Monday, October 17, 2011

As American as Apple Pie


Who doesn't love apple pie? I mean, come on; there is nothing like a slice of warm pie with a heaping scoop of premium vanilla ice cream melting right next to it. Can we say, "comfort on a plate." There are so many things that are great about apple pie, like it makes your house smell soooooo good! Also it has apples in it, so it must be healthy (just ignore how much sugar and butter go into it). It tastes great with vanilla ice cream. Poor vanilla ice cream doesn't get to much press these days, but throw down a warm piece of apple pie and it knows it's going to be the supporting star. It tastes great the next morning cold, and in the case of Mr. Woodward, right out of the pie plate. Hey, who needs a plate right, I'm sure he's just trying to save me the trouble of washing an extra plate later. Thanks honey!

Forever ago (ok, more like a year ago), a very good friend of mine asked me to show her how to make an apple pie. I got a little busy what with my husband being deployed, being pregnant, then taking care of five kids. I always say better late than never, so Jana, this ones for you, sweetie! I hope you enjoy it.


Pie is just as much about the crust as it is about the filling. If your crust gets soggy, no one is going to want to eat it. Nobody likes limp pie, trust me. So step one, GREAT crust!

The type of crust we're going to make is called, Pâte Brisée. Everything sounds better in French, doesn't it? We would call it a mealy pie crust. What would you rather eat mealy pie crust or pâte brisée? Like we really even need to vote on this, moving on.


Ingredients:

1 lb 4 oz (570 g) bread flour
12 oz (340 g) cake flour
1 Tbsp (15 g) salt
12 oz (340 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 oz (115 g) lard, at room temperature *
2 eggs
1/3 cup (80 ml) ice water
1 Tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice

*I used shortening instead. The idea of going up to the check out counter with a big o'l tub of lard was just too much for me. If you have issues with buying lard like I do, then it is just as good to use Crisco. For those of you braver then I, rock on!

Directions:

1. Using the paddle attachment on the mixer, blend together the bread flour, cake flour, salt, butter, and lard (or Crisco) at low speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary.

2. Combine the eggs, water, and lemon juice. Incorporate the liquid and blend only until the mixture forms a dough; do not over mix.

3. Cover the dough and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hrs.

**Special Note: I made both the crust dough and the filling the night before. That way all I had to do the next day was assemble it all together and bake it. Also, this crust will be a little stiffer than a flaky crust, but trust me, it's worth the extra muscle (and possible yelling fit at the dough) to get this great crust.



Step Two: Awesome filling!

Apple Pie Filling

Ingredients:

5 lbs (2 kg 275 g) cooking apples, such as Pippin, Granny Smith, or Golden Delicious. It ends up being about 11-12 apples; I used Granny Smith.
10 oz (285 g) unsalted butter
2 tsp (3 g) ground cinnamon
1 lb (455 g) granulated sugar

2 oz (55g) melted unsalted butter (used for brushing the top of the pie)



Peel,core, and halve the apples. Cut the halves in 1/4-inch (6-mm) slices. Melt the first measurement of butter in a large skillet or saute pan.




Add the apples and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.



Mix the ground cinnamon into the sugar. Add this to the apples, stirring until thoroughly combined. The juice released from the apples in combination with the melted sugar will cause a large amount of liquid to collect in the pan.




Continue cooking the apples, still stirring frequently, until they are caramelized and translucent but still firm to the touch. Depending on the apples used and their stage of ripeness, it may be necessary to remove some of the liquid to expedite the caramelizing process and avoid over cooking the apples. If so, boil the liquid in a separate pan until it is reduced to a thick syrup, then add it back to the apples.

Now at this point I put the apples in an air tight container and put it in the refrigerator over night. I didn't need the pie till the following evening, so I decided to not assemble it till about 90 minutes before we had to leave with it. However, you can assemble the pie after the apples are done cooking as well. And that is where we will continue.


While the apples are cooking, roll out a portion of the pâte brisée into a 11-in circle, about 1/8-inch (3 mm) thick, using flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Line a 10-inch pie plate with the dough. Trim or flute the edges at this point. Place in refrigerator till ready to use.




Once the apples are done cooking allow them to cool to just above room temperature. Brush some of the melted butter over the bottom of the lined pie plate. Fill the crust with the apples, shaping them into an even mound on the top. (sorry, not sure why Mr. Woodward didn't get a picture of this. Probably because he was sneaking pieces of the apple filling while I was working)



Roll out another portion of dough (large enough to make a rectangle 9-inches wide). I trimmed mine up with a pizza cutter. I would also suggest using a ruler for this next part. Our children misplaced ours, so the strips for the lattice didn't come out perfectly straight.





Cut 3/8-inch strips and arrange on top of apples in a lattice pattern (instructions follow). Pinch the ends of the strips against the edge of the bottom crust.



To make a lattice crust:

Evenly space strips of dough vertically across the pie, letting the ends hang over.


Starting with the strip on the left lift up and fold back every other strip halfway.



Place a strip of dough horizontally across the center of the pie. Return the folded strips to their original position so they cross over the horizontal strip.




Starting with the second strip from the left this time, fold back every other strip. Place a second horizontal strip, evenly spaced, below the first. Return the folded strips to their original position.




Repeat this pattern until you have covered the bottom half of the pie, then turn the pie around and repeat with the other half.



Trim the edges of your pie if necessary (and don't forget to pinch the edges).



Brush the remainder of the melted butter over the lattice strips.




Bake at 375 F (190 C) for approximately 1 hour. Let cool a bit, then serve with ice cream, either vanilla or cinnamon, if you can find it.



By the time I got around to taking a picture of it on a plate this is what was left. No one in my house has any patience.




This pie is just as amazing the next day, cold (this is when I finally got to take a picture of it on a plate; it was the last piece left).




Something I love:
I love my apple peeler, corer, slicer from Pampered Chef®. It cuts the apples a little thinner (which just means you have to keep a closer eye on them while they are cooking), but saves me so much time. I have had this since Mr. Woodward and I got married, WOW almost 11 yrs. I love it!

I hope you all enjoy this, I know my family did. Nothing like an empty pie plate to make a baker's heart happy.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Rosemary Bread


Here's what I love about bread, it's soft and chewy on the inside, crunchy on the outside, makes you feel good just by smelling it. It tastes good with butter on it, it tastes good with meat on it, it tastes good with cheese on it. Yup, you can put anything on it and it's still amazing. Bread is WONDERFUL (just ask my waistline)! If my life were a musical movie, I'd be breaking into song right now about my love for bread (it may have secretly already happened); instead I'll just post how to make this aromatic bread, then you can break out in song at your house.
So I learned quite a few things making this bread. First, I need a larger mixer; second, I need double ovens (I'm talking to you, Mr. Woodward); third, sometimes it's better to make a smaller batch.
I decided to make a regular sized batch (6 loaves), but I'll be giving you the recipe for the smaller batch (2 loaves). The reason for this is because most standard mixers can't handle the amount of dough in the larger recipe. I know from personal experience. It wasn't pretty. I ended up having to divide the dough in half, kneading half by hand and the other in the mixer with the dough hook. If you happen to have a larger mixer, let me know and I'll send you the larger recipe. Ok, let's get to baking.

Somethings that I can't live without in the world of baking are:

My scale. LOVE IT!


My scraper. It is great for a couple of reasons; one, it has a sharp edge to cut my dough with; second, it is great for lifting dough off the counter as well as scraping various things into other things. Don't you just love my very eloquent review. It really is a great tool to have in the kitchen, whether it be for baking or cooking.

Special Equipment:

mixer with dough hook
food scale
scraper
pastry brush
parchment paper
serrated bread knife

Ingredients

11 g (3/4 oz) dry yeast (or 22 g fresh compressed yeast)
1 1/2 cups (360 ml) warm water (105 F to 115 F)
22 g (1 1/2 Tbsp) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (80 ml) olive oil
10 g ( 2 Tbsp) fresh rosemary, finely chopped (I used 5 g (1 Tbsp) dried crushed rosemary)
15 g (1 Tbsp) salt
1 lb 4 oz (570 g) bread flour
Egg wash (4 eggs, 1/2 tsp salt)

Directions

1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Stir in the sugar, oil, rosemary, and enough of the flour to make a smooth, non-sticky dough.



2. Knead, using the dough hook, at medium speed for 6 to 8 minutes. The dough will get a little looser as it becomes smoother.
3. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Punch down the dough, then let it rise 30 minutes longer.



4. Punch the dough down again and divide into 2 pieces, approximately 1 pound (455 g ) each. Shape the pieces into tight oval loaves that spring back when lightly pressed but are not so taut that the skin on the dough breaks. Place the loaves on sheet pans lined with parchment paper (see instructions on how to shape dough at end of post).





5. Brush egg wash over the loaves. Let rise until slightly less than doubled in volume.





6. Using a serrated knife and starting in the center, cut halfway into each loaf at a 45-egress angle.




7. Bake at 400 F until the loaves sound hollow when tapped, about 35 minutes. Place the loaves on racks to cool.


If this is well wrapped it can be stored in the freezer for several weeks. If you only need one loaf of bread you can use the other half of the dough as a pizza crust, YUM!
Special thanks to my girls, F & E for all their help punching the dough. For once they weren't hitting each other. Love my little flour girls!


Special Instructions on how to shape dough:
To make round or oval loaves of bread, put the required weight of dough on the table in front of you and cup our hand around it. Using primarily the section of your palm at he base of the thumb, knead and move the dough around counterclockwise as you lift one section at a time from the outside and press it down in the center, forming a tight skin around the dough. When you have worked all the way around the circle a few times and the dough is tight, gradually turn it upside-down, using the same movements, so that the seam is now on the bottom. Hold the side of your hand against the table and form the loaf into a round or oval as desired.