The Joy Of Baking

“There was a mood of magic and frenzy to the room. Crystalline swirls of sugar and flour still lingered in the air like kite tails. And then there was the smell-the smell of hope, the kind of smell that brought people home.” – Sarah Addison Allen

One thing I love about baking, be it a simple banana bread,  moist carrot bars or cookies  is the smell that permeates the whole kitchen once you place the baking pan in the oven. I love the  combined smell of cooking raisins, nuts, vanilla or cinnamon or whatever ingredient a particular recipe calls for. This afternoon, I baked my second apple pie confident enough to tweak the recipe a bit and  experiment on brushing just egg whites on top instead of a beaten egg with the yolk.  The top part of the pie may not be as silky as when you use the whole egg but it adds a flaky feel combined with sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon. Whereas before I didn’t even know how to make a dough, it’s now as easy as kneading something for our local steamed bun called “siopao”.  I also sliced half and half of Fuji apples for a natural sweet taste and the tart flavor of Granny Smith.  It came out good, son said, “it’s yummy”.  I laughed when he asked, “did you take pictures?” He knows that I document almost everything that I cook in the kitchen  just like I do with my flowering plants when they are in bloom. He cut a slice even before it cooled down. I got three remaining apples, would love to try making apple sauce and use it on my next baking adventure.

Here’s one more that I experimented on a month ago, a simple recipe for vanilla cake. I didn’t put icing because I love the flavor without being too sweet.

I love the quiet, concentrating on the task at hand , the calming effect of kneading, measuring and  mixing to make something  yummy and  scrumptious.

I got a lovely surprise this afternoon when a friend sent me a lovely tin of Fannie May Colonial Assortment chocolates via LBC.  Aren’t I lucky? Can’t wait to take a bite. Thank you Ex.  🙂

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Apple Pie, Anyone?

I dreamed of baking apple pie since I got interested in simple recipes like bars, cookies and the like but I never tried making pie crust from scratch. Last month, Grace, a friend who now lives in Canada forwarded two recipes  for making really flaky pie crust that one could use for apple pie. I tried the butter pie crust recipe without shortening and made two single crusts  that I used yesterday for my first ever Apple Pie. The fillings of course would depend on how you want your pie either with a bit of tartness or a little sweet. I always prefer Granny Smith apples for baking. They don’t easily spoil and stays fresh longer inside the ref. Besides, I learned from a famous pastry chef ( from TV) that Granny Smith are baking apples. I used to bake Apple Crumble  and Apple Crisp in different variations but yesterday, I finally tried making a pie crust from scratch.  It’s an achievement to be able to come up with something really flaky and crunchy to the bite. Here’s the recipe.

Butter Pie Crust Recipe

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 cup (2 sticks) plus 2 tbsp. cold unsalted butter (I used Magnolia Unsalted) cut into pieces

1/2 cup ice water

Combine flour and salt in medium bowl, cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly.

Sprinkle water, 1 tbsp at a time over flour mixture, tossing lightly with a fork until mixture forms an even dough.

Divide dough in half, flatten and shape into disks  and wrap each in plastic, refrigerate  for an hour.

Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface into circle, about 12 to 14 inches round. Carefully fold in quarters, lift gently and unfold into a 9-inch pie pan.

Gently press pastry against bottom and sides of pan, trim overhang to 1/2 inch, then fold the edge under. Pinch edges to flute.

You might think this is a daunting task, and I thought so too but when you get the hang of it, it is quite easy.  I took some pictures of course. I am that excited 🙂

I didn’t put the recipe for fillings since it would really depend on your taste. Green apples are of the tart variety so you can add sugar if you want. Look how flaky the pie crust turned out to be.

Happy New year by the way, we had this on our table last night for media noche.

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