WE'VE MOVED

Hello!

Thank you for the amazing 8 years here at A Baked Creation, we can't thank you enough for the memories! But we've decided to move over to a new site - Sincerely, Syl. Please join us there for future posts on all the things you loved here!

Sincerely,
Syl

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Chocolate-​Hazelnut Panettone

Shall we just take a moment to pause and think about how quickly the seasons are passing? In almost no time, December will be upon us and there will be snowfall, twinkling lights, and holiday classics. One that is frequently displayed in shops is the panettone. An Italian sweet bread made from a buttery and egg-rich dough. Traditionally, it’s made with dried fruit, but we’re going to indulge a little and add chocolate and hazelnuts instead.

To start, use a large microwavable bowl to pour in 2⁄3 cup of milk. Quickly warm it up in the microwave, ten seconds will do. Sprinkle one package (8 grams or 2 1/4 teaspoon) of active dry yeast on top. Cover with plastic wrap and let it stand for about ten minutes. Stir in 1 cup of all-purpose flour until you have a sticky dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise and double in size for about an hour and a half.
Using your trusted Kenwood Chef mixer, whisk 4 egg yolks, 2 eggs, 2/3 cups of granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons of hazelnut liqueur, 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon of salt together.

Notice the difference in colour of the batter in the top two photos. It should be a pale yellow, foamy, and doubled in volume. That is after five minutes of whisking on medium speed!

Cut the 3⁄4 cup of unsalted and softened butter into 1 tablespoon sizes. Whisk them one at a time until combined with the batter. Stir in the yeast dough you made earlier and 3 cups of flour.

Change out the whisk attachment for the dough hook. Set the speed to one and have it knead the dough for eight minutes. (If you don’t have a stand mixer, take the dough out and knead it on a floured surface for eight minutes.)
Then, let the dough rest for five minutes, press down on the dough, sprinkle with 225 grams (8 ounces) of semisweet chocolate chips and 3/4 cup slivers of skinned hazelnuts. Set the dough hook on low speed to slowly distribute the chocolate and hazelnut, for about a minute.

Place the dough in a large greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise in a warm, draft-free area for about two hours. It should double in size.
Press down on the dough and flour a work surface. Shape the dough into a ball by pinching the bottom to smooth out the top. Line the bottom and sides of your panettone mould or cake pans (I would recommend two 6-inch cake pans) with parchment paper. The sides should have a 1-inch overhang (to guide the dough to bake upwards for more height). Place the dough, seam side down, into the mould or cake pan. Cover and let it double in size again in about two hours.
Cut a 1⁄4-inch (5 mm) deep X on the top of the loaf.
Brush with softened butter. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for about 65 to 75 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let it cool for an hour.
Cut into wedges! We didn’t have any leftovers, but if you do, use it for French toast or bread pudding. This panettone has the right consistency to be transformed into a breakfast or dessert dish!

Recipe can be found here.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post by Canadian Living and Kenwood. I received compensation for it. There was no requirement to produce a positive review of this recipe. All opinions are our own.

Friday, October 3, 2014

Classic Cinnamon Apple Pie

Flaky, no fail pie crust? Challenge accepted.

I've never been great at making pies and this would be my first made-from-scratch pie without the help of a friend or family member. I'm glad it's a classic cinnamon apple pie, can't mess that up, can I? The instructions look easy enough.

Using a food processor, I combined 2 cups of all-purpose flour and 3/4 teaspoon of salt. The Crisco all vegetable shortening is already measured out into one cup.

Just toss that bad boy into the food processor with the flour. Give is a few quick pulses.

Stop when it resembles coarse crumbs. You're at a good place here.

Beat 1 egg, 2 tablespoons of cold water, and 1 tablespoon of vinegar together to blend. Pour this mixture into the crumbs. Again, give the food processor a few pulses until everything comes together. The dough is now moistened and ready to scoop out.

Shape the dough into a disc shape, wrap, and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes (of you can do this ahead of time and chill it overnight).

Can I say how much I love my apple peeler and corer? Made the job of slicing 8 Golden Delicious apples a lot easier!

Place the apples in a large bowl. Throw in 3/4 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt and nutmeg.

Give everything a good toss.

Take the chilled dough out of the fridge and roll it on to a floured surface. You'll need it to be 2 inches wider than your pie dish to accommodate the sides.

Gently and carefully place the dough into your pie dish. Place cinnamon apple filling onto the bottom pie crust. Spread and pack it down firmly. It's okay if the middle is slightly higher, the filling will shrink when it bakes. Place the remaining dough on top of the pie and brush with a beaten egg yolk. Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake on the bottom rack of your oven at 425F for 20 minutes. Then, reduce the heat to 325°F. and bake for about 60 to 65 minutes. The crust should be golden and the filling will be bubbly.

What do you think? I think it is picture perfect! Fine, my pie decorating skills and trimming could use some work, but it looks good! I'm quite proud of it! And not only does it look good, the crust is flaky and the filling is delicious. A successful pie made in the afternoon makes for a great after dinner dessert.

CRISCO® No Fail Pie Crust
From Crisco®
For one double-crust pie or two 9” (23 cm) pie shells

2 cups (500 ml) of Robin Hood® Original All Purpose Flour
3/4 teaspoons (4 ml) of salt
1 cup (250 ml) of Crisco® All-Vegetable Shortening
1 egg
2 tablespoons (30 ml) of cold water
1 tablespoon (15 ml) of white vinegar
  1. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the shortening. Using a pastry blender, cut shortening into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs.
  2. In a small bowl, beat together the egg, water and vinegar. Add to the flour mixture and stir with a fork until moistened.
  3. Divide the dough into 2 pieces and shape into a 4" disk. Wrap each with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. This will make it easier to roll out the dough.
  4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out on disc of dough into an 11 inch circle. Carefully transfer to a lightly greased 9" pie plate. Fill with Classic Cinnamon Apple Pie Filling (recipe below).
  5. Roll out second disc of dough to an 11 inch circle. Cover the pie with the rolled out dough. Tuck the edges under and pinch to seal. Flute the edges. Bake according to directions for the filling.
Classic Cinnamon Apple Pie
Adapted from Canadian Living

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Portion Size: 10 to 12

Filling:
8 firm cooking apples (such as Golden Delicious)
3/4 cup of granulated sugar
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
Pinch each salt and nutmeg
2 tablespoon of unsalted butter, softened
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon of coarse sugar
  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
  2. Peel and core the apples. Cut into 1/4" slices and put in a large bowl.
  3. In a small bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Sprinkle over apples. Toss the apples so all are coated with the sugar mixture.
  4. Transfer apples to the prepared pie shell. Pack the apples down and dot with butter. Top with the second circle of dough. Tuck the edges under and pinch to seal. Flute the edges of the pie dough.
  5. Whisk the egg yolk and brush on top of the pie. Sprinkle the sugar on top. Cut steam vents in the top.
  6. Bake on the bottom rack for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 325°F and bake until the bottom is golden and the filling is bubbly, about 60-65 minutes. Allow to cool on rack.
And now the contest:
Snap a photo of your favourite pie. Share it using #CLEasyAsPie and you could win a $4,000 baking experience! For more details, visit Canadianliving.com/easyaspie!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post by Canadian Living and Crisco. I received compensation for it. There was no requirement to produce a positive review of this recipe. All opinions are our own.