Daring Bakers: Lavash Crackers

So I've gone and done it. I've joined the Daring Bakers!


September was my first challenge, and what a challenge it was! This month's hosts are alternative bakers Natalie from Gluten A Go Go, and Shel, of Musings From the Fishbowl. They chose a vegan and/or gluten-free challenge: Lavash crackers and vegan and gluten free dips, spreads and toppings.

For a dish to be called vegan, it cannot contain any animal product or byproduct (this includes dairy, honey, etc.). Gluten free means that it cannot contain any wheat, barley, rye, or other grains or food additives that contain gluten.

Lavash crackers are a very thin, crispy cracker often topped with poppy seeds or sesame seeds. For the crackers, we had the option to make them gluten-free or use all-purpose flour. I chose the all-purpose flour route because I had plenty of it on hand. Peter Reinhart, the recipe's author, says that the key to a crisp lavash is to roll out the dough paper thin. I thought that I had rolled the dough out thin enough when I put it in the oven, but I found the crackers to be far too thick. Next time I'll roll them much thinner!


Lavash Crackers
Source: The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering The Art of Extraordinary Bread, by Peter Reinhart
1 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour or all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
1 tablespoon agave syrup or sugar (I chose to use agave syrup which you can find in many health and natural food stores. I bought mine at Trader Joe's.)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/3 to 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water, at room temperature
Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, or kosher salt for toppings (I went with cumin, caraway seeds and sesame seeds.)

In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt, yeast, agave, oil, and just enough water to bring everything together into a ball. You may not need the full amount of water, but be prepared to use it all if needed.

Sprinkle some flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Knead for about 10 minutes, or until the ingredients are evenly distributed. The dough should pass the windowpane test. The dough should be satiny to the touch, not tacky, and supple enough to stretch when pulled. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

Ferment at room temperature for 90 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size. (You can also retard the dough overnight in the refrigerator immediately after kneading or mixing).

Mist the counter lightly with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter. Press the dough into a square with your hand and dust the top of the dough lightly with flour. Roll it out with a rolling pin into a paper thin sheet about 15 inches by 12 inches. You may have to stop from time to time so that the gluten can relax. At these times, lift the dough from the counter and wave it a little, and then lay it back down. Cover it with a towel or plastic wrap while it relaxes. When it is the desired thinness, let the dough relax for 5 minutes. Line a sheet pan with baking parchment. Carefully lift the sheet of dough and lay it on the parchment. If it overlaps the edge of the pan, snip off the excess with scissors.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Mist the top of the dough with water and sprinkle a covering of seeds or spices on the dough (such as alternating rows of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, kosher or pretzel salt, etc.) Be careful with spices and salt - a little goes a long way. If you want to precut the cracker, use a pizza cutter (rolling blade) and cut diamonds or rectangles in the dough. You do not need to separate the pieces, as they will snap apart after baking. If you want to make shards, bake the sheet of dough without cutting it first.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crackers begin to brown evenly across the top (the time will depend on how thinly and evenly you rolled the dough).

When the crackers are baked, remove the pan from the oven and let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. You can then snap them apart or snap off shards and serve.


I chose to make two toppings for my crackers. The first was a spread that was suggested by the challenge hosts, Tahitian Almond Dipping Sauce. This is a sweet and very thick dip. It would be a nice topping for celery sticks.


Tahitian Almond Dipping Sauce
Source: The Complete Book of Raw Food by Robert Yarosh and Lisa Soto
1 1/2 cups almond butter
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup fresh orange juice (you may want to add more juice or add some water, depending on the consistancy you like)
1 1/2 tablespoons agave syrup

Blend all ingredients together until smooth (in your blender or food processor).


For my second topping, I went with an Alton Brown recipe that I adapted in order to make it vegan. I was apprehensive at first about substituting a dairy product for a vegan soy product, but I really could not tell the difference! The flavor of the vegan cream cheese was so similar to regular cream cheese.


Roasted Vegetable Spread
Adapted from: Alton Brown
1 red bell pepper, sliced into rings
1 medium onion, sliced into rings
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small zucchini, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the bell pepper, onion, garlic, zucchini, and olive oil in a medium mixing bowl and toss until the vegetables are coated. Spread the vegetables evenly on sheet pan lined with foil and place in the oven. Roast, tossing occasionally, until they are soft and are beginning to turn brown around the edges, approximately 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Place the vegetables in the bowl of a food processor along with the cream cheese substitute and process until well combined and spreadable; do not process until completely smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to one week.


This was my first attempt at making a vegan dish. I will admit that I was a bit intimidated at the beginning of the challenge. Not only did I have to make a vegan dish, but this was also my first time using yeast. (I know ... for shame!) In the end though, I think everything turned out fine. Though, I will say that I don't think I'll be going vegan any time soon.

I'm looking forward to next month's challenge and now that I've completed my first challenge, I can happily say that I'm a proud member of the Daring Bakers! Yay!

Now hop on over to the blogroll and check out what the rest of the Daring Bakers did with the challenge!

Ye olde piratey treat

In case you live under a rock, Friday was International Talk Like a Pirate Day. It comes around every September 19 and is a jolly good time for all.

It was also my office's second annual Pirate Day potluck. We all bring in a pirate themed treat and yell "Arrgh!" and such at one another. What fun!

This year I brought Caribbean Cupcakes, which I called Bahama Biscuits so as to disguise their identity from my cupcake-fanatic coworker.

For my Caribbean Cupcakes, I used a banana cupcake recipe and topped them with cream cheese frosting and sweetened coconut. The cake was dense and flavorful, similar to banana bread, and the frosting was easy and delicious. They were a hit with the scallywags aboard t'e ship ... err ... my co-workers.



Banana Cupcakes
Source: Cake Batter & Crumbs
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 cups self-rising flour
4 eggs
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup (about 2 large mashed ripe bananas)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C). Place 18 paper baking cups in muffin pans. Cream together the butter and sugar until it is pale and fluffy. Sift together the flour and nutmeg. Lightly beat the eggs into a bowl. Slowly add part of the flour mixture to the sugar and butter and then alternate with the eggs until all of the flour and eggs are incorporated. Fold in the mashed bananas. Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners and bake for 20 minutes.

Cream cheese frosting
Source: Joy of Cooking as seen on Slashfood, posted by Sarah J. Gim
8 ounces cream cheese, cold from the fridge or softened at room temperature
5 tablespoons butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted (I found this to be a little too sweet and will probably reduce the sugar next time.)

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until combined. Gradually add powdered sugar and beat to combine.


Recently, I asked you for suggestions on how to transport my cupcakes without buying a cupcake carrier. Here's my solution:


I used a Sterilite Ultra·Seal 16.0 cup container. It held 12 regular-size cupcakes and didn't squish a single one!

A failure?

Have you ever tried to follow a recipe, only to find out half-way through that you're missing something, be it an ingredient, a tool, whatever? Did you scrap the whole thing or muddle through?

Here's one that I thought I was prepared for, only to find out I wasn't in the least! Yet, I forged ahead making do as best I could. The whole time I was thinking to myself, "this is going to be terrible, which is probably a good thing because if Matt ever wanted this again, there's no way I could duplicate it!"

He loved it. Go figure.

Considering that my flub-up was so successful, I can only imagine how good the real version must be! Click the link to read the original; my screwed up modified version is below. (If I can remember what the heck I did ...)

Chettinad Style Chicken Curry
Adapted from: Sailu’s Kitchen

1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 cup shallots
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 clove of garlic, mashed into a paste
1" of ginger, mashed into a paste
1 lb boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 cup chopped tomato
1/2 can coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon (I accidentally dumped a bunch in ... I added 1/2 can extra coconut milk to try to neutralize the overwhelming cinnamon taste)
Additional curry powder to taste

Heat oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and curry powder and saute for 2 minutes. (This may smoke a little.) Add the garlic and ginger pastes and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken and increase the heat to high. Cook for approximately 4 minutes, stirring frequently.

Reduce to medium heat, add salt, turmeric powder and tomatoes and combine well. Continue cooking for 4-5 minutes, uncovered.

Add the coconut milk and cook for 5 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink. Add the remaining spices and let simmer for 3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

Serve hot with white rice.

Sesame Beef a la Delish

The question, "what's for dinner?" is one that constantly stumps me. I like to try new dishes and keep things interesting for Matt (the man that hates to eat the same thing too many times too frequently, therefore making leftovers useless). However, trying new dishes all the time is what leads to me being stuck in the kitchen for hours on a weeknight and serving dinner at 10:30 pm. I'm not comfortable enough with the recipe to just throw it together (and the baker in me says, "you must follow the recipe and measure precisely!").

When I saw this recipe on Delish, I knew I had to give it a try! It sounded like it would be pretty quick and, hopefully, tasty. Indeed it was!


Sesame Beef
Source: Delish
1/2-pound boneless sirloin steak, thinly sliced into 1-inch strips
2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp cornstarch
1 garlic clove, minced
4 scallion greens, cut diagonally into 1-inch slices
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

In a bowl whisk together soy sauce, 1 Tbsp oil, honey, and mustard. Add steak, tossing to coat, and let marinate, refrigerated, for 1-2 hours.

In a heavy skillet or wok, heat remaining tablespoon oil over moderately high heat until hot and sauté garlic. Add steak and cornstarch, stirring, until browned 2-3 minutes. Stir in scallions, sesame seeds, and salt and pepper to taste and heat until just heated through. Serve immediately.

Looking for ideas

For you cupcake connoisseurs out there, do you have any tips for the best way to transport cupcakes without a cupcake carrier?

I know, I know. I should just buy a cupcake carrier. But my house is so small that it would be silly. I'd have no place to store it!

Got any suggestions?

Stock photo provided by stock.xchng

Fried rice

Matt loves rice. He'd eat it every single day if I made it that often. He loves fried rice so much, he eats it as an entree.

This recipe is pretty easy to prepare. Just make sure you've got all your mise en place (that is to say, all ingredients prepped and measured) before you begin! It comes together so quickly that there's no time to stop and chop!


Fried Rice
Source: How to Boil Water
1/3 cup plain vegetable oil (corn, peanut, canola), divided
1 onion diced
Salt and pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
3 whole scallions, thinly sliced on the bias, separate whites and greens
1 1/3 cups (6 oz) medley frozen corn, peas and carrots
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups cold cooked long-grain rice
3 tablespoons soy sauce

Heat a large heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet over high heat. When hot, add 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the onions to the pan, season with salt and pepper and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until onion is fragrant. Add the garlic, ginger and scallion whites and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the frozen vegetables. Cook until just defrosted but still crisp. Transfer contents of the skillet to a large bowl.

Return the pan to the heat ad add 2 more tablespoons of oil. Add the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Stir the eggs constantly and cook until almost set but still moist, then transfer egg to the bowl. Break the eggs up with a wooden spoon.

Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining oil. Add the rice to the pan and use a spoon to break up any clumps. Season with salt and pepper and stir-fry rice to coat evenly with oil. Stop stirring and then let the rice cook undisturbed until it gets slightly crispy, about 2 minutes. Stir the rice again, breaking up any new clumps. Add the scallion greens and the soy sauce. Transfer to the bowl. Stir contents of the bowl well. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary.

My first homemade tomato sauce

I've known for a long time that I should be making my own tomato sauce. Yet I haven't because the jar is just so convenient. But when Matt requested Chicken Parmesan, I decided it was time.

Both the chicken and the sauce from this recipe tasted fantastic. The one complaint Matt and I had was that there wasn't quite enough sauce. I may have let it simmer too long, I'm not sure. The flavor though, was amazing. My kitchen smelled like an Italian restaurant. And adding the basil I grew from seeds was so rewarding. Especially since I'm a plant killer and the basil is still thriving. (Yay me!)


Chicken Parmesan
Source: Nook & Pantry
4 chicken breasts, sliced or pounded thin
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons flour
1 large egg, beaten
1 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
3/4 cup coarsely grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
16 ounces pasta (Spaghetti or Linguini)

Tomato Sauce
2 - 3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
2 Tablespoons olive oil
28 oz. can diced tomatoes or whole tomatoes crushed
1 small onion, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herb mix
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup basil leaves (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan or Dutch oven and add the onions. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute. Add the tomatoes, dried herbs, sugar, black pepper and simmer until the sauce thickens. Salt to taste. Keep warm and set aside.

Begin boiling water for the pasta. Meanwhile, beat the egg, and prepare two trays for the flour and the panko bread crumbs.

Salt and pepper the chicken cutlets. Lightly dredge them in flour, patting off the excess, then dip into the beaten egg, then press and coat both sides with panko. Set aside until all cutlets are breaded.

Preheat broiler (I used my toaster oven). Add your pasta and some salt to the boiling water. Cook the chicken while the pasta is boiling.

Heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Pan fry the chicken cutlets until both sides are golden brown, about 2 - 3 minutes per side.

Transfer the chicken cutlets onto a tray lined with a wire rack. Mix the mozzarella and Parmesan together and cover each cutlet with some cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted and spotty brown.

Meanwhile drain the pasta when it is finished. Roughly chop or tear the basil leaves and stir them into the sauce. Transfer the pasta and chicken to plates and spoon the sauce on top.



I'm sure I'll still turn to the jar once in a while, but I will no longer fear making my own sauce. It's just so much better.