Daring Bakers (somewhat unenthusiastically) - "Beautiful Bread"

Beauty surrounded the Daring Bakers this month as our host, Sawsan, of chef in disguise, challenged us to make beautiful, filled breads. Who knew breads could look as great as they taste?

Welp. I want to start off by apologizing for not posting for like three weeks. I sort of have an excuse for part of it. I was planning on doing a post about something Valentinesy/be romantic on all the days, not just one, but I awoke at 3:45 AM on February 15th, violently, violently ill. TMI, I vomited six times that night. I was totally wiped out for the next few days, and I am so glad my parents were around to take care of me so I didn't wither away and die. Thanks, parents. So I was kind of not in the mood for eating for a bit after that. I'm completely better now (though many of my friends are becoming ill... >__>) so I'll be posting more. 

Okay, so...this month's Daring Bakers had a lot of potential in my mind. The challenge was just to make some kind of beautiful bread. I made a nutella swirl bread that kind of looked like it had unicorn horns in it. The recipe made two breads and the first one was a DISASTER. I didn't realize the top layer needed to be wrapped around the other layers, so I kind of just ended up with this burnt, ugly stack of pancake bread. The second one was better, but in my opinion...not worth the effort. It didn't taste like anything special I used the extra dough to make some killer cinnamon rolls, and they were way better than the pretty breads. Oh well, live and learn, right? 

Also, the reason I don't have pictures is because they mysteriously disappeared. Figures. All I have as proof is this crappy iPhone picture. Sorry : / 

I guess it's kinda cool. 

Swirly Bread (If you want step by step photo help, go here)

1 can (400 gm) (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
3 large eggs
1 cup (240 ml) vegetable oil
1 cup (240 ml) warm water
3 teaspoons (15 ml) (12 gm) yeast
7 cups (1 kg) (2.2 lbs) all-purpose (plain) flour, approximately
Pinch of salt
Instead of the eggwash use
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (25 gm) (1 oz) milk powder
3 tablespoons (45 ml) lukewarm water
1teaspoon (5 ml) (5 gm) sugar
1/4 teaspoon (1 gm) instant coffee
For the filling
½ jar (200 gm) (7 oz) of nutella (or similar)

Mix the condensed milk, yeast, oil, water, and eggs in the bowl of your mixer
Add the flour one cup at a time and knead using the kneading attachment or by hand till you get a soft dough. The dough will be slightly sticky due to the sweetened condensed milk, don’t worry once the dough rests it will have a wonderful consistency.
 Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and allow to rest till it doubles in size
 Punch down the dough and divide it into 2 parts. Wrap one part in a plastic bag and work with the other. Divide the dough ball into 4 parts. Roll each part into a circle at least 20 cm (8 inch) in diameter (you can use a plate or any other round item as a template if you want your layers to be identical and uniform). Spread the Nutella (or similar filling) on the first layer. Place the second layer on top of the first and repeat. Top with the fourth layer, this time only brush it with butter.
NOTE: to help with the slippery Nutella, you can place the filled layers before cutting into the fridge for 20-30 minutes, this will help the nutella to firm up. That will make the cuts and twists easier.

Using a knife make cuts that divide the dough circles into 8 triangles starting at the center but don’t go all the way to the outer edge.I find that using a ruler to mark the dough makes the cuts easier and more uniform.
You can also dip your knife in flour before cutting, that helps to prevent the layers from sticking together. I have also found that a pizza cutter works well because it is extra sharp (I used a bench scraper).
Then divide each triangle into two. That gives you a total of 16 triangles. Gently lift the triangles one at a time and twist them. Brush the dough with egg wash replacement.
Bake at moderately hot 390°F/200°C/gas mark 6 and for 20-25 minutes. The original instructions say to put it under the broiler for five minutes, but I had bad luck with that.

Nutella Nanaimo Bars

Hey, I'm back from the dead! Tea and naps are great. So as my comeback post, I'll give you something super nom-worthy. You may ask, dear reader, as I once did, what the heck is a Nanaimo? The more appropriate question is WHERE is Nanaimo? The answer is British Columbia! 

This tasty treat originated in that great wilderness of Canada in the 1950's. Traditionally, it's a no-bake, three layer dealio, said layers consisting of cookie crumb, vanilla custard, and chocolate topping. There are all sorts of variations out there now, and when I found a nutella version, I knew I had to try it. I feel like nutella is unreasonably popular with hipsters and college kids, but maybe I'm just making that up. 

So, how did my bars fare? Well, I am a Nanaimo novice, so I can't really say how authentic they were. But they tasted soooo good. Everyone who has had one just kind of pauses and sighs after the first bite. My favorite part is not the nutella layer, but the thick oreo and coconut crust. It might have to make another appearance someday. 

Nutella Nanaimo Bars 

adapted from Sweet Twist of Blogging

2 cups crushed oreos (I used two of the rows in a package)
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Filling
3 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup icing sugar

1/2 cup Nutella

1 tbsp heavy cream

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Topping
5 oz dark chocolate
2 tbsp unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 8 inch square pan with parchment and spray with non-stick spray. 

Make the base: In a large bowl combine cookie crumbs, sugar, cocoa and coconut and mix together. 

Stir in the melted butter, egg and vanilla, mix all together until damp.

Press the crumbs flat into the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes. Let cool while preparing the filling. 

Make the filling: In a medium bowl, mix butter and icing sugar and beat together to form a thick paste. Add the Nutella, cream and vanilla and beat until smooth.

Using an offset spatula spread the filling on to the crust. Cover with plastic wrap, directly on the filling, pressing flat. Let chill until firm.  

When firm make the topping. Melt chocolate and butter over a double boiler. When completely melted let cool slightly and spread over the filling layer. Chill again to completely set. Slice into bars and store in the refrigerator. 

  

Chocolate Macarons

Summer seems to be winding down. The colors of my backyard, bright pink bee balm and verdant peppers, are fading. As I sit outside writing this, a gentle breeze tousles my hair and the sun warms (but not burns) my skin. Not exactly summer weather, rather, something transitional. Fall's coming.

With fall comes a return to school. As much as I can't wait to go back, I'm also faced with the reality that my baking abilities will once again be greatly reduced. So I have to take advantage of these last weeks to experiment in the kitchen, create elaborate desserts and family dinners.

Maybe that's why I had the uncontrollable urge to make macarons yesterday. They're something I will definitely not be able to make at school, due to their delicate and finicky nature. In general, I enjoy making macarons much more than I do eating them, which is true of a lot of things I make, but these especially. But chocolate macarons are different. Up until now, I've only made macs with a citrus flavor, and they never really did much for me. Chocolate macarons are rich and gooey and taste like brownies, but fancier and infinitely more adorable. If you've never tried tried making macs before but are interested, I'd encourage to try out this recipe. Enjoy your last weeks of summer!

Chocolate Macarons with Nutella Ganache

adapted from Desserts Magazine

Ingredients

3 egg whites, aged in the fridge

25 g granulated sugar

225 g powdered sugar

125 g almond meal

15 g cocoa powder

 Line cookie sheets with parchment or silpats.

 Mix together almond meal, powdered sugar and cocoa, set aside (if you want to make sure it's mixed thoroughly, give it a quick pulse in the food processor).

In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites into a foam, then gradually add granulated sugar, until you obtain a glossy meringue.

Add the dry mixture to the meringue. With a rubber spatula, use quick strokes at first to break down the mass, then slow down until everything is incorporated. This should not take more than 50 strokes. To test, spoon a small amount onto a plate. If the tops flatten, you're good. If a small beak remains, give it a few more strokes.

Fill a pastry bag with a small round tip and pipe small rounds onto the cookie sheets. Preheat oven to 300 F. Let cookies sit and harden for an hour before placing in the oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes, let cool completely before filling.

Nutella Ganache

from Cake and Allie

Ingredients

 ½ cup of heavy cream

2 oz bittersweet chocolate

3 Tbs Nutella

Place chocolate and Nutella in a medium sized heat-proof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring heavy cream to a simmer. Pour hot cream over the chocolate and Nutella and let sit for 20 seconds. Stir to combine until smooth. Place ganache in the refrigerator until thickened, but still pourable. Make sure to stir a few times during the process so the ganache is a uniform consistency throughout. Using an electric mixer, whip ganache until it is a pipeable consistency and light in color. Place ganache into a piping bag and pipe a small circle onto one macaron shell. Top it with a similar sized shell and squeeze together carefully.