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Daring Bakers’ Challenge: Perfect Biscuits

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:33:30 -0800

Audax Artifex was our January 2012 Daring Bakers’ host. Aud worked tirelessly to master light and fluffy scones (a/k/a biscuits) to help us create delicious and perfect batches in our own kitchens!

Aud is from Australia where biscuits are called scones and scones are called rock cakes. Here in North America, these are biscuits. Her recipe and more importantly her techniques were excellent, these biscuits were very light and fluffy and didn’t call for as much fat as most recipes. I followed her recipe substituting the butter with Earth Balance butter substitute and Spectrum butter flavored palm shortening. I also replaced the cow’s milk with rice milk to make a heart healthy, vegan version.

Whether you use real butter or a butter substitute, you must grate the fats on a box grater and freeze them. The fat must be very cold to prevent it from melting into the flour to early. Grating the butter will let it freeze faster and makes it easier and quicker to cut into the flour. If your kitchen is very warm or you are making these in hot weather, you may want to chill your flour as well.

Sifting the flour three times is also essential in making flaky biscuits. Sift the flour along with the baking powder and salt. I used only a pinch of salt because Earth Balance is on the salty side and the recipe calls for unsalted butter. If you have baking powder that has been sitting around in your kitchen for a very long time, you may want to buy some fresh. Old baking powder doesn’t preform well.

The dough needs to be handled gently, only kneading it only once and then folding and turning the dough three or four times before shaping it and cutting it. It’s also important not to twist the cutter in the dough, press the cutter straight down and lift it up. Twisting the cutter into the dough will also prevent it from rising.

It’s important to preheat your oven. If you put the biscuits on the baking sheet so that they sides just touch each other you will have soft sided biscuits, if you leave some space between them they will be crispy on the sides. You can see how light and layered these biscuits came out. You can actually see the strands of gluten.

These biscuits were so delicious, I got brave and decided to try and make some using sweet potato flour. I’ve had this box of sweet potato flour for some time and I’ve been waiting to try it in a recipe. I also liked the idea of making a gluten free biscuit.

I thought substituting sweet potato flour would be ok since the recipe said that lower gluten flour is actually better than high gluten flour, but I was mistaken. My first clue that this wasn’t going to go well was that the dough was very crumbly.

When I pulled them from the oven, they looked like they did when they went in. They didn’t raise at all.
In hindsight, I should have used half white flour and half sweet potato flour. The taste was good but the texture was hockey puck.

I stuffed the warm white flour biscuits with my mock egg salad and had a very tasty lunch.

Perfect Vegan Biscuits
Makes 6 biscuits - Use organic ingredients whenever possible

1 tablespoon Earth Balance butter substitute
1 tablespoon Spectrum butter flavored palm shortening
I cup unbleached white flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 pinch of salt
1/2 cup rice milk

Put the butter substitute and palm shortening on a plate or bowl in your freezer for 15 minutes
Remove the from the freezer and grate them on a box grater
Put the grated fat back in the freezer for 15 minutes
Preheat your oven to 475°
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together three times.
Sprinkle the grated fats into the flour
Using a pastry cutter, cut the fats into the flour until they resemble breadcrumbs with some pea sized pieces.
Pour the rice milk into the flour mixture and mix until it forms a sticky dough
(the wetter the dough the lighter the scones will be)
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and lightly flour the dough
Knead the dough very gently one time and then fold it in half and turn it three or four times.
Pat the dough out into a 4” by 6” rectangle.
Using a 2” biscuit cutter or small glass, cut six biscuits without twisting the cutter.
Put the biscuits on a baking sheet, just touching for soft sided biscuits or not for crispy sided biscuits.
Bake for 10 minutes and remove to a cooling rack
Best if served warm.

Toasted Tempeh Tacos

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 15:52:54 -0800

I’m eating lighter this month, trying to keep my meals simple, low in fat, gluten free and heart healthy. We love Mexican food and eat it often so rather than frying tempeh in oil to make a taco filling, I grated it and toasted it in the broiler to give it a crunchy texture without the extra added fat.

Here’s a picture of the things I like to include in my tacos. I realize after looking at this picture that I failed to include a lime in this picture. Limes are an essential ingredient in my Mexican recipes, I can’t believe that I forgot to include one so please picture a lime up there in the corner next to the onions.

You need some spring onion greens, I picked these from my garden. You also need some fresh corn, but because it’s winter and fresh corn is very costly and comes from far away, I used frozen organic corn. I also used organic avocado, tomatoes, black beans, mango and cilantro. The cilantro is also from my garden. That strange rectangular block on the right side of the picture is the tempeh. In case you are not familiar with tempeh, it’s made from soy beans that are cultured (like yogurt) to form a solid cake. The culturing process makes the soy beans more digestible. Tempeh doesn’t have a lot of flavor by itself, so it’s important to season it well or add a sauce.

I grated the tempeh on a box grater and then I spread it out on a cookie sheet and broiled it, on high, for about 10 minutes until it was crispy. That crispy tempeh would be good as a salad topper.

I mixed all of the items above together with lots of lime juice and some fresh salsa and salt. I added the toasted tempeh last so it wouldn’t get soggy. I also like to toast my corn tortillas on the gas stove flame before I fill them. I just toss them right on the flame and turn them over every ten seconds or so until they start to turn brown. Just make sure you use some metal tongs for this so you don’t burn your fingers.

I always buy organic corn tortillas. 88% of the corn in this county is genetically modified to add herbicides and pesticides right into the DNA of the corn. Seriously, you don’t want to eat GMO corn. Spend the extra money to buy organic! You should also buy tempeh that is made from organic soy beans because they will most likely be genetically modified too.

Toasted Tempeh Tacos
16 tacos - Use organic ingredients whenever possible

1 8oz package of soy tempeh (I use Turtle Island)
2 cups quartered cherry or plum tomatoes
2 avocados, peeled and chopped
1 mango peeled and chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion greens
1 cup fresh corn kernels (or use defrosted frozen corn)
1 cup cooked black beans, drained
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 cup fresh salsa (or jarred will work if you can’t find fresh)
2 limes juiced

Preheat your broiler on high.
Grate the tempeh and spread it out on a cookie sheet.
Put the pan in your broiler and broil until the tempeh is toasted and starts to turn brown.
(It took 10 minutes in my broiler but the rack is not right under the flame, check it every few minutes)
Remove the tempeh from the broiler and set aside.
Put the tomatoes, avocado, and mango in a bowl.
Add half the lime juice and stir.
Add the green onion, corn, and black beans.
Stir the salsa into the remaining lime juice and pour over the rest of the ingredients.
Stir gently and add the cilantro and toasted tempeh.
Toast your tortillas and add a large spoon of filling and serve immediately.

Some other Mexican recipes you may want to try:

Smoky Pinto Beans w/Peach Salsa Enfrijoladas Chili Cups

Pear Almond Barley Salad

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 11:08:46 -0800

I realize that I haven’t posted any new recipes since the new year. Like many Americans, I’ve simplified my diet by focusing on fruits, vegetables, bean and grains to try and shed the “holiday pounds”. I’m avoiding sugar, flour and high fat foods and it’s working. Eating green salads as a main meal in winter is difficult for me, I like to eat a warm dinners, so I came up with this combination warm and cold salad.

Barley is a cereal grain that hasn’t had much press lately compared to quinoa. It comes from a type of wild grass that originated around present day Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. It was one of the first domesticated grains and a staple of ancient Egypt. Hulled barley, barley with the outer inedible hull removed, contains eight of the eleven essential amino acids. Eating this whole grain can help regulate your blood sugar for up to 10 hours after consumption. Hulled barley should not be confused with pearled barley which is further processed by steaming to remove the bran and then it’s polished. You want to eat the whole grain version because the fiber and niacin helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels and feeds the friendly bacteria in your intestines.

Cooked barley has a wonderful nutty flavor and chewy texture that can stand on it’s own. It doesn’t need to only be used in soups and stews. Cooked like rice it makes an excellent dinner grain topped with veggies and your favorite protein. I’ve been cooking the barley and combining it with pears, almonds, shallots and parsley and eating it on a bed of lettuce. I love the combination of pears and almonds.

I’ve also made this salad with apples in place of pears and eaten it cold for the lunch. It’s excellent both ways. You can get creative and add cranberries or raisins or replace the almonds with walnuts or pecans. The first time I made this, I used olive oil in the dressing but I’ve eliminated it. Because I cook the barley in vegetable broth rather than water, I don’t think it needs any added oil or salt.

Barley is a wonderful hearty grain that deserves a try.

Pear Almond Barley Salad
3-4 Servings - Use organic ingredients whenever possible

1 cup hulled barley
3 cups vegetable broth
1 ripe pear (any variety or sub with an apple)
1/2 cup raw or roasted whole almonds (I used sprouted and dehydrated almonds)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar
1 tablespoon finely minced shallot
1/4 cup loosely packed chopped fresh parsley
Lettuce
raisins or cranberries optional additions

In a sauce pan, bring the barley and vegetable broth to a boil over a high heat.
Turn the heat down to low, cover the pot and cook for 30-35 minutes or until the broth is absorbed.
Take the top off the pot and let it cool for 10 minutes.
While the barley is cooking, mix together the lemon juice, vinegar and shallots in a small bowl
When the barley is done, cut the pear in small slices or cubes.
Mix the almonds and lemon juice mixture into the barley.
Add the pears and mix gently.
Serve immediately over a bed of lettuce.
Leftovers can be refrigerated and eaten the next day cold.

Some other grain recipes you may want to make:

Lemon Rice with Pistachios Mexican Quinoa Salad Orange Pistachio Quinoa

Cranberry Orange Crumb Cake

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 10:17:45 -0800

I know you’ve probably had your fill of carbs by now from all the holiday baking but I felt the need to post one last recipe just in case you still have a house guests or need a New Years Day brunch idea. I adapted this recipe from a blueberry coffee cake that Cook’s Illustrated did a few years back. Blueberries are not in season so rather than pay a fortune for sub par fruit that’s traveled from great distances, I’d rather go with ones that are in season. I thought cranberries and oranges would be a wonderful combination, perfect for the season, and it was.

What makes this cake so wonderful is the crunchy topping, which is the part of the recipe I copied from Cook’s Illustrated. The topping is a combination of sugars, cake flour, melted Earth Balance butter substitute and cinnamon. You mix these ingredients together and pinch it into little chunks.

Then you make the cake, which is this vegan Crazy Cake recipe that I use and adapt to whatever kind of cake I need. I substituted the cocoa powder with some unbleached cake flour (King Arthur is the only unbleached cake flour that I know of) and replaced some of the water with the juice of one large orange and the zest from the orange. It’s a really good idea to line the pan with parchment paper first. It makes removing the finished cake and cutting it into squares so much easier.

Once the cake batter is made you cover it with the pinched pieces of topping until the cake is completely covered.

When the cake has cooled you can dust it with some powdered sugar if you want. It gives it a nice holiday look.

Cranberry Orange Crumb Cake
9 Servings - Use organic ingredients whenever possible
adapted from Cook’s Illustrated New York Crumb Cake

For the Topping:
1/3 cup unbleached sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick Earth Balance butter substitute, melted
1 3/4 cups unbleached cake flour

For the Cake:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup unbleached cake flour
1 cup unbleached sugar
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Zest from one large orange
Juice from one large orange combined with water to make 1 cup
1/3 cup sunflower oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup fresh cranberries
powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350°
Mix the topping ingredients together in a bowl.
Pinch chunks together with your fingers until you’ve used up all the crumbs
Set the topping chunks aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking soda and salt.
Remove zest from the orange and sprinkle it into the flour mixture as you stir.
Juice the orange and add enough water to make one cup.
Add the oil, vinegar and vanilla to the juice and water.
Pour the liquids into the dry mix and stir, gently, until everything is blended.
Stir in the cranberries.
Butter a square baking pan and line it with parchment paper.
Pour the batter into the pan and spread it evenly.
Top the batter with the crumb chunks.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Allow to cool before removing the cake from the pan by lifting the parchment paper.
Dust with powdered sugar if you want.

Some other “coffee cake” recipes you may want to make:

Blackberry Crisp Pie Butterscotch Tea Cake Soft Gingerbread Cake

Snickerdoodles - 3 Ways

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 21:36:40 -0800

I’ve said it before, cookies make an excellent holiday gift. They’re inexpensive and easy to make and almost everyone loves them. This year I made snickerdoodles, three ways, for the people I work with. I started by adapting a Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodle recipe by Isa Chandra, and eliminated the cinnamon and cayenne pepper.

Using the same recipe, I replaced the cocoa powder with some cake flour and the chocolate extract with more vanilla and I got a traditional snickerdoodle that I dipped in cinnamon sugar before baking. The third variation of this recipe was ginger snickerdoodles. For the ginger version, I replaced the maple syrup with molasses and added some ginger and nutmeg.

I use an 1 1/2 inch diameter “ice cream” style scoop to keep the cookies uniform in size.

Many craft stores sell decorative boxes or bags to package them in. Martha Stewart makes some very nice ones but I bought these boxes at The Container Store last year. I love the button and elastic closure.

Here are the three recipes but I’m also including links to my other cookies just in case snickerdoodles are not your thing or you want to make a more extensive sampler.

Snickerdoodle Cookies
Approximately 20 cookies - Use organic ingredients whenever possible

1/2 cup sunflower oil (you can use other oils but I think this has the best flavor)
1 cup unrefined sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons rice milk (or other unsweetened non dairy milk)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups unbleached white flour
1/3 cup unbleached cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon mixed with 2 tablespoons sugar for the topping

Preheat your oven to 350°
In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, maple syrup, rice milk and vanilla
Sift together the flours, baking soda and salt.
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ones until everything is well blended.
Using a 1 1/2” scoop, form round balls of dough (about walnut size)
Press the dough into the cinnamon sugar mixture flattening it into a 1/2” disc.
Put the cookies on a cookie sheet sugar side up, leaving a few inches between the cookies, they will spread.
Bake for 11 minutes.
Allow to cool for 3 to 4 minutes before removing them from the pan.

Chocolate Snickerdoodles
Approximately 20 cookies - Use organic ingredients whenever possible

1/2 cup sunflower oil (you can use other oils but I think this has the best flavor)
1 cup unrefined sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons rice milk (or other unsweetened non dairy milk)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon chocolate extract (or another teaspoon of vanilla)
1 2/3 cups unbleached white flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar for the topping

Preheat your oven to 350°
In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, maple syrup, rice milk and extracts.
Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ones until everything is well blended.
Using a 1 1/2” scoop, form round balls of dough (about walnut size)
Press the dough into the sugar, flattening it into a 1/2” disc.
Put the cookies on a cookie sheet sugar side up, leaving a few inches between the cookies, they will spread.
Bake for 11 minutes.
Allow to cool for 3 to 4 minutes before removing them from the pan.

Ginger Snickerdoodles
Approximately 20 cookies - Use organic ingredients whenever possible

1/2 cup sunflower oil (you can use other oils but I think this has the best flavor)
3/4 cup unrefined sugar
1/3 cup molasses
3 tablespoons rice milk (or other unsweetened non dairy milk)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups unbleached white flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons powdered ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon mixed with 2 tablespoons sugar for the topping

Preheat your oven to 350°
In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, molasses, rice milk and vanilla.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ones until everything is well blended.
Using a 1 1/2” scoop, form round balls of dough (about walnut size)
Press the dough into the cinnamon sugar, flattening it into a 1/2” disc.
Put the cookies on a cookie sheet sugar side up, leaving a few inches between the cookies, they will spread.
Bake for 11 minutes.
Allow to cool for 3 to 4 minutes before removing them from the pan.

OTHER COOKIE RECIPES YOU MAY WANT TO USE:

Chocolate Chip Cookies Cranberry Pecan Oatmeal Cookies Pina Colada Oatmeal Cookies