Lardy Loaf

I had never heard of this type of Bread before, but the description and ingredients sounded interesting. The recipe is from the Complete Book of Breads, and was discovered by the author while on vacation in Germany. He describes it as a sweet cake that reminded him of doughnuts.

Ingredients: 1 Package Dry Yeast

1/2 Cup Warm Tap Water

1 3/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour

1 tsp. Salt

1 Cup Raisins

3/4 Cup Lard (room temperature)

3/4 Cup Sugar

In a large bowl, combine the Yeast

And Water, stir with a fork and let sit ten minutes

Stir in 1 cup Flour

Then the Salt until a sticky Dough forms

Add the remaining Flour 1 tsp. at a time, kneading until smooth and elastic

Carefully work the raisins into the Dough and let rest five minutes

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In a separate bowl, cream together the Lard

And Sugar until smooth

Add half of the Sugar mixture to the Dough and work in with a wooden spoon

Add small amounts of Flour to help with the stickiness

Roll the Dough into a ball and return to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise one hour in a warm area

Punch down the Dough, roll into a ball, then cut into two equal rounds

Cover and let rest five minutes

Flatten the Dough into 1/8 inch thick rounds

Divide the remaining Sugar/Lard mixture evenly into the middle of each Dough

Carefully roll the sides up over the middle and pinch closed

Lay seam side down onto a baking pan

Cover with plastic wrap and let rise another forty five minutes, or until doubled in size

Place the pan into a preheated oven at 325F and bake until the Loaves are a deep, rich brown (about 1 hour depending on your oven)

Remove the Loaves from the oven and let cool to touch

Slice and serve warm

I was skeptical at first about what the lard and raisins would taste like once baked together, but what a fantastic combination of flavors. The outer crust is crispy with a flaky crumb, while the center is soft with a sugary, melty filling that reminds me of a cinnamon roll glaze. It doesn't really taste like any doughnut I've ever had, but it reminded me of a thick funnel cake with raisins in it. After trying a slice, I can see why so many people call this an addicting and fattening cake that should only be enjoyed on special occasions.

Sourdough Loaf

After the disappointing failure of my first sponge starter (temperature was too cold) the second one is finally ready for use to make some Sourdough bread. The recipe below is from The Complete Book of Breads by Bernard Clayton, JR. and uses the Sourdough Sponge Starter from a previous post.

Ingredients: 5 to 6 Cups All-Purpose Flour

3 Tbls. Sugar

1 tsp. Salt

1 Package Dry Yeast

1/3 Cup Non-Fat Dry Milk

1 Cup Hot Tap Water

2 Tbls. Shortening

1 1/2 Cups Sponge [Starter]

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup Flour

The Sugar

Salt

Yeast

Dry Milk

And 1 cup Hot Tap Water, mixing thoroughly

Add the Shortening

And 1 1/2 cups Sponge, beat for three minutes with a wooden spoon

Start adding the remaining Flour a 1/2 cup at a time until a soft Dough forms

Turn the Dough out onto a lightly Floured surface

 And knead until smooth and elastic

Place the Dough back into the bowl and rub with Oiled or Buttered hands to keep the surface from developing a crust

Cover tightly with plastic wrap and leave in a warm area (80F-85F) one hour or until doubled in size

Punch down the Dough and roll into a ball

Divide into two equal pieces and roll into rounds

Cover with towels and let rest five minutes

Press the Ball into a flat oval

Fold in half

Then pinch the seam tightly

Fold the ends up

 And place seam side down into a Greased pan

Cover with plastic wrap and let rise another fifty minutes or until doubled in size

Place the Dough into a preheated 400F oven and bake for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown

 To test if done, remove a loaf from the pan and tap with your finger, if the sound is hollow the Bread is done. Let both Loaves cool completely for best taste

I love the smell of Bread baking, it makes the whole house feel inviting. This Bread has a wonderful chew to it and makes a great sandwich or just plain toast. The crust softens overnight and when sliced into, there's a pungent, yeasty overtone that makes your mouth water with anticipation. Try it with different meats, butters, and jams.

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Red Velvet cake is one of those desserts I only care for when its been homemade. There's just something about store bought ones that's off, like you can taste the red dye in the batter, giving it a strange flavor. The recipe below is one I found in a neat old cookbook, 300 Years of Carolina Cooking, it has similar properties like my Grandmothers so I thought I'd give it a go.

For The Cake

Ingredients: 1 Stick Butter (softened)

1/2 Cup Crisco

1 1/2 Cups Sugar

2 Eggs

1 1/2 Bottles Red Food Coloring

2 Tbls. Cocoa

1 tsp. Soda

Pinch of Salt

2 1/2 Cups Flour

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 Cup Buttermilk

1 Tbls. Vinegar

In a large bowl, cream together the Butter

Shortening

Sugar

And Eggs 

In a separate bowl, mix the Cocoa

And Food Coloring making a paste

Blend with the Butter

Add the pinch of Salt

Vanilla

Buttermilk

And Flour mixing thoroughly

Mix in the Soda

Then the Vinegar

Pour the Batter into two Greased and Floured pans and bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean)

For The Frosting

Ingredients: 1 Stick Butter (softened)

2 (8oz.) Packages Cream Cheese (room temperature)

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 Cups Powdered Sugar

In a large bowl cream together the Butter

And Cream Cheese

Add the Vanilla

Then the Sugar (one cup at a time) mixing thoroughly.

Wait until the Cakes cool to room temperature before frosting. 

Then decorate, cut, and serve

This cake is very moist and has a wonderful flavor with a slight cocoa taste on the palate. The color is a deep rich red that looks good with simple Cream Cheese frosting or by itself. The frosting is light with a strong Cream Cheese flavor, but doesn't over power the cake.

 It wasn't until I uploaded the pictures that I realized there weren't any of the cooled cakes or of it being frosted, I apologize.