It's such a comfort

In my life, baking is so therapeutic. Always. In my roughest seasons baking has been there for me, and in the days when it took all I had to put one foot in front of the other, I knew that flour, sugar and butter would make sense. My favorite line in the movie Julie & Julia speaks right to my soul:

"I love that after a day when nothing is sure, and when I say 'nothing' I mean nothing, you can come home and absolutely know that if you add egg yolks to chocolate and sugar and milk, it will get thick. It's such a comfort."

Preach it.

That's why this week, after a long, long couple of days, when I found this little recipe for lemon crisps, I knew what my afternoon would hold. What better to refresh the spirit than a little lemon cookie?

Not much, I'd say. I was house-sitting this week and, unfortunately, the day when I made these I had no camera with me to document the process. (Which is a shame. My friend has a motherload of gorgeous and unique dishes and serving trays I could have impressed you with.) However, I would be shocked if someone needed to consult a photo step-by-step for these. They're so, so simple to make... add ingredients; then stir. And they look so happy sitting there on the cooling rack.

Crisp Lemon Cookies

Adapted from Taste of Home

• 1-1/3 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup vanilla or white chips, melted 

 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl (I was using a Kitchenaid mixer) cream the butter and confectioner's sugar until light and fluffy. It will basically look like frosting. Then beat in the lemon juice, the lemon peel and the vanilla. Take a little taste because it's already delicious, then gradually add the flour and mix well. (And I speak from experience, take heed of the word "gradually". Otherwise be prepared to do a load of laundry.)  

 

Spoon out little pieces of the dough and shape into little 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Coat the bottom of a glass with cooking spray, then dip into some sugar. Flatten the cookies with the glass, making sure they're not TOO thin. 

Revel in how little effort you've put forth so far, and then stick these bad boys in the oven. Let them bake for about 11-13 minutes or until the edges start to brown. If you want them to be chewier instead of crispy, take them out around 9 or 10 minutes. Then let them cool! My recipe instructed me to drizzle with white chocolate or vanilla chips. I just kind of dolloped it on there. I personally have had a lifelong battle with melting white chocolate. It's my baking nemesis. So instead of trying to get it to perfect drizzle consistency I just spooned it on and am calling it a ganache. 

Voila!

So now I have way too many little lemon cookies in a house that has only one girl. But I'm really not complaining. I'm so looking forward to having this blog with these girls who share this obsession with all things that mix, rise, plump and turn golden. I've been longing to know how to make all the wonderful things my grandmother has made for years. Pies, tortes, breads... and I'm excited to share it with everyone. Here's to comforts!

~Bri

Sugar and Spice

I don't know about you, but I'm a huge fan of pumpkin-flavored baked goods, be it fall, winter, spring, or summer. Today's post is a variation on a recipe I found for pumpkin pull-apart bread. It was the first time I'd tried making it, and it was a huge success...so much so that it was demolished by the end of the day. It's a yeast bread, so it takes a little while to prepare and make, but I promise the end result will be worth the time and effort you put in. Also, anyone who tastes it is liable to fall in love with you. It's really a win-win. 

Pumpkin Spice Pull-Apart Bread

Ingredients

Bread

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 cup milk

2 1/4 tsp (one envelope) active dry yeast

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup white sugar

1 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups bread flour

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 cup white sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Spiced Maple Syrup Glaze

2 Tbsp maple syrup

1/4 cup milk

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground ginger

3/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions

In a saucepan over medium high heat, brown two tablespoons of butter. You want it to bubble and turn a dark golden brown, but be careful not to let it burn (or turn black). Once it's browned, remove the butter from the heat and carefully add the milk, then return it to the stove and heat thoroughly (you want the milk to be at least room temperature - I warmed mine up in the microwave a little before adding it to the butter, so the milk wouldn't clump). Pour the milk and butter mixture into a bowl and allow it to cool a little, to about 100-110 degrees. While it's still warm, add the yeast and 1/4 cup of sugar, then allow it proof for about 8 minutes. The top should look foamy and the liquid a little cloudy. Mine looked like this...

Add the pumpkin, salt, and 1 cup of flour. Stir until combined, then add the rest of the flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Knead for 6 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. It should still be slightly sticky, but if it's too moist, add a little extra flour one tablespoon at a time.

Move the dough to a slightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel. Allow it to rise in a warm place for 60-90 minutes, until it's about doubled in size. Mine went from this...

to this.

When the dough is almost done rising, brown 2 more tablespoons of butter. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan and set aside.

When your dough has doubled in size, punch it down (always my favorite part) and flip it out onto a clean and floured surface. Knead for 1-2 minutes, then roll into a 20x12 rectangle, or as close as you can get to it (personally mine turned out looking like some kind of mutant sea creature, so don't worry if you can't get a perfect rectangular shape). If your dough is too difficult to roll, you can cover it with a towel and let it relax for a few minutes before trying again. After your dough is rolled out, brush the browned butter over it and sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture on top, pressing it into the dough with the palms of your hands. Cut your rectangle (or amoeba) into about 6 strips, as even as you can get them. Lay the strips on top of each other and cut each strip into 6 pieces. Stack the pieces of dough vertically into your loaf pan. It should look something like this...

Cover the pan with a clean towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes. In the meantime, preheat oven to 350 degrees. When your dough is finished rising, bake the bread for 30-40 minutes, or until it's a deep golden brown (mine took exactly 35 minutes).

To prepare the glaze, simply combine the syrup, milk, spices, and sugar in a saucepan over medium low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture starts to bubble slightly. Remove from heat and set aside.

When the bread is done baking, let it cool for a few minutes, then loosen it from the sides of the pan with a knife and flip it upside-down onto a large plate. Drizzle the glaze (generously) over the top, and voila! Finger-lickin' goodness. 

I hope you fancy this bread as much as my roommate and I did. It's a little time-consuming to prepare, but there's something about bread-making that's a bit abstractly spiritual to me. I couldn't help but think about the fact that act of kneading and baking bread is one that people have been engaging in pretty much since the beginning of life. As a student of history, I'm always profoundly struck by any connections we're able to make today with the generations of the past. At any rate, roll your sleeves up, throw some flour around, and get bakin'. Enjoy!

Lauren

When in Rome...or at home

            I was home for the holidays, in which my mothers cooking always leaves me inspired, both by memories from my childhood and to work off the ten pounds I gained at home! Therefore, today I'm going to act upon both ideas and find the time for Pilates and to make Roman bread, a medium density, sandwich bread that a dear friend of the family, Mrs. Bicknel, use to make for my family when we would go to her home for Christmas. In later years my mom began making this bread as well, surprising the family with delicious little sandwiches that lasted no more than the first 24 hours in which they were made. So today I share it with you, assuming that once the bread is made, my roommate, boyfriend, and I will consume it faster than my family ever could, which is impressive!

The ingredients:

1 pkg active dry yeast

1 ¼ c very warm water

2 T soft shortening (Crisco)

2 t salt

2 T sugar

3 c sifted flour

The process:

            I began by dissolving the yeast, mixing the flour, sugar, salt and left the beautiful lump of dough to rise. In the meantime, I indulged in too much time spent on the computer, trying to get chores accomplished, and then pushed myself to my Pilates mat. Thank goodness it takes bread awhile to rise, because my procrastination always gets the best of me.

            As I was kneading the bread I was reminded of both home and a conversation I had earlier this week about sharing meals together and intentional fellowship. What is it about bread specifically that is a gathering factor for people? I very much appreciate the heart of most Middle Eastern cultures that gather over tea or bread, taking the time to be with one another. The process of making bread is labor intensive, a process of planting and harvest. The time then spent partaking of the bread represents sharing, rest, sacrifice, friendship, respect, gratitude and relationship. It’s no wonder Jesus often met with others over a meal, spoke of Himself in terms of the bread of life, and then left this example for the church to gather together in the same manner. This made me ask myself, do I look at my daily encounters with people with such intentionality? I know I need to take more time to sit with my friends and truly be with them, instead of being distracted by the anxieties, technology and schedules of life. In retrospect, I am thankful for the time of food, fellowship and rest with my family over the holidays, even if we did eat continuously! There is something very valuable about the time spent, and I find myself wanting to make some changes in my life so that I might have more "Sabbath moments" in my every day, with God, and with others. This is my challenge to myself this New Year. You just witnessed what goes on in my mind while kneading bread. I apologize you had to be exposed to that!

            It took all day for the bread to rise, and it remains a little flat. Oh well! I worked the dough into the pan and gently brushed the top of the bread with oregano, egg whites and other spices, popping the bread in the oven with anticipation! When the bread was done my roommate and I both decided it was a delicious success! I smell my home in the air, and I think Mrs. Bicknel would be proud! In conclusion, the smell of bread baking is good for the soul and the perfect way to end a lovely, Sunday afternoon! Thought of the day: This week, take time to meet a dear friend, pour of mug of warm coffee or tea and if you have the time, bake some bread…or even just warm some in the oven to share! You’ll be glad you did!

Your baking enthusiast and nostalgic soul,

Sarah