Banana Bread

My final baking day. I may do it again in the future, when I have full access to an oven. For now, I'll just have to live with buying stuffs from bakeries.

I utilized my 2 brown bananas to make banana loaf. The recipe is from:

http://www.figandcherry.com/recipes/breakfast/dense-and-moist-banana-bread-recipe/

Banana bread recipe

• 125g unsalted butter
• 3 super ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or paste (only use essence if you’re desperate!)
• pinch of cinnamon
• pinch of cloves
• 1 and 1/2 cups plain flour (I used self-raising flour and no baking powder, that’s why the bread is so flat)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• handful of raw walnuts, roughly chopped (optional)

I made some slight modifications to accommodate my baking supply at home. I used 1/4 cup unsalted butter and 1/4 cup regular butter instead of 1/2 cup unsalted butter. I didn't sprinkle with nuts on top. Also increased baking powder from 1 teaspoon to 1 1/2 teaspoon.

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Melt 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter in microwave. Let cool.
3. In another bowl, mash 2 over ripen bananas with fork. Add the melted butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Mix well.
4. Sift in 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix until just combined.
5. Grease an 8x4 loaf pan and pour in the batter.
6. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center.

The loaf came out smelling fantastic, soft and moist. Sweetness is purely from bananas, which I love! Yum!

Note: Good recipe.

Banana Blueberry Lemon Muffins

I woke up craving banana blueberry muffins so this is what I made:

http://www.thedragonskitchen.com/2008/07/banana-blueberry-lemon-muffins.html

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs
2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup blueberries
2 tablespoons grated lemon rind
3 tablespoons sugar

This recipe gives moist muffins and the sweetness is only from the bananas (since I omitted the sugar topping), which is heavenly good. I still love the basic muffin recipe I found earlier but I will use this recipe for making banana blueberry muffins. This recipe yields 6 regular sized muffins.

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Mix 1 1/8 cup all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon and 1 tablespoon lemon rind in a bowl.
3. In another bowl, melt 1/4 cup butter using the microwave then add 1 mashed banana, 1 egg, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1/2 tablespoon. Mix until combined.
4. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients then mix until combined (do not overmix).
5. Add 1/2 cup frozen blueberries into the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
6. Scoop batter into lined muffin tins, dividing them equally.
7. Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Note: Awesome recipe.

Banana Cream Pie

I had leftover egg yolks from the financiers that I made so I googled for a recipe that needs only egg yolks and browned bananas and came to this:

http://www.food.com/recipe/marie-callenders-banana-cream-pie-copycat-89973

I made the crust using Betty Crocker Pie Crust Mix and made the banana cream filling according to the recipe. It came out a little too sweet for me but I finished most of it because it is sorta like comfort food. Sorry no pic but I guess you have the general idea how a banana cream pie looks like.

Raspberry Almond Financiers

I decided to try making these and if I succeed I'll know what to bake for Valentine's Day. The recipe I got was from:

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/raspberry-almond-financiers?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/cookie-recipes-with-fruit#slide_15

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

• Vegetable oil, cooking spray
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 cups sliced blanched almonds (6 1/2 ounces), lightly toasted and finely ground
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
• 3/4 cup sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 large egg whites
• 1 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen), pureed and strained (1/2 cup)

Directions

Instructions Checklist

• Step 1
  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat mini muffin tins with cooking spray.
• Step 2
  Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking frequently, until golden brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Add honey, and whisk until combined. Remove from heat.
• Step 3
  Using a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine almonds, sugars, flour, and salt on low speed. Raise speed to medium-high, and add egg whites, one at a time, beating after each addition until just combined. Scrape down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to low, and add warm butter-honey mixture in a slow, steady stream. Raise speed to high, and beat for 45 seconds.
• Step 4
  Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling each halfway. Spoon a scant 1/2 teaspoon raspberry puree near one edge of each cup. Draw a skewer or the tip of a paring knife through puree toward opposite edge of cup to form a heart shape.
• Step 5
  Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until edges are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly in tins on wire racks. Using a small offset spatula, carefully unmold financiers, and transfer to rack. Financiers are best served warm or the same day they are baked, but they can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature for up to 3 days. If desired, serve or package financiers in decorative paper liners.

I followed the recipe to the dot except that I did not grind the toasted almonds and I split the recipe in half. Shaping of the heart was also a little tricky because only 2 out of 6 came out to be heart-shaped. I did not take any pictures because they were gobbled down as soon as they came out of the oven.

Rum Raisin Shortbread Cookies

I've always wanted to make something that has rum raisin in it because a few people around me loves this combination. The recipe I used was from:

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/rum-raisin-shortbread

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

• 1/2 cup dark rum
• 1 cup dried currants
• 2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt

Directions

Instructions Checklist

• Step 1
  Combine rum and currants; cover, and let stand at room temperature overnight. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons rum.
• Step 2
  Beat butter, sugar, and orange zest with a mixer on medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla and reserved rum, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour, coconut, and salt, and beat for 3 minutes. Stir in currants by hand.
• Step 3
  Form dough into 2 logs, each about 1 1/2 inches in diameter; wrap in parchment, and refrigerate 1 hour (or up to 3 days).
• Step 4
  Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove parchment. Slice logs into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, and space about 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment. Bake until pale golden, about 20 minutes. Let cool.

I did not have real rum so I used rum extract to soak the raisins overnight (1/2 cup water + 2 teaspoon rum extract). I also used raisins instead of currants since I have plenty of raisins. I also omitted the coconut since I did not have coconut.

I increased the baking time from 20 minutes to 25 minutes. The cookies came out soft even though they look burned enough on the bottom. They were also out of shape; looked nothing like the picture on website. This recipe did not work out for me.

Note: For every 1/4 cup rum, substitute with 1 teaspoon rum extract in 1/4 cup water.

Cream Cheese Brownies

I wanted to make some finger food that can be easily transported without causing a mess and can be enjoyed without any utensils. The recipe I used was adapted from Martha Stewart:

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/cream-cheese-brownies?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/brownie-and-blondie-recipes#slide_7

• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for pan
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room-temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs

I followed the recipe almost to the dot except that I used 1 cup sugar instead of 1 1/4 cup since I do not like too sweet. I also used 6 oz of semi sweet chocolate instead of 8oz because that was the only chocolate I had left. I also baked the brownies in 8-inch square baking pan instead of 9-inch since that was the only one I have.

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Grease 8-inch square baking pan. Line with parchment paper, both on the bottom and the sides (I cut a square for the bottom and cut long strips that can be wrapped around the inner lining of the baking pan).
3. In a bowl, whisk together 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
4. On a double boiler, heat up 1 stick unsalted butter and 6 oz semisweet chocolate until smooth (~3 minutes). Remove from heat and pour into a large heatproof bowl.
5. Add 1 cup granulated sugar into the butter-chocolate mixture. Mix to combine.
6. Add 3 eggs into the butter-chocolate-sugar mixture. Mix to combine.
7. Add the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Mix until just combined (Do not overmix).
8. In another bowl, whisk together 4 oz cream cheese and 2 tablespoon butter. Add 1/4 cup sugar, 1 egg and 2 tablespoon all purpose flour. Mix well.
9. Alternately spoon chocolate mixture and cream cheese mixture into the baking pan, leaving approximately 2 scoops of cream cheese mixture while scooping the rest of the chocolate mixture into the baking pan, creating a dark surface.
10. Scoop the remaining cream cheese mixture into the baking pan in 3 different spots. Using a knife, create random swirls on the surface.
11. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
12. Cool in the pan for 30 minutes then transfer to rack and cool completely before cutting.

The swirls did not come out so well. I guess I should have swirled them more delicately.

I lined the top and bottom with the cream cheese mixture. The brownies are cake-like but more dense and moist. Yummy..

Note: I ran out of unsalted butter so I used regular butter. For every 1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, use 1/2 cup (1 stick) of regular (salted) butter and decrease salt in the recipe by 1/4 teaspoon.

Golden Butter Cookies (Galettes Bretonnes)

Just as much as I wanted to find the perfect basic muffin recipe, I am also very eager to find the basic cookie recipe, and even though I do not know how to pronounce the name of these cookies, there is something about them that is very attractive, maybe the simplicity of the recipe..

http://www.justhungry.com/galettes-bretonnes-golden-butter-cookies-brittany

• 250g / 8.8 oz / about 2 U.S. cups all purpose or cake flour (cake flour preferred)
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 120g / 4 oz / 1/2 cup minus 2 Tbs. sugar
• 120g / 4 oz / 1/2 cup / 1 stick salted butter, softened
• 1 'large' egg, plus 1 egg for glazing
• 1-2 Tbs. milk if needed

• Large pinch of good quality coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

I followed the recipe to the dot except that I chilled the cookie dough for 2 hours and I do not have a cookie cutter so I just rolled each cookie dough up and flatten them on the baking sheet one by one.

1. Mix and sieve 2 cups cake flour and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder.
2. Mix 1 stick melted butter, 1/2 cup minus 2 tablespoon granulated sugar and a pinch of sea salt in another bowl.
3. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture and rub the butter well into the flour.
4. Add in 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and mix well. The dough should come together, forming a cohesive ball. Add 1 to 2 tablespoon milk if the dough did not come together.
5. Roll the dough up with cling wrap and chill for at least 1 hour, to firm it up.
6. Preheat oven to 350F.
7. Flour work surface and roll the dough with a rolling pin until ~3mm thick.
8. Cut the dough into shapes and place on lined baking sheet.
9. Press down center of cookie with tines of a fork to prevent cookies from puffing up in the center.
10. Beat an egg, add a few drops of milk and brush each cookie top with it.
11. Bake for 10 minutes then rotate baking sheet and bake for an additional 5-7 minutes.

I baked the cookies in 2 batches since I only have 1 baking sheet. The first batch was the plain batch and I added some almond slices on the second batch since I was craving almonds :)

Note: Great recipe. I have found my basic cookie recipe.

Lemon Sponge Pudding (~Souffle)

The recipe I got was from

http://www.joyofbaking.com/LemonSpongePudding.html

Lemon Sponge Pudding:

1 cup (200 grams) granulated whitesugar, divided

4 tablespoons (57 grams) unsaltedbutter, room temperature

3 large eggs, separated

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoonlemon zest (outer yellow skin of lemon)

1/3 cup (40 grams) all purposeflour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup (80 ml) freshly squeezedlemon juice

1 cup (240 ml) milk (whole or reduced fat, but not skim)

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar (optional)

I feel the need to take a break of chocolate after indulging in chocolate lava cupcakes yesterday. I used 2/3 of the recipe because I only have 2 suitable souffle dish that totals up to 960ml (the whole recipe needs 1440ml of space).

1. Measure 2/3 cup granulated white sugar. Set aside 1 1/3 tablespoon.
2. Add 2 tablespoon unsalted room temperature butter to the sugar. Cream until light and fluffy.
3. Add 2 egg yolks to the butter mixture, one at a time. Beat until mixed.
4. Add 2/3 teaspoon vanilla extract and 2/3 tablespoon lemon zest. Beat until mixed.
5. Add 2/9 cup of all purpose flour (I used the 1/3 cup filling it 2/3 up).
6. Add 1/6 teaspoon salt (I approximated).
7. Beat until combined.
8. Gradually add 2/9 cup lemon juice and 2/3 cup whole milk while beating. Set aside.
9. In a different bowl, beat 3 egg whites until foamy or frothy.
10. Add 1/12 teaspoon cream of tartar (I added just a pinch) to the egg whites and beat until soft peak forms.
11. Gradually add 1 1/3 tablespoon sugar to the egg white mixture and beat until stiff peak forms.
12. Fold egg white mixture to batter (step 8) in 3 additions, gently mixing until just combined.
13. Scoop into souffle bowls.
14. Bake at 325F for 40-45 minutes in a water bath.
15. Sprinkle with some blueberries and powdered sugar before serving.

I couldn't wait to dig in ;P

Note: Great recipe.

Asian Water Roux White Bread

I can't accept the fact that I cannot bake a loaf of decent bread.

I decided to give this recipe a try:

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/asian-water-roux-white-bread/Detail.aspx

Ingredients

20

Original recipe yields 20 servings

Ingredient Checklist

• ½ cup water
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• ¼ cup butter 
• 1 cup all-purpose flour 
• 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
• ¾ cup warm water
• 3 cups all-purpose flour 
• ⅓ cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons instant dry milk powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons melted butter, divided

I followed most part to the dot except that I added another 1/2 cup of water while preparing the water roux because it was too dough-y.


1. This is to prepare the water roux: Bring 1/2 cup of water to boil then add 1 tablespoon granulated sugar and 1/4 cup butter. Stir until dissolved. Pour this mixture into a heatproof bowl containing 1 cup all purpose flour. Whisk well to remove lumps (I added another 1/2 cup warm water in this step because what I got was a piece of dough). Whisk until flour is transformed into a smooth paste. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate overnight (~9 hours).
2. Bring water roux to room temperature (leave it in the room half hour before needed).
3. Stir 1 pack active dry yeast into 3/4 cup warm water and let stand 5-10 minutes or until foamy.
4. Add in 3 cups all purpose flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons instant dry milk powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 egg into the yeast mixture. Mix well.
5. Add water roux to the dough, spoonful by spoonful, while kneading. Continue kneading until dough is smooth and soft.
6. Place dough in a greased bowl. Cover with wet cloth and let rise to double its size (~1 hour).
7. Punch down dough and remove all air. Cut dough in half and shape. Place in 2 greased 8x4 loaf pans. Cover with wet cloth and let rise to desired size (~1 hour).
8. Bake at 350F for 30-40 minutes or until top is golden brown.

The bread came out soft, fluffy, with slightly crunchy top and a little sweet.

Note: Great recipe.