12.8 Methods of Preparation – Baked Products

Prepare Chemically Leavened Baked Products:

Whole Wheat Muffins

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Grease bottom of 6 muffin cups.  Sift first 4 ingredients together.  Blend in whole wheat flour.  Combine liquid ingredients; add to dry, and stir just until ingredients are blended.  Fill muffin cups ⅔ full.  Bake at 400°F until golden brown, 15-20 minutes.

Bran Muffins

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Grease bottom of 6 muffin cups.  Combine ¼ cup wheat bran with ¼ cup boiling water, stir and let water absorb into bran, about 5 minutes.  In separate medium bowl, blend sugar and butter with hand mixer.  Sift together the flour, soda and salt.  Combine moist bran with beaten eggs, remaining ½ cup of bran, buttermilk, sugar-butter mixture, and sifted dry ingredients.  Stir until well blended.  Spoon into prepared muffin tins.  Bake 12-15 minutes.

Brown Bread

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Mix together flour, cornmeal, salt, and soda.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Turn into a greased and floured 6 x 3¼  inch loaf pan.  Bake in 350°F oven for 45 minutes or until pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes; turn out of pan and serve warm with butter.

Fruit Cobbler

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Sift together the flour, 1½ tsp. sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse corn meal.  Add milk and stir to make soft dough.  Blend ⅓ cup sugar, cornstarch, and fruit juice; boil 1 minute and add fruit.  Pour fruit mixture into 1 quart baking dish.  Dot with butter.  Drop dough by spoonfuls on hot fruit mixture.  Bake at 400°F for 20-25 minutes.

Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.  Use a pastry blender to cut in the butter until it looks like coarse crumbs.  Fold in the blueberries.  Make a well in the center and add heavy cream.  Fold together just until incorporated. Press the dough onto a lightly floured surface 1 ¼ inch thick, about 6×3 inches.  Cut into 4 triangle shapes.  Bake on an ungreased baking sheet for 15-20 minutes at 400°F.  Let cool.

Dissolve powdered sugar in lemon juice. Heat in microwave or double boiler, if necessary. Whisk in butter and zest until smooth.  Drizzle over scones.

Southern Spoon Bread

Preheat oven to 325°F.  Cook cornmeal and 2 cups milk until consistency of mush.  Remove from heat; add salt, baking powder, shortening, and 1 cup milk.  Add egg yolks.  Beat egg whites with cream of tartar to the upper limit of the soft peak stage.  Fold about one-fourth of the foam into the corn meal mixture.  Spread corn meal mixture over the remaining foam and fold until well blended.  Bake in greased 2-quart baking dish at 325°F for 1 hour.  Spoon into warm dishes; top with butter.

Irish Soda Bread

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Mix dry ingredients together.  Add enough milk to form a soft dough.  Knead on lightly floured board 2 minutes.  Form into round cake.  Cut a cross on the top of loaf with very sharp floured knife.  Bake at 375°F for 25-35 minutes on well-greased baking sheet.  Cool.  Cut in thin slices.

Herb Corn Sticks

Preheat oven to 425°F.  Sift flour again with baking powder, salt, and sugar.  Stir in cornmeal, marjoram, and thyme.  In another bowl, beat egg; stir in milk and melted butter, then add all at once to the dry ingredients and stir just until mixture is moistened.  Spoon into well-greased corn stick pans, filling about ¾ full.  Bake in hot oven (425°F) for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Prepare Steam-Leavened Products:

Danish Puff

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Cut 3 tbsp. butter into ⅓ cup flour.  Sprinkle with 2 tsp. water and mix with fork until dough forms a ball.  Pat onto an ungreased baking sheet.

Bring 3 tbsp. butter and ⅓ cup water to a boil.  Remove from heat; immediately add ⅓ cup flour; stir until smooth.  Add ¼ tsp. almond flavoring and egg, and beat well.  Spread evenly over the pastry layer.  Bake for about 45-60 minutes, until top layer is crisp and brown.  Puff will shrink when removed from oven.

Mix powdered sugar, ¼ tsp. almond flavoring and milk.  Spread on puff while still warm.

Sesame Seed Wafers

Preheat oven to 425°F.  Mix dry ingredients together.  Cut in shortening with pastry blender.  Stir in ice water until the dough is the same consistency as pie dough.  Roll out 1/8″ thick on a lightly floured board.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and roll lightly with rolling pin.  Cut into 1-inch squares.  Bake on lightly greased baking sheet for approximately 8 minutes or until brown.

Dessert Crepes

Sift flour, salt and sugar.  Combine eggs, milk, butter, and orange zest.  Add to flour mixture, blending until smooth.  Make one crepe at a time.  Pour a spoonful of batter on hot, lightly greased griddle for each 4-inch pancake.  Tilt griddle to make pancake as thin as possible.  Bake until browned, turning to brown both sides.  Remove to warm platter.  Place a 2-3 tablespoons of warm pie filling in center of each and roll up.

Cheese Straws

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Sift dry ingredients together.  Cut in butter and half the cheese with pastry blender.  Add water.  Blend lightly.  Roll ⅛ inch thick.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Fold dough in half.  Roll ⅛ inch thick again.  Cut into strips 3 inch by ½ inch.  Sprinkle with celery seed.  Bake 12 minutes at 350°F or until light brown.

Chicken Almond Puffs

Preheat oven to 450°F.  Mix flour and salt.  Combine butter and chicken broth in pan; bring to boil.  Remove from heat; immediately add all the flour and stir vigorously until mixture forms a ball and leaves sides of pan.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each.  Continue beating until a thick dough is formed.  Stir in chicken, almonds, and paprika.  Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheet.  Bake at 450°F for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 350°F and bake 5-10 minutes or until browned.  Serve hot.

Prepare Yeast-Leavened Breads:

Swedish Limpia

Combine flours; in a large bowl thoroughly mix 1¼ cups flour mixture, sugar, salt, caraway seeds, orange peel, and undissolved activated dry yeast.  Add softened butter.   Gradually add very warm tap water to dry ingredients and beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally.  Add ½ cup flour.  Beat at high speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.  Stir in enough additional flour to make a soft dough.

Turn out onto lightly floured board; knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 to 10 minutes).  Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease top.  Cover; let rise in a warm place, free from draft, until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.  Punch dough down; turn out onto lightly floured board.  Shape into a round ball.

Place on greased baking sheet.  With sharp knife make 3 slits across surface of the ball.  Cover; let rise in warm place, free from draft, until doubled in bulk.  Bake at 400°F about 30 minutes, or until done.  Remove from baking sheet and cool on wire rack.