Category Archives: Baking

Focaccia, but make it GLUTEN FREE

Posted on by
Reply

 

I’ve tried a multitude of gluten free focaccia recipes, with a variety of success.  This one is exactly what I was looking for, even hard to believe it is gluten free!  This is also amazing as it doesn’t require any special equipment, or method, just a few minutes of prep and the time to let it sit.

  • 500 grams warm water (somewhere around 110 degrees is perfect)
  • 10 grams active yeast
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • See Step 1 below first!
  • 560 grams Caputo Fioreglut Flour – NO SUBSTITUTIONS PLEASE
  • 24 grams sugar
  • 8 grams kosher or sea salt
  • 24 grams good quality olive oil
  1. Stir warm water, sugar and yeast together.  Set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes or so.
  2. In a large bowl combine Caputo flour, sugar, salt and stir to combine.  Once your yeast is active and foamy, stir that into your flour mixture with the olive oil.  Stir only until well combined, you really do not need to knead!

In a large bowl drizzle about 10 grams of olive oil around the bowl, then drop in your focaccia mixture and top it with another 5 grams of oil.  All this oil will get absorbed into the dough and gluten free bread does require this to give you that classic focaccia flavour, and the sugar helps it to brown.

COVER WELL AND PLACE IN THE FRIDGE FOR A MINIMUM OF

8 HOURS AND UP TO 48

DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP, IT WILL GIVE YOU THE FLAVOUR

AND TEXTURE YOU WANT

Take the dough out of the fridge about 2 hours before you want to bake it, and oil a 9 x 12 baking dish or pan. Tip the dough out into the pan and gently stretch it to fill the container.  Don’t worry it it doesn’t quite reach, as it rises and warms up it should.  Cover and allow to rest in a draft free area for at least an hour, check to see if it has risen and filled the pan.Your dough might need anywhere from 1-2 hours to full rise and get fluffy.  After an hour, preheat your oven to 425  F. so that you are sure it is up to temperature before you bake the focaccia. 

Toppings make the focaccia!  I love to dimple the top, drizzle olive oil over, sprinkle with garlic, rosemary and flaky salt, but I’ve also added sun dried tomatoes, olives, and created pretty designs with herbs and vegetables – you do whatever you feel like.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, checking at 25 minutes.  I usually like to do a quick check with a thermometer, the internal temperature should be about 200 degrees F. Rest in the pan for 5 minutes before taking it out, and will taste best if it sits for another 10 before cutting into it.

Only needed a small loaf today so this is half the recipe.
Felt like focaccia muffins, so we made these in a muffin tin – crispy edges!

I’m not sure what it is with Caputo Fiorglut Flour, but it is the only one that I get this result with for focaccia. It isn’t easy to get for me (Vernon BC) so I order it online. Pricey yes, but the pleasure Stella gets when she has soft fluffy bread is worth it for all of us.

Carmelized Onion Cheddar Gluten Free Scones

Posted on by
Reply

I have to start with saying these are the best gluten free scones Stella and I have ever made. They come together quickly, even with the step of carmelizing onions. We forgot the carmelized onions in this batch (came across them later in the fridge!), and they were still fantastic.

We forgot the carmelized onions and they were still delicious

Carmelized Onions

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium red or yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼-½ tsp pepper

Cheese scones:

  • 240 g (2 cups) plain gluten free flour blend, plus extra for flouring the surface 
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp xanthan gum (Omit if your gluten free flour blend already contains xanthan gum.)
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 85 g (½ stick + 2 tbsp) cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • 100 g (about 1 cup) coarsely grated/shredded cheddar cheese (I recommend using mature/sharp cheddar for best flavour and texture.)
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives
  • 1/4 cup diced fine pepperoni or salami (completely optional)
  • 150 g (⅔ cup) cold buttermilk

Scone Topping

  • -2 tbsp buttermilk, for brushing the scones
  • 25 g (about ¼ cup) coarsely grated/shredded cheddar cheese, for sprinkling the scones

Carmelizng the onions:

  • Caramelise the onions first, so they have time to cool down. They need to be cooled completely to room temperature before you add them to the scone dough.
  • Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat, then add the finely sliced onions, salt and pepper, and mix well.
  • Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook slowly, with occasional stirring, until the onions are soft and caramelised – they should be of a deep golden brown colour. That usually takes about 15-20 minutes.Tip: If the onions look dry or like they’re starting to burn at any point, add a tablespoon or two of water and scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom and sides of the pan
  • Transfer the caramelised onions to a bowl or plate and allow to cool completely to room temperature.

Method

  • Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position, pre-heat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC) and line a large baking sheet with parchment/baking paper.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour blend, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt.
  • Add the cold cubed butter and work it into the dry ingredients until you get a mixture resembling breadcrumbs, with a few pea-sized pieces here and there.
  • Add the grated cheddar cheese, chives and (cooled!) caramelized onions, and toss them in the dry ingredients until they’re evenly distributed. If needed, you can rub the mixture between your fingertips to break apart any large pieces where the cheese or caramelized onions have stuck together.
  • Add the cold buttermilk and stir everything together until the dough starts clumping together. The dough will still be fairly shaggy at this point, but most of the flour should be hydrated (there shouldn’t be any large patches of dry flour).If your dough seems too dry and doesn’t want to stick together, you can add a tablespoon or two of extra buttermilk.Tip: The exact amount of buttermilk you’ll need can vary, depending on how thick/runny your buttermilk is and how much moisture your gluten free flour blend tends to absorb. The aim is to get a shaggy dough that holds together when you shape it into a disc (but it shouldn’t be too soft or sticky to the touch).

Shaping the scones:

  • Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and use your hands to press it together into a rough ball. Be careful not to overwork it, it needs to stay as cold as possible, otherwise the butter could start to melt. You don’t need to knead it – the aim is to press it together so it won’t fall apart when you cut it into the individual scones, but it doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth.
  • Press the dough into a roughly 7-inch (18cm) disc, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick.
  • Cut it into 8 wedges, either with a sharp knife or with a straight-edged metal pastry cutter (bench scraper).
  • Place the scones onto the lined baking sheet, spaced as far apart as possible, as they will puff up during baking.
  • Brush them with a bit of extra buttermilk and sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese.
  • Bake them at 400ºF (200ºC) for about 20 minutes or until they’re puffed up, golden brown and the melted cheese on top is nicely browned.
  • Cool the scones on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes, then serve them warm.
We forgot the carmelized onions in the fridge, and didn’t top them with more cheese – still delicious!

This recipe came from The Loopy Whisk, and we have had tremendous success wth her gluten free recipes. Our only changes were to omit the cheese topping, add a bit of pepperoni, and this time we even forgot to add in our carmelized onions and they were incredible.

Lemon Squares

Posted on by
2

These are so creamy and delicious without the effort of a lemon meringue pie!    It’s a quick easy dessert, and easy to take along anywhere.

These look perfect, and I haven’t even dusted them with powdered sugar!

 

Line an 8×8 inch square pan with parchment paper, lightly greasing the pan first, then lightly grease the parchment.  Make sure you leave some overhang, it will make it much easier to remove when the bars have cooled.

Preheat oven to 350.

 

SHORTBREAD BASE

  • 3/4 cup plain all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup corn starch
  • 1/2 cup icing sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 110g / 1 stick unsalted butter , cold, cut into 1cm / 1/2″ cubes
  • Base – Place Shortbread Base ingredients in a food processor fitted with the standard “S” blade. Pulse 5 to 10 times until it becomes like sand. (I didn’t feel like washing my processor, so I just worked it with my fingers like I do any shortbread)  Pour into the tin, spread, then press firmly into the base, pushing it right up to the edges.

It’s not very often I bake with all purpose flour any more, but with just the two of us here, I went the traditional route.  I will be sure to try this again with 1/1 Gluten Free Flour and I will update with those results!

LEMON CURD TOPPING

  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 2 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest (do this before juicing)
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice (2 – 3 lemons) – don’t use anything other than fresh lemons!
  • Bake base for 20 minutes or until golden on the edges and pale golden in the middle. Remove from oven. ( Note: don’t let it cool, pour in curd immediately).
  • Lemon Curd – While the base is baking, place Lemon Topping ingredients in a bowl and whisk until combined.
  • Bake 20 minutes – Pour Lemon Curd onto base, then bake for 20 minutes until the topping is set but still soft.
  • Cool – Remove from then oven and cool on the counter for 1 hour, then fridge for at least 2 hours. Slice into 16 squares. Dust with icing sugar (confectionary sugar) and serve!

This recipe came from Nagi at Recipe Tin. Her recipes are always sure winners, and I wanted to make sure I got this one down right away so I don’t keep searching. Many recipes call for making a separate lemon curd on the stove top, and while I am sure they are fantastic, I don’t think I lost any flavour by doing it this way and it was so easy! I didn’t have enough lemon to make Grant’s favourite lemon meringue pie, but this was a close interpretation, and it’s delicious.

Apple Pie Cookies – Gluten Free

Posted on by
Reply

It’s apple season and these cookies are a great way to get an apple pie fix in a hurry.  Quick and easy to make, they bake up in only 12-15 minutes and you can be eating them before your pie crust would have even chilled.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is img_1615-1.jpg

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/2 cups (210 g) gluten free flour blend
  • 3/4 tsp xanthum gum (if your GF flour blend doesn’t have any)
  • 1/4 cup  (36 g) cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 3/4 cup ( 150 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 (80 g) grated semi tart apple (peeled)
  • 10 tbsp (140 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 large egg, beaten – at room temperature)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 325 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper

In a large bowl mix together flour, xanthan gum (if using), cornstarch, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and sugar.  Whisk to combine.

Add grated apple and mix well, separating all the apple pieces.

Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add butter, egg & vanilla.  Mix to combine well.  The dough will be really thick, but soft.

Form balls about 1 1/2 tbsp and then press into a flatter shape, about 1/2 inch thick and place on baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.

Bake at 325 for 12-15 minutes

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on baking sheet.

GLAZE

  • 3/4 cup (86 g) icing sugar
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp milk

Mix all glaze ingredients well, adding a wee bit of milk as necessary to get the glaze thin enough to drizzle.

Drizzle glaze over cooled cookies and enjoy!

Make sure you have a cute apple grater to help – sorry, Stella isn’t available all the time!

We have found Gluten Free On A Shoestring to be an amazing source, all the recipes are easy to follow and we’ve enjoyed every single one #gfshoestring

Nicole (@gfshoestring) put white chocolate chips in her cookies, and while I am sure that would be amazing, it is not something I ever have on hand, and we didn’t think they even needed chocolate chips.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Cake

Posted on by
Reply

Baking and cooking gluten free is a new skill I’m invested in, with Stella recently having a celiac diagnosis.  We’ve decided this is, to date, our best effort and it’s delicious.  Even if you aren’t eating gluten free, you might like to try this out.

CAKE

  • 3 large eggs
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup coconut flour
  • 3/4 cup arrowroot powder
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 and line an 8 x 8 inch baking dish with parchment paper.

In a large bowl cream together the butter, eggs, sugar & pumpkin.  When smooth and creamy stir in the dry ingredients, and lastly the vanilla.

Scrape down the sides and mix for a further 10 seconds, then allow to sit for 5 minutes to allow the dough to hydrate and thicken.  Blend for a further 15 seconds until smooth.

Pour into prepared baking pan, smooth the surface and place in the oven.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until a tester comes out clean.  Allow to completely cool before frosting.

FROSTING

  • 3 oz soft cream cheese
  • 3 tbsp softened unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3/4-1 cup icing sugar
  • Blend cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth and fluffy.  Gradually add in enough icing sugar until the consistency you’d like.

Once cake has completely cooled, spread icing over and enjoy! Okay, maybe this one time Stella and I cut a piece off while it was still warm, slathered it with icing, and pronounced it fabulous!!!!

Blend wet ingredients well, until smooth and creamy

Gluten free or not, I promise you will love this cake. Light, fluffy, and so quick to put together.

Quick Focaccia

Posted on by
1

img_8247

There is something about making breads that just feels like a win.  Focaccia always does that!  The very best focaccia recipes allow for the dough to rest anywhere from hours to days.  If you are like me, some days you are driving home from work thinking focaccia would really boost dinner TODAY.  Not 3 days from now.  This recipe is for those days.   If you’ve got a little over an hour, you’ve got enough time to pull this off – and trust me, it’s easy.  No intensive kneading or stand mixer necessary!

  • 2 Tbso olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp fresh herbs – I used basil, parsley, rosemary, oregano and thyme. minced

Mix well and if it looks a little herb heavy, add a bit more olive oil. Set aside.

  • 3/4 cup warm water (the perfect temperature for blooming yeast is between 105-115)
  • 2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast (1 pack)
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil

Top with flaky sea salt and more fresh rosemary.

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Proof yeast and sugar in 3/4 cup warm water – 105-115 degrees F until foamy and active.
  • In a bowl, combine flour, salt.
  • Add in yeast mixture & olive oil, and mix to get it all together.  You may need to add a couple tablespoons more warm water.  You want this to be slightly sticky.
  • Cover and allow dough to rise for around 30 minutes.  The time isn’t as important as that you need to let the dough to pretty much double in size.
  • Add 1 -2 tbsp  olive oil into small baking vessel – either  9 x 7 inch sheet pan, or this also works well in an 8 x 8 square baking pan. You want a fair bit of oil here, rub it all around the sides of the pan as well.
  • Add dough and stretch to fit pan, if dough springs back, let it sit, covered, for 5 minutes and try again.  The rest helps the gluten to relax.
  • Once dough has been stretched enough to fit the baking sheet, allow to rest (covered) for 30 minutes.  Honestly, do whatever time you have – I find this to be fairly forgiving.
  • Dampen your fingers and dimple the dough like you are playing a piano.
  • Drizzle herbed olive oil over dimpled dough and allow it to fill in the dimples, I like to be generous with the herb oil mixture.
  • Sprinkle on some flaky sea salt and more fresh rosemary that isn’t all minced up.
  • Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Once out of the oven, allow to rest on a cooling rack to keep the bottom crusty as well.

So many ways you can serve this;

  • Use it as an appetizer with a charcuterie board
  • Fresh out of the oven with simple oil and vinegar
  • Try it with your best olive oil and my dukka recipe, (If you’ve never tried dukka you are in for a treat!)
  • Completes a soup or salad meal
It’s October and this is what my herb garden still looks like!
Ready to go, and this herby oil smells so fresh – today I added in some roasted garlic.
Ready for the oven – love the way those little dimples fill up, I think those pockets of oil help crisp up the top.
You just know how good your house smells – it’s ready to dunk in your soup.

Stella’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on by
Reply
Pure cookie heaven.

Stella wanted a pure chocolate chip cookie bake up, and these fit the bill perfectly. Usually I can’t stop myself from adding nuts, oranberries, or oats …. you know what I mean! However, her request was clear …….. slightly crunchy edges, soft but chewy PURE chocolate chip cookies. These only take a few minutes to whip up, and the reward is huge. Win/Win.

INGREDIENTS
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, melted but not hot
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
INSTRUCTIONS
  • Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheetwith parchment paper or leave ungreased.
  • In a large bowl or the bowl of you mixer add the sugars and melted butter and mix well until creamy. 
  • Add the eggs, vanilla, baking soda and salt to the bowl and beat on low speed until well incorporated, for about 30 seconds.
  • Add the flour to the bowl and mix until crumbles form. Note that you could mix your flour with the salt and baking soda, but I don’t find that it makes a difference at all. 
  • Add the chocolate chips to the bowl and use a spatula to mix them in to the dough. 
  • You can use a small ice cream scoop to scoop out cookie balls or use your hands to roll out the dough into balls, up to you how big you want your cookies. Place them onto the prepared baking sheet. This recipe yields around 50 cookies, so if you can only bake one tray at a time, place the remaining cookie dough in the fridge until ready for the next batch. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
  • Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until just barely golden around the edges of the cookies. DO NOT OVER BAKE. 
  • Let them cool on the baking sheet for about 15 minutes, then transfer them to  wire rack to finish cooling or enjoy eating them.
For perfect little balls use a mini scoop and then give them a little roll.
Figuring out how to take the perfect photo for the cookies of her dreams.
Yes, the kids are helping Nana style her food photos. Looks like I can turn that job over to someone more qualified! I will just keep cooking and baking.
The cookies in the foreground are baked for 10 minutes and resulted in a very soft cookie. If you want crispier bits around the edges bake for just 2 more minutes.

This recipe came from one of my favorite websites, Jo Cooks, out of Calgary. Her recipes are almost always a winner, and so easy to complete. Stella and I found that we preferred the cookies cooked a little longer just to get the crispy edges, but if you love your cookies softer stick to the cooking times listed above.

Snickerdoodle Cake

Posted on by
Reply
Crunchy sugar cinnamon coating, tender and delicate crumb inside, what’s not to love?

WHAT???? Snickerdoodle cookies in cake form? A dream come true. This cake encompasses all the bits of the cookie we love, but in cake form – perfect for a dessert or just snacking.

PREPARE THE PAN

  •  1 cup granulated sugar
  •  2 teaspoons cinnamon

CAKE

  •  2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  •  2 teaspoons cinnamon
  •  1 teaspoon baking powder
  •  1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  •  1/2 teaspoon salt
  •  1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  •  1 cup granulated sugar
  •  1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  •  3 large eggs, at room temperature
  •  2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  •  1 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream

PREP THE PAN

  1. To a small bowl, add 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, and whisk to combine; set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 325F.
  3. Generously spray a 9-inch (12-cup) Bundt pan with floured cooking spray (or grease the pan with shortening), being careful to cover all the nooks and crannies, as well as the center tube. Gently dust the entire inside of the pan with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. You will only need about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cinnamon-sugar, but try to evenly coat the inside surface of the pan, including the tube.
  4. Save the remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture for layering in as the filling; set everything aside. (I used less than half the remaining sugar mixture but just couldn’t bring myself to put that much of a sugar layer in a cake that already has 2 cups of sugar in it!)

CAKE

  1. To a large bowl, add the flour, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and whisk to combine; set aside.
  2. To the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer), add the butter and beat on medium-high speed for 1 minute.
  3. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, add 1 cup granulated sugar and mix on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  4. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the brown sugar and mix on medium-high speed until the mixture looks light brown and uniform in color, about 2 minutes.
  5. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the eggs one at a time, mixing on medium speed for 1 minute after each egg.
  6. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the vanilla and mix on medium speed to incorporate, about 30 seconds.
  7. Add half the flour mixture, half the Greek yogurt or sour cream, and mix on medium-low speed until incorporated, about 1 minute.
  8. Add the remaining flour mixture, remaining Greek yogurt or sour cream, and mix on medium-low speed until incorporated, about 1 minute.
  9. Turn half the batter out into the prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula. The batter is quite thick and that’s okay.
  10. Evenly sprinkle the reserved cinnamon-sugar mixture over the top of the batter, which creates the filling as the cake bakes. (As I mentioned earlier, use as much of the sugar mixture as you are comfortable with – I had lots left)
  11. Turn the remaining batter out into the pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula. Bake for 55 to 62 minutes (I baked for 59 minutes), or until top is lightly golden brown and set, and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Don’t overbake because the cinnamon-sugar crust will become overly crunchy.
  12. Allow cake to cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

I found this recipe on a new site for me, Averie Cooks. This turned out so well that I might be hopping over to her site again to see what else she has going on.

Served for dessert with a dollop of whipping cream, this cake is also so moist and delicious on its own, it is perfect for snacking
The girls are in training to “stylize” my food photos – this is Stella’s version.
Here is Sloan’s interpretation – either one makes me want to take a bite.

Stela was quick to to make sure I saved the recipe so it could get it on the blog. Well, she asked if I screenshot the recipe and when I said I printed it out, her dad told her that was the old fashioned way of taking a screen shot.

Aloo Garlic Stuffed Naan

Posted on by
Reply
The best naan I’ve made …. to date anyway!

I can’t pretend to be humble when it comes to my cooking, but these naan impressed me more than I usually impress myself! The dough is very pillowy soft and tender, they were so delicious I pulled six out of the oven and they were inhaled.

This is the kind of thing you do when you have a little time on your hands, not necessarily because they are so much work, but it is important to give the dough time to rise and develop that light texture you want in a naan.

NAAN

  • 1 tsp dry active yeast
  • 2 tsp sugar (separated)
  • 3/4 cup lukewarm water (around 100* )
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1/8 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp dry herbs
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp plain yogurt

In a large glass, dissolve 1 tsp sugar in the warm water and sprinkle in the yeast. Let sit for 10 minutes until it is foamy.

In a large bowl stir together the flour, salt, remaining 1 tsp sugar, baking powder, garlic powder and herbs.

Once yeast is nice and foamy stir in the olive oil and yogurt. Mix well and then stir into flour mixture with a fork. Using your hand, mix and knead in the bowl just until everything is incorporated. As soon as it is together, soft, and slightly sticky, cover it all and let it rest until doubled in size. This could be anywhere from 2-4 hours depending on how warm your kitchen is.

FILLING

  • 1 cup cooked & chopped up potato (could be leftover mashed potatoes too!)
  • Saute 1/2 -1 cup of minced onions in ghee, until nice and soft (amount of onion depends on your love of onions!)
  • Remove from heat and stir in one crushed garlic clove and 1/2 tsp dried coriander.
  • Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  • Set aside until cooled down.

(Ghee is clarified butter and most grocery stores carry it now, but you could easily substitute olive oil or butter)

Once the dough has doubled, gently punch it down and divide into 6, rolling those into balls.

Flatten each ball with your hands until they are 6-7 inches across. Divide the potato stuffing amongst the flattened dough pieces, and then gather the outer edges like you are forming a little pocket or purse.. Once you have completely encased the potato mixture press down gently until flattened and once again about 6-7 inches across.

Brush the tops with beaten egg, sprinkle with a little salt & pepper, chili flakes and sesame seeds.

Bake at 400 until golden brown – about 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and rub with a little melted butter and sprinkle with minced cilantro.

Ready to flatten, you can see the bits of herb and they already smell great.
This dough was the easiest naan dough I have ever worked with – so tender and easy to flatten.
Once you have them all stuffed and flattened back out, sprinkle with beaten egg and toppings. Confession time? Somehow I got on a roll and before I knew it I had brushed the tops with melted ghee, not the egg wash I had planned on. Hmm. Still turned out so do whatever floats your boat.
Using your finger tips, flatten around the outer edge to create a bit of a border. Some of them puffed right up like a pita, and others didn’t, and either way they were delicious!
Ready for the oven
Soft potato and onion filling made these the best ever!
Next time I’m going to leave out the garlic, and try using a different stuffing …. ham and cheese maybe? They’d be great for lunches.

This naan dough originally came from an Indian Cookbook I have – Aarti Sequeira “Aarti Paarti”. I’ve loved watching her on Food Network. She added fennel and nigella seeds, and didn’t stuff them. I had something different in mind so I used this dough, and then watched endless YouTube videos on stuffing naan to come up with my own version. Have fun, play around and let me know if you come up with any other stuffings.

In making naan, I often stand over my cast iron pan, frustrated by trying to get nice char marks and yet still allowing the bread dough to be fully cooked inside without burning the outside. This often leaves me less than satisfied! This totally hands off approach yielded the softest naan and the breads were fully cooked while still having wee bits of crunchy dough around the edges and on the tops of the ones that puffed up like a pita.

Fruit Pizza for Dessert!

Posted on by
1

Spring is here!  This fruit may not be in season here yet, and I can’t wait to make this when it is, but berries and mango are often available and you can use whatever fruit you like to make this refreshing dessert.  

The perfect cookie crust is tender but firm and a little crunchy – top that with the best of seasonal fruit on a creamy pudding bed and you’ve got a fabulous dessert.

COOKIE CRUST

  • 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  •  1 tsp baking soda
  •  1/2 tsp baking powder
  •  1/4 tsp salt
  •  3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter unsalted, softened
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract


INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a bowl mix together the all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of your mixer add the sugar and butter and beat for a couple minutes until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract and continue mixing until the egg is fully incorporated. Add the flour and mix for an additional 2 minutes. Take the cookie dough and form it into a ball. Place it over the prepared baking sheet. Roll the ball into a round large cookie or any shape you prefer. You might need to add some more flour over your roll or over the cookie so that it doesn’t stick.The cookie should be at least 1/4 of an inch in thickness.
  • Bake the cookie for about 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are golden. Let it cool completely.

Make this cookie crust ahead of time – even a day ahead is fine, but be sure to let it cool down.

CREAMY CUSTARD

  • 3 tbsp corn starch
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 egg yolks, beaten
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean extract

In heavy bottom saucepan stir corn starch, sugar and salt together. Slowly add the beaten egg yolks and milk. Stir until thickened, remove from heat and add in the vanilla. Cover the top wth plastic wrap to avoid a skin forming and allow to cool completely.

(You can also do this in the microwave, but watch it! I’ve had it spill up and over more than a few times …..)

ASSEMBLY

Spread the cooled custard on the cold cookie crust. Arrange fruit of your choice to cover the custard and allow to set completely before serving.