I couldn't wait until midweek to post this. It came to my door yesterday (a late Christmas present from my adored mr.).
Look! It's on my very own kitchen counter!
Isn't it the most beautiful thing?! It is almost exactly the same color as the inside of cherry pie. Which means...I can't resist making cherry pie this week. Pound Cake be damned. Or maybe I'll make both. If I do, Pie Queen and Quilter, you're getting desserts this weekend.
This isn't my scheduled project for the week, but I said I'd blog about other baking projects (recipes both familiar and un-) and I like to make sure you all know I'm human by blogging about my failures, so...
Legend has it that this bread gets its name from a man cursing his wife, who feeds him only a porridge of cornmeal and molasses. One day he decides to make it into something different, adds flour and yeast, and mutters "Anna, damn her!" while kneading the resultant mass into bread. Supposedly, it's commonly found in New England, but not in these parts, although I know I've seen it in the bakeries of various gourmet supermarkets and health food stores both here in Utah and in California. And I'm certain I've eaten it before. Perhaps I need to remember in which supermarkets I've seen it and resolve to buy this bread, not make it myself.
It's a delicious bread (if memory serves). And unusual. Cornmeal, molasses, whole wheat flour, white bread flour. Very unusual. And not as easy to make as one would think. I'm not sure if it was me, my ingredients, or the recipe I used, but I have never had such problems with bread. Now, I'm no bread expert. But I have made my fair share of breads. This one was virtually impossible to knead. It just didn't seem to have enough liquids to accomodate the 6-1/2 cups of flour that went in. And it never really rose like it should have.
I started out by boiling together 2-1/2 cups of water, 1/4 cup of molasses, 2 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 cup of cornmeal. That seemed like a good amount of liquid. But as it cooled to lukewarm (as the recipe suggested), the cornmeal absorbed the liquid and it congealed into something less liquid-y. So lacking in the liquids, in fact, that after I mixed in the yeast, 2 tablespoons of warm water and the whole wheat flour, I decided it would be impossible to stir in the bread flour and that I would have to work it in 1 cup at a time on the counter surface.
It didn't look very promising from the beginning:
But I faithfully attempted to work all that flour in. And kneaded for 15 minutes according to the recipe. And just about worked my shoulder out of its socket in the process.
Ended up with this, which was supposed to rise (and double) over the course of the next hour:
Um...it rose, but didn't really double:
Kneaded a little bit more, shaped it into loaves. Here they are after "rising":
And after baking:
Rock bread. That's what Prima thought would be a good name for this bread. That was pretty much the density of it. Smelled delicious. But did not turn out right. At all.
A mystery to be solved. I need to get serious about reading my food science books and I think I may need to get a real bread baking book as well. Suggestions? About what went wrong here or books I should look at?
TGIP Rating--Anadama Bread--"Anna, damn her!" indeed. Find a new recipe. Or something.
Why is it that with every other pie I can title the post "Fresh Raspberry" or "Spiced Pumpkin", but I can't call this one "Chicken Pot"? Just doesn't work without the "Pie" at the end. But, boy does this pie work. If it were easier to make, mr. and I would both gain 50 pounds this year. Because I would make it once a week. Thankfully, it's a time consuming process. But so worth it.
It was nice to be back to making a regular pie crust. It seemed like weeks...which I guess it literally has been. I went to Lehi Roller Mills last week and stocked up on their Peacock All-Purpose Flour for general baking and Pastry Flour for pie dough. Their products aren't organic, but they are local and high quality (and I know the owners through my parents, so it kind of feels like buying from a neighbor). I can feel the difference as I work bread dough and pie dough with my hands. This flour is so much more fine and soft. I love it.
This pie. Was delicious. I don't know if I've ever had homemade pot pie. In fact, I don't think I've ever had anything but frozen pot pie. There's a world of difference. I don't think mr. has ever been so excited about food. The onions give a wonderful flavor. The vegetables are cooked, but still have some texture and aren't mushy (the potatoes need to be cut to the same size dice as the carrots--mine were bigger, they weren't raw by any means, but they were slightly undercooked).
The sauce is creamy but not too thick.
And the crust just surrounds it all with buttery goodness. (I did brush the inside of the crust with egg white hoping that the liquids wouldn't soak through the bottom crust and make it gummy--whether it was because of that or not, the crust was perfect)
It served up so nicely. I was sure that once I cut into it and removed a piece, the liquid would flow everywhere and it would be an impossible mess. Not at all. There's so much meat and vegetables in there that it really holds together. Some of the sauce leaks here and there, but that's part of the point with pot pie, right?
I'm looking forward to trying this with leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. That may, in fact, be the next time I make this recipe. For the sake of my waistline.
It was a perfect winter meal. In the sticks-to-your-ribs way. I topped it off by making pie dough cookies from the leftover dough. The Pie Queen used to do this when we were kids, but I had forgotten about it until The Piper's daughter reminded me around Thanksgiving. They had made some (just roll out the dough, cut it into rounds with a biscuit cutter and bake at 425 for 10-15 minutes) and sprinkled them with cinnamon sugar. I had to give that a try. With vanilla ice cream. So delicious. Like a flat churro.
Pie Rating--Chicken Pot Pie--KEEPER
And, a bonus video for your enjoyment. Just so you know what was running through my head the whole time I was making this particular meat pie:
Other baking projects this week: No-Knead French Bread, Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins, and Cream Biscuits (which I neglected to photograph, but they were easily one of the more delicious things I've ever baked).
Next up: I realize I may have bitten off more than I can chew, switching my focus off pie and onto general baking. It leaves me with not just a world, but a universe of possibilities to choose from. I've discovered that The Joy of Cooking (I have the 1997 edition) is a great source for ideas for old-fashioned recipes. But in the edition I own, they've already done some of my work for me, they've altered the recipes to suit modern tastes. Meh. I want to try a real old-fashioned Pound Cake. With ingredients measured by the pound. Oh yeah. This should be interesting.
No, this isn't going to be investing advice. Although, why not invest in pie? It's probably worth about as much as anything else right now.
This is about the future of this blog.
I'm having too much fun to quit. I said I wanted to make a pie a week until the end of the year. Which I did. But I need more. More pie, more desserts, more reasons to bake.
So, here goes. Announcing:
Thank God It's Pie-day Old-Fashioned Baking Made NEW
Not only do I have a new tagline, but I also have my own domain name: www.thankgoditspieday.com (no dash). It's connected through my blogger address, so you're actually there now. But, it's a much easier address to remember and to tell your friends about! I'm so proud.
I need to thank my dear husband here. He makes it possible for me to take on silly projects like this by being my 24-hour technical support, dishwasher extraordinaire, webmaster, taste-tester, and general household go-fer while I'm occupied in the kitchen. Thank You, mr! Without you, there would be no pie-day.
This year, I'll betakingon all sorts of baking challenges (not just pie!), but they'll be old-fashioned in nature. None of these new-fangled cupcakes that have become so trendy. No, I'm baking things our grandmothers would have baked. Mincemeat Pie. Red Velvet Cake. Shoo-Fly Pie. Homemade bread. Pound cake. (Your suggestions are always welcome!) What's more, I'm going to do it as close to the old-fashioned way as possible. From scratch. No mixes. No breadmaker. Organic and/or local ingredients, wherever possible. Each week, I'll take on an unfamiliar (or alter a familiar) recipe for a baked dessert (or non-dessert, I may even try Beef Wellington!--don't scoff, there's pastry involved) and blog about the process and results. I'll also blog about other baking projects. I'd like to say here that if we're eating baked goods in my home, they'll be baked by me. But I'm also realistic enough to know that if I start working or am in the middle of a show, it will be challenging enough to find time to bake a dessert once a week, let alone keep my children in sandwich bread and cookies, let alone bagels.
I hope to rediscover and possibly modernize recipes that are thought of as old-fashioned (for whatever reason). And to become a better (or at least more experienced) baker in the process.
Now, that is a Candy Cane pie. So simple. So good. Everybody agrees (at least at my house). Rich, chocolate-y mousse. Peppermint bite. Airy marshmallows. Yum. I used this recipe and this one. Sort of a recipe mashup. With my own alterations for taste, etc.
30 chocolate cookies (such as oreos, with filling) crushed 1/2 c. butter, melted 12 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped 1 tsp. vanilla pinch of salt 3-3/4 c. chilled whipping cream, divided 1/4 c. powdered sugar 1 c. mini marshmallows 1 c. candy canes or peppermint candy, finely crushed (plus more for sprinkling)
Combine crushed cookies and melted butter. Press into 9 inch pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Combine chocolate, vanilla, and salt in food processor. Bring 1 c. whipping cream to a boil. With food processor running, gradually pour hot cream through feed tube and process until chocolate is melted and smooth. Transfer mixture to large bowl and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
Beat 2 c. whipping cream and sugar to stiff peaks. Fold into chocolate mixture along with marshmallows and crushed candy canes. Pour mousse into prepared crust. Chill until set (about 6 hours).
Beat 3/4 c. whipping cream to firm peaks. Pipe rosettes around edge of pie. Sprinkle crushed candy canes over whole pie for garnish.
P. to the S. Re: the crust, in Part 1 I took the cookie fillings out. Clearly, I haven't made enough chocolate cookie crusts in my time. I didn't know that you leave the fillings in. It was fine, but totally unnecessary.
Next up: I set out in early September (week 36 of 52) to make a pie a week through the end of the year. This was pie number 17. Mission accomplished. BUT, in the next few days, I'll post news about this blog! I know, too much excitement, try to control yourselves.
Both Santa Claus and the Donut Maker were entirely too good to me this year. Witness:
What this means for you is more beautiful kitchen-y goodness. And my own domain name! (More on that in another post). I am left utterly speechless. So I leave you in the capable hands of today's Guest Blogger--my husband--the Donut Maker.
---------- Happy Holidays, all! This is Mark, shifting temporarily into Guest Blogger status from my usual role as this blog's Designated Eater.
So. Christmas Donuts. I suppose it falls right in that delicious holiday intersection of Tradition Street, Baking Drive, Family Avenue, and Psychotherapy Lane. And it's as busy an intersection as you might expect.
First a bit of family history: I doubt the word "abandoned" is too strong a word for my father's presence in my life. He was barely around, but I do have a snapshot memory of him making donuts from scratch in the shape of an "M" and a "K" ... my and my sister's initials. I don't know if it had anything to do with Christmas, but when I became a father I decided I'd like to claim it as my own Christmas tradition. Something I could own and pass down to my children, in a way of exorcising a Ghost of Christmas Past.
It's become an integral part of our Christmas celebration along side the tree and eggnog. It's a nice leisurely activity, as everyone looks through presents and I attend the deep fryer, and lets a lazy morning stretch into grazing on crisp donuts throughout the day. I even make Christmas Morning deliveries to the Eagle Mountain branches of the family!
The recipe is not a secret, and I can't claim any skill in donut-crafting. While I cook plenty, this is about the only baking I do in a year, and I forget a lot in the 8760 hours between batches. What really hits the spot in this recipe is the nutmeg and mace, which make it taste very Christmas-y.
It starts on Christmas Eve with shortening, condensed milk, and other fine products, and it chills overnight. It doesn't look much like donuts at this point, or even a dough you could work with, but by the time Santa's come and gone and the first Bailey's and coffee has been imbibed it's ready to flour, roll, cut and fry.
Though the dough is so spiced and flavorful no topping is needed, I do a few in powdered sugar and some in a chocolate glaze. This year, we had leftover crushed candy cane from Seconda's pie requestand she suggested some candy cane donuts, which I happily provided.
It's "good eats", but it's more than that: a chance to spend a few hours on Christmas Morning each year thinking about tradition and family and fatherhood. And I look forward to making Christmas Donuts for years and generations to come.
