Pulla

My SIL is Finnish and I got introduce to many new and interesting food.  

Pulla

Makes 3 loaves

2 cups milk, heated just to scalding and then cooled to Luke warm

1 packet traditional yeast

1/2 cup warm water, 46°c

1 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1 rounded tsp ground cardamom

4 oz (1/2 cup) melted butter

9 cups all purpose flour

1 egg, beaten for egg wash

2 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp cardamom

- In a pan heat until just starting to bubble and let cool to luke warm.

- In bowl bloom yeast in warm water, then add warm milk, sugar, salt, cardamom, and 2 cups of flour. Using a whisk blend until there are no lumps.

- Add melted butter and mix, add 2 more cups flour and mix until it is a silky sticky mass. 

- Then slowly add rest of flour until it makes a thick dough.

- Knead until dough is smooth.  Place in greased bowl or container and let rise 1 hour, punch down and rise until almost doubled.  

- Turn out onto a floured surface, divide into 9  12 - 16" long pieces.  Braid together 3 pieces for each loaf.  Let rise 20 minutes, covered with a tea towel.  Preheat over to 205°c/400°f

-In a small bowl mix together sugar and cardamom.

 - Egg wash and sprinkle with sugar and cardamom.

-Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Sourdough Blueberry Muffins.

My sourdough started is now going strong so it is time to try new things. 

Note: I find this recipe a bit sweet so next time I will be modifying it more.

Sourdough Blueberry Muffins

Originally from Little Spoon Farm

Crumble topping

45g butter, melted

100g sugar

60g flour

Dry ingredients 

240g flour

200g sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp corn starch

Zest of 1 lemon

1 cup blueberries

Wet ingredients 

113g butter, melted

2 eggs

125g unfed or discard sourdough starter 

45 g plain Greek yogurt or sour cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

- preheat oven to 180° and grease a 12 muffin tin.  I like to chill it then brush in melted butter for a nice thick coating.

- In a small bowl melt butter and add in sugar and flour, mix to combine and set aside

- In a large bowl mix together all the dry ingredients.

- In another bowl, melt butter in the microwave and whisk in all the other wet ingredients.

- Mix the wet into the dry until just combined.

- Fill muffin tin evenly and then top muffins using the crumble mix.

- Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let sit 5 minutes then remove from pan to cool.

Crumble variations:

45 g butter, melted

75g sugar

60g flour

25g quick oats

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Sourdough Waffles

Pandemic had made hobbies a thing.  I got back into baking and sourdough.  I don't do it as much as I did in the early days of my kids being home and eating all the things, but I just got my starter up to snuff and this is one of my regular recipes that helps use up extra sourdough starter.

Sourdough Waffles modified from the New York Times.

Start the night before.

240g unfed sourdough starter

120g flour

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 cup milk

- Combine all in a bowl (with a lid if you have it)  leave on counter overnight.

The morning you'll eat these beauts

To the sourdough mix add

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 oz melted butter

1 egg beaten

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

- While you waffle iron preheat, melt butter then whisk in egg to combine.  Sprinkle salt and baking soda into sourdough them top with butter egg mix and vanilla extract.  Stir until combined and slightly puffed up.  Cook in waffle to desired done-ness.  Them eat.

Risotto for My Family

I'll give you the basic recipe for our family and some variations I make to change it up.

Basic Risotto

2-3 tbsp butter (personal choice add up to 4 tbsp if you'd like)

1 finely diced onion

1 3/4 cups plus 2 tbsp arborio rice

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp vermouth

6 1/2+ cups chicken broth, warming in a pot.

1 1/4 cups parmesan 

2 tbsp butter (this is to finish the risotto)

- In a large wide pan over medium, melt butter.

- Saute onions until translucent then add rice for a bit to do some sort of culinary magic. 

- Once the grains start to be more translucent as well, add in vermouth.  Stir until mostly absorbed. Stirring the while time.

- Add the broth in about 1/2 cup at a time, waiting for it to absorb into rice before adding more, don't let it get to too dry you just don't want to get rice swimming.   Just keep stirring.

- After adding in the 6 1/2 cups you might need a bit more of the rice isn't as tender as you want it.  Add and cook until rice is at the right done-ness.

- Turn off heat, stir in parmesan, pepper and butter, cover and let sit for 5 minutes.

- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Variations

Thanksgiving leftovers: fry fresh sage in the butter at the beginning, remove and keep for decorating the top. Add diced turkey, dried cranberries near the end of cooking to warm them up.

Chicken and squash: add diced cooked chicken and diced cooked butternut squash to almost completely cooked risotto.  You can also add fried sage to that.

Chicken and rosemary: add a sprig of rosemary to the broth and add diced chicken.

Mushroom: saute up some mushroom and rosemary in butter and or bacon fat, set aside.  Make the risotto with veggie stock.  Add mushrooms on top and sprinkle with bacon if you have it 

Instant Pot Cheesecake

Valentine's Day and since we don't really buy anything for it since what's the point of inflated prices and cheap chocolate.  I decided to make My Mum's Brownies and a cheesecake.  So here goes.

In a 7 inch Daddio lose bottom pan. Line the bottom on parchment.

Have all ingredients as room temp as you can possibly get.  For me that is maybe remembering to removed the cream cheese from the fridge 20 to 30 minutes before construction.

Crust

-Preheat oven to 350°

1/2 box of ginger cookies, broken up finely.  Or use Graham cracker crumbs.

1/4 cup of melted butter

Mix together.  Then put it in the pan, pushing down and you the sides if you'd like. It isn't fussy, just compress it a bit.  Them bake 10minites to firm up.

Filling

-in a food processor or blender or in a bowl with a spoon mix together, until smooth:

- 2 blocks reduced fat cream cheese (for all that is holy, do not use fat free cream cheese, that isn't cream cheese)

- 2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk

- 1/2 cup 0% Greek yogurt

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1/2 cup white sugar

- 2 tbsp brown sugar

- zest of 1 lemon

-1 tbsp lemon juice

- 2 tsp vanilla extract.

Pour cheese mixture into crust and wrap tightly in 2 layers of tin foil.  Tie a sting around it or use silicone bands to make a handle so make it easier to removed from the Instant Pot 

In you instant Pot add 1 1/2 cup water and the rack. Place the cheese cake into the Instant Pot, put on the lid and turn the vent to sealing.  Put it on High pressure for 37 minutes.  Once it has come up to temp and counted down the 37 minutes leave it there on "keep warm" for at least 25 minutes.  Then you can remove it from the Instant Pot and place it on the counter for at least 3 hours before choosing it overnight.

Then enjoy this super creamy, slightly lemony, cheesecake.