Holiday Bakeathon 2015

Holiday baking day #2! We learned from the previous year and seriously dialed things back so that we could finish everything in one day, such as keeping it down to 1 type of cutout cookie. We kept some recipes we really liked, but also collectively chose some new things to try out. I liked making everything so close to Christmas this time so things could still be really fresh to bring to family celebrations.

RECIPES

• Spicy Gingerbread Cookies (Smitten Kitchen) -- this year's designs featured hipster owls and hipster bread men (gingerbread men with glasses and sweater vests). I taught Sarah and Caroline to pipe frosting and they had a lot of fun with it.
• Cream Cheese Frosting
• Decadent Hot Chocolate Mix (Smitten Kitchen) -- so good we made it again. I gave some to a friend, and she introduced me to some adult beverage serving suggestions that make it extra cozy: 1/2 ounce (1 tbsp) or so of banana liqueur (she strongly recommends 99 Bananas) or blackberry brandy! I have tried both and love both.
• Cinnamon-Sugar Rugelach -- something new to try that I first had at a work potluck, featuring the irresistible combination of cinnamon, sugar, and butter.
• Homemade Marshmallows (Alton Brown) -- to accompany the hot chocolate again, though just as delicious alone.

BAKEATHONS PAST

• 2014

Bread and Butter Pickles

Sweet pickles are a relatively new addition to my life. I had tried them before but was really put off by how sweet they were, especially when I grew up eating pickles that were sour and salty. My grandma's dill pickles were the gold standard for most of my life.

However, on a trip to a meat market and old timey general store, they had samples of bread and butter pickles, and theirs were just a little bit sweet, and they tasted amazing! I thought I didn't like them, but it turns out I had only had bad ones before.

Fast forward to this summer, where I ended up with more cucumbers than I knew what to do with and decided I'd try to make some into pickles. I wanted to try and make some not-so-sweet bread and butter pickles, so I compared recipes and Smitten Kitchen's was on the less sweet side, plus she rarely steers me wrong, so I gave Deb's recipe a shot. These have become a late summer staple in my house.

Notes:

• I like using ground coriander a little better than the whole seeds because they're kind of big and hard to eat with the pickle.
• I have used both yellow onions and white onions when I can't find sweet onions.
• I use about 2/3 cup sugar per batch.

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RECIPE: Bread and Butter Pickles

Salad Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

I was taught how to make these at a party recently, and when it got really hot I wanted to have some more. These are fresh tasting and super filling, and great for using up your farmer's market haul!

Notes:

• Don't let the wrapper sit too long in the water or it will get really soft and might rip or get gummy.
• These don't keep very well (the wrapper texture gets kind of tough and it's kind of like chewing on plastic) so be sure you're going to eat them within about an hour of assembling them and do not refrigerate them. You can prepare and chop all of the ingredients and then store them until you're ready to make them.
• Suggestions for fillings:
• Vegetables: lettuce leaves, salad greens, cabbage, carrot, cucumber, sweet pepper, kohlrabi, radish
• Herbs: Thai basil, regular basil, mint, cilantro
• Proteins: dry fried tofu, shredded cooked chicken or pork, cooked shrimp
• Others: cooked rice vermicelli, cooked glass noodles, mango, avocado

RECIPE: Salad Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Chai Spice Cinnamon Rolls

I first tried chai as a high schooler. My friend and I would sometimes go to coffee shops for our friends' live band shows but I did not really like coffee. She suggested chai to me as an alternative and I ended up liking it a lot! I drink it with a lot less sugar in it these days, but the warming spices mixed with black tea and milk is a winning combination.

A recent jaunt on Pinterest gave me a hankering for chai spiced cinnamon rolls. Somehow cinnamon rolls don't seem like middle-of-the-summer food but that was what I wanted. Sometimes you want to try something so badly you don't care how hot it is and you turn on your oven and deal with it.

Notes:

• I used this recipe by Fit Foodie Finds to determine general ratios of the spices in the filling, but feel free to tweak them to your liking.
• If you don't have whole milk, low fat milk can be used. I have not tried it with non dairy milks but I think they would work just fine here.
• Plastic pizza cutter wheels are a wondrous tool and they also work great for cutting doughs like this one.
• I needed to add more flour to the dough. 
• There's a LOT of filling and I might cut back on the butter/sugar next time. 
• Definitely roll from the short side! I accidentally rolled mine from the long side and they were falling apart.

Verdict: They're really soft and a little chewy. I loved them and would make them again.

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RECIPE:

Chai Spice Cinnamon Rolls

adapted from Life Made Simple

Makes about 12 rolls

Dough

2 3/4 cups (350g) all purpose flour, plus more for rolling

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 cup (52g) granulated sugar

2 tbsp (1/4 stick, about 28g) butter

1/2 cup (120 ml) warm water

1/4 cup (60 ml) whole milk

1 large egg

Filling

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Heaping 1/4 tsp ground allspice

Heaping 1/4 tsp ground cardamom

Heaping 1/4 tsp ground cloves

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp (42g) butter, softened

Glaze (optional)

1 1/2 cups (195g) powdered or confectioners sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick, about 56g) butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla extract

2-3 tbsp (30-45 ml) milk

Make the dough: Stir together flour, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer until combined, then set aside. In a glass measuring cup or small microwave safe bowl, heat the sugar, butter, water, and milk in the microwave on high until the butter is almost melted and the mixture is hot, about 90 seconds. (If you do not have a microwave, heat these ingredients in a saucepan over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until hot and the butter has almost melted.) Add this to the flour mixture in several additions, then add egg, stirring well, until a sticky dough forms. Switch to the dough hook attachment and let mix on the lowest setting until the dough becomes elastic, about 4 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for about 5 minutes.

Fill and shape the rolls: Preheat oven to 200°F (95°C) while you shape the rolls. Prepare a lightly floured surface, then roll the dough with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 16 x 9 inch (40 x 23 cm) rectangle. Combine brown sugar, spices, and vanilla extract in a small bowl with a spoon. Spread softened butter on top of the dough rectangle. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture evenly over the buttered dough. Grab the short side and tightly roll the dough into a log. Cut log into 12 equal slices.

Let rolls rise: Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and gently place the rolls inside. Cover the dish with aluminum foil. Turn off the oven and place the baking dish inside. Let rise for about 25 minutes, then take the dish out of the oven.

Bake the rolls: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Once it is ready, return baking dish to oven and bake until the center of each roll is golden brown, approximately 15-18 minutes. Place dish on a rack and let cool while you prepare the glaze.

Prepare glaze: Place all ingredients (with the smaller amount of milk) in a small bowl and mix with a spoon or beat with a hand mixer until smooth. It should be fairly thick but still pourable; thin with additional milk if needed. Spread or pour on top of slightly warm (not hot!) rolls.

Aloo Paratha (Indian Potato Stuffed Pan Fried Bread)

After moving to our new house and no longer being spoiled by having a really good Indian restaurant a short walk away, I experimented with a bunch of Indian recipes. Indian food has been quite the challenge for me to learn to cook. I did not grow up eating it and the bulk of what I have for reference is restaurant style Indian food, so I am not really sure how things are supposed to look or taste, and Indian cuisine uses a lot of techniques that are unfamiliar (though with the advent of the internet there are resources aplenty and I am learning!) or difficult to replicate in a typical American kitchen. Another thing I quickly learned is that many cooks in India seem to work based on taste and feel rather than measuring things out and describing things in exact terms, which is easy if you're used to the recipe and the variations in your ingredients, but if you're unfamiliar with what you're cooking it can be a challenge to know how much of each thing is appropriate.

Having said all that, this was one of the first Indian foods I cooked from scratch where I was happy with the result I got. It might not be particularly authentic, but I like how it tastes.

Notes:

• The salt in the bread dough supposedly makes it softer than if you do not use it.
• If you like a less spicy filling, use less birdseye chili or remove the seeds, and less or no cayenne pepper.
• If you cannot find amchur, you can use a small amount of lemon or lime juice, or just leave it out.
• The filling should have a much drier, more crumbly texture than the dish most Americans know as "mashed potatoes". My first batch used American style mashed potatoes and the filling squished out the sides as soon as I rolled it to press the layers together.
• The sandwiching-two-rolled-circles-together method worked better for me than wrapping the edges of one circle around the filling, but try both and see what works better for you.
• Ghee (clarified butter) is traditional for frying these but you could also use another oil with a high smoke point.
• One of my Indian friends likes to eat these with maple syrup. I have not tried it but I plan to if I make them again.
• These freeze well. After frying, let them cool and then place between sheets of parchment paper in a plastic bag, then put the bag in the freezer. To reheat, place frozen parathas in a single layer in a 350°F oven for 4-5 minutes.
• The source website has lots of extra photos detailing the process; these may be helpful for you if it's your first time making them.

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RECIPE:

Aloo Paratha (Indian Potato Stuffed Pan Fried Bread)

from Veg Recipes of India

Makes 10-12 pieces

Dough:

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt (optional)

1 cup water, or more if needed

Filling:

4-5 medium potatoes (about 2 lb)

1 medium onion, chopped finely (optional)

1 green birdseye chili, chopped finely, or to taste

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional, to taste)

1/2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp amchur/dry mango powder

1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

Ghee or canola oil, for frying

Ghee or butter, for serving (optional)

1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped finely (optional)

Prepare dough: Sift flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Pour in water and stir with a spoon until water has soaked in, then use your hands to gather it into a ball, adding more water a tablespoon at a time if there's a lot of dry flour left. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough until it is smooth and pliable. It should not be sticky. Divide into balls about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Let rest while you prepare the filling.

Prepare filling: Peel potatoes, cut each in half, and place in a pot with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until you can easily stick a fork in them, about 10-15 minutes. Drain very well, then place in a medium bowl. Add onion if using, birdseye chili, cayenne, garam masala, amchur, and salt, and use a potato masher to mash the potatoes and mix in the other ingredients. The mixture should be dry and somewhat granular, but still stick together when pressed.

Shaping the breads: Using a rolling pin, roll a ball of dough into a circle about 3 1/2 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick. Repeat with another ball of dough. Moisten the outer edge of one of the circles of dough with water. Place about 2-3 tbsp potato filling in the center, then top with the other circle of dough and press down the edges so they stick together. Flatten gently with the rolling pin, being careful not to squish the filling out of the dough, until the entire thing is about 1/8 inch thick (it will be around 5-6 inches in diameter). Repeat with remaining dough. 

Cooking the breads: Place a frying pan over medium-high heat and put about 1 tbsp of ghee or oil in it. When the pan is hot, place the bread in it and cook until the bottom has browned and puffed, about 3 minutes. Flip and repeat on the other side. Repeat with remaining breads. Serve warm.