Marvelous Multigrain Sourdough Bread

Since I'm home from college and I have pretty much nothing constructive to do, I decided that a good way to fill my time would be to make homemade bread. This sourdough began with a starter that I made the day before. The dough included buckwheat flour, which happens to be gluten free, regular flour, and whole wheat flour and a variety of seeds: sunflower, sesame, and flax. Even though I haven't made that much bread, I've learned that the real challenge isn't in mixing the ingredients or following the recipe, rather it is in being patient. Waiting for the bread to proof when all I wanted to do was throw it in the oven and have a slice was difficult! In the end though, waiting was worth it. I baked the bread and we had it with dinner and it was delicious, chewy and crunch and full of grains.

White Coconut Cake with Coconut Frosting

For our Jewish Christmas Eve dinner, I decided to make this beautiful coconut cake. With two thick layers and a creamy frosting infused with coconut milk, this cake was moist and delicious. Each bite had shredded coconut and smelled tropical and sweet. As my sister noticed, it kind of tasted like pancakes. I can't really explain that one... No matter, the cake was a big hit and it looked like a giant snowball!

Deep, Dark, Spicy Gingerbread

Over the summer, it never really felt right to make holiday treats. So, as winter break neared and my first college finals loomed, I dreamed of Christmas cakes and cookies. A few weeks later when I finally got to Boston, I decided to make this gingerbread cake as the beginning of winter and being home.

Since I didn't really need a full 9x13 gingerbread cake, I decided to halve the recipe. Also, I'm not a huge fan of coffee, so I left off the coffee glaze. The result was delicious! I cut a little piece of cake, scooped some vanilla ice cream on the side, and curled up by the fire to eat my Christmasy treat. It was everything you could want in gingerbread- spicy, sweet but not too sweet, and fragrant of the holidays. A perfect start to my break!

Others...

In addition to the recipes I have already included, I also made some that I never blogged about, including these. As usual, some of the treats below didn't work out perfectly (red velvet cake that sunk) and some weren't as beautiful as I had hoped (blueberry pie with uneven sugar). But, as Flour recipes generally promise, everything tasted delicious! The cornmeal-lime cookies were unique and crunchy and the bran muffins had "bird seed" on top that made it impossible to just eat one. Also, the blueberry-lemon pie was probably one of the best things I've made. I definitely suggest it! Other than the desserts and snacks pictured below, I also made snickerdoodles, double-corn bread, buttermilk biscuits, and more.

Cornmeal-Lime Cookies 

Morning Glory Muffins 

Blueberry-Lemon Pie

Red Velvet Cake 

Bran Muffins 

Back for the holidays and ready to bake!

Well, it's December now and I've just completed my first semester at UC Berkeley. Now that I'm home for winter break, I'm ready to continue my blog! I can't wait to try Flour's pop-tarts, croissants, crostata, and more.

Yesterday, I went to the Flour Bakery in Fort Point Channel and I got to meet Joanne! She was so sweet and normal! Maybe someday I could be like her...

Flour Bakery, Fort Point Channel

Check back later for more Flour recipes!

Julia

Lemon-Poppy Pound Cake

Occasionally, my dad comes home from work with a lemon poppyseed cake, a gift from someone he sees every once in a while. Even though I've never met this mysterious cake-giver, I've grown to love her! The cakes are lemony, sweet, full of poppy seeds, and glazed with frosting that melts into the tops. So good! When I got the Flour book, I knew I had to try to make the treat myself! 

My cake ended up unlike the cake-giver's, but still oh so delicious. Where her cake was moist and almost overly sweet, this cake was lighter and more lemony. It had a tight crumb and a beautifully golden top with sweet, but not too sweet, glaze. Perfect with a cup of tea for breakfast or a late night snack, this cake was a hit! However, I think I'll still get excited when my dad surprises me with the cake-giver's cake!

Country Bread

I love bread. If I could only eat one food for the rest of my life, I would choose bread (of course, with some cheese or peanut butter to go with it). After my not-so-successful attempt at focaccia, I was wary of trying again. I'm glad I did though - this bread was fantastic!

This recipe took two days and involved some planning. First, I had to make a "bread sponge," which was a combination of flour, water, and yeast. After waiting a few hours, I had to "feed" the sponge. A very funny experience! By the time I wanted to use it the next day, the sponge had grown and bubbled and had a sticky and strange consistency.

The actual process of making the bread dough was not bad at all! I used the stand mixer to knead the dough, which saved my arms a lot of energy. The only difficult part was waiting while the bread rose! Then, I tossed the loaves into the oven over a dish of water (to produce steam to crisp the crust) and soon my bread was ready. The crust was hard and chewy and the inside was light and delicious. I knew I had done well when I brought it over to a friend's house for dinner and they were surprised to hear that I had made it myself!