Chocolate Gingerbread House

The December Daring Baker's Challenge

The December 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to you by Anna of Very Small Anna and Y of Lemonpi. They chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ everywhere to bake and assemble a gingerbread house from scratch. They chose recipes from Good Housekeeping and from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book as the challenge recipes.

My family and I had a wonderful time making this recipe together. We printed off the gluten free candy list from Celiac Central and went shopping together. My parents were with us for the holiday and helped us with the candy hunt. Then on our big construction night, my Dad made us all dinner. My Mom, who is still in stroke recovery mode, was our cheerleader and helped us out with the candy.

When we began the baking process, we started a few days before the construction of the house. On day one, we made the gingerbread house pieces. Even though I over baked the gingerbread, I allowed the pieces to air dry for day two and constructed the cardboard base. I layered one end of the base with additional layers, so the house would look like it was on a slight hill. Then on day three, I made the royal icing and constructed the house. 

Just remember when you start making your gingerbread and start constructing your house, each process will take well over three hours. The gingerbread took me 6 hours and the house construction took 7 hours. For a ball park figure, I'd plan on between 7 to 14 hours to make the house from start to finish.

Recipe

Chocolate Gingerbread

1 1/4 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup sweet rice flour
3/4 cup arrowroot starch
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp chia seed powder
1/4 tsp agar agar powder
1 cube crystallized ginger, minced
2 tsp cinnamon, ground
1 tsp cloves, ground
1 Tb baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
5 Tb butter, softened
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1 egg, room temperature
1/2 cup molasses
2 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
approx. 1/4 cup water, if needed

Royal Icing

3 egg whites, room temperature
6 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 Tb lemon juice

Making Gingerbread House Pieces

 1. In a large bowl, cream the butter, vegetable shortening and sugar until blended. In another large bowl, dump in the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, baking soda, baking powder, flours, chia seed meal, agar agar powder and salt. Stir together thoroughly. In a small bowl, mix together the egg, molasses and chocolate. Slowly add the dry mixture into the mixing bowl containing the butter blend. Alternate adding the egg mixture into the butter blend. Mix until you have a stiff dough. If the dough won't form into a ball, add water, a tablespoon at a time.

2. Divide the gingerbread dough into 4 balls. Place a sheet of parchment paper on the counter and place one of the dough balls in the center. Cover the dough with another sheet of parchment paper and roll out the dough until it is 1/4 inch thick. Place your gingerbread house template or house cutters on the dough. Cut the outside edge of the template or press down the house cutters. Remove the excess dough between the house pieces.  Leave the house pieces on the parchment paper and slip the parchment paper on to a cookie sheet.  Place the sheet in the refrigerator to chill while you work on the rest of the dough.  Continue until all the house pieces are cut out.  Any excess dough can be cut into cookies for decoration.

Tip: If your gingerbread dough won't form into a ball because it's still a bit too dry, put water on the palms of your hands. Then roll the dough until the water is absorbed. This works really well when trying to work the scraps back into a ball.

3. Preheat the oven to 350'F (190'C). Bake for 25 minutes until the cookie dough feels firm. The house pieces will be over baked, but shouldn't be burned.  Cookie pieces can be baked the same way or for a softer cookie bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Leave to cool on the baking sheet.

4. Transfer all the house pieces to one tray and lightly cover with a sheet of parchment paper.  Allow the pieces to air dry for one day before construction of the house.

Making Royal Icing

1. Beat the egg whites until a soft peak forms.  Then gradually add the powdered sugar until you get the desired slightly firm consistency. Pipe on pieces and allow to dry before assembling.

2. If you aren't using it all at once you can keep it in a small bowl, loosely covered with a damp towel for a few hours until ready to use. You may have to beat it slightly to get it an even consistency if the top sets up a bit. Piped on the house, this will set up hard over time.

Constructing the Gingerbread House

1. Begin with the house back and one side. Pipe the icing on each piece and hold the two pieces together. Move on to the second side and the house front. If the sides don't hold together, have another person to hold them up for you until you can get the other sides added. If your royal icing is stiff enough, it should hold together pretty quickly. Allow the sides to dry before putting on the roof.

2. Go back and repair any decorations that might have gotten dinged while assembling.

3.  Decorate your landscape to your heart's content. Then enjoy!  But don't forget to take pictures so you can remember all the fun you had building your gingerbread house.

Merry Christmas

From My House to Yours,

I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Fabulous New Year!

Natalie

Baking & Pastry Week 18 - Couple of Poolishes

At last I can breathe easy, as life has slowed down. The Thanksgiving holidays were busy for us. Folks traveling into town, and flying out. It wasn't a calm and tranquil holiday for us, too much rushing about. We were all together as a family, which made it a way beyond wonderful day.

After months of research, we finally discovered the cause of our little Sheltie's allergy...it's eggs. They just so happen to be an ingredient in her dog food. After taste testing six different dry foods, she's picked out her favorite...California Natural's.

With things getting back to normal, I can return to my baking and pastry project. Thank the Lord I'm still baking bread, as my 18 year old Kitchen Aid stand mixer ground to a halt while I was making chocolate ice cream the night before Thanksgiving. After the holidays, my family is going to attempt a repair project. My insightful husband, understanding the depth of my shock, has purchased me a Kitchen Aid surprise for Christmas.  I think I'll nominate him for sainthood.

Schedule

Thursday - Lean Loaf with Poolish

Saturday - Roasted Tomato Loaf with Poolish


Shopping List

Brown Rice Flour (Fine or Superfine Grind)
Sweet Rice Flour (also called glutinous rice flour)
Arrowroot Starch
Almond Meal
High Protein Flours, such as: Soybean, White Bean, Black Bean
Whole Grain Flour, such as: Buckwheat, Millet, Sorghum, Quinoa, Teff
Instant Dry Yeast
Binding Agents, such as: Xanthan or Guar Gum, Chia Seed Meal, Agar Agar Powder
Tomatoes
Olive Oil
Fresh Basil
Fresh Galic
Cracked Black Pepper


Resources

Flours & Binding Agents: Authentic Foods, Barry Farm, Bob's Red Mill
Instant Dry Yeast: Barry Farm
Agave Syrup: Wild Organics, Native Seeds


Equipment

Cookie Sheet
Scissors


What's Going On?

I was a very lucky woman and received a copy of the Culinary Institute of America's Baking & Pastry book along with their culinary dvd's from my family for my birthday and our anniversary. After watching all the DVDs, I decided to work my way through the CIA's Baking and Pastry book - of course making it gluten free. There were so many skills that I wanted to develop and work on. I hope you will be interested in sharing my journey with me.


Other Baking & Pastry Project Posts

Index of the Baking & Pastry Project

Baking & Pastry Project #34 - Almond Buckwheat Batard with Poolish
Baking & Pastry Project #33 - Stollen
Baking & Pastry Project Week 17 - Sponge & A Poolish
Baking & Pastry Project #32 - Gugelhopf Crown
Baking & Pastry Project #31 - Panettone
Baking & Pastry Project Week 16 - Holiday Breads


Want More?

You can also follow me on Twitter, where I'm glutenagogo.

Cranberry Riesling Cannoli

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!


A Daring Baker's November Challenge


The November 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen and hosted by Lisa Michele of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. She chose the Italian Pastry, Cannolo (Cannoli is plural), using the cookbooks Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and The Sopranos Family Cookbook by Allen Rucker; recipes by Michelle Scicolone, as ingredient/direction guides. She added her own modifications/changes, so the recipe is not 100% verbatim from either book.

Cannoli are known as Italian-American pastries, although the origin of cannoli dates back to Sicily, specifically Palermo, where it was prepared during Carnevale season, and according to lore, as a symbol of fertility. The cannoli is a fried, tube-shaped pastry shell (usually containing wine) filled with a creamy amalgamation of sweetened ricotta cheese, chocolate, candied fruit or zest, and sometimes nuts. Although not traditional, mascarpone cheese is also widely used, and in fact, makes for an even creamier filling when substituted for part of the ricotta, or by itself. However, cannoli can also be filled with pastry creams, mousses, whipped cream, ice cream etc. 

I made my cannoli as an accompaniment to our Thanksgiving dinner. I served turkey, cornbread dressing, roasted potatoes, roasted brussel sprouts and corn. The white wine I served with dinner, is also the same wine I used to make the cannoli. I chose our favorite Riesling-Traminette-Vidal Blanc white wine, called Our Dog Blue from Chateau Morrisette Winery in  Floyd County, Virginia. It's a wonderful wine that goes well with turkey, fish, fruits and cheeses - in other words, perfect for cannoli. 

I hope you enjoy this month's Daring Baker Challenge recipe as much as we did. Happy Thanksgiving from my house to yours.

Equipment:

Cannoli forms/tubes - optional, but recommended if making traditional shaped cannoli.
Deep, heavy saucepan, enough to hold at least 2-3-inches of oil or deep fryer
Deep fat frying thermometer. although the bread cube or bit of dough test will work fine.
Metal tongs
Brass or wire skimmer OR large slotted spoon
Pastry bag with large star or plain tip, but a snipped ziplock bag, butter knife or teaspoon will work fine.
Cooling rack
Paper bags or paper towels
Pastry Brush
Cheesecloth
Sieve or fine wire mesh strainer
Electric Mixer, stand or hand, optional, as mixing the filling with a spoon is fine.
Food Processor or Stand Mixer – also optional, since you can make the dough by hand, although it takes more time.
Rolling pin and/or Pasta roller/machine
Pastry or cutting board
Round cutters - The dough can also be cut into squares and rolled around the cannoli tube prior to frying. If making a stacked cannoli, any shaped cutter is fine, as well as a sharp knife.
Mixing bowl and wooden spoon if mixing filling by hand
Plastic Wrap/Clingfilm
Tea towels or just cloth towels

Lidisano’s Cannoli

Makes 22-24 4-inch cannoli
Prep time:
Dough – 2 hours and 10-20 minutes, including resting time, and depending on whether you do it by hand or machine.
Filling – 5-10 minutes plus chilling time (about 2 hours or more)
Frying – 1-2 minutes per cannoli
Assemble – 20–30 minutes

CANNOLI SHELLS

1/3 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup arrowroot starch
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
2 Tb almond meal
2 tablespoons(28 grams/1 ounce) sugar
1 teaspoon (5 grams/0.06 ounces) unsweetened baking cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon (1.15 grams/0.04 ounces) ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (approx. 3 grams/0.11 ounces) salt
1 teaspoon chia seed powder

1/4 teaspoon agar agar powder
3 tablespoons (42 grams/1.5 ounces) vegetable or olive oil
Approximately 1/2 cup (approx. 59 grams/approx. 4 fluid ounces/approx. 125 ml) Riesling wine
1 large egg, separated (you will need the egg white but not the yolk)
Vegetable or any neutral oil for frying – about 2 quarts (8 cups/approx. 2 litres)
1/2 cup (approx. 62 grams/2 ounces) toasted, chopped pistachio nuts, mini chocolate chips/grated chocolate and/or candied or plain zests, fruits etc.. for garnish
Confectioners' sugar

CANNOLI FILLING

2 lbs (approx. 3.5 cups/approx. 1 kg/32 ounces) ricotta cheese, drained
1 2/3 cups cup (160 grams/6 ounces) confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1/4 - 1/3 cup Riesling wine


Optional:
3 tablespoons (approx. 28 grams/approx. 1 ounce) finely chopped good quality chocolate of your choice
2 tablespoons (12 grams/0.42 ounces) of finely chopped, candied orange peel, or the grated zest of one small to medium orange
3 tablespoons (23 grams/0.81 ounce) toasted, finely chopped pistachios

Note - If you want chocolate ricotta filling, add a few tablespoons of dark, unsweetened cocoa powder to the above recipe, and thin it out with a few drops of warm water if too thick to pipe.

CRANBERRY ORANGE RIESLING TOPPING


1 - 8 oz package frozen cranberries
1 tangerine, peeled & diced
1/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped

1/2 cup cane sugar
1/4 cup Riesling wine

DIRECTIONS CRANBERRY TOPPING


Place the cranberries, tangerine, pecans, sugar and wine into a small saucepan. Heat the sauce until it comes to a simmer. Cook until the cranberries have popped and the sauce has thickened.





DIRECTIONS FOR SHELLS

1. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer or food processor, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the oil, vinegar, and enough of the wine to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and well blended, about 2 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge from 2 hours to overnight.

2. Cut the dough into two pieces. Keep the remaining dough covered while you work. Lightly flour a large cutting or pastry board and roll the dough until super thin, about 1/16 to 1/8” thick (An area of about 13 inches by 18 inches should give you that). Cut out 3 to 5-inch circles (3-inch – small/medium; 4-inch – medium/large; 5-inch;- large. Your choice). Roll the cut out circle into an oval, rolling it larger and thinner if it’s shrunk a little.

3. Oil the outside of the cannoli tubes (You only have to do this once, as the oil from the deep fry will keep them well, uhh, oiled..lol). Roll a dough oval from the long side (If square, position like a diamond, and place tube/form on the corner closest to you, then roll) around each tube/form and dab a little egg white on the dough where the edges overlap. (Avoid getting egg white on the tube, or the pastry will stick to it.) Press well to seal. Set aside to let the egg white seal dry a little.

4. In a deep heavy saucepan, pour enough oil to reach a depth of 3 inches, or if using an electric deep-fryer, follow the manufacturer's directions. Heat the oil to 375°F (190 °C) on a deep fry thermometer, or until a small piece of the dough or bread cube placed in the oil sizzles and browns in 1 minute. Have ready a tray or sheet pan lined with paper towels or paper bags.

5. Carefully lower a few of the cannoli tubes into the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Fry the shells until golden, about 1 minutes, turning them so that they brown evenly.

6. Lift a cannoli tube with a wire skimmer or large slotted spoon, out of the oil. Using tongs, grasp the cannoli tube at one end. Very carefully remove the cannoli tube with the open sides straight up and down so that the oil flows back into the pan. Place the tube on paper towels or bags to drain. Repeat with the remaining tubes. While they are still hot, grasp the tubes with a potholder and pull the cannoli shells off the tubes with a pair of tongs, or with your hand protected by an oven mitt or towel. Let the shells cool completely on the paper towels. Place shells on cooling rack until ready to fill.

7. Repeat making and frying the shells with the remaining dough. If you are reusing the cannoli tubes, let them cool before wrapping them in the dough.

For stacked cannoli:

1. Heat 2-inches of oil in a saucepan or deep sauté pan, to 350-375°F (176 - 190 °C).

2. Cut out desired shapes with cutters or a sharp knife. Deep fry until golden brown and blistered on each side, about 1 – 2 minutes. Remove from oil with wire skimmer or large slotted spoon, then place on paper towels or bags until dry and grease free. If they balloon up in the hot oil, dock them lightly prior to frying. Place on cooling rack until ready to stack with filling.

DIRECTIONS FOR FILLING:

1. Line a strainer with cheesecloth. Place the ricotta in the strainer over a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Weight it down with a heavy can, and let the ricotta drain in the refrigerator for several hours to overnight.

2. In a bowl with electric mixer, beat ricotta until smooth and creamy. Beat in confectioner’s sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and blend until smooth. Transfer to another bowl and stir in chocolate, zest and nuts. Chill until firm. (The filling can be made up to 24 hours prior to filling the shells. Just cover and keep refrigerated).

ASSEMBLE THE CANNOLI:

1. When ready to serve..fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain or star tip, or a ziplock bag, with the ricotta cream. If using a ziplock bag, cut about 1/2 inch off one corner. Insert the tip in the cannoli shell and squeeze gently until the shell is half filled. Turn the shell and fill the other side. You can also use a teaspoon to do this, although it’s messier and will take longer.

2. Press or dip cannoli in chopped pistachios, grated chocolate/mini chocolate chips, candied fruit or zest into the cream at each end. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and/or drizzles of melted chocolate if desired.

Almond Buckwheat Batard with Poolish (B&P#34)

Fresh bread can be sheer torture. It's the aroma while baking, the crackle of the crust or the delicious flavor when you bite into your slice. I like the loaves that get a bit toasty in the oven. Those loaves are a joy to tear into once they've cooled.

This is one of those loaves. It never made it to toast for breakfast or sandwiches for lunch. We divided it amongst the four of us and slowly devoured it.

This is a wonderful flour combination. When baked the flavor is very reminescent of a stone ground wheat loaf or at least how I remembered it tasting. My husband, who can glutenize, thought the flavor was evocative of a wheat loaf that was baked in a brick oven. Oh, my heart was skipping with that comment...that's high praise. I hugged the sweetness of his compliment to me. He knew that my first attempt with buckwheat and tepary beans tasted like old musty beans.

Enjoy!

Recipe

Protein Content:
Original Content: 50.7 g
GF Content: 49.18 g

Poolish

45 g Almond Meal (9 g)
50 g Buckwheat flour (7.25 g)
35 g Arrowroot Starch (0.105 g)___________replacement for whole wheat flour
15 g Instant Dry Yeast
15 ml Agave Syrup
180 ml Water (120 - 130 deg F/49 - 54 deg C)

Final Dough

20 g Brown Rice Flour (1.8 g)
25 g Sweet Rice Flour (1.5 g)
25 g Arrowroot Starch (0.3 g)
54 g White Bean Flour (11.61 g)
6 g Chia Seed Meal (1.26 g)______________replacement for bread flour
45 g Almond Meal (9 g)
50 g Buckwheat Flour (7.25 g)
35 g Arrowroot Starch (0.105 g)___________replacement for whole wheat flour
4 g Agar Agar Powder
15 g Instant Dry Yeast
10 g Sea Salt
254 g Poolish (above)
90 ml Water (120 - 130 deg F/49 - 54 deg C)
15 ml Agave Syrup


Directions for Poolish

Pour all the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl and blend together. Then add the water and agave syrup and stir until incorporated. Set the bowl in a warm location to rise for 40 minutes.
 
Directions for Final Dough

1. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and stir together. Add the poolish, water and agave syrup and blend together until a soft ball forms.  If the dough is still too soft, add arrowroot starch by the tablespoon (1 Tb/15 ml) until the dough firms up.

2. Place the dough in the center of a sheet of parchment paper that has been sprinkled with arrowroot starch.  Gently roll the dough into a cylinder about 10 in/25 cm long and taper the ends. Take a sharp knife and slice a cut in the center of the cylinder at an angle.  Then place a parallel slice on either side of the center cut. Slide the parchment paper onto a cookie sheet and place in a warm location to rise for 1 1/2 hours.

3. Place an oven proof bowl filled with water on the bottom shelf of the oven.  Then place a baking stone on the top shelf. Preheat the oven to 470 degrees F/243 degrees C. Place the loaf in the oven and spray water over the oven box and the top of the loaf.  Bake the loaf for 25 minutes. Prop the oven door open and continue to cook the bread for another 10 minutes.  Remove the loaf and allow it to cool before serving.

Stollen (B&P#33)

For me, holiday baking has to include something decadent.  That means I need to make one of the different types of Christstollen or stollen.

It is a traditional German Christmas season fruit filled bread covered in powdered sugar. The fruits (golden raisins, raisins, currants, lemon peel, orange peel, citron peel and zests) can be soaked in dark rum or white wine. It can also have nuts, almond paste and other dried fruits in the dough. The bread itself has only a slight bit of sweetener with the vanilla and powdered sugar coating providing an incredible finishing touch.

Stollen isn't one of my husband's favorite breads, so  it always means more for me.  Unfortunately, I have to make sure there isn't more of me by the time New Year's rolls around.

While collecting all the ingredients to make my stollen, I found myself perusing the virtual aisles of Fantes (it's one of my favorite online baking and pastry supply stores). They carry a very nice non-stick stollen pan made in Portugal. I decided to buy one to give it a try with my gluten free version. (It's okay, you can say my will was weak...it was.)

This pan will make up to a 2 lb/.907 kg loaf. I was making a 1 lb/.454 kg loaf, so I turned the stollen pan upside down and evenly filled out the pan with the bread dough. After rising, the bread dough had filled out the shape nicely, creating the classic stollen shape.

This is a fabulous tasting bread and goes extremely well with a steaming cup of French Roast coffee. So, break down, make some stollen. Then afterwards, you can join me in working it off with Jillian Michaels. Well, maybe you don't want to...she's helping me rediscover my post radiation pecs. So, my language isn't always that nice. Or maybe I should do it the other way around...that way I can recover from trying to get my right pectoral muscle to remember how to move and stretch with stollen and a hefty dose of French Roast.


Recipe

Protein Content:

Original Content: 20.28 g
GF Content: 19.84 g


Sponge

100  - 130 ml milk, room temperature
30 ml agave syrup
30 g instant dry yeast
14 g brown rice flour (1.26 g)
12 g sweet rice flour (.072 g)
14 g arrowroot starch (0.042 g)
18 g almond meal (3.6 g)
20 g white bean flour (4.3 g)

Fruit & Nut Mix

1028 g golden raisins
37 g candied lemon peel
16 g candied orange peel
13 ml dark rum or white wine
47 g blanched almonds

Final Dough

14 g brown rice flour (1.26 g)
12 g sweet rice flour (0.72 g)
14 g arrowroot starch (0.042 g)
18 g almond meal (3.6 g)
20 g white bean flour (4.3 g)
6 g chia seed meal
4 g agar agar powder
7 g cane sugar
4 g sea salt
1 g lemon zest, grated
pinch ground allspice
pinch ground cinnamon
pinch ground cloves
pinch ground ginger
7 g almond paste
136 g fruit & nut mix
85 g butter, softened
125 g sponge (from above)
60 - 90 ml milk, room temperature

Finishing

clarified butter, as needed
vanilla sugar, as needed
powdered sugar, as needed


Directions

Fruit & Nut Mix

Place all the ingredients in a resealable container and shake together. Put the container in the refrigerator and allow the mixture to blend together for at least 24 hours before using in the recipe.

Sponge

Pour all the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl and blend together. Then add the milk and agave syrup and stir until incorporated.  Set the bowl in a warm location to rise for 40 minutes.

Final Dough

1. Place all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir together.  Then add the milk and softened butter and stir until the dough forms a soft ball.  If the dough is too soft work in a small amount of arrowroot starch to help firm up the dough (i.e. 1 Tb/15 ml at a time). 

2. You can either use a stolen pan or shape the loaf by hand. For the stollen pan, place the pan upside down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Prop up the sides with sides with balls of parchment paper, then line the pan with parchment paper.  If you shape the loaf by hand, lay out a sheet of parchment paper and sprinkle it with arrowroot starch.  Then pat out the dough until it is an oval shape and about 1/2 inch/1.27 cm thick. Then fold one side of the dough over the other until about 1/3 of the dough is uncovered. Use arrowroot starch as needed to shape the loaf.  Set the loaf in a warm location to rise for 2 hours.

3.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/177 degrees C. Place the stollen in the oven and bake for 35 to 45 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool before you remove it from the pan.

Finishing

Place the stollen on a serving tray and brush with clarified butter. The press on the vanilla sugar and sprinnkle with powdered sugar. Slice and serve.


Other Baking & Pastry Project Posts


Index of the Baking & Pastry Project

Baking & Pastry Project Week 17- A Sponge & A Poolish
Baking & Pastry Project #32 - Gugelhopf
Baking & Pastry Project #31 - Panettone
Baking & Pastry Project Week 16 - Holiday Breads
Baking & Pastry Project #30 - Multigrain Bread With Pate Fermentee
Baking & Pastry Project #29 - White Bean Lean Bread With Pate Fermentee
Baking & Pastry Project Week 15 - Lean & Multigrain


Want More?

You can also follow me on Twitter, where I'm glutenagogo.

Baking & Pastry Project Week 17 - Sponge & Poolish

Schedule

Tuesday - Stollen

Thursday - Whole Grain Bread with Poolish


Shopping List

Brown Rice Flour (Fine or Superfine Grind)
Sweet Rice Flour (also called glutinous rice flour)
Arrowroot Starch
Almond Meal
High Protein Flours, such as: Soybean, White Bean, Black Bean
Whole Grain Flour, such as: Buckwheat, Millet, Sorghum, Quinoa, Teff
Instant Dry Yeast
Binding Agents, such as: Xanthan or Guar Gum, Chia Seed Meal, Agar Agar Powder
Candied Orange & Lemon Peel
Raisins & Golden Raisins
Almond Paste
Lemon Zest
Almonds
Spices: Ground Cloves, Cinnamon, Allspice and Ginger


Resources

Flours & Binding Agents: Authentic Foods, Barry Farm, Bob's Red Mill
Instant Dry Yeast: Barry Farm
Agave Syrup: Wild Organics, Native Seeds
Nuts & Candied Peel: Barry Farm
Almond Paste: Kerekes

Equipment

Stollen Pan - Fantes


What's Going On?

I was a very lucky woman and received a copy of the Culinary Institute of America's Baking & Pastry book along with their culinary dvd's from my family for my birthday and our anniversary. After watching all the DVDs, I decided to work my way through the CIA's Baking and Pastry book - of course making it gluten free. There were so many skills that I wanted to develop and work on. I hope you will be interested in sharing my journey with me.


Other Baking & Pastry Project Posts

Index of the Baking & Pastry Project

Baking & Pastry Project #32 - Gugelhopf
Baking & Pastry Project #31 - Panettone
Baking & Pastry Project Week #16 - Holiday Breads
Baking & Pastry Project #30 - Multigrain Bread With Pate Fermentee
Baking & Pastry Project #29 - White Bean Lean Bread With Pate Fermentee
Baking & Pastry Project Week 15 - Lean & Multigrain


Want More?

You can also follow me on Twitter, where I'm glutenagogo.

Gugelhopf Crown (B&P#32)

A gugelhopf crown is a rich and moist holiday bread. Filled with raisins and almonds, it has a wonderful flavor and scent.

Serve with your favorite coffee while you sit and enjoy the beauty of a fall morning.

Recipe

Protein Content:
Original Content: 16.38 g
GF Content: 16.07 g

Sponge

20 g brown rice flour (1.8 g)
25 g sweet rice flour (1.5 g)
20 g arrowroot startch (0.06 g)
25 g almond meal (5 g)
30 g white bean flour (6.45 g)
6 g chia seed meal (1.26 g)
20 g instant dry yeast
176 ml milk
7 ml vanilla extract
15 ml agave syrup

Final Dough

20 g brown rice flour (1.8 g)
25 g sweet rice flour (1.5 g)
25 g arrowroot starch (0.075 g)
35 g almond meal (7 g)
31 g white bean flour (6.665 g)
4 g agar agar powder
78 g cane sugar
5 g sea salt
78 g raisins
14 g almonds, chopped
78 g butter, soft
139 g eggs (approx. 3 eggs)
252 g sponge (above)

Sponge Directions:

Place all the ingredients in a medium sized bowl and mix well. Cover the bowl and place in a warm location.  Allow the sponge to rise and ferment for 20 minutes (75 degrees F/27 degrees C).

Final Dough Directions:

1. In a large bowl, place the flours, sugar, salt, agar agar, raisins and almonds, then mix together. Then add the sponge, eggs and softened butter. Stir until blended and the dough forms a soft ball.  You may need to add a tablespoon/15 ml of arrowroot starch to help it form a soft ball.

2. Grease and flour a 5 cup gugelhopf pan. Place slivered almonds in the bottom of the pan so that they form a ring or crown.  Pour in the batter and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Place in a warm location to rise for 2 hours.

3. Place a bowl of water in an oven proof bowl and set it on the bottom shelf of the oven.  Prehat the oven to 375 degrees F/191 degrees C. Place the gugelhopf on the cookie sheet into the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.  Cool slightly before inverting and removing the bread from the pan.  Allow to cool on a rack before serving.

Panettone (B&P#31)

I have a love - hate relationship with yeast. There are days when it works wonderfully for me. When all my tricks to get it to perform with gluten free flours are spot on.  Then there are days...where it doesn't matter what I do...it just sits there...leaden.

Unfortunately, I've been making mini panettone brick bats this week. I had to go out and buy more raisins, since I used up what I had. I ran out of small panettone wrappers making the different batches. Then last night, it worked...a panettone loaf worth eating.

These are my tips for working with yeast and gluten free flours:

- Use double the amount of yeast called for in a bread recipe

- The yeast rises better when it has a sugar to feed it

- Do all the shaping first and then allow the dough to rise

- Let the bread rise in a warm location

- Never use water or other liquid hotter than 115 degrees Fahrenheit

- Try not to bake bread on a rainy day

How was the panettone? Delicious! Rich and smooth on the tongue.  The touch of wine brought out the flavor of the fruit and peel. We enjoyed it with a cup of espresso for breakfast.

Recipe

Protein Content:
Original Content: 26.26 g
GF Content: 26.094 g


Sponge

13 g sweet rice flour (.78 g)
13 g arrowroot starch (.038 g)
15 g millet flour (1.725 g)
27 g white bean flour (5.805 g)
6 g chia seed meal (1.26 g)
30 g instant yeast
33 g cane sugar
120 ml milk

1. In a medium sized bowl, dump in the flours, meal, yeast and sugar, then stir together. Pour in the milk and stir again.

2. Place the sponge mixture in a warm location and allow to ferment for about 45 minutes.

Fruit Mixture

28 g candied orange peel
28 g candied lemon peel
28 g raisins
28 g golden raisins
2 g lemon zest, grated
2 g orange zest, grated
40 ml white wine, Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc

1. Dump all the ingredients in a container with a lid. Shake the mixture until it is throughly blended.

2.  Allow the mixture to sit for at least 45 minutes, but you can allow it to sit and soak longer. This can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator.

Final Dough

25 g brown rice flour (2.25 g)
20 g sweet rice flour (1.2 g)
20 g arrowroot starch (.06 g)
38 g almond meal (7.6 g)
25 g white bean flour (5.375 g)
4 g agar agar powder
6 g sea salt
fruit mixture (from above)
sponge mixture (from above)
51 g eggs
4 g glucose syrup
43 g butter, softened
30 ml agave syrup

Egg Wash

1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup milk
smidgeon sea salt

1. In a large bowl, dump in the flours, agar agar, salt and fruit mixture. Stir together, making sure that the fruit is blended throughout and not clumped together.

2. Add the sponge mixture, eggs, syrups and butter to the bowl. Stir together until it forms a soft ball. If the dough is still loose, add a little arrowroot starch until the dough forms a soft ball.

3. Grease and flour a panettone wrapper (1 large or 4 small). Take the panettone dough and place in the center of a sheet of parchment paper that has been sprinkled with arrowroot starch. Form the dough into a smooth ball and then place in the large panettone wrapper. Or divide into 4 equal pieces and place in the small wrappers.  Lightly brush the egg wash over the top of the dough. Then place the wrappers in a warm location so it/they can rise for 3 hours.

4. Place an oven proof bowl on the bottom shelf of the oven. Then preheat the oven to 385 degrees Fahrenheit/196 degrees Celsius. Brush the top of the dough with egg wash again. Next score the center of the dough with a small X and place a pat of butter in the center of the cut.

5. Place the wrapper(s) on a parchment covered cookie sheet and place in the oven.  Using a squirt bottle spritz water over the interior of the oven and on top of the bread.  Cook for 30 to 40 minutes for the large wrapper and 20 to 25 minutes for the small wrappers. Cool completely before serving.

Chocolate Macarons with Godiva Buttercream Filling

The October Daring Baker Challenge

The 2009 October Daring Baker's challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming's The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe. You can visit Ami at her blog, Baking Without Fear.

More than a few have suggested that French-style macaroons (called macarons in France) might supplant the cupcake. This may or may not come to pass, but the basic premise of the French macaroon is pretty damned tasty.  In the United States, the term “macaroon” generally refers to a cookie made primarily of coconut. But European macaroons are based on either ground almonds or almond paste, combined with sugar and egg whites. The texture can run from chewy, crunchy or a combination of the two.

Frequently, two macaroons are sandwiched together with ganache, buttercream or jam, which can cause the cookies to become more chewy. The flavor possibilities and combinations are nigh endless, allowing infinitely customizable permutations.

Ami tried quite a few different recipes and discovered that her favorite macaroon recipe comes from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern. They have given her the most consistent results and so, for everyone’s delectation, here is an adaptation of Ms. Fleming’s recipe.

Recipe
Yield: 6 to 10 dozen, depending on size

Notes:

1. It takes a little more time to get everything ready to bake, but it doesn't take very long to bake the macarons.

2. Egg whites must be at room temperature.

3. Silicone baking sheets (i.e. Silpat) work better than parchment paper for piping out the macarons.  However, if you chose to use parchment paper be very careful when you peel the paper off the back of the macarons.

4. You can make a stencil to pipe your macarons, so that they will all be the same size.

5. For 1 inch macarons, pipe out a 1/2 inch sized dollop of batter.  As they dry on the counter, the macaron batter will spread out to the 1 inch size.

6. Pipe out the macarons, before preheating the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. It will allow the macarons to air dry for about 15 minutes before you start baking them.

7. Allow the macarons to completely cool, before trying to remove them from the pan.


Not taking into account the amount of time it takes for you to bring your egg whites to room temperature, the whole baking process, including making the batter, piping and baking will probably take you about an hour to an hour and a half. How long it takes to make your filling is dependent on what you choose to make.

Actual baking time: 12 minutes total, plus a few minutes to get your oven from 200°F to 375°F.

Equipment required:

Electric mixer, preferably a stand mixer with a whisk attachment
Rubber spatula
Baking sheets
Parchment paper or nonstick liners
Pastry bag (can be disposable)
Plain half-inch pastry bag tip
Sifter or sieve
If you don’t have a pastry bag and/or tips, you can use a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off
Oven
Cooling rack
Thin-bladed spatula for removing the macaroons from the baking sheets
Food processor or nut grinder, if grinding your own nut


Ingredients

2 1/4 cups confectioners’ (icing) sugar (225 g, 8 oz.)
2 cups almond flour (190 g, 6.7 oz.)
2 Tb granulated sugar (25 g , 0.88 oz.)
5 egg whites, room temperature
1/4 tsp chocolate extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°F (93°C). Combine the confectioners’ sugar and almond flour in a medium bowl. If grinding your own nuts, combine nuts and a cup of confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a food processor and grind until nuts are very fine and powdery.

2. Beat the egg whites in the clean dry bowl of a stand mixer until they hold soft peaks. Slowly add the granulated sugar and beat until the mixture holds stiff peaks.

3. Sift a third of the almond flour mixture into the meringue and fold gently to combine. If you are planning on adding zest or other flavorings to the batter, now is the time. Sift in the remaining almond flour in two batches. Be gentle! Don’t overfold, but fully incorporate your ingredients.

4. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain half-inch tip (Ateco #806). You can also use a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off. It’s easiest to fill your bag if you stand it up in a tall glass and fold the top down before spooning in the batter.

5. Pipe one-inch-sized (2.5 cm) mounds of batter onto baking sheets lined with nonstick liners (or parchment paper).

6. Bake the macaroon for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and raise the temperature to 375°F (190°C). Once the oven is up to temperature, put the pans back in the oven and bake for an additional 7 to 8 minutes, or lightly colored.

7. Cool on a rack before filling.

Godiva Buttercream

1 stick butter, softened
1 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
1 Tb milk or cream
1 oz dark chocolate, melted
1 1/2 tsp Godiva Chocolate Liquor


1. Place the butter into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until creamy.  Add the milk, chocolate and liquor and blend.  Then slowly add the confectioner's sugar and beat until thoroughly incorporated.

2. Fill a pastry bag (using a plain tip) with the buttercream and pipe on the flat side of a macaron.

Baking & Pastry Project Week 16 - Holiday Breads

A couple of rich breads are on the schedule this week: Italian Panettone and German Gugelhopf. Both are laden with fruit and the Panettone has the addition of candied orange and lemon peel.


Schedule

Saturday - Panettone

Sunday - Gugelhopf


Shopping List

Brown Rice Flour (Fine or Superfine Grind)
Sweet Rice Flour (also called glutinous rice flour)
Arrowroot Starch
Almond Meal
High Protein Flours, such as: Soybean, White Bean, Black Bean
Whole Grain Flour, such as: Buckwheat, Millet, Sorghum, Quinoa, Teff
Instant Dry Yeast
Binding Agents, such as: Xanthan or Guar Gum, Chia Seed Meal, Agar Agar Powder
Candied Orange & Lemon Peel
Raisins & Golden Raisins
Glucose Syrup
Orange & Lemon Zest
Almonds


Resources

Flours & Binding Agents: Authentic Foods, Barry Farm, Bob's Red Mill
Instant Dry Yeast: Barry Farm
Agave Syrup: Wild Organics, Native Seeds
Nuts & Candied Peel: Barry Farm
Glucose Syrup: Amazon.com, Michaels (a craft store) or a Cake Decorating Store

Equipment

Panettone Wrapper - Fantes
8" Gugelhopf Pan - Fantes


What's Going On?

I was a very lucky woman and received a copy of the Culinary Institute of America's Baking & Pastry book along with their culinary dvd's from my family for my birthday and our anniversary. After watching all the DVDs, I decided to work my way through the CIA's Baking and Pastry book - of course making it gluten free. There were so many skills that I wanted to develop and work on. I hope you will be interested in sharing my journey with me.


Other Baking & Pastry Project Posts

Index of the Baking & Pastry Project

Baking & Pastry Project #30 - Multigrain Bread With Pate Fermentee
Baking & Pastry Project #29 - White Bean Lean Bread With Pate Fermentee
Baking & Pastry Project Week 15 - Lean & Multigrain
Baking & Pastry Project #28 - Berliners
Baking & Pastry Project #27 - Yeast Raised Doughnuts
Baking & Pastry Project Week 14 - Doughnuts


Want More?

You can also follow me on Twitter, where I'm glutenagogo.

Multigrain Bread with Pate Fermentee (B&P30)

What could be better than a hearty and delicious teff multigrain roll? My kids would say a 15 inch gluten free pepperoni pizza. Well...they've got me there.  However, these are mighty tasty rolls with a lovely crisp crust.

You will need to do a little preplanning to fix this recipe. You will need 9 different grains along with flaxs eed and unsalted sunflower seeds to make the multigrain soaker.  I used chia seeds (salba), sesame seeds, whole plantago seeds (psyllium or Indian wheat), hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, quinoa, millet, teff, amaranth and teff.  If you want you can substitute black sesame seeds for the plantago seeds. Then you will need flax seeds (gold or brown) and unsalted sunflower seeds, in addition to the 9 seeds and grains.

Enjoy!


Recipe

Protein Content:
Original Content: 15.82 g
GF Content: 15.8 g

9 Grain Soaker (28 g)

3 g chia seeds (salba)
3 g whole plantago seeds (psyllium or Indian wheat)
3 g hemp seeds (shelled)
3 g sesame seeds
3 g pumpkin seeds
3 g kasha
3 g amaranth grain
3 g millet grain
3 g quinoa grain
3 g teff grain (brown or ivory)
4 g flax seeds (brown or golden)
6 g unsalted sunflower seeds
39 ml water, cold

Combine all the seeds, grains and water in a plastic container and cover with a lid. Soak at room temperature until the mixture has absorbed the water, approximately 8 to 12 hours.

Note: According to On Food And Cooking: The Science And Lore Of The Kitchen (2004) by Harold McGee, do not use sorghum in sprouting, because as the seed germinates, it produces a protective cyanide-generating system. It's found in the seed coating. (pg. 482)  I would recommend avoiding using sorghum in the soaker.

Dough

15 g brown rice flour (1.35 g)
11 g sweet rice flour (.66 g)
10 g arrowroot starch (.3 g)
22 g white bean flour (3.06 g)
__________________________replaces bread flour
12 g sesame seed meal (3.06 g)
24 g ivory teff flour (2.64 g)
24 g brown rice flour (2.16 g)
__________________________replaces wheat flour
24 g instant dry yeast
4 g sea salt
105 ml water
10 ml agave syrup
66 g pate fermentee
64 g 9-grain soaker

1. Place all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and blend together. In a medium sized bowl, pour in the water, agave syrup, pate fermentee and the 9 grain soaker, then stir. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients until it forms a soft ball.

2.  Place in the center of a sheet of parchment paper that has arrowroot starch sprinkled on it. Divide the dough into 8 balls.  Slice down the center with a sharp knife.  Slide the parchment paper onto a cookie sheet and set in a warm location and allow to rise for 1 hour. 

3.  Place a baking stone in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F/232 degrees C.  Slide the parchment paper onto the baking stone and bake for 15 minutes.  Cool completely before serving.

Other Baking & Pastry Project Posts


Index of the Baking & Pastry Project

Baking & Pastry Project #29 - Lean Bread with Pate Fermentee
Baking & Pastry Project Week 15 - Lean & Multigrain
Baking & Pastry Project #28 - Berliners
Baking & Pastry Project #27 - Yeast Raised Doughnuts
Baking & Pastry Project Week 14 - Doughnuts


Want More?

You can also follow me on Twitter, where I'm glutenagogo.

White Bean Lean Bread With Pate Fermentee (B&P29)

This is a soft and moist loaf. The interior has a lovely texture and tastes great.  It hits divine status when toasted and topped with a dollop of apricot preserves.

Traditionally, this type of boule is pressed down the center with a rolling pin and then flipped over. It's allowed to rise and then flipped over to bake. I (following the directions) flipped my beautifully rounded boule and immediately realized I shouldn't have done it. Why you ask? Well, that prebaking flip literally beat the air bubbles out of the bread. Next the baking the bread cracked all along the press line and the edges. (See the picture above.) Reminded me of one of those mega disaster movies that were running this week on the Syfy Channel.

Essentially, when you bake gluten free bread you really have to nurture your yeast. You've got to make sure that you feed it with some sugar, agave syrup, rice syrup. This will enable those lovely air pockets to form. Next don't do anything that will pop those pockets like they were the flimsiest of bubbles. The directions for making this loaf, without the prebaking flip, are below.

Before you bake this loaf, make sure you stop by your local grocery store for a nice jar of apricot preserves. You might have to do some more strenuous exercising for the next few days to recover from the indulgence...It's that good.


Recipe

Protein Content:
Original Amount: 36.92 g
GF Amount: 36 g

Dough

45 g brown rice flour (4.5 g)
50 g sweet rice flour (3.0 g)
50 g arrowroot starch (0.15 g)
70 g almond meal (14 g)
7 g chia seed meal (1.47 g)
62 g white bean flour (13.33 g)
20 g instant dry yeast
7 g sea salt
4 g agar agar powder
85 g pate fermentee
283 ml water

Pate Fermentee

60 g brown rice flour (5.4 g)
30 g sweet rice flour (1.8 g)
30 g arrowroot starch (0.9 g)
52 g millet flour (5.98 g)
102 g white bean flour (21.93 g)
6 g chia seed meal
11 g instant dry yeast
6 g sea salt
32 ml agave syrup
223 ml water

Pate Fermentee

1. Place the dry ingredients in a large bowl and blend thoroughly. Pour the liquid ingredients in a medium bowl and stir together. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and blend. 

2. Measure out 85 g of pate fermentee and set aside for use in the main recipe.  The excess pate fermentee should be put in a lidded container and stored in the refrigerator until you want to use the rest. 

Note: If you would like to make the next recipe in the Baking & Pastry Project Multigrain Bread with Pate Fermentee you will need to save 66 g of the dough.  The rest can be baked into rolls or a small loaf of bread.  Rise and bake according to the instructions in this recipe.

Dough

1. Place the dry ingredients in a large bowl and blend thoroughly. Pour the liquid ingredients in a medium bowl and stir together. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and blend.

2.  On a sheet of parchment paper with arrowroot starch sprinkled on it, place the dough in the center.  Form into a round boule. Using your rolling pin press a line across the loaf that is 2" deep.  Slide the parchment paper onto a sheet pan and then place in a warm location to rise for 2 hours.

3.  Place an oven proof bowl with water in it on the bottom shelf of your oven. Place a baking stone on the upper shelf that is in the center of the upper third of your oven. Then preheat the oven to 460 degrees F/238 degrees C.  Slide the parchment paper with the bread onto the baking stone.  Squirt water on the bottom, sides and top of the oven with a spray bottle. Cook for 15 minutes and then place a wooden spoon in the door. Leaving the door ajar cook for another 10 minutes.  Cool on a rack before serving

Baking & Pastry Project Week 15 - Lean & Multigrain

This week I'm making a lean bread and a multigrain bread with pate fermentee.  You will only need to make one pate fermentee batch for both recipes.  The lean bread dough from the Baking & Pastry Project #1 is the recipe you will need to follow to make the pate fermentee.  Then use the left over pate fermentee to make a batch of rolls.

Schedule

Tuesday - Lean Bread with Pate Fermentee

Thursday - Multigrain Bread with Pate Fermentee

Shopping List

Brown Rice Flour (Fine or Superfine Grind)
Sweet Rice Flour (also called glutinous rice flour)
Arrowroot Starch
Almond Meal
High Protein Flours, such as: Soybean, White Bean, Black Bean
Whole Grain Flour, such as: Buckwheat, Millet, Sorghum, Quinoa, Teff
Instant Dry Yeast
Binding Agents, such as: Xanthan or Guar Gum, Chia Seed Meal, Agar Agar Powder

Variety of seeds and grains

Resources

Flours & Binding Agents: Authentic Foods, Barry Farm, Bob's Red Mill
Instant Dry Yeast: Barry Farm
Agave Syrup: Wild Organics, Native Seeds

Seeds & Grains: Barry Farm

Equipment

No special equipment is needed this week.

What's Going On?


I was a very lucky woman and received a copy of the Culinary Institute of America's Baking & Pastry book along with their culinary dvd's from my family for my birthday and our anniversary. After watching all the DVDs, I decided to work my way through the CIA's Baking and Pastry book - of course making it gluten free. There were so many skills that I wanted to develop and work on. I hope you will be interested in sharing my journey with me.

Other Baking & Pastry Project Posts

Index of the Baking & Pastry Project

Baking & Pastry Project #28 - Berliners

Baking & Pastry Project #27 - Yeast Raised Doughnuts

Baking & Pastry Project Week 14 - Doughnuts

Baking & Pastry Project #26 - Pita

Baking & Pastry Project #25 - Naan

Baking & Pastry Project Week 13 - Flatbreads

Baking & Pastry Project #24 - Lavosh

Baking & Pastry Project #23 - Pizza
Baking & Pastry Project Week 12 - Pizza & Crackers
Baking & Pastry Project #22 - Soft Pretzels
Baking & Pastry Project #21 - Crescia al Formaggio
Baking & Pastry Project Week 11 - Parmesan & Pretzels

Want More?

You can also follow me on Twitter, where I'm glutenagogo.

Lime Curd Berliners (B&P28)

The Berliner is a rich cake style doughnut filled with your choice of jelly or curd. These doughnuts were part of our "Mo-down" extravaganza.

Since filled doughnuts are only enjoyed by the adults at my house, I used one of our favorites lime curd. However, you could use your favorite jelly instead. Jam or preserves don't work as well if you use an injector pastry tip.

These were delicious and got rave reviews from the adult judges at the "Mo-down." The kid judges elected not to participate in this event, since they don't like filled doughnuts.  My husband and I had never had a cake style filled doughnut, but my parents had in years past. They shared a wide variety of memories of filled old-fashioned type doughnuts from their various neighborhood bakeries where they grew up.

Give these Berliners a shot, you'll thoroughly enjoy them.


Recipe

Equipment Needed:  cookie sheet, jelly injector tip, pastry bag, 2 1/2 inch cake ring (optional)


Protein Content:
Original Content: 32.5 g
GF Content: 32.627 g

Yield: 8 to 9 filled doughnuts

40 g brown rice flour (3.6 g)
36 g sweet rice flour (2.16 g)
34 g arrowroot starch (.102 g)
53 g almond meal (10.6 g)
40 g millet flour (6.095 g)
7 g chia seed meal (1.47 g)
40 g white bean flour (8.6 g)
8 g agar agar powder
22 g instant dry yeast
50 g cane sugar
pinch sea salt
3 g grated lemon zest
120 ml whole milk
37 g butter, soft
49 g egg (approx.1 lg egg)
14 g egg yolk (approx. 1 egg yolk)
4 ml vanilla extract
3 ml agave syrup

jelly or curd, for filling
hot oil, for frying
cane sugar, for dipping
powdered sugar, for topping

1. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and stir. In a medium bowl, pour in all the liquid ingredients and blend together. Slowly add the liquid ingredients to the dry and stir together.  Dough should form into a slightly soft ball.

2. Place the dough ball in the center of a sheet of parchment paper sprinkled with arrowroot starch. Divide the dough into 8 or 9 pieces of equal size. Shape each piece of dough into a round ball and then press lightly with your palm to flatten slightly. Transfer to another sheet of parchment paper that has arrowroot starch sprinkled on it. Continue until all pieces of dough have been shaped.  Place the dough in a warm location and allow to rise for 2 hours.

3. Preheat the oil to 350 degrees F/177 degrees C. Transfer a few of the Berliners at a time into the oil. Cook each side about 1 minutes or until golden brown.  The 2nd side might take 30 seconds or so longer to cook.

4. Lift the Berliners out of the oil with a spider or slotted spatula.  Allow the excess oil to drain off before placing on a paper towel lined cookie pan.

5. Put an injector tip on a pastry bag and fill with jelly or curd. When the Berliners are cool enough to handle, inject 1 oz/28 g of jelly or curd. Dip both sides of the Berliner into cane sugar and then sift confectioner's sugar over them.

Other Baking & Pastry Project Posts

Index of the Baking & Pastry Project

Baking & Pastry Project #27 - Yeast Raised Doughnuts

Baking & Pastry Project Week 14 - Doughnuts

Baking & Pastry Project #26 - Pita

Baking & Pastry Project #25 - Naan

Baking & Pastry Project Week 13 - Flatbreads

Baking & Pastry Project #24 - Lavosh

Baking & Pastry Project #23 - Pizza
Baking & Pastry Project Week 12 - Pizza & Crackers
Baking & Pastry Project #22 - Soft Pretzels
Baking & Pastry Project #21 - Crescia al Formaggio
Baking & Pastry Project Week 11 - Parmesan & Pretzels

Want More?

You can also follow me on Twitter, where I'm glutenagogo.

Almond & Millet Yeast Raised Doughnuts (B&P27)

I'm drooling.

I want doughnuts.

They were sooooo good...

Delicious cake style doughnuts with a sheer fondant glaze with a variety of toppings are on the menu for today.

As a family, we did what we call a "Mo-down" like the "Throwdown's with Bobby Flay." This is where I, as Mom, bake off against a favorite food item.  My doughnut "Mo-Down" was between me and Thomas' Donuts on Front Beach Road in Panama City Beach, Florida.  Our kids chose my contenders from favorite or one-time favorite food items.

The kids and I haven't had many doughntus since we've had to go gluten free. I've only made gluten free idoughnuts once and those were the ones I made last year for Tartelette's Blog Event. So, it's been awhile and they were more than ready for me to crank up the grease and get cooking. This recipe makes doughnuts which are like old fashioned or cake styles, rather than the beautifully puffy ones called "glazed" by places such as Dunkin' Donuts or Krispy Kreme.

We headed out to Thomas' and picked up a variety of doughnuts. When we got home, we broke out the wheat and gluten free doughnuts and set up the plates for the judges.  My husband was the tie breaker vote, while the kids and my parents were the judges. Our voting system is simple, something along the lines of what was used in the Coliseum...thumbs up or thumbs down. As a contender, you get a swirl of hope and doom as you watch them eat. It's nothing like facing a lion or gladiator, but you do sit on pins and needles while you wait for their verdict. The result? The kids - two thumbs down, because they weren't like the puffy doughnuts. My parents - two thumbs up, because they loved the flavor and they like cake style doughnuts. The tie breaker - a thumbs up, because he like the flavor and the crunchiness of the gluten free doughnuts.

So, I held my own against a beautiful and classic wheat cake doughnut. Pheew!

Now I just need to figure out how to make a puffy glazed doughnut.


Recipe

Total Protein Content:
Original Content: 34.70 g
GF Content: 34.79 g

Equipment Needed: Doughnut Cutter, Deep-Fat/Candy Thermometer, Stock Pot or Deep-Fat Fryer, Cookie Sheets, Cake Rack, Bowls.

Doughnut Dough

30 g brown rice flour (2.7 g)
25 g sweet rice flour (1.5 g)
25 g arrowroot flour (.075 g)
48 g almond meal (9.6 g)
36 g millet flour (5.52 g)
18 g white bean flour (3.87 g)
6 g chia seed meal (1.26 g)
_______________________replaces the bread flour

30 g brown rice flour (2.7 g)
20 g sweet rice flour (1.2 g)
24 g arrowroot starch (0.07 g)
20 g almond meal (4 g)
20 g millet flour (2.3 g)
_______________________replaces the pastry flour

22 g instant dry yeast
8 g agar agar powder
50 g sugar
19 g non-fat dry milk
6 g baking powder
5 g sea salt
pinch nutmeg, ground
4 ml agave syrup
160 ml water
49 g egg
58 g emulsified shortening
Oil for frying
Toppings for Doughnuts: sprinkles, confectioner's sugar, vanilla sugar, fondant glaze

Fondant Glaze

1 g gelatin
15 ml water
28 g corn syrup
2 g glycerin
225 g confectioner's sugar

1.  In a large bowl, place all the dry ingredients and blend well. In a medium sized bowl, pour all the liquid ingredients and stir together. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until a soft ball forms.

2. On a sheet of parchment paper with arrowroot starch sprinkled on it.  Place the dough in the center of the parchment paper and pat it out until it is 1/2 inch/1 cm thick. Dust the surface of the dough with arrowroot starch and dip the cutter into the arrowroot starch. Then cut out the doughnuts, using a spatula to pick them up. Place on a cookie sheet covered with a piece of parchment paper sprinkled with arrowroot. Continue until all the dough has been formed into doughnuts.  Place in a warm location to rise for about 1 1/2 hours.

4. Fondant: Place the water in a pot and warm. Pour the gelatin in the water and melt. Remove from the heat and then add the corn syrup and glycerin. Place the confectioner's sugar into a bowl and slowly pour the gelatin mixture into the sugar. Stir until the sugar is thoroughly blended with the gelatin mixture. It should the consistency of a glaze. Set aside for glazing the doughnuts after cooking.

5. Heat the oil to 350 degrees F/177 degrees C. Line a cookie pan with paper towels. Place a few doughnuts at a time into the oil and cook for 2 minutes. Turn the doughnuts over and cook for another minute or until it has a golden color.  Lift the doughnuts out of the oil with a spider or slotted spatula, allow the oil to drain off before placing on the paper towels. While cooking the doughnuts, keep an eye on the temperature of the oil. 

6. Roll the warm doughnuts in the confectioner's or vanilla sugar or dip in warm fondant glaze. If you want sprinkle the fondant glazed doughnuts with sprinkles. Place the fondant dipped doughnuts on a paper towel lined cookie sheet with a cake rack, so the excess glaze can drip off. Garnish the just glazed doughnuts with sprinkles, coconut or decorating sugar.

Other Baking & Pastry Project Posts

Index of the Baking & Pastry Project

Baking & Pastry Project #26 - Pita

Baking & Pastry Project #25 - Naan

Baking & Pastry Project Week 13 - Flatbreads

Baking & Pastry Project #24 - Lavosh

Baking & Pastry Project #23 - Pizza
Baking & Pastry Project Week 12 - Pizza & Crackers
Baking & Pastry Project #22 - Soft Pretzels
Baking & Pastry Project #21 - Crescia al Formaggio
Baking & Pastry Project Week 11 - Parmesan & Pretzels

 

Want More?

You can also follow me on Twitter, where I'm glutenagogo.

Baking & Pastry Project Week 14 - Doughnuts

It's doughnut week! I've been busy making yeast raised doughnuts and berliners.

There are a couple of unique food items on the ingredient list this week.  The first is emulsified shortening, which absorbs more sugar and liquid than does regular shortening. Cakes and frosting will also have a finer smoother texture. When you shop for it you can find it under the brand names Alphine Hi-Ratio Shortening or Sweetex.


The second item is glycerin. It is used in the recipe for the fondant icing. The glycerin softens the fondant and it also adds a nice sheen.

Have fun and don't eat too many!


Schedule

Tuesday - Yeast Raised Doughnuts

Thursday - Berliners

Shopping List

Brown Rice Flour (Fine or Superfine Grind)
Sweet Rice Flour (also called glutinous rice flour)
Arrowroot Starch
Almond Meal
High Protein Flours, such as: Soybean, White Bean, Black Bean
Whole Grain Flour, such as: Buckwheat, Millet, Sorghum, Quinoa, Teff
Instant Dry Yeast
Binding Agents, such as: Xanthan or Guar Gum, Chia Seed Meal, Agar Agar Powder

Non-fat dry milk
Ground nutmeg
Emulsified shortening
Glycerin
Corn Syrup

Resources

Flours & Binding Agents: Authentic Foods, Barry Farm, Bob's Red Mill
Instant Dry Yeast: Barry Farm
Agave Syrup: Wild Organics, Native Seeds

Non-Fat Dry Milk: Barry Farm
Emulsified Shortening: Amazon.com
Glycerin: Kerekes, Wilton



Equipment

Stock Pot, Dutch Oven, Wok or Deep Fat Fryer
Doughnut Cutter
Bismark Pastry Tip

Thermometer


What's Going On?


I was a very lucky woman and received a copy of the Culinary Institute of America's Baking & Pastry book along with their culinary dvd's from my family for my birthday and our anniversary. After watching all the DVDs, I decided to work my way through the CIA's Baking and Pastry book - of course making it gluten free. There were so many skills that I wanted to develop and work on. I hope you will be interested in sharing my journey with me.

Want More?

You can also follow me on Twitter, where I'm glutenagogo.

Other Baking & Pastry Project Posts

Index of the Baking & Pastry Project

Baking & Pastry Project #26 - Pita

Baking & Pastry Project #25 - Naan

Baking & Pastry Project Week 13 - Flatbreads

Baking & Pastry Project #24 - Lavosh

Baking & Pastry Project #23 - Pizza
Baking & Pastry Project Week 12 - Pizza & Crackers
Baking & Pastry Project #22 - Soft Pretzels
Baking & Pastry Project #21 - Crescia al Formaggio
Baking & Pastry Project Week 11 - Parmesan & Pretzels