Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Here we are the August 2021 edition of the Cake Slice Bakers. For 2021; we are baking from  Little Everyday Cakes: 50+ Perfectly Proportioned Confections to Enjoy Any Day of the Week  by Candace Floyd. * I can't believe that we're already halfway through the year. In many ways 2020 dragged on as the shelter-in-place orders continued month after month; on the other hand, it was a completely blur because there weren't milestones to mark the passage of time. In this group, we are given a selection of three cake recipes. We each choose one cake to bake, and then on the 20th - never before - we all post about our cake on our blogs. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important ones are to have fun and enjoy baking & eating cakes! Follow our  Facebook ,  Instagram , and  Pinterest   pages where you can find all of our cakes, as well as inspiration for many other cakes. You can also click on the links below to take you to each of our cakes. If y...

So, I had my starter - nicknamed Dough-ba Fett - and I fed it (read about that here ). Now to actually bake something with it.  While the Secret Sourdough Sisters have been great at sharing videos, I'm a reader first. So, I pulled a book off my shelf that I have never used - Country Breads of the World: Eighty-Eight of the World's Best Recipes for Baking Bread by Linda Collister and Anthony Blake - and flipped through the recipes. I landed on Clive's Sourdough Loaf. This is very slightly adapted from the original recipe. Ingredients makes 1 loaf 1/2 C sourdough starter (feed the starter twice about 12 hours apart so it's lively) 1 C lukewarm water 4 C flour + more for dusting 1/2 T fine sea salt corn meal for baking Also need: banneton or proofing basket or bowl lined with linen, Dutch oven Procedure Combine starter with water, flour, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky. Then turn it ou...

I know, I know. I just made a snide comment about pumpkin recipe in August...talk about having to eat my words. But I have an explanation: I found a can of organic pumpkin puree that I must have stashed as an emergency back-up in case I ran out of fresh pumpkin puree last autumn. And I wanted to use it before we get back into pumpkin season. I know canned goods are meant to last. But, really, how long do they last?!? I try not to have an entire year go by with a can in my pantry. And, as Jake is on a gluten-free, dairy-free regimen, I decided to try my hand at a gluten-free, dairy-free pumpkin bread. Success! We shared a slice with a friend who was recently diagnosed with Celiac and she loved it, too. Woohoo. I will get a handle on this gluten-free, dairy-free baking thing. I will! Ingredients 3 C gluten-free flour (You can blend your own and I will eventually. For now, I use Glutino.*) 1 C organic dark brown sugar 1 t cinnamon 1 t nutmeg 1 t cloves 2 t bakin...

Back when I was looking for a cookie to send for  The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2013 , I ended up making  Matcha-Black Sesame Shortbreads ...after a little inspirational gift - the matcha - from a friend whose family owns a sushi deli. I made my way through the canister, loving the delicate color and subtle flavor. I made a note to myself: Get more matcha soon. I've been through about multiple different canisters now. Earlier this year I received an email regarding an opportunity to review some organic matcha from Kiss Me Organics . I jumped at the opportunity. I especially liked that the matcha came with recipe ideas. I followed several of the recipes and enjoyed each one. I'm sharing a recipe of my own... This loaf makes for a quick and portable breakfast. I served these with some yogurt and fruit before we headed off for one of our adventures during Spring Break. Fast and tasty! Ingredients 4  eggs 1/2 C olive oil 1 C organic heavy cream 1 C ...

I made this loaf -   Pan de Quinoa y Miel - for the #BreadBakers' December event. See the bottom of this post for more information about this great bread baking group. Our hostess this month is Mireille of  Chef Mireille's East West Realm   who picked a quinoa theme for the month. Thanks, Mireille! Quinoa is a high protein grain that has been cultivated in the Andes of South America for hundreds of years. Recently 'redisovered' for its nutritional properties, quinoa adds a pleasant chewiness and slighly nutty flavor to this wholesome bread.  Ingredients 1 C cooked red quinoa 2 C hot water 3 tsp salt 2 T active dry yeast 1/2 C raw organic honey 5 C white whole wheat flour 1 C ground almonds 2 T granulated honey 1 T uncooked red quinoa butter, for greasing the dish and rubbing the finished loaf Procedure Place the hot water in a large mixing bowl, sprinkling the yeast on top. Let bloom for ten minutes. Add h...

I made these loaves for the #BreadBakers' November event. See the bottom of this post for more information about this great bread baking group. Our hostess this month is Holly of A Baker's House . Thanks, Holly! This was my first month making and using a biga, also called a poolish. I used part of the biga in my Crusty Pumpkin Rosemary Bread for #twelveloaves last week. I'm using another part of the biga for this delicious creation. Making a biga takes a little bit longer, but made for a softer crumb. It's certainly worth the effort! Ingredients  makes 3 mini loaves Biga  (a pre-ferment) 3 1/2 C bread flour 2 C water, room temperature 1/2 t instant dry yeast Whisk all the ingredients together and allow it to stand for at room temperature for between 6 and 36 hours; mine fermented for over 24 hours. The biga will begin to ferment, getting gassy and bubbly. You'll use 1-1/2 C biga for this bread recipe. The remaining biga can be stor...

#TwelveLoaves is a monthly bread baking party created by Lora from Cake Duchess and run with the help of Heather of girlichef , which runs smoothly with the help of our bakers.  Our host this month is Renee from Kudos Kitchen by Renee , and our theme is Pumpkin. For more bread recipes, visit the #TwelveLoaves Pinterest board , or check out last month's tempting selection of #TwelveLoaves Apple Breads! This was my first time making and using a biga, also called a poolish. It takes a little bit longer, but made for a softer crumb. Delicious...and worth the effort! Ingredients makes 2 loaves Biga (a pre-ferment) 3 1/2 C bread flour 2 C water, room temperature 1/2 t instant dry yeast Whisk all the ingredients together and allow it to stand for at room temperature for between 6 and 36 hours; mine fermented for over 24 hours. The biga will begin to ferment, getting gassy and bubbly. You'll use 1-1/2 C biga for this bread recipe. The remaining big...

When we were headed down the coast yesterday, I turned on the radio and was horrified to hear Christmas music. Already?! Well, Turkey Day was over. And when we came back up the coast at the end of the day, there were Christmas decorations hanging from the street lamps. Really. But it got me thinking about gingerbread. So, this morning, I used the last of my pumpkin puree and made four mini loaves of pumpkin gingerbread for breakfast. The "triple" ginger part = ground ginger + candied ginger + ginger syrup. This is not for the faint of palate! 3 C white whole wheat flour 2 t baking soda 3 t ground ginger 1 t ground cinnamon 1/2 t ground nutmeg 2 C pumpkin purée 1 C butter, softened 1 C organic dark brown sugar 1/2 C unsulphered molasses 1/2 C ginger syrup 4 eggs, beaten 1/2 cup candied ginger chips/chunks Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease your baking pans; I used my mini loaf baking stones. In a large mixing bowl beat togeth...

When Jake told me that he was out the door before 6am to go salmon fishing with two of our friends, I thought: I need to bake something tonight so I don't have to get up with him at 5am. I still ended up waking up with him, but I had whipped up these loaves the night before anyway, so I was just there for a good morning kiss. 1/2 C olive oil 1 C organic granulated sugar 1 egg, beaten 2 C all-purpose flour 1 t baking soda 1/2 t pink Himalaya salt 1 C organic, whole milk yogurt 2 C fresh rhubarb, thickly sliced Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease mini loaf pan. In a large bowl, blend all of the wet ingredients together. Mix thoroughly. Add flour and mix until just moistened. Stir in rhubarb. Spoon into prepared pans. Sprinkle with sliced almonds and organic granulated sugar. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool completely and slice to serve.

I came across a jar of organic coconut oil at Trader Joe's and thought I'd give it a try. What I didn't realize was that I should have melted the oil to use it as I would any other oil. Instead I used it as a solid fat, more like a butter. It was no less tasty, but it was harder to manipulate. Next time. First I halved, deseeded, and roasted a butternut squash. Then I created a squash puree to use in the breads. 1 ½ C organic brown sugar 1 t ground cinnamon 1 t ground nutmeg ½ t ground ginger ½ t ground cardamom 2 eggs ¼ t baking powder 1 2/3 C flour 1 t baking soda ½ C (melted) coconut oil ¾ t smoked sea salt ½ C organic yogurt 1 C butternut squash puree Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Put in greased mini loaf pans or muffin tin. Bake at 325 degrees for 75-90 minutes - until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

When Jake told me that he was getting up before five to drive two hours to get on a boat to go crabbing, my first thought was "yum, crab!" My second thought was: "oh, I really don't want to get up and make breakfast before five in the morning." So, last night I baked a batch of mini pumpkin loaves for him to take on the road. Truth be told, when he got up this morning, I did, too. But at least it was because I wanted to get up, not because I had to get up. I love this recipe because all it takes is one bowl, a few stirs, and that's it. 3 C white whole wheat flour 1-1/2 C firmly packed organic brown sugar 1 t cinnamon 1 t nutmeg 1 t cloves 1 t cardamom 2 t baking powder 1/2 t salt 2 C pumpkin puree 1/2 C organic plain yogurt 1/4 C canola oil 1/4 C ginger syrup 2 T unsulphered molasses 6 large eggs 1 C sliced almonds 1/4 C cacao nibs 1/2 C dark chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients. Pour into prepared loaf...

Whenever I'm seeking bread inspiration, I turn to my copy of Linda Collister & Anthony Blake's Country Bread of the World . Tonight, I used their Shaker Squash Bread as a jumping off point, creating a version with sweet potato puree and half the flour. The second part of that was accidental - I just blitzed on the amount of flour. Whoops. Turned out just fine. 1 C half and half 4 T unsalted butter 2-1/2 t active dry yeast 1/2 C organic granulated sugar 1 t smoked sea salt 5 C white whole wheat flour 1-1/2 C sweet potato puree (substitute pumpkin or squash puree, if you like) 2 large eggs Heat half and half with butter in a pan until the butter has melted. Remove from heat. Add sugar and salt and leave to cool. Add yeast and let bloom for 5 minutes. Mix in half the flour. Add the puree and eggs. Stir in the remaining flour and knead until you have a firm dough that begins to pull away from the edge of the bowl. Lightly grease the bowl, cover with a damp cloth, a...