Mystery Cuisine: Pink Lemonade Cookies

In the past, I've written blog posts about my love of cozy mysteries that also include recipes. (See these posts for Wanmansita Casserole and Simply Crackers Candy.)

One of my favorite authors, Joanne Fluke, has a new Hannah Swensen Mystery out titled Red Velvet Cupcake Murder. In the book, I came across a recipe for Tickled Pink Lemonade Cookies that I immediately knew I’d have to try!

These cookies are made with frozen pink lemonade concentrate, though you can use regular lemonade concentrate if you can’t find the pink version. I made a couple of adjustments to the recipe to up the lemon flavor in the frosting. 

Also, the cookies were a little too pink for my liking. Next time I’ll use less food color gel so the cookies look more like the lighter pink of the frosting. I may also add some lemon zest to up the lemon flavor more,

but don’t get me wrong. These cookies taste great!

Pink Lemonade Cookies

Adapted from Red Velvet Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke

Makes approximately 2 1/2-dozen cookies

For cookies:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1/3 cup frozen pink or regular lemonade concentrate, thawed

Red food coloring or food color gel

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, un-sifted (use the scoop and level method*)

For frosting:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

4 teaspoons frozen pink or regular lemonade concentrate, thawed

2 to 4 teaspoons milk

Red food coloring or food color gel

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

For the cake: Put the butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until fluffy. Mix in the

baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat in the egg, and then beat in the lemonade concentrate until well combined. Add the food coloring or gel until the cookies reach the desired pink color. (Start with 3 drops of food coloring or 1/4 teaspoon of food color gel, and then add more if you want to darken the color.) Mix in the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until well combined.

Drop teaspoon-sized dollops of cookie dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are slightly brown. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for two minutes, and then place the cookies on a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting: By hand or with a mixer, beat together the butter and powdered sugar. Mix in the lemonade concentrate. Mix in milk, one teaspoon at a time, until the frosting reaches a spreadable consistency. Add food coloring or gel to get the desired pink color.

Once the cookies are completely cooled, frost each one. Allow the cookies to set until the frosting has hardened. Store in an air-tight container with the cookie layers separated by waxed paper.

*Scoop up the flour into the measuring cup and then level off by swiping a straight edge (like the back of a knife) across the top. The flour should be well packed into the measuring cup.  

Boston Cream Pie

A week ago, my cell phone vibrated in my pocket while I was teaching my preschool class. When I had a moment, I looked at the screen, only to discover the news about a bombs going off at the Boston Marathon. My mouth dropped open in disbelief.

From 1992 to 2009, I lived in the Boston area. I walked the city’s streets enjoying the historic architecture. I visited the wonderful museums numerous times. I ate cannolis in the North End and Italian food on Cambridge Street. I bought books in Harvard Square and sailed on a schooner in Boston Harbor. I cheered for the sports teams and even wrote about the food served at Fenway Park, complete with a behind

the scenes tour.

I was heartbroken that a city I love was going through such pain on a day that traditionally is filled with celebration and holiday revelry.

What do food writers do to cope with sadness? They cook, of course, and then write about it. I wanted to make something to honor Boston, so I decided to make one of my favorite desserts, the Boston Cream Pie. It also happens to be the official dessert of Massachusetts.

This sweet treat is actually a cake, not a pie. It originated at the Parker House Hotel (now the Omni Parker House Hotel) in 1856, though earlier versions have been around since colonial times. The dessert has

three components—two layers of sponge cake filled with a vanilla pastry cream and topped with a chocolate glaze.

A perfect dessert to sooth frazzled nerves and chase away the bad-news blues.

Boston Cream Pie

Adapted from The King Arthur Four Baker’s Companion and CooksIllustrated.com.

Note: Be sure to make the pastry cream first so it can chill while you make the cake and glaze.

For the pastry cream:

1/2 cup cream

1 1/2 cups whole milk

6 large egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into four pieces

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the cake:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup sugar

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1/2 cup whole milk

For the chocolate glaze:

1/2 cup cream

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

4 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

To make the pastry cream: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream and milk to just a

simmer. While waiting, in a medium bowl, whisk together the yolks, sugar, and salt. Then whisk in the flour until well mixed. Take the milk-cream mixture off the heat and poor 1/2 cup into the egg mixture, whisking all the time, to temper the eggs. Then whisk the egg mixture into the saucepan with the milk-cream mixture.

Place the saucepan back on medium heat and whisk while it thickens for 1 minute. Turn down the heat to medium-low and continue to whisk for 8 more minutes. Then bring the heat back up to medium and whisk until bubbles pop on the surface, about another minute. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until it melts and is blended into the mixture. Whisk in the vanilla.

Strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl. Press plastic wrap gently onto the surface of the cream to cover, and then refrigerate until needed.

To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch cake pan that is at least 2-inches deep. (I used a springform pan.) Place a parchment paper ring in the bottom and butter the paper. Then dust the pan lightly with flour and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch and baking powder. Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, blend together the sugar, butter, salt and flavorings until fluffy. Add the oil, and then the eggs, one at a time, and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture, then half the milk, another 1/3 of the flour, the rest of the milk, and the rest of the flour. Beat until well combined, about 2 minutes.

Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow the cake to cook in the pan for 15 minutes, and then remove the cake from the pan to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

To make the glaze: Place the cream and corn syrup into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate and salt, and stir until the chocolate melts and the glaze is smooth. Stir in the vanilla and set aside. The glaze will remain fluid until needed, just do not refrigerate.

To build the cake: With a large serrated knife, slice the cake in half horizontally. Place the bottom half on a cake place, cut side up. Scoop the pastry cream into the middle and spread out almost to the edge of the cake. Place the top half of the cake, cut side down, on top of the pastry cream. Pour the glaze over the top, allowing it to spill over the edge of the cake and drip down the sides. Refrigerate for a few minutes to set the glaze. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. 

Grandma’s Noodles with Chicken

I've written many times about Mamaw, my mom’s mom, who was a wonderful cook but hated the process. On the flip side is Grandma, my dad’s mom, who loved to cook. She passed that love on to my dad, who also loves to cook, and she's where my cooking gene originated.

If Grandma knew you were coming to visit, she always had something for you to eat, such as cookies, pie, or cake. If she didn't know you were coming, one of the first things she would say was, “Let me make you something to eat.”

Grandma loved feeding people. And since my dad is the oldest of six, there were always a lot of people to feed. This sign that was in her kitchen offers the perfect explanation.

Grandma was a country cook. I remember the tub of lard that sat in her kitchen. Most of the meals featured fried chicken or pork chops…sometimes both…mashed potatoes and pan gravy, and lots of desserts.

But Grandma was best known for her homemade noodles. They were similar to the frozen noodles found in the grocery store, which my research suggests is thanks to her German ancestry. They were a staple at every family meal. To this day family members will close their eyes in reverence at the memory of those delicious noodles cooked in chicken broth. The noodles were coated in so much flour the chicken broth became a thick gravy while they cooked. 

    

 

I watched Grandma make them from time to time, but of course, I never wrote down her recipe. When she died years ago, the recipe went with her. My Aunt Mary told me she had one particular spoon she used to measure the flour, and the only ingredients were flour, eggs, and water.

A few years ago, my sister challenged me to recreate the noodles for Thanksgiving. I did! When I bit into the noodles, all of the memories of Grandma’s kitchen came flooding back.

This time I decided to add chicken and vegetables to the mix to make a complete meal. The Picky Eater liked it, and even ate the leftovers!

I think Grandma would be happy.

Farmer’s Market Season Begins

I’m thrilled that today marks the opening of my local farmer’s market. I can’t wait to walk around the stalls to scope-out the early season produce (wonder if there will be radishes and snap peas yet?), baked goods, meats, eggs, and crafts, plus jams and honey. Local musicians will preform throughout the market, which gives the day a festive feel, and I usually run into a person or two that I know. Include the food aromas from the many food trucks and stands (I hear a breakfast burrito calling my name!) and it becomes a perfect day. The market's allure is one of the only reasons I’ll get up early on a Saturday morning.

Here are a few tips to make a visit to the local farmer’s market more enjoyable:

• Bring your own tote bag. Most vendors have plastic bags for your use, but it is much easier to have one large canvas bag to hold your purchases–especially if it can go over your shoulder. Many people bring compact personal grocery carts that fold up nicely in the car, while others bring mini coolers on wheels. As heavy as my tote bag gets, I’m thinking wheels would be a good thing!
• Put an insulated bag in your tote, or have a cooler ready in the car, to hold perishable purchases.
• Walk around the whole market first before making a purchase. That way you can see what is available and compare prices. There’s nothing
  
  worse that buying tomatoes and then finding ones that both look better and are cheaper at another stand. After a couple of visits, you will pick your favorite stands to visit each week.
• Talk to the vendors! Ask them where and how their produce is grown. Some stands ship in their produce from far away, so you may think your buying local when your not.  Also, ask for recipes. Most are happy to share their expertise.

To find your local farmer’s market, visit the Local Harvest website. There are listings not only for the markets in your state, but also many other locally-grown food spots such as farm stands, community supported agriculture opportunities, restaurants, and more

I’ll be posting farmer’s market-themed recipes throughout the summer, but here are some lovely ones from years past:

Radish Tea Sandwiches

Deviled Eggs Six Ways

Homemade Toaster Pastries

Honey Oatmeal Muffins

Fresh Fruit Supper

Heat-Buster Roasted Chicken

Herbed Garden-Fresh Tomatoes

Peachy Maple Syrup

Leek, Apple and Gruyere Tarts

Baked Ziti to Fight Hunger

Three to four dollars a day: That is what a person on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps) gets to spend for food each day. Now, take a minute and think about it: $4 to buy food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Could you do that?

When I first heard that number, I was astounded. As a food writer, I've always supported organizations that work to feed hungry people, mostly by writing about their efforts so the public would become more involved. But when the Great Recession of 2008 cut into my income, I became very much aware of how hard it is to feed yourself well on a tight budget. Still, I managed to squeeze my fair trade, organic coffee and favorite fresh produce into my weekly food budget while buying budget-friendly beans, pasta and eggs to create my meals.

I would never make it on $4 a day. I can’t even begin to imagine trying.

According to Share Our Strength, 48.8 million Americans struggle to have enough nutritious food on a regular basis. Worst of all, many are children—16.2 million. That means 1 in 5 children aren't getting enough to eat. Many are able to get meals at school through free and reduced cost breakfast and lunch programs, but what about when they aren't in school?  

Frankly, it is incomprehensible that in 2013 there are people going hungry in this country.

Today a community of more than 200 food bloggers is raising its collective voice against hunger in the United States. There is a wonderful film out now, A Place at the Table, starring Jeff Bridges, Chef Tom Colicchio, and many others, that explores hunger in this country. You can check out the trailer for the film here, and watch at a theater near you or On Demand through iTunes and Amazon. 

Please, please, please, take 30 seconds to click on this link and let our government leaders know we will no longer stand for hungry kids in America. I did! At this time of budget cuts, don’t let programs that feed hungry children fall under the knife. 

Let’s make our voices heard!

Now, here’s my favorite budget-friendly meal. This Baked Ziti recipe is adapted from one I saw in the New York Times in 2004. I paid $7.72 for the ingredients. (I had the oregano, onion, and garlic in my pantry.) Since it serves 6, that amount is within the SNAP budget for dinner to feed a family of this size. When I was cash-strapped, I would make up a batch and freeze it in single serving sizes.

Baked Ziti

Adapted from a recipe in the New York Times, November 10, 2004.

Serves 6

1/2 pound Italian sausage

1/2 pound hamburger (I used ground chuck.)

1 large onion, diced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes in puree

1 teaspoon ground oregano

1 pound ziti or penne

1 2-cup bag grated mozzarella

Oil for cooking

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Turn on a large pot of water to boil. Grease a 9- by 13-inch baking dish and set aside.

If the Italian sausage came in links, squeeze the meat out of the casing so you are left with the ground meat. In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown the sausage and hamburger. Lower the heat to medium and add the onion and garlic. Cook until the onions are translucent and tender. Add the tomatoes and oregano. Simmer on low.  Do not let the sauce become too thick.

While the sauce simmers, add a good amount of salt to the boiling water. Stir in the pasta and cook until it is just tender. Don’t over cook—you want it to still be slightly too hard to eat. Set aside 1 cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta. Toss the pasta with the sauce and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella, adding some of the pasta water if the sauce is too thick. Pour the pasta and sauce into the baking dish. Top with the rest of the mozzarella and bake until the cheese is melted and brown, about 20 minutes.

Conquering Pie Crust Phobia

Do you like to make pie crust? No? I once felt the same way. No matter how I tried, my crust would look terrible! So I bought refrigerator crust instead.

Today I have an article in the Topeka Capital-Journal on how I overcame my pie crust phobia. It's full of great tips from Susan Miller, the director of the King Arthur Flour Company’s Baking Education Center. She gave me a lot of wonderful information on how to make delicious and flaky pie crusts.

Perhaps the best advice was to relax! Give yourself time to work (Thanksgiving morning isn't a good time to start!) and don’t worry if the pie crust doesn't look perfect. It will still taste great!

The article features my blueberry pie, made from berries I bought last summer at the local farmer’s market and kept in the freezer. I also wanted to make a cherry pie, but I discovered I didn't have enough frozen cherries from last summer to fill a pie. So instead I put the filling into the middle of a pie crust and pulled up the edges to make a rustic pie. It tasted wonderful, though I'm sure it wouldn't win any beauty contests!

Just follow this link to see the recipes for the pie crust and the blueberry filling. I put the cherry pie filling recipe below. It is for my smaller rustic creation, but feel free to double the amount for a regular 9-inch pie.

Cherry Pie Filling

 

Makes 1 rustic pie

3 cups pitted cherries

1/4 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Pinch of salt

2 1/2 tablespoons instant tapioca

1 9-inch pie crust

Egg wash (1 egg and 1 tablespoon water, beaten together)

Mix together all of the filling ingredients and allow to stand for 15 minutes.

Roll out your pie crust as if you would place it into a 9-inch pie pan. Place the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. (The dough will drape over the sides of the baking sheet.) Spoon the filling into the middle of the circle. (If the filling is runny, drain off the juice before putting it into the crust. Save the juice.)

Fold the edges of the pie crust up and over the pie filling, using egg wash to “glue” the crust folds together. Pour some or all of the saved juice into the filling. Use the egg wash to brush the outside of the crust.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, and then lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake until the crust is nicely browned and the filling begins to bubble, about 30 minutes. 

Just Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a typical conversation in our house:

Me: “I’m going to make cookies for my blog.”

The Picky Eater: “Oh? What kind?”

Me: “(Insert fancy cookie name here.)”

The Picky Eater: “Can’t you just make chocolate chip cookies?”

As a food writer, I’m always looking for new and interesting recipes to try. Some are twists on old favorites, while others feature exciting ingredient combinations that I just have to explore. The results are things like Chocolate Mint White Chocolate Chip Cookies or Macadamia Nut and Lime Banana Bread.

I love every recipe on my blog, but I think The Picky Eater may be right: Sometimes it's good to go back to

the basics. Chocolate chip cookies are the first ones my mom showed me how to make when I was a child. These “simple” recipes are often the roots of the more complicated ones we food writers find challenging. (See before mentioned Chocolate Mint White Chocolate Chip Cookies.)

Today is The Picky Eater’s birthday, so I made him chocolate chip cookies. This is the basic recipe Mamaw had in her recipe box. It's the one you can find on the back of most chocolate chip bags. I baked half the cookies and froze the un-baked ones for another day.

A simply delicious cookie for a perfectly wonderful husband.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 5 dozen

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, slightly softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli.)

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, cream together the butter, sugars, and vanilla until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined. Slowly mix in the flour mixture until just combined. Add the chocolate chips and nuts, and turn on the mixer for just a couple of rotations to combine. (Or stir in by hand.)

With a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop, or a spoon, drop dollops of cookie dough onto the baking sheets about 2-inches apart. Place the sheets in the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown, rotating the sheets halfway through the baking time. Remove the sheets from the oven and allow the cookies to stand for 2 or 3 minutes. Place the cooking onto a wire rack to cool. Store in an air-tight container.

Note: For frozen un-baked cookies, just place the frozen dough balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet

and bake at 375 degrees for a minute or two longer than above.

Maple Popcorn

March Madness has struck our household. 

Except for during my college years, I never was much of a basketball fan. Football is the sport I love. My husband, however, is a major University of Kansas fan. He can tell you every tidbit of trivia about every team since 1900…well, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much. At first his loyalty was a bit tricky…I’m from Missouri and everyone in my family are Missouri fans. The rivalry between MU and KU is legendary. Still, it’s hard not to get caught up in my husband’s basketball fever, so I've gone over to the “dark side.” Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

More than basketball, to me March is maple season. In late February in New England, when the temperatures warm slightly, the sap from sugar maples starts to “run.” Now is the time to look for the steam rising up from the sugar houses as local farmers boil sap into delicious maple syrup.

When sap comes out of the sugar maple tree it looks and tastes like slightly sweet water. It takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup! In the sugar house the sap is boiled in a contraption called an evaporator traditionally heated by a wood fire, though some producers have gone to cleaner burning oil. When the sap reaches 219 degrees then you know you’re making maple syrup.

This weekend is Maple Weekend in my former home state of New Hampshire. All of the maple producers invite the public to come watch the process. Many serve pancakes covered in their delicious amber creation, or they make sugar on snow; maple candy made on the snow.

(All of the images except for the popcorn are from the New Hampshire Maple Producers’ Association.)

So to honor both maple season and March Madness I made yummy maple popcorn, which is caramel corn made with maple syrup. I had some leftover peanuts to add, but you can add your favorite type of nut—or none at all. Just be sure to use only REAL maple syrup, made only from sugar maple sap and nothing else. (Watch out for those syrups labeled “natural” maple syrup. They are made with corn syrup and maple flavoring.)

Maple Popcorn

Butter for bowl and spoon

10 cups popped popcorn

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1 cup nuts

Butter the inside of a large bowl, plus a large mixing spoon. Set aside. Line a large baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper. Set aside.

Pour the maple syrup into a deep-sided, heavy-bottomed sauce pan. Over medium-high heat, bring the syrup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to boil until it reaches 236 degrees on a candy thermometer.

Place the popcorn and nuts into the buttered bowl. Slowly pour the hot maple syrup over the top of the popcorn/nuts and quickly stir until all of the popcorn is coated with the syrup.

Pour the popcorn onto the prepared baking sheet and spread into a single layer. Allow the popcorn to cool and set. Enjoy, or store in an airtight container. 

Honey Ginger Snaps for the Cookie Jar

A few days ago, I was looking for inspiration in Mamaw’s recipe box when I came across a card written by me! Sometime during my first marriage I wrote down this recipe for Honey Ginger Snaps (the card has my first married name printed on it.) Unfortunately, unlike Mamaw who almost always noted where the recipe came from and what year, I didn't write down where I got this one. It could have come from a TV food program, the internet, or a magazine. Who knows?

I don’t recall ever making these cookies either, which is a shame since I could have been enjoying them for years! 

These snaps are made with honey instead of the more traditional molasses, so they have a milder taste that is filled with ginger, cinnamon and cloves. They are also easy to make and do not get rock hard like the ginger snaps found in grocery stores.

Honey ginger snaps make the perfect bedtime snack, and taste wonderful dunked in a glass of ice-cold milk. Oh, and they also go well with my morning cup of coffee!

Honey Ginger Snaps

Makes approximately 40 cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 cup honey

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer (or by hand), cream together the honey, butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add the egg and mix until combined. Slowly add in the flour mixture and blend until combined, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll level tablespoons of dough into balls (or use a cookie scoop) and place 2 inches apart onto the baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown. Remove the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely. They become crunchier as they cool.

Ballymaloe Brown Bread

I spent the past week visiting a lovely, small hotel on the rugged western coast of Ireland.

Unfortunately, it was all in my imagination. 

That is the setting for Maeve Binchy’s new novel, A Week in Winter. Visitors to the Stone House hotel in fictional Stoneybridge, Ireland find renewal for their troubled souls and an optimistic vision for the future within its restful walls and along the wild Atlantic coast. All of Ms. Binchy’s books are warm, comforting and intriguing, and I love the way she brings characters from previous books into her latest novel. Sadly, Ms. Binchy passed away in July, 2012. I guess I’ll just have to go back to her first novel and read through them all again!

When I finished A Week in Winter, I didn’t want to leave Stone House, especially it’s large, warm kitchen where everyone gathers for breakfast and dinner. I decided to cook-up a food item served in the book, and the one that stood out for me was brown bread. I’ve made Irish soda bread many times, but never this one. So, with St. Patrick’s Day fast approaching, I decided to give it a try.

In my research, I found a lot of brown bread recipes were very similar to soda bread, with the addition of whole wheat flour, wheat germ and molasses (or black treacle). Then I came across this one for a yeast brown bread from the famous Ballymaloe House Hotel and Cookery School in County Cork, Ireland. (It’s at the top of my bucket list of places to visit before I die.) Since I had great success with their orange marmalade tea cake I made last year, I decided to give it a try.

This recipe, adapted from both Epicurious and Ballymaloe Cookery School versions, is so simple:  No kneading! Only one rise! Just five ingredients! Don’t expect a fluffy, soft wheat bread like we have here in the U.S. This brown bread is dense, but also moist. It is perfect cut into thin slices and spread with good, real butter. I also liked it with honey and jam, as well as served with a good Irish cheddar.

Yield: 1 loaf

Author: Linda Ditch

Ballymaloe Brown Bread

This brown bread is perfect cut into thin slices and spread with good, real butter. It is also lovely spread with honey and jam, as well as served with a good Irish cheddar.

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
• 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cup warm water (just over body temperature)
• 1 teaspoon molasses or black treacle
• 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur)
• 2 teaspoons salt

Instructions

1. Spray an 8 by 5-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray, or grease well with oil. Set aside.
2. Pour 3/4 cup of warm water into a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Stir to dissolve the yeast, add the molasses, and leave for another 10 minutes. The yeast will become frothy. Add another 3/4 cup of warm water and stir to combine.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour and salt. Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the yeast/water mixture. With a wooden spoon (or your hands) mix the flour and water together. Add more water if necessary. The dough should still be wet and sticky—too sticky to knead—but come away somewhat from the sides of the bowl.
4. Place the dough into the loaf pan, cover with a towel, and allow to rise until the dough just reaches the top of the loaf pan, about 20 to 25 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees while you wait.
5. When the dough has risen enough, bake for 30 minutes. Then lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees and bake for another 15 minutes. Turn the almost-done bread out onto a baking sheet and bake, upside down, for another 5 to 10 minutes so the outside crisps up. The bread is done when it sounds hollow when you tap on the bottom, or when the internal temperature reaches 200 degrees. Cool on a wire rack.

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