Baking

[onlyMark]

Mich, if you don't post a photo when you've done then it is commonly accepted that they don't exist.

[htmb]

What a great idea, Mich!

Mark, the breads look great!

My pizza doesn’t exist. It’s all gone now and I never took a photo. So, if it doesn’t exist then the calories don’t count?

[kerouac2]

I might make an onion and leek tart tonight. I bought the puff pastry already. I don't mind small amounts of "pastry" items as long as they are overwhelmed by the ingredients, just as I need a sandwich to be loaded with ingredients to appreciate it. I have always been a big fan of pastrami and Reuben sandwiches in delis in NYC because the bread disappears behind oll of the ingredients.

[onlyMark]

Nov 27, 2023 17:28:14 GMT htmb said:

My pizza doesn’t exist. It’s all gone now and I never took a photo. So, if it doesn’t exist then the calories don’t count?

That is quite correct. Also, if you forget you've eaten it the calories are actually negative.

Onion and leek sounds really good. I'm wondering about the pastry though. Is it on the bottom or top? If on the bottom and puff pastry, will it 'puff'? Or just end up being soggy?
On reply number 244 I made apricot and honey pastries. You can see the middle part where the apricot is, didn't puff up. I've had this problem before whereby the whole thing is covered and none of it cooks properly so what it did this time is cut the pastry to size then put some honey directly on baking paper, put apricot on that, then lay the pastry over the top. Baked it so the pastry did what it's supposed to do and turned them over for the last few minutes to finish off what was the bottom part of pastry but now the top.
With normal short crust which I would use for tart/quiche I blind bake it first so the pastry doesn't just absorb any damp/wet stuff and stay soggy.
So I was curious, that's all.

[kerouac2]

When you use puff pastry for something like this it is best to put it 'naked' in the oven for about 5 minutes to allow it to develop a bit (poking a fork into it everywhere). Then you can put the ingredients on and still have a flaky impression after its return to the oven.

[htmb]

Mark, your question/comment reminded me I’ve been wanting to try this for awhile. The puff pastry is placed on the top.

[onlyMark]

K2, I'll try that then.

Htmb, that looks a good idea. I may well try that as well.

[bixaorellana]

Nov 27, 2023 17:28:14 GMT htmb said:

So, if it doesn’t exist then the calories don’t count?

Coincidentally, I read an article by Calvin Trillin this morning in which he quotes his father. One of his father's dictums was that you could not gain more than one pound if you ate the entire one-pound box of chocolates because, "it stands to reason!".

[htmb]

I wish that were true, but I’m guessing it’s not always the case.

Anyway, my pizza was very good, (even with the nasty plant based cheese on top). Here’s the recipe I’ve been using the last couple of years:

[onlyMark]

Certainly crispy that one is.

Today I just did a quick thing with quark, mozzarella, spring onion and Serrano ham. Sprinkle of balsamic vinegar a la the chirpy southern cook with his upside down pizza thing.
Before and after. Nice and light and didn't end up with that over-full feeling. Too much pastry for K2 though -

[htmb]

Looks good. I’m going to have to give that a try, for the “fun” of it, if anything.

[fumobici]

Nov 26, 2023 18:01:06 GMT kerouac2 said:

I wish I liked baked goods more. In the abstract, they seem good and often look delicious, but I always find out almost immediately when I start eating them that I don't like bread, sandwiches, pizza, croissants or hamburgers (among many other things) as soon as they are in my mouth. Perhaps it is a wheat aversion? I really don't know.

That makes sense, fresh baked never will be as delectable as expiring offal from the ethnic market.

[kerouac2]

Okay, here's how I made my leek & onion tart, specially for Mark.

Obviously, you put the puff pastry in the pan to start and pierce it with a fork.



After spending 5 minutes or so in a 220° oven, it looks like this. (Keep an eye on it!)



I chopped the leeks (2 central sections) and one large onion and put them in a pan with butter and oil.



I confess that I sprinkled a little bit of parmesan on top. In only about 10 minutes, this was the result.



I ate two portions, so 50% of the tart is left. I don't know if it will still taste as good tomorrow.

[onlyMark]

Looks tasty. I'll have a go at that technique. I wonder though if the filling is wetter, like a quiche, it would be ok. I might have a go at that as well.

[bjd]

I usually make leek pies with bechamel sauce. Sometimes I add a few pieces of ham if I have some available but don't add onions. I precook the leeks for a few minutes but not the pie crust.

[kerouac2]

With my technique, the pie crust remains flaky and light underneath. Maybe some people would prefer it to be moist, no problem.

[mich64]

Nov 27, 2023 17:00:06 GMT onlyMark said:

Mich, if you don't post a photo when you've done then it is commonly accepted that they don't exist

I wish I could post a picture! I forget how to do that. It did happen though! They were delicious (if I may say so myself!) and my mom enjoyed them very much with the comment "I wish I was in your kitchen watching you!" She does remember that I do not bake very often and it took some convincing that I made them.

[onlyMark]

Well done Mich. It's always good to have a success at baking, at least for me anyway because it's all too easy to muck it up somehow. My usual is to get distracted and forget I've got something in the oven.

[cheerypeabrain]

These bakes all look delicious. My lovely 10 year old oven is knackered so we've had to order a new one. Not been able to bake all week but I'll enjoy running in the new one when it gets here on Monday.

It has a slide and hide oven door like the old one, but it isn't as pretty...cost almost twice as much too but I guess that's to be expected.

[lugg]

Om my so many good pies and pizzas .

[onlyMark]

My daughter decided to bake a cake today. Normally I would help, or as she puts it, 'interfere'. I looked at the recipe which seemed easy enough but saw there was no rising agent. She wanted to try it anyway because 'if it was on the internet it must be ok'. I left her to it.
Nope.
She wasn't happy because it was like a brick.
Tomorrow she'll try again but I'll give her one other ingredient and she can see what will happen.

[mich64]

Dec 2, 2023 21:02:39 GMT onlyMark said:

Tomorrow she'll try again but I'll give her one other ingredient and she can see what will happen.

Looking forward to hearing the rest of the story tomorrow then.

[htmb]

I’ll be making another pizza tomorrow so I can use up the rest of the sauce. The one I made last weekend did not have much of a rise, even though the yeast I used was fresh enough and in an unopened packet. Tonight I used a packet that was slightly fresher, and I can already tell it’s going to have a better rise.

[cheerypeabrain]

'Our' (MY!) new oven was delivered yesterday and Jeff fitted it (he is a competent electrician). I immediately baked a victoria sandwich as a test run...and this evening knocked up a beefsteak and onion pie (& a thick red wine gravy) with rough puff pastry. I would have taken some photos but jeff was waiting for his dinner. Very nice they were.

[onlyMark]

Dec 2, 2023 22:57:07 GMT mich64 said:

Looking forward to hearing the rest of the story tomorrow then.

Forgot to take a photo but it rose well and tasted good. So she now knows what the problem was.

[mich64]

Dec 6, 2023 8:59:48 GMT onlyMark said:

Forgot to take a photo but it rose well and tasted good. So she now knows what the problem was.

So now I have to ask what the ingredient you suggested was?

[onlyMark]

Just baking powder. That was what was missing.

[bixaorellana]

Probably all you bakers out there already know this, but a teensy shot of vinegar into any batter containing baking soda will guarantee a nice loft to the bake. Add it just before pouring into the mold.

[kerouac2]

Isn't beer also a rising agent?

[htmb]

Tonight I made a vegan apple crumble that was really good. I followed this recipe.