Grandma's Apple Cake.

This weekend i borrowed my Grandmother's recipe book. For some reason i'd been craving an apple cake she used to make all the time when i was little. After a trip to the orchard to pick up a bushel of apples to make apple butter, i thought i'd use some leftovers to make this cake. It was also a great excuse to write down the recipes of hers i love the most.

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Grandma's Apple Cake

3 c flour

¼ c orange juice

1 T baking powder

2 c sugar

4 eggs

2 ½ t vanilla

1 t salt

4 apples peeled and sliced

¾ c sugar mixed with 1 t cinnamon

Place all ingredients in large bowl except apples and cinnamon sugar. Mix until just combined. Pour half of the batter into greased tube or bundt pan, add ½ the apples and cinnamon sugar, repeat. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until tester comes out clean. 

Bibimbap Mondays!

I finally got around to making this Korean dish called Bibimbap that i've been craving for weeks. It's SUPER complicated, and takes a million and twenty steps, but it's so completely worth it and perfect for spring. The recipe i used was this one, i'd highly recommend it if you have some time on your hands. I adjusted everything a little bit to my liking, but that is the general gist.

A day spent making bread, pt. II.

Pulla bread was something i stumbled upon randomly and decided i wanted to tackle. I was drawn in purely because of its aesthetics and after making it i can safely say it's delicious to boot.

Finnish Pulla Bread

+ 2 cups milk

+ 1/2 cup warm water

+ 1 cup sugar

+ 1 tsp. salt

+ 1 tsp. ground cardamom

+ 1 packet rapid rise yeast

+ 9 cups flour

+ 4 eggs

+ 1/2 cup butter, melted

+ 1 egg, beaten for top of bread

+ sugar, for dusting

• 
  
• Directions

1. Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Let cool until lukewarm.
2. Stir in the lukewarm milk, sugar, salt, cardamom, 4 eggs. In a large bowl combine yeast and 2 cups of flour. Add milk mixture to flour and beat until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add about 3 cups of the flour and beat well; the dough should be smooth and glossy in appearance. Add the melted butter or margarine, and stir well. Beat again until the dough looks glossy. Stir in the remaining flour until the dough is stiff. You may need to use slightly more than the recipe calls for.
3. Turn out of bowl onto a floured surface, cover with an inverted mixing bowl, and let rest for 15 minutes. Knead the dough until smooth and satiny. Place in a lightly greased mixing bowl, and turn the dough to grease the top. Cover with a clean dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Punch down, and let rise again until almost doubled.
4. Turn out again on to a floured surface, and divide into 3 parts. Divide each third into 3 again. Roll each piece into a 12 to 16 inch strip. Braid 3 strips into a loaf. You should get 3 large braided loaves. Lift the braids onto greased baking sheets. Let rise for 20 minutes.
5. Brush each loaf with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
6. Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes. Check occasionally because the bottom burns easily. You may need to cover half way through baking with foil to avoid burning the top of the loaf.

A day spent making bread, pt. I.

Today a large portion of my day was spent making bread. Not one type of bread but two very different kinds. One sweet, one savory, it seemed like the perfect balance. The first was a loaf of Olive and Sea Salt Sourdough. Adapted from a basic bread recipe i make on a (sometimes more than) weekly basis. The recipe is as follows, i'd highly recommend it.

Basic No-Knead Bread

+ 6 cups flour

+ 1/2 tsp. rapid rise yeast

+ 2 tsp. salt

+ 2-3 cups cool water

Mix together dry ingredients throughly. Add water in increments until dough is shaggy and sticky, but will keep its shape somewhat. Cover with cling film and let rise for anywhere between 12-18 hours (easiest if done overnight). Lightly flour and work surface and place dough on it. Fold it over itself two or three times, forming a loose ball. Cover gently with cling film and let rise 15 minutes. Form dough into another ball quickly, but gently and place again on floured work surface. Cover with a cotton dishtowel and let rise for 2 hours. Turn over to 450 degrees and let the 6-8 quart cast iron or enamel pot warm as the oven heats up. Place dough seam side up into the hot pot and shake to evenly distribute dough. Bake with the lid on for 30 minutes, then lid off for 15 until browned. Cool on a rack.

(In order to make this an Olive and Sea Salt loaf fold in diced black olives and sprinkle with flaky sea salt before baking.)

Recipe and pictures for Pulla coming next!

Sometimes Old Is Best, Pt. II.

Yes, it's real folks. Hot dog pie.

More Chocolate Than A Human Needs

The first cookie baking happened today. These are ridiculously decadent chocolate cookies, adapted slightly from this recipe. Surprisingly fast to make even though there are a few steps involved. Highly recommended for those who love chocolate.