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Baking

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I’ve gathered a number of baking recipes here. Most of them have some kind of magical connection. Either that they have herbs in them with magical properties, or that they can be used as a suitable for a seasonal celebration.

Baking

Swedish Sponge Cake

3 eggs
3 dl (1.3 cups) of sugar
75 g (2.65 oz) of margarine
just under 2 dl (4⁄5 cup) of milk
1 1⁄2 tsp of baking powder
1 1⁄2 tsp of vanilla sugar
4 1⁄2 dl (1.9 cups) of flour

Heat the oven to 175 C (347 F). Coat the baking tin with margarine, sprinkle it with flour, breadcumbs or semolina, and place it in the fridge.
Whip egs and sugar until airy and whiteish. Melt the margarine and mix it with the milk. Let the mixture become finger warm.
Mix the dry ingredients. Add the margarine-milk mixture to the eggs and sugar, then add the rest of the ingredients. Pour the batter into the tin, and bake for about 45 minutes.
Use a knitting needle or similar to check if it's done. Poke the cake in the middle in a couple of places. If the stick comes up dry, it's done. Let it cool a bit before you try to tip it out of the tin.

Janicke's Spicy Sponge Cake

Use generous cups, and make sure to use a really large bowl...
6 cups of Flour
4 cups of Sugar
4 tsp Sodium Bicarbonate/Baking Soda
4 tsp of Cinnamon
1 tsp of Cardamom
1 tsp Vanilla-flavored Sugar
4 cups of Soured/Cultured Milk
1 cup of melted Butter or Margarine/Shortening

Mix all the dry ingredients together, then add the Butter and the Soured Milk. Pour in a large pan (roasting pan) and bake for 45 minutes in 150 C (302 F) placed in the lowest position in your oven.

Cheese Cream
400 grams (14 oz) of Cream Cheese
2 tbsp of sifted Vanilla-flavored Sugar
About 250 grams (10.5 oz) of sifted Powdered Sugar
100 grams (3.5 oz) of melted Butter or Margarine/Shortening.

Butter Cream
200 grams (7 oz) of Butter or Margarine/Shortening
200 grams (7 oz) of Powdered Sugar
1 Egg

Add Vanilla-flavored Sugar to taste and Coffee. If it isn't enough, make a double portion.

Crescent Cookies

1 cup of thoroughly ground almonds
1 1⁄4 cup of flour
1⁄2 cup of icing sugar
2 drops of almond extract
1⁄2 cup of soft butter
1 egg yolk

Stir almonds, flour, icing sugar and extract well together. Work the butter and the egg yolk in with your hands. Chill the dough. Heat the oven to 165 oC (325 F). Pinch off pieces of dough about the size of a walnut and shape them into crescents. Put them on buttered baking paper and bake them for about 20 minutes. Serve at the Simple Feast, especially at Esbat.

Pie Dough

(25 cm / 9.8" diameter)

3 dl (~10.14 fl oz) of wheat flour
125 g (~4.41 oz) butter or margarine
2 - 3 tbsp of cold water

You can use an egg in stead of the water, but then you have to use 150 g (~5.29 oz) of butter and the dough has to be worked faster. Measure the flour into a bowl. Cut fridge-cold butter into pieces. Finely distribute the fat into the flour with your fingers or a fork. Add the water/egg and quickly work it into dough. Put it in a plastic bag in the fridge for half an hour. Now you prepare the filling.

Apple Cake

1 cup of sugar
1 cup of flour
1 cup of eggs
1 cup of butter
3 - 4 apples
Sugar and cinnamon

Stir butter and sugar until it's 'whitish'. Add eggs and flour. Put in a buttered ring-shaped baking tin. Peel the apples and cut them into boats. Put them in the bottom with sugar and cinnamon sprinkled on top. Bake in the oven on 180 oC (356 F) for about 1⁄2 hour. It's done when you stick a knitting pin in the bottom nothing moist sticks to it.

Tosca Cake

2 eggs
125 g (~4.41 oz) of sugar
100 g (~3.53 oz) of margarine
Grated peel and juice from 1⁄2 lemon
2 tbsp of water
100 g (~3.53 oz) of flour
1 tsp of baking powder

Tosca paste
100 g (~3.53 oz) margarine
100 g (~3.53 oz) finely chopped almonds
100 g (~3.53 oz) of sugar
2 tbsp of flour
2 tsp of water

Whisk eggs, sugar and margarine together, and then mix in the rest. Pour in a buttered baking tin. Bake for a minimum of 20 minutes at 150 oC (302 F). The Tosca paste is boiled together and put on top of the cake and baked until light brown for 25 minutes. The cakes needs about 45 minutes total.

Cranberry Muffins

(10)

1 1⁄2 dl (~5.07 fl oz) of milk
1 dl (~3.38 fl oz) of corn oil or olive oil
2 eggs
1⁄2 dl (~1.69 fl oz) of sugar
4 dl (~0.85 pint) of wheat flour (or half whole-wheat flour)
3 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of salt
1 1⁄4 dl (~4.23 fl oz) of frozen cranberries, defrosted and drained

Heat the oven to 200 oC (392 F). Whisk milk, oil, and eggs. Mix in flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt - all at once - until the flour has gotten wet all the way through (otherwise you get lumps). 'Turn' the Berries in very carefully, so that the dough isn't colored by them. Put it into muffins molds or a buttered muffins plate - carefully. If you want to, you can sprinkle some sugar or castor sugar over the dough in the molds. Bake for 18 - 20 minutes.

Caraway Buns

Dissolve:
1⁄2 pack of yeast in 2 dl of tepid water (37 oC / 98.6 F)

Add:
1 dl (~3.38 fl oz) tepid sour skimmed milk
1 tsp of salt
1 tbsp of oil
1 tbsp of caraway seeds
4 dl (~0.85 pints) of whole-wheat - coarse
About 4 dl (~0.85 pints) of wheat flour

Do it like this:
Knead the dough together well and let it rise to double size. Knead it again, roll out to a sausage which is divided and shaped into round buns. Let it rise again, brush with a beaten egg. Bake at 225 oC (437 F) for 12 - 15 minutes. Cool on a grill.

They taste best freshly baked or freshly thawed if they've been in the freezer.

Herb Bread with Sunflower kernels and cheese

100 g (~3.53 oz) of sifted wheat flour
100 g (~3.53 oz) of whole-wheat meal
1 tsp of baking powder
60 g (~2.12 oz) of margarine
1⁄2 tsp of mustard powder
4 tbsp of chopped fresh parsley
100 g (~3.53 oz) of matured cheddar cheese, grated
5 spring onions, sliced
60 g (~2.12 oz) sunflower kernels, roasted
1 egg, beaten
1 1⁄2 dl (~5.07 fl oz) of half-fat milk

Preheat the oven to 200 oC (392 F). Butter a 1 l (~2.1 pints) bread form lightly. Sift flour, baking powder, and mustard powder together into a big bowl. Crumble the margarine into it with your fingertips until the mixture looks like small bread crumbs. Mix in parsley, cheese, spring onion and sunflower kernels. Whisk together egg and milk and pour it in the bowl. Mix it well with all the dry things so that you get a loose batter. Pour the dough into the buttered bread form. Put it in the oven and let the bread bake for 35 - 40 minutes or until the dough doesn't stick when you stick a knitting pin in the middle. Take the bread out and let it stand in the form for a couple of minutes, then turn it over out of the form and onto a grill. Let it cool on the grill. This bread is best to eat warm and freshly baked.

Honey Cookies

These cookies can be used as an offering to the fairies.

1⁄2 cup of sweet white wine
2 tbsp of sugar
1 egg
1 cup of honey
2⁄3 cup of flour
About 1⁄10 of a tsp of nutmeg
About 1⁄10 of a tsp of cinnamon
Oil for frying
About 1⁄10 of a tsp of salt

Whisk the wine and the egg in a medium size bowl. Mix flour, cinnamon, salt and sugar in a small bowl. Stir it into the egg and wine mixture. Let it sit for half an hour. Stir together honey and nutmeg in a small bowl. Pour the oil in the pan up to 1.5" depth and heat it until it's warm but not smoking. Put in the dough one tbsp at a time. Let them fry until they're golden. Let them drain on kitchen paper. Dip them in the honey mixture. This recipe is enough for 12 - 16 cookies. Can also be used at Lughnasadh and Day of the Dryads.

Tea Cakes

(About 30)

8 dl (~1.7 pints) of oatmeal
1 l (~2.1 pints) of milk
100g (~3.53 oz) of margarine or butter
75 g (~2.65 oz) of yeast
1 tsp of salt
1 tbsp of sugar
About 2 l (~4.23 pints) of wheat flour

Let the oatmeal sit in the milk for 30 - 60 minutes in a bowl. Melt the butter in a big pot. Pour the oatmeal mixture and heat to 37 oC (98.6 F). (It's also possible to put it in the microwave for 2 - 3 minutes.) Crumble the yeast into a bowl and dissolve it with a bit of the mixture. Add the rest of it plus the salt, sugar and most of the flour.

Work the dough together (by hand or with a machine) until it releases from the edges of the bowl. Sprinkle some flour over the dough and let it rise under a kitchen towel for 30 minutes.

Knead in the rest of the flour. Divide the dough into about 30 pieces and shape these into round cakes, about 1 cm (~0.39 in) thick. Prick them with a fork. Put them on a buttered baking tray or baking paper. Let them rise under a kitchen towel for 30 minutes.

Bake them at 225 oC (437 F) for about 10 minutes. Let them cool under a kitchen towel. Eat them or freeze them.

Catnip Cookies

1 cup whole wheat flour
1⁄4 cup soy flour
1 teaspoon Catnip
1 egg
1⁄3 cup of milk
1 tablespoon molasses
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 350 F (~175 C). Mix all the dry ingredients together. Add molasses, egg, oil, and milk. Oil a cookie sheet and roll mixture out flat. Cut into bite-sized pieces, then put in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Let cool, and store in a tightly sealed container.

Artichoke Nut Bread

3⁄4 cup milk
1 cup artichoke pulp
1 egg
1⁄4 cup butter
2 1⁄2 cups flour
3⁄4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon ginger
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 F. Melt the butter and in a small bowl combine milk, artichoke pulp, egg, and butter. In another bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and ginger. Add walnuts. Add to milk mixture and blend only until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour into 2 4 x 8-inch loaf pans, lightly greased. Bake 55 minutes. Serve warm with butter or chilled, sliced thin, with cream cheese spread.

Marigold Cookies

4.5 dl (1.9 cups) of regular wheat flour
0.5 dl (0.2 cups) of sugar
200 grams (7 oz) of butter or margarine
1 handful of Marigold petals
Combine sugar and butter, add flour and petals. Combine until it forms a ball. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 175°C/347F. Roll small balls and place these on baking paper on a tray. Flatten the balls with your fingers or leave them round. That's up to you. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Makes about 40 cookies.

Crescents with ham and cheese

Makes 8-10

50 g (1.7 oz) of yeast
3.5 dl (1.4 cups) of milk
60 g (2.1 oz) of butter or margarine
50 g (1.7 oz) of sugar
1⁄2 tsp of salt
0.5 kg (1.1 lbs) of flour
1⁄2 tsp of cardamom
1⁄4 can of ham in small cubes
1 cup of grated cheese
1 egg

Melt the butter, add the milk to the butter, and get it luke warm.

1) Crumble the yeast in a bowl and add the butter and milk to dissolve it. Add about half of the flour with the other dry ingredients and mix. Add enough flour to get a good dough.

2) If you're using dry yeast, combine all the dry ingredients with half of the flour before adding the milk and butter. The milk and butter also needs to be warmer for dry yeast. Mix and then add enough flour to get a good dough.

Cover and leave it to rise for about 15-30 minutes in a warm location. Divide it into two portions. Take one and roll it to a circle. Cut the circle into triangles. Add about a tablespoon of grated cheese to the wider end of each triangle, then add some ham cubes. Fold the wider end over the filling and roll.

Put the crescents on a baking tray, brush them with egg and bake for 8-10 minutes in 250oC (482 F) (regular oven). Leave them to cool a bit on a kitchen towel before eating, or you'll burn yourself.

Caramel Cookies

Makes about 30 cookies.

100 g/3.5 oz of margarine/butter
1 dl/0.42 cups of sugar
2.5 dl/1.05 cups of flour
1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
1 tablespoon light syrup
1 teaspoon baking powder

Set the oven to 175 C/347 F. Stir softened margarine/butter and sugar until it's porous. Add the other ingredients (the flour mixed with the baking powder) and work quickly into a dough. Roll the dough to finger-thick lengths and place these on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Flatten them a little with a fork.
Bake in the middle of the oven for about 8-12 minutes at 75 C/347 F. Cut them diagonally while they're still hot.

You can also roll balls that you flatten or use a rolling pin and cookie cutters.

If you take them out when they're golden, they'll be good and a little chewy.

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