Cookie Chick

We have another birthday in my office next week. I asked the birthday girl to name her favorite type of cake and her answer was chocolate with chocolate frosting. I decided to take a practice run to make sure I had a good recipe. I hate making something for the first time for an audience.

I looked through my cookbooks and decided to try a Devil’s Food Cake from the King Arthur Flour “Baker’s Companion”. I cut the recipe in half and made cupcakes. It was a little difficult to cream the small amount of butter in my 6 quart KitchenAid mixer, but in the end it worked out well. Rumor has it that KitchenAid is coming out with a smaller bowl with a new attachment sometime in Spring. I’ll be on the lookout for that.

The cupcakes were very moist and delicious. They had the light, moist quality of a boxed cake mix but with all natural and mostly organic ingredients. I used organic all-purpose flour from King Arthur, organic natural cocoa powder from Trader Joe’s, organic milk and organic butter.

I tried to make the Chocolate Buttercream recipe from the King Arthur cookbook, but found that it was far too sweet for my taste and not nearly chocolatey enough. Luckily I tasted it before adding all of the sugar. I added some more unsweetened chocolate and that improved the taste considerably. I also added a tablespoon of unsweetened dutch process cocoa powder. That addition made a delicious frosting, full of dense chocolate flavor without being overly sweet. I’m not posting the recipe for the frosting yet as it was purely experimental.

Devil’s Food Cupcakes

• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks, 6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups (12 1/4 ounces superfine or granulated sugar)
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (2 1/4 ounces) natural cocoa powder
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) milk, room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350º F.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, salt, baking soda, and vanilla until fluffy and light, at least 5 minutes. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and cocoa. If lumps remain, sift the mixture.

Add the eggs to the butter mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition. Slowly blend 1/3 of the flour mixture into the creamed mixture, then 1/2 of the milk, another 1/3 of the flour, the remaining milk and lastly the remaining flour. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally throughout this process.

Line a muffin tin with paper liners. Fill cups 3/4 full and bake for 20 - 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Cool for ten minutes in the tins and then remove and cool completely on a wire rack. Spread with chocolate frosting of your choice.

Makes 24 - 26 cupcakes.
168 cal | 7g fat | 3g protein | 9g complex carbohydrates | 14g sugar | 1g dietary fiber

(Modified from Alton Brown’s Instant Pancakes)

These pancakes are so good that I’ve become very picky about the ones I have in restaurants. Restaurant pancakes just don’t live up to the possibility, often times they are tough and flavorless. This recipe is actually quite easy. I usually already have everything except the buttermilk. AB recommends making the “mix” (the dry ingredients) in bulk so that you only have to add the wet. I did this for a while, but our waistlines didn’t like eating pancakes that often. This recipe is modified to make the pancakes without the “mix”.

Pancakes

• 2 cups/10 oz/284 g of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon/2g of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon/6g of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon/8g of table salt
• 2 teaspoons/10g of granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, separated
• 2 cups/488g of buttermilk
• 4 tablespoons of melted butter

Heat an electric griddle or frying pan to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and sugar. Whisk together the egg whites and the buttermilk in a small bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the butter and egg yolks. Add the yolks and butter to the egg whites and buttermilk, whisk until combined. Pour the liquid ingredients on top of the dry ingredients. Using a whisk, mix the batter gently to combine. Stop as soon as you don’t see any more flour. The lumps will cook away.

Check to see if the griddle is hot by placing a few drops of water on the griddle. The griddle is ready when the water dances across the surface. If it evaporates immediately, it’s too hot. Turn the griddle down and try again in a few minutes. Electric griddles work very well for this because you can set the temperature. I have a Cuisinart Griddler. A very nice appliance for under $100.

If your griddle is non-stick you may not need to butter it. If you are not sure, lightly butter the griddle and wipe off the extra with a paper towel.

Gently ladle the pancake batter on the griddle. I like to use a 1/4 cup disher or ice cream scoop. When bubbles begin to set around the edges of the pancake and the underside is a golden brown, gently flip pancakes. Continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the pancake is set.

You can freeze the leftovers by placing them on a baking sheet and freezing individually. When they are frozen through, place them in a zip lock bag or use your FoodSaver.

Our refrigerator is about 13 years old. It’s a not-so-lovely beige Maytag which still works fairly well. My two complaints are 1) that it’s kind of ugly and outdated and 2) that the freezer seems to have a temperature fluctuation causing freezer burn to happen rapidly. We end up throwing out a lot of food due to large amount of ice crystals that form inside the containers.

It really is time for a new refrigerator, but with a kitchen remodel in the not too distant future we have waited. Both of my sisters swear by FoodSaver vacuum sealers. I have found that things that come pre-sealed this way do survive our freezer rather well. A few months ago, I researched vacuum sealers and people rave about the FoodSaver brand, so I decided to give it a try.

Costco had a nice version that included some canisters for about $135. Bed Bath & Beyond had one with a flip up design for $160. This one was chrome and black instead of white. I have very limited counter space and I knew that if it was put away I would rarely use it. I opted for the BB&B version and used a 20% Off Coupon which brought it to $128. I didn’t get the extra canisters, but I had a more usable appliance.

The bags and rolls for the FoodSaver are kind of expensive, but you can reuse them if you don’t store meat in them. Since we’re vegetarians, that’s not a problem. Costco does have a 6 roll box for $40. I bought that and still have a lot left. My best guess is that it will last me for about 6 months.

I love using it because now I can vacuum seal left overs or food I buy in bulk, including flour. We love buying the 1 pound block of Tilamook cheddar cheese at Costco. Sometimes it molds before we can eat it all. It’s a lot of cheese for two people. Now I portion the cheese into manageable pieces and vacuum seal the extra. When I made the Shepherd’s Pie this weekend, I already had most of the ingredients in the freezer sealed away for future use. This included a wonderful vegetarian gravy I made that would have gone to waste.

I’m not sure if it’s saving me all the money I’ve spent on it and the supplies, but if we count not eating out as often, we’ve saved tenfold. Besides, my husband really hates wasting food. When he found out this would help with waste, he was happy to indulge my gadget fetish.

I’ve only used the bags and rolls so far. I may get some of the canisters to see how they work in the future. This is one gadget that has lived up to the hype.

Growing up, my idea of making a pie was to buy a Mrs. Smith’s frozen pie from the grocery store and put it in the oven. I didn’t even do that well. My first pumpkin pie was blackened and burnt on the top.

My best friend’s mom made the most wonderful apple pie from scratch and she showed me how to core and peel the apples and make an oil and flour crust. It was thin, light and flaky.

My future mother-in-law showed me how to make a thicker pie crust using shortening. This was the perfect vehicle for pumpkin pie. I still use her recipe for the custard filling to this day. However, my crust using her recipe was never quite as good as hers, so the search continued.

Two Thanksgivings ago, I used the Cook’s Illustrated butter/shortening crust recipe. This was very tasty, but it was hard to make in the food processor as the butter clumped terribly. It seemed to be too much fat for the flour or the food processor was just too powerful. This past Thanksgiving, I tried a variation of Alton Brown’s pie crust substituting shortening for the lard. It was good, but not as good as the CI recipe. However his technique of adding the water with a spray bottle and putting the dough in a gallon sized zip-top bag to chill and roll was ingenious.

This weekend I made a Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie in honor of St. Patrick’s day. I tried a new crust recipe out of the King Arthur baking book but used my KitchenAid mixer and the wire whip to cut the fat into the flour. This was truly a success. Not only was it easier than using a food processor it was also less clean up. The pie dough came together perfectly. I then put it in the zip-top bag and chilled until I was ready to roll it out. The great part about using the bag, is you snip off the edges and and roll the dough inside the bag. It works well and clean up is a breeze.

Oh, and the pie crust was delicious. I ended up using real buttermilk, since I had some in the fridge, but didn’t have buttermilk powder. I also didn’t have any vinegar so left that out. The crust was flavorful and flaky, just perfect for the pie.

Pie Crust
Makes one 9″ pie crust

• 1 1/2 cups (6 1/2 ounces) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tablespoon (1/8 ounce) buttermilk powder (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick, 2 ounces) butter
• 1/4 cup (1 1/2 ounces) vegetable shortening
• 1 teaspoon white or cider vinegar
• 3 to 5 tablespoons (1 1/2 to 2 1/2 ounces) cold water

Mixing the dough
Place the flour, salt, buttermilk powder and baking powder in the bowl of your standing mixer. (Note, you can also use 1 tablespoon of buttermilk, but add this to the liquids and cut back water by 1 tablespoon.) Attach bowl and whisk attachment to mixer and mix on speed 2 for 30 seconds to combine dry ingredients. Cut cold butter and cold shortening into 1/2 inch cubes.

The easiest way to cube the butter and shortening is to use a pastry or dough scraper and slice the butter into thirds along the long side, turn 1/4 turn and slice the next side into thirds, then cut the butter into 1/2 inch pieces on the short side.

Add butter and shortening bit by bit to flour mixture and mix at speed 6 until fat is cut into the flour and resembles small peas. Combine vinegar and water. Turn down the mixer to speed 4 and slowly add the liquids until dough just comes together. You may not need all the liquid. The dough will clump inside the wire whisk and will form a ball when squeezed by hand. Stop the mixer and remove bowl and attachment.

Gather the dough and place in a gallon sized zip-top back. Form the dough into a flat disk. Seal the bag and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Rolling the Dough
Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Cut off the top and sides of the zip top bag. Using a rolling pin roll out the dough inside the bag to the edges. Rotate the bag a 1/4 turn each roll to get a nice circle. Peel back one side of the plastic and ease the dough into your pie pan. Remove the second side of plastic and gently press the dough into the bottom and sides. Using a fork poke holes in the bottom and sides to let steam escape. Fold over any excess dough and crimp the edges. If you have a short side, use extra dough from another side to piece together the crust.

Part of my bread making marathon has been the search for a soft, tasty loaf that would be great for sandwiches. I’ve always been partial to oatmeal bread and have tried several recipes. All were good, this one is great.

I adapted the Cook’s Illustrated “Oatmeal American Loaf Bread” recipe after several tries. All were delicious, but I found the liquid to flour ratio to be off for me. I kept having to add more flour to get the dough to come together. I’ve tried using less milk instead of more flour, but have found that I prefer the whole amount of milk and add up to a cup more flour if needed. I was using All Purpose (AP) flour, which is part of the issue. I’ve tried making it with bread flour, but have found that I actually prefer the AP flour. I get a more tender and moist bread.

Note: After reading the King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion, I realized I should not double the yeast when doubling the recipe for bread. They recommend 1 tablespoon for up to 8 loaves. The rise time may slow, but it works out better. I found this to be true, as doubling the yeast made my loaves rise too quickly causing air bubbles.

Oatmeal Bread

Makes two 9 x 5 inch loaves.

• 1 1/2 cups of water
• 1 1/2 cups of rolled oats
• 6 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour (plus extra for work surface)
• 2 teaspoons of table salt
• 2 cups of milk, warm (110 degrees)
• 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted
• 6 tablespoons of honey
• 1 tablespoon of instant yeast

Directions

1. Bring water to boil in small saucepan. Add oats and cook to soften, about 90 seconds. Set aside. The oats will absorb the water.
2. Whisk together the flour, salt, and yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer. Add the cooked oatmeal and attach the dough hook and start mixing at speed 2 (KitchenAid mixers). Mix the milk, melted butter and honey in a 4 cup measuring cup. With the mixer running at speed 2, slowly add the liquid. If the dough is too wet, add 1/2 cup of flour at a time until the flour is combined. When the dough comes together and pulls away from the side, continue kneading for 2 - 4 minutes longer. Dough will be sticky.
3. Divide dough into two equal pieces. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead briefly with floured hands to form a ball. Place dough ball in lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Repeat with second piece. (A dough bucket works very well for the rising process.) Let rise in warm place (70 - 80 degrees) for 40 - 50 minutes or until doubled.
4. Form dough into loaf by gently pressing the dough into a rectangle, one inch thick and no wider than the length of the loaf pan. Next, roll the dough firmly into a cylinder, pressing with your fingers to make sure the dough sticks to itself. Turn the dough seam side up and pinch it closed. Place dough in the pan and press it gently so it touches all four sides of the pan. Finally, place dough in greased 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan.
5. Cover with plastic wrap; set aside in warm spot until dough almost doubles in size, 20 to 30 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees, placing empty loaf pan on bottom rack. Bring 2 cups water to boil.
6. Remove plastic wrap from loaf pan. Place pan in oven, immediately pouring heated water into an empty loaf pan; close oven door. (Note, this step is important. Without it, the bread will not rise as high or be as moist.) Bake until instant-read thermometer inserted at angle from short end just above pan rim into center of loaf reads 195 degrees, about 40 to 50 minutes. Remove bread from pan, transfer to a wire rack, and cool to room temperature. Slice and serve.

If you seriously get into baking, you’ll likely find yourself lusting after a stand mixer. It’s the kind of appliance that seems expensive at first and then you wonder how you ever lived without it. It is so much more efficient at mixing thick cookie doughs and you can knead bread easily with a dough hook, plus you don’t have to stand around holding a hand mixer while trying to add ingredients.

Mixer #1
My first stand mixer was a KitchenAid 4 1/2 Quart tilt head in white. I bought it at Best Buy because I could pay it off over a few months. I loved my KitchenAid and used it for everything, but mostly mixing cookie dough. I often made cookies or double batches of cookies for student meetings at work. The kids loved having homemade baked goods and I loved doing it. However, the double batches of cookies were taxing my little 4 1/2 quart mixer. Luckily I had just been paid for a Web design job and I had a little money to spare. This first mixer went to live with my sister, where it is still loved and well used.

Mixer #2
My second mixer is a KitchenAid Pro 6 in Imperial Gray. I’ve had Gunther (yes, I named him) for 5 years. He’s a lot bigger and more manly than my previous mixer. He was the biggest and best you could buy at the time. This model differed from my 4 1/2 quart in that you lift the bowl instead of attaching the bowl at the base and tilting the head. It took a little getting used to at first. Some people complain that it is harder to add ingredients. I don’t find that to be the case. With a tilt-head you have to shut the machine off to tilt the head. You can do the same and drop the bowl if you need more room to add ingredients. Mostly, I can add while the machine is running.

Gunther is pretty loud while running. He has a 450 watt motor, so that may be part of the reason. I’ve also heard that since the KitchenAid mixers are machined by hand they differ slightly from machine to machine. He may be loud but he’s worked very well for 5 years.

Mixer #3
Wait, I thought this was a “Tale of Two Mixers”? Well, it is because I only have two right now. My third KitchenAid mixer is a Pro 600 in Steel Blue. Why do I need another mixer? Well, it all has to do with my new passion for bread making and the new dough hook. KitchenAid, rascals that they are, came out with a new spiral dough hook which works really well for kneading dough. Initially, I thought I could just buy the new hook, but it does not work on the older models. Technically it would fit but the mechanism for kneading is more of an up/down motion on the new mixers and this new attachment would likely ruin my old mixer.

I tried to talk myself out of buying a new mixer and almost succeeded until I read all the rave reviews of refurbished mixers on the KA Forums. The price was great and it made the decision easier. I sold some old stuff on eBay and ordered my new mixer.

She arrived almost two weeks ago and I’m very pleased. She’s much quieter than Gunther even though she has a larger motor (525 Watts). The new dough hook works as promised and my breads have been coming out fluffy and light. The only flaws are that she has some nicks in the paint on her arms. These have been touched up and are only visible when the bowl is off. By the way, her name is Stella. Stella’s warranty is only 6 months instead of one year and doesn’t cover cosmetic issues.

So now what to do with two mixers? I could keep them both, but I don’t really have the room and it seems extravagant. I’ll likely sell Gunther, but I’d like him to go to a home with someone who will get the same joy and use out of him that I did. For now, he sits and waits.

Last September, I decided it would be nice to make birthday cakes for the people in my group. I work in a large department, but my group is only 8 people. It turned out that 3 of those people all have birthdays in September, so I was busy that month.

Bob’s favorite is German Chocolate. It turns out that it was Steve’s favorite too, but I didn’t have time to make one from scratch for him. Steve’s cake was a Duncan Hines mix. It was good, but not too chocolate-y. Bob was my first try at making one from scratch. I used the recipe from Cook’s Illustrated.

Differences Between the From Scratch Version and the Box Mix Version
I was quite pleased with the cake made from scratch. The cake had a deep chocolate taste, which the box mix was lacking. The pecan filling was sweet and nutty and did not have that artificial taste. There was also enough for all four layers. The tub of pecan frosting from the store was barely enough for two layers. I also had less doming with the from scratch version. The boxed cake domed terribly.

Doming Mishap (Box Cake)
I forgot that you had to even out the layers before icing. I iced it the night before and went to bed. The next morning I came down to find the cake in three pieces. I was ready to pitch it and go buy a cake when my husband suggested cutting it up before hand. It looked intentional that way and no one was the wiser.

Overall, it was worth the effort. I like the taste of box mix cakes, but I would rather know what was going into the cake using real whole foods and not a lot of chemicals. However, I’d still take a homemade cake made from a box over a grocery store cake any day.

German Chocolate Cake with Coconut-Pecan Filling

When you assemble the cake, the filling should be cool or cold (or room temperature, at the very warmest). To be time-efficient, first make the filling, then use the refrigeration time to prepare, bake, and cool the cakes. The toasted pecans are stirred into the filling just before assembly to keep them from becoming soft and soggy.

Serves 12 to 16

Filling
4 egg yolks
1 can evaporated milk (12 ounces)
1 cup granulated sugar (7 ounces)
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar (1 3/4 ounces)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (3/4 stick), cut into 6 pieces
1/8 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups sweetened shredded coconut (7 ounces)
1 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans (6 1/2 ounces), toasted on baking sheet in 350-degree oven until fragrant and browned, about 8 minutes

Cake
4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate , chopped fine
1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa , sifted
1/2 cup boiling water
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces), plus additional for dusting cake pans
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened
1 cup granulated sugar (7 ounces)
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar (about 4 3/4 ounces)
3/4 teaspoon table salt
4 large eggs , room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sour cream , room temperature

1. FOR THE FILLING: Whisk yolks in medium saucepan; gradually whisk in evaporated milk. Add sugars, butter, and salt and cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until mixture is boiling, frothy, and slightly thickened, about 6 minutes. Transfer mixture to bowl, whisk in vanilla, then stir in coconut. Cool until just warm, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cool or cold, at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. (Pecans are stirred in just before cake assembly.)

2. FOR THE CAKE: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine chocolate and cocoa in small bowl; pour boiling water over and let stand to melt chocolate, about 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth; set aside until cooled to room temperature.

3. Meanwhile, spray two 9-inch-round by 2-inch-high straight-sided cake pans with nonstick cooking spray; line bottoms with parchment or waxed paper rounds. Spray paper rounds, dust pans with flour, and knock out excess. Sift flour and baking soda into medium bowl or onto sheet of parchment or waxed paper.

4. In bowl of standing mixer, beat butter, sugars, and salt at medium-low speed until sugar is moistened, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula halfway through. With mixer running at medium speed, add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down bowl halfway through. Beat in vanilla; increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 45 seconds. With mixer running at low speed, add chocolate, then increase speed to medium and beat until combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl once (batter may appear broken). With mixer running at low speed, add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream (in 2 additions), beginning and ending with dry ingredients, and beating in each addition until barely combined. After final flour addition, beat on low until just combined, then stir batter by hand with rubber spatula, scraping bottom and sides of bowl, to ensure that batter is homogenous (batter will be thick). Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans; spread batter to edges of pans with rubber spatula and smooth surfaces.

5. Bake cakes until toothpick inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then invert cakes onto greased wire rack; peel off and discard paper rounds. Cool cakes to room temperature before filling, about 1 hour. (Cooled cakes can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 1 day.)

6. TO ASSEMBLE: Stir toasted pecans into chilled filling. Set one cake on serving platter or cardboard round cut slightly smaller than cake, and second cake on work surface (or leave on wire rack). With serrated knife held so that blade is parallel with work surface, use sawing motion to cut each cake into two even layers. Starting with first cake, carefully lift off top layer and set aside. Using icing spatula, distribute about 1 cup filling evenly on cake, spreading filling to very edge of cake and leveling surface. Carefully place upper cake layer on top of filling; repeat using remaining filling and cake layers. If necessary, dust crumbs off platter; serve or refrigerate cake, covered loosely with foil, up to 4 hours (if refrigerated longer than 2 hours, let cake stand at room temperature 15 to 20 minutes before serving).

But maybe it should be. We like pizza, as do most people. Our favorite is Angelo & Vinci’s in Fullerton, CA. A Z Pizza just opened up around the corner from our house. The Tuscan Mushroom is divine.

However, as I’ve been on my bread making marathon lately, it only made sense to try my hand at pizza. I’ve made it before and it’s fine, but nothing spectacular. I wanted to try baking on a cast iron pan. I read an article a month or so ago in the LA Times about this and thought it would be fun.

My best friend bought me a Le Creuset oval cast iron pan for my birthday last year. It’s a really pretty kiwi color, but I haven’t actually used it much. It’s kind of small for pizza, but I thought it was worth a try.

I made the dough recipe from the KitchenAid manual. It easy and quite tasty. After the dough had risen in my new dough bucket, I oiled the pan, spread some cornmeal and spread the dough onto the cold pan. It made quite a thick crust since the pan was small. I topped it with sauce, mozzarella cheese, veggie sausage and julienned sun-dried tomatoes.

Oh my was it good. I could have preheated the oven with the pan inside, but wasn’t sure how to get the pizza on without burning myself. It worked very well, even without preheating the pan.

With the success of the first experiment, I next tried a double crust pizza since the dough was almost too much for the small pan. Again, this was heaven. Even better, in my husband’s opinion. Now, however the gadget geek in me wanted a real 14″ cast iron pizza pan. The search was on. (To Be Continued..)

Pizza Dough Recipe
1 package instant yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon of honey
2 1⁄2 - 3 1⁄2 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon cornmeal

Mix 2 1/2 cups of flour with the yeast in a stand mixer fitted with dough hook for 20 seconds at Speed 2. Add salt and mix for 30 more seconds to combine. Combine water, honey and olive oil in a 2 cup measuring cup with spout. With mixer running at speed 2, add liquids slowly at edge of bowl. If more flour is needed, continuing on Speed 2, add remaining flour, 1⁄2 cup at a time, and mix about 1 1⁄2 minutes, or until dough starts to clean sides of bowl. You may not need extra flour.

Knead on Speed 2 for 2 - 3 minutes longer. Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover. Let rise in warm place (70 - 80 degrees), free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk. Gently punch dough down.

Brush a 14-inch pizza pan with oil. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Press dough across bottom of pan, forming a collar around edge to hold toppings.

Add toppings, as desired. Bake at 450°F for 15 to 20 minutes.
Yield: 4 servings (1⁄4 pizza per serving).

On the Cooks Illustrated Forums, I came across a lively thread about the No-Knead Bread phenomenon that has been sweeping the country. In November of 2006, the New York Times ran an article and video about an ingenious method to make hearth bread at home easily. You don’t need any special equipment or bread making skills. I was intrigued.

The only thing that might be considered special equipment is a covered vessel to bake the bread in. They used a cast iron dutch oven which I have. However they suggested a 6 -7 quart one and mine is only a 3 1/2 quart. Luckily as I read down the thread, this size actually works out better. The one problem is that the bread bakes in a hot oven, 450 - 500 degrees. The Le Creuset dutch oven that I have has a phenolic knob that is only oven safe to 350 degrees. Some people have covered the knob in foil or removed it before baking. I’ve experienced the catastrophe of baking plastic, so I wanted to avoid that mistake again.

There are a few options. You can remove the knob, cover it in foil and hope, or replace the knob with something that is oven safe. Luckily, or perhaps because of the new bread baking phenomenon, Le Creuset now makes a stainless steel knob that is safe at any oven temperature. It’s pretty too. I have one on order from Cutlery & More. In the interim, we went to the hardware store and bought a ceramic drawer knob. I’ve baked two loaves and this worked really well. It’s not as pretty as the Le Creuset, but it was only $1.69.

From what I understand, you can also bake the bread in Pyrex, stainless steel, basically any sturdy pot or lidded casserole that can withstand the heat.

I’ve been on this bread making kick lately. Blame Cooks Illustrated who had a two page spread last issue on bread making tips. They recommended stand mixers over hand kneading or bread machines. I have a bread machine. It works well, but is hard to store so is put away right now. I also have a KitchenAid 6 quart mixer, well I actually have two now, but that’s another story. It gets used often and sits on the counter. I wanted to try making bread this way to see if I still needed the bread machine.

For my first few loaves, I used a bowl covered with plastic wrap for the first rise. That worked out well, but I’m a gadget junkie. We were at a restaurant supply store (a candy store for foodies) to pick up a few flour scoops and I was drawn to the Cambro section. Cambro makes tons of stuff for restaurants including plastic containers. I use the square ones to store flour. They work nicely. Cooks Illustrated recommended using a straight sided container with a lid for the first rise. Their illustration looks just like the Cambro 4 quart, so of course I had to have one. They’re not expensive, about $10 - $12. I tried to talk myself out of it, thinking that I don’t have room. (I don’t.) Gadget geek that I am, I bought it anyway. I am really glad that I did.

The dough is rising much faster and more consistently and it’s much easier to tell when it’s doubled. The lidded container creates a nice warm moist environment for the yeast to do its work. The trick of using a rubber band to mark the dough is excellent too. Some gadgets are worth the price and finding the storage space. If you bake bread a lot, try it out. You can find them at Smart & Final stores in the Western US or restaurant supply stores. King Arthur Flour has a similar one online if you can’t find one locally.