In this lesson, before we got to baking, I got a lesson on [holy cow] eatable chemistry, the various types of flour and their uses; leavening agents; baking pans and the oven. Yes, there was news to know about my kitchen oven.
I was surprised that there are so many flours. I do know about and for years I've used "all purpose flour" and I also use "rice flour" which is gluten-free flour. I love this.
It is essential that I stay true to the recipe when I bake. It's not the same as roughing measurements when I saute or roast. The first thing... I baked biscuits and they turned out awesome. Funny thing is that I thought I had to buy a box of Betty Crocker Bisquick in order to make biscuits. No, not so. In fact, homemade is really easy. There's nothing special to store in the pantry so I can make biscuits anytime with the ingredients I have on the shelf. Sorry, Betty, no more box of Bisquick mix for me.
I made one of my all-time favorites. Cornbread. Yankee Cornbread, which is a little bit sweeter batter bread. Like the boxed Bisquick, when I wanted cornbread, I bought a box of Jiffy. Not any more. Goodbye Jiffy. Hello fabulous cornbread. I even altered the recipe a bit by adding sliced Jalapenos. Can I bake or what? Hallelujah!
In the last lesson I learned to make beignets. Wonderful. Today, I finally got the real know-how on basic bread-making. Last time I made bread, it turned out like a rock. I'm not kidding. Just awful. With Chef David's help, I am more confident making bread. Not that I'd make it often, but when I do want to make bread, my honey will be able to eat it. [big smile with a happy giggle]
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