De Baking Psychopath

A few weeks ago, I officially entered the realm of "late twenties" and promptly heard my biological clock ticking like a time bomb. To herald the next decade of worrying about when to have kids before my risk of having mutant babies becomes too significant for safety, I decided to throw a scrumptious brunch and declare, "To heck with my slowing metabolism and biological clock! I am going to STUFF MY FACE." And I invited my friends to join me. I've been trying very hard to keep the sweet stuff to a healthy minimum. So here are these gorgeous roasted Hasselback potatoes stuffed with lovely slivers of garlic. And this yummy onion, mushroom and cheese frittata that I threw together on a whim and prayed would turn out okay! (It did!) And a loaf of sundried tomato and Parmesan cheese bread, made with the no-knead dough of the week! Soooo good. Moist, flavorful, savory! But of course it wouldn't be a PARTY unless there were some sweets! Front and center ...

For my recent birthday, I requested and was gifted by my most excellent husband a few baking books. Two of these books feature the no-knead, high-moisture dough for making artisan-style bread. I was super excited to try these books, and they have far exceeded our already very high expectations! The first one I've been trying is Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day . The recipes are simple and classic in flavors. It takes just like 10 minutes to mix the dough together (no kneading--it's a very wet, sticky dough), and then you let it rise to doubling at room temperature before storing it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks! Then whenever you want a loaf, you grab a hunk of dough and let it warm up to room temperature, preheat your oven, and bake up some of the most delicious bread ever! I was puzzled at first what to store the dough in (they recommend a 5 quart food-safe plastic container for their multiple-loaf large recipes). I had a stroke of genius and have been using some trust...

I made this simple but fresh-tasting lemon yogurt cake for a dinner party with friends. It was dense and sturdy, but moist and excellent with some vanilla ice cream! I would definitely make this again if I was looking for a citrusy, not-too-sweet dessert. I got to use my beloved Greek yogurt again for this recipe, although I will say that despite fat-free yogurt working fine for me, probably a low-fat or full-fat yogurt would have tasted a bit moister/richer. For the lemons, I used the juice and zest from some Meyer lemons I had picked up at Costco (and thus I reduced the sugar a teeny bit from the recipe since Meyer lemons are not quite as sour as regular). Lemon Yogurt Cake (adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home ) Ingredients : 1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (I used skim Greek-style yogurt) 1 cup sugar 3 large eggs 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (approx. 2 lemons worth) 1/2 teaspoon vanilla ext...

Mayonnaise = eggs and oil and some random emulsifiers. Therefore, its basic components are not only normal components of any cake, but probably some of the emulsifiers help make this type of cake even plusher and moister than making the cake mix as according to manufacturer's instructions. For some magical reason, it also eliminates the characteristic cake-mix-aftertaste.  Easy to make, tasty to eat, good way to get rid of the dregs of your jar of mayo in the fridge! A good pantry recipe to have on hand. Cake Mix Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake (adapted from Food.com ) Ingredients : 1 box chocolate or devil's food cake mix 2 large eggs 1 & 1/3 cups water (or milk) 1 cup mayonnaise 1 cup chocolate chips (optional) 1 recipe of favorite frosting recipe (optional) Instructions : Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and line a 9x13 inch cake pan (you can use a bundt pan too). In a large mixing bowl, pour in the cake mix (I like to sift it to...

These chocolate chip cookies, from the Metropolitan Bakery Cookbook, are very similar to the Christie's Cookies copycat I posted awhile back . I think I've finally decided that this type of cookie is my favorite type of chocolate chip cookie: hearty with ground oats, full of crunchy nuts, lots of dark chocolate chunks, and with a shiny, crunchy exterior and slightly chewy interior. When we were in Philly, we frequented the Metropolitan Bakery, but we did not get a chance to sample their chocolate chip cookies. Next time, I might need to get one just to see if this recipe is a good representation of the original. I love, love these cookies. I could eat one a day for the rest of my life. Warning--this recipe makes a lot of cookies!! They freeze and defrost beautifully, though. Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from the Metropolitan Bakery Cookbook ) Ingredients : 1 & 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats 3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted 1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 & ...

Previously on this blog, I have revealed my go-to buttermilk pancake recipe . It has stood the test of time and trials of other recipes, emerging yet victorious again with my latest innovation-- replacing the buttermilk for Greek-style yogurt! When asked for descriptors for this new version, I got these responses: "Fluffy...Good crunch on outside...moist...holds shape well." Which are actually a good demonstration of exactly what was lacking in the previous version: heft and structure. The original recipe was moist and tender to almost the point where there was some collapse of the crumb, which sometimes comes across as being mushy instead of moist. I've been on a Greek-style yogurt kick lately. It is thick and goes well with many sorts of jams and cereals/nuts, I can get non-fat versions in bulk on my normal grocery shopping runs to Costco. Here, they boost the protein content, with twice as much protein as normal yogurt or buttermilk. I like the sturdiness ...