Coconut macaroons

Weekends usually see me baking. i wanted a respite from baking anything that would have me kneading. i wanted a recipe that would require minimal effort and still taste good. i found a recipe for coconut macaroons and since it contains no butter, it seemed perfect for the husband who keeps trying to make me feel guilty for baking goods loaded with butter.

Macaroons are light baked cookies. The name is derived from the Italian word maccarone meaning paste. Egg whites are used for leavening the cookies.

i have never had macaroons before so i was not too sure about how they would taste. i can only say we could not resist picking up one after another and munching on them after they came out from the oven.

Next time, i would use less sugar that called for in the recipe for the macaroons came out slightly sweeter than i expected but still irresistible. Also, i think i would bake them longer next time to have them crunchier on the outside.

The recipe is from Time online.

Coconut macaroons

Things you need:

2 cups dessicated coconut

1/2 cup castor sugar

2 egg whites

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

The method:

Whip egg and salt till medium stiff. Add sugar and whip till creamy. Add the dessicated coconut and vanilla and incorporate with a spatula. Put heaped spoonful on a slightly greased baking tray (i simply lined the baking tray with aluminium foil – saves me the trouble of cleaning the tray!). Bake in a preheated oven of 180 degree centigrades for about 18-20 minutes. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Braided sweet bread

Riding high on my baking success, i tried making braided braid last weekend. i wanted the bread to be on the sweet side so i used light brown sugar. This time around, the dough was easier to knead though it was still hard work, trying to get the gluten to form.

We ended having this for dinner because it would have been a shame not to eat it right after it came out of the oven. There is something to be said about bread that is fresh and warm – you would never want to go back to store bought bread after this. Bread making is indeed addictive.

Things you need:

1 cup and 3 tablespoons warm milk

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

2 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

3 3/4cups bread flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

50g  unsalted butter, softened

The method:

The recipe for the dough is same as here:

Whisk the milk, yeast and 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar. Put the mixture in a warm place and let the yeast re-activate. When it becomes foamy in about 10 minutes, add one egg and whisk well.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the salt. Add the softened butter and rub into flour till it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the yeast mixture.Turn the sticky dough onto a well-floured surface and knead till the dough is smooth and you can stretch it without breaking.

Now shape the dough into a ball and cover with cling film and let it rest in a warm place till it doubles . It will take about an hour. Punch the air out of the dough.

The dough is enough for two bread. Divide the dough into two equal portion. Divide each portion into three equal portions. (Now, why didn’t i just say ‘divide dough into six equal portions’? Well, you could very well decide to use half of the dough for making assorted buns like i did. Does that make sense now?). Roll out the balls into ropes of equal length. Place the three ropes side by side. Join the three ropes at the top and start braiding (you know how to braid, don’t you? If not, just catch someone who does for a quick lesson. It is very easy, just like braiding hair). Pinch the three ropes together at the end. Like i said, it is just like braiding hair and tying up at the end.

Place it on a baking tray and cover loosely with cling film. Let it rest in a warm place for about an hour to double in size.

Preheat oven to 205 degree centigrades and put a shallow bowl of water on the oven floor. Brush the braided dough with egg wash (one egg beaten with water). Bake for about 15 minutes or till the tops turn golden brown. For a glossier look, brush again with egg wash halfway through baking.