Apple Crisp Tart!

It's finally happening!! After seven months of waiting, the contractors have arrived at our house and demolition has begun. Since we began helping with the care of my aging parents in 2013, Dave and I had been discussing the reality of OUR aging process. Unfortunately, my folks never seemed to want to consider downsizing/preparing for later life, so after their passing, we were left with QUITE an amount of "stuff" to deal with. Dave and I swore we were going to be realistic about our future, so we began to think about our options, which included: sell our present home and move to a smaller place; sell our present home and build a smaller place; or.... renovate our present home so we could live on one floor. After much consideration, we decided to renovate. The contractors were lined up last June and I waited with bated breath for the work to begin. And I waited.....and I waited. These guys are quite gifted and quite in demand, so I knew there'd be some patience required. I learned a lot during those months: "Patience is a virtue"...."Good things come to those who wait"....."Patience is power"....."Patience is a conquering virtue"....."Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet". In retrospect, I've found all these wise statements to be true. Things are in motion here now.....BIG TIME.....and I'm so very grateful. However, now I'll have to have the patience for it to be finished - Haha!! 

In spite of the reno, I'm still baking! This apple crisp tart was well-received among friends last Sunday. There were LOTS of requests for the recipe. I'll just warn you......it takes a little patience to make this.....it's not as speedy to make as some of the recipes on this blog. However, you'll be happy about the "fruit" of your patience!! (I wish my pic was a little better - this is a wonderful recipe) 

Apple Crisp Tart

Dough:

1 packet/Tbsp. Red Star Platinum yeast

1/3  cup milk, warmed

¾ C unbleached flour

1 Cup white whole wheat flour

½ Cup pie/pastry flour

2 Tbsp. sugar

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. cinnamon

2 Tbsp. butter, softened

1 egg

Apple filling:

2 apples, peeled, cored and diced

¼ Cup sugar

½ tsp. cinnamon

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 ½ Tbsp. butter

Streusel:

2 ½ Tbsp. brown sugar

2 ½ Tbsp. flour

¼ Cup old-fashioned oats

2 Tbsp. sliced almonds

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. salt

1 ½ Tbsp. butter, melted

Confectioner’s sugar icing

½ Cup powdered sugar

1-2 Tbsp. milk

¼ tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Place warm milk and yeast in EZ DOH bucket and stir to dissolve yeast. Let rest 1 minute. Add one cup of flour, then additional dough ingredients. EZ DOH-it for 2-3 minutes, or until dough is smooth and soft and all ingredients are incorporated. Remove dough from bucket, spray bucket with cooking spray, “smooth” dough and replace in bucket. Cover and let rise until doubled.

Filling: While the dough is rising,  stir together all filling ingredients, except butter. Melt butter in a saute pan. Add the apple mixture and cook over medium heat until mixture is thickened and not watery, about 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally. Cool to room temperature before using.

Streusel: Stir ingredients together until clumps form. Set aside.

Press risen dough into a 10” tart pan with removable bottom, being sure to press into the sides also. Let rise. Top with cooled filling ingredients, spreading to the sides. Top with streusel. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until golden. Drizzle with confectioner’s icing. 

Adapted from a recipe on "Barbara Bakes" 

 

Apple Crisp Tart!

Twisted Pretzels!

On Saturday evenings, I usually prepare the baked goodies I'm planning on bringing to church the following morning. If I plan it right, all I have to do in the morning is get up, throw things in the oven and I'm set! Yay for planning ahead! Well.....

Last week, a girlfriend had given me an intriguing Martha Stewart recipe for soft pretzels. If you've been following my blog long, you KNOW I LOVE to make soft pretzels! I thanked her profusely and mentally began the prep for Sunday. Saturday night came and I mixed up the dough and, per the instructions, placed it in my frig for an overnight rise. (Usually what I'd do is let the dough rise once on Saturday night, form the pretzels and cover them and put them in the frig overnight.....). I woke a little earlier on Sunday, knowing I had left myself a little extra work to do before church. When I pulled the covered bucket out of the frig, I knew immediately that there would be NO pretzels this morning.....it just didn't "feel" right. Peeking into the bucket confirmed my fears......there was a rock-hard mound of dough that hadn't risen at all. Booooooooo!!!! Epic fail!!! I quickly mixed up some "Stand-by Bread" and made something else for the morning. 

On Monday morning, we had contractors coming to the house so I decided to treat them to some baked goods. Just for ME, I chose to make this pretzel variation.......(I still had "pretzel fever"!). As you can see from the picture, these pretzels turned out beautifully....and they tasted as good as they looked! Hurrah for pretzels! 

(Just FYI - I did mix and form the pretzels the night before and then dipped and baked them that morning - soooo easy! )

Twisted Pretzels!

Dough:

¾ Cup warm water

1 ½ tsp. sugar

1 ¼ Cup all-purpose, unbleached flour

1 Cup unbleached bread flour

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 packet/1 Tbsp. Red Star Platinum yeast

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

For pretzel prep:

10 Cups water

2/3 Cup baking soda

1 large egg yolk beaten with a small amount of water

Coarse kosher salt or pretzel salt

Seed mixture: 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds; 1 Tbsp. poppy seeds; 1 Tbsp. flax seeds; 1 tsp. pretzel or kosher salt

Place warm water and yeast in EZ DOH bucket and stir to dissolve yeast. Let rest 1 minute. Add one cup of flour, then additional dough ingredients. EZ DOH-it for 2-3 minutes, or until dough is smooth and soft and all ingredients are incorporated. Remove dough from bucket, spray bucket with cooking spray, “smooth” dough and replace in bucket. Cover and let rise until doubled.

Preheat oven to 425. Bring the 10 cups of water to a boil. While waiting for the water to boil, form your pretzel twists: Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Working piece by piece, roll each piece out into a long rope. Fold each rope in half and, holding the rope together at the two loose ends, twist several times. Now insert the ends you are holding through the loop at the other end. Place on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. When the water is boiling, carefully and slowly add the baking soda to the water (it WILL bubble and rise!). With care, place each twist in the water bath for approximately 30 seconds. Lift out with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel briefly to drain. Carefully move the pretzels back to the baking sheet and brush with the egg wash. Sprinkle with pretzel salt (or coarse kosher salt) or a seed mixture. Bake until deep golden brown, approximately 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on cooling rack.

Visit http://www.wildyeastblog.com/yeastspotting/ for more delicious breads

Twisted Pretzels!

Just Like Grandma's Bread!

This week, with the sudden onset of FRIGID weather, I became desperate for some "old-fashioned" bread. I've got several recipes that would have done very nicely, but I was in the mood to try something new, so I went "surfing" and found this very delicious bread. How delicious, you ask? Soooooo delicious that, when I served it to my hubby on its SECOND day, he started exclaiming........"This is amazing bread! This is so good! I mean, so good maybe we should change the recipe on the EZ DOH bucket to this recipe! It's that good!!" Now.....let me say that he is a man who, though I bake almost everyday, usually passes on the baked goods - he's just not a "bread" person (Loves his meats, though!). He is presently in my kitchen eating the buns that I made with this recipe THREE days ago......and I'm serving a slice of the loaf with dinner tonight, too!  For a homemade bread to remain that flavorful and tender for that long is something......And for my honey to be nibbling on bread that's three days old is REALLY something!  With that strong endorsement, I now present to you: 

Just Like Grandma’s Bread

1 ½ Cups warm water

1 Tbsp./packet Red Star Platinum yeast

3 Cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

1 Cup unbleached bread flour

1 ½ tsp. salt

¼ Cup sugar

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Place warm water and yeast in EZ DOH bucket and stir to dissolve yeast. Let rest 1 minute. Add one cup of flour, then additional dough ingredients. EZ DOH-it for 2-3 minutes, or until dough is smooth and soft and all ingredients are incorporated. Remove dough from bucket, knead once or twice on the counter to “smooth” the dough, spray bucket with cooking spray and replace dough in bucket. Cover and let rise until doubled.

Punch down the dough and remove from the bucket. Divide dough into two pieces, one approximately 2/3 of the dough and the other 1/3 of the dough. With the “2/3” portion, roll out slightly into a small rectangle and roll up into a loaf. Place in a 8 x4.5” loaf pan sprayed with cooking spray. With the smaller dough piece, you may make 4 large rolls (great for sandwiches)  or one smaller loaf (my smaller loaf pan measures 3 ¾”x 7 ¼” or so). Cover lightly and let rise in a warm place until doubled, or dough is about 1” above the top of the pan. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven, remove from pans and cool on a wire rack. Brush tops with butter. 

Just Like Grandma's Bread!

Buttermilk Knots in an Hour!

Happy New Year! I trust you enjoyed the holidays with family and friends - I know we sure did! The crazy, happy chaos from the season's celebrating is just beginning to pass.....

I must admit that I'm one who appreciates the quiet parts of my life. I ADORE being up at 6am (Please note: I do NOT adore getting up at 6...). Once I'm up, I love being a part of  the peaceful darkness of the yet-unseen day. Usually, I spend time reading and praying, then I'm off for a brisk walk in the morning light. It's a great start to my usually-busy days! These moments give me space to consider the day ahead....or the year ahead, if it's January! I appreciate the quote I once read: "The quieter you become, the better you hear."  As I step into another new year, I am ever more keenly aware of the need to "hear" and to seek the wisdom and grace I know I'll need for whatever lies before me. May you, too,  find quiet space to "hear" in the days ahead! 

To help you find a little "quiet space", I'm sending along this speedy recipe. This will allow you to serve amazingly delicious rolls at your table at very little expense of your time! 

Super-Quick Buttermilk Knots!

1 packet/Tbsp. Red Star Platinum yeast

¾ Cup warm water

2/3 Cup buttermilk, warmed

4 Cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

4 Tbsp. softened butter 

Additional butter for brushing rolls after baking

Preheat oven to 170 F. Place warm water and yeast in EZ DOH bucket and stir to dissolve yeast. Let rest 1 minute. Add one cup of flour, then additional dough ingredients. EZ DOH-it for 2-3 minutes, or until dough is smooth and soft and all ingredients are incorporated. Remove dough from bucket onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 9x12” rectangle, about ½” thick. Cut 12 -1” strips. Roll each strip into a longer rope. Tie each rope into a knot and place on a baking sheet that is either parchment-lined or sprayed with cooking spray. Turn off the oven and place rolls in warmed oven for 20 minutes. Remove rolls from oven and turn oven to 375. When preheated, put rolls in oven and bake for 13-15 minutes, until lightly golden. Remove from oven and brush with some melted butter (this will make the golden tone deepen, so don’t worry if they’re a little light when you pull them from the oven). Enjoy warm!  

Adapted from a recipe on "Picky Palate" 

Buttermilk Knots in an Hour!