Micky Mouse : )

Besides muffins, I gotta say that waffles are really my favorite breakfast food. And when you have a Micky Mouse waffle iron, why not make waffles for breakfast? I mean seriously, a waffle always tastes better when its in the shape of a classic cartoon character right? yes. So, its actually a funny story how frazzled I can be sometimes. I found a waffle recipe, and what was kinda annoying about it was that it had multiple steps where you add things at different times, and whip the egg whites and everything. Usually speaking this doesn't bother me that much. So I started the recipe, and well, long story short I made the first batch of waffles without the beaten egg whites, or sugar. Yeah lol. But what was ironic was that they were better than the ones that had the other ingredients... They were more crispy, and when they're covered in maple syrup, who's going to notice the lack of sugar?

Waffles

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon fine salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups milk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature, separated
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted, plus more for brushing the iron
1 large egg white, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar

Directions
Preheat a waffle iron to medium-high.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, egg yolks, vanilla, and 1/4 cup melted butter. Whisk the milk mixture into the flour mixture until a batter is formed. Take care not to over mix the batter.
In medium bowl, with a hand-held electric mixer or whisk, whip the 3 egg whites until they just begin to hold a loose peak. Scatter the sugar over the whites and continue beating until they hold a soft peak. Using a rubber spatula, fold a third of the egg whites into the batter to lighten the base. Fold in the remaining whites.
Brush the inside surface of the iron with butter. Pour in enough batter to lightly cover the surface of the iron, about 1/3 to 3/4 cup, depending upon the size of the iron. (Take into consideration that the batter will spread once the lid is closed.) Cover and cook until golden brown and slightly crisp, about 5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter. (If the waffle iron is well seasoned or nonstick it is not necessary to brush the inner surface each time before cooking the waffles.)

The *best* blueberry muffins

Ok, I'm back for real this time. Sorry for the lack of posting! I don't really have a good excuse, I'm just really bad at multitasking, which technically is not excuse at all. But, I'm planning on posting a lot more regularly, hopefully once a week. So now that I feel better about confessing that, on to the Blueberry muffins.
Its eight'o clock. What else is there possibly to besides bake muffins? I know you would agree. These aren't just regular old boring muffins either, these are amazing, and possible the *best*. They have lemon zest in them that perks them up, and the nutmeg and sugar on top really makes them that more special. These may very well be the perfect breakfast food...

Blueberry Muffins
The bread Bible


-4 tbs unsalted butter

-1/2 cup sugar

-2 tsp lemon zest

-1 large egg

-1/2 tsp vanilla

-1 cup flour

-3/8 tsp baking soda

-1/4 plus 1/16 tsp salt

-1/3 cup sour cream

-3/4 cup blueberries

-sugar and nutmeg for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

2. Cream the butter and sugar together, add the lemon zest, then egg and vanilla. In another small bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix half the flour mixture and the sour cream into the butter mixture. the add the rest of the flour mixture, by folding it together.

3. Spoon the batter into muffin cups, it will be thick batter. Dust the tops with nutmeg and sugar.

4. Bake for 25-35 min or until golden brown and when pressed with your finger, slightly springy.

5. Unmold and cool the muffins. Enjoy. : )

Pain al’Ancienne

To me, there is nothing better than fresh bread, or even better baguettes. After eating out at places like Panaras, and such bread shops, I thought that it would be impossible to make the amazing bread that they serve. But I was wrong, and this bread is amazing. It has that crisp crust, and soft interior, risen perfectly. Not only is itamazing, but also easy- probably one of the most simple breads that you can make. The original recipe makes six baguettes, but they are basically only good for a little over a day. I always cut the recipe in half, so it is more managable, plus three is usuallygood enough... haha rightt.

So for thanksgiving I have been put in charge of dessert. Im kinda excited because that my favorite thing to make. Im planning on baking a pecan pie, and a pumpkin pie, all the night before of course. Probably really really late at night... lol. Happy early thanksgiving!!

Pain al’Ancienne

The bread bakers apprentice

6 cups (27 ounces) flour
2 1/4 tsp (.56 ounce) salt
1 3/4 tsp (.19 ounce) instant yeast
2 1/4 cups plus 2 T to 3 cups (19 to 24 ounces) water, ice cold
Semolina flour or cornmeal for dusting
Combine the flour, salt, yeast, and 19 ounces of water in the bowl of the electric mixer with the paddle attachment and mix for 2 minutes on low speed. Switch to the dough hook and mix for 5 to 6 minutes on medium speed. The dough should be sticky on the bottom of the bowl but it should release from the sides of the bowl. If not, sprinkle in a small amount of flour until this occurs (or dribble in water if the dough seems to stiff and clears the bottom as well as the sides of the bowl). Lightly oil a large bowl and immediately transfer the dough with a spatula or bowl scraper dipped in water into the bowl. Mist the top of the dough with spray oil and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Immediately place the bowl in the refrigerator and retard overnight.
The next day, check the dough to see if it has risen. It will probably be partially risen but not doubled in size. Leave the bowl of dough out at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours (or longer if necessary) to allow the dough to wake up, lose its chill, and continue fermenting.
When the dough has doubled from its original prerefrigerated size, liberally sprinkle the counter with bread flour (about 1/2 cup). Gently transfer the dough to the floured counter with a plastic dough scraper that has been dipped in cold water, dipping your hands as well to keep the dough from sticking to you. Try to degas the dough as little as possible as you transfer it. If the dough is very wet, sprinkle more flour over the top as well as under it. Dry your hand thoroughly and then dip them in flour. Roll the dough gently in the sprinkled flour to coat it thoroughly, simultaneously stretching it into an oblong about 8 inches long and 6 inches wide. If it is too sticky to handle, continue sprinkling flour over it. Dip a metal pastry scraper into cool water to keep it from sticking to the dough, and cut the dough in half widthwise with teh pastry scraper by pressing it down through the dough until it severs its, then dipping it again in the water and repeating this action until you have cut down the full length of the dough. Let the dough relax for 5 minutes.
Now, place a baking stone in the bottom of your oven and preheat it to 500 degrees F. Also, place a baking pan or a cast iron skillet on the top rack of your oven. Cover the backs of two half sheet pans with parchment paper and dust with semolina or cornmeal.
Cut the dough into 6 roughly equal strips using the dough cutter. Using floured hands, gently transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheets (3 to a pan). Be careful to space them as you do not want them to touch. Using a very sharp knife or kitchen scissors, make three incisions on the top of each loaf. Spray with oil and then cover with plastic wrap and let them rest until the oven is ready, roughly an hour.
Heat about 3 cups of water to a simmer. Measure out 1 cup of it. Have a spray bottle full of room temperature water at the ready. Open the oven and slide the parchment paper (with the bread, of course) directly onto the baking stone. Then pour in the 1 cup of water into the baking pan or cast iron skillet. Close the oven door and wait 30 seconds. Then spray the walls of the oven with water. Repeat two more times. Then reduce the heat to 475 degrees F. Bake for 15-20 minutes, rotating midway through the baking time if the loaves are baking unevenly. When golden brown and the internal temperature is at least 205 degrees, transfer the loaves directly to a cooling rack. Repeat the baking process with the remaining loaves, remembering to increase the oven temperature to 500 degrees.