Recipe #33: Savory Brioche Pockets and #8: Pecan Sticky Buns

Since I missed the making of the brioche dough and the sticky buns the first time around last May, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to divide the dough and make half into the savory pockets and the other half into the pecan sticky buns.  The Tuesdays with Dorie host for the pecan buns was Lynn on her blog, Eat Drink Man Woman Dogs Cat.  The host for the savory pockets this week is Carrie on her blog, Loaves and Stitches.  The recipes can be found on their blogs or in the cookbook Baking with Julia.

After I made these, I found the video of Julia Child and Nancy Silverton making both the sticky buns and the savory pockets.  It might have been helpful to watch this first! Baking with Julia: Sticky Buns

The dough turned out just like it said it would in the recipe and the finished products tasted delicious.  I mixed up the dough yesterday and refrigerated it overnight.  This morning I used half of it to make the sticky buns.  The key word for this recipe is BUTTER.

First you make the sponge and watch the flour on top crack. Cool.

Then you beat the butter into submission and add it to the sponge with more flour.Nice squishy dough, that gets to rise for 1 1/2 hours, deflate, then refrigerate overnight.
The next morning, I took half of the dough and rolled it out, with more butter added.After resting and re-rolling the dough, it’s sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar, chopped pecans, and placed into a cake pan with MORE butter and brown sugar on the bottom.
After another rising, the rolls are baked for 27 minutes.
They turned out really well.  I’ll make these again for sure!Then for dinner tonight, I made the rest of the brioche dough into the savory pockets with the mashed red potatoes, goat cheese, caramelized onions and asparagus. Labor intensive, but very good.  I’m feeling like a real baker today…

Recipe #29: Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies

I’m almost caught up now after making these luscious mocha chocolate chippers.  The recipe is on page 330 of Baking with Julia, or you can get it from our host, Peggy, at Galettista.  One of these days I WILL attempt those daunting croissants that take 3 days to make.  Many of my fellow Tuesdays with Dorie bakers have made them and their photos show that it can be done.

So, to the cookies at hand.  This is an all butter, no shortening, cookie dough that requires a little extra time to chill in the fridge before baking so they won’t spread out too much.  There were decisions to be made in this recipe.  First, choice of chocolate. I went with a combination of 3.5 ounce bar of Lindt 50% cocoa dark, a 3.5 ounce bar of Ghirardelli 72% dark, and 10 ounces of semi-sweet Nestle’s chips. Why? Because that’s what was on the chocolate shelf of my kitchen cupboard.  Next, do you have coffee powder sitting around?  Hmmm, I didn’t have that, so I used some freeze dried espresso granules and ground them up with my mortar and pestal (I love using it…I feel like a chemist!).  And then, to add dried apricots or not.  I think not. Maybe next time.I used my large cookie scoop which made 36 cookies instead of the 48 the recipe said it would make.  Warm out of the oven these cookies were just oozing melted chocolate.I’m headed over to have happy hour with my friends in about an hour. We’re planning a bridal shower, so we’re going to need sustenance.  I’ll bring the cookies.

 

Recipe #30: Rustic Potato Loaves

With 3 recipes to catch up on that I missed due to back surgery and a trip to Texas, I’m grateful for the extra Tuesday in April to be able to get one of them posted.  This week I made the potato loaves that I missed on April 2nd.  If you want the recipe, it’s on page 138 of Baking with Julia, or check out the blog of our host for the week, Dawn at Simply Sweet.

This is a fun bread recipe to make and it turned out really well without a lot of effort. I started it at 5:00 and it was hot and ready to serve with dinner at 8:00. Not many bread recipes can be whipped up that fast and easy.

The first step is scrubbing, boiling and then drying out some russet potatoes:

 

The potatoes are mashed in the mixer with proofed yeast and olive oil:

Switch to the dough hook and add the flour and salt, kneading for 11 minutes (not 10, not 12) until it is miraculously transformed from crumbly to soft and sticky.

 

After a 30 minute rest in a covered bowl, the dough is shaped into 2 discs and rolled into torpedo shaped loaves.  I took Dawn’s suggestion and added bacon, cheese and scallions to one of my loaves before I rolled it up.

(The little flecks in the dough are the potato skins.) After a 20 minute rest, the loaves are popped into a 375* oven onto a hot stoneware baking sheet, seam side up. You spray a little water inside the oven to add steam, or add ice cubes in the bottom of the oven. And they turn out like this:

 

Butter, eat and savor:

 

 

 

Recipe #31: Madeleines

You may have noticed that I skipped right from Recipe #27 to #31.  After a super busy six week break, I am back. The madeleine recipe was a great way to jump back in.  Easy, tasty, and required a fun outing to the kitchen store to buy new madeleine pans.

Check out our host Katie’s blog at Counter Dog for the recipe, photos and see how her madeleines turned out.  Here’s a look at mine and the process from start to finish:

Get out the cookbook,

turn to page 334,

sift,

whip,

fold,

fill,

 

bake, cool,

sprinkle,

enjoy!

Recipe #27: Boca Negra

Easy to make, chocolately goodness with a little bourbon added.  Need I say more.  In fact, I’ll let our hostess of the week, Cathy, tell you the Boca Negra story.  Mine came out a little gooey, more like pudding than a cake.  But still very delicious.  I should probably  cook it a little longer next time and see if it gets a little less gooey and a little more cakey, but the recipe said to cook it for “exactly” 30 minutes.  I made 3 little cakes instead of one 9″ round so I could share with more of my friends.   I’ll try this one again.  Pictures are worth a thousand words…

Happy hour at the Wobbly Bobby with friends calls for beer and chocolate!  Cheers!

Recipe #26: Foccacia

Our host this week for Foccacia is Sharmini of Wandering Through.  She has the recipe there and her’s looks great!  Check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers at  http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/2013/02/04/lyl-foccacia/#comments.   The dough is easy to mix in the Kitchenaid and it had no problem doubling in bulk with both rises.  Then into the fridge in 3 little oily plastic bags for a 24 hour waiting period.  After that, it’s another hour on the counter before flattening, topping and baking.  All in all, a tasty bread to eat alone or as a great sandwich.  Very easy, and I’ll make it again if I have the time to plan a day ahead.  We had some for dinner last night with a little olive oil-balsamic vinegar to dip it in.  One went into the freezer to have another day.  This makes a lot of bread for 2 people!

Recipe #25 French Apple Tart

Fast forward through December and here we are at January 22nd already!  Recipes # 22, 23 and 24 will have to be tried sometime on an off week this year because I just didn’t have the time to get them done.  Oh well.  It was a fantastic family filled holiday and I loved every minute of it.  Now I’m back to Baking with Julia with the French Apple Tart, page 379. Check out the recipe on our host of the week’s blog, Laws of the Kitchen.

It’s a beautiful, snowy day here in Rapid City, South Dakota. Just the kind of day to hang out at home and bake a tart and a couple of loaves of bread.

I made the crust in the food processor. Very easy. Makes 4 crusts, so 3 are now in the freezer ready to make more tarts or pies.

Each pastry is formed into a disc…3 go into the freezer, 1 into the fridge for a couple of hours.

While the pie crust is chilling for several hours, the apples are chopped, mixed with the secret ingredients (check the recipe), and baked until soft.

 

The baked apples are mashed and ready to go into the baked crust.

The crust is baked in a 9″ tart pan, cooled and ready to fill.

The mashed apples in the crust. Oh look, there’s a little tiny tart there peeking into the photo.

Sliced apples on the top, brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with sugar, and ready for the oven.

And into the oven it goes with it’s little baby tart tagging along.

It took about 10 minutes longer for me than the recipe said, but it turned out really well.

Flaky crust, tart apples. We loved it.

It’s just perfect with a little ice cream. Will definitely make this again.