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Back "on the air" after a week at the beach!

1/19/2015

I spent last week at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, at Sewing at the Beach--an annual sewing school hosted by the Stranded Smockers and Stitchers chapter of Smocking Arts Guild of America. I love anything that involves a needle and thread!

A week of hand embroidery, along with a little bit of machine stitching and reconnecting with friends--great fun!

Did I bake, you may ask?

Of course! I took along a Lemon-Almond Cake from Rose's Heavenly Cakes and a batch of chewy oatmeal raisin cookies. What's a vacation without treats?

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My tasting team enjoys the second batch of kouigns amman

1/4/2015

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The tasting team--and dear friends--vying for the pastries! Parents Barbie (far left) and Lee (far right), Gillian, Rossie, Natalie, William, Camille, Bob (he's back there behind Lee!) and Kelly.

I learned to bake these fantastic pastries as the first assignment in the "Alpha Bakers" project. I'm part of an online group of bakers around the world who are baking through the newest cookbook by my favorite author, Rose Levy Beranbaum. It's so much fun, and the book, the Baking Bible, is a treasure!

Yesterday was rainy, a perfect day to devote six hours to making a batch of kouigns amman. The recipe, which originates in Brittany, is worth the price of the book! Pronounce it "ka-WEEN-ah-mahn," and then pronounce it delicious!

The recipe doubled perfectly. Next time, however, I will divide the dough in two "packages" for the rolling and turning steps. The larger, heavier piece of dough was difficult to handle.

This is the fifth hour. The dough has been "turned" three times. My hands are coated with sugar and I have folded in the corners of a square of dough. Ready for the ring on the pan, then the dough will rise before baking.

This recipe is surprisingly easy to make! Time consuming, definitely. Difficult, no. After the mixing, the dough is rolled out flat and then a softened square of butter is enclosed in the dough. The dough is "turned--" rolled and folded, and then chilled, three times. This is exactly the same process used to make puff pastry with one important difference--during the last turn, sugar is rolled into the dough. The result is poetry in pastry!

These are disposable rings made from folded lengths of foil stapled into circles. I only have eight pastry rings and since I made a double batch, I needed to improvise eight more. The pastries have risen at this point and are ready for the oven.

Close attention to timing is important in this recipe. It takes six hours start to finish. Unfortunately, that means that unless I am prepared to get up in the middle of the night, (NEVER going to happen!) these pastries can't be ready for breakfast.

The dough is shaped, tucked into pastry rings and then given a brief rise. Total baking time is about 18 minutes. My team of tasters was standing by!

I told my friends that the price of these delicacies was a few photos for my blog...and they consented before digging in. I think I could exact any price for these pastries, they are so delicious!

Lee and Kelly and I sampling the treats. Kelly asked me if I would make them for her birthday. Of course!!

Barbie smiles from the heart!

Bob samples the kouigns amman. So glad to see him and his beautiful wife Camille for the holidays, in town from Chicago!

William wants to come over and learn to make kouigns amman. He's a fine cook, and a lot of fun! The only thing a cook loves more than an appreciative eater is to pass on a great recipe!

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Thanks for visiting me and my Artful Oven!

Back "on the air" after a week at the beach!

My tasting team enjoys the second batch of kouigns amman

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