Yogurt Galette Dough

Sometimes a recipe hits at the exact right time. This galette/tart/pie dough was one of those recipes. I was having a group from church over for dinner and wasn’t sure what to make. I wanted something light and summery that I could easily make ahead so it was all ready when the guests arrived. I was debating several options when Lara showed me a video for this beautiful tart dough. I instantly knew this was what we were going to do.

We decided to highlight heirloom tomatoes and zucchini in the two different tarts. Both of them had the veggies assembled over a layer of ricotta mixed with grated parmesan. The tomato tart had a layer of pesto spread on the dough under the ricotta, while the zucchini version had a layer of nduja under the ricotta. Both were fantastic.

The dough was a real winner. It came together so easily. After chilling it rolled out beautifully without any trouble at all. It was a dream. A dough to keep close by for any tart or pie in the future.

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Cherry Tomato Galette
Kitchen Vignettes for PBS Food
Ingredients

For the Pastry:

• 1 1/4 cup unbleached white flour chilled in the freezer for 15 minutes (I used spelt and it worked beautifully)

• 1/4 tsp. salt

• 8 tbsp. (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter

• 1/4 cup full-fat yoghurt (if liquidy, drain it first so it is thick and creamy)

• 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

• 1/4 cup ice water

For the Filling:

• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese

• 1/2 cup grated parmesan

• About 1 pound of cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1 tbsp. olive oil

• Freshly minced basil for garnish (4 or 5 basil leaves)

• Salt and pepper, to taste

For the Glaze:

• 1 egg yolk

• 1 tsp. water

Directions
First, make sure your flour and butter are chilled. In a medium mixing bowl, mix the flour and salt together, then cut the butter into the flour with a pastry blender, a food processor, or two knifes, until the butter is evenly distributed with the largest chunks about the size of peas (these chunks of butter are what will give your crust its delightful flakiness). In a small bowl, mix together the ice cold water, cold yoghurt, and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. Pour this mixture into the flour. With a wooden spoon, gently mix together, just until you can get it into a ball. It doesn't have to be perfectly mixed, you want to avoid overworking the dough. Flatten the ball into a disc and wrap in plastic or parchment paper and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

On a floured surface, using a floured rolling pin, roll the chilled dough into a large round about 12 to 14 inches wide and between 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Place the rolled-out dough on a piece of parchment paper on a large baking sheet. (You may find it easier to handle the dough if you roll it out directly onto the floured piece of parchment paper).

In a small bowl, mix the ricotta and grated parmesan together. Crumble and spread this mixture onto your dough, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Place your halved tomatoes, cut-side up, tightly together to fill the circle, leaving the 2-inch border intact. Fold the border edges of the dough inwards so that the tomatoes are encased by dough around the edges but exposed in the center. Brush the edges with the egg yolk glaze. Season with salt and pepper if you wish and drizzle the olive oil on top of the tomatoes.

Bake in a 375 F oven for about 45 minutes or until crust is golden.

Remove from the oven, let it cool for a few minutes before sprinkling shredded basil on top. Slice and serve.

Italian Jam Crostata

After getting back from Italy I had a list of Italian things I had to try making at home. One of the things on the list was a crostata. We had them at pretty much every single breakfast while in Italy. A crostata is basically a jam filled tart. The dough is kind of a mix between a pie crust and a cookie crust in my opinion. Fill it with whatever jam you have around, add a few decorative touches to the top and voila! A simple and delicious breakfast treat, afternoon snack, dessert… whatever you wish!

A few weeks after coming back from Italy my cousin asked if I would make something Italiain for an “Around the World” themed bridal shower. I knew exactly what to make! A Crostata! An excuse to check one thing off the “to-bake” list. I used some of my mom’s home made strawberry jam which was delicious! Overall it turned out very very well. Definitely something I will make again!

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Italian Jam Filled Crostata
From An Italian in My Kitchen
Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (236 grams)

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 grams)

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 egg

• 1 egg yolk

• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons butter room temperature (125 grams)

• 3/4 -1 cup jam, for the filling (Any type of jam can be used, but I find raspberry, strawberry, blueberry, apricot, peach or a wild fruit mixture work the best.)

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C), grease and flour an 8 or 9 inch- (20 - 22 cm) pie dish.

In a large bowl ,gently whisk together flour, sugar and baking powder, create a well in the middle and add slightly beaten egg and yolk and softened butter cut into pieces.

Mix together, at this point turn mixture onto a slightly floured surface and work the mixture to form a soft dough (if dough is very dry then add an extra tablespoon of soft butter).

Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Remove from fridge and knead the dough a couple of times to soften it up again on a lightly floured surface. Roll out to 1/8" thickness.

Transfer to prepared pie plate, I used a tart pan. Trim the dish of any extra dough. Prick the dough with the tongs of a fork, then fill the pastry shell with the jam**. With the extra dough make strips to create a lattice finish. Brush top lightly with milk and bake in pre heated oven at 350° (180°) for 25-30 minutes or until golden. Let cool then slice, enjoy!

Buttery Cream Scones

I have been on the hunt for what I consider a “bakery style” scone for quite some time now. I have two awesome bakeries within walking distance that both have amazing scones and for some reason I could never quite find a recipe to compare. I have made some wonderful scones over the years, but sometimes I want a scone that makes me feel like I am actually at the bakery. Well, I think this recipe finally did it.

Simple and easy; this recipe uses both butter and cream as well as an egg. It came together easily and the dough wasn’t too crumbly. I’ve found through experimentation that I want cream in my scone. Every. Time. This is what gives it that melt in your mouth tender lightness. Half-and-half, and buttermilk are both find, but cream is the definite winner.

The second key to my quest for the perfect “bakery style” scone is to make sure to make them big enough. They have to be more then just big, they really have to be huge. Small scones are not bakery scones. The original recipe called for you to cut the dough into 8 scones. I made 6 and thought that was just about right! They are huge, and buttery, and tender, andI wouldn’t have it any other way!

Since I was experimenting with the recipe I just through in a couple handful of dried cherries since that is what I had. I also used the food processor instead of by hand as the original recipe (posted below) called for, and it worked great, super quick and easy. I froze the unbaked scones and baked off the next day. They ended up taking 35 minutes from frozen so adjust accordingly.

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BA’s Best Cream Scones
From Bon Appetit
Ingredients

• ¼ cup granulated sugar

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• 3 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for surface

• ½ cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

• 1 large egg, beaten to blend

• 1¼ cups (10 ounces) heavy cream, plus more for brushing

• Demerara or raw sugar (for sprinkling)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375°. Whisk granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 3 cups flour in a large bowl to combine. Add butter and toss to coat. Using your fingers or a pastry blender, work butter into flour until only pea-size pieces remain. Make a well in the center; add egg and 1¼ cups cream and mix with a fork, incorporating dry ingredients a little at a time, until a shaggy dough forms (it’s okay if it looks a little dry; don’t overwork). Lightly knead dough in bowl until it just comes together.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a 1"-thick round. Cut into 8 wedges and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush dough with cream and sprinkle with demerara sugar. Bake scones until golden brown, 25–30 minutes.

Variations:

• Lemon-Rosemary: Whisk 2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest and 2 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary into flour mixture before adding butter.

• Cinnamon-Chocolate: Toss 1 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate and 1 tsp. ground cinnamon into flour mixture after working in butter.

• Double Ginger: Whisk 2 Tbsp. finely chopped candied ginger and 1 Tbsp. finely grated peeled ginger into flour mixture before adding butter.

• Mixed Berry: Toss 1 cup fresh or frozen berries, cut into pieces if large, into flour mixture after working in butter.

• Pecan-Oat: Toss ¾ cup old-fashioned oats and ¾ cup chopped toasted pecans into flour mixture before adding butter. Sprinkle ¼ cup oats along with demerara sugar over scones before baking.

Eggplant Puttanesca

(Cold next-day pasta! Still yummy!)

Inspired by the Spaghetti with No-Cook Puttanesca from Bon Appetit’s Healthyish site (original recipe without my changes is below). Having 2 neighbor friends over for dinner and wanted to do something Italian. I liked the idea of the original recipe, but I wanted some eggplant for more bulk and flavor. Also decided to skip the no-cook and puree the tomatoes for a little bit before adding the cherry tomatoes off heat.

Started by sautéing a little onion for a few minutes, then added the eggplant and cooked until mostly cooked through. Then added the sauce and simmered until eggplant was done. Then off heat add everything else. Served with twirly pasta instead of spaghetti. One of the pastas I brough back from Italy and it was soooo good!

Would most definitely make again! It was even great cold the next day! :)

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Spaghetti with No-Cook Puttanesca
From Bon Appetit

Ingredients

• 2 beefsteak tomatoes (about 1 lb.), halved crosswise, seeds removed

• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated

• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

• 2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more

• 1½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1 cup Castelvetrano olives, crushed, pits removed

• 2 Tbsp. drained capers

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

• 12 oz. spaghetti

• ¼ cup finely chopped parsley

• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Directions

Pulse beefsteak tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, and 2 tsp. salt in a food processor until smooth; transfer sauce to a large bowl and mix in cherry tomatoes, olives, capers, and ¼ cup oil.

Cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving ¼ cup pasta cooking liquid.

Add pasta, parsley, and butter to sauce. Toss vigorously with tongs, adding a splash of pasta cooking liquid or more as needed to create an emulsified sauce that coats pasta. Divide among bowls and drizzle with more oil.

Soft Honey Whole Wheat Sourdough

I had taken a little hiatus from making bread recently, for no particular reason. But then I finally picked up a cookbook on sourdough bread that I’d had my eye on for some time now and I was completely inspired and recharged. Over the past few weeks I have made large pans of crisp and oily focaccia twice, a gooey camembert bread wreath, multiple iterations of thick crusted pizza (which included two separate pizza parties), two loaves of crusty Dutch oven bread, a pan of cinnamon rolls and finally this lovely every so slightly enriched honey whole wheat bread. Phew. I bought a 25 lb bag of flour about a month ago and it’s pretty much gone!

This whole wheat sourdough loaf is lightly sweetened with a little bit of honey, and adds a small amount of whole wheat flour for a little nuttiness, as well as a little nutrition. It is risen with 100% sourdough, no commercial yeast at all which means the rise time is longer, but is so easy. You hardly have to do anything other than mix the ingredients together and let them sit for hours. Almost all hands off. That’s my kind of bread.

I chose this bread for the small Christmas morning brunch I made for my parents. We had scrambled eggs, toast with butter and jam, orange juice and coffee. It was perfect! Merry Christmas!

Soft Honey Whole Wheat Sourdough
Adapted from Artisan Sourdough Made Simple by Emilie Raffa
Ingredients

• 150 grams (3/4 cup) bubbly, active starter

• 270 grams (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) warm milk

• 30 grams (2 tablespoons) warm water

• 40 grams (2 tablespoons) honey

• 30 grams (2 tablespoons) oil

• 120 grams (1 cup) whole wheat flour

• 360 grams (3 cups) bread flour - or all purpose in a pinch

• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt

• 14 grams (1 tablespoon) butter, melted

Directions
Make the Dough: In a large bowl, whisk the starter, milk, water, honey and oil together. Add the flours and salt. Mix to combine until a rough dough forms. Cover and let rest for 45 minutes to 1 hour. After the dough has rested, gently work it into a semi-smooth ball, about 15 to 20 seconds. The dough will feel supple and smooth when it comes together.

Bulk Rise: Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let rise at room temperature until double in size, about 6 to 8 hours. The dough will look nice and domed when ready.

Shape: Remove the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently dimple the surface with your fingertips to release any large air bubbles. Roll the dough into a log, tucking the ends underneath. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly coat a 9x5 inch loaf pan with oil. With floured hands, cup the dough and pull toward you to tighten its shape. Place into your loaf pan, seam side down.

Second Rise: Cover the dough and let rest until it has risen about 1 inch above the rim of the pan, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, depending on temperature.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Bake: Bake the dough on the center rack for 40 to 45 minutes. When finished, remove the loaf from the oven and brush the crust with the melted butter. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer the loaf to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Bakery-Style Scones

We go through a lot of half-and-half at home between my sister and I. We each have a minimum of a morning cup of coffee every day during the week, and very often more whenever we can make it work, each with a little dollop of half-and-half because that’s the only way to drink it in my opinion. There are no boundaries on the weekend. In other words, we also go through a lot of coffee too.

Recently, when I walked to the neighborhood grocery store to pick up a pint of half-and-half they were out of my brand, at least in the pint size. But they did have the quart, so why not? Well, we did a good job working our way through that container, but as 3 weeks were quickly approaching I decided something had to be done to use up what was left. After thinking for a bit, I decided on scones because, well, scones. :) If you’re in the same predicament as I was, give this recipe a try, they’re delish!

I made this recipe twice. The first time I made a 1.5x batch to get a really nice sized scone. They turned out beautifully, but unfortunately they were too salty. Since they just have a little sugar in them, as scones should, the salt was overpowering. Still completely edible with a nice spoonful of homemade jam, but certainly not top notch. I made them again with half the salt and a smidge more sugar and enjoyed them much more. The original recipe also calls for 2 tablespoons of milk and 4 tablespoons of cream. I just replaced all of the liquid with the half-and-half and it worked great. Perfect way to use up that last little bit of the carton!

Bakery-Style Scones
Adapted from Serious Eats
Ingredients

• 9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups, spooned; 255g), plus more for dusting

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 2 ounces cold unsalted butter (4 tablespoons; 55g), cut into 1/2-inch cubes

• 6 ounces roughly chopped milk chocolate (1 cup; 170g)

• 6-8 ounces half-and-half (or a mix of milk [2 ounces] and heavy cream [4 ounces])

• ~1 cup mixed nuts and dried fruit (I used almonds, pecans, cranberries and cherries)

Directions
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 400°F (204°C). Sift flour into a medium bowl, then whisk in baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add butter and use a pastry blender, or two forks, to work the butter into the flour until it resembles a coarse meal. Add nuts and dried fruit and toss to combine, then stir in the 1/2 and 1/2 to form a soft (but not wet) dough.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7-inch round. Cut into 6 or 8 wedges with a chef’s knife or a bench scraper. Sprinkle generously with coarse sugar, and arrange on a parchment-lined half sheet pan. Bake until puffed and golden, 25-30 minutes. Serve warm with clotted cream, jam, or a spoonful of whipped cream.

Scones are best eaten the day they are made. They do freeze well however if you have leftovers. When ready to eat, thaw to room temperatures. Reheat in a preheated 425 degree oven for 4-6 minutes until heated through and crisp, but before they start to bake through again and dry out.

Braided Challah Ring

Is homemade bread ever a bad idea? I don’t think so! Judging from the success of this lovely braided challah that I recently brought to a potluck, I don’t think most other people think it’s a bad idea either! This is a quick and simple homemade bread. If you’ve never thought to bring fresh bread to a potluck, trust me, it’ll go over well. Especially if you bring a little jam and/or butter to go with it. Something different, and impressive, especially if you decide to go for the braided ring like I did here. You can just do a simple braid and leave it in a loaf shape if you prefer, but it’s fun to try something different. Any jam will go well with this rich and eggy bread. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed!

Braided Challah Ring
Adapted from King Arthur Flour
Ingredients
Quick Starter

• 1 cup (120 grams) All-Purpose Flour

• 1 cup (227 grams) lukewarm water

• 2 teaspoons instant yeast

Dough

• All of the starter

• 3 1/2 cups (420 grams) All-Purpose Flour

• 1 3/4 teaspoons salt

• 1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar

• 1/4 cup (50 grams) vegetable oil

• 2 large eggs + 1 yolk (save 1 egg white for the glaze, below)

Glaze

• 1 egg white, saved from above

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1 tablespoon water

Instructions
To make the starter: Mix the 1 cup flour, 1 cup water and yeast together in a large bowl or the bucket of a bread machine. Let the mixture sit for about 45 minutes. See "tips," below, for instructions using SAF Gold yeast.

To make the dough: Add the dough ingredients to the starter and mix and knead together — by hand, mixer or bread machine — until a smooth, supple dough is formed. This dough is a pleasure to work with; smooth and silky, it almost feels like you're rubbing your hands with lotion.

Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning it over once to coat it lightly with oil. Cover it and let it rise for 1 1/2 hours, or until it's not quite doubled in size.

To shape the dough: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over once or twice, to expel the carbon dioxide. Divide the dough into four pieces, and roll each into a snake about 18" long.

On the lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, braid a four-strand braid (see instructions at King Arthur Flour) or fashion a simpler three-strand braid. Form the braid into a circle, pinching the two ends together.

In a small bowl, make the glaze by mixing together the reserved egg white, sugar, and water. Brush the loaf, reserving some for a second application.

Cover the loaf with lightly greased plastic wrap and allow it to rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until it's almost doubled in size. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 375°F.

To bake the loaf: Brush the loaf with the remaining glaze (this will give the finished loaf a beautiful, shiny crust, as well as provide "glue" for the seeds), sprinkle with poppy seeds, if desired, and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the challah is golden brown, slightly firm to the touch, and the internal temperature is 195°F.

Remove the bread from the oven, and cool completely before slicing.

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

I have fallen off the posting train! But I’m trying to get back on board. It’s been a busy and fun fall, which means I have neglected this little hobby of mine. But this cake was too good not to share! I had a fun Oktober fest at a new friends house. It was outdoors on the perfect chilly, but lovely October night. They had grilled up two whole lambs, and brewed some homemade beer, and then invited a bunch of people over to share.

I decided to try out a new cake recipe. It’s pumpkin season and this cake did not disappoint. It has a mix of butter and oil for flavor and moisture with the perfect amount of fall spices. It baked up beautifully and came out of the pan easily. I topped with a simple yogurt glaze which had just enough tang to perfectly compliment the rich and sweet cake. Happy Fall!

The original recipe had a cream cheese glaze. I didn’t have any cream cheese so I ended up making something up on my own. I didn’t measure anything so I can’t tell you exactly, but I used melted butter, milk, powdered sugar and plain Greek yogurt. I turned out great, but if you’re looking for exact measurements, follow the link to the original recipe and try hers out, I’m sure it’s great!

Pumpkin Bundt Cake
From Style Sweet CA
Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon cardamom

• 1 teaspoon ginger

• ¼ teaspoon clove

• pinch black pepper

• ¾ cup Land O Lakes® European Style Unsalted Butter, softened

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1 cup white sugar

• ¼ cup flavorless oil, like grapeseed or canola

• 3 large eggs

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 1/3 cup buttermilk

• 14 ounces pumpkin puree

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Generously brush the inside of a Bundt pan with very soft butter, sprinkle with flour, and tap out the excess. Set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium-low speed with the paddle attachment until smooth. Add in both sugars and mix on medium until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the oil and vanilla. Mix until combined.

With the mixer on low, add in the eggs, one at a time. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

With the mixer on low, add in half of the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Add in the buttermilk and mix until combined. Add in the remaining half of the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated and few streaks of flour remain visible. Add in the pumpkin puree and mix until smooth. The batter will be thick.

Spoon the cake batter into the prepared pan. Tap the bottom of the filled pan on a hard work surface to release any air bubbles. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a long wooden skewer or thin paring knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes. Gently loosen the edges of the cake with a flexible rubber spatula. Place a wire rack or cutting board on top of the cake. Holding on to the edges of the pan and rack, carefully invert everything. Remove the cake pan and continue to completely cool the cake before adding the glaze.