It has been quite a long time since I posted something on my blog. Busy would be my excuse despite how cliché it sounds. The new year has brought so many fine ideas and must resolve resolutions. Among those resolutions, making homemade bread is one of the top three resolutions while the other two are better time management and drink papaya leaf juice regularly which I would, I would do it.. when.. if.. Oh you know how we love to make excuses to ourselves:)
So, I have been busy learning to make bread because of the simple reason that my family loves bread. We are bread eater. We love the smell of the fresh loaf coming out of the oven. There is a certain romance in eating warm bread. So I embarked on a journey of mastering bread baking, I read books about the history of bread, the science behind baking bread, up to the species of wheat, and where they are grown. I know I have strayed too far from my first goal which is simply to make my own bread. But being a virgo, I strive for perfection (and Peter Reinhart’s Artisan Bread Everyday book is excruciatingly hard to put down). I have tried many, many bread recipes. Some worked out incredibly well, some did not but still tasted good. Please note that did not do well means the bread did not look as presentable as I expected, not that it was a total failure. I will post my progress once I manage to organize the recipes and the pictures.
A week ago, it was a cold and rainy Saturday morning and both my hubby and Amiko were still sleeping. I wanted to make some bread for them but I was kind of down with flu and the last thing I needed was to waste my strength on kneading bread. Besides, I was thinking of something savory yet light to eat for breakfast. So I decided to not bake bread but to bake something I never baked before. After a quick search in The Joy of Cooking book, I found a recipe for popovers. It is a simple recipe, does not require many ingredients, and easily tailored to suit our taste and preference.
Preheat the oven to 225C
Makes 24 mini popovers or 12 regular popovers.
Ingredients:
-1/2 cup flour
-1/2 cup wheat flour
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 eggs
-1 ¼ cup low fat milk
-1 tbs melted butter
-75 gr Danish Blue Cheese, diced
- 75 gr Old Cheddar Cheese, grated
Directions:
-Mix all the flour and salt, set aside
-Beat the eggs and combine the eggs in a bowl with milk and melted butter.
-Fold the flour until just blended, a few lumps may remain.
-Spray the muffin tins with oil, you can use either regular sized or minis.
-Fill a quarter of the tin with the batter; put the cheese (I don’t mix my cheese, I made 12 popovers with blue cheese and another 12 with cheddar) and fill with the batter until full.
-Bake at 225C for 15 minutes then reduce the heat to 175C and bake for another 20 minutes, until well browned.
-Turn off the oven; leave the popovers for an extra 10-15 minutes for extra crispness before taking them out or you can serve them right away. If you can wait, that is.
-Serve immediately.
A few notes on making popovers, NEVER open the oven door to avoid deflating the popovers and do be creative with the filling. You can use all purpose flour if you do not have wheat flour. In fact, the original recipe actually calls for all purpose flour. I use wheat flour for the extra fiber and the nutty, earthy taste. Please do not be discouraged with the words ‘Danish Blue Cheese’. I just happen to like it a lot and there were still some in the fridge. I reckoned that it would be better to use it instead having my daughter sneaking up now and then nibbling it like a silly chubby mouse.
A few yummy fillings that I have tried to replace the cheese:
-Milk or dark chocolate chips.
-Basil pesto sauce.
-Sundried tomatoes.
-Apple Sauce.
-Smoked beef.
-Or just have it plain! They are delicious just as it is.
I hope you would try this exciting recipe. Why exciting? Like the name stated, the batter literally pops, though puffs would be a better way to describe it. It was like watching the instant microwave popcorn bag puffed from a flat paper to a blissful big pillow! Your family will enjoy it a lot. I guarantee it. No money back policy, unfortunately.
Anyhow, I better get back on my bread quest. My regards to your loved one and your pets, I wish you happy days ahead!
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