Tea for Two (or Three, or Four...)

Another one from the archives: Welsh Tea Cakes! I made these about a month ago, just before my ankle surgery. I had a very busy week scheduled, after a very busy week before that, and realized that I finally had one day when nothing was going on. I pledged to do whatever I felt like that day (plus a load of laundry and tidying whatever mess I made), and decided that I felt like baking. I pulled out a recipe that I've had for years, and peeked in the pantry for a way to enhance it. The recipe was for a Welsh Tea Loaf, molasses-flavored and raisin-studded. Normally molasses and raisins are two big hints that something will be delicious, at least to my mind, which is I'm sure why I saved the recipe in the first place, but when I have made it in the past, the flavor was lacking. It was good, but muted; it needed some tweaking. I wanted the molasses flavor to be much stronger, but without the hint of bitterness that lots of molasses can sometimes impart. I also didn't want to drastically alter the texture of the loaf by adding so much extra liquid. Moistness is nice, but I didn't want a sog-fest. A rummage through the pantry revealed a small bag of dark muscovado sugar left over from gingerbread baking last Christmas. Muscovado has big molasses flavor without so much of the moisture, so it was exactly what I wanted. I replaced two thirds of the white sugar in the recipe with the muscovado, and baked it in muffin tins instead of an 8x8" square. 

The little tea cakes came out perfectly! Moist, with rich molasses flavor, they were just what I had been hoping for. Hubband didn't like the original recipe when I made it for him way back when, but he just couldn't get enough of this more flavorful version. Who knows if this cake is authentically Welsh or not, but it certainly goes wonderfully with tea, or coffee for that matter. They were even better when eaten outside in the garden, slathered with homemade strawberry preserves. 

Homemade strawberry preserves? Yes, a few months ago Hubband and I ventured south a little bit and found a hydroponic strawberry farm, where we picked about 15 lbs. Mom came over a few nights later when Hubband was out and we washed, hulled, diced, simmered, and canned all fifteen pounds (with a few set aside to roast in balsamic for ease of future ice cream batches). It was my first time canning, and pressure-canning at that. Each jar sealed tightly, and after dividing them up with Mom, using them on pancakes and toast, and on these tea-cakes, we still have some to spare. I think we'll certainly be doing that again. Especially when you do it like this:
with a strawberry-basil-lemonade cocktail on the side! 

Welsh Tea Cakes

adapted from goodness-knows-where

I kept it simple for this first time, but I think adding cardamom, cloves, and/or a bit of nutmeg would be really nice as well!

2 2/3 C water

12 oz raisins

4 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 C butter, softened

1 C dark muscovado sugar

1/2 C granulated sugar

3 eggs

2 Tbs unsulphured molasses

1 Tbs vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

4 C AP flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine water and raisins in a saucepan and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat to simmer for 2 minutes, to plump the raisins slightly. After two minutes, remove from the heat and add the baking soda. Set aside to cool. Cream together the butter and sugars, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. When incorporated, add the cooled raisins, cooking liquid, molasses, salt, and vanilla. Mix, then add the flour and mix until incorporated. Pour into a greased 8x8 pan or divide among 24 greased muffin cups. Bake 50-60 minutes for 8x8, 30-35 for muffin tins. Once baked, let cool in pan (8x8) or turn out onto wire racks (muffin tin). 

As Promised

As promised, here's a (not very good) photo of the pizza I mentioned last week. It was inspired by a recipe I have for a pizza with Sicilian flavors: Spicy Italian pork sausage, pine nuts, and raisins. I used that recipe as a jumping off point and removed the pine nuts (Hubband isn't a fan) and added onions that I first caramelized in some rendered homemade-bacon fat, upped the amount of raisins, and sprinkled on a hint of red chile flakes. Topped with fresh mozzarella, and chopped scallions after coming out of the oven, it's quickly become one of our favorites for its sweet-spicy-salty flavor. 

I tried something new, born of necessity, for my pizza sauce on this pie. Out of cans of good crushed tomatoes, I searched the pantry and found I did have a small can of stewed tomatoes. I crushed them up and added them, along with juices, to a pot with minced garlic, salt, pepper, and a splash of balsamic vinegar. I added chopped fresh basil and oregano from our garden at the last minute to preserve their flavor. The vinegar was gorgeous in the sauce; it played up the sweetness of the raisins, rounded out the spice of the sausage, and lent a little acidity, along with the tomatoes, to cut through the richness. The fresh herbal flavors of the basil and oregano also helped to enliven the pizza and play off that richness. The sauce turned out so well that when we made the pizza for the second time last week, I went the stewed tomato route again! It makes a slightly chunky, rustic sauce that just works really well for these toppings. 

No real recipe, as this was purely an exercise in eyeballing amounts. I hope you'll try this flavor combination, if you haven't already!

First Foray

About two weeks ago, I decided that I missed French Toast. I hadn't had it in several months, and I was feeling the deprivation. French toast has always been a breakfast favorite of mine, whether it be plain or fancy, stuffed or slim. I spoke to Hubband about my craving, and he suggested that we satisfy it by having French toast for dinner, or as we called it in my house growing up, breakfast-supper. 

I knew I wanted a whole-wheat bread, as I'm just not a particular fan of white unless it be a fantastic sourdough, but I also wanted a raisin bread, and I wanted thick slices. I had a feeling this would be hard to find at the grocery store, so I poked my head into the pantry. I knew I had yeast and whole-wheat flour, and I decided to try my hand at making my very own. 

I have made quick breads before, banana, zucchini, welsh tea, etc., but never a yeast-risen loaf. We had a bread machine when I was a kid, and Mom would make fresh bread for us, but I had never done it, start to finish, all by my lonesome. 

I found a good looking recipe right on the back of the flour bag and used it as a starting point. I added raisins, upped the flour a little as the dough seemed sticky, and folded in a cinnamon sugar swirl. Here is my result: 

The whole point of making the bread was to make French toast though, and that's exactly what we did.

I decided to have a French toast blowout, so I cut thick slices and slathered them with a luscious mix of mascarpone cheese, orange juice, orange zest, vanilla, diced strawberries, and a hint of sugar. Dipped in a custard of milk, eggs, cinnamon and vanilla and then griddled to golden brown, the only way this could get any better was if we topped it with Hubband's signature blueberry-nectarine sauce-so we did. With a few extra sliced strawberries and a glass of honeymoon bubbly, it was a fantastic first attempt at bread-making. 

Whole-Wheat Raisin Bread

adapted from King Arthur Flour

We liked this so much that I ended up making 3 loaves in a week: the first, plus a second for weekend breakfast toast for company and a third for my mom. 

2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 1/3 cups lukewarm water (100-110 degrees)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup maple syrup (substitute honey or molasses if you like)

3 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour

1/4 cup nonfat dry milk

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup cinnamon-sugar (optional and done to taste, add more or less, heavier or lighter on the cinnamon)

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all ingredients EXCEPT the raisins and cinnamon-sugar. Fit the dough hook attachment to the mixer and turn it on low. Let it continue until the dough comes together. Turn off and scrape down the sides of the bowl, and the dough hook, and then turn the mixer back on medium-low and let it knead for 6 minutes. Add the raisins and knead for 2 more minutes. Turn off the mixer and turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for a few seconds by hand to be sure the raisins are evenly distributed and the dough isn't sticky. Shape into a ball and place back into the mixer bowl. Spray with a little canola oil and place in a warm spot to rise for about 60 minutes, until puffy and close to doubled in size. 

Lightly grease an 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan. 

After the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and gently pat it out to a rectangle about 8 inches wide by 10 inches long. Sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon-sugar. Pick up the 8 inch end furthest from you and roll it tightly toward you like a jelly roll. Gently put the rolled loaf into the prepared pan seam-side down. Place a piece of lightly oiled plastic wrap loosely over the top and move it back to the warm spot to proof for another 30-60 minutes, or until the loaf top has crowned about 1 inch above the edge of the pan. 

Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for 20 minutes, tent lightly with foil, and bake another 20-30 minutes, or until the internal temp reaches 190 F or the loaf sounds hollow when you take it out of the pan and tap the bottom. Cool on a wire rack.