[Sca-cooks] Baking Again

[Terry Decker]

At the end of last summer, the central air for the kitchen died, so I've 
been avoiding prolonged use of the oven.  That got remedied yesterday.

In celebration, I prepared about a pound and a half of sponge last night and 
have been baking most of the day.  A pizza for lunch, some bread, and an 
oddball dessert roll with strawberries (Margaret says, "It's wonderful.")

Tomorrow, I'll roast the turkey breast and produce a little foccia.  Maybe 
use up the canned crab on a recipe or two.  And I'll prepare another batch 
of sponge.  The bread should be gone by Tuesday.

I can bake again without turning into a puddle of grease on the kitchen 
floor.

Bear

And for those of you that are interested:

Sponge:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon dry active yeast
Proof the yeast in the water before mixing.

Dessert Bread

1 cup warm water
1/4 cup Splenda (or sugar)
Dissolve Splenda in the water.
Mix 1 teaspoon salt with 1 cup of flour, stir into water mixture.
Add 1 egg and 1 egg yolk, reserving the egg white.  Stir in.
While mixing, slowly add enough flour (probably 1 to 2 cups) to make a soft, 
sticky dough.
Knead gently.
Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover.
Let rise until doubled.

Clean and quarter about 1 1/2 cups of strawberries.  Sprinkle with Splenda 
(or sugar) and store in refrigerator.
On a lightly floured surface, punch down the dough and divide into 8 pieces. 
Roll into balls and flatten.
Place the flattened dough on a baking sheet or jelly roll pan covered with 
baking parchment.
Press a depression in the center of each piece of dough (a sharp blade can 
be used to score each depression to reduce the rise of the dough there).
Fill the depressions with strawberries (enjoy any leftovers).
Take the egg white and mix it with 1 Tablespoon cool water.  Brush on the 
pastries.
Bake at 425 degrees F until golden (probably 20 to 40 minutes).
Cool and eat.