Banana Bread

Who doesn't love banana bread? From a cook's perspective it is a quick and easy way to use up all of those too ripe bananas.  From the dining perspective, there is nothing better than a warm slice of banana bread for breakfast or a snack with a cup of tea or coffee.

This recipe from Cambridge, Massachusetts'  Flour Bakery is indeed easy to make and always a crowd-pleaser.  The original recipe calls for the addition of ground cinnamon in the batter.  I also add an equal amount of ground nutmeg and have never heard a complaint. This bread has become my go-to bake sale item and I even get special requests to make extra.  Whenever I have extra bananas that need to be used up I'll make a batch of bread in mini loaf pans and keep them in the freezer until needed.  They freeze beautifully and will fully defrost when left on the counter overnight.

FLOUR BAKERY'S FAMOUS BANANA BREAD

1 1/2 cups  all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons  sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons creme fraiche or sour cream

3 1/2 very ripe bananas, peeled and mashed

3/4 cup walnut halves, toasted and chopped (optional)  

1)  Position rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 325 F.  Butter a 9 x 5 loaf pan.

2)  In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.

3)  Using a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, beat sugar and eggs on medium for 5 minutes,   or until light and fluffy.

4)  On low, slowly drizzle in oil.  Don’t pour it all in at once. You want to pour it in over 1 minute, to keep all the air you just beat into the egg-sugar mixture.  Add the mashed bananas, creme fraiche, and vanilla. Continue to mix on low just until combined.

5)  Using a spatula, fold in dry ingredients and nuts (if using) just until thoroughly combined. No flour streaks should be visible and the nuts evenly distributed.  Pour into the greased loaf pan and smooth top.

 6)  Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until golden on top and the center springs back when pressed.  Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes, then pop out of the pan to finish cooling.

The banana bread can be stored tightly wrapped in plastic wrap at room temp up to 3 days.  Or, it can be well wrapped and frozen up to 2 weeks.

Yield: one 9 x 5 loaf or 8 mini loaves

Artisan Gouda & Prosciutto Bread

One of my culinary goals for 2013 is to bake more bread.  I'm not talking quick breads; rather yeasted doughs that, while they take more time to put together, are worth the effort.  To kick off this year's effort, I tested a bacon-cheese bread from the Noblepig.com blog.  As the recipe promised, the dough came together quickly and didn't require any kneading. I didn't even get to break out my trusty Kitchen Aid dough hook!  As usual, I was not able to find any cheddar cheese, so I swapped it out with an aged Gouda, achieving what I deem are with tasty results.  I also used prosciutto instead of bacon.  I diced it up then fried it until crispy before adding it to the dough along with the cheese.

The recipe produces two good sized loafs.  Because the dough can be refrigerated I baked one over the weekend then the other one later in the week.  It turns out that there is nothing better than a fresh baked loaf of bread on a weeknight (or weekday morning).

ARTISAN GOUDA & PROSCIUTTO BREAD

10 slices thick cut bacon or prosciutto, diced

8 ounces shredded aged Gouda cheese

2 tablespoons granulated yeast

3 cups lukewarm water

5 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting

1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal

1)  Cook the bacon or prosciutto over medium heat until brown and crunchy. Place on a paper towel-
      lined plate to drain.  Set aside.

2)  Add the yeast to a large ceramic bowl.  Pour in the warm water and stir to combine with a wooden 

      spoon.  Add the flour and salt.  

3)  Mix with the wooden spoon until the flour and salt are fully wet.  Add the cheese and
      bacon/prosciutto to the dough and stir until fully combined.

4)  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place to rise for at least 3 hours.  After 3

     hours place the dough in the refrigerator overnight.

5)  When ready to bake, place a metal baking pan on the bottom rack of the oven.  Fill it with water. 

      Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  

6)  Meanwhile, butter the bottom of an 11 x 17 inch baking tray and sprinkle the cornmeal over the 

     butter to prevent the break from sticking.

7)  Divide the dough into two even loaves, shaping each into a ball.  Place on the baking tray, several

     inches apart.  Sprinkle the dough generously with flour.  (You can also bake one at a time, saving

     the dough in the refrigerator for another day).

8)  Let rest on the baking tray for 30 minutes.  Right before placing in the oven, score the top of the

      bread with an "x" or other decorative mark, cutting right through the dough.

9)  Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool 15 minutes before slicing.

Gouda Bread Pudding

I'm always on the lookout for new side dishes.  All too often I jump in with gusto with the entree but by the time it comes to planning and actually cooking the accompaniments, I run out of steam.  Seriously, there are only so many times I can serve risotto or scalloped potatoes for dinner. Looking for inspiration, I recently dug through the enormous cookbook collection that I had insisted on bringing with us to Albania (despite it's pushing us towards the upper limit of our weight allowance I assured Glenn that I would indeed use all of the books).  As a member of a cookbook of the month club I have a lot of books that have arrived simply because I forgot to tell them not to send the  month's selection.  When this happens I usually scan through the book, mark interesting recipes for future use, and cram it onto a shelf along with previous month's surprise arrivals.  High on this shelf I found Paula Lambert's Cheese, Glorious Cheese, a book dedicated to you guessed it, cheese.  I had indeed marked several recipes but as far as I could tell, had never tried any of them.  

We had British guests coming for a family style dinner and I was looking for something easy to accompany the steaks we were planning on grilling.  When I saw the Gouda Bread Pudding recipe I knew it was just the thing.  Easy, fast, and tasty.  I served it from the table in a large souffle dish but it could just as easily be served in individual dishes for a more elegant presentation.  The Gouda was good but I plan on trying out other cheese combinations in the future.....Swiss, cheddar, bleu, pepper jack.......the possibilities are endless.

GOUDA BREAD PUDDING

4 eggs

2 cups milk

1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1 baguette

2 tablespoons butter

2 cups shredded sharp, aged Gouda

1)  Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl.  Add the milk, creme fraiche or sour cream, salt, and 

     pepper and whisk until well combined.

2)  Cut the baguette in half, then cut it into quarters and finally into 1-inch cubes.  Add the bread to the

     egg mixture and toss to combine.  Leave to soak up the liquid at least 10 minutes.

3)  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Generously butter an 8-inch to 10-inch casserole or souffle dish.

4)  Transfer 1/3 or the soaked bread to the casserole and sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese on top.  Repeat

      layering the bread and cheese until the casserole is filled.  You should have 3 or 4 layers of bread

      and cheese.  

5)  Pour any remaining egg mixture over the bread.  Finish by sprinkling the remaining cheese in a

     thick layer on top.

6)  Transfer to the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the bread pudding has puffed up in the
      center and the top is crusty and golden brown.   Serve hot.

Mediterranean Vegetable Bread

Like so many cooks I find recipes that inspire me and then tweak them to my own liking.  I'm also an avid reader of cooking blogs and my favorite, Adventures of the Yankee Kitchen Ninja, regularly posts recipes that intrigue and inspire me.  (It doesn't hurt that this blog is also written by a fellow Mount Holyoke alum).

The Kitchen Ninja posted this recipe as a savory olive bread after having tweaked it herself from Susan Hermann Loomis, author of On Rue Tatin.  See, this is how recipes evolve!  The Kitchen Ninja's recipe called for 3 1/2 cups of fresh spinach.  Try as I might, I could not find any fresh spinach, or any suitable substitute in Albania in November.  I used a small amount of frozen spinach instead and added in shredded carrots for bulk.  I also added fresh chopped basil.  The only jarred roasted red peppers I had in my pantry were marinated so I used those instead of the plain variety.  The result?  A tangy vegetable infused bread the blended together my favorite flavors of the Mediterranean.

MEDITERRANEAN VEGETABLE BREAD

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 eggs

1/4 cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves,  minced

1 cup frozen spinach, chopped and squeezed dry with leaves separated

2 cups shredded carrots

1/2 cup chopped basil leaves

1 cup marinated roasted red peppers, chopped

1 heaping cup black olives, chopped

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1)  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F / 200 degrees C.  Grease a loaf pan and set aside.

2)  Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

3)  In another large bowl, beat the eggs; whisk in the olive oil, then stir in the garlic, spinach, carrots,

      and basil.

4)  Add the flour  mixture and stir until well combined.  Fold in the red peppers, olives,

      black pepper, and cheese.

4)  Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes, until the bread is browned and a

     skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes then

     continue cooling on a wire rack.

Pumpkin Donuts

Cooking with Mamma

In celebration of fall, and in preparation of a postponed Embassy-wide Halloween celebration, Sidney and I made homemade doughnuts this weekend.  I dipped into my precious stash of imported canned pumpkin puree and broke out my new mini doughnut pans in order to make this super fast and easy pumpkin cake doughnut recipe from King Arthur Flour.

If you don't have a doughnut mold- and how many of us really do- you can use a muffin pan which would probably be easier to fill.  The results will be the same; a light and richly flavored pumpkin morsel to help celebrate this autumn season.

BAKED PUMPKIN CAKE DOUGHNUTS

DOUGHNUTS

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

COATING

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1)  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease two doughnut pans.  (I used miniature ones and
      reduced my baking time but standard sized ones or even muffin pans will also work).

2)  Beat together the oil, eggs sugar, pumpkin, spices, salt, and baking powder until smooth.

3)  Add the flour, stirring just until smooth.

4)  Fill the wells of the doughnut pans about 3/4 full.  Bake for 10 minutes for miniature doughnuts, 15
      minutes for standard sized ones, and 25 minutes for standard sized muffins.

5)  Remove the doughnuts from the oven, and after about 5 minutes loosen their edges, and transfer
      them to a wire rack to cool.  Repeat the baking process until all the batter has been used.

6)  Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a pie plate.  While the doughnuts are still warm, roll the
     doughnuts in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

7)  Cool completely, and wrap airtight; store at room temperature for several days.

Double Corn and Thyme Cornbread

The only cornbread my family
will eat

I love to serve a good cornbread as an accompaniment to a bowl of chili but have never been able to find one that is moist enough to satisfy my finicky boys (yes, both of them).  This one, from Joanne Chang's Flour Cookbook, turned out to be a winner.  (In fact, every recipe I have made from this book has been a success.  As an added bonus, ingredients are listed in both standard American measurements as well as by weight which saves those of us in Europe from having to do those painful conversions).

The recipe called for creme fraiche but lacking both the creme fraiche and my usual substitute of sour cream, I made my own substitute of 7/8 cup of buttermilk (re-hydrated buttermilk powder from King Arthur Flour since we also don't have fresh buttermilk in Albania) and 3 tablespoons of melted butter.  This substitute seemed to do the trick but I am looking forward to making this again using creme fraiche.  I think that will take the bread from very good to outstanding.   The recipe also called for baking the bread in a 9-by-13 inch loaf pan. Preferring to serve the bread in wedges, I used a 10-inch round cake pan instead and this worked out well.

DOUBLE-CORN AND THYME CORN BREAD

1 cup (200 grams) coarse yellow cornmeal
2 1/2 cups (350 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 cup (56 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup (50 grams) canola oil
1/4 cup (55 grams) packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup (240 grams) milk
3/4 cup (180 grams) creme fraiche
1 cup (160 grams) fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme


1)  Position a rack in the center of the oven, and heat the oven to 350 degrees F / 180 degrees C.  Butter
      a cake pan.

2)  In a large bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until
      combined.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, oil, and brown sugar until a thick
      slurry forms.  Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, and then whisk in the milk and creme fraiche.

Dry ingredients

3)  Pour the egg-sugar mixture into the cornmeal mixture, and then, using a rubber spatula, fold together
      until all of the cornmeal is completely incorporated.

Egg mixture

4)   Fold in the corn kernels and the thyme until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.  The batter will be thick and pasty.  Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

Corn and thyme

Ready for the oven

4)  Bake for 40-50 minutes (mine baked for 45 minutes in the round pan), or until the top is a light
     golden brown and the center springs back when you poke it in the middle with a fingertip.  Let cool
     completely in the pan on a wire rack, then cut into 12 wedges.

5)  The corn bread can be stored, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature for up to 2 days
      or in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.  If frozen, thaw at room temperature for 3 or 4 hours and refresh
      in a 300 degree F /150 degree C oven for 8 minutes.