Category Archives: Desserts

02.12.12

Not Quite Rococo Torte – Another Gem From a Favorite Vintage Cookbook

Breadcrumbs in a cake? I’d never head of such a thing. But I had a few leftover baguette crusts in my freezer, and the memory of an amazing cake I’d made a few years back from this wonderful little vintage cookbook, Favorite Tortes and Cake Recipes by Rose Oller Harbaugh and Mary Adams.

If the authors were suggesting I use breadcrumbs in my torte, who was I to question? Besides, it was long past time to see what other gifts the book might have in store for me, other than the charming illustrations and typeface, which are a true delight.

I’m happy to report that Ms Harbaugh and Adams came through for me again, this time with a recipe for Rococo Torte with Mocha Frosting. A touch of cinnamon in the batter enhances the chocolate flavor of the not-too-sweet sponge-like cake that is filled and iced with just the right amount of mocha frosting.

What exactly is a Torte?

Ms Harbaugh and Adams tell us that tortes are “the cakes of European cooks”.  They are made light with eggs instead of leavening, with ground nuts, cracker or bread crumbs used in place of or in addition to a markedly small amount of flour. They can be filled with fruit pulp or whipped jellies, and extracts are used to flavor their whipped frostings.

Tortes are a favorite Passover dessert, since eggs rather than baking powder or soda create the leavening, and little to no flour is used. This rococo torte could be modified for Passover by substituting ground nuts for the flour and using ground matzo meal instead of breadcrumbs. (Alternatively, you can use ground nuts to substitute for both the flour and breadcrumbs.)

Why my torte is not quite Rococo

A bit of internet exploration yields evidence that the Rococo Torte recipe in my cookbook may hail from Hungary, where it is called  Rokokka Torta, and is made with a hazelnut filling and whipped mocha frosting. (Click the link to see a truly gorgeous torte!)

As I looked at the traditional Hungarian Rokokka Torta, I realized that I had used the wrong mocha frosting on my torte! The authors had actually suggested mocha whipped cream frosting, which is just what the Hungarian recipe uses. And indeed, there the right frosting was, on the same page of the cookbook as the frosting I had mistakenly made.

So it seems that my little torte is actually “not quite rococo”. But it’s simplicity makes it much less fancy than the traditional Hungarian torte, and it really is a delicious and lovely little cake.

NOT QUITE ROCOCO TORTE

  • 5 eggs, separated and allowed to come to room temp before using
  • 5 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp homemade bread crumbs (recipe below)
  • 3 tbsp flour (cake flour if you have it)
  • 2 squares bittersweet chocolate, grated or processed fine in the food processor
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • shaved chocolate for topping

Preheat oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit. Butter and flour 2-8 inch cake pans. (I also lined the bottom with waxed paper.)

Beat egg whites till stiff. Set aside. Beat egg yolks till lemon-colored. Add sugar and beat well. Add bread crumbs and sifted flour and beat thoroughly. Beat in grated chocolate and cinammon. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Divide between two 8-inch cake pans and bake for 25-30 mins till done. Fill and cover with Mocha Frosting or Mocha Whipped Frosting (recipes below) Shave some bittersweet chocolate on top.

The cakes did not immediately drop out of the pan for me, even after running a spatula around the sides, so I slipped the spatula an inch or so under one side and then used my hands to remove the cake, which was light and yet remarkably sturdy. (Alternatively, you could use two 8 inch spring form pans.) Here’s what the bottom looked like after I removed the waxed paper -

and what it looked like filled and frosted -

MOCHA FROSTING

Although at first it seemed like it was not enough, this recipe makes exactly the right amount of frosting for this cake. I substituted Kahlua for the mocha extract.

  • 1/3 cup sweet butter
  • 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
  • 1 tbsp cocoa
  • 1/2 tsp mocha extract (I used Kahlua)
  • 1 tbsp strong coffee (I dissolved a tsp of instant espresso into a tbsp of hot water)
  • Sift sugar and cocoa

Cream butter thoroughly in electric mixer. Add sifted sugar and cocoa. Add mocha extract. Add coffee a drop at a time until spreading consistency (I used the entire tbsp of coffee).

MOCHA WHIPPED CREAM FROSTING

  • 2 tbsp confectioner’s sugar
  • 2 tbsp cocoa
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 pint whipping cream
  • 1 tsp mocha extract

Sift sugar, cocoa and cinnamon. Whip cream. Fold in sifter dry ingredients. Add mocha extract and whip till spreading consistency.

Homemade bread crumbs

Allow frozen bread to come to room temp. Slice into 1 inch slices and lay out on a baking sheet. Heat in a 250 degree oven till dry but not brown – about 15 minutes – turning halfway through so they dry evenly. Cool, then process in food processor till finely ground. Store in a tightly capped jar in the freezer till use.

4 Comments
08.29.11

No-Knead Bread. Thank You, Irene!

Long time blog TBTAM readers know that many of the great recipes I share on this blog come from my mother-in-law Irene, the world’s greatest home cook. So it should come as no surprise to learn that this weekend’s hurricane, which shares my mother-in-law’s name, brought me the best bread recipe I have ever made, and the best bread I have ever eaten.

I’ve been wanting to try Jim Leahy’s No-Knead Bread ever since Mark Bittman first revealed it to the world in 2006 – a simple yet elegant method of making bread that has found an almost cult-like following on the web and around the world. But the 12-18 hour rise always stopped me dead in my tracks whenever I considered making the bread, since I rarely, if ever, plan anything that far in advance. But once I realized on Saturday morning that Hurricane Irene would essentially confine me to my apartment till at least Sunday afternoon, I knew the time had finally arrived for me to drink the No-Knead Kool Aid.

And am I ever glad I did. This bread will change you life. I mean it. It is the easiest and best bread you will ever make. The crust is hard and golden, while the crumb is porous, soft and almost spongy with a sourdough type taste and consistency that rivals anything from the best bakeries. Hot from the oven it is heaven. Toasted with a little butter and jam it is divine. Use it for sandwiches. Eat it with cheese. Or just eat it plain.

You’ll never want any other bread again.

Thank you, Irene!

No-Knead Bread

From Jim Lahey via Mark Bittman in the NY Times. I strongly encourage you to watch the accompanying video before making this bread. 

As pointed out by baking maven Rose Levy Beranbaum, the water amounts in the recipe (1 5/8 cups) varies from that in the the video (1 1/2 cups), as do the rise times. (The video says nothing about the second 2 hour rise.) I decided to use 1 1/2 cups, and did not realize there was a second rise since I based my recipe on the video. I also used rapid rise instead of instant yeast. (With the MTA shut down, I could not get to a store that carried it.) As a result, my dough had completed its rise by about 4 hours, and by morning it actually had dropped a bit. Next time I will use the right stuff, do the second rise and expect my bread will be even lighter.  I should also point out that I accidentally put my bread in seam side down, so I did not get the nice folds that Leahy got in the video.

  • 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour (I used King Arthur all-purpose)
  • 1/4 tsp instant yeast
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
  • Wheat bran or cornmeal (I used wheat bran)

Combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups water, and stir until blended with your hands or a wooden spoon (I used a spoon). The dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise 12  to 18 hours at warm room temp (mine was about 72 degrees). The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle a bit of flour on it and your hands, and working with a very light touch, press the dough down a bit then fold it over on itself (see video for technique.)  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

Sprinkle a clean smooth cotton towel with wheat bran, flour or cornmeal. Shape the dough into a ball and place seam side down on the towel. Sprinkle more bran on top and wrap the towel loosely around the dough. Let rise another 2 hours.

During the last half hour of the rise, heat a Dutch oven or other heavy baking dish in a 450 degree oven. When dough is ready, remove the pot from the oven and turn the dough into the pot (again, see video for technique – I screwed this part up…) Shake pan to center the dough in the pot .(Careful! It is hot!)  Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack. Try to wait till it cools before slicing and eating, so the crust can develop a bit more.

No-Knead Links (Share your fave No-Knead links in the comments.)

  • Lahey has a book of his No-Knead bread recipes (I’m adding this one to my wish list.)
  • Lahey’s version of the recipe varies cooking and rise times. Worth reading.
  • La Weekly interviews Lahey on his technique.
  • Breadtopia bakes Cooks Illustrated almost no-knead variation on Lahey’s No-Knead, including a whole wheat version.
  • Garden Fork uses parchment paper to make the transfer of the dough to the hot pot easier.
  • Sofya simplifies the method with a mixer and one bowl technique.
  • Vanilla bean blog has gorgeous pics of the method, and a beautiful final product.
  • Simply So Good makes some wonderful additions to the recipe, which she says she got from Le Creuset, but is the same as Lahey’s.
  • The Cookbook Chronicles uses a sourdough starter and regular yeast to get a gorgeous bread.
  • Leite’s Culinaria has Lahey’s No-Knead olive bread recipe.
  • Penni Wisner has whole grain variations and lots of tips on the no-knead technique.
  • Shutter bean makes Lahey’s walnut raisin No-Knead.
  • Bob Parvin has an excellent post with tips on no-knead that answers almost any questions you may have about the method.
6 Comments
04.24.11

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Although I did not actually make this masterpiece*, if it were being published in a journal I would be last author, Mr TBTAM second, and my daughter first author. I initiated the project and sent Mr TBTAM shopping for the ingredients, but when I invited my daughter to join me in making the pie, she stated “I want to make it myself”.

And so she did.

Nice job, honey.

* The recipe is from Bon Appetit via Epicurious, although we substituted a double recipe of pate brisee from the Pleasures of Cooking for the shortening crust. I guess they get authorship too, huh? I’m think a dusting of confectioners sugar and a dollop of vanilla ice cream would be an excellent way to serve it at Easter Dinner later today.

1 Comment
11.29.10

Gold Rush Apples and Ginger Crisps – A Perfect Pair

Maybe it’s the fact that they are only available during a brief period in the late season, but these Gold Rush apples from North Star Orchards in Chester County, Pennsylvania are hands down the best apple I’ve ever eaten. (Yes, even better than the Ginger Golds I found last year.)

Gold Rush apples are crisp, juicy, full of flavor, with the perfect balance of tart and sweet and covered with a skin that is not too perfect so you know you’re getting a real apple from a real tree.  They are best eaten cold from the fridge, where they will hold their flavor for months. (We’ve got ours out on the terrace for now since the 20 lb bag is too big for the fridge…)

While these babies are perfect eaten alone, they also pair beautifully with ginger cookies for a light and lovely dessert for company, which is how we served them last night. I also packed up some apples and a tin of the cookies for my daughter to take back to college today, which made me think that the combo would make a very nice holiday gift package.

Brown Sugar Ginger Crisps

This is a classic recipe from Gourmet Magazine, via my mother-in-law Irene, from whence cometh all great recipes.

2 sticks butter at room temperature
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Whisk dry ingredients together (flour, baking powder, ground ginger and salt) and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and the brown sugar, then beat in the egg yolk, vanilla, and crystallized ginger. Add the dry ingredients and mix well.

Drop the batter onto ungreased baking sheets (I use a small melon scooper for this, you can just drop by teaspoon if you prefer). Bake in the middle of a preheated 350° F. oven, one sheet at a time, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are just golden. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to racks to cool completely. These cookies make ahead and keep well frozen in airtight containers.

Makes about 50 cookies.


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As of today, North Star Orchard’s website states that there are still some gold rushes available for pick up at designated area farm markets, so if you are in the Chester county area, I’d encourage you to get some.

If you know of a local orchard in your area that is selling Gold Rushes, let us know in the comments.

3 Comments
11.08.10

Ginger Stout Cake

Autumn brings thoughts of ginger – ginger snaps, ginger bread, and our new family favorite – Ginger Cake. I’m not sure what makes ginger a cold weather spice in our society. Maybe it’s because in cooler climates like ours, the rhizomes are harvested in autumn. No matter – I love ginger all year round, and keep crystallized ginger in the freezer to use in recipes or munch on whenever I want a tangy bite.

This particular recipe uses both ground and fresh ginger root  - an entire 4 oz of fresh ginger, to be exact. This looks like a lot while you are chopping it,  but don’t worry. It tastes just fine and the small pieces are undetectable in the final product except as flavor. The cake itself is moist, flavorful and really very special.

Making this cake is almost as fun as eating it. Remember that erupting volcano you made for your 4th grade science fair? You get to relive that experience when you add the baking soda to the boiling beer/molasses mixture. Bring the kids in to watch – it really erupts! (Science buffs can tell us why in the comments.)  Make sure you use a large pot, or you’ll have a real mess on your hands.

STOUT GINGER CAKE

This recipe comes from the Gramercy Tavern, was originally published in Gourmet and is now available on Epicurious. The original recipe calls for Guinness Stout, but here I used a double chocolate Stout that gave it an exceptionally fine flavor. I’ve also added a garnish of sliced candied ginger and serve it with a dollop of  whipped cream. I like my whipped cream with a tad of sugar, but you can make yours unsweetened if you prefer. Thanks to Irene for introducing us to this wonderful cake and talking me through the baking of it.

1 cup stout beer (Guinness or other – I used Young’s Double Chocolate Stout, available at Food Emporium here in NYC)
1 cup molasses (not blackstrap)
½ tbsp. baking soda
4 oz. piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped by hand (make it as fine as you can)
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
¾ cup canola oil (you can use vegetable or peanut oil if that’s what you have on hand)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsps. ground ginger
1 ½ tsps. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground cloves
¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cardamom
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Sweetened whipped cream and and thinly sliced crystallized ginger for topping and garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8 or 9 inch tube pan.
2. In a very large saucepan over high heat, combine the stout and molasses and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the baking soda. Allow to sit until the foam dissipates. Stir in the chopped fresh ginger and let it steep while the mixture cools to room temp.
3. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the eggs and both sugars. Whisk in the vanilla and oil.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom and black pepper.
5. Combine the stout mixture with the egg mixture, then whisk this liquid into the flour mixture, half at a time.
6. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 1 hour, or until the top springs when gently pressed.  (Mine took exactly an hour, Irene advised you to check yours at 50 minutes) Do not open the oven until the cake is almost done, or the cake may fall slightly. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Make sure to cool completely and loosen the edges well before inverting onto plate – it should come away intact.

Serve with crystallized ginger slices and whipped cream.

Sweetened Whipped Cream

1 cup cold whipping cream
3 tbsp confectioner sugar
a drop of vanilla

Combine ingredients in a large bowl and whip at high speed using an electric mixer till it forms soft peaks. Refrigerate till use.

7 Comments
09.02.10

Onion-Herb Bread

This herb-filled bread is based on yet another recipe from Criag Claiborne’s NY Times Cookbook (c 1961). It is called Spiral Bread, and uses scalded milk, a throwback method that some think originated in the days before pasteurization as a way to sterilize milk before baking. In fact, there ‘s more to it than that – scalding works to enhance rising by inactivating enzymes in the milk that inhibit yeast activity.

Claiborne uses a double-flour addition mixing method that may enhance aeration by adding only half the flour and mixing very well with a mixer before adding the rest of the flour and kneading.

I did get a very nice rise on this bread. While the herb filling was delicious, the bread itself seemed bland – I think I’m becoming a whole wheat addict. Everyone else, however, loved this bread.

I modified Claiborne’s herb filling to accomodate what I had growing in my backyard herb garden and what I had in the fridge – therefore, scallions became onions, thyme and rosemary were added and the overall quantity of herbs allowed me to make just one filled loaf and one regular.

Onion-Herb Bread

This recipe wil make one herb-filled loaf and one regular loaf. To make two herb-filled loaves, just double the filling ingredients.

1 cup scalded milk
2 tbsp sugar
2 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
1 cup lukewarm water
2 (1 1/4 oz) packages yeast
7 cups sifted flour
Olive oil
Onion-Herb filling (recipe below)

Scald 1 cup of milk in a small saucepan. Add sugar, salt and butter. Stir and cool to lukewarm.

Pour 1 cup lukewarm water in a large bowl of standing electric mixer. Add yeast and stir until dissolved. Add milk mixture. Add 4 cups flour, stir in and then beat well. Add remaining flour, remove from mixing stand and mix in by hand till dampened. Let stand 10 minutes.

Turn dough out onto a floured board and knead until smooth, about 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, grease surface, cover and let rise in a warm place (80-85 degrees Fahrenheit) until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes to an hour.

Punch dough down, turn out onto a smooth surface, and let rest 10 minutes.

Grease two 9x5x3 inch loaf pans.

Split dough in half, and roll one half out into a rectangle about 9 inches wide and 1/4 inch thick. (Make sure it will fit into your loaf pan). Brush with lightly beaten egg and spread filling over it, leaving a one-inch border on all edges. Roll up like a jelly roll and pinch the edges to seal. Place seam side down into greased loaf pan.

Flatten the other half of the dough and fold over twice to make a loaf. Place seam side down in loaf pan. Brush tops of both loaves with oil and let rise, covered, for another hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Bake bread one hour, turn out and cool on rack.

Onion-Herb Filling

1 cup finely chopped parsley
1 cup finely chopped onion
3 cloves finely minced garlic
3 tbsp thyme, finely chopped
3 tbsp rosemary, finely chopped
3 tbsp finely chopped basil
2 tbsp butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Cook onions in butter over moderately high heat in a skillet until translucent. Add garlic and herbs and continue cooking, stirring, until herbs are thoroughly wilted but not brown. Add seasonings. Cool.

Reserve 1 tbsp of the beaten egg. Add the balance to vegetables. Use in bread, above.

2 Comments
08.29.10

Whole Wheat-Honey Anadama Bread

On vacation at the cottage for a week, I’ve decided to focus on learning bread making.

My most recent attempt was a loaf of Cuban Bread, which turned out rather fine if you ask me. So, I am sticking with my 1961 edition of Craig Claiborne’s New York Times Cookbook, which I found here in the cottage when we bought it, and where I found this recipe for Anadama Bread.

Anadama Bread is a traditional new England bread made with cornmeal and molasses, thought to have originated in Rockport, Massachusetts. There are several amusing stories as to how this bread got its name, all involving a farmer and his wife Anna, and the words “Anna, damn her!”.

Claiborne’s recipe calls for a mixture of whole wheat and regular flour, unlike most other Anadama bread recipes I’ve since found, which use bread flour. Not having molasses (and not liking it much either) I made mine using honey. Not having cornmeal, I used polenta, which, as Alton Brown so humorously tells us, is essentially the same thing.

The results was a dense, sweet, chewy, moist bread that everyone loved. We used it for Monte Cristos for tonight’s dinner, and I expect it will make some fine toast tomorrow morning.

I was a bit disappointed with my bread’s rise. This was possibly because the day was cool here in the mountains (as opposed to NYC, where it topped the high 90′s), even in the sun, which is where I rose my bread.  Not having a gas range with a pilot, it’s hard to find a warm place to raise bread here, unless I light a fire and place it nearby. I should have done what I did last time I made bread up here, which was to rise it on the dashboard of the car in the sun. (If anyone has any other suggestions for me in this area, they would be much appreciated.) I also may have added too much flour, making the dough heavier than it needed to be.I notice that other recipes use 2 envelopes of yeast, which may be the simple answer given the use of whole wheat flour.

Anadama Bread (adapted from NY Times Cookbook 1961)

1/2 cup corneal
1 cup cold water
1 package yeast
1 1/2 cups boiling water
3 tbsp butter
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp kosher salt
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/2 – 3 cups sifted white flour

Mix the corneal with 3/4 cup cold water. Soften the yeast in another small bowel with 1/4 cup cold water.

Add corneal to boiling water on the stove top and stir over low heat until it boils. (This will take at least 10 minutes – you are making grits, after all…) Add the butter, honey and salt and cool to lukewarm.

Combine yeast and corneal mixture and mix. Add whole wheat flour and enough white flour to give a fairly firm, non-stick dough. Turn out onto a floured board and knead until smooth and elastic.

Turn the dough into a greased bowl, grease the surface, cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place (80-85 degrees) until doubled in bulk.

Knead lightly again and shape into two loaves. Place in greased loaf pans. Brush with oil. Cover and let rise until double in bulk.

Bake in preheated oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 375 degrees and bake another 35 minutes longer.

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More Anadama Bread Recipes

  • The NY Times recipe adds nutmeg
  • Donalyn tells us her recipe has 2 WW points per slice. She does not cook the corneal first, justs adds it to her dry ingredients. Gorgeous photos!
  • Epicurious has a quick whole wheat version made with buttermilk
  • James gets a gorgeous rise with his version
  • Simply Recipes has a lovely loaf – and the nostalgic comments are a fun read.
  • Jude makes Peter Reinhart’s recipe – takes two days. I thought my version took a long time!
  • Pinch My Salt has some gorgeous shots of Reinhart’s method.
  • The Spice Garden tops her Anadama bread with oats and flaxseeds
  • GirliChef makes Anadama Rolls
7 Comments
08.08.10

Cuban Bread (Pan Cubano)

No matter where we ate in Cuba, the bread was delicious – almost always freshly made, even warm on occasion. Sort of a cross between French and Italian, sometimes like a heavy sandwich bread, sometimes more like a baguette. Then of course, there were those little bite size rolls at El Guarjirito… Needless to say, I came home itching to make bread.

A weekend visit to our cottage in the Endless Mountains was the perfect opportunity for bread making. I have only one cookbook there – The New York Times Cookbook (c 1961)- and as always, it came through, with a recipe for – would you believe it? Cuban Bread!

I don’t know if it’s an authentic recipe or not – I’ve since found others that use a sourdough-type starter. I do know that it indeed tasted a lot like bread I ate one afternoon at a restaurant in Havana. It made us some wonderful sandwiches and toasted up beautifully.

Warning - I am truly a novice bread maker. This post is more a report of my experience and not a lesson in bread making. To hang out with folks who really know what they are doing when it comes to bread making, head on over to The Fresh Loaf or let Bittman show you how he does it (and does it again).

Cuban Bread (Pan Cubano)

This recipe was modified from the James Beard Cooking School. I further modified it because Claiborne did not tell me what to use to grease the bowl (I used Olive oil) and because I did not have corn meal.

1 package yeast
2 cups lukewarm water
1 1/4 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
6-7 cups flour
Olive oil (I assume)
Corn meal

Dissolve the yeast in the water and add the salt and sugar, stirring to dissolve thoroughly, until it starts to foam. Add the flour, one cup at a time, beating with a wooden spoon, until you have a stiff dough. Knead for about 10 minutes till no longer sticky, then shape into a ball and place in a greased bowl and grease the top.  Cover with plastic wrap or a clean dishcloth and place in a warm spot (I used the porch railing in the sun) until it is doubled in bulk.

Turn the dough out onto a floured board and shape into two long, french style loaves or round, Italian style loaves. Arrange on a baking sheet heavily sprinkled with corneal and allow to rise for 5 minutes (I did not have cornmeal, but wish that I did. I love that texture on the outside of bread).   Set a pot of water on the stove to boil while the bread does this last rise.

Slash the tops of the loaves with a knife or scissors, brush the tops with water and place in a cold oven. Set the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit and place the pot of boiling water on the bottom of the cold oven. Bake the bread until crusty and done, about 40-45 mins.
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Pan Cubano Around the Web

  • Andrea Meyers tells us that my recipe is a “quick” Cuban bread, (as oppoesed to the more traditional method using a starter) and makes a very similar recipe ifrom Memories of a  Cuban Kitchen.
  • Taste of Cuba has the traditional recipe that uses a starter
  • Plantanos, Mangos and Me makes my recipe but in a food processor and with an egg wash. Looks gorgeous!
  • Dino Grrl (does she know Dino Doc?) makes a whole grain bun version.
  • Watch Libby make Cuban Bread in this You Tube video – Nice Job
  • Klaus Tenbergen tell us that authentic Cuban Bread is baked with a palmetto fond atop. (See Lydia’s photo for an example)
  • The Fresh Loaf has a nice thread with lots of Cuban Bread recipes
  • MyBig Fat Cuban Family shares her mothers recipe for use in a bread machine

COMMENTS

Bardiac said…

Wow, that’s interesting that you put water in a cold oven. I wonder what that does? Keep the crust from drying too much?

Now I want to make bread and eat it slathered with butter. :/

AUGUST 07, 2010

Nale said…

I like all sorts of bread. This is new for me, and I will try it. ;)

AUGUST 08, 2010

rlbates said…

Beautiful!

AUGUST 08, 2010
7 Comments
02.12.10

Oreo Art

6 Comments
02.06.10

Chocolate Zucchini Cake – What a Batter!

I have a confession to make – I am a batter taster.

I love those moments just after the cake pan is put into the oven, when the empty bowl beckons. The kids have absconded with the mixer paddle, which they have licked clean and left somewhere around the apartment, where I will have to fetch it in a few minutes. But for the moment, I am left standing at the counter next to the sink scavenging the Kitchen Aid stainless steel mixing bowl.

My technique is to use the thumb side of the pointer finger, trying to get as much as possible with one swipe as I run it across the bottom and around the rim of the bowl. I lick the batter from my fingers with abandon and without shame, going for every last bit of loveliness I can find. Towards the end, I often have to resort to using the red rubber spatula, but somehow this does not bring the same satisfaction as the finger swipe.

When it becomes clear that I have gotten all I can get without resorting to licking the bowl itself (that would be going too far), I reluctantly let go of the bowl, dropping it into the soapy water in the sink as I imagine that I am Rose, prying Jacks’ frozen fingers from mine and releasing him into the icy blackness alongside the sunken Titanic.

Rules for Batter Eating

As you might expect, there are certain rules for batter eating. This lends to the act a sacredness shared by other religious dietary laws. First, one must wait until the entire batter is made. Baking is chemisty, and early tasting risks upsetting the delicate balance of ingredients in the final product. Just try telling this to your daughter as she reaches into the bowl for a clump of brown sugar and butter you have just creamed while making chocolate chip cookies…

Secondly, one must limit oneself to small amounts of batter, since removing too much for tasting risks not having enough final product to fill the pan. As you might expect, this sets up great personal conflict, and I often feel the inner struggle as I use the rubber spatula to get the last bits of batter into the cake pan, knowing that in doing so, I am leaving less for myself to taste later. (Ah, sweet turmoil!)

Finally, batter is not something to be eaten in anything other than small amounts – some would say not at all – and most certainly not if you are pregnant or immuno-suppressed, since, after all, eating raw eggs risks salmonella. I must say, however, that in almost half a century of licks I have yet to become ill.

You can judge a cake by its batter

I truly believe that one can judge a cake by its batter. In fact, I can say with confidence that if I don’t love a cake uncooked, I won’t like it when it’s finished – so I might as well not waste the energy baking it up. Which reminds me of a tongue twister my mother taught me as a child -
Betty Batter bought some butter.
“But”, she said, “this butter’s bitter!”
“When I put it in my batter,
It makes all my batter bitter.”
So, she bought some better butter
and put it in the bitter batter,
to make the bitter batter better.

If you are a batter taster, you’re going to love making this Chocolate Zucchini cake, which comes from a recipe I found at Alpineberry, who got it from the King Arthur Flour Website. I don’t even care that I didn’t win her King Arthur Cookbook giveaway. This batter is prize enough.

Oh, right. The baked cake was lovely.

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Everyone loves this cake! (But did they taste the batter?)

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