• Baked potato
• BAKED POTATO RECIPE
• The Baked Potato

Baking Perfect Breads, Cookies, and Desserts

We're all looking for that perfect pie, or cookies, or loaf of bread. It doesn't always happen. In our experience, there are four reasons that account for most of the less than perfect products.

 

 

Under baking or over baking. This has to be nemesis number one. Breads are often under-baked and cookies are often over-baked. Under baked bread is soggy. Crusty breads will never be crusty if the temperature doesn't get high enough to drive the moisture from the dough. Over baked cookies are dry and hard. Try baking cookies until they just start to brown and see if you don't like them better.

 

 

Most soft breads should reach an internal temperature of 190 degrees and most crusty breads should reach a temperature of 200 to 210 degrees. A thermometer is the bread baker's best friend.

 

 

To reach internal temperatures such as these, crusts will often be a darker brown than what you often picture in the perfect bread. If you would like a golden crust on your bread instead of a rich brown crust, try draping the loaf with aluminum foil for the last six or eight minutes of baking. The aluminum foil deflects the heat and will protect the crust from becoming too dark.

 

 

Not letting it rise enough. And while we're talking of breads . . . if you like your bread light and fluffy, let it rise. The tendency is to stick it in the oven too soon. With a little practice, you'll soon learn to recognize bread that has risen to the maximum. It's soft to the touch-it even looks puffy. Ideally, you'll catch it a little before it starts to blister. (Remember, you will get a little oven spring, even in a hot oven.) If you wait too long and the bread starts to blister, all is not lost. Punch it down, reform the loaf, and let it rise again. (Sometimes, if a single blister shows up and you're in a hurry, you can puncture the blister with a sharp knife and stick the loaf in the oven.)

 

 

Improper mixing. We don't mix breads long enough; we mix biscuits, muffins, and pancakes too long. Mixing develops the gluten. It's the gluten that creates the elasticity and chewiness in bread. We want products leavened with baking powder or baking soda to be tender and flaky. Mix the dry ingredients to distribute them well and then combine the dry mixture with the wet ingredients until they are evenly mixed but no more. Leavened products that are over-mixed are tough and leathery.

 

 

Improper measurement. We suspect that more often than not, ingredients are not measured properly. In many good recipes, there is some margin for error but even in the good recipes, the product will be better if the ratio of ingredients is correct. Measure liquids in clear containers designed for liquids and at eye level. Use measuring cups that you trust to be correct. (We recently compared four brand name measuring cups. One was off by a full tablespoon in one cup.)

 

 

We always weigh flour when we bake. A packed cup of flour can easily weigh 20% more than one that is lightly filled. (Most recipes are based on lightly filled cups.) If you are just starting to convert your recipes from volumes to weights, start out with 4.5 ounces of flour for every cup. Stay with the same flour as much as possible for the same type of product. Different flours have different densities and different flours can act very differently in a recipe. If you weigh your flour and record your results, you can perfect that favorite recipe.

 

 

Now you know. These are the nemeses that cause the most problems in the kitchen. Knowing what they are--the common pitfalls of the kitchen--will arm you to be a better baker. As you perfect your craft in these four areas, you will turn out wonderful baked goods.

A Great Baked Potato Recipe

What makes a great baked potato recipe? Is it that it is full of flavor that burst out of your mouth as soon as you take that first forkful? Or is it perhaps the quality of the ingredients that you buy from your local grocer? I like to think it's a combination of all of that, and being able to find the best baked potato recipe is of upmost importance before cooking, which is why I'm here today to introduce you to a few little tips of mine, some that I've always adored yet never shared before.

To ensure your baked potato is at the highest quality, the correct potatoes must be used. Potatoes that are of the wrong type may produce flavors that you do not want in your food and will often take away greatly from the overall quality of the package. One of the best picks for potato is the Russet; though ensure it is of a good quality, with a nice even brown tone and no green tinge. Also when cooking a large batch of baked potatoes, try to get potatoes of a similar size and shape, this will ensure that the potatoes cook evenly, making sure that some don't burn quickly while others take forever to cook. Preparation is a critical step to creating the best baked potatoes.

 

To prepare the potatoes, be sure to scrub them clean of dirt and run them under cold running water to ensure they are completely clean and free from both dirt and germs. After washing, dry the potatoes thoroughly with a serviette or similar item. Before placing the potatoes in the oven, prick them several times with a fork to allow steam to escape from the potato so it doesn't explode in your oven. To ensure the potato has a good soft skin, give it a rub with some butter or olive oil before backing. The best temperature to bake medium sized potatoes at is approximately 45 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius). When baking, don't wrap the potatoes in aluminum foil, as this will cause your baked potato to taste more like they've been boiled than baked. A Great suggestion I learnt from a friend years back to really create great tasting baked potatoes, is to bake the potato once slightly, then stuff the potato with the ingredients you'd like inside, such as bacon and cheese on top, then bake the potato again in the oven until it's a lovely golden brown color.

 

Finally the very best way to ensure your potatoes are absolutely perfect is to make them with love, a love for cooking and a love for delicious baked potato recipes.

 

 

Bread - The Must Have Recipe

Easy bread, wonderful aroma, this Must Have Recipe makes two French style loaves or 12 rolls or one loaf and 6 medium size rolls. The rolls will weigh about 115 grams each after baking.

 

 

It will taste and smell better if you do it all by hand. And the process is good for you and the environment. You save on electricity by not using a electric bread maker and you use your own calories to knead the dough, so you stay thing and , (To keep the dough from sticking to your hand, you can use the thin plastic gloves you find in the pharmacy.)

 

 

You need 1) A large cookie sheet for baking. 2) Two bowls, one for mixing and one oiled bowl for the first rising 3) A small bowl for the yeast 4) A small bowl for the beaten egg 5) A pastry brush 6) A damp dish twel or plastic wrap 7) Not necessary but extremely useful is a candy thermometer so you take the temperature of the water. You want it about 110'

 

 

Put a thin layer of cornmeal on the large cookie sheet. Oil a large bowl

 

 

The recipe: 5 and 1/2 cups bread flour 1 packet of active dried yeast 1 tablespoon of sugar 2 cups of warm water 2 teaspoons of salt 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

 

 

For brushing the tops of the loaves, you will need one egg beaten with a teaspoon of water.

 

 

Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water with the sugar. Water should feel pleasant to the touch, about 110'. Cover and set aside for ten minutes. It should become bubbly and frothy. If it isn't the yeast is not active enough and should be discard. Open another packet and try again.

 

 

Empty the frothy yeast mixture into a large warmed mixing bowl/ Stir in the rest of the warm water plus 3and 1/2 cups of the flour. Mix with wooden spoon, adding as much remaining flour as required until the dough in the bowl leaves the sides of the bowl. Remove the ball of dough onto a floured wooden board and knead for about ten minutes, adding flour to the wooden board so the dough does not stick. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic about ten minutes.

 

 

Put the ball of dough into the oiled bowl and turn the dough round and then upside down so it picks up a light coating of the oil. Cover the bowl with an oiled piece of plastic wrap and put in a warm place for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

 

 

Tip the dough onto a floured board. Punch down and let it rest for ten minutes. The divide in half and shape into two loaves. Do the shaping in the following manner. With your hands or a rolling pin shape into a rectangle about 16 inches long, three inches wide and about 1/2 inch thick. Now roll it up tightly lengthwise Pinch the bottom and place it bottom side down on the cookie sheet with the layer of cornmeal. Repeat with the second piece. Make 4 slashes in the top of each loaf. Cover with oiled plastic wrap. Put in a warm place.

 

 

When the loaves have doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes, remove the plastic wrap and place the bread in the preheated oven, 375' for 30 minutes. Brush three times at intervals with the beaten egg.

 

 

You will know the loaves are done when you tap the bottoms and the loves sound hollow. Now, if you are not ready to bake the loaves, you can refrigerate them after you shape them, before they rise for the second time. When you are ready to bake them, remove from the refrigerator, allow to rise and then bake as above.

 

 

If you prefer rolls or want one loaf and 6 medium size rolls, you can divide the dough in half for making the one loaf and divide the other piece into six equal parts and shape accordingly. The raw dough for six rolls will each be about the size of an extra large lemon. The aroma of the baking bread will fill the whole house and smiles will be everywhere, especially in the kitchen if samples are given out with a glass of milk or a cup of steaming hot coffee.