More Swirly Goodness

Last Friday my friend and fellow avid baker Nicole came over to bake some loaves with me. We were both intrigued at how my last swirly bread turned out and wanted to try something more dramatic... White and Chocolate Swirl Bread.

We used a basic white bread recipe and a chocolate loaf recipe that I found on someone else's blog ( http://familynature.wordpress.com/2009/04/21/chocolate-loaf-this-is-something-everyone-should-try/ ). There are many recipes for chocolate bread and many ways to mix chocolate in with bread. some, like this one, are actual loaves of bread with cocoa in them. Others use chocolate pastes, sauces, or chips to create more of a dessert bread. We chose this particular recipe because it was very similar to the recipe we were using for the white bread. The procedure and ingredients were similar. This made for a simple and fun bread making experience that produced some great breads.

We ended up making a few different items. First we made two loaves of White and Chocolate Swirl Bread. The pattern turned out great and the texture between the two breads were consistent. It was awesome to see the contrast in colour between the white and chocolate breads swirlled together. Also, the cocoa in the chocolate bread was good enough to produce the lasting and delicious smell and taste of chocolate, yum!

After these two loaves we had so much leftover dough that we could have made a third loaf, but decided to split the dough and make a few other creations! Nicole made a bunch of cinnamon buns while I made a strudel using some leftover cherry filling I had in the fridge. These two creations were of course marbled with white and chocolate bread.

I look forward to more times when I can bake with and for my friends, it is a joy to share this experience with others.

Pi Day, March 14, 2010

Chocolate Pistachio, Butternut, Chocolate Mint

'Pi Day', or more accurately, 'Pi Approximation Day', is recognized on the 14th day of the 3rd month; hence 3.14 the mathematical constant used in geometric equations involving circular objects. It is mostly recognized by geeks and people who love pies. Fortunately both of these apply to me.

I have been aware of Di Day for a few years but have never celebrated it in the past. This year I decided to throw a Pi Day Party. I invited some close friends over to enjoy some homemade pie and good company. I have never had so many people over at my place before and it went great. I am glad that so many people had a good time.

For this party I served 4 different pies: Apple, Butternut, Chocolate Pistachio, and Chocolate Mint. I have made the first three but the Chocolate Mint is a new experiment; it uses a pudding base similar to the one found in the Chocolate Pistachio Pie recipe (http://fromthemindofkenneth.blogspot.com/2009/11/chocolate-pstachio-pie.html). The basic pudding pie filling I use includes pudding mix, maple syrup, eggs, and melted butter. Such pudding based pie fillings usually turn out to be moist, spongy and soft. The chocolate pudding filling is topped with crushed King Peppermints that I received from a care package a few months ago (Thanks Mom and Dad!). It turned out pretty good.

Chocolate Mint Pie

1 pkg. Chocolate Pudding Mix
1 tbsp. Maple Syrup
3 Eggs
2 tbsp. Melted Butter
3/4 c. Milk
1 Chocolate Pie Shell
1 tsp. peppermint powder
1/2 c. crushed peppermints
(The last two items can be obtained from crushing 2 rolls of King Peppermints)

1. Crush peppermints, sift out powder and larger chunks.
2. Mix well pudding mix, syrup, eggs, butter, milk, and powdered peppermints into a large bowl.
3. Pour the mixture into the pie shell and sprinkle with peppermint chunks.
4. Bake for 30 minutes at 325 F.

Erin's Fabulous Baking

Every week I have the pleasure of visiting my friends Matt and Erin to have a bible study with them and other friends from church. It is a time to discuss topics of faith and religion, socialize and of course... enjoy some of the finest food and drink! Matt can usually be found making hot drinks such as lattes, hot chocolate or his signature hot apple cider ( Christmas only :( ) for guests as they arrive. Meanwhile Erin puts the finishing touches on whatever delicious food she is making that evening.

Last week we were treated to "Chocolate Dump Cake" which was great. Apparently it is super easy to make as well. I do not know the exact ingredients but I do know that it has chocolate and peanut butter in it with is always a win. All it needs is to mix the ingredients together in a microwavable container and put it in the microwave for 10 minutes and its done! Above is a picture of the remains of the "Chocolate Dump Cake" after it had mostly been devoured. The week before she made a dessert pizza made with a cookie crust, cream cheese cake filling, and fruit toppings, it was great too!

I look forward to meeting this week, not just for the great food and drink, but also for great discussions and great friends.