Madhu Knits and Cooks

A (Humid, Summer) Return to Bread Baking! Pumpernickel Everything Bread

My baking block continues to gradually lift as the months go by.  I'm not sure if it's inertia, boredom, or in this case, guilt from letting my various specialty flours languish, but I've been very happy to slowly return to the scale and the oven.  

My latest recipe attempt finally put to use the pumpernickel flour I had ordered from King Arthur Flour I purchased many moons ago and drove from NYC to New Orleans as a "critical" move item.  I chose KAF's everything bagel pumpernickel bread recipe because of how much I miss pumpernickel bagels (not as common in New Orleans!).  

This ended up being a pretty easy and quick recipe, with start to finish in only a few hours.  I would make this recipe again because the flavor was salty and very reminiscent of everything bagels, though I did not love the stodgier texture.  

 

The bread was probably underbaked because the interior was fairly thick and squishy, with very little bounce back from pressing.  I also may have messed up the texture by adding slightly too much water and not checking the bread for the proper final rise before baking. 

 

The bread's temperature was over 200 degrees from the instant read thermometer after about 39 minutes of baking.  I did not get a huge amount of rye/pumpernickel flavor which was disappointing.  

 

 

I wonder if the humidity and heat of the New Orleans summer also affected the rise and cooling of the bread.  The crust on top was relatively crisp, but the bottom was still sweating a bit and somewhat moist after being fully cooled.  So might be underbaking, humidity, and/or the rye flour which would naturally result in a heavier bread?  I will try this bread again during a cooler day, and see if it makes a difference.

"Healthy" Banana Bread - probably not a recipe repeat but good in a pinch!

Another post where the title says it all!  I tried this "Healthy Banana Bread" recipe after searching for ways to use up the two blackened bananas on my countertop, without having to buy more ingredients.

The result was "fine" - pretty moist but with a relatively bland flavor. I will stick to more banana-rich/heavy preparations moving forward.

My recipe modifications:

• Slightly more almond milk (7-10 extra grams)
• Added chocolate chips
• Had to bake for additional time (approx. 63 min in total)
• Forget to pre-mash the 2 bananas before adding them to the other ingredients, so had to do in in the bowl (did not measure the amount of banana that resulted from the 2 ripe bananas)
• all-purpose flour and honey for the flour and sweetener, respectively

A Chia Pudding I Like! Overnight Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

With a largely unconsumed bag of chia seeds taunting me with each opening of the pantry doors, I decided to give chia seed pudding another go after a disappointing experience a few years ago.

I chose a Minimalist Baker recipe that fit the critical (only) requirement of adapting to ingredients I had at home.  The recipe included unsweetened cocoa, the bitterness of which I found particularly suited to the chia pudding texture.  No sure why, but it worked!

I made a few modifications to their recipe:

• Increased amount milk by 1/4 cup to 1.75 cups of unsweetened almond milk for 1/2 cup of chia seeds
• No vanilla or cinnamon because I used vanilla maple syrup as the sweetener
• I reduced the maple syrup to 2 tbsp
• I stirred the mixture after 15 minutes before putting it in the fridge

My husband found the bitter flavor to be akin to Mexican hot chocolate, so we are thinking about adding cinnamon or chile powder in the future to complete that flavor profile.

Bag of chia seeds - you will be consumed!  

Loaf Cakes Continue - Moist and Sweet Banana Bread with Crispy Topping

Once the baking dam had been broken, it was fully broken!  The day after my loaf cake, I threw myself back into the oven with a new banana bread recipe, courtesy of the New York Times.  

I decided to try this recipe instead of some of my old favorites for the simple reason that it called for exactly the same number of bananas that I had in my freezer.  

The result was fantastic - moist, yet not studgy, and great textural contrasts from the sugar / cinnamon topping that crisped up the crust of the bread (which let's be honest, is more like a cake).  

I made a few modifications to the recipe - I added maybe 1/2 tsp. of Vietnamese cinnamon, a few shakes of nutmeg, and a splash of vanilla to the dough.  I omitted the nuts because of my allergy.  For me, a baking time of 60 minutes was perfect to get an evenly baked loaf.  I will make this recipe again!

Easy Yogurt Loaf Cake - Breaking Out of a Long Baking Hiatus

I hadn't baked in more than 2 full seasons, if not almost a year, when I finally was spurred out of this inadvertent baking hiatus by a simple yogurt loaf cake from Milk Street.  

 

I had been eyeing the recipe for months, but needed the excuse of visiting some friends to finally bring out the mixing bowls and loaf pan.  Classically, I made some modifications to fit the ingredients I had on hand, but the result was still outstanding. 

Mildly sweet and tart from the citrus, moist on inside with a pleasing light exterior crust, and no need for the citrus glaze, though a fresh fruit and/or whipped cream accompaniment would make it a proper post-meal dessert for guests.

The modifications I made were:

• Using a Siggi's 4 oz. / 113 gram lemon skyr cup instead of plain yogurt, with 3 tbsp. of water mixed in
• 1 tsp. of ground ginger
• Zest of maybe 3/4 of a lemon
• Baked for an additional 7-8 minutes, which still resulted in a slightly underbaked center and slightly overbaked exterior.  However, this may have been an oven issue
• No glaze

Narrowing in on a Winning Deviled Egg Recipe - NYT "Classic" Approach

I'm so happy I am now inclined to finish up my expired eggs instead of sadly throwing them out en masse.  The mass egg preparation approach that has become my go-to is deviled eggs, which I made this summer for a party appetizer.  After experimenting with a few past recipes with varying success, I decided to try another new approach to narrow in on a winning consistent recipe.  

This NYT recipe featured dijon mustard to offset the mayonnaise - which generally is not to my liking in deviled eggs - and some dashes of Tabasco and chives for additional flavor.  Following some recommendations in the comments, and to further reduce the flavor of mayonnaise, I made a few modifications - added a dash of vegan Worcestershire sauce, reduced the mayonnaise to 2 tbsp., and added 1/2 tbsp. of softened butter.  I also forgot to buy chives at the store, so inadvertently omitted those.

The final result was good, but not outstanding,  The flavor was subtle, certainly "classic," with not too much mayonnaise thankfully.  I think adding the chives and perhaps increasing the dijon will help punch these up a bit more.  

That being said, as prepared, these were a hit at the party I brought them to and I should have made more!

A Dorie Greenspan Hit and a Miss - Vanilla Sugar Cookies and Togarishi Meringues

While browsing the library stacks, my eyes caught Dorie Greenspan's massive "cookie book" Dorie's Cookies, and on a whim, I decided to check it out (largely because I parked my car nearby). 

I've made Greenspan's World Peace Cookies before, but have yet to make any other of this famed cookie creator's recipes.  When flipping through her book, I decided to make two different recipes - one that used egg whites and the other conveniently the leftover egg yolks.  A great low-waste approach to try new cookies!

The first recipe - the Togarishi Meringues - sounded a bit wild to be honest.  Using a spicy and largely savory Japanese spicy blend in meringues?!  Even typing these words together still seems wild to me!

I used 1 tsp. of the mixture from an expired blend a friend bought for us on a trip to Japan.  Even though the mix was expired, just one 1 tsp. did pack quite a punch on these tiny meringues, which I think I piped too small.  In addition, I also spaced these meringues too close together AND prepared them on a pretty humid day, so they didn't quite dry out and were unpleasantly chewy and sticky.  I don't think these will be a recipe repeat, but I am happy I lived on the wild side by making them!

The second recipe I prepared - the French Vanilla Sables - were excellent, by comparison.  Incredibly buttery and smooth, slightly crisp, crumbly, and chewy in the middle, and a simple sweetness from the sanding sugars on top.  The vanilla flavor also shined through as well.  

I loved the fun king cake / Mardi Gras sanding sugar colors I used as well, and look forward to making these again and again!  They are a hit among both adults and kids alike, based on the event to which we brought them.

Pan-Fried Salt and Pepper Eggplant - Excellent Savory Flavors

Yes, another Hetty McKinnon To Asia, With Love recipe to report on today - the pan-fried Salt and Pepper Eggplant.  This simple, marinated eggplant is coated in cornstarch before being lightly pan-fried and dusted with a savory and sweet salt and pepper / five spice mix.

The complex flavors of the spice mix are a great complement to the sweet and sour eggplant, which is perfectly tender under its crisp cornstarch coating. 

I would make this recipe again, and continue to use less oil (I basically just lightly coated the pan instead of filling it to 1/2 inch). 

The only downside of this multi-step recipe is the number of dishes it uses (marinating eggplant, cornstarch mix, salt and pepper mix, paper towel-lined plate for the post-cooked eggplant) so it might not be an everyday dish!

Solid Classic Egg Salad

Egg salad, egg salad - how you have entered our lives!  Building on the success of my first homemade egg salad, I decided to try a more traditional, mayonnaise-based egg salad from the Cook's Illustrated team.   

This egg salad was pretty good - the eggs cooked better this time (less dry) and the inclusion of mayonnaise didn't result in too bland of a flavor.  Instead, the herb, red onion, and celery flavors came through pretty well.  I added some leftover tarragon to this recipe as well. 

And while the dijon mustard added a nice tang, I think a slash of champagne vinegar would have also helped add more diversity of flavors to this otherwise tasty egg salad.  I look forward to making this recipe again! 

Herby Irish Ale Bread - Full of Flavor, But Likely Not a Recipe Repeat

I'm not sure what drew me to this Milk Street Irish Ale Bread with Caraway and Herbs, but perhaps it was my recent bounty of dill? 

This recipe otherwise wouldn't be a draw unless perhaps I was preparing a brunch in which an entire flavored loaf would be likely to be consumed.  Generally our bread loaves get recycled into multiple uses - grilled cheese, toast, croutons - into which a highly flavored loaf won't easily convert.  

Unfortunately, this recipe didn't in turn convert me to a flavored bread enthusiast.  There were a lot of sweet, salty, and fresh flavors from the herbs, caraway seeds, honey, and beer, but I don't really know if they really came together into a compelling way.  Combined with a slightly stodgy texture,  this recipe will go into the "tried it" category.