Crusty Bread

My mom gave me a baguette pan a few years ago, but I was afraid to try it. Now that I found this recipe, I've been making a lot of baguettes! Here is the original recipe, written for a bread machine. I'd rather mix the dough by hand than bother with a bread machine.
French Baquettes Recipe on Allrecipes.com

Here's my adapted version that's easy to mix by hand or with a dough hook on your mixer.
In your mixer bowl or a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 cup bread flour, and 1 cup warm water. Mix well and let sit 5 minutes, until bubbly. Add 1 1/2 cups bread flour, mix well and knead (either by hand or with the dough hook on the mixer) until smooth. Place in a greased bowl, roll it around so that the top of the dough is greased also, cover and let rise in a warm place until double.
Roll the dough out on a floured board until it measures approximately 12" X 16". Cut with a sharp knife into two pieces 8" X 12". Starting on a 12" side, roll each piece, trying not to allow bubbles or too much flour. Pinch the ends closed and place on a greased baguette pan or on a parchment-lined baking sheet. With a sharp knife, cut 3 diagonal slits in each. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 375°. Mix together 1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon water and gently brush over the tops of the bread. Bake 20 - 25 minutes in preheated oven until golden brown. Cool on a rack.

Mmmm Rolls

I love to let bread rise on a warm windowsill, but the sun hasn't been out much these days. I do have a warm mantel near the wood stove that works perfectly.

Make an easy batch of rolls. Shape them however you'd like. My old Better Homes and Gardens "Complete Step-By-Step Cookbook" is a classic and it shows 9 different ways to shape them, including Fantans, Parker House Rolls, Bow Knots and Rosettes. I made mine Shortcut Cloverleaves. Just snip an X on the top, then let them rise.

DINNER ROLLS
3 1/2 cups flour, 1 package dry yeast, 1 1/4 cups milk, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup shortening or butter, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 egg

Mix together 2 cups of the flour and the yeast. In a microwave-safe bowl, mix together the milk, sugar, shortening or butter, and salt. Heat until warm and melted. (Let cool if it's too hot. You want it warm for the yeast.) Add to flour mixture and add the egg. Mix on low speed for a minute then at high speed for 3 minutes. Stir in as much of the remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough. (until it's not too sticky) Knead with the dough hook on your mixer until it is smooth and elastic. (approximately 5 minutes)
Place the ball of dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap or waxed paper that's been sprayed with cooking spray. Let rise in a warm (not hot) place until double (45 - 60 minutes). Punch down and divide in half. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.
Cut each half into 12 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, pulling the edges under to form a smooth top.
I sprayed muffin tins with cooking spray. Placed the dough smooth side up, and cut the tops. You can bake them plain, or bake them in a round cake pan. Or check out some other shapes and options.
Bake in a preheated 400° oven for 10 - 12 minutes. Cool in pan for a few minutes, then move to a rack. Makes 24 rolls.

The Illustrious Yule Log

The holiday baking season, along with the release of "Julie and Julia", reminds me of watching Julia Child and wishing I could make the illustrious Buche de Noel or Yule Log. I can still hear Julia saying "Buche de Noel!" My childhood love of HoHo's had me longing for this rolled chocolate spongecake with chocolate ganache. Yum!
Last year I finally decided to try it. I don't have any Julia Child cookbooks, but I did have a hand-written recipe card in my recipe box for many years. When I was in my teens, I wrote down a lot of recipes from my Mom's recipe box, but I never knew her to make Buche de Noel. So, who knows where this recipe came from.Well, it ended up being a total flop! I was interrupted too many times with people and dogs and who knows what. The cake was over-mixed and was a rubbery mess, despite the long time it took to make the filling and frosting and assemble it.
I won't be trusting that old recipe card, if I even kept it! There are several online sources for Buche de Noel (or Yule Log) recipes. Some trustworthy, tested sites are the JoyofBaking, Food Network, Epicurious, and, of course Martha Stewart. I'm not sure yet which I'll try, but will take a look at the different styles, techniques, and ingredients to see what suits my tastes.
I am not a gourmet chef, but I do love to bake. Some tips for a sponge cake like this are, get yourself a jelly roll pan, don't use it for anything other than sponge cakes, and don't use waxed paper. Some recipes call for using waxed paper on the pan and I just can't get that smell of melted wax out of my head. While I use parchment paper for most other baking, I opt for aluminum foil for a sponge cake. It forms to the pan. You can grease and flour it easily and the cake comes off clean.
I hope this inspires you to make a Yule Log or Buche de Noel this year. Heck, I may even try the little marzipan mushrooms! Just keep in mind that looks don't matter as must as taste.

Baking Day

I decided to bake bread today. Since I don't have a car and I have all the ingredients for a pasta dinner....except for some crispy bread.

I found a wonderful-sounding recipe in "The Italian Country Table" for a Sage and Mushroom Focaccia. The sage is still bountiful in my garden, but the dough takes a day or two to rise. I may start that for tomorrow, we'll see.

Today I found this Simple Crusty Bread recipe that was published in "The New York Times." I'll have to rescue my baking stone from the gas grill. We had a wind storm after hurricane Ike that cause a power-outage just when I was about to bake off a bunch of pizzas for guests. My husband did a wonderful job of rescuing the situation and helped me bake them in the gas grill. They were delicious, but the baking stone is a bit charred.

I also came upon this recipe for Pane Rustica (Italian Peasant Bread) which is a modified version of the recipe above. It looks easy and delicious.

In any event, I'll try the crusty bread and see how it goes. After that, I'll be finishing up some scarves, hats and fingerless gloves keeping busy busy busy!