Lemon Meringue Pie

A lemon memory: my cousin Y- ate them like you would eat an orange.

I kid you not.
Wish I took some pictures as evidence.

Lemon Meringue Pie has been on my agenda for quite awhile now.
Never got around to it.

Before the trip to the oven. Obviously :)

After the trip to the oven. Obviously :)

To be honest, I was am (still) skeptical of my pie-making abilities.
Last time I tried making pie-crust.. let's just say.. I failed
Solution: short-crust pastry (which turned out to be.. puff pastry.)
Great.

After a quick run to the store, I had in my hands a  9'' pie shell.
Yes, I cheated.

I promise for next time, I'll start from scratch.

Lemon Meringue Pie

from 500 Fabulous Cakes and Bakes

1 9-inch pie shell eg Tenderflake
grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
1 cup plus 1 tbsp cold water
1/2 cup caster sugar plus 6 tbsp extra
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp cornflour
3 eggs, separated
pinch of salt

Prepare pie shell using directions on box.

In a saucepan, combine the lemon rind and juice with 1 cup of the water, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and the butter. Bring to boil. Dissolve the cornflour in the remaining water. Add the egg yolks. Beat into the lemon mixture, return to boil and whisk until thick, about 5 minutes. Cover the surface with greaseproof paper and leave to cool. Pour into the baked, cooled crust.

For the meringue, beat the egg whites with the salt and extra sugar on medium-high speed until glossy and stiffly peaking.

Spoon the lemon mixture into the pastry case. Spoon the meringue on top, making sure it adheres to the crust (so that it does not expose the curd). Bake until golden, 12-15 minutes. Before serving, let the pie cool until the filling has set.

Soft White Bread

Went through another 10kg of ap flour.

This time, I plan on getting bread flour.
A new adventure, that's for sure.

It makes sense though since bread is the only thing I've been baking lately.
No cookies, muffins, crumbles.. even pound cakes (gasp)

Mommy slicing the bread with my new-ish bread knife

But of course, I'll end up getting ap flour as well.
I never know when I'll need it, right?

I've been on the look out for a softer, fluffier white bread.

The Amish White Bread is yummy (and sweet) but I could do with less density.
And being an amateur baker, I have no clue how to fix it.

Hence, the new recipe.

My brother says: "It tastes like 'real' bread".
At first, I was happy to hear that. But now I'm thinking.. what's 'real' bread anyway?
I guess it translates to store-bought bread.

But enough talking.


Soft White Bread
adapted from The Fresh Loaf (submitted by kjknits)

2 C water
1/4 C butter
2 tbsp sugar
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (or 2 tsp instant yeast)
2 tsp kosher salt
6 C all purpose flour

Warm water and butter in a glass bowl in the microwave for 1 minute and 10 seconds, on high. Combine. Add sugar and yeast; let proof for a few minutes, until foamy. (When using instant yeast, mix it in with the flour) Add 3 cups of flour and salt. Using a wooden spoon, combine thoroughly. Add remaining flour 1 C at a time.

Knead for 5-6 minutes (using windowpane test if necessary). Round dough out, then place in a lightly oiled bowl, coating the top with oil. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch down dough, divide in half, and form into loaves (roll starting on short side and seal edges). Place loaves in greased pans.  Cover and let rise for another 30 minutes. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for about 27 minutes, or until browned and hollow-sounding when thumped.

(Amish) White Bread

So..

After I made the Honey Whole Wheat Bread my dear brother, despite eating it yummyly, complained he didn't like whole wheat.

So in order to satisfy my brother's wishes: tadaaaa.

But to be honest, that's just an excuse ;)


Amish White Bread
from allrecipes 

2 cups warm water
2/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 cups bread flour (but all-purpose works just fine) 

In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.

Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

 

 
  

Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.

Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 30 minutes.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

This was the first time I made bread since my yeast-craze in September.

It was 11:00 PM when the bread came out of the oven.

In 10 minutes, half of it was gone.

Have you ever tasted warm, homemade bread just out of the oven?

Trust me. You'd want to try it.

It's that good.

Honey Whole What Bread
adapted from allrecipes.com

1 1/8 cups warm water
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast 

In a large bowl, dissolve the honey in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.

Mix salt and butter into the yeast. Mix in flour. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

(I usually put a bowl of water in the microwave on high for 3 minutes and let the dough rest inside.)

Place into well oiled loaf pan. (You can allow to rise further for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans; I was running out of time so I cheated and left it for maybe 10 minutes)

Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 25 minutes or until bread is golden brown.

Blueberries-and-Cream Mall Muffins

Our house is overflowing with frozen berries after a summer of nothing but berry picking:

raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries.

And apparently, my mom likes muffins.

I always thought pound cake was her only preference.

Well, she also said flat muffins didn't taste as good as the huge mushroom cap muffins.


Right...

Anyhow... voilà!

Blueberries-and-Cream Mall Muffins

from A Passion for Baking by Marcy Goldman

2 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
4 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp each pure lemon and orange extract, optional
5 cups, approximately, all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
(to substitute: 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice + milk to make 1 cup; let sit for 5 - 10 minutes)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups semi-frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 425 F. Arrange oven rack to middle position (which is the upper third of many ovens).

Generously spray a 12-cup large or standard muffin pan or a 24-cup small muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray and then line with paper muffin liners. Place pan on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

In a mixer bowl, blend sugar with oil and butter. Briskly add eggs, vanilla, and other extracts. Fold in 4 coups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Blend somewhat before next blending in buttermilk and sour cream. Batter should be quite thick; if not, add a touch more flour. Gently fold in berries with a spatula, trying not to break them apart.

Using a large ice-cream scoop, scoop a very large amount of batter into prepared muffin cups, loading them as full as you can. You need almost a scoop and a half of batter per cup. Dust tops of mussinw tiah little sugar. (optional)

Bake 15 minutes at 425°F (220°C); then reduce oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) and bake until muffins are golden brown and spring back when gently pressed with fingertips, about 12 to 16 more minutes. Let col 5 minutes before removing from pan.

For two 8- x 4-inch loaves, bake at 350°F (175°C) for 45 minutes or more, using same fingertip test for doneness.