Chef Pres - Baking Part 5

Preston Viltz

Meara

Honors English P4

Blog

January 25 2015

For my fifth and final time baking for you guys I decided to bake something other than cookies. I feel like cookies are the easiest baking item to make so that is why I started off baking them. But now I feel like my skills have improved to the extent that I was ready to try something new. So for my final bake I made cornbread. Cornbread is very different than cookies, it has a much different texture and look, as well as many different ingredients. I chose cornbread because my ancestors grew up in the South and a frequent meal they had down there was cornbread. So in respect for my culture I decided to make something that meant a lot to my family. The cornbread was a much more difficult task then the rest. A major difference was that it had to bake for 45 minutes instead of the regular 8-10 min for the cookies. My experience was quite fun and I'd like for you guys to take a look so here is my time making cornbread.

"Ingredients

• 1 cup yellow cornbread
• 3/4 cup all-purpose 
• 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk or buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup butter"

First I set the oven to 425 degrees. Then I mixed all my dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl. I whisked my liquid ingredients together in a separate bowl. Finally I mixed them together and "stir until just moistened". Pic below:

Next I "pour batter into the prepared pan". Then I put the pan in the oven and baked at 425 degrees. Pic below:

After 45 minutes I took the cornbread out of the oven and "cool slightly; serve warm". Pic below:

And lastly this is me enjoying my baked good. I loved my creation. Pic below:

Now that I have finished all of my baking experiences I am proud of how far I have came. I really admire how I stepped out of my comfort zone to bake something that wasn't related to cookies. My family enjoyed the large batch and my dad said it was "just like home". Overall I am joyous that I chose to bake for these blogs. I feel like I can now admit that I am not such a beginner anymore and am comfortable baking for my entire family. This was much fun.

If I opened a bakery would you eat there?

Chapman, Natalie. Baking. Des Moines: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013

Chef Pres IRP - Baking Cookies Part 3

Preston Viltz

Meara

Honors English P4

Blog

December 31 2015

Hey Blogger, I'm back at it again. As you all know I am on my way of completing my task of becoming a better baker. And like I've said before, I bake for one, and only one reason, for the lads. For my sack of course, I decided to take my game to the next level and bake something incredibly difficult. And since I'm a beginner baker and I took on the challenge to do an advanced snack... well you know how that went. Sike, they were BOMB. So, I made the Raspberry French Macaroon. My reasoning behind baking this snack was that I wanted to bake a dish from my own culture (I'm a bit of French). I also hate almost every fruit except berries, so the raspberry was the perfect fit. Again, I used the recipe from Baking by Natalie Chapman. Now lets take a peak at my creations:

"Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups finely ground almonds
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 3 egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Dash salt
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons raspberry puree
• 1 cup raspberry jam"

I put the egg whites, vanilla, and salt into a medium mixing bowl. And then I "beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until frothy." Picture below:

Next, I "stir in almond mixture" and raspberry puree. Picture below:

I piped out my mixture into circles on parchment paper and "bake for 9 to 10 minutes or until set" each batch at 325 degrees. I took them out of the oven and let them cool. Picture below:

I took a quality pic with my tasty macaroon as well:

I took on the challenge and I am content with the outcome. I plan on making these for my French relatives sometimes and hopefully they will enjoy. This snack was 10 times harder than my other two types of cookies. There were many more steps to completely this snack to perfection. I plan on making a chocolate caramel cookie next blog so hopefully that turns out great and takes my skills to the next level. Hope you enjoyed! ;)

Should I bake a cookie or brownie for my next blog?

Chapman, Natalie. Baking. Des Moines: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013