Art and Science of Baking: Day 3 Part 2

In the afternoon we continued some baking projects from the morning and started some new ones as well!

Carter: I iced my red velvet cake. I had some difficulty getting the cakes out of the pans. Next time I’ll put parchment paper in the bottom of the pans. The finished product was great!

Zola and Taylor: We made s’mores cupcakes. We got to use a blowtorch to toast the marshmallow topping. They were really good.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/super-smores-cupcakes

Melon and Chumi: We started to make gingerbread cookie dough. Unfortunately the recipe called for a wait time of 2 to 8 hours. So our dough is currently refrigerated and awaiting baking tomorrow!

http://www.food.com/recipe/the-most-wonderful-gingerbread-cookies-80156

Molly and Ashley: We made peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. They were really easy to make. They were good but the ones in the back of the stove burned a little.

https://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/30357/old-fashioned-peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies

Zak and Peter: We made pretzels. We were supposed to let the dough rise to double its size but we weren’t patient enough. They came out really well though, it just may have affected the amount of pretzels we made.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/24272/buttery-soft-pretzels/

Nabi and Maddie: We made brownies. They were really good. The original frosting recipe didn’t work so we had to look up a different one.

Frosting: http://www.food.com/recipe/easy-milk-chocolate-frosting-for-brownies-286575

Brownie: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/10549/best-brownies/

Olivia: I made chocolate chip cookies. The recipe called for salted butter but we only had unsalted, so they came out a little bland. I’ll add salt when I cook the other half of the batter.

http://www.wilton.com/mousse-chocolate-chip-cookie-shooters/WLPROJ-8591.html

Art and Science of Baking: Day 3

Today we met at breakfast and discussed reading directions, baking techniques, and kitchen safety. Then we applied the tools we’ve learned in Mrs. Walsh and Mrs. Pechenick’s kitchens to bake many delicious goodies.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread: Melon and Chumi

We struggled with the amount of bowls we had, so we had to use smaller bowls. The mashed bananas were disgusting!! The mixture was thick and gooey and looked like cookie dough. After we baked it, however, it came out really well.

Here's the recipe

Peppermint Bark: Zola and Taylor

This was really easy to make. We accidentally added too much milk, which made the chocolate stick together. The result was delicious!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/almost-famous-peppermint-bark-recipe

Red Velvet Cake: Carter

This recipe was difficult to make. The oven got turned off accidentally right when the cakes went in, which took a little while to figure out, and I burnt my hand (not seriously). I will be icing the cake this afternoon.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/9295/red-velvet-cake/

Chocolate Chip Cookies: Zak and Peter

These were pretty easy. We just mixed the ingredients and scooped out the dough onto the trays. We made about 5 dozen cookies. We creamed butter and sugar together for the first time. They turned out well!

Here's the recipe

Coffee Cake Muffins: Nabi and Maddie

We didn’t have quite enough batter and we had WAY too much crumb topping. We also had an incident with the glaze where we used regular instead of powdered sugar and had to make it again. The batter looked dry, but the muffins were moist and yummy.

http://damndelicious.net/2014/03/24/coffee-cake-muffins/

Thumbprint Cookies: Olivia

When I made the dough it was incredibly crumbly and sticky. But they came out the way they were supposed to. Unfortunately they were a little bland.

Here's the recipe

Doughnuts: Ashley and Molly

Making doughnuts was a lot easier than we expected. Frying them was easy, but it took a while for the oil to heat up. This was the first time we’ve ever fried anything! They came out really good.

Here's the Recipe

For lunch we made homemade pizzas!

A Review of the Recipes Used During Project Week

Cupcakes

• Allies Cookie And Cream Cupcakes
• Marcel's Red Velvet Cupcake *Cupcake war winner: Presentation
• Jayne's Chocolate Mint Cupcake
• Hilary's Funfetti Cupcake *Cupcake war winner: Taste
• Mairead's Yellow Cupcake
• Sarah's Churro Cupcakes *Cupcake war winner: Taste
• Andrea's Vanilla Cupcakes
• Romy and Alexa's Easter Themed Spiced Whole Wheat Muffins *Cupcake war winner: Presentation
• Molly's Maple Bacon Cupcakes
• Morgan's Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
• Abby’s Chocolate Cupcakes with Mocha Buttercream Frosting

Pies

• Apple Pie (King Arthur Flour Baking Class)
• Chocolate Tart (King Arthur Flour Baking class)
• Bumble Berry Pie
• Chocolate Cream Pie
• Pumpkin Pie
• Chicken Pot Pie 
• Chicken Pot Pie (2)
• Chicken Pot Pie (3)

Cookies

• The Chocolate Chip Cookie
• The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie
• Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
• Magic In The Middle (peanut butter filled chocolate cookie): 
• Jayne’s Family Chocolate Chip Cookie: 
• (butter, brown sugar, white sugar, 2 eggs, 1 package instant vanilla pudding, vanilla extract, flour, baking soda, chocolate chips)
• Rugelach

Miscellaneous

• Granola 
• Rice Krispies Treats
• Triple Chocolate Pound Cake
• Brownies
• Loukomades
• Blueberry Coffee Cake

Cookbook Recipes
Lemon Loaf

• 6 tbsp butter
• 1 cup sugar
• zest of 1 lemon
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup milk
• 1 ½ cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder

1. Mix together dry ingredients
2. Cream butter, sugar, lemon zest
3. Add eggs one at a time
4. Place in loaf pan
5. Bake at 350° for 1 hour
6. To Glaze: combine 1/3 cup of sugar and juice of one lemon and glaze bread

Banana Bread

• 3 ripe bananas, well mashed
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 2 cups flour
• ¾ cups sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a loaf pan. 
2. Mix the bananas and eggs together in large bowl
3. Stir in the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda
4. Add walnuts
5. Put batter in pan
6. Bake for 1 hour

King Arthur Flour: Spiced Cider Apple Pie
(Pastry for 9 inch double crust pie)

• 4-5 apples
• 1/3 cup (3 ounces) boiled cider
• 1/3 cup (2 1/2 ounces) brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) King Arthur Unbleached All-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon m1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/8 salt

1. Peel, core and slice apples and place them in a medium bowl
2. Measure the boiler cider, sugar, flour, spices, and salt over the fruit and toss lightly until completely coated
3. Roll out half of the pastry dough and place it in a 9 inch pie plate
4. Spoon the filling into the pastry shell
5. Roll out the remaining dough and place it over the apples. Seal and crimp the crust and vent the top of the pie
6. Bake the pie in a pre-heated 375 degree oven, until it is golden brown and bubbly, about an hour

     Pie Pastry

• 2 cups (8 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (6 ounces) unsalted butter, chilled and divided in half
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup (2 to 4 ounces) ice water

1. Combine the flour and the salt in a mixing bowl
2. Cut in half the chilled butter using a pastry blender or your fingers. For a tender result, the at particles should be worked in quickly and remain about the size of currants
3. Cut the remaining butter, this time leaving larger shards, about the size of cranberries
4. Sprinkle about three tablespoons of the ice water over the flour/fat mixture and mix just until the dough begins to mass. You may need to add the additional tablespoon of ice water for this to occur
5. Remove the dough mass to a work surface, divide into two large equal portions and press into flattened rounds about six inches in diameter. Wrap each in a plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes

     Rolling Crust

1. Remove one piece of the dough from the refrigerator and place on a well floured surface or between sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Roll the dough from the center out, taking care not to roll over the edges. A circle center of the pie tin
2. Transfer the dough to the pie plate by first folding the circle in half and then into quarters. Place the point of the quartered dough at the center of the pie tin and gently unfold

King Arthur Flour: Chocolate Tart

     For the Crust:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1/3 cup toasted hazelnut flour
• 1/2 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups pastry flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Cream the butter with the sugar, hazelnut flour, all-purpose and egg. Add the pastry flour and salt. Press the pastry into one 10-inch, two 6-inch or four to five 4-inch removable bottom tart pans, prick with a fork and chill. 
2. Weigh the crust with pie weights or beans and bake in a preheated 425°F oven for 5 minutes, then turn the heat down to 375°F and bake for 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until golden brown. Remove the tart from the oven and set aside to cool.

     For The Chocolate Ganache:

• 8 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate 
• 1 cup heavy cream 
• 1/2 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1. Chop the chocolate. Bring the cream and honey to a boil and pour just to cover the chocolate. Stir gently, adding the rest of the cream gradually; when the chocolate is completely melted and smooth, cool to about 95°F, and then stir in the butter. 
2. Pour the chocolate ganache into the cooled tart shell. Cool to room temperature, and serve with sweetened, whipped cream.

Final Project Week Day!

This morning each group traveled to the three satellite kitchens for a final session of baking. Each student selected a recipe of their own choice for this morning. We also assembled cinnamon rolls using a yeast-based recipe - yum!

Today we got to create any baked goods we wanted. There were cookies, brownies, bread, and other kinds of baked goods! All of the baked goods turned out fantastic! We are sad that all the baking is done for the week but now we have the knowledge to create them on our own! #Baking

Congratulations to yesterday's winners of NHS Husky Cupcake Wars 2015:

Presentation Category 

• Marcel Johnson - Red Velvet Cupcakes
• Alexa Srolovitz and Romy Zech - Easter Cupcakes

Taste Category

• Sarah Mathews - Churro Cupcakes
• Hilary Cashin - Funfetti Cupcakes

Thursday Baking: Cupcake Wars

Today, we met in the dining hall at 9 am for breakfast and to decorate and frost the cupcakes that we made yesterday. The teachers brought us some other pre-made frosting and decorations, such as sprinkles and colored sugar, to put on the cupcakes. We took about 45 minutes decorating. We were asked to pick out the best four of our cupcakes for the judges at the Husky Cupcake Wars that were going to be held during lunch. 

After decorating, we took some of our time to prep for the symposium on Saturday, putting together our slideshow and some posters for our stand. Following this activity, we got the chance to meet with Dan in the NHS kitchen. He is the baker who bakes all the desserts and special bread for us. What was amazing is that he bakes around 650 cupcakes for dress dinners! It was nice to know what goes on behind the scenes in our kitchen and how much preparation is needed for our meals and desserts here at New Hampton. 

At lunch, we got to taste all of our savory and dessert pies that we had made the previous day. They were absolutely delicious. Following lunch, the group was allowed some down time until 2pm, when we left for Concord to visit the Crust and Crum Bakery. We walked through the small and narrow baking kitchen of the store and asked about how the owner of the bakery managed its busy orders and baking with so few employees. We asked her several questions about why she chose this career and what she finds most rewarding about her work. We left for dinner at the Common Man in Ashland and had a nice meal.