Orange walnut biscotti

Another recipe to try, just for something different.  This recipe calls for orange from every source:  candied peel, fresh peel, and orange liqueur.

The original recipe called for pecans, but I didn't have any so I used walnuts.  I also didn't have any orange liqueur or even orange juice.  I thought about using orange essence, but that flavor comes from orange peel and there's already a lot of peel in this recipe, so I just used water.  (I don't think that little bit of orange juice or liqueur would add any flavor anyway.)  Otherwise, I followed the recipe.

Cutting off just the thin layer of peel and mincing it is a pain; grated zest would be much easier and faster.  I suppose the larger pieces of minced peel give bursts of flavor here and there, whereas grated zest would add even flavor throughout. 

I made half the recipe, which made 23 somewhat small biscotti.  The recipe calls for the second baking of 10-15 minutes; I left them in for about 20 minutes because I like biscotti hard and crispy so they hold up to dunking.

Conclusion:  These are buttery, with a nice amount of orange flavor, not overpowering (which surprised me because of the quantity of peel.)  They're a little sweet--- fine for a cookie, but sweeter than I like for biscotti--- and I prefer the hard biscotti made without any fat, but these were very tasty.  I might add some spice, especially for Christmas.

Recipe:  Candied Orange Pecan Biscotti via Lou Seibert Pappas

May ABC Challenge: seeded rye bread

This year the Avid Bakers Challenge group is doing recipes from the Great British Bake Off.  We're picking our own recipes, and I needed bread, so I chose a couple rye bread recipes and sort of combined them.  They were pretty similar to start, but one had a lot of seeds and seasoning, and the other had more technique (and more molasses!)

I made a half recipe, and here's what I used:

4-6 ounces warm water
1/2 1 tablespoon black treacle molasses
3/4 teaspoon dried yeast
1 cup wholemeal rye flour 
1/2 strong white bread flour  
1 teaspoon salt  
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds  
2 teaspoons flax seeds (linseeds) 
2 teaspoons poppy seeds 
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds 
½ tsp chilli powder 

Mix the molasses into the warm water, then add the yeast and allow to proof.  Place the rest of the ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.  Mix on medium speed for 10 minutes, to a soft, slightly sticky dough. If the dough looks too dry, add more warm water. Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl, cover with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until about doubled in size.  Knock down and knead briefly to knock out any air. Shape into a log and place in a greased, 7.5 x 3.5" tin.  Cover loosely with cling film and leave in a warm place for a further 1 hour, until the dough has risen to the top of the tin. Towards the end of the proving time, heat the oven to 425°F.  Slash 3 diagonal cuts across the top.  Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375F and bake for another 10 minutes, until dark brown and the base sounds hollow when tapped. Turn out onto a wire cooling rack for at least 30 minutes to cool before cutting.

I had to add a few more ounces of water, and I still didn't end up with what I'd call a "shaggy" dough, and it was only sort of soft.  It was sticky, and it gave way, but it felt tough with all the gluten development.  (I used AP flour with some high-gluten flour instead of bread flour.  Maybe it was too much gluten.)  After an hour, it didn't look risen enough, so I let it go a while longer.  But then I forgot about it and let it proof too long.  (I don't know what effect that has, if any.)  I struggled with what size pan to put it in; I didn't want a round loaf, and the loaf tin seemed too long, but I used it anyway.  I had sprinkled sunflower seeds on top, but they fell off as soon as I turned the loaf over.

Conclusion:  Very mildly rye-tasting but with that slightly sour taste that comes with rye.  Not very complex flavors, but the texture was good.  It worked well for toast but would also work for a sandwich. 

Original recipes:  Ruby’s Smørrebrød with Fennel, Flax, Poppy & Chilli and Julia’s Black Rye Bread via The Great British Bake Off 

Brownie mix cookies

I needed chocolate cookies.  I had brownie mix.  Here's to #covidbaking  Onward ho.

For one dozen cookies, here's what I used:

1/4 cup butter, melted
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 of an approximately 18-ounce box of brownie mix (Duncan Hines, as it was)
1/4 cup (more or less) cocoa powder
1/4 cup (more or less) pea protein powder
1/8 teaspoon (more or less) salt (optional)
1 teaspoon molasses
1/4 cup milk (more or less), added 1 tablespoon at a time
several handfuls (maybe 1/2 cup) chopped walnuts

In a medium bowl, stir together the melted butter, egg, and vanilla extract with a fork.  Separately, sift together the dry ingredients.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, along with the molasses and stir until completely incorporated, adding enough milk to get a wet cookie batter consistency.  Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Add the walnuts and stir to distribute evenly.  Drop by double tablespoons onto greased cookie sheet and bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes.  Leave to cool for a few minutes on the sheet, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

My stupid oven...  I checked the cookies at 10 minutes and they were still mounds of melting dough.  The oven was at 300.  I turned it up to 350, and checked again at 7 minutes.  They still looked suspicious, so I left them in another 3 minutes.  Then they were quite firm.  I probably should have taken them out after 7.

I liked the added salt at first, but once I'd gone through about half of them it started to seem like too much.  An option would be to leave it out of the batter, but sprinkle the tops before baking.

Conclusion:   Delicious.  Cakey.  A little dry right out of the oven, but better the next day.  They didn't flatten at all, and in fact sort of puffed up a little.  Using 1/2 an egg would make them less cakey (or 1 egg for the whole box of mix.)   Now I'm thinking of a lot of fun ways you could change these up, with peanut butter, mint, coffee, rum...

Peanut butter oatmeal cookies

I made these to address a craving.  Part of #quarantinebaking  They hit the spot, although they could have used a little more chocolate.

Here's what I used to make 15 cookies:

1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/4-1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 - 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream together the butter and peanut butter, then add the sugars and cream together until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and the vanilla extract and beat until well blended.  In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; add to butter mixture and beat until well blended.  Add the oatmeal, walnuts, and chocolate chips and stir to incorporate evenly.  Scoop by heavily-heaping tablespoons onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350F for about 10-12 minutes until lightly golden brown.  Allow to cool a few minutes on the pan, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely. 

I used 1/4 cup chocolate chips, which wasn't enough, even for me.  One half cup might be too much, although it was the perfect amount of walnuts.  There was also the perfect amount of salt.  I didn't measure the peanut butter--- I put in two big tablespoons, which didn't look like it was quite 1/4 cup, but seemed like plenty.  They have a mild peanut butter flavor, so for more intense flavor, use more peanut butter.  (I'm just not sure if that's a full 1/4 cup or more than that. I set the recipe as up to 1/2 cup.)

Conclusion:  These were delicious, and just what I needed.  For breakfast cookies, I'd add some whole wheat or wheat bran, reduce the sugar, and increase the chocolate.  (I'd rather the sweetness come from chocolate or fruit.)  Dried cranberries or tart cherries would be good too.

Original recipes:  Chris' Kicked up Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies and Twisted Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, both via Emeril Lagasse