Let's Go Nuts for Doughnuts October 2010 DB

Even before one realize it is time for .
The days are just flying by so fast that I have the feeling, I just sneezed and a whole month passed in that one sneeze.

When I saw the Challenge this month was, I really was excited as I have never made doughnuts at home. Well not the fried ones, have made the baked version some time ago.

I never do the challenge fast as I wait till some of the other group members have made it as when they finish doing the challenge they upload a picture in the Forum and also give tips.
And I am really greatfull for the tip Audax gave in the Forum.
He is always so fast in doing the challenge, mostly he do them the same day the recipe is posted in the forum, now isn't that fast.
And he gave a tip , he mentioned how ever soggy the dough is don't be tempted to add more flour. And I must say I am happy that I read the tip otherwise when I saw how soggy the dough was I would have gone on adding more flour, so if you do this recipe don't be tempted to add more flower it will all come together after the raising time etc...

The October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up. Lori chose to challenge DBers to make doughnuts. She used several sources for her recipes including Alton Brown, Nancy Silverton, Kate Neumann and Epicurio

Yeast Doughnuts:
Preparation time:Hands on prep time - 25 minutesRising time - 1.5 hours totalCooking time - 12 minutes
Yield: 20 to 25 doughnuts & 20 to 25 doughnut holes, depending on size
Ingredients

Milk 1.5 cup / 360 ml

Vegetable Shortening 1/3 cup / 80 ml / 70 gm / 2.5 oz (can substitute butter, margarine or lard)Active Dry Yeast 4.5 teaspoon (2 pkgs.) / 22.5 ml / 14 gm / ½ oz

Warm Water 1/3 cup / 80 ml (95°F to 105°F / 35°C to 41°C)

Eggs, Large, beaten 2

White Granulated Sugar ¼ cup / 60 ml / 55 gm / 2 oz

Table Salt 1.5 teaspoon / 7.5 ml / 9 gm / 1/3 ozNutmeg, grated 1 tsp. / 5 ml / 6 gm / ¼ ozAll Purpose Flour 4 2/3 cup / 1,120 ml / 650 gm / 23 oz + extra for dusting surface

Canola Oil DEPENDS on size of vessel you are frying in – you want THREE (3) inches of oil (can substitute any flavorless oil used for frying)

Directions:
Place the milk in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat just until warm enough to melt the shortening. (Make sure the shortening is melted so that it incorporates well into the batter.)
Place the shortening in a bowl and pour warmed milk over. Set aside.

In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and let dissolve for 5 minutes. It should get foamy. After 5 minutes, pour the yeast mixture into the large bowl of a stand mixer and add the milk and shortening mixture, first making sure the milk and shortening mixture has cooled to lukewarm.

Add the eggs, sugar, salt, nutmeg, and half of the flour. Using the paddle attachment of your mixer (if you have one), combine the ingredients on low speed until flour is incorporated and then turn the speed up to medium and beat until well combined.
Add the remaining flour, combining on low speed at first, and then increase the speed to medium and beat well.

Change to the dough hook attachment of the mixer and beat on medium speed until the dough pulls away from the bowl and becomes smooth, approximately 3 to 4 minutes (for me this only took about two minutes). If you do not have a dough hook/stand mixer – knead until the dough is smooth and not sticky.

Transfer to a well-oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
On a well-floured surface, roll out dough to 3/8-inch (9 mm)thick. (Make sure the surface really is well-floured otherwise your doughnuts will stick to the counter).
Cut out dough using a 2 1/2-inch (65 mm) doughnut cutter or pastry ring or drinking glass and using a 7/8-inch (22 mm) ring for the center whole. Set on floured baking sheet, cover lightly with a tea towel, and let rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oil in a deep fryer or Dutch oven to 365 °F/185°C.
Gently place the doughnuts into the oil, 3 to 4 at a time. Cook for 1 minute per side or until golden brown (my doughnuts only took about 30 seconds on each side at this temperature).
Transfer to a cooling rack placed in baking pan. Allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes prior to glazing, if desired
I glazed with dark and white chocolate and sprinkled sprinklers.

Pink Macarons with a Ginger and Chocolate

Pink October a month dedicated to Breast Cancer Awareness and Deeba and Jamie have choosed for the Mactweets Pink.
I have to say mine don't look pink , I used the pink color but i think i used a little bit too much.
As you know I have written in my earlier post that my hubby is never that thrilled to see me making Macarons.
But I think his opinion is changing, as I sneakly try to use exciting fillings in them.
So have to say these ones he really enjoyed.

As always I use my favourite Macaron recipe.
And for the filling I used a dark chocolate gnache and I mixed into the gnache crystalized ginger. And we all loved it.

Chocoladekoek

From the first time I found out about the World Bread Day, two years back I loved joining in, especially as I made this Celebration bread and then last year I joined up with these Soft Buns with Seeds and I have to admit, I have been so much waiting for Zorra to announce it this year too.
I didn't know what I was going to make this year and was going through one of my bread books and I saw a sweet bread which we ( hubby) always buy for sunday fresh from the bakers.
Here in Belgium at least in Flanders there is this tradition were sunday morning everybody goes to the bakers and buy fresh Pistole, Croissant, Raisin Cookies etc...... and ofcourse this Chocoladekoek too.

Literally translated this Chocoladekoek would mean Chocolate cookie, but then that would be not correct, maybe I should call them Chocolate Buns??

I fell in love with this Chocaladekoek years ago when I first ate them, and every sunday I ask hubby to take this for me , my passion for this koek as rubbed onto my daughter too as she also ask hubby to bring this for her every sunday.

I would say making this bread would take time and this is my first attempt to make them at home and I am happy that it worked and tasted really good, but I would say I still need some improvment as in rolling into thiner layers etc...

Click the picture for a larger view

For making the basic dough go here and there is step by step pictorial how to make it.


Makes 8 to 10

1 portion of Gerezen Bladerdeeg there is a pictorial how to make them.
18 to 10 pieces of Dark Chocolate. ( I would recomend to use dark chocolate, I only had milk so I used that, but I woudl not use them , next time I will make sure I have dark chocolate)

Roll the dough till it is 3mm thick.
Cut the side so it is a perfect square.
Now cut Squares of 10 cm/8 cm.Fold the chocolae pieces they way show in the above pictirial.
Lay with the closing side on the bottom on a butterd tray and cover with a kitchen towel and keep in a warm place for 45 minutes to 1 hour till it is raised.


Preheat the oven for 220°c .
After the small beads are raised for a hour give a egg wash ( egg yolk mixed with a bit milk)

Bake then for 15 minutes.
When it is cooled sprinkle with powder suage and enjoy.

Gerezen bladerdeeg / Raised Puff Pastry

This is a basic Dough from which you can make Various kind of sweet breads.

Here it is called Gerezen Bladerdeeg. I don't want to give a wrong translation that is why I am using this word. If i translate my self I would call it raised puff pastry.
But as hubby is not home he is gone to Cologne, so I will have to wait till he is back to ask him.
I translate the recipe from a Flemsih Cooking book , which is not that easy as I always to think twice before I write them down.
The dough below will make 8 to 10 Chocoladekoek

For 8 to 10 pieces.

250 gm flour
15 gm fresh yeast
120 gm water or milk ( I used water)
25 gm sugar
5 gm salt
12 gm butter
90 gm really soft butter ( this we use it for folding on the rolled dough)

Click the picture to have a larger view.

Add the flour into a huge bowl.
Add the fresh yeast to the milk and pour into the middle of the flour ( make a well int the middle and then pour)
Mix now 3rd of the flour with the milk and yeast mixture, Add the sugar, salt and the 12 gm of butter and mix everything together.
Knead the dough till you get a soft dough which will take a while if you are using your hands.
But then if you use a machine it will be done in a very short time.
Don't add more flour while you knead the dough even if it is sticky it will all come together while you knead the dough for a while.

Goll the dough 1 cm thickand cover in a plastic foil and keep int he freezer for 45 minutes.

After the 45 minutes take out the dought from teh freezer add the 90 gm soft butter in one half of the dough.
Fold the dough as shown in the pictorial.
Now turn the dough ( 3 0'clock side) and roll to a long square of a thickness of 4 mm.
Fold the dough in 4 , this is called first toer ( don't know the exact translation)

Cover this dough in a plastic foil and keep in the fridge for 35 minutes.

After the resting take out the dough trun again towards 3 o' clock and roll , to a long square to 4 mm thickeness. and fold the dough in 3 , look to the pictorial , this is calle second toren.

Cover the dough again with plastic foil and rest in teh fridge for another 35 minutes.
After this the dough is ready to make various kind of Sweet small breads.

Raspberry Cup Cakes

When I make something and if I have the time to take a picture I do take, and then down load to the computer, but after that I am so lazy to write the recipe and then post it in my blog.
Well this is one such picture and recipe which has been hanging around .
I made this cup cake in summer but never got the chance to post it.

And anyway now a days in the shops you find fruits when they are not even in season and I thought I better post it now rather than waiting till next summer .
But thtere is another problem, I have no idea from which book I or blog I made this recipe.
I know If it is from a book I will find it out one of these days and if it is from a blog I will see the printed recipe in my pile of recipes which I have printed every time I see something good.
So don't worry when I find out from were this recipe came I will post it here soon.
Finger Crossed.

Sticky Honey Spicy Chicken Wings

As I told you in my earlier posts that I make some snack when hubby and daughter come home friday evening after their rehersals so this is what I made for them last week to their utter delight.
It was the first friday evening S was home after a whole week of College.
So when she got down in the train station she rang me to tell she is almost home.
So as we live in the ground floor, I was peeping through the window and guess what S told me.
She said you gave me a heart attack as she suddenly saw this looney woman looking out showing her full teeth and smiling and waving :-)

The Original recipe is here from the blog Foodess.

Ofcourse I added more chillies etc... which I am noting below in the ingridient list.
I will really take her tip on layering the pan with the foil unless if you don'twant to clean up for the next few days as the honey get really caramalize and get dark.

1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce ( I had normal soy sauce, so I used a little bit of lesser amount)
3/4 cup honey
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh minced ginger.
1 tsp sesame oil.
1 tsp chillie powder
1 heap tsp chillie flakes.
6 fresh chillies finley chopped.
2 green onions, finely chopped
3 lbs chicken wings ( I always remove the skin as much as possible)

Marniate the aboce ingridients over night or atleast for couple of hours.
Double line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. ( I wouls do this i trippled it )

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Remove wings from marinade and spread in a single layer on foil-lined baking sheet. Reserve marinade. Bake wings for 35 minutes, brushing with sauce twice (after 10 minutes and 20 minutes – but not during last 10 minutes of cooking because the marinate will not have long enough to cook properly, having touched raw chicken).
In the original recipe she had written to boil the remaining sauce to syrupy but as I used less soysauce I didn't use this step.

Garlic Scampi's Rolled with Zucchini

End of September we went to London and then from there straight we went to Leave Shyama to her college in Leuven.

So she is not home for the weekdays ( she comes on friday and leave on sunday evening) .
Why I wrote the above information is to say that I have not baked anything at all from that time on wards.

Usually I bake something home made every few days so that when S comes from school in the late afternoon she can have freshly baked Cupcakes, Macarons, Cake etc......

But nobody is there to come home these days late afternoon saying I am hungry and what is there for snack.

So no baking, but here comes the good news, I have told S when I come and visit her on Wenesday I am bringing her some baking goodies ( I have been going to see her on Wenesday as her lessons are finished earlier ) so I go to her place and talk with her , she talks I listen as she has so much things to say what happend in the lessons and how intresting everyhting is.

And after listening to her I am asking, why is not your bed made and she replies fast well i just left like that for Airing :-)

Then we go out and have early Dinner together and then I take the train back home.

I am going this wenesday too, but I am sure soon she will tell me I don't have to come as I am the only Mom who comes and visit the daughter there and it is not good for her Image. :-)

Now to the recipe, this is a easy but really yummy Scampis, that I served when I gave drinks for a party.

I prepare them earlier and serve them cold.

1 Zucchini cut very thin. ( I use a peeler to get really thin slices)20 Scampis peeled.
Few tbsp of olive oil
1 onion finely chopped.
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 tsp chillie flakes
Few tbsp of fresh parsley
2 tbsp of Lime juice
Peper and Salt for taste

Extra oil for grilling the Zuchini slices

First brush the Zuchinni slice with oil and grill in a pan andkeep aside.

Heat the oil in a pan , add the onion and fry for few minuted add the garlic, chilli flakes and fry for 2 more minutes, add the Scampis, salt and peper and fry for some 5 minutes not more other wise they get rubbery.

Add parsley and sprinkle with the lime juice.
Take 2 scampi's and roll them with a Zucchini slice.