It's the Yeast I Can Do

Austin Bakes for West cookies, 05.03.13 Another preview of the...

Sat, 04 May 2013 08:51:35 -0500

Austin Bakes for West cookies, 05.03.13

Another preview of the stuff I’m taking to Stiles Switch later this morning. Come eat them! They’re not Totoro macarons or anything, but hey, who doesn’t love an old favorite?

Austin Bakes for West bake sale
Stiles Switch BBQ
6610 N. Lamar, ATX
10am-2pm

Or seven other locations around town: austinbakes.com.

Cinnamon pecan coffee cake, 05.02.13 “April is the...

Fri, 03 May 2013 15:45:30 -0500

Cinnamon pecan coffee cake, 05.02.13

“April is the cruellest month.” — T.S. Eliot

Man, I really thought after SXSW was over I’d be baking up a storm, but instead, my jobs have been eating my life, and any time I haven’t been writing or watching screeners or asleep, I’ve been sobbing softly into my keyboard, which makes reading recipes difficult.

But it’s May now, and here’s this coffee cake I did for a meeting at KUT that got cancelled, so it’s going to be sold at the Austin Bakes for West bake sale tomorrow. I’ll be at the Stiles Switch location, but there are posts all over town with bakers more talented than me, so stop by anywhere 10am-2pm; you can’t lose.

Recipe via the Cake Mix Doctor

Momofuku confetti cookies, 04.01.13 This photo is terrible....

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 10:00:59 -0500

Momofuku confetti cookies, 04.01.13

This photo is terrible. Like, truly just awful. It’s out-of-focus, the colors are whatever, and it does nothing whatsoever to give you an idea of the texture of these cookies. Also, like an idiot, I cropped it so you have no sense of scale.

What’s so hilarious about this photo being so bad is that these are probably one of the most amazing things to ever come out of my kitchen. They’re five inches across, for starters. They have a delicate, crunchy exterior that belies the supersoft crumb within. The sweetness of the sprinkles plays off a lightly salted crunch of the cookie crumbles baked in. Truly, everyone who’s had one has had nothing but moaning and expletives to say about them — but, like, in a good way.

And I only made 12.

I prepped the recipe about a week ago, and then left the sheet in the fridge as instructed, and baked off two or three at a time as needed. A few for immediate consumption, a few for Richard, one each for Zoe and Austin’s birthdays, etc., etc. And, knowing that I’d bake them off in multiple rounds, I just snapped a couple shitty shots after the first round and figured I’d do better “next time,” “later,” “in the daylight,” “when it’s not March anymore.” Guess who didn’t do that?

And so here we are with my shitty picture of my amazing cookies. There’s one more left of the batch — in the freezer, waiting for my mom — so if I manage to do better then…

Via Momofuku Milk Bar

Lemon poppyseed bread, 03.27.13 My in-town mom gave me some...

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 10:01:00 -0500

Lemon poppyseed bread, 03.27.13

My in-town mom gave me some leftover lemon curd that she made (in the microwave!), so I found a bread recipe that called for some and made this. I didn’t have the zest, which was a bummer, but I also had no interest in venturing to H-E-B after the month I’d had, so I blew it off. It wasn’t quite as sweet as I expected, but all in all, definitely an experiment worth repeating.

Via Williams-Sonoma

***

4 eggs
1 1/2 c milk (I used almond out of desperation)
1 c canola oil
1 1/2 c sugar
2 t grated lemon zest (didn’t have this, wish I did)
2 t vanilla extract
3 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 T baking powder
1 t salt
1/4 c poppy seeds
1 c lemon curd
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans and line the bottoms with buttered parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk until blended. Whisk in the oil, granulated sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla. In another bowl, using a large wooden spoon, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the poppy seeds. Combine wet and dry mixtures and stir just until blended.

Spread about three-fourths of the batter in the prepared pans. Drizzle half of the lemon curd over the batter. Spread the remaining batter over the curd, and then top with the remaining lemon curd. Gently swirl the curd around with the tip of a knife.

Bake until the bread is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool on a wire rack in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the loaf out onto the rack and peel off the parchment paper. Turn the loaf top side up and let cool completely on the rack. Dust the top lightly with confectioners’ sugar.

Makes 2 loaves, so you can eat one immediately and no one will be any the wiser.

Engine 2 cookies, 03.23.13 You should know better than to think...

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 09:02:00 -0500

Engine 2 cookies, 03.23.13

You should know better than to think I really went two weeks without stress-baking. My roommate is a couple of months in to the Engine 2 diet, this sort of horrifying gluten-free-vegan disaster that I could never follow in a million years, and he wanted help making a diet-approved treat. Sure, these are a little more like granola clusters than what I’d call cookies, but they’re not half bad.

***

1c unsweetened applesauce
2T ground flaxseed meal in 1/4c water
2/3c light brown sugar, packed
1/2c raw sugar
1T egg replacer in 1/4c water
1t vanilla
1 1/2c whole wheat flour
2t cinnamon*
1/2t nutmeg*
1t sea salt
1t baking soda
3c rolled oats
1c raisins

Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine the first four ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer**. Beat in the “egg” and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients except the oats and raisins. Gradually combine the dry and wet mixtures until blended, and then stir in the oats and raisins. Drop heaping spoonfuls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.

* Spices have been doubled from the original recipe because flavor.

** You can always do this by hand instead, but why?

Pretzel rolls, 03.17.13 I’ve spent something like 25 of...

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:32:36 -0500

Pretzel rolls, 03.17.13

I’ve spent something like 25 of the last 26 days in the office. (All you SXSWgoers, I hope you’re happy.) But on my day off last weekend, I wanted to feel human again, so I slept in, worked out, got my taxes done, went bowling, and baked. Success.

I picked this recipe to bake because I knew I had everything on hand (or thought I did, anyway – came up short when it came for the egg white glaze, but I think they did perfectly fine without, honestly) and I hadn’t worked up the motivation to brave the grocery store yet.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Chocolate chip pecan blondies 03.10.13 South by Southwest is the...

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 19:18:31 -0500

Chocolate chip pecan blondies 03.10.13

South by Southwest is the worst thing ever. Not only have I been too busy to bake for most of the last few months, but now it’s so bad it takes me a week to even post a shitty picture? Geez.

I ate a large chunk of this, took most of it to work, and found a reserved corner in my messenger bag the other morning at La Barbecue. That’ll do.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Oatmeal pancakes, 02.24.13 I’ve said it before, and...

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 09:02:32 -0600

Oatmeal pancakes, 02.24.13

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Pancakes are what lazy Sunday mornings are all about.

Chocolate root beer bundt cake, 02.21.13 The fourth in a series...

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 09:35:11 -0600

Chocolate root beer bundt cake, 02.21.13

The fourth in a series of chocolate things for James’ birthday. I’d been meaning to remake this cake with enough time to do it right after my hurried version last year, and I think it turned out great. I guess they’re serious when they tell you to let things cool completely.

Via Crepes of Wrath

Samoas bars, 02.19.13 For dessert tonight with Christian and...

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 07:01:10 -0600

Samoas bars, 02.19.13

For dessert tonight with Christian and Rita. They’re richer than the originals, I think, and with an obviously higher ratio of chocolate to cookie, but I’m not saying that’s a bad thing…

Via Crepes of Wrath

Real food!, 02.17.13 P and I made lunch this past Sunday:...

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 08:45:00 -0600

Real food!, 02.17.13

P and I made lunch this past Sunday: chipotle-spiced pork tenderloin, garlic mashed potatoes, and green beans with caramelized shallots. Hello, leftovers!

King Cake, 02.10.13 When I sent Ozz looking for king cake ice...

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 18:45:00 -0600

King Cake, 02.10.13

When I sent Ozz looking for king cake ice cream in Shreveport a few weekends ago, I had no idea that he hadn’t ever had the real thing. But the truth will out, so this year we decided we’d trade Mardi Gras traditions: I’d bake king cake, and he’d make paczki. We’ll report back.

For a more thorough and baking-based look at this endeavor, check out this Chronicle food blog post.

Via All Recipes

Superbowl cookies, 02.03.13 And then, two weeks later, I made...

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 09:00:48 -0600

Superbowl cookies, 02.03.13

And then, two weeks later, I made those same cookies again. Except this time, for the first time in the dozen or more times I’ve made those toffee beauties, I found tiny Heath bars to chop up instead of using Ghiradelli’s Toffee Interludes (which, while delicious, is more chocolate than toffee). Delicious. I set them out at the beginning of halftime, and they were demolished before the blackout.

Also, you know, snickerdoodles. For variety.

Both recipes via Smitten Kitchen

noJ’s birthday cookies, 01.12.13 Yes, I’m seriously...

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 09:31:40 -0600

noJ’s birthday cookies, 01.12.13

Yes, I’m seriously that far behind in posting.

This year, I had the good sense to only bake off one sheet’s worth on the day of, and then I left him with a frozen log of the rest of the dough so that he might slice and bake additional ones when he was less at risk of a self-inflicted diabetic coma. (He finally just baked the whole rest of the batch this week, and at the whole lot, presumably for dinner. So much for that idea.)

Via Smitten Kitchen

I bake to relieve stress. I’m busy, which is stressful....

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 15:08:11 -0600

I bake to relieve stress. I’m busy, which is stressful. I’m so busy I can’t bake. Not baking stresses me out, and then I need to bake even more. Blergh.

Hopefully life will sort itself out soon (somehow I’m dubious), but in the meantime, hey, look! I’m a 2013 member of AFBA. If you’re feeling let down by the distinct lack of food porn I’ve been offering lately, please check out the posts of some of my colleagues; they’re truly up to delicious things: austinfoodbloggers.org.

German pancakes, 01.05.13 Big month of baking, baking break,...

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 14:57:09 -0600

German pancakes, 01.05.13

Big month of baking, baking break, German pancakes. Surely you’ve caught on to the pattern by now.

Via Smitten Kitchen

Christmas 2012 (So I’m a little late.) Maah and I did...

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 16:47:47 -0600

Christmas 2012 (So I’m a little late.)

Maah and I did Christmas this year at my place (because I can!), and I think we forgot to adjust food quantities for just the two of us. We made homemade focaccia, meatballs, and pasta for our Christmas feast — neither of us likes turkey all that much — and I’m still working through the leftovers.

Pasta is from Smitten Kitchen, focaccia is from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, and meatballs are, as ever, mom’s evolving creation (half pork, half turkey, tons of fennel and green onions: that’s all I can tell you)

Chocolate chip cookies, 12.19.12 There’s no doubt in my...

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 09:51:00 -0600

Chocolate chip cookies, 12.19.12

There’s no doubt in my mind that my favorite kitchen appliance is my KitchenAid, but it sure has made me a lazy baker. And I’ve been incredibly busy these past few weeks with holiday prep and work, so when I realized last night I needed to bake another batch of cookies, I almost dreaded it. But then…

This is the first time in ages that I’ve done everything by hand, and I’d forgotten how satisfying it is to cream butter and sugar with a spatula. I branched out from my usual chocolate chip cookie recipe and cracked open a new cookbook and got to thumb through the crisp pages (before they become all glued together with sugar), and it all calmed down for a minute. Leave it to chocolate chip cookies to really take you back to basics.

Via Simply Sensational Cookies

Peppermint bark, 12.16.12 Y’all. I found a Paula Deen...

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 10:00:51 -0600

Peppermint bark, 12.16.12

Y’all. I found a Paula Deen recipe that doesn’t include butter. You’re right, maybe the world is ending after all.

From Paula Deen

Gingerbread cookies, 12.16.12 Felicia asked me to make holiday...

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 10:01:00 -0600

Gingerbread cookies, 12.16.12

Felicia asked me to make holiday gift bags for her students again this year, but thankfully, we skipped the whole piping-piano-keys-with-royal-icing part of the endeavor. This year, the bags had one gingerbread cookie and a couple pieces of peppermint bark (stay tuned).

Icing via Wilton