Chocolate croissants are my favorite kind of croissant, obviously, I mean, they have chocolate inside! and so because I've always liked them I researched some recipes to see if I could make them at home. It turns out that every single recipe I found was intimidating: they were long, wordy and each of the 13 to 15 steps were whole paragraphs of confusing explanations! Honestly I don't know how bakeries around the world make so many every day and they come out so yummy!
I tried to make them this weekend. It took me all weekend.
I discovered that there's a lot of waiting around during the process of making croissants because of the yeast and the gluten in the dough. I don't have much experience making bread dough but the waiting was exhausting! Meryl Streep made it look so easy on "It's Complicated."
The end result was... ok I guess. The dough was a little hard and not flaky like I was expecting it to be; the chocolate got burned inside although you can't really tell. I know I still have a lot to learn about bread dough and I will most certainly try again, maybe with a different recipe (I used Martha's so if you have a good one I can use please comment and send it!).
I also have a question for who ever can answer it: the recipe says that I have to spray the oven with water before and after putting the croissants in... anybody know why??
Showing posts with label baking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baking. Show all posts
June 21, 2010
June 19, 2010
The Hummnigbird Bakery
There is a bakery in the little town of London, England called the Hummingbird Bakery. It is inspired by American-style pastries such as cupcakes, pies, brownies, muffins and cheesecakes, among other things.
My mom bought me their cookbook and it is just perfect. First of all, it's pink! Second, it has so many delicious-looking and exciting recipes that seem fairly easy to make. But I have to talk about one in particular: the Black Bottom Cupcakes. To describe these cupcakes the only thing that seems prudent is to copy the description directly from the book.
"The black bot
tom cupcake looks innocent, but packs a punch! A dark chocolate sponge with a dollop of cheesecake baked into it, we top ours with Cream Cheese Frosting for extra impact. The chocolate sponge is different from our normal chocolate cupcakes - it's darker, slightly less sweet and marries well with the cheesecake center."
Honestly if you don't think that sounds incredibly delicious, there is something seriously wrong with you! I might makes these for work one day. The sooner the better!
My mom bought me their cookbook and it is just perfect. First of all, it's pink! Second, it has so many delicious-looking and exciting recipes that seem fairly easy to make. But I have to talk about one in particular: the Black Bottom Cupcakes. To describe these cupcakes the only thing that seems prudent is to copy the description directly from the book.
"The black bot
tom cupcake looks innocent, but packs a punch! A dark chocolate sponge with a dollop of cheesecake baked into it, we top ours with Cream Cheese Frosting for extra impact. The chocolate sponge is different from our normal chocolate cupcakes - it's darker, slightly less sweet and marries well with the cheesecake center."Honestly if you don't think that sounds incredibly delicious, there is something seriously wrong with you! I might makes these for work one day. The sooner the better!
June 5, 2010
Buttercream: check!
The title of the post reminds me of the episode of Friends when they leave for London for Ross' wedding and Monica is talking to herself while packing! Guess we're both nuts!
But aaaanyways.... I finished both buttercreams: the vanilla and the chocolate. It's the first time I've ever done this so I was a little scared at first but it turns out it is really really easy!! After I added the butter I thought I'd messed up because it wasn't thickening but it is just so magical how it just becomes this thick cream out of nowhere, not to mention a delicious cream!
The recipe said to add 3 ounces of semisweet chocolate but when I did it was still too light so I added almost an ounce and a half more to make a more chocolaty color. It turn our the tiniest little bit of chocolate goes a long way.
Does anybody have any ideas on what other flavors I can make?
Chocolate Buttercream (for vanilla don't add the chocolate, instead add about a teaspoon of vanilla extract)
Makes 2 1/2 cups
3/4 cup sugar
3 large egg whites
1 cup (2 sticks) plus 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
Directions
Combine sugar and egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Place over a pot of simmering water; whisk until hot and sugar is completely dissolved, about 3 minutes. Transfer bowl to mixer stand, and beat on high speed until cooled, 7 to 10 minutes.
Replace whisk with paddle attachment, and set mixer on medium-high speed; add butter, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, until incorporated. Beat in chocolate. If not using immediately, refrigerate buttercream in an airtight container for up to a week. Bring to room temperature, and rebeat or stir vigorously before using.
But aaaanyways.... I finished both buttercreams: the vanilla and the chocolate. It's the first time I've ever done this so I was a little scared at first but it turns out it is really really easy!! After I added the butter I thought I'd messed up because it wasn't thickening but it is just so magical how it just becomes this thick cream out of nowhere, not to mention a delicious cream!
The recipe said to add 3 ounces of semisweet chocolate but when I did it was still too light so I added almost an ounce and a half more to make a more chocolaty color. It turn our the tiniest little bit of chocolate goes a long way.
Does anybody have any ideas on what other flavors I can make?
Chocolate Buttercream (for vanilla don't add the chocolate, instead add about a teaspoon of vanilla extract)
Makes 2 1/2 cups
3/4 cup sugar
3 large egg whites
1 cup (2 sticks) plus 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
Directions
Combine sugar and egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Place over a pot of simmering water; whisk until hot and sugar is completely dissolved, about 3 minutes. Transfer bowl to mixer stand, and beat on high speed until cooled, 7 to 10 minutes.
Replace whisk with paddle attachment, and set mixer on medium-high speed; add butter, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, until incorporated. Beat in chocolate. If not using immediately, refrigerate buttercream in an airtight container for up to a week. Bring to room temperature, and rebeat or stir vigorously before using.
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