Saturday, February 23, 2013

Baking Again

It got pretty cold here again last night, 19° so we still have our layer of icy stuff.  Today should melt some and tomorrow in the 50's should take care of the rest....

I vowed not to feed the birds from the porch again because of the mess, but with ice on everything I knew they needed to be fed.  I finally caught a few of them but with everything in gray shades it is hard to pick them out.  There are 6 here.



Cooking

I made the new cookies from the recipe my Sis sent me.  It was from Williams-Sonoma.  It is a keeper.



Cookies-Williams Sonoma Coconut Butterscotch Chip (equally good with chocolate chip)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a parchment lined cookie sheet.
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. Salt (I would use only ¼ next time)
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
½ tsp. pure vanilla
1 egg
1 ¾ cups sweetened, dried flaked coconut
1 1/2 cups chocolate or butterscotch chips ( I used chocolate)
½ cups finely chopped pecans (recipe didn’t call for nuts but I added them anyway)
Sift flour baking powder, soda and salt together in a bowl or on a sheet of waxed paper.
Cream butter on high speed until light yellow and fluffy. Add sugars and continue beating until no longer grainy to the touch. (I just creamed them well. Add vanilla and egg and beat until well mixed then on low speed, stir in flour mixture. Lastly add nuts and chips and continue stirring until well blended. Drop on prepared cooky sheet with rounded Tablespoon or with dampened hands shape into 1 inch balls. (I used my scoop which is about a rounded T., the shaping was going to take longer than I wanted to mess around with. The scoop worked fine.) Bake for about 15-17 min. until the edges are barely golden. Don't over cook.

I baked these one day and then the next, yesterday, I made  my first loaf of Challah.  I wasn't really too worried about making it....I have been making bread for several years.  Well, darlings, this was a bit of a challenge for me!  Not making it, that was very normal.  Then came the braiding.  First I thought this would be a simple thing so I opted for the 4 braid....after several sweaty attempts to do this one, I lobbed the dough back together and kneaded it into one ball.  Divided it into three ropes and began
  again.  Even this was not an easy task. First thing I know I did wrong was  the first of the braid wasn't tight enough.  It came out OK but is not very professional looking.  I will do better next time (I hope).  

I will be making it again.  It is a wonderful, rich and soft bread and we are loving it.

I used the recipe in Williams-Sonoma once again and I hope this link works.  http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/challah.html?cm_src=RECIPESEARCH


and this is a slice that I hope shows the fine texture,


DH was very impressed; he really likes a soft, moist bread.  It toasted nicely for breakfast.





Farm Notes:  February 22, turned bull into lot with Jewel and Willow. Random Dog Picture

I think I will use the small heater in the background for her pictures so we can guage her growing,  My Sis likes updates and it is hard to measure her.



18 comments:

  1. Moist bread, warm cookies and a fine looking dog, nothing much better than that.

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    1. It works for me. I live a simple life.......

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  2. The bread looks wonderful, I'll have to try it. Nice soft bread is always a treat. We missed on the snow fall, how lucky you are to get it. The slower it melts the beter for the soil. Enjoy that sweet pup

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    1. Try the bread; I don't think you will be disappointed in it.

      We are grateful for every drop of moisture we get.

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  3. The Challah looks delicous! I like to make bread, but don't do it very often. This looks like a fun one to try.

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    1. Give it a try and then let me know how you get along with the braiding. That was almost my 'Waterloo'.

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  4. Your bread braid looks marvelous. You did a beautiful job, and you get to eat mistakes! Yum!
    We got about 8 inches of snow, its in the mid 30's here now, as I was out running errands. We have some more snow on the way for Sunday.
    Sugar is getting very lovely and feminine looking. She is very sweet.
    Enjoy your weekend.
    Hugs

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    1. Enjoy your weekend. I hope you do find some time just for you....you deserve and need it.

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  5. Glenda,

    Yum, this bread looks delicious. Another recipe I need to try :-)

    Sugar is growing up so fast, she adorable. What has her interest in this picture?

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    1. Me and the camera or DH standing off behind me.

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  6. Hi Glenda,
    I haven't made challah bread for a long time. Your pretty loaf makes me want to make some again. How old is your dog? It looks like she found a good spot to be, by the heater.

    Thanks for your comment on my last post. Larry thought I was goofy to post a photo of my ankle, and maybe I was, but it is on the top of my mind these days. I did wonder if I could email a photo to the dermatologist's office. I should check that out.

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    1. I may have my retired RN sister take a look; she should have been a doctor. She keeps up on everything and is my 'go to' person when in doubt medically speaking.

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  7. Williams Sonoma has always had some great recipes. That English Muffin Bread that I make sometimes was out of their catalog that I used to get, back when there was no such thing as the internet and e-mail.

    Sugar is sure growing. She will be a wonderful guard dog, being smart enough to know who she loves and what's normal out there on the farm. All that "puppy stuff" will settle down in due time. She'll learn a lot this summer.

    I've been thinking of you a lot lately, wondering if you got things straightened out and all, so I was glad to see your post.

    This Sunday's supposed to be our only nice day, weather-wise, for the week here. I hope it'll be a nice day for you too. It's supposed to be windy here though. Hugs, Ilene

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  8. "Living and Gardening in the Ozarks" has been included in the A Sunday Drive for this week. Be assured that I hope this helps to point even more new visitors in your direction.

    http://asthecrackerheadcrumbles.blogspot.com/2013/02/a-sunday-drive_24.html

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  9. Thank you Jerry; I am honored. You do know I am not really striving for a large following. I am just keeping my old written journal online now. If anyone enjoys it or learns anything at all, I am delighted.

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  10. I found you through Jerry too. Nice to meet you.

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  11. Your baking adventures never cease, do they? I can only imagine the rich taste of your well-braided challa. And Sugar sure is getting to be a big girl. Bet she's a lot of help in the kitchen, too. :-D

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