slowly healing

My shoulder is slowing me down.  Yes, there is still refurbishing going on but I should be working on a quilt.  The actual quilting of it.  But instead I am working on squares.  There are squares for four different quilts in this picture.  I make squares while I refurbish.  It helps me relax and let me feel like I am going forward.  My shoulder hurts too much still to manhandle a quilt.  It is actually is very physical for a good portion of the quilting.

brioche with chocolate swirl

I have needed to have my hands in dough lately.  It is calming.  Yeastie beasties are such nice friendly beasts.  Though I admit I really have not conquered croissants yet.  I especially like chocolate filled croissants.  Part of it is they are sweet but not too sweet.  Brioche I like and when I saw a recipe for chocolate filled brioche I thought why not.

I took the brioche dough made with creme fraiche and swirled the chocolate through it.  So good.  I also went back to easy.  A bit of a dump here, a bit of a dump there for making brioche.  I usually only use the scale the first couple times and then I eye it.  I am already there with this brioche dough, so this time the quantities are in volumes.  Bread is really this easy.  Nothing to be afraid of.  Just lovely warm yumminess.

brioche with chocolate swirl

sourdough starter

3/4 cup water

1 cup flour 

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

8 ounces creme fraiche

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

4 plus cups of flour

1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips.  I used mini so if you use larger you will want to chop them.

1 teaspoon cinnamon

a two finger pinch ancho chili pepper ground

a two finger pinch chipolte pepper ground

The night before, mix the sourdough starter, water, and 1 cup flour in a large bowl.  Cover and let get bubbly.  The next day, take a bit of the starter out for the next time.

Mix in the eggs, milk, sugar, and salt.  Mix in 3 1/2 cups flour.  The dough should be very wet.  Mix in another 1/2 cup of flour.  Turn out the dough on a floured surface.  Knead until smooth but try not too add too much dough.  Cover and let rise for an hour and a half.  

Mix the chocolate, cinnamon, and peppers together in a small bowl.

Butter a jelly roll pan or  a large deep casserole dish.  When the dough has risen, turn out and roll into a large rectangle.  Spread the chocolate mixture over it.  Roll up along the long side (short side if you wish LARGE pieces later).  Place in the pan, same side down, and cover.  Let rise for one hour.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour or until golden and hollow.

Just lovely.  It was my breakfast this morning!  

tunic top

The latest issue of Taproot magazine had a pattern for a tunic top in it.  I really like the idea of tunic tops and decided why not?  I have an old table cloth that I can use.  I found it a year ago in a junk shop camping.  The cotton is lovely but it is very stained in bits.  I used this edge for the sleeve.

I cut out the small and brought up the neckline.  It came together very rapidly.  But even though I cut out the small, it is really too big.  The sleeves are too wide and so is the body.  For a free pattern, not bad.  I just really need the xs or the xxs of this top.  I may cut it down but it may become quilt square too.  

Refurbish or reuse.  It will be one or the other.

brioche made with creme fraiche

I have been wishing to bake breads.  Which is why having a couple brioche recipes in the wings is not a bad thing.  Having a bum shoulder is a bad thing.  It is slowing me way.... down.  I have been very bad about admitting how badly it is hurt which then my Beloved fusses at me about because it is not healing fast enough.  I just wish to say poo!  

This brioche was interesting because it looked so yummy and light.  One of those recipes wandering pinterest for a few days.  It uses creme fraiche instead of butter which makes so much sense.  I was very pleased with how they turned out, even though I kept running out of things!  And I had to translate from Italian.  Mine are actually almost all whole wheat because I ran out of all purpose flour.  These brioche are still very light.  I have been using them to make sandwiches for lunch.

brioche made with creme fraiche

sourdough starter

3/4 cup water

1 cup (120 grams) flour

2 eggs with enough milk to make 200 grams

8 ounces  creme fraiche (recipe called for 200 grams but I just used the whole package I had)

80 grams brown sugar

10 grams salt

380 grams flour plus a bit for shaping.  Whole wheat works well here.

The night before you wish to make the brioche, mix the sourdough starter, water, and 1 cup flour together in a large bowl.  Cover and let sit overnight.

The next day, take out a bit of starter for next time.

Mix in the eggs, milk, creme fraiche, salt, and sugar.  Add the flour.  

The dough should be very soft but I kneaded it with a bit of extra flour until smooth.  Let rise until double.  That should be about an hour and a half but my house is very cold.  It was the next day.

Butter a 9 x 13 inch pan.  Dredge golf ball size or a bit larger balls of dough in sugar (you can skip this step, I just like the taste).  Place in the pan with space between.  Cover and let rise until puffy.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden.

Sprinkle with a bit of powdered sugar for a slightly sweet treat.  

 I have a chocolate filled brioche I wish to try.  This is the dough I am going to use.  

black bean brownies

I have come across this recipe for black beans brownies now and then.  I finally decided to try them.  The funniest part of the whole thing was the batter tasted like a box mix.  How odd!  My Beloved has actually asked for them again but I have to admit that I have been using the black beans for dinner.  Time to cook more beans!

black bean brownies

15 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed

3 eggs

1/3 cup melted butter

1/4 cup cocoa

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 to 1 cup mixture of butterscotch and chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Butter a 8 x 8 inch pan.

In a large blender, blend all the ingredients except the chips.  I let it blend for awhile.  Gently mix in the chips.  Pour into pan.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes or unitl a knife comes out clean.  Let cool a bit before cutting.

The boys really liked these.  I have to admit that I like my chocolate torte better but they are very different.

Next time, like the directions, I would stir the chips all the way through.  Time to cook more black beans.