Whole wheat chiffon cake

I am told that baby should eat whole wheat foods but not the white ones. When I planned to make a chiffon cake last weekend, I wondered if I could substitute cake flour with whole wheat flour. One of my cooking buddies warned me that REMEMBER, BAKING CAKE IS A SERIOUS THING, DON’T TRY TO MODIFY THE RECIPE! This made me hesitate for a while, but, then, brave me! See my historic step on the moon, HooHooHoo:

1. Line parchment paper at the bottom of loaf pan.

2. Separate egg white and yolk of three eggs. Keep egg white in the freezer.

3. Whisk 40 ml milk and 2 tsp sugar to have sugar completely dissolved; whisk into 2 tbsp vegetable oil; sift into 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1/2 tsp baking powder; add yolks and blend to smooth batter.

4. Beat egg whites until foamy; add several drops of lemon juice and 2 tbsp sugar; beat until stiff peaks form.Well beaten egg white won't drop when its container is turned up side down.

5. Adjust the rack in the oven to the low position and preheat oven to 325 F.

6. With a rubber spatula, fold 1/4 beaten egg white with batter obtained in step 3 until smooth; then pour the smooth batter back into the remaining 3/4 beaten egg white, fold batter very gently but quickly -- try to finish this step in no more than two minutes otherwise, batter will be deflated. There should be no egg-white lumps in it.

7. Pour batter into loaf pan; give the pan three gentle raps on the counter to release any large air bubbles and smooth the top with spatula.

8. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cake tester or toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean and the cake is golden.

9. Immediately remove the cake from the oven, invert the pan and stand it on the rack. Let the cake cool completely.

10. Run a rubber spatula around the inside of the pan, then remove the cake from the pan.

Voilà, here comes the cake! The texture is good, the taste is good… my little girl likes it… we love it… why not try? Happy ending :-)

Breakfast: fresh whole wheat sourdough bread

Sourdough starter:

Loosely cover the container with a mixture of 1 cup warm water and 1 cup all purpose flour and 1 tsp active dry yeast, let sit at room temperature for 4 days.

Bread:

1) In a mixing bowl, blend 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour and 3/4 tsp salt;

2) Form a fountain, add well-mixed starter;

3) Knead dough to form an elastic ball;

4) Slightly grease a steel bowl, put dough in the bowl and cover air-tightly with plastic wrap;

5) Proof until double in bulk;

6) Transfer dough onto working counter, press to remove carbon dioxide, knead for about 3 minutes to remove as much gas as possible;

7) Halve dough, round each portion and place on a slightly greased baking pan (or line baking pan with parchment paper), cover with damp cloth;

8) Proof until double in bulk;

9) Preheat oven to 425F, cut large cross-hatch into the top of the dough, sprinkle lightly with all
purpose flour, bake for 15 minutes;

10) Reduce power to 375F, bake for another 20 minutes or until the bread is golden-brown and sounds hollow when tapped.

Fresh sourdough bread and fresh smoothie (homemade yogurt + strawberry + banana) =====> A happy fresh Saturday!

[Breadmaker] No fail White Bread, Whole Wheat Bread

　

Since I bought my breadmaker, I have made several recipes. Here are two of them, the easiest and above all, NO FAIL.

#1 White bread

(1) Add 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast into 3/4 cup warm water (water works better than milk), let it become foamy;

(2) Add 1 egg (room temperature), 1/4 cup sugar and 2 tbsp margarine or butter (cut into small pieces);

(3) Add 3 cup all purpose flour;

(4) Make small indentation with my finger in the top of flour and add 1 tsp salt (don't let salt touch liquid below);

(5) Insert bread pan and select: sweet/2.5 lb/light;

(6) When the bread is done, let it sit in the breadmaker for 1 hour and then transfer it onto the rack to cool (this makes bread softer).

#2 Whole wheat bread

(1) Add 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast into 2/3 cup warm water, let it become foamy;

(2) Add 1 egg (room temperature), 1/4 cup sugar and 2 tbsp margarine or butter (cut into small pieces);

(3) Add 1 cup whole wheat flour and 2 cup all purpose flour;

(4) Make small indentation with my finger in the top of flour and add 1 tsp salt (don't let salt touch liquid below);

(5) Insert bread pan and select: whole grain/2.5 lb/light;

(6) When the bread is done, let it sit in the breadmaker for 1 hour and then transfer it onto the rack to cool (this makes bread softer).

Rosemary bread

This is an Italian bread, which reminds me of the movie named "Godfather". I have no idea why I associate them together...can't help doing though.

(1) Sprinkle 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast in 1/4 cup warm water, let stand until foamy;

(2) Blend 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour;

(3) Add 3/4 cup warm water, 5 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt and 2 tbsp chopped rosemary;

(4) Mix ingredients well and then knead into a smooth and elastic dough;

(5) Transfer dough ball into a slightly greased bowl, air-tightly cover with plastic wrap, let dough rise in a warm spot until doubled in bulk;

(6) Punch down the dough to remove gas;

(7) Cover dough with damp cloth and let it rest for 15 minutes;

(8) Halve dough and roll each dough into a 11-inch-long loaf, gently twist dough to create contours, then tuck ends underneath;

(9) Transfer to a floured baking sheet;

(10) Cover dough with damp cloth, let it rise for 30 minutes;

(11) Preheat oven to 400F;

(12) Dust loaf with 1 tbsp all purpose flour (with a sieve);

(13) Bake for 30 minutes or until golden in color;

(14) Let cool completely on the wire rack before slicing.