Beth Cato: Now on Wikipedia
I recently discovered that someone spent incredible time and effort to create a Wikipedia page about me. It’s quite comprehensive. The information is culled from my bibliography page here on my site as well as other resources.
I can’t say I mind–I’m more baffled than anything because of the effort involved. Thanks, stranger!
Read MoreBready or Not: No-Knead French Boule (French Bread Round)
French bread is one of the best things in the world and it is super-easy to make. All you need are four ingredients and some time.
The time element is not that much of an issue, though, because this takes all of five minutes to mix up. After an initial rise, the dough can then be tucked away in the fridge for up to two weeks.
If this technique looks familiar, it’s because it’s similar to the recipe I shared in February for my favorite pizza dough. They are both modified from the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.
The boule, or bread round, is the most traditional form of French bread. The baguette is actually an innovation from the 1920s. The boule was first, and is, arguably, the best.
This bread is perfect to slice up, butter, and toast. It’s great for sandwiches. For charcuterie and cheese. To make French toast. Any way you can eat bread, really.
It’s also great to freeze and thaw for later enjoyment! This is really a recipe that is all about convenience, before and after baking.
Bready or Not: No-Knead French Boule (French Bread Round)
Equipment
- baking stone or baking steel
- small metal cake or casserole pan
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active yeast or one store packet
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions
- Warm the water to just above body heat, about 100-degrees. Pour it into a large bowl. Add the yeast, flour, and salt. Stir until everything is uniformly moist, no dry patches to be found.
- Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap, waxed paper, or an off-kilter lid, and set in a warm spot in the kitchen.
- After about 2 hours, it should double in size and flatten out on the top; a colder kitchen may need as long as 5 hours, which is fine.
- The dough can be used now, but is very sticky. It's easier to work with if it has chilled in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but can idle in there overnight or for as long as 2 weeks. Keep loosely covered so that it doesn't dry out.
- Prepare a piece of parchment with a dusting or flour, semolina, or fine cornmeal. To shape the dough into a round, dust hands with flour then gently shape dough into a ball, tucking and smoothing rough bits into what will become the bottom. Set dough on prepared parchment. Let rise for 20 to 30 minutes. It may not rise a lot, but should puff a bit.
- Start preheating oven at 450-degrees. Place baking stone or steel in the middle rack of the oven. Place the empty metal cake or casserole pan beneath it. Let the oven heat for 20 minutes.
- Measure out 1 cup of water.
- After the bread has risen for about 40 minutes, lightly dust the top of the dough with flour. Use a lame or serrated knife to slash lines across the top.
- Pull the hot stone or steel from the oven. Use the parchment to carefully transfer the dough onto the hot surface. Set baking sheet into oven. Pull out the heated pan on the shelf below. With care, pour the water into the pan; do not overfill! Gingerly push the shelf back into place and close the oven so that the steaming water can work its magic on the baking bread.
- Bake for about 30 minutes. Do NOT open the oven until the end of that time! The bread should look crusty and golden over the top. Pull out the pan and let the bread cool. It may emit a crackling sound as it cools down. If the bottom is carefully thumped, the bread should sound hollow.
- Let cool about 20 or 30 minutes before cutting into the bowl. Store in a sealed bag for up to 2 days. If freezing portions of the bread, do so within the first day so they will be as fresh as possible.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Molasses Toffee Apple Upside-Down Cake
This Molasses Toffee Apple Upside-Down Cake is as delicious as it is beautiful!
This cake does take a little extra effort. You have to give some thought to placing the apple slices instead of just mixing in the apples. It also dirties a lot of dishes.
But the end result? The cake crumb is reminiscent of a dense, moist gingerbread cake–which goes perfectly with the apples. The combo is sheer bliss.
So, what kind of apples are best? Three medium baking apples! You can always Google that subject for a wide range of recommendations. I can recommend Granny Smiths, Galas, and Pink Lady.
The resulting cake is great warm, recently from the oven. It’s also good cold from the fridge. And reheated, warmed just a touch in the microwave or toaster oven. But not reheated to be super-hot–that actually makes the apples go too soft.
This cake is also great to slice into blocks, wrap in plastic, and freeze for later. It keeps wonderfully that way! Thaw and enjoy at your leisure.
Modified from Bake from Scratch September/October 2019.
Bready or Not: Molasses Toffee Apple Upside Down Cake
Equipment
- 9x9 square pan
- offset spatula
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups light brown sugar packed, divided
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter half stick, melted
- 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons molasses divided
- 3 large baking apples about 450 grams after being peeled, cored, and thinly sliced; Granny Smith, Gala, and Pink Lady work well
- 1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter softened
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3/4 cup whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Cut a square of parchment paper to fit in the bottom of a 9x9 square pan. Grease pan with butter or nonstick spray. Place parchment, and grease paper as well. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 2/3 cup brown sugar, melted butter, and 2 tablespoons molasses. Pour into prepared pan. Arrange apple slices in groups of 5 in alternating patterns on top of sugar mixture.
- In a big mixing bowl, beat softened butter and remaining 1 cup brown sugar until fluffy. This will be about 3 to 4 minutes in a stand mixer. Scrape sides of bowl as needed.
- Beat in remaining 1/2 cup molasses until no streaks remain. One at a time, add the eggs and egg yolk followed by the vanilla.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
- Gradually mix the dry ingredients into butter mixture alternately with the milk. Beat until just smooth. Pour batter over apples, smoothing with an offset spatula.
- Bake until the middle passes the toothpick test, about 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pan to release sides of cake, if needed. Carefully invert onto a flat serving plate or small cutting board.
- The cake is fantastic eaten fresh, cold, or just warmed. It can also be cut into squares and frozen for later enjoyment.
OM NOM NOM!
Book Blog: The Last Fallen Star (Gifted Clans #1) by Graci Kim
I review everything I read and post reviews on Goodreads and LibraryThing. That’s not enough. Good books are meant to be shared. Therefore, I’m spotlighting some of my favorite reads here on my site.
The Last Fallen Star (Gifted Clans #1) by Graci Kim
out now in print and ebook; BookShop, B&N, and Amazon [affiliate link]
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
Rick Riordan has done wonders for the lit world, not simply through his own books, but his support of other authors. I’ve read several middle grade books in his new Presents line, and there hasn’t been a bad one in the bunch. Graci Kim’s fun yet meaningful romp The Last Fallen Star is an incredible new novel inspired by Korean mythology and set in Los Angeles.
Riley is a relatable, great heroine from the start. She was adopted into a family of Gom, witch healers, but has no magic herself, much to her vexation. In an incredibly pleasant twist to familiar tropes, Riley has a fantastic relationship with her family, including her almost-the-same-age sister, Hattie. In fact, Hattie loves her so much that she’s willing to do forbidden magic to split her magical power with Riley. Of course, everything goes wrong. The Gods and the supernatural get involved. Hattie is in terrible peril. Riley ends up on an urgent quest to save Hattie before her sister is lost forever.
The pace of the book is fast and punctuated by moments of humor and levity, but what I loved most was the story’s genuine heart. The people here feel real and complicated. There are major messages of belonging and family, but they are not heavy-handed or suffocating. Plus, hey, the book is loads of fun, and a great way to learn about Korean mythology and culture. I not only want to read the next book in this series, but I want to read more of Kim’s writing, too.
Read MoreBready or Not Original: Small Batch Cakey Brownies
Sometimes you just need a few brownies. That’s the perfect time for this Small Batch Cakey Brownies recipe.
These are not monstrously thick brownies. They are thin with a crackled top, with a nice, cakey moist crumb.
I created this recipe by combining about four other recipes, trying to find a middle ground recipe that my son would like. This is the one that turned out to be the winner.
Even better, I found out these brownies kept well for an entire week in a sealed container at room temperature–and who knows, maybe they could last a lot longer? In any case, there’s no urgent need to gorge on them lest they go bad.
These brownies are all about goodness.
Bready or Not Original: Small Batch Cakey Brownies
Ingredients
- 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cake flour
- 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Line a 9x9 or 8×8-inch pan with foil, letting foil overhang each side. Apply nonstick cooking spray.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave the chocolate and butter on high in 30 second increments, stirring between each burst, until everything is melted. Let cool slightly.
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, in a large bowl beat together the sugar and eggs for 3 to 5 minutes, until they are pale, light, and fluffy. Pour in the cooled chocolate and butter mixture, followed by the vanilla.
- Combine the salt and both flours in a bowl. Stir in the chocolate chips. Fold flour mix into the wet ingredients. Pour into the prepared pan and even out.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached. Cool completely. Use foil onto a cutting board to slice into bars.
- Brownies will keep for upwards of a week in a sealed container at room temperature.
OM NOM NOM!
Book Blog: Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
I review everything I read and post reviews on Goodreads and LibraryThing. That’s not enough. Good books are meant to be shared. Therefore, I’m spotlighting some of my favorite reads here on my site.
Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
out now in print and ebook; BookShop, B&N, and Amazon [affiliate link]
I read this as part of my Norton finalist packet.
What a fantastic YA book! Elatsoe has an urban fantasy vibe, kinda, but spins everything in a brilliant, original way. A big reason for that is the dynamic, smart heroine, Elatsoe aka Ellie. She’s still a high schooler but she has big dreams of becoming a paranormal PI. She knows the paranormal well, as she was raised on the stories of her incredible Lipan Apache ancestress Six-Great, and her near-constant companion is the ghost of her beloved dog, who she raised herself. When her cousin is in a terrible car accident, he reaches out in a dream to tell her this was no accident, but murder. Ellie goes along with her parents to take care of her cousin’s widow, and finds herself investigating not the murderer but an entire creepy town.
I loved how smart this book was. Ellie is a kid, sure, but she is competent, and she is respected for her competence by her parents and those who know her. That is so refreshing! That doesn’t take away from the tension in the book, either, because Ellie still has a lot to learn. This is a story packed with twists and turns, and the world Little Badger established is endlessly fascinating. I mean, I tend to avoid books with vampires because I feel they have been so overdone, but the way they come across here feels fresh and new, and I LOVED a scene where Ellie and her mom banish an unwelcome vampire.
I hope there are more books set in this world. I would love to visit here again!
Read More
