To calculate my circumference, just multiply Base times Width times Pie... PART 1
So I was about 3 weeks into my baking odyssey, and had successfully produced an edible Walnut Cake and a couple of good loaves of White Bread. Good experiences and lots of fun. In addition to the actual baking, I had expanded my library of baking cookbooks from 1 to about 7, and had expanded my list of equipment considerably. Reading these cookbooks, and watching the Great British Bake Off, continued to inspire me. Now that I had some tools and a little experience, what next?
I am generally a very methodical person. I love lists, and take a great deal of satisfaction from compiling lists of tasks and then checking them off one by one. I really felt like I needed a plan of some kind, almost like a curriculum in school. However, I did not want baking to become a chore by removing all of the spontaneity from the journey. This was, after all, supposed to be an expression of passion and fun, not boot camp. So what to do? After much hand wringing and over thinking (a hereditary condition, as I come from a long line of over thinkers), I finally decided to very methodically, precisely, and scientifically, fly by the seat of my pants and just wing it. Just go where my heart leads me and bake what interests me that moment.
When it comes to food, what interests me is not too much of a challenge to figure out. I like breakfast and I like pie. Breakfast has always been my favorite meal. It doesn't matter what kind of breakfast. I like cereal, oatmeal, pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon, ham, sausage, pastries, biscuits, fruit, cold pizza, whatever. I just like breakfast. And pie. Who doesn't like pie? Cake is great, but pie is better. There is an almost endless variety of fillings, something for everyone. And what is more satisfying that a great, buttery, flaky pie crust? They should serve pie at diplomatic negotiations; we are only a few lemon meringue and cherry pies away from World Peace. It is impossible to be pissed off while eating pie.
Breakfast and pie. For breakfast, I did not feel I was quite ready to tackle croissant or Danish quite yet, so I decided on scones. That is scones with a long "o" sound. Scone, rhymes with phone. Frequently I hear the folks on the GBBO pronounce it like "scaans". Regardless of how you say it, I was going to bake it.
The only scones I had eaten here in the United States were the ones you get at Starbucks or other coffee store chains. Generally, they are wedge shaped, usually with fruit and nuts of some kind, heavy with icing, and very sweet. Kind of large, too. Very American. However, watching British baking and reading cook books, scones were quite different over in the UK and Europe. There were sweet scones and fruit scones, to be sure, but also savory scones, with herbs and cheese and even sometimes smoked meat. More often that not, they are round, not wedge shaped. The most common recipe I found was for a plain buttermilk scone. So I picked a recipe, once again choosing a recipe from my Obi-Wan of baking, Paul Hollywood.
Flour, buttermilk, eggs, salt, butter, baking powder, sugar. Simple ingredients, handled in a very specific way. Rub the butter and flour together. Be sure not to work the dough too much, or you get more of a bread than a scone texture. Don't twist the biscuit cutter as you cut the scone, and don't let the egg wash run down the sides. These mistakes can impede a consistent rise. Once again, a basic recipe teaching me important lessons about how ingredients work together, and the techniques to create a good bake.
And a good bake is what I got. It is safe to say that nothing I have baked for the first time ever turned out as good as my debut scones did. It is a simple bake, but it does take time and attention to detail. They had a great color, a wonderful smell and a pleasing texture. Add some butter and some Apricot or Raspberry jam, some coffee or tea, and you have a great breakfast. My family loved them, and I now make scones regularly. I have even gotten bold enough to add other ingredients. My White Cheddar and Chive Scones are a family favorite. We all seem to prefer plain or savory, although I have made some classic sweet scones, like Cranberry and Blueberry. No heavy icing, though.
After such a success with scones, I was eager to get some pies in the oven. In Part 2, I go shopping again and bake a pie.
I am generally a very methodical person. I love lists, and take a great deal of satisfaction from compiling lists of tasks and then checking them off one by one. I really felt like I needed a plan of some kind, almost like a curriculum in school. However, I did not want baking to become a chore by removing all of the spontaneity from the journey. This was, after all, supposed to be an expression of passion and fun, not boot camp. So what to do? After much hand wringing and over thinking (a hereditary condition, as I come from a long line of over thinkers), I finally decided to very methodically, precisely, and scientifically, fly by the seat of my pants and just wing it. Just go where my heart leads me and bake what interests me that moment.
When it comes to food, what interests me is not too much of a challenge to figure out. I like breakfast and I like pie. Breakfast has always been my favorite meal. It doesn't matter what kind of breakfast. I like cereal, oatmeal, pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon, ham, sausage, pastries, biscuits, fruit, cold pizza, whatever. I just like breakfast. And pie. Who doesn't like pie? Cake is great, but pie is better. There is an almost endless variety of fillings, something for everyone. And what is more satisfying that a great, buttery, flaky pie crust? They should serve pie at diplomatic negotiations; we are only a few lemon meringue and cherry pies away from World Peace. It is impossible to be pissed off while eating pie.
Breakfast and pie. For breakfast, I did not feel I was quite ready to tackle croissant or Danish quite yet, so I decided on scones. That is scones with a long "o" sound. Scone, rhymes with phone. Frequently I hear the folks on the GBBO pronounce it like "scaans". Regardless of how you say it, I was going to bake it.
The only scones I had eaten here in the United States were the ones you get at Starbucks or other coffee store chains. Generally, they are wedge shaped, usually with fruit and nuts of some kind, heavy with icing, and very sweet. Kind of large, too. Very American. However, watching British baking and reading cook books, scones were quite different over in the UK and Europe. There were sweet scones and fruit scones, to be sure, but also savory scones, with herbs and cheese and even sometimes smoked meat. More often that not, they are round, not wedge shaped. The most common recipe I found was for a plain buttermilk scone. So I picked a recipe, once again choosing a recipe from my Obi-Wan of baking, Paul Hollywood.
Flour, buttermilk, eggs, salt, butter, baking powder, sugar. Simple ingredients, handled in a very specific way. Rub the butter and flour together. Be sure not to work the dough too much, or you get more of a bread than a scone texture. Don't twist the biscuit cutter as you cut the scone, and don't let the egg wash run down the sides. These mistakes can impede a consistent rise. Once again, a basic recipe teaching me important lessons about how ingredients work together, and the techniques to create a good bake.
And a good bake is what I got. It is safe to say that nothing I have baked for the first time ever turned out as good as my debut scones did. It is a simple bake, but it does take time and attention to detail. They had a great color, a wonderful smell and a pleasing texture. Add some butter and some Apricot or Raspberry jam, some coffee or tea, and you have a great breakfast. My family loved them, and I now make scones regularly. I have even gotten bold enough to add other ingredients. My White Cheddar and Chive Scones are a family favorite. We all seem to prefer plain or savory, although I have made some classic sweet scones, like Cranberry and Blueberry. No heavy icing, though.
After such a success with scones, I was eager to get some pies in the oven. In Part 2, I go shopping again and bake a pie.
I love reading about your baking journey.
ReplyDeleteScones are a favourite of mine to bake too, with jam and clotted cream piled on top. Heaven. In fact you've inspired me to make some more today, so thank you :-)
Looking forward to reading Part 2 xx
When it comes to dessert my favorite is pancake. I love the pancake most of any dessert. In my cooking classes, I learn how to cook pancakes with different ingredients and flavors. There is tried to make a chocolate pancake, banana pancake, apple pancake, and strawberry pancake, but my favorite is the chocolate pancake. Now I used to make pancakes for my family every weekend and i always try something new with it. Once I had a vacation with my family, there I had a delicious pancake at Martabak Manis Singapore .
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