Nailed It!
Learning how to Bake
As a part of SSP, students are expected to spend about 5 hours each week learning a skill that they have never done before. I chose to dedicate my 5 hours to learning how to bake - a skill I've notoriously been terrible at. I spent each Saturday baking a new, difficult dish from scratch.
Churros
RECIPE:
Add 1 cup of water, 6 tbsp of unsalted butter, 3 tbsp of sugar, and a pinch of salt to a pot
Cook on medium-low heat until it comes to a simmer
Turn off the heat and add 1 cup of flour
Mix until smooth dough forms
Transfer to a bowl and let cool
In a separate bowl mix sugar and cinnamon sugar
Add 2 eggs and 2 tsp vanilla to the dough and mix
Heat oil to 350ºF and fill a piping bag with dough
Cook until golden brown and set aside onto paper towels
Roll churros in sugar mixture
“That’s a good tasting Churro”
Macarons
Recipe (Shell):
Heat a small pot of water on medium-low heat until it steams
In a bowl above the pot, add 3 egg whites and 3 tbsp of sugar
Whisk eggs and sugar until frothy
In a stand mixer, whisk eggs on high speed, adding ½ cup sugar and food coloring until stiff peaks form
Sift 1 cup almond flour, 1 cup powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt twice before adding the mix to the meringue
Whisk at medium speed for about 5 seconds
Gently fold batter with a spatula until you can make figure eights
Pipe into circles and bang sheet to remove air bubbles
Air dry for 15-30 minutes before baking at 300ºF for 13 minutes
Recipe (Filling):
With an electric mixer, mix 6 tbsp room temperature butter, 2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tbsp milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp coconut extract, and a pinch of salt
Mix until fluffy
Filling was runny
Cookie was a bit hollow/easy to break
Over mixed or underbaked
Really sweet
Pretty yummy
Family liked it
Macaroons
RECIPE:
Mix 6 cups of coconut flakes, a pinch of salt, 14 oz of sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla
Beat 2 egg whites until stiff peaks form
Fold egg whites into coconut mixture
Roll into balls and bake at 350ºF for 20 min
Rotate pan halfway to ensure an even bake
Optional: dip in melted chocolate
A bit sticky
Sweet
Easy to make
Roti
RECIPE:
Add all-Purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, oil, salt, and water into a bowl
Mix with hands while adding water as needed
The consistency should be a smooth dough that's not too sticky
Knead the dough and pour a bit of oil/butter on it
Rest for 30 minutes
Separate dough into balls and roll thin, adding butter
Roll the flat dough into a cone, then wrap into a ball
Cover and rest for 10 minutes
Roll thin and spread butter on it
Fry on medium heat
If you want Paratha, beat & separate roti to get flaky layers
I don't use measurements
I've made this before but still trying to perfect it
This batch was a bit sweeter
Too tiny pieces when beat into paratha
Bear Claws
RECIPE:
Cut a sheet of puff pastry into 6 rectangles
Flatten almond paste (could make from scratch) and place in the middle of the pastry
Seal the sides with water and fold over
Cut 3 slits less than halfway through the pastry, creating the claw sheets
Coat with an egg wash (I personally make mine with an entire egg and salt)
Sprinkle with sliced almonds
Bake at 400ºF for 15 minutes
Mix powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until you get an icing texture you like
Wait for the bear claws to fully cool down before drizzling the icing.
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I feel like I could make my own Almond Paste and get a better texture
Yummy
A favorite of all the treats I've made so far
Snickerdoodles
RECIPE:
Cream 1 cup of butter and 1 ¼ cups of sugar in a stand mixer
Add 1 egg, 1 tbsp honey, and a splash of vanilla
Once fully combined, mix in 2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour, 1 tsp of baking soda, and salt
In a different bowl, mix ¼ cup of sugar and 1 ½ tsp of cinnamon
Roll the dough into small balls, then roll into the sugar mixture
Bake at 350ºF for 11-13 minutes
Really good
Easy to make
They dried up pretty quickly (3 days)
Lemon-Raspberry Cookies
RECIPE:
Mix ½ cup of sugar and lemon zest (1 large lemon's worth) into a bowl with fingers
Mix in ½ cup of room temperature butter and ¼ cup brown sugar on med-high speed for 3-4 minutes
Add 1 egg yolk, 1 tbsp lemon juice, and vanilla.
Slowly mix salt, ½ tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp baking soda, and 1 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour.
Chop half a handful of frozen raspberries and lightly fold into cookie dough. (DON'T OVER MIX!!!)
Bake at 350ºF fro 12-15 minutes.
I feel like I could make my own Almond Paste and get a better texture
Yummy
A favorite of all the treats I've made so far
