Posts made in March, 2021

Bready or Not: Triple-Chocolate Brownies

Posted by on Mar 31, 2021 in Blog, Bready or Not, brownies, chocolate | Comments Off on Bready or Not: Triple-Chocolate Brownies

These Triple-Chocolate Brownies are loaded with three kinds of chocolate, cocoa, and a unique blend of flours: all-purpose along with chickpea flour.

Bready or Not: Triple-Chocolate Brownies

What does the chickpea flour do for the recipe? Well, it handles moisture differently. That makes these dense, moist, in a texturally more complex way than the usual all-wheat-flour brownies.

Bready or Not: Triple-Chocolate Brownies

The flavor is also more complex. Soon after baking, these brownies taste almost like they have breakfast cereal mixed in. You can tell something is different.

Bready or Not: Triple-Chocolate Brownies

Like a lot of chocolate baked goods, though, these taste better after a day. In these brownies, that means the complicated flavors deepen. They taste more chocolaty, more delicious.

Bready or Not: Triple-Chocolate Brownies

If you don’t want to fuss with a big bag of chickpea flour, check out your local grocery or natural goods stores that have flours in bins. In the Phoenix area, that includes Sprouts and WinCo.

Once you make these brownies, though, you may want to make them again soon, so maybe a larger amount of chickpea flour isn’t a bad thing.

Modified from February 2020 Bake from Scratch/Bob’s Red Mill lesson.

Bready or Not: Triple-Chocolate Brownies

These luscious brownies are loaded with three kinds of chocolate, cocoa, and a unique blend of flours: all-purpose along with chickpea flour. These brownies will taste better after a day to chill in the fridge. Modified from February 2020 Bake from Scratch/Bob’s Red Mill lesson.
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: brownies, chickpeas, chocolate
Author: Beth Cato

Equipment

  • 9×13 baking pan

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate divided
  • 1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips divided
  • 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, cubed
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar packed
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup chickpea flour
  • 1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder sifted
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon espresso powder
  • 4 large eggs room temperature, lightly beaten
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Preheat oven at 325-degrees. Line a 13×9 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
  • Using a double boiler on the stove top or a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave, melt together 1 cup of dark chocolate/semi-sweet chocolate chips, 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips, and butter. Heat until it can be stirred smooth. Remove from heat and stir in all of the sugar. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, mix together both flours, cocoa powder, salt, and espresso powder. Set aside.
  • Return to the chocolate bowl. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Gradually fold in the dry ingredients, and follow up with the rest of the three kinds of chocolate chips. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
  • Bake until the center passes the toothpick test, about 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely at room temperature or speed the process in the fridge. Use the foil to lift the contents onto a cutting board. Slice into bars.
  • Store in an airtight container in the fridge up to a week. Like many chocolate baked goods, these brownies will actually taste better after the first day as the flavor intensifies.

OM NOM NOM!

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    Poetry reading and interview on YouTube: “A Purring Cat is a Time Machine”

    Posted by on Mar 29, 2021 in anthology:poem, Blog, online publication, public speaking, writerly advice | Comments Off on Poetry reading and interview on YouTube: “A Purring Cat is a Time Machine”

    Todd Sullivan is accumulating a wonderful number of author showcases and interviews on YouTube, and included me in his series on How to Read Poetry. I read my poem “A Purring Cat is a Time Machine,” originally published in Daikaijuzine, and then answer some interview questions on poetry. Enjoy!

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    Bready or Not: Apple Slice Tray Bake

    Posted by on Mar 24, 2021 in apples, Blog, blondies, Bready or Not, breakfast, cake | Comments Off on Bready or Not: Apple Slice Tray Bake

    This Apple Slice Tray Bake would simply be an Apple Cake to most Americans. Whatever you call it, it’s packed with apples and delicious.

    Bready or Not: Apple Slice Tray Bake

    This is third consecutive recipe I’ve modified from the Bake from Scratch Magazine July/August 2020 Ireland-themed issue. I still have a few more things I want to try in the coming months, too!

    Bready or Not: Apple Slice Tray Bake

    I’ve found that French, Irish, and British apple cake recipes tend to be lighter on sugar and spices than typical American recipes. The focus is really on the apples.

    Bready or Not: Apple Slice Tray Bake

    I used Honeycrisps here, which are one of my favorite apples to eat outright or bake with! Two big apples will work.

    Bready or Not: Apple Slice Tray Bake

    This bakes up light, lofty, and cakey, with a sugar-crusted top and a lovely flavor of apples throughout. The pieces freeze and thaw very well, too, meaning you can enjoy this like it is fresh but spread over days or weeks!

    Bready or Not: Apple Slice Tray Bake

    This Irish-style apple cake is lighter on spices and sugar than American versions, letting the natural, pure sweetness of apples shine through. (Note that the all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder could be replaced by 3 1/3 cup self-rising flour.) Modified from Bake from Scratch Magazine July/August 2020 Ireland-themed issue.
    Course: Breakfast, Dessert
    Cuisine: irish
    Keyword: apple, bars, cake
    Author: Beth Cato

    Equipment

    • 9×9 baking pan
    • uneven spatula

    Ingredients

    Apple layer:

    • 2 large baking apples Honeycrisp work well
    • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1 Tablespoon white sugar

    Cake:

    • 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter (2 and a half sticks) room temperature
    • 1 1/2 cups white sugar
    • 4 large eggs room temperature
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or substitute vanilla extract
    • 3 cups all-purpose flour
    • 3/4 teaspoon salt
    • 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 1/8 teaspoon allspice
    • 2 Tablespoons turbinado sugar

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 9×9 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray.
    • Peel and core the apples, then slice to about 1/4-inch thickness. Place slices in a large bowl and toss them with lemon juice and 1 Tablespoon white sugar, until apples are coated. Set aside.
    • In a big mixing bowl, beat butter and white sugar for several minutes, until blended and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing in well and scraping bowl afterward. Add vanilla. The batter may look curdled, but that’s okay.
    • In a separate bowl, stir together flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and allspice. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet.
    • Spread about half of the batter into the pan, using an uneven spatula to form an even layer. Arrange apple slices, flat side down, to cover the batter entirely. Top with the remaining batter, using the uneven spatula again to even out as much as possible. Sprinkle turbinado sugar all over the top.
    • Bake until the middle of the cake passes the toothpick test, which will be from 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cover pan with foil about halfway through to prevent it from browning too much.
    • Let cool in pan for an least 10 minutes, then use foil to lift cake onto a cutting board. Slice into squares. Tastes best warmed and at room temperature. Pieces can also be shrouded in plastic wrap and frozen for later enjoyment.

    OM NOM NOM!

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      Bready or Not: Honey Oat Pie with a Cinnamon Pie Crust

      Posted by on Mar 17, 2021 in Blog, Bready or Not, british, cheese galore, quick bread, side dish | Comments Off on Bready or Not: Honey Oat Pie with a Cinnamon Pie Crust

      This is a pie like none I have made before: like a gigantic chewy oatmeal cookie with a spiced crust, embodied with a refreshing zing of whiskey.

      Bready or Not: Honey Oat Pie with a Cinnamon Pie Crust

      This Honey Oat Pie in a Cinnamon Pie Crust will blow your mind in the best of ways. Texture wise, it is moist and chewy without being soggy (be sure to use old-fashioned/rolled oats!).

      Bready or Not: Honey Oat Pie with a Cinnamon Pie Crust

      Flavor-wise, you taste the toasted oats, a wonderful mix of warm spices, and the freshness of the whiskey. There’s only a tablespoon and a half in there but the flavor of the whiskey still comes through.

      Bready or Not: Honey Oat Pie with a Cinnamon Pie Crust

      I used Jameson Irish Whiskey, in keeping with the origins of the original version of the recipe: the July/August issue of Bake from Scratch Magazine, my favorite food magazine these days.

      Bready or Not: Honey Oat Pie with a Cinnamon Pie Crust

      I imagine you can omit the whiskey from the recipe without it being detrimental to the taste or texture, but I haven’t tried that myself.

      This is a great pie to have for breakfast (the alcohol’s effect burns off in baking), or snack, or dessert.

      Bready or Not: Cinnamon Pie Crust

      This basic pie crust comes together quickly and would complement many sweet pie recipes. Mix up, chill the dough for at least an hour (or freeze for much later), and you can form the crust and go from there! This makes enough dough for ONE pie shell. Modified from Bake from Scratch Ireland Issue July/August 2020.
      Course: Breakfast, Dessert
      Cuisine: American
      Keyword: pie
      Author: Beth Cato

      Equipment

      • food processor
      • pie plate
      • plastic wrap

      Ingredients

      • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
      • 1 1/2 Tablespoons white sugar
      • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
      • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
      • 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick, cold, cut into chunks
      • 3 Tablespoons ice water plus more if needed

      Instructions

      • In a large food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add the butter pieces. Pulse until they are almond-sized, then add the ice water. Pulse until mixture can form a ball, adding a touch more water if needed to make it cohesive.
      • Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead to shape into a disk. Tightly encase in plastic wrap and let chill in fridge for at least an hour, or up to a few days. Dough can also be frozen for up to two months.

      OM NOM NOM!

        Bready or Not: Honey Oat Pie

        This rich and chewy nut-free pie is like an oversize oatmeal cookie with a pleasant zing of whiskey. That’s right, whiskey. Modified from Bake from Scratch Ireland Issue July/August 2020.
        Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
        Cuisine: American, irish
        Keyword: alcohol, oats, pie
        Author: Beth Cato

        Equipment

        • pie plate
        • parchment paper
        • pie weights

        Ingredients

        • single-layer pie crust
        • 1 1/3 cups old-fashioned oats also called rolled oats
        • 2/3 cup brown sugar packed
        • 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
        • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
        • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
        • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
        • 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
        • 1/3 cup honey
        • 1 1/2 Tablespoons Irish whiskey such as Jameson
        • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
        • 4 large eggs room temperature

        Instructions

        • Preheat oven at 400-degrees

        Prepare pie crust

        • Let pie dough soften at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes. Lightly flour a surface and roll out dough to a 12-inch circle and transfer it to a 9-inch pie plate. Press into plate to shape, crimping edges as desired. Freeze crust until firm, about 15 minutes.
        • Drape a large piece of parchment paper over pie crust. Fill to the top with pie weights.
        • Bake crust until edges are turning golden, about 10 to 15 minutes. Carefully remove weights and parchment paper.
        • Bake crust an additional 10 minutes to set. Cover the edges with foil if it is getting brown too quickly. Set aside on rack to cool while the filling is assembled.

        Prepare filling

        • Reduce oven temperature to 350-degrees.
        • Line a rimmed baking pan with parchment paper. Place oats in pan.
        • Bake them until they are lightly toasted, about 10 minutes, giving them a stir or two during. Set them aside to cool.
        • Lower oven temperature again, this time to 325-degrees. Move the oven rack to the lower third of the oven.
        • In a big bowl, mix together the brown sugar, salt, ginger, and nutmeg. Add the corn syrup, melted butter, honey, whiskey and vanilla, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl. Add eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition, and end by incorporating the oats until they are coated. Pour everything into the parbaked crust.
        • Bake until the filling is set and slightly puffed, about 40 minutes. Check on the pie about halfway and cover the edges the foil if they are getting too brown. The done pie will register at 200-degrees if checked with an instant thermometer.
        • Let pie cool completely on rack before slicing in. Store covered by foil in the fridge or at room temperature. Keeps for several days.

        OM NOM NOM!

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          Bready or Not: Irish Cheddar Soda Bread

          Posted by on Mar 10, 2021 in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Bready or Not: Irish Cheddar Soda Bread

          If you know me at all, you know I love cheese. One of my forever favorites is Kerrygold Dubliner, which I can buy in bulk at Costco almost all the time. That makes the use of a hefty amount of Dubliner all the more affordable in this amazing Irish Cheddar Soda Bread.

          Bready or Not: Irish Cheddar Soda Bread

          Of course, you can use another kind of Irish cheddar, or cheddar from anywhere in the world. Whatever you use will be delicious and amazing in this bread.

          Bready or Not: Irish Cheddar Soda Bread

          This recipe is the first in a series of re-worked recipes from a fantastic issue of Bake from Scratch Magazine last year. The July/August issue was all about Ireland, with loads of Irish recipes, and I had a blast baking my way through and making my own versions of deliciousness.

          Bready or Not: Irish Cheddar Soda Bread

          (Truly, if you love to bake, I highly recommend Bake from Scratch. I get a lot of food magazines, and it is my favorite. I find several things I want to make in each issue, which I can’t say about any of my other subscriptions.)

          Bready or Not: Irish Cheddar Soda Bread

          This bread is perfect along with a roast or soup or stew, or all by itself with a generous pat of butter (Kerrygold being best, of course).

          You might think I’m getting paid to endorse this Kerrygold stuff and Bake from Scratch. I wish! No, I’m just a total fan.

          Bready or Not: Irish Cheddar Soda Bread

          If you love bread and cheese, oh wow, is this the recipe for you. Use a good Irish cheese like Kerrygold Dubliner, and to really make it amazing, Kerrygold butter as well. Modified from Bake from Scratch Magazine July/August 2020.
          Course: Bread, Side Dish
          Cuisine: irish
          Keyword: cheese, quick bread
          Author: Beth Cato

          Equipment

          • parchment paper
          • instant thermometer

          Ingredients

          • 3 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
          • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
          • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
          • 1 cup Irish aged white cheddar cheese (113 grams) coarsely grated, divided
          • 2 teaspoons dried parsley or other herbs
          • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
          • 2 cups buttermilk or substitute soured milk, see note

          Instructions

          • Preheat oven at 450-degrees. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
          • In a large bowl, stir together flour, salt, and baking powder. Add about 2/3 cup of cheese, herbs, and pepper. Form a well in the middle and add the buttermilk. Use a hand to mix everything, kneading and clawing everything together; note that the dough will be very sticky and clumpy.
          • Once it can be patted into a round, transfer it to the parchment paper. Reshape a bit if needed. Dip a knife in some flour, and slash an inch-deep X broadly across the top of the round; this is to release steam and, according to folklore, evil fairies. Sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup of cheese on top.
          • Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400-degrees. If the round is already looking quite brown, carefully cup some foil over the top.
          • Bake for another 20 minutes. The bread is done when it is browned and registers 200-degrees or more on a digital thermometer. If the bottom is tapped, it should sound hollow.
          • Let cool for about 30 minutes before cutting in. Bread is best served warm; easily reheat slices in the oven later. Pieces can also be frozen.

          OM NOM NOM!

            Notes

            To substitute soured milk, place a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar in a large liquid measuring cup, then add milk to the 2 cup point. Let sit for 10 minutes to coagulate, then add to the dough.
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