Maine Tidal Farm Photo

Wooden Submarine Photographs

Feathery Fudge Cake Recipe

This recipe is from my go-to cookbook from 1981, Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. I haven’t changed the recipe but I do use a kitchen scale to weigh the batter in the cake pans to make sure they are equal.

Grease and flour two 8″ cake pans. I also use a round of parchment in the bottom of the pan, then grease and flour it again. This greatly reduces the chance of having the cake stick to the pan.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine and set aside:

2 cups flour

1  1/4 tsp. baking soda ( sift to remove lumps)

1/2 tsp. salt.

Prepare 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate by melting and cooling (or 9 Tbls. unsweetened Cocoa plus 3 Tbls. water).

In a mixer bowl beat:

2/3 cup butter, softened. Beat for 30 seconds.

Add 1  3/4 cups sugar and

1 tsp. Vanilla.

Beat until well combined.

Add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating one minute after each.

Add the chocolate and beat.

Add the flour mixture alternating with 1  1/4 cups cold water, beating after each addition.

Turn into the prepared pans. To weigh the batter, tare the scale with each prepared cake pan and add the batter in equal amounts to both pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick remains clean when poked in the center. Remove while the cake is still against the side of the pan. (The cake is overdone if it has shrunk from the side of the pan while still in the oven).

Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack, then turn the cakes out of the pans and cool on the wire racks.

Dinner roll recipe

Making fresh rolls for dinner is easy, and they are so much better than any prepackaged type. For ‘brown and serve’ style, partially bake the rolls and freeze for later.

In your trusty bread machine bowl combine:

1 cup milk (or light cream)

2 eggs, mix with the milk with a fork to break up the yolks

1/3 cup butter, cut into chunks

Tare your scale and measure in 1 pound 2 oz. of all purpose flour – I recommend King Arthur All Purpose Flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

2  1/4 tsp.  SAF instant yeast

Set into your machine on dough setting.

When ready, slightly knead the dough into a ball and let rest 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut the ball in half and work with one half at a time.

By hand, roll the half into a log and cut into even pieces – I think 8 pieces make nice sized rolls. Roll each piece into a ball without working the dough too much.

With a bench knife or spatula, cut the dough almost in half at top center. (This is an easy way to make a Parker-style roll that splits in half for all the butter you’ll want to slather on each piece!)

Reshape slightly as you place them on an ungreased sheet. Cover with a damp tea towel to rise for 30 minutes.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes until golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

For ‘Brown and Serve’ style rolls make the rolls and bake in a 325 degree F. oven for 10 minutes – do not brown. Cool the rolls thoroughly on a wire rack and wrap and freeze or set aside for later in the day. These rolls are delicate and squish easily. Use a box and only one layer per bag. Just removing air from a freezer bag can crush these rolls.

When ready to serve, bake in a 400 degree F. oven for 10 minutes. If they have been frozen, allow them to thaw for 10 to 15 minutes before baking.

You will love how easy these are to make and the texture and taste is wonderful!

This recipe is my adaption of the dinner roll recipe from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book 1981…my go-to guide.

French bread recipe

The wind in howling. The heavy, wet snow slaps against the clapboards and windows…

It is a perfect day for baking French bread…

Measure into a bread machine pan on a tared scale or using dry measuring cups and spoons-

1 pound of water (2 cups)

1 pound 6.5 oz. of King Arthur Organic All Purpose Flour or All Purpose Flour (5 cups)

2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 1/4 teaspoons SAF Instant Yeast

Begin the dough setting and walk away. It’s about 1  1/2 hours to complete the dough setting.

When the bread machine is finished, remove the dough and shape into 2 to 4 baguettes. Set aside to rise under a damp tea towel. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, preferably with an oven stone. Allow the oven to heat and the dough to rise for one hour.

Slash the baguettes and bake for 25 minutes. You may use a water sprayer to add humidity to the oven in the first half of baking if you want a crispier crust.

Let the bread cool before tearing into it and slathering it with fresh butter.

This is my rendition of Julia Child’s recipe from Baking With Julia.

It’s easy! Go make some great bread!

Calm River

Along a back road I stop to take this photograph.

The afternoon light, before the coming cold weather, illuminates

the changing leaf colors beside the calm water.

Baking with Julia

I love to make French bread. I’ve been working on it for over 10 years. My love for this basic but versatile bread ignited when I was fortunate enough to spend a couple of weeks in Paris. A baguette was a daily purchase and devoured with runny, stinky cheeses with a glass of wine or two. My go-to recipe is from Baking with Julia written by Dorie Greenspan. The book is based on the PBS series hosted by Julia Child.  I’ve altered the techniques and personalized the process. I’m not as violent with the shaping of the dough as Julia. I’ve tried it her way, but yeast is a living form and deserves respect rather than a spanking for rising to the job at hand…so to speak. The most difficult step in the process for me was learning to cut the mandated slashes down the baguette. Like most lessons in life, the answer took practice, patience and perseverance. I’ve burned out more than one KitchenAid mixer that were supposed to knead bread. Don’t waste your time or money…not happy. I’ve tried different salts. I’ve tried different flours. I’ve tried different yeasts.  I’ve tried filtered and unfiltered waters. My hard learned method starts with my Zojirushi bread machine and my kitchen scale. Tare the scale with the empty dough bucket, weigh out the water and flour, add the salt and yeast. Start the dough setting. Humidity rules the day…you may need to add a bit more flour. Take it from there. Want to get started? My favorite resource is King Arthur Flour. Find them at www.kingarthurflour.com . I grew up with King Arthur flour. It is what my mother used, and it is the only flour I use in my kitchen. For French bread I prefer the Organic All Purpose. In the past I have ordered it online, but my local markets are now carrying it in 2 or 5 pound bags. For most other baking I use the All Purpose. I have a bag on my window sill for decoration and use. I find it homey for the ingredients of the foods I prepare to be visible and inspiring. Today I used it for crispy waffles…but that’s another story.