Strawberry Shortcake

We like our strawberry shortcake fairly simple. Though, last year for Yasmina's birthday, we made a chocolate cake strawberry shortcake with ganache that was lovely. This is a super quick cake to make. This whole thing can be made in about 30 minutes. It's a great summer dessert. We sometimes use other berries in the mix or instead of strawberries, and that is wonderful, also. On a really hot day, you can substitute vanilla ice cream for the Chantilly cream. If you want to be fancy, you can add a little lemon or orange zest to the batter and the strawberries.

4 pints strawberries (or mixed berries), picked over, hulled, and sliced
1 1/3 cup sugar
1 cup softened, unsalted butter (two sticks)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
2 cups pastry flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
2 cups chilled heavy cream, for Chantilly cream
2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar, for Chantilly cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste, for Chantilly cream

Grease two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans and set aside. Toss berries with 2/3 cup sugar and let stand for about 1/2 an hour.

Preheat oven to 350˚. In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream the butter with the remaining 2/3 cup sugar until very light. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well to combine. Mix in the vanilla extract or paste.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture, alternatively with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Gently spread the batter into the pans. The batter will be thick.

Bake 20 - 25 minutes, until lightly golden. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then invert the cakes onto serving platters. Top with the berries and their juices. Whip cream with confectioner's sugar and vanilla extract or paste for Chantilly cream. Cut into wedges and serve warm, topping with Chantilly cream.

Persian Barbari (two ways)

Barbari bread is like a Persian cross between a pretzel or bagel and foccacia. It is delicious. There is a quickie way to make this, and the right way. Both are good, but if you have time, I advise you to make the long version. It is a little chewier, though still fluffy, and the quick version doesn't have the chewiness.

Traditional (long version)

My loaf here isn't quite as well shaped as it could have been, but it is tasty, nonetheless.

Starter:
1 cup water
1 cup bread flour
1/4 teaspoon yeast

2 cups water
3 cups pastry flour
2 cups bread flour
4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons yeast
1 cup wheat bran or additional flour for work surface
oil for dough surface

Glaze:
1/3 cup cool water
2 teaspoons pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teasopon oil (any kind)

Topping:
4 teaspoons sesame seeds
4 teaspoons nigella seeds

Mix starter ingredients together and cover. Allow to rest and rise for 16 to 24 hours.

Stir the starter into the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl) and add 2 cups lukewarm water, 2 cups pastry flour, 2 cups bread flour, 4 teaspoons salt, and 2 teaspoons yeast. Mix using dough hook (or a sturdy wooden spoon). A smooth batter will form, then add remaining cup pastry flour and knead for 10 minutes in stand mixer (skip this and go to the next step if mixing by hand). This is a sticky dough and will stick to the bottom of the bowl.

Use a scraper to transfer dough to a lightly floured surface, and use floured hands to knead dough, adding more bread flour, as needed, to prevent sticking until dough is smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes. If you did not knead in the machine first, this will take another 10 - 12 minutes more.

Transfer the dough to a large, lightly greased bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

On a work surface sprinkled with flour, turn the dough out - remember this is a wet, sticky dough. Fold the dough over a couple of times, using enough flour to keep hands dry and form dough into a round. Cut the dough in half, then each half into quarters.

Grease two large baking sheets and set aside. Shape each piece of dough into a ball, by rolling on surface under your palm, or using both hands. Transfer dough balls to one of the greased baking sheets, rub with a little oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Allow to rest 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 500˚. Prepare the glaze by combining the 1/3 cup cool water, pastry flour, baking soda, sugar, and oil in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Let cool.

Sprinkle wheat bran over your work surface, or use more pastry flour. Working with one piece at a time, gently press and stretch each dough ball into an oblong oval-ish shape, about 8 X 4 inces. Press and pull, using your fingers. Repeat for all pieces. Place on prepared pans, stretching a little all around, with at least 2 inches space all around each loaf. Let flatbreads rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Brush glaze on top of the dough. Dip your fingers into a small bowl of water. Using fingers, press continuous, lengthwise grooves into the dough. Press firmly without breaking through the bottom of the dough. Repeat making several parallel indentations on the top. Repeat for all loaves. Sprinkle evenly with the sesame and nigella seeds.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 - 15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove to rack to cool slightly. Serve warm or room temperature. We like to eat this with all sorts of foods, but it can be eaten as a simple meal with olive, tomatoes, cucumbers, with or without salty, white Middle Eastern cheese, or with a light drizzle of honey as a foil to the salty bread. However you like it, serve with a hot cup of mint or strong black tea, a good cup of coffee, or some other restorative drink.

Quick Version

Dough:
3 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil (or other oil)
1 tablespoon yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Glaze:
2 tablespoons cool water
1 1/2 teaspoons pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Topping:
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
2 teaspoons nigella seeds

Mix dough ingredients until thoroughly combined. It will be a shaggy, wet dough. Cover and allow to rest for at least an hour, until doubled in volume.

Knead lightly on a floured surface. Divide in two equal portions, cover and let rest for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 400˚ and grease a baking sheet.

Roll out one portion of dough into a long, oblong flat loaf. Place on the prepared pan. Using the side of your hand, make ridges, lengthwise, over the loaf as in the photographs. Repeat with second portion of dough. Mix glaze mixture, and brush generously over each loaf. Sprinkle each loaf evenly with the seeds. Place in the preheated oven and bake 25 minutes, or until golden and puffed.

Labels: Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 9:49 AM