De Baking Psychopath

I am elated to report that my first try has been a tasty success! I used this babka recipe and this caramel icing recipe . For the babka recipe, I used 2 cups bread flour, 3 cups all-purpose flour, and 1 cup cake flour. I think in the future I may replace one cup bread flour for an extra cup of cake flour to get a more fine crumb. I may also cut down the 2nd rising time so it doesn't poof as much and the bread may come out a bit more dense. Lastly, I will put the pecans on top rather than on the bottom of the pan. I think the icing was dead on as written. We'll have to dig up one of the originals and heat both old and new up to taste side by side and see what else we need to tweak. Stay tuned for the taste test! But in the meanwhile, I am pretty darn happy with the results. More so since this is my first cinnamon bun attempt and success! Figure 1. From last night--nicely kneaded and formed dough. I let it rise/rest overnight in the fridge after this step before continu...

When I took Renal in my second year of med school, the professors who led the small group workshops brought treats incessantly. Nice kidney docs. My small group facilitator was a slightly rotund yarmulke-donned Jewish man who brought us the best pastries ever from a local certified Kosher bakery. One such awesome treat was this cake pan-sized cinnamon bun/coffee-cake with caramel icing and pecans strewn all over the top. It was so good. The sturdy but soft cake with cinnamon swirl, the grainy/sugary caramel icing, the crunchy pecans embedded in the icing...I still drool today thinking about it. Months after that class, Michael and I found the flagship bakery and stopped in to see what baked delights we could take home. I at once spotted the cinnamon bun cake with caramel pecan icing, and had to take an entire one home with me. It was less than $6!!! Such a bargain. But the bakery closed not long thereafter, rendering me cinnamon bun-less. I hate to admit it, but there are still ...

There are good brownies. And then there are OMG-THESE-ARE-SO-GOOD brownies. These are the latter. The recipe comes from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours and are entitled "Tribute to Katherine Hepburn Brownies." I've seen the introductory blurb to the recipe quoted on other people's blogs, and basically, the Oscar-winning actress was famous for her brownies and was noted in a story to impart the wisdom of not putting too much flour in brownies. Dorie adapted versions of the famed recipe and added the variation of cinnamon, instant coffee, and bittersweet chocolate chunks. Have I mentioned that I love cinnamon?! Maybe a couple of times. Figure 1. Dark, rich brownie batter. Figure 2. Fresh out of the oven. Figure 3. Intense, chewy, studded with nuts and chocolate chunks, fragrant with cinnamon and coffee. Tribute to Katherine Hepburn Brownies (adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours ) Ingredients: 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon ground cin...

For those who may not know, this is one of the staple cooking books of generations of American home cooks. Written by a home cook, this is pretty much an encyclopedia of recipes and tidbits of information about different ingredients and cooking techniques. Luckily for me, some baking recipes too, not just cooking. Less than 2 dollars! Michael and I figured out that it's from the 1964 printing edition. Yummy pancake recipe. Has recipes for turtle soup of turtles that are endangered now!