Cinnamon rolls

I've been trying various cinnamon roll recipes for a while. I don't like any of them. While normal recipes I can easily adjust, baking is so based in chemistry that I struggle. I mean, I've spent a year working on my bread recipe.

For Christmas I got Baking With Julia andI love it. I made the Pecan Sticky Buns and they might make me cry. Brioche ough that you fold butter into like puff pastry. The ingredients list could give a cardiologist a chest pain, with its 6 eggs and 5 sticks of butter. But crispy, flaky layers on the outside and soft, tender, airy ruffles in the middle.

So I can easily change it to cinnamon rolls, just increase the cinnamon and maybe cut the pecans entirely, and not have to bother with adjusting chemistry. I'd post a pic, but J. took the camera cable to work this week.

Late Xmas Post

I made a Buche De Noel for Christmas at my mom's. The best part was playing without any goal or reason. I tried merengue mushrooms, but had trouble. It didn't matter! Leaves/vines/berries are all marzipan that I kneaded with food coloring. Wish I had a holly leaf cookie cutter, but oh well. Lots of help too, which was nice. Everyone wanted to pitch in, which made my mom's day.

Catering!

I catered my mom's annual Fourth of July party. Overall it went really well. I am getting much better at determining recipe/serving size, so there is enough food with having 12 tons of leftovers. I also find it challenging picking out menu items that will be appealing. J. and I had several debates about catering to your audience; what will they eat/like? I tend to want to elevate the menu a bit, and J. always wants to keep it real simple. I'm fascinated seeing what there are leftovers of.

I made Alton Brown's potato salad, which went over really well. I also made a panzanella, which people were wary of, but those who ate it came back for more and I only had about 10% leftover. My third side was the classic 3 bean salad form my Katie Brown days, which also was well received.

For mains, I did sirloin tips with chimichurri. I like the sirloin tips because they are already portioned and really easy to manage on the grill. Shrimp with a lemon garlic marinade was devoured, and the only thing that ran out. I also made stuffed quahogs for the first time. (I know, as a Rhode Islander I should have done this long ago) I looked at several recipes online and didn't like any of them, so I made up my own it it came out great. (Pats self on back).

Of course, there were burgers, veggie burgers, and hot dogs. All in all, a successful event.

Whole Wheat?

My bread has been going really well, so I decided to try and branch out and make a grain filled whole wheat. It has flax seed, sunflower seed, and rolled oats as filler, but I can't see how they affect the chemistry. The flax is so J. gets some omega-3 fatty acids, and the other stuff is just to add flavor and texture.

This is the third attempt, and the first that I think is acceptable. I am amazed how different the chemistry of whole wheat is. the first time I did half WW flour, and it barely rose. So I have been cutting the WW and adding some honey to feed my limited yeast. I also can't find the right info in either On Food And Cooking or in Bakewise, but I know it is there.

The first rise is really good, so next time I'll cut the first rise significantly so that the second one still has some gumption. I thought the seeds/WW might just be adding weight that counters the rise.

Bread has turned into my own personal chess game. I can do it, but can I do it well? (Also, J. won't eat store bread anymore.)

Chickpeas in the pod?

At Whole Foods, I saw Chcckpeas in the pod. After passing them for several days I finally gave in and bought some.

They only had one or two peas to a pod, but shelled easily. After a quick blanche and ice bath they took on the green of a canned chickpea, but had a noticeably nuttier flavor and a firmer texture. Also, the the skins didn't easily slip off like they do from the can. With the help of some english peas left over from work, I made this.

Sauteed minced shallots in butter, tossed in the chickpeas and peas, sprinkled with a little salt and vanilla sugar, and finished with some minced parsley. The vanilla sugar was just to replace some of the lost natural sugars in the peas, and I'm interested in using vanilla as a savory spice. It was delicious.