All things baking

Only 3 Tries! Biscotti is one of my favorite things to make because of all of the steps. First you make the dough, then you shape it into football looking logs, bake it until it gets crusty, slice it, bake it again, both . sides, until almost "dry". If you bake it until it is completely dry, you wil end up with hard as a rock biscotti because it keeps baking, even after you take it out of the oven. There should be a bit of a "sponge" in the middle that barely bounces back.A b

Head to Your Garden and Grab What You Grow! One of my most favorite things to do in the summer is head to my garden and grab rosemary, lavender, basil (not just for pesto!) and even rose petals, nothing sprayed with pesticides of course, and toss them by the handful into your food processor with either sugar, butter or even flour.. Most of the year, I always have a few mason jars filled with herbed sugars that I use in place of regular granulated sugar to make scones, shortb

This Time it Worked! Well, I tried it again and this time had success! It was odd becaue I followed the exact same recipe but used a different flour and added in a procedure I had not done the firs time......stretch and fold. First off, I used King Arthur All-Purpose Flour. My focaccia rose to close to 2" in the middle whereas the last time I made it it didn't rise enough. I learned that King Arthur All- Purpose Flour has a very high level of protein, 11.7% which is close to

No problems here for HIGH ALTITUDE BAKING, thank goodness, except maybe needing a bit more or less water depending on the flour you use and whether or not you use Butter. The key is to make sure your pie dough is moist enough to make a ball with it and be able to roll it out. without it crumbing. Use your judgement . At the end of the day, the type of pie crust you make is personal preference. All of the Pie Crust recipes below work; it is up to you. All CRISCO, 1/2 CRISCO/1/

After conquering Brownies, Biscotti, Yellow Cake, Chocolate Cake, Carrot Cake, French Bread, Banana Bread, Scones, Pies....I was ready for Sourdough Bread which I gave up on durng Covid. I started at 9 a.m. yesterday, went though the resting phases, pull and fold, shape and stitching. At around 4:30 p.m. yesterday, I put both loaves in the refrigerator to proof overnight. I took them out at 7:30 a.m. this morning. They were rough on top and a bit "flat" and not nice and dome

What a GREAT FOCACCIA MEETING we had yesterday! We all did something a little different and all learned something new! What we LEARNED: 1. Cold Ferment creates a chewier, more flavorful bread 2. Cold Ferment requires less yeast than room temp proofing as it ferments for a longer period of time 3. A FLAKY SALT is best on top of the focaccia because a fine sallt will dissolve quickly and make the surface too salty where a flaky salt will sit on top, create more of a "burst" of