Tag Archives: baking

Banana Coconut Rum Bread

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A sweeter take on Banana Rum Bread, this recipe incorporates malted milk powder, toasted coconut and coconut rum to give a subtly creamy, almost tropical edge to the dish.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons malted milk powder
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar for topping
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups mashed banana, about 5 medium
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, browned
  • 3 oz coconut, spiced rum
  • 3 tablespoon toasted, shredded coconut
  • 3 tablespoons shredded coconut for topping

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 X 5-inch bread pan with butter or cooking spray.

Prepare toasted coconut. Finely mince coconut flakes or blitz in a food processor. Spread on tin foil in an even layer and toast at 300°F until light brown, about 4 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Prepare the browned butter. In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and maintain heat until amber in color, swirling frequently, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and add the rum to the pan to halt the cooking. Allow to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, milk powder, toasted coconut, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg.

In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Mix in the banana and sugar. Add butter / rum mixture to banana mixture and thoroughly incorporate.

Add banana mixture all at once to dry ingredients and stir until just mixed. Do not over mix.

Transfer batter to greased loaf pan. Combine brown sugar with reserved coconut and sprinkle evenly over top.

Bake for 55 – 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Note: Cover loaf with some tin foil in the last 15 minutes of baking should it begin to darken too much.

Remove from oven and place pan on wire rack to cool for 15 minutes.

The bread slices best after being left in plastic wrap overnight.

Basic sourdough bread

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Uses a 100% hydration starter (“mother”) ripened and added to a preferment. Also uses an autolyse to hydrate the flour and encourage gluten formation.

This will make an 80% hydration dough based on 1kg total weight of flour among the starter, preferment and bulk flour.

Makes 2 loaves.

Preferment

  • 150g flour
  • 75mL room temperature water
  • 30g ripened (“fed”) starter

Combine in a bowl and allow to rest until doubled in size

Autolyse

  • 850g flour
  • 650mL room temperature water

Combine gently in a large bowl and rest 30 to 60 minutes. Anticipate the dough to double in size.

Dough

  • Preferment, as above
  • Autolysed flour, as above
  • 70mL room temperature water
  • 20g salt

Dissolve 20g salt into 70mL room temperature water. Add the brine to the preferment and combine by pinching the brine into the sponge.

Add the preferment to the autolysed flour, and combine. Knead the dough for 3-5 minutes until smooth and stretchy.

Leave dough in the bowl to ferment. Fermentation can take as little as 4 hours at room temperature to 12 hours while refrigerated. If refrigerated, allow dough to warm to room temperature before shaping.

Divide the dough and shape. Proof the dough until it has doubled in size, again several hours or refrigerated.

Preheat a cast iron dutch oven in a 480°F oven. Transfer the shaped loaves to the dutch oven, being carful not to deflate the loaves or injure hands. Slash the tops of the loaves about 1cm deep with a sharp knife or baker’s lame, and cover the dutch oven. Bake covered 30 minutes at 485°F. Uncover the dutch oven and bake an additional 25 minutes at 450°F until well browned.

Cool 30 minutes on a rack before slicing.

Apple Cider Donut Cake

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Where many cider donut cake recipes tend to present the spices forward, the applesauce in this recipe uses a spiced apple cider reduction that gives a more intense apple flavor to balance the spices.

Apple Cider Donut Cake with Maple Bourbon glaze

Ingredients

Apple sauce

  • 1 to 2 large honeycrisp apples, peeled and roughly chopped, about 12 oz
  • 3 cups apple cider
  • 3 whole allspice berries
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 whole clove

Cake batter

  • 1 cup apple sauce
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup loosely packed light brown sugar
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • 3 large eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F, and grease a 10 cup bundt pan with nonstick spray or butter.

Combine 3 cups apple cider, allspice, cinnamon and clove in a 2qt saucepan. Raise to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer until liquid reduced by half.

Peel and chop apples into 1 inch cubes. Add to the saucepan until the apple chunks are covered with cider. Simmer until apples are tender and liquid is mostly absorbed. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Mash apple chunks with a fork or immersion blender until no large chunks remain. Set aside and allow to cool.

Cream 1 stick of butter in a stand mixer until light and airy, wiping down occasionally. Add sugars and continue to cream until sugars are dissolved, wiping down occasionally. Add eggs one at a time until incorporated.

Whisk together remaining dry ingredients in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine apple sauce, milk, oil and vanilla.

With the stand mixer on low, alternating additions of ⅓ dry ingredients then ½ wet ingredients until just combined. Do not overwork the batter.

Transfer batter to a prepared, greased bundt pan, smoothing the top with an offset spatula. Bake at 350°F until a wooden probe draws clean, about 40 minutes.

Remove bundt pan from oven and allow to cool 15 minutes to allow the cake to set and release from the pan. Invert over a serving platter and allow to cool completely before sugaring or glazing

Serving suggestions

Cake may be glazed using a 4:1 ratio of confectionery sugar and liquid, including water, milk, maple syrup, bourbon or half & half. (See Maple Bourbon Glaze)

Cake may be brushed with browned butter and sanded with a mix of granular sugar and cinnamon.

Adapted from: https://www.howsweeteats.com/2019/10/apple-cider-donut-cake-with-brown-butter/

Neapolitan pizza dough #1

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Derived ratios from several recipes:

  • 600g Type “00” flour
  • 400mL water
  • 12g salt
  • 8.5g (1 sachet) yeast

This wants a long rest and a long rise. Prepare days in advance. Make four 12″ crusts.

Combine ingredients and mix by hand until incorporated. Allow to rise up 10-10 hours. Turn out and divide evenly by 4. Seal in quart size containers and refrigerate 2-4 days until risen.

Warm to room temp at least 2 hours prior to working.

See also, Garlic Knots recipe.

Adapted from Basic Neapolitan Pizza Dough Recipe

Garlic knots

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Makes 24 knots, about a half sheet.

Ingredients

  • 500g bread flour
  • 300mL warm water
  • 15mL olive oil
  • 15mL half & half
  • 10g granulated sugar
  • 1 sachet active dry yeast
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 tbsp oregano
  • 1 tbsp basil
  • 1 tbsp granulated garlic
  • 1 tsp parsely
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • ½ tsp crushed red pepper

Flaky, biscuit like Chicago style garlic knots.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F.Combine warm water (about 100°F), milk, sugar and yeast, whisking gently to dissolve sugar. Rest 10 to 20 minutes until mixture is lightly foaming.Combine flour, oil and yeast mix in the bowl a stand mixer with paddle attachment, or in a food processor with metal blades.

Stand mixer

Set mixer on low speed until the ingredients are well combined, about 2 minutes. Cover and rest 10 minutes, then affix dough hook and knead on medium speed for up to 5 minutes.

Food processor

Use dough setting or low speed until dough comes together, about 30 seconds. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Turn out dough onto oiled work surface and knead 3 to 4 tines until dough is well combined. Cover and rest 10 minutes, then knead by hand up to 5 minutes.Form dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl. Cover and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.Turn out dough onto floured work surface and divide into 24 even pieces. Roll pieces into rope about 6″ long and ½ inch thick. Tie ropes loosely in an overhand knot, leaving less than an inch overhanging and tucking in ends. Arrange knots on a greased pan and allow to rest 10 minutes.Melt butter in a small saucepan, then add parmesan, garlic salt, spices and herbs. Brush half of the mixture over the knots.Bake knots at 400°F for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with remaining butter.

Pizza dough #1

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Ingredients

  • 500g “Tipo 00” extra-fine flour
  • 15g sea salt
  • 20g olive oil
  • 300mL warm water (105-115°F)
  • 1g sugar
  • 1 sachet (8.5g) dry active yeast

Instructions

Combine warm water, sugar and yeast in a bowl and whisk to dissolve yeast. Proof yeast 5-10 minutes, until foaming.

Combine flour and salt in bowl of a stand mixer and combine with paddle attachment. With mixer on low speed, add water mixture by halves until a soft dough forms., about 2 minutes.

Rest dough 10 minutes.

Swap to a dough hook attachment and run mixer on low to medium speed, kneading dough 8-10 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary. Add pinches of flour if dough remains too sticky, being careful not to add too much flour. A slightly sticky dough will yield a crispier, fluffier crust.

Turn out dough into an oiled bowl, and coat on all sides. Cover and allow to rise until doubled in size and dough does not bounce back when poked, about 2½ hours.

Punch down dough and divide into two balls. Place balls on an oiled sheet and rest at least 10 minutes. Dough balls may also be wrapped in pinch paper and frozen for later use. If using immediately, coat a work surface lightly in bench flour or corn meal Shape dough into 12″ rounds for pizza.