bubble bread.

slap, slap.

dough thrown against the metal bowl.

the motor roars.

it stops.

my finger sticks.

dough, warm and soft.

the coarse flour.

i press inside and out.

i slap

the dough. 

it is smooth like baby's behind.

i cover it with a towel.

sleep tight.

i give it a caress.

twenty minutes later

punch, punch

an aromatic smell hits me.

it is still warm to my touch.

...

kneading kneading kneading.

it is like meditation.

working with yeast dough is still a fascination. 

you cover the dough, you leave it alone, 

you take another peek, 

and it has risen twice in size.

it truly feels alive.

did i tell you about the feel of the luke warm butter you dip your bubble balls in?

the coarse sugar you roll them in, that sticks get under your fingernails?

of course you lick your fingers, trying to get rid of it, 

enjoying the mingling of butter and sugar.

i could keep on gushing about making bubble bread.

and eating it.

i will say so much - if you are a morning roll person and enjoy cinnamon rolls and the likes, 

you will enjoy this for sure.

bubble bread

450g all-purpose flour

55g sugar

5g himalayan salt

30g fresh yeast

45g butter, melted & cooled

1 egg

250ml full-fat milk, blood temperature

topping:

200g brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

100g butter, melted & cooled

75g pecans, optional

in kitchenaid, add all ingredients for the yeast dough, making sure that the fresh yeast is crumbled into the mix and the milk has the right temperature (around 35-40 degrees celcius).

beat slowly for two minutes, then faster for three more minutes.

if your dough is still sticking to the sides at this point, scrape together and sprinkle with some more flour, and knead it a bit longer.

 remove from bowl and knead shortly until smooth.

set aside in a warm place and cover with a towel and let the dough rise.

after 15-20 minutes, beat the dough, deflating it and knead anew.

let rise again for an additional 15-20 minutes.

in the meantime, melt butter for dipping and in another bowl mix brown sugar and cinnamon.

if you want to add pecans, place into a bowl, chop them if wished.

now separate the dough into same sized balls.

i made thirty balls, each weighing around 30g.

 by pressing down on each ball in the cup of your hand and making a circular motion, you will achieve a smooth, round surface of each ball.

now dip them, one at a time, in butter, letting the excess butter drip away.

roll them in the brown sugar mixture and start placing them in your baking pan.

i used a longish bread pan, you may use any bread form.

don't place them right next or on top of each other, always offset slightly, like a brick wall.

sprinkle the pecans onto the balls halfway through, if you wish.

when you are finished, preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.

cover your bubble bread with a towel and wait another 15-20 minutes until the oven is ready and the balls have risen.

bake for around 30 minutes and until you can see the butter and sugar has caramelized.

remove from oven, let cool for five minutes, then turn around onto a plate.

enjoy freshly out of the oven.

if you do have leftovers, reheat in 150 degree celcius oven until warm to the touch.
or stick it in the microwave for around 30 seconds at no more than 200 W.

notes

why does my recipe call for beating down, deflating the dough twice and not for a longer rising time?

beating, and yes i mean beating, the dough makes the air pockets give off their air.

instead of having fewer large air pockets, deflating and rekneading the dough results in more air pockets being created.

your dough will have a better texture, will bake more beautifully, etc.

generally, a longer rising time results in a better taste as well.

the yeast can "eat" the sugar (and with help of oxygen) produces alcohol and gives it it's unique yeast-y taste.

so feel free to let the dough rise twice for half an hour, although 15 minutes will do as well.

i've seen bubble bread recipes calling for dark brown sugar.

i prefer light brown sugar.

the sugar caramelizes with the butter in the oven anyway, resulting in a darker, intenser and more flavorful sugar taste.

in my opinion, it blends better with the cinnamon.

but feel free to use dark sugar though.

this is one of those recipes that are best eaten pretty much out of the oven.

like cinnamon rolls.

they just have the best consistency and flavor when they are warm.

if you do have leftovers, and if you're living on your own like me, you will, then reheat the bubble bread at 150 degrees celcius until warm to the touch.
or stick it in the microwave for around 30 seconds at no more than 200 W. 

last but not least, this is a great recipe if your expecting a crowd.

preparation and baking time was not even 1 1/2 hours for me.

and it makes a lot.

don't make it when your hungry and alone at home or else you will wind up eating too much!

quinces.

a quince is

rock-hard
fuzzy on the outside
often flecked with brown spots

a quince can have the form

of an apple
of a pear
and everything in between.


a quince tastes

bitter, if not sweetened
and still slightly bitter when sweetened,
like an apple cidre
yes,
it does taste somewhat like an apple.

it is it's own unique fruit,
so of course it has it's own taste.


if you have not made acquaintance with quinces yet,

read this article at wikipedia.

i'm lucky enough to be able to take this fruit from my parents wee quince tree.
this is the first year i tried out several different recipes,
and not only quince jam or jelly.

the compote is great for keeping this fruit long term. 

and the tarte was a surprise in every positive way.

i will quote my father, 

a man not afraid of blunt honesty and critique:

"excellent".

a apple tarte tatin, made well, 

will already result in an empty cake tray by the end of the day.

this tarte tatin with quinces is no different.

i hope to interest you and excite you with this local fruit.

cook it in any which way, 

sweeten it with sugar or honey, 

add some white wine and apple juice and you have a great dessert. 

tarte tatin aux coings

200g sugar

1-2 quinces

50g butter

large pinch of fleur du sel

200g puff pastry

preheat the oven to 250 degrees celcius.

rub down "fluff" from quinces, peel them, cut in half and remove core.  

cut in thin slices.

in cast-iron pan, melt 150g of the sugar and then stir until caramelized and amber colored.

place quince slices in circle like form, starting from the middle, into the sugar.

watch out, it might sizzle a bit.

bake in oven for 8-10 minutes.

remove from oven, sprinkle cut butter on the quinces. sprinkle the rest of sugar and the fleur du sel on them as well.

for the puff pastry, i used a bought one, which was not frozen.

cut the puff pastry into circle which fits the pan, covering the fruit completely.

turn down oven to 220 degrees.

bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

place on wire rack and wait five minutes to cool.

pour our the excess juice into the kitchen drain.

with help of oven gloves and a platter, flip the tarte around and remove the pan.

enjoy hot or cold, plain or with vanilla ice cream.

quince compote

1 kg quinces

1 liter water

1 vanilla bean, split

400g sugar

200ml applejuice

200ml white wine, sweet 

glass jars to fill compote into

measure water into a large pot. add vanilla bean.

rub down "fluff" from quinces, peel them, cut in half and remove core.

now slice them, dice them, cut them into whatever form you want them to have for your compote.

heat the water, add the cut quinces and bring the water to a boil.

cook quinces until they are "al dente".

if you want them firm to the bite cook them only shortly, if you'd rather have them soft, then cook them a few minutes longer.

depending on the fruit it will take 3-8 minutes.

meanwhile, warm your glass jars in a water bath.

now remove your quinces with a skimmer and fill them into your jars.

sieve your quince fond into another pot.

add sugar, apple juice and wine.

boil with the vanilla.

remove the vanilla and fill your fond into your glass jars, covering the fruit completely.

immediately screw on your lids and turn the jars upside down.

if you have leftover fond, you can use it as a sweet dessert drink or make a fruit jelly out of it.

nederland.

ohne worte.

without words.

raspberry tartlettes.

tangy
sweet
'n'
sour
even sharp at times
biting away at my taste buds.

in france,
i ate some of the best fruit of my life.
tarte aux framboise, fraise, citron.
they all had in common that the taste was pure.
it truly tasted of the fruit it was mirroring.

a combination, a creation, of not overdoing a mélange.

keeping it simple is always the best.

take a bite of the tarte.
close your eyes.
feel the crispness, the crumbling, and later the buttery melting of the crust giving away.
the hint of nuts,
in the foreground the raspberries,
the smooth jam and the soft fruit,
 fusing together as one again.
a tiny pang of hot,
tickling for only a second on your tongue.
you would not guess it is ginger.
only because i told you so.

there it is.
a perfect mélange.

raspberry tartelettes

makes about 6 tartes

pâte brisée:

80g butter

45g powdered sugar

10g eggs

1/8 tsp vanilla extract

 pinch of salt

150g all-purpose flour

 pâte d'amande:

50g butter

50g sugar

50g eggs

50g finely ground almonds

50g vanilla creme

a dash of good quality rum

raspberry jam:

150g raspberries 

23g sugar

3g apple pectin + 35g sugar

20g glucose syrup, or light corn syrup

2g lemon juice

20g candied ginger

 make pâte brisée.
 cream butter and sugar.
add eggs, mix well.
add salt and flour, blend until smooth.
chill for at least a half an hour before rolling out.

preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.

roll out dough at about 3-4mm and cut out round forms to fit mini tarte forms.
press into your forms.

make your pâte d'amande, creaming butter sugar and eggs.
add the almonds, vanilla creme and rum, beating until smooth.

fill into your tarte forms.

bake for around 15 minutes, or until the edges of your pâte brisée are browned and the inside is golden brown.

meanwhile, start in with the raspberry jam.
in a food processor, puree raspberries with sugar.
scrape into pan, leaving 1-2 tbsp of the puree in the mixer.
chop your candied ginger roughly and process with the 1-2 tbsp of puree until smooth.
set aside.
now heat your raspberry puree with the glucose syrup.
when it boils, add the pectin and the rest of sugar (it should be mixed up, so it does not clump!), and boil, stirring constantly, for 1 additional minute.
add the lemon juice and candied ginger and remove from heat.

your tartes should be out of the oven and cooled slightly before you fill them with the raspberry jam.
(i used a miniature funnel to fill the tartes more precisely.)
fill the tartes, leaving a border.

to decorate:
i used melted white chocolate, filled into a tiny self-made pastry bag, to garnish lines on one side.
in circular form, i placed fresh raspberries on the tartelettes.
 voilà.


thanks to my colleague laura, i was presented with raspberries from her garden.
once you started to pop them in your mouth it was hard to stop.
but i was looking forward to making this recipe,
so i trained myself in self-discipline.

sugar @school.

here are some impressions of working with, and molding sugar.