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Don't Waffle about your favorite recipe (Down a Sourdough Rabbit Hole #3)

I tried two different waffle recipes, One was using an overnight sponge and one was mixed 1/2 hour before making. The 1st time I made the overnight sponge recipe, I thought thye were really good but the the next few times, they were ok. I saw this quicker recipe without the overnight wait and gave it a try. I think I like the quicker version better. They seem to hold up better if sharing them and if eating over the next few days. This may already be a known idea, but reheating the waffles using the waffle iron the next day makes them turn out like you just made them. I also experimented with some whipped butters. I made a maple with maple syrup, a raspberry with raspberry jam and a lemon with a bit of lemon juice and zest. The raspberry was the biggest hit. Here are the two recipes I tried: Overnight Sponge Waffles And here is the 30 minute version  30 Minute Waffles My opinion is that the overnight ones seems a bit lighter, but the 30 minute ones were tastier and easier.  Th
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It's a Snap (Sourdough Rabbit Hole Recipe #2)

Crackers are a great and easy way to use the sourdough discard if you are like me and do not like to throw things away.  I have tried two recipes and I much prefer the one with the olive oil as they are super easy to roll out.  The crackers though go from perfect to burned in about 2 seconds so you have to keep a close eye on them.   The couple is keeping an eye on the crackers.  I roll them on silicone mats and cut them with a pizza cutter into squares.  You also should poke each square with a fork so they don't puff up.  My recommendation is adding more herbs than noted in the recipe and a little more salt.   Olive Oil Recipe - the one I recommend.  This one does not have you cut them in squares, but I still like to do that.  You can experiment with flavored oils and different spices and herbs, but I have had the most luck with the Herbs de Provence https://www.loveandoliveoil.com/2019/03/sourdough-crackers-with-olive-oil-herbs.html Butter Recipe  - these are harder to mix and  r
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Your Guests Will Be Impressed (Sourdough Rabbit Hole Recipe #1)

I have made several sourdough recipes - breads, cakes, cookies, crepes, scones, waffles, biscuits, muffins, etc.  There a millions of recipes out there for starter, unfed to ripe. I am not looking to retype a recipe for you and call it my own, but rather link you to ones that worked (and did not work) for me with some simple tips that I found helpful. I find it really annoying to have to scan pages of pictures in order to get to a recipe so I am adding a few photos here but not photo after photo.  While some photos are helpful to see what dough looks like in a particular stage, I think you end up just getting a feel for it with the more recipes you try.   My 1st suggestion four a sourdough starter recipe is a focaccia.  It is not fussy to make and the finished product looks and tastes great.  If we ever have dinner parties again, this is a good one to pull out and your guests will be impressed even though it is pretty easy to make.  The photos below show the bubbly dough in the 1st ris
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Down a Sourdough Rabbit Hole (Sourdough Rabbit Hole Prologue)

When I first began my sourdough starter in March, I did not know quarantine sourdoughing was a thing. But I found myself home more like a lot of others and I had been wanting to try doing it and now I was home more to give it a try. Luckily, I had stocked up on flour as it got a little difficult to always count on being able to get it a few weeks in when everyone started stockpiling everything. I was not exempt from  the food hoarding phenomena and while I did not go completely crazy, I did keep on hand many more things that I normally would. It certainly was disconcerting to find yourself at a grocery store with shelves completely cleared out of many items and rationing in place. It makes you realize just how spoiled you are being able to get what you want on a whim.     So I started the process and now have been keeping it going for several months.  While sometimes it does seem like a chore to feed it, I mostly find it very interesting to see it grow and use it in many different reci
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Pate de Choux (British Baking Show - Bake #4)

I used the less fussy pate de choux recipe that I made growing up before I knew the correct french term for cream puff dough.   I have made it the fussy way and the way I will describe below and I don't really notice much difference.   Here is is:  Put one stick of butter in 1 cup of water and bring to a boil; add 1 cup of flour and stir until combined; remove from heat and add 4 eggs one at time making sure that each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. If you have never made these before, the dough gets slimy when you add the add and then you keep stirring and in a blink it incorporates into the dough.     For this bake, I made chocolate eclairs with chocolate glaze and regular cream puffs with a cardamom cream filling.   Pipe eclairs or puff onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment and cook until golden.  Cook time depends on the size of the puff but make sure to not take them out too early so they are able to have the right crisp and not be doughty inside. 
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The Tale of Two Ciabattas (British Baking Show - Bake #3)

The simple   Paul Hollywood Ciabatta Recipe .  How simple is it?  The ingredients are few and the technique seems simple but there is also a bit of practice makes perfect needed here. So far I have made two tries at it.   The flavor was good in both but I made a crucial error on the 1st try so it was a bit dense.  I should have paid attention tot the kind of yeast - Instant Yeast means Fast Acting Yeast and I just breezed right past that distinction the 1st time.   I have some pics of both tries below. They both mixed up very well and formed a lovely dough ball. Gluten is really amazing to watch form. Try 1   Try 2 Try 2 The problem was in the rise - see difference in size of dough before and after proofing               Try 1 Before Try 1 After               Try 2 Before Try 2 After The shaping of the dough is a little harder than it looks.  The dough is quite soft and sticky so you have to be decisive with your cuts and getting it on
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Buche De Noel (British Baking Show - Bake #2)

I have always wanted to make a Buche de Noel and this year I finally decided to jump in.  It wasn't perfect but it looked pretty darn good and tasted great.  And it was even gluten free so that everyone could enjoy it on Christmas Eve. Again, I did not find one recipe that fit the bill for what I was making so I used pieces of different recipes to make: A gluten free chocolate sponge, a french chocolate buttercream (so delicious) and meringue mushrooms as well as just regular whipped cream for the center. The "ribbons"  Add the chocolate and in the oven.   It is a very thin cake so make sure you watch the timing  Dust with cocoa powder and sugar to roll it up while it is still warm  Cool the cake completely while rolled up  Fille with cream and.... re-roll.   This was tricky and the cake was sticky.  I am not sure if that is related to the gluten free cake or if it is just tricky.  Even if it looks messed up a bit, keep going as the french chocolat
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