How to make French Toast like a pro

Hey everyone! Today I got the idea to share a way to make something that I am making all of the time because it is so simple and so delicious: French toast. Now, no matter how simple I find French toast to make, I know there are people out there that have never made it before or are not quite sure how. Therefore, today I'm going to share my favorite way to make it. When I make french toast I rarely if ever measure the quantities of ingredients I use because it really all depends on taste and the quantity I am making so I am just going to list the ingredients for you and you can use the amounts you desire.

My absolute favorite bread to use when making french toast is the eggy deliciousness that is challah. But feel free to use whatever day old bread you have on hand. You want it to be slightly stale because if it is fresh then it will become really soggy in the batter and tend to fall apart.



Hannah's Favorite French Toast
ingredients:

- eggs
-half and half
-a splash of your favorite flavor of coffee creamer (i.e. french vanilla, Italian sweet cream, hazelnut etc.)
-a drizzle of honey
-desired number of slices of bread
-butter for greasing skillet
-cinnamon (optional)
-powdered sugar (optional)

directions:
1.) If bread is not pre-sliced then cut to about 1-inch thick slices with a serrated bread knife.
2.) Combine the eggs, half and half, coffee creamer, and honey in a shallow bowl and whisk together until well combined.
3.) Heat butter in a skillet over medium-low heat and sprinkled cinnamon (if desired) onto the melting butter and tilt the pan so that it is well greased.
4.) When the butter begins to sizzle and bubble take one slice of bread at a time and dip it into the batter flipping once and letting it soak for a few seconds (not too long so it doesn't fall apart).  Shake off excess batter and drop in skillet. Continue doing this with slices of bread until you fill your pan. Cook french toast about a minute and thirty seconds then flip to the other side with a spatula and continue cooking until golden brown. Be careful not to let it get blackened or it will taste burned. Remove slices of french toast from pan and place on a plate. Repeat the procedure with desired amount of bread slices. If you are making a lot then I suggest putting the french toast that is done in a heat proof dish and placing in a warm oven until you've finished making all of the french toast.
5.) Some people like powdered sugar on their french toast, I like it without it, but if your a fan then sift powdered sugar over the french toast right after cooking. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Chocolate Ganache

Hello guys! Today I just wanted to post a quick recipe for chocolate ganache that I learned how to make at school. We used this for frosting a layered cake and then pouring it over the top. I'm sorry for the lack of pictures, I regret not taking any because the cake was gorgeous. Anyways, onto the recipe.



Dark Chocolate Ganache
-2 cups high quality dark chocolate chips*
-2 cups heavy cream*

*Notes: This recipe makes a lot- enough to frost a 3-layer cake and pour over the top of it. But this recipe can easily be adapted to make the amount you need, just use equal parts dark chocolate and heavy cream.

1.) First heat the heavy cream in a small pot until it's near boiling. You will know it is hot enough when it begins to foam up. Remove from heat.
2.) Immediately place chocolate chips in pot with heavy cream and allow to sit undisturbed for about 7 minutes.
3.) Begin agitating and stirring the mixture with a rubber spatula, blending the chocolate with the heavy cream, working to get a smooth and uniform consistency. There may be some grains in it at first but just keep stirring and it should become smooth as silk and shiny.
4.) Take a bowl, preferably a metal one and fill it with ice. Pour the ganache into another stainless steel bowl. In 5 to 10 second intervals place the bowl with the ganache into the bowl of ice and stir continuously, then remove the ganache and keep stirring. You are doing this to temper the chocolate and get it to the consistency that you need it to be at for whatever purpose you are using it for. If you are using it to pour or drizzle over something, then it may be ready after only three 10 second intervals stirring in the ice bath. If you are trying to get it to the frosting consistency, then have patience and keep working with it until it begins to thicken. However, you do not want it as thick as peanut butter so work slowly and keep your eye on it as the consistency changes. 

:)
-Hannah
 

Pie crusts and Fillings

Hello everyone! Today I just wanted to do a quick post about types of pie crust and fillings. There are two basic pie crusts: mealy vs flaky. Both pie crusts are prepared using the "cut-in" method, or the method in which the fat is cut into the flour using a pastry blender or bench scraper. I wish I would have taken pictures on the day we made our pie doughs at school but unfortunately I didn't so I guess my words will have to do for now.

Alright so, the mealy pie crust is the one you will want to use for your bottom crust because if a flaky one is used then the filling will soak through the layers and create a mess. When cutting the fat into the flour for this pie crust, you want it to reach a grainy consistency, smaller than pea sized, to create the mealy texture. On the other hand, the flaky pie crust which will be used for the top crust, you want to reach a pea sized consistency and no smaller to create the flaky texture.

In the case of fruit fillings, there are also two main types: cooked fruit vs cooked juice. The cooked fruit method is used for fruits like apples that may need be cooked down before baking to achieve a softer texture and rid them of some of their water so that a thicker pie filling is achieved. This also helps to avoid soggy crusts. We made apple pie in class, creating the filling by first cooking down the apples in butter and once the water was mostly cooked out we added the sugar and cooked until it became syrupy. Next we made a slurry of cornstarch and cold water and added that to the pan and continued cooking until thickened before removing from the heat and mixing with spices and more butter. As for the cooked juice method, this is used for fruits that have a softer texture like blueberries, that may not stand up well to being cooked. In this method you cook down a portion of the fruit to create a thickened filling and then gently mix it with the uncooked fruit, being careful not to smash it, before baking in the oven.

-Hannah

Picking up where we left off

 I haven't posted to any of my blogs in a loooong time. They accidentally became some of the many projects and ideas that I started and soon forgot about. I started school at Le Cordon Bleu in February, majoring in Baking and Pastry, and as I've begun learning and practicing my skills I've started thinking more and more about blogging. I want to start sharing with everyone what I have been learning and really give this blogging thing another try. I have always loved writing and I am really yearning to put myself out there in the world of online food blogging and see just where it takes me. 

Bread and Other Obessions

I awoke today with bread on my brain. Actually, I take that back, I woke up because I heard my dog make a retching noise as she puked on my comforter. *sigh* But after that rude and slightly disgusting awakening I made my morning smoothie of banana, chocolate protein powder, white chocolate peanut butter, and matcha powder. Weird combo, I know, but it is one of my favorite breakfasts and it really gives me energy. Anyways, I wandered around the house wondering what to do with myself and that was when I remembered that I had eaten the last slice of my whole wheat sourdough bread yesterday. Which I have to say, it turned out to be the best sourdough bread I have made ever. So now I had my mission.  Bread is a staple that must constantly be in our house due to that fact that I eat peanut butter on toast religously. Seriously, literally, honestly....I eat it EVERY day. I get this weird craving that comes on where I just have to have what I call healthified peanut butter cup toast. I swear, Dark Chocolate Dreams chocolate peanut butter by Peanut Butter & Co. is a gift from the heavens that makes my mouth water everytime I think of it. I use this AND Jif peanut butter along with a  good sprinkling of milled golden flaxseed and chia seeds and I go to my happy place located in front of the computer stairing at foodgawker.com while I thank the inventor of the pb and chocolate combination while I eat it. Yes, I like to look at food while I eat food. Wow, I got way side tracked. This post was supposed to be about bread. Ok so I threw together another whole wheat sourdough bread with the same starter I used last time except I used rye flour to change things up because I rarely make the same bread twice. That went into my bread machine. Then I got the urge to make bread by hand too, so I began browsing foodgawker.com and I found a good looking yeasted pumpkin bread from meringuedesserts.com. The pumpkin bread is rising as I type this. As I was kneading the gorgeous orange dough, I started thinking and getting inspired (because this is what a good kneading does to me). I wanted to share a poem. I assume that most bloggers share the same love of writing that I do.

Bread

a poem by Hannah Turner

I open my eyes before the morning has dawned

It is early yet I am filled with energy

The urge to create has consumed me

I step dreamily into the heart of my house

The place where my inspiration takes a physical form

The place where love and warmth take over and worry and fear get lost in a sea of flour
I gather my arsenal of ingredients and watch starry-eyed as the yeast foams and mingles with honey
Alone they are mere ingredients, but together they create magic
My hands, which usually cramp with hours of long writing, are strong as they knead the dough with ease
I inhale the yeasty aroma and almost regret not waking earlier
Then I sit back and gather all of my patience to let the yeast take over on its own
you can do it little molecules of life, miniscule bacteria that hold so much power
When my dough has doubled and my oven has heated
In goes my flour child and all in a well-anticipated moment
My beautiful bread emerges

Easy and Fast Protein Breakfast and the Benifits of Seasonings

After coming to the realization that my usual breakfast of a preservative-laden Pure Protien brand protien bar and half  a banana was not the healthiest thing to begin my day with, I woke one morning and stood in my kitchen pondering what I should eat instead. I needed something with staying power that was low in sugar and not too high on the carb and calorie scale either. I needed something that would hold me through school until I could get the chance to have my mid-morning snack. Which honestly, who knows when that will be, my classes this term are hectic. One of the most important factors though, was that this power breakfast had to be tasty, duh! I know, my standards are high, but I am a very picky person when it comes to the most nutrition for the least yucky-stuff in my food as possible. Enter: Lightning Scrambled Eggs. Why the lightning part? Well, they are prepared in the microwave. Yes, I too think it might be a sin to prepare eggs in the microwave but as a hungry student before school and on the run it is just flat out handy. As for the flavor, it's completely customizable but I really enjoy this combo of seasonings. Salt or no salt, either way it is flavorful. Make as many eggs as you want, make em' scrambled or sunny side up, leave em' plain or add cheese, the possibilities are endless. Below is my creation and the benifits of a few seasonings follow after. Enjoy!

Lightning Eggs

(serves as many as you'd like!)

(add the seasonings to your desired taste)

1 or more eggs

paprika

rosemary

dried minced onion

garlic powder

Nature's Seasonings or Lawry's (optional)

fresh cracked black pepper

sprinkle of your fave shredded cheese (optional)

dash of hot sauce or a sprinkle of crushed red pepper (optional)

1.) Retrieve one ramkin or small bowl for each single serving of eggs.

2.) Crack the desired number of eggs into each bowl.

3.) Sprinkle with seasonings to your heart's desire. Add a dash of hot sauce or crushed red pepper if you're feelin spicy.

4.) Decide if you would like it scrambled or not. To scramble, use a fork or whisk to quickly distribute the yolk. Leave as is if you like it sunny.

5.) Sprinkle with cheese if you're in a cheesy mood.

6.) Microwave on full power for about 30 seconds (note: microwaving times will vary)

7.) Remove carefully, it will be hot. Enjoy along with some fresh fruit and coffee and you have yourself a breakfast with some staying power!

The Benifits of Seasonings

Rosemary~ Traditionally used in Medditeranean Cuisine, rosemary is an extremely fragrant herb that has been shown to reduce mentally degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, improve memory, reduces inflammation, has anti-fungal, anti-allergenic, anti-septic, and anti-cancer properties. It is also one of the herbs with the highest levels of folates and along with that it contains many minerals such as potassium, calcium, iron and magnesium. For more information on the benifits of rosemary: http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/rosemary-herb.html

Day 4 Whole Wheat Sourdough Starter

Today I am going to make a loaf with my first whole wheat sourdough starter ever. I have to admit, I'm a little nervous because the smell of it is getting very strong and I'm beggining to wonder if it has gone rancid. There is no mold or off-colored liquid, besides the hooch which I will be pouring off and discarding, so I feel that there isn't any harm in baking it. Has anyone out in the blogosphere gotten poisened from a "bad" starter? If so, please do not hesistate to share. Anyways here is the sourdough recipe I am using. Like my starter, it also comes from George Burnett's "The Breadman's Healthy Bread Book" and it is made for use in your bread machine. Although, it could easily be prepared by hand and baked in the oven.

Sourdough Wheat Bread

(from The Breadman's Healthy Bread Book by George Burnett)

(yields one 1 1/2 lb loaf)

1 cup whole wheat sourdough starter (this can be found on my blog also, Feb.23)

2/3 cup (5 1/2 ounces) warm water (100 degrees F)

1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 tsp liquid lecithin (I used granular and the measurement would come out to 3 tbsp, or a tablespoon for each cup of whole wheat flour)

3 cups whole wheat flour

3 tablespoons powdered whey

2 tablespoons gluten flour (aka vital wheat gluten)

1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (I used bread machine yeast in the same amount and it rised up nicely)

1.) Put all the ingredients in the inner pan in order listed, or in the reverse order if the manual for your machine specifies dry ingredients first and liquids last.

2.) Select whole wheat cycle and 1 1/2 pound loaf setting and push start. This loaf also came out well for me when I used the "rapid" cycle, or the cycle that only takes about an hour.

3.) When the cycle ends remove your loaf from the machine and allow to cool 10 minutes in the pan. Then remove from pan and allow to cool completely before slicing. Please tell me how yours comes out! Thanks!