Hmm… maybe I’ve got time to make this before we go?!?!?!? Three ingredients (two if you omit sugar, which sounds like a good plan)! Three minutes (not counting thaw time)! No kneading! (Apparently) not too sweet! … Holy Oh-Em-Jee, everybody – it’s ICE CREAM BREAD. Ice. Cream. Bread. Step the First.  You thaw the ice cream. Step the Second.  You stir in self-rising flour.  Okay, this isn’t exactly ONE ingredient, and I normally consider it an abomination, but I happen to have TWO bags of the stuff here that Ted bought by accident. Step the Third.  Bake. Step the Fourth.  Indulge. The “secret recipe” is more of a ratio than anything else: 1 cup full-fat ice cream : 3/4 cup self-rising flour Bake at 350° for 25-45 minutes (depending on how big a batch) until toothpick comes out clean. This version recommends Triple Brownie ice cream, 1 cup : 3/4 cup and bakes for 25-30 minutes.  This version use...

Came up with this concept on my way out the door with a bunch of piping-hot-from-the-oven Berry Smash Muffins this morning… This Cookie Crisp box was on top of the recycle bin, still nice and clean, and it turns out it’s exactly the right height to fit these muffins.  And fifteen muffins fit perfectly into the box.  I slid them in, taped it firmly shut, and we were on our way!  They arrived much happier than usual.  I also happened to have a pair of scissors, so I could cut it open in perfect “Kel-Bol-Pak” style.  As Jerry Seinfeld used to say, “what was the point of this?  Pretending your parents couldn’t afford a bowl?” Separated at birth???   I made the muffins without streusel, by the way, since it never seems to travel well anyway.  I also cut down the sugar a bit, to 3/4 or 1 cup instead of 1 1/3 cups. So there it is – my token post to my much-neglected Bread Blog. To see more of my currently overwhelming project, check out my ...

I don’t make these very often, so it always feel like an Occasion.  I got so exited that I took a bunch of pictures, but then I turns out I already blogged here about the process (you can perhaps forgive my memory lapse given that it was almost three years ago!). Since I have included the pictures already in this post, I will take the liberty of writ out the steps in poetic form instead:   Snatch a round wad of fresh, fresh, fresh, dough / That’s already had sev’ral hours to grow; Roll it out pancake-flat and round / With two tablespoons of blue-filling crowned; Fold it tight-closed like half of a moon / Fingertips pounce upon’t to form a cocoon . Peel it on up from its bed on the table / pinching as tight as your fingers are able; Pinch and pinch and pinch some more / Lest blueberry filling sploosh out on the floor; When the pinching time’s fully done / Lie it so gently next to your last bun; Now if, on the pan, a bun should crack ope...

Don’t know about you, but I was afraid of dough for a long time.  Afraid to let it touch anything, because it’s so darn sticky.  Afraid to let it rise uncovered, careful to set it on parchment or silicone when baking.  Careful that the challahs were spaced just so when I put them in the oven to bake, so they wouldn’t end up touching.  Careful, and afraid. But just look at my challahs now! They’re naked, completely uncovered as they rise. They’re bare-bottomed, sitting right on the table. I’m not using a baking pan at all. Experience and a couple of good tools have changed all that… mainly the little bench scraper in the back, which I’ve raved about here before.  Also, a baking stone – preheated properly, it’s hot enough when you put the challahs in that nothing will stick to it.  Even if it does stick, a nudge with the scraper is enough to dislodge it.  Also, I oil the challah generously as I portion it, so that by the time I’m fi...

In all the years I have been playing with yeast and homeschooling , I have never, ever thought to mix the two!  Luckily, Ms Frizzle did, and last month’s Magic School Bus science kit was all about bacteria and fungi.  Oooey gooey fun! For all the exciting details, please see the full post over at my regular blog!   How many any other cool ways are there to use baking to teach science???

When you want a chicken pot pie but are a) you only have one frozen pie crust (or don’t want to fuss with a top crust), and can’t even think of a b), why not make this EASY sweet-potato-dumpling topped version instead?  (if you are enthused by this idea, see also this post about putting cornbread on top of chili) You don’t even have to use meat!  Putting a quick bread on TOP of a moist, savoury dish (whether it’s meat or dairy or even vegan, as I have been known to do with roasted root vegetables and tofu) compensates for all the downsides of quick breads – namely that they tend to dry out quickly and be less full-bodied in flavour, while lacking the exquisite texture of true breads.  Baked on top of a yummy filling – whether you have a bottom crust or not – the quick bread (dumplings, cornbread , beer bread or any quick bread you like) stay moist, absorb flavour, and add texture and substance to round out a meal. (Technicality:  FYI, “quick bread” is the t...

In answer to the question in the title… well, my vote is with the latter (cast yours below in the Comments section!).  When I posted a reminder on facebook last night to think about including a key in the first post-Pesach challahs (see this old post to find out why), somebody posted a link to this article (“Shlissel Challah – The Loaf of Idolatry?”) and someone else recommended this one (“Serious Segulah or Pagan Piffle?”).  One person wrote, “the origins of shlissel challah is completely avodah zarah [idol worship].”  Ouch.  One commenter in a thread of one of the posts above wrote that a prominent rav “called this shlissel challah minhag "ridiculous", a violation of nichush [divination], and told his wife not to "dare" do it.” I read the articles – really, I did.  I love fascinating new information.  I love controversy. The first article (“Loaf of Idolatry?”) made me sad, partly because his article claims to be all schola...