Baking ~ Foodies Wanted

[UofMfan]

I would be willing to sacrifice my time to be a taste tester for some of you.

One has to do what is right.

[LaneyDoll]

I just made my very first, homemade (less premade crust) apple pie ever!!! And it was fabulous; Riley and I ate half of it as soon as it came out of the oven.

[aishah]

i love baking! and cooking in general. i know enough about working for myself at this point that i'm pretty sure i'd never want to do either as a job, though.

i tend to go off of recipes when i bake and adapt things, whereas i'm comfortable cooking things from scratch without a recipe at this point. so i'm still getting comfortable with baking. i just started baking my own bread in the last year, but i love trying different recipes for cookies, cakes, brownies/blondies, etc. i don't make pie very often - i prefer to bake cobbler or souffle instead. but i might bite the bullet one of these days and work on my pie skills.

[LaneyDoll]

Originally Posted by aishah

i love baking! and cooking in general. i know enough about working for myself at this point that i'm pretty sure i'd never want to do either as a job, though.

i tend to go off of recipes when i bake and adapt things, whereas i'm comfortable cooking things from scratch without a recipe at this point. so i'm still getting comfortable with baking. i just started baking my own bread in the last year, but i love trying different recipes for cookies, cakes, brownies/blondies, etc. i don't make pie very often - i prefer to bake cobbler or souffle instead. but i might bite the bullet one of these days and work on my pie skills.

Use my recipe! It was amazing!!!

[Nadeest]

I would recommend the book "On Baking" to you, if you wish to learn more about the art and science of baking. It is used in the Baking and Pastry department at my college for their standard textbook. This book helps teach you the theory behind things, which is something that you will need to know, if you open your own business.
I'm studying Culinary Arts at a local community college, and they offer culinary arts degrees and also baking and pastry degrees. If you would like to learn more about the science of food in general, I would recommend "On Cooking", as that teaches you the theories on how things work.
"On Baking" has recipes in it, but "On Cooking" doesn't. They both are extremely useful books, however, to my mind. Both of these books are used as textbooks at my college.

[spritzerJ]

What is more beautiful than baking? I am just not sure... in the world of beautiful things I find it is hard to resist the warmth, smell, rise and family traditions of baking. Oh happy sigh...

I am a dabbler in baking. Letting the desire come and go. When I am weekend mom my daughter and I bake together even something small. The closeness is next to heaven. Cupcakes this weekend. And cupcakes make things better.

My current kick is muffins. Since it is just my daughter and I and our tastes are very different (and she is a strong minded girl) I enjoy recipes that have a basic ingredient we can both enjoy and then I can add to for our differences. Like banana then banana nut for me. I use a small muffin pan for hers and larger one for mine so I can tell them apart in the morning rush. Next I hook her on scones.

I adore pie. Persnickety and messy but fun. Homemade crust.. I know I don't have it down yet but love it anyway. Mom used to make pie squares growing up. I call them portable pie. Flatter made with a thin layer of filling baked on a raised edge cookie sheet. She usually did this before making her pies. Kept 4 kids and their busy hands out of her way. We could grab and go... She was the master of fast good food.

Finally giving in to getting a pastry cloth has done wonders for my baking mood.

[Metro]

This is one of my favorite *easy* bread recipes (fr allrecipes.com) -- along with a great video (watch and learn -- no verbal instructions whatsoever). Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:
1 pkg active dry yeast
2 Tbsp warm water
1 Cup mashed, cooked butternut squash
1/2 Cup warm milk
1/4 Cup butter or margerine, softened
1 egg
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 Cups all-purpose flour
GLAZE: 1 egg, beaten plus 1 Tbsp water

METHOD:
In small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. In a mixing bowl, combine squash, milk, butter, egg, brown sugar and salt; mix well. Add yeast mixture and 1-1/2 Cups flour; mix well. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. (NOTE: Do not over knead or bread will not properly rise and will be too dense.) Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Divide into thirds; roll each third into a 18-in rope. Place on greased baking sheet. Braid ropes together (see video); pinch ends. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Combine glaze ingredients; brush over braid. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from baking sheet and cool on wire rack.

[Truly Scrumptious]

I love baking. There’s almost nothing I can’t bake except for pie crust which I couldn’t bake to save my life. I love the process of baking . . . measuring the ingredients, blending, mixing, there’s something so therapeutic about it to me. Sometimes I bake something just to see if I can bake it. I have that cupcake shop fantasy too, on and off.

I’m not sure you could choose two more different possible occupations than accounting and baking. Both have lots of opportunity, so I guess the decision comes down to what you enjoy more and what you want/need from your career. Pastry chefs are in demand right now, at least in Montreal. And it doesn’t even seem to matter how many shops there are, you pretty much can’t flip your hair without hitting a patisserie here.

My goddaughter is a pastry chef, and has had her pick of jobs since she graduated a few years ago. The possibilities are endless . . . restaurants, hotels, grocery chains, private label bakers . . . the list goes on and on. She started her career working at a private label that supplies major grocery stores across Canada, developed her own recipes (and reputation), and recently left after 3 years to work for herself. Her business is still in its infancy so her future is uncertain, but I know one thing for sure: she loves what she does, and that is the most important thing to her.

[Tommi]

I thought it said "Banking" , and am more pleased that it is "Baking"

If you need a West Coast taste tester, I am here--->

So, baking on your way to banking would be a good thing. I have a virgin like oven, being a non-cook, but I am a foodie eater, and LOVE baked foodie goodies. Cupcakes here in Southern California are the rage.


http://www.sprinkles.com/

[Leigh]

Its nice to see so many people coming in and sharing things; I hope this thread takes off like the other food ones seem to have ~ besides, who doesn't love baking and goodies?

Jo ~ I am going to make a point of making that bread at some point, I may even do it next weekend as a treat for my family

Christy ~ I know down in the states they have alot of those cupcake shops, not sure if they have specific ones here in Winnipeg but I'm going to do some research because if there is a true niche for it and I can get training then I'll definitely go for it !!!!

Wolfy ~ I've seen on these shows how hard it can be to work in a bakery, and I worked in one briefly for a few months so I've seen how it can be stressful and difficult but I think it would be more than worth it

MrSunshine ~ That definitely sounds worth it

Scarlett ~ I plan on beginning to do some baking in the future here at home to get me started, but I think it would be alot of fun (better than sitting in an office all day) :-)

UofMFan ~ You can be my taste tester if you want, I may need a few of them

[Leigh]

Originally Posted by Nadeest

I would recommend the book "On Baking" to you, if you wish to learn more about the art and science of baking. It is used in the Baking and Pastry department at my college for their standard textbook. This book helps teach you the theory behind things, which is something that you will need to know, if you open your own business.
I'm studying Culinary Arts at a local community college, and they offer culinary arts degrees and also baking and pastry degrees. If you would like to learn more about the science of food in general, I would recommend "On Cooking", as that teaches you the theories on how things work.
"On Baking" has recipes in it, but "On Cooking" doesn't. They both are extremely useful books, however, to my mind. Both of these books are used as textbooks at my college.

Those books sound great ~ I'm going to begin buying baking books and stuff to add to my collection as well as taking a bunch of recipes that I've accumulated from various magazines to put into scrapbooks ........ it'd be nice to start baking things and get some experience that way

Originally Posted by jenna8987

What is more beautiful than baking? I am just not sure... in the world of beautiful things I find it is hard to resist the warmth, smell, rise and family traditions of baking. Oh happy sigh...

I am a dabbler in baking. Letting the desire come and go. When I am weekend mom my daughter and I bake together even something small. The closeness is next to heaven. Cupcakes this weekend. And cupcakes make things better.

My current kick is muffins. Since it is just my daughter and I and our tastes are very different (and she is a strong minded girl) I enjoy recipes that have a basic ingredient we can both enjoy and then I can add to for our differences. Like banana then banana nut for me. I use a small muffin pan for hers and larger one for mine so I can tell them apart in the morning rush. Next I hook her on scones.

I adore pie. Persnickety and messy but fun. Homemade crust.. I know I don't have it down yet but love it anyway. Mom used to make pie squares growing up. I call them portable pie. Flatter made with a thin layer of filling baked on a raised edge cookie sheet. She usually did this before making her pies. Kept 4 kids and their busy hands out of her way. We could grab and go... She was the master of fast good food.

Finally giving in to getting a pastry cloth has done wonders for my baking mood.

I've only baked things a few times, but what I have done of it I absolutely love and I look forward to doing more

[always2late]

I haven't baked in years...but now that I have a huge kitchen I think it's time to start again! Thanks for the recipe Jo. I baked bread a long time ago...but not since..although I absolutely LOVE the smell of baking bread, and even the smell of the dough! I am gonna try your recipe soon!

[Breathless]

One of the reasons I love this recipe, is that if you have last minute company coming for dinner, it takes nothing to put it together, ingredients are always in my cupboards, and it tastes absolutely fantastic.. very most cake .. enjoy!

Ingredients
1 - 8 1/2 ounce can sliced pineapple (drained) or 7 slices fresh, cored
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 maraschino cherries (halved)
1/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup whipped cream (optional, for serving)
Directions
Melt butter in a 9" square pan. Stir in brown sugar and mix well in the pan. Arrange pineapple slices in the bottom of the pan. Place 1/2 a cherry in the middle of each pineapple ring.
Drain the pineapple, reserving syrup. Add water to remaining syrup to make 1/2 cup.
Cream together shortening and white sugar until light. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until fluffy.
Add dry ingredients plus 1/2 cup reserved pineapple syrup. Beat until all is well mixed.
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan then invert the cake on to a plate. Great served warm with a dollop of whipped cream.

[Leigh]

Originally Posted by Tommi

I thought it said "Banking" , and am more pleased that it is "Baking"

If you need a West Coast taste tester, I am here--->

So, baking on your way to banking would be a good thing. I have a virgin like oven, being a non-cook, but I am a foodie eater, and LOVE baked foodie goodies. Cupcakes here in Southern California are the rage.

http://www.sprinkles.com/

See all of my taste testers are so darn far away ~ why is that? LOL

Originally Posted by Truly Scrumptious

I love baking. There’s almost nothing I can’t bake except for pie crust which I couldn’t bake to save my life. I love the process of baking . . . measuring the ingredients, blending, mixing, there’s something so therapeutic about it to me. Sometimes I bake something just to see if I can bake it. I have that cupcake shop fantasy too, on and off.

I’m not sure you could choose two more different possible occupations than accounting and baking. Both have lots of opportunity, so I guess the decision comes down to what you enjoy more and what you want/need from your career. Pastry chefs are in demand right now, at least in Montreal. And it doesn’t even seem to matter how many shops there are, you pretty much can’t flip your hair without hitting a patisserie here.

My goddaughter is a pastry chef, and has had her pick of jobs since she graduated a few years ago. The possibilities are endless . . . restaurants, hotels, grocery chains, private label bakers . . . the list goes on and on. She started her career working at a private label that supplies major grocery stores across Canada, developed her own recipes (and reputation), and recently left after 3 years to work for herself. Her business is still in its infancy so her future is uncertain, but I know one thing for sure: she loves what she does, and that is the most important thing to her.

I actually wouldn't mind starting out at a place here in Canada like a Sobey's, Safeway etc and get some experience while baking out of my home then working on opening a place within say 3-5 years or so (give or take depending). I'd love to do not only cupcakes but also cakes for weddings, maybe even specialize in cakes for gay/lesbian weddings ~ the possibilities are truly endless and I'm excited just thinking about what can be done

Originally Posted by WolfyOne

I could and would be a taste tester in my area.
As much as I like cooking and baking, I also enjoy tasting the food others make.

So, if anyone is ever OK bound and baking, remember I inquired and applied for taste tester job.

Lastly, some things ship well and care packages are always welcome

If I could afford to send care packages to friends on the Planet I would but its not in the cards ~ I'm sure one day I'll be able to

Originally Posted by Random

I actually have a love/hate relationship with baking... I like playing chopped with what ever I find in the kitchen... This means that about 25% of what I bake gets to *feed* the birds... the other 75% contributes to my ever so apple like figure...

So I don't bake much...

I generally have to get obsessed by something to do any serious scratch baking... I mean obsessed, like I have been perfecting my Ciabatta bread for about five years (Mitmo generally grabs that out of my hands before I can *gift the birds with the bread that doesn't meet my standards.. I bake artisan so it's only flour, water,salt, yeast and the poolish... the success of the bread is ALL in the glution development)


The last thing I was obsessed about was:

Sharlotka (Rustic Apple Cake)

Butter or nonstick spray, for greasing pan
6 large, tart apples, such as Granny Smiths
3 large eggs
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
Ground cinnamon, to finish
Powdered sugar, also to finish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Butter the paper and the sides of the pan. Peel, halve and core your apples, then chop them into medium-sized chunks. (I cut each half into four “strips” then sliced them fairly thinly — about 1/4-inch — in the other direction.) Pile the cut apples directly in the prepared pan. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, using an electric mixer or whisk, beat eggs with sugar until thick and ribbons form on the surface of the beaten eggs. Beat in vanilla, then stir in flour with a spoon until just combined. The batter will be very thick.

Pour over apples in pan, using a spoon or spatula to spread the batter so that it covers all exposed apples. (Updated to clarify: Spread the batter and press it down into the apple pile. The top of the batter should end up level with the top of the apples.) Bake in preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a tester comes out free of batter. Cool in pan for 10 minutes on rack, then flip out onto another rack, peel off the parchment paper, and flip it back onto a serving platter. Dust lightly with ground cinnamon.

Serve warm or cooled, dusted with powdered sugar.

Love it, love it, love it...

I tweeked it just a bit... I lightly carmalized the apples and added lemon juice (cause I love apples and lemon) I made the cake in ramkins (Reduce baking time by about 15ish mins) and I topped the ramkins with a salted carmel sauce topped with my clotted/whipped cream.. (the texture is right in the middle)

The tang/sweet of the apples played really well with the salted carmel.. the cake it's self is not overly sweet, so the carmel is just right...

I also did a couple with molassess in the apples without the carmel, but they just didn't come out as well..

Like I said.. I have a love hate relationship with baking/breadmaking...

I miss being in a kitchen... I absolutely loved the quiet hours of nothing but work, focusing only on what you are making... I loved being able to pull a loaf of bread out of deck oven and being able to tell if it's done just by the weigh and color of the bread...I loved walking past racks of beautiful pastries and knowing that I made them that way...

I miss working with people who shared my obsession with bread and pastries...

I do not miss 14 hour days six days a week because the flu hit the bakery and the department went down... At thanksgiving...

I don't miss some idiot filling the sugar bin with salt and the mixer not tasting the mix before baking off 60 cakes....

I don't miss getting ready to walk out the door and being handed an order that needs to be made NOW because the order never made it out of the catering managers office and we can't let the customer down...

I don't miss brush burns, steam scalds, dislocated shoulders (rack full of pies with a bad wheel fell and I had the choice to try and stop it or let it knock me into a 425' walk in oven)

I don't miss feet that hurt so bad you can't walk, hands so swollen you can't close them.. lower back pain so bad that you work with an ice pack taped to your back... (Because it doesn't matter how bad you feel, you have to show up)

I don't miss sinusitis and having such a close personal relationship with my neti pot...

You have to love cooking/baking to work in the commercial world.. Because for every cool thing you get to make, you are piping 500 hundred roses on cupcakes because they sell really well and have a high profit margin..

oh shoot, I did it again...

Ummm enjoy the Sharlotka... It's easy and nummy

A friend of mine from high school and I went out to dinner last night and I told her about my idea of opening a cupcake shop in the future ~ she loved the idea! She is the same one that eventually wants to be my roommate and get us an apartment together so I think I may be spending alot of time in that kitchen doing some baking especially at times when there isn't anything to do. I never used to like cooking but I've gotten more into it over the last 5-6 months; I've also never been a huge baking fan however I've done a few things for halloween and xmas this past year (which was alot of fun) so I hope to keep this up and make it a career

I'm very thankful that everyone is here sharing recipes, volunteering as taste testers and just having a good time chatting with one another ~ makes me smile so thank you to my wonderful BFP friends for making this space as yummy and happy as it is

[Novelafemme]

I'm baking the bread now and it doesn't look like it's rising. Maybe I'm making it nervous by staring at it.

[JustJo]

Originally Posted by Novelafemme

I'm baking the bread now and it doesn't look like it's rising. Maybe I'm making it nervous by staring at it.

It should be fully risen before it goes in the oven....what step are you at and how long has it been rising? It takes time.

[Novelafemme]

Originally Posted by JustJo

It should be fully risen before it goes in the oven....what step are you at and how long has it been rising? It takes time.

OK, so, when I sprinkled the yeast package on top was I NOT supposed to stir it in? Also, as I was kneading it, it felt super tough. I only kneaded it for about a minute. I have it in the laundry room rising in a bowl under a kitchen towel.