Baking Bread at Home Finale!

Baking Bread at Home III

     Earlier this week we baked whole wheat bread and learned about the science that is baking. For our Grand Finale, we're going to bake a nifty little loaf of Earl Grey Bread and make Homemade Corn Bread. This post is all about the recipes, let's hop in. 

Earl Grey Tea Loaf

Rule 3: Quality ingredients create quality baked goods.

   Moist and lightly spiced, this loaf is perfect for breakfast or an afternoon tea break.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. softened butter
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1 3/4 c. flour (I prefer unbleached all purpose flour)
• 1 1/2 t. baking powder (without aluminum)
• 1/2 t. sea salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 t. vanilla
• 1/2 t. orange zest
• A pinch each of powdered cinnamon, cardamon, and nutmeg
• 3/4 c. milk
• 3 bags of your favorite earl grey tea

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, heat the milk until nice and hot - do not scald. Tear open the bags of tea and sprinkle into the milk. Remove from heat and allow to steep until the milk takes on the color of the tea and it has a nice strong scent. Set aside and allow to cool completely. 

2. Set your oven to 350 degrees to preheat. Beat the butter and eggs with a hand/stand mixer until the butter becomes fluffy. Beat the eggs in, one at a time, then add vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and milk.

3. Pour your wet mixture slowly into the dry while beating the mixture. 

4. Either prepare your loaf pan by placing parchment paper into the pan and spraying with cooking spray (leave an overhang) or by greasing and then very lightly flouring the pan.

5. Add the dough to the pan and bake for approximately one hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center of your loaf comes out completely clean. 

6. I like to drizzle honey mixed with a bit of orange zest over the loaf as soon as it comes out of the oven. 

7. Allow to cool for approximately one hour then transfer to a rack to finish cooling before slicing. 

Homemade Corn Bread - Try not to think about the calories...

Rule 4: Over-mixing can ruin soft breads like this.

Ingredients:

• Just under 1 c. of buttermilk (if you must be precise, 14 T.)
• 1 3/4 c. flour
• 1 c. cornmeal
• 1/8 to 1/4 c. honey
• 2 t. baking powder (no aluminum!)
• 1/4 t. baking soda
• 4 T. unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
• 4 T. bacon fat
• 1/4 c. crumbled bacon
• 3/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 T. fresh chives, chopped
• Approximately 1/3 c. of creamed corn
• 1 large egg

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Add the bacon drippings to a large cast iron skillet and place into the hot oven for 10 minutes.
2. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and baking soda in a glass bowl.
3. To this mixture add the creamed corn, crumbled bacon, cheddar cheese, and the chopped chives.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the buttermilk, melted butter and the egg.
5. Pour the liquid (all at once now) into the dry ingredients and mix just until all the dry ingredients are lightly moistened. Pour the hot fat on the batter (which will pop and bubble so be careful) and mix just until the oil is completely absorbed into the batter.
6. Pour the batter into the hot skillet and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
7. Let this delicious corn bread cool 5 minutes before you slice it. I know it's killing you, just wait or it will be a wreck. 

That's all for this week. I hope you enjoyed my little baking bread at home week. Coming up next week, we're going to talk about a few basic household fixes including how to fix a broken door handle. 

Hope to see you all back then!

~DIY Spice!~

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Roasting Your Own Veggies - DIY Restaurant Flair

Roasting Your  Own Vegetables

Roasting Vegetables can be a very big hit at a dinner party. It shows you're not afraid to take a little heat in your kitchen.

      I had a craving for Tex-Mex so instead of going out I decided to try and re-create some of the restaurant flavor at home. Roasted vegetables, especially garlic, onions and peppers, take on a very distinct flavor when roasted over a flame. (As you would suspect if you've grilled ANYTHING). Roasting something over a flame inside of your home presents different challenges.

      For example, if you roast an onion, the paper thin outer layers will start to shed and fly away. The smudges of ash over your kitchen will be worth it I promise! Please follow basic safety rules when using an open flame in you're home. If you're timid, invite a friend over and keep a fire extinguisher nearby. Now to the good stuff.

The Basics: 
1. Wash your vegetables, ensure they are free of dirt and debris. If you see dark spots, take this time to remove blemishes with a sharp knife.

2. You may want to remove the grate cover from your burner at this time. Go ahead and grab a pair of tongs and a stainless steel meat fork.

3. I started off with tongs and the grate on as pictured below and slowly rotated the pepper over the flame careful to blacken all sides.

Slowly, carefully..

 Things were progressing here but I wasn't, by any means, quick.

You may find this has greater maneuverability 

I found it was much easier to remove the grate from the burner and proceed to hold the pepper with a long meat fork. It was easier and faster.

4. Then it's a quick dunk in ice water and remove the skins with your fingers. (use a knife to gently encourage stubborn spots.)

5. Voila! You have restaurant quality roasted peppers. 

      Now you can stop right here and serve them with a dip or slice em up and put them on a sandwich or wrap. Since I'm still in the mood for Tex-Mex, I browned some ground turkey in a pan (I added garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, ancho chili powder, black pepper, cumin and homemade cayenne pepper to make a healthier homemade taco seasoning. I'm experimenting a bit with the exact measurements right now. More later!)

     In a separate skillet I added a drizzle of olive oil, thick chopped onion and 2 cloves of garlic. I cook these until the onions are translucent and the garlic just barely starts to brown. In go the sliced fire-roasted peppers and there you have it. A healthier than eating-out dish with restaurant flair. 

Thanks for taking the time to DIY, come back soon!

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