to an airtight container with paper towels on bottom, between layers and on top. close container and let cookies steam for 6 hours, so they get soft and cumbly. Eat one or two warm (I use 9x13 pyrex baking dish with lid and completely fill it with two layers)
19. eat the rest later

Sunday was baking morning. I made bread, chocolate cake from Bravetart, pastry cream (because I wanted chocolate cake and pastry cream mmmmm) and savory hand pies (turnovers). Only two typed up here because the others are digital already.

Classic Sandwich Bread from America's Test Kitchen How Can It Be Gluten Free. I like their recipes, they work but often use things I don't have on hand like sour cream or cream cheese which is my only gripe. This recipe is not like that, I make it for my bread for lunches and I've gotten very fast at it.
Ingredients

• 2 cups warm water (110 F)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 14 oz ATK flour mix
• 4 oz oat flour
• 1.5 oz dry milk powder
• 3 tbsp psyllium powder
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp instant yeast
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1.5 tsp salt

Make the bread

1. take loaf pan and put parchment paper in it
2. Whisk water, eggs, melted butter in a small bowl
3. mix all dry ingredients in stand mixer bowl with paddle
4. slowly add wet ingredients until dough is made, then up to medium speed and beat for a bit, it will look like cookie dough
5. scrape into loaf pan and cover. let rise for 2-3 hours on hot stove (at my house)
6. preheat oven to 350 and bake for 1.5 hours
7. let fully cool out of pan and slice before freezing

I also have a great book, Ken Haedrich's Country Baking that is full of delicious recipes, with a lot of garden and produce focus. It has a whole section of savory baking that I'm trying to work through since I'm not an amazing savory baker and I want to get better at it.

North Country Turnovers (locals reference, book author is from NH and the northern area of NY up by Canada is called The North Country)
Ingredients

• 1 recipe of cream cheese pastry (I did a cornmeal pie dough)
• 1 cup sauerkraut (I hate sauerkraut, so did shredded carrots instead)
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1/2 cup finely chopped Canadian bacon or ham (I had ground pork so used that)
• 1/2 shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup finely chopped tart apple
• egg wash if you want
• (I started with ~1cup of everything since I had more dough)

Make them

1. Prepare pastry and chill
2. roll out to 1/8 inch thick on the counter
3. get a 6inch diameter bowl and cut out as many circles as possible, gathering scraps, re-rolling as needed (I had a two pie crust recipe, so got 9 circles) and chill in fridge for 30 mins
4. prepare filling by sautéing sauerkraut or carrots to remove moisture and add mustard
5. preheat oven to 400F
6. get all ingredients in bowls
7. take one dough circle and carefully spread carrots in a small half circle on one side, leaving at least a 1/2 inch from edges, add other fillings, sparingly because you will overfill them.
8. dip a finger in a small bowl of water that you got around with filling and wet the edges of the pastry. fold in half and press edges together
9. use fork to crimp edges and then put on baking sheet
10. repeat for others
11. brush with egg wash if you want
12. bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 375 and bake for another 15-20 mins
13. let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before eating because hot.