Chocolate Cherry English Muffins for #Baketogether

Chocolate Cherry English Muffin

A Zingerman’s catalog arrived around the time I was thinking about how to adapt Abby Dodge’s November #Baketogether recipe for English  muffins. My husband and I truly miss this Ann Arbor destination now that we’ve moved considerably further afield. We’ve spent many a happy hour standing in line to purchase sandwiches, cheeses and all manner of baked goods.

Among the many things I appreciate about Zingerman’s is its sincere pursuit of consistent quality. There isn’t an off day for any item—bread, kugel or cheese. And rarely do you find an off day for the employees. Zingerman’s hires carefully and trains well. The customer service is so good, in fact, the company operates a little branch of corporate training.

As I flipped through the catalog, pausing as I always do in the bakery section, I was inspired by Zingerman’s loaf chocolate cherry bread. This most excellent bread is what we bought for special occasions and to take home on family trips. A slice, toasted, is fairly unforgettable.

A chocolate cherry version of English muffins turned out to be quite successful, and I’m glad I gave it at try. In the back of my mind, I think I may have baked English muffins before, but it was a long time ago and I don’t really remember how it turned out. This baking project was incredibly easy, thanks to Abby’s expert measurements and detailed instructions.

Chocolate cherry is one of several variations on Abby’s recipe. Visit Abby’s website to see the other #Baketogether contributions.

 Chocolate Cherry English Muffins

adapted from Abby Dodge

Makes 6 really big muffins.

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour + extra for dusting

heaping 1/3 cup cocoa

1 package instant yeast (Rapid Rise or Platinum — I used Platinum.)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 3/4 teaspoons table salt

2/3 cup water

2/3 cup milk (I used evaporated milk because that’s all I had on hand)

1/4 cup honey
heaping 1/3 cup chocolate chips
heaping 1/3 cup dried cherries
Cornmeal for dusting
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter, at room temperature

Make the dough

1.    In a large bowl of electric stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, cocoa, yeast, baking powder and salt and let this swirl until well blended.
2.   Heat the water and milk until very hot but not boiling. (I accomplished this in the microwave using a Pyrex measuring cup.) Stir in the honey and check the temperature using an instant-read thermometer. For the yeast to activate, the liquids need be between 120°F and 130°F degrees.
3.  With mixer on medium speed, slowly pour the liquid into the flour mixture. Mix until the flour is completely incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the bottom and sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes. Midway through, add the chocolate chips and cherries so they become evenly incorporated throughout the dough.
4.   Scoop up the dough and shape it into a ball, lightly flouring your hands. The dough will be sticky but resist the urge to add too much flour. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl and pop the dough, rounded side up, back into the bowl. Cover the top securely with plastic wrap or a plate.  Let the covered dough rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes. (I made this the night before after the first rise, I deflated the dough, covered it with plastic wrap, and stashed in the refrigerator.)
5.   Sprinkle an even layer of cornmeal over a cookie sheet or half sheet pan. Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured work surface (the dough is sticky but use the least amount of flour as possible) and gently press to deflate. Using a bench scraper or knife, divide the dough into 6 even pieces (about 4 1/2 ounces each).  Shape the dough into a round balls (about the size of a blood orange) making sure the top is smooth and there is one seam on the bottom. Again, use very little flour. Arrange about 2-inches apart on the cornmeal-lined baking sheet and gently press down on each, lightly flouring your hands as needed, until they are about 3-inches in diameter and about 1 inch thick.  Lightly spray the tops of the dough with canola oil or Pam, cover loosely but completely with plastic or a large rectangular pan ( I used a ceramic baking dish) and let the dough rise, in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 25 to 40 minutes.
Cook the muffins

6.   Position a griddle on the stovetop (I use a double sized one set over two burners). Heat over medium heat. Brush or spread the butter evenly over the griddle (it will sizzle). Carefully lift the muffins, one at a time, and gently place, cornmeal side down, on the hot griddle, about 2-inches apart, so as not to deflate the dough. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the bottom is well browned (reduce the heat if they are browning too quickly) and the sides look dull and a bit dry, about 10 minutes. Using a metal spatula, carefully turn the muffins over, reduce the heat to low, and continue to cook until the bottom is browned and the muffins sound hollow when gently tapped,  about 10 to 15 minutes.
7.   Remove the muffins from the griddle and set them on a wire rack and let cool until warm or cool completely before stowing in an air tight container for up to 3 days (they also freeze nicely). The muffins are best when served toasted. Using a fork (you can use a serrated knife but your muffin will lose is crumble-topped texture), split the muffins in half, toast and serve immediately with butter, jam, honey or nut butter.

Peachy Apricot Hand Tarts with Brown Butter Crust for #baketogether

Peachy Apricot Hand Tarts in a Brown Butter Pastry

Every time I bake with browned butter, I ask myself, “Why don’t I do this more often?” The kitchen smells warm and enticing for hours, and the resulting baked goods have that pronounced buttery flavor.

I am so excited about this pastry dough that Abby Dodge created for the hand tarts in September's #baketogether. For one, it’s full of flavor, the browned butter and brown sugar lending a butterscotch note that is the perfect match for the jammy peach apricot filling I used.

The texture veers close to cookie domain, tender instead of flaky, but not quite as crumbly as a cookie. If you are a baker for who finds flaky pastry somewhat elusive, you might like to try this recipe.

What makes it easy is that, instead of working with freezer-cold chunks of butter, you start with the melted browned butter and from there add the rest of the ingredients. Again, more like a cookie dough than the usual pie crust techniques. (I like this dough so much that I already have ideas for how to use it in other recipes. Stay tuned.)

TWD: Nectarine Chiffon Upside Down Cake

Nectarine Chiffon Upside Down Cake from Baking with Julia

Upside down cakes have always been a favorite. I love how the fruit slumps and softens under the weight of cake batter, growing sweeter and more luscious as it bakes in butter and sugar.

I was intrigued by this Baking with Julia recipe for Nectarine Chiffon Upside Down  Cake because it involves a pillowy soft chiffon cake as opposed to the sturdier butter cake that is more commonly seen. It also features a ripple of almond streusel, a very tasty one, I might add, because I’m not generally a streusel fan. This streusel recipe might replace all others in future dishes.

While the recipe calls for a lemon scented cake batter, I used orange juice instead, along with a little bit of pure orange extract. The sweet orange flavor complements the cooked nectarines, buttery brown sugar and cinnamon streusel.

Ideally, this cake should not fall in the middle. As you can see in the photo, mine fell. I fear this was from a too-moist batter caused by too many eggs. Somewhere along the way, I lost track of how many eggs I used and may have accidentally used one more than necessary. It would be easier to keep track of how many eggs are used if I didn’t keep stashing the used eggshells back in the carton. True confessions.

Looks aside, the cake tasted very good, if a tad too sweet, but that’s a personal preference. I might cut back on some of the brown sugar in the fruit layer next time. Still, it’s a delicate and dressed up dessert, perfect to bridge late summer fruit on the way to autumn spices.
 
Every two weeks, a group of bloggers cook from Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan. Today’s Nectarine Chiffon Upside Down Cake recipe is hosted by Marlise at Double Trouble and by Susan of The Little French Bakery. Visit their sites to get the recipes. To find links to all the participating bloggers, visit Tuesdays with Dorie.