My Loaves of Love

December 19, 2011

Video of the Day: How to Make Self-Rising Flour

The Holidays are here, we're going to be cooking up a storm, and we're bound to run out of something critical in the middle of the night when all stores are closed. If self-rising flour just happens to be one of those ingredients that runs out on you with an 8AM deadine looming ahead, try this combination!

Bread Pudding: Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Ingredients

Bread Pudding:
1 stick butter melted
1 day old (minimum) loaf French bread
4 eggs
8 oz heavy whipping cream
1 can condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon cloves
pinch salt
2 cups of Pumpkin Puree

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup half and half
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoon water, plus extra, as needed to loosen the icing
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

Coat baking pan using the stick of butter.

Melt the remaining stick of butter in a sauce pan.

While butter is melting cut loaf of bread into 1 inch chunks, and pour melted butter over the bread.

In a mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs until just broken.

Vigorously whisk together all of the ingredients through the pumpkin puree.

Pour the diced bread into the custard.

Stir to completely combine.

Pour the custard-bread mixture into the prepared baking pan.

Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 8 to 12 hours to allow the bread to fully absorb the custard.

Just before you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and remove the pan from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature while the oven preheats.

Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes, or until top is golden brown and edges pull away from the pan. Now for some off reason I completely forgot to take a pic of the finished product 60 minutes later, but believe me when I say it was a beautiful, vibrant, orange color!

While the bread pudding is baking prepare the icing.

In a food processor, combine the powdered sugar, heavy cream, cream cheese, 3 tablespoons water, and vanilla. Process until smooth, adding more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the icing is pourable. Pour the icing over the bread pudding and allow to set for 20 minutes or more before slicing.

December 16, 2011

Video of the Day: Using Fruit As A Garnish

If all else fails...use fruit to add some pop and color to any dessert plating!

BRING ON CHRISTMAS!!!

I'm so excited!!! I love this time of year, and I'll be baking up a store! I'm going to be much more prepared for Christmas than I was for Thanksgiving! What a disaster! The only thing that turned out right was the Pumpkin Bread Pudding...~~but I can make a bread pudding with one arm tied behind my back~~...I screwed up. I never thought about the difference between "cook time" and "timer" on my aunt's oven settings in all these years! Well, now we have a complete edumacation on how to use the oven! LOL! So what I am bringing to the festivities? "Just" three offerings:

Trinidadian Black Cake - This will be my very first time making Black Cake, for my Sweet Heart and I'm nervous as I dunno what! He's Jamaican and he loves his mother's black cake, so my goal is to make a cake as yummy as hers! Yeah...the recipe I adapted is Trinidadian and my Sweet Heart's momma is Jamaican. To complicate things even more I put my Haitian spin on this dessert...*sigh* We'll see how this goes! :-)

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake - I was supposed to make this for Thanksgiving for my uncle Mac, but ran out of AP flour...I don't know what I was thinking! AP flour was on my list but never made its way in my cart. That's what happens when you wait until the last minute to shop! :-)

Eggnog Bread Pudding - Every holiday or special event calls for one of my bread puddings! Every chance I get I make a new bread pudding recipe swirling around in my brain. Now, I don't know if my family loves me or if they are truly enjoying them, but lemme tell you, so far these bad boys have been a HUGE HIT!