The Secret Lives of Baked Goods Read online

  3. Now it is time to knead the dough in earnest. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, knead the dough on low speed for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. This can also be done by hand, kneading more vigorously for about 10 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

  4. Place the cold butter between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using a rolling pin, pound the butter into an 8-inch square (measure it—it matters).

  5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 9-by-17-inch rectangle. Gently place the square of butter on the bottom half of the rectangle, leaving just a small margin around the bottom edge of the dough. The butter should not be so soft that you cannot transfer it; if it is, return it to the refrigerator for a few minutes.

  6. Fold the top half of the dough rectangle down over the bottom half, so that the butter is completely enclosed. Press together the edges of the dough, forming a seal. Using your hands, even out the dough so that it is a fairly neat rectangle.

  7. Using a rolling pin, gently roll the dough (you don’t want the butter to pop out!) until it has formed a new rectangle about 9 by 18 inches. Once again, these measurements matter.

  8. Fold the dough rectangle into thirds, like you would a letter going in an envelope: Orient the rectangle like a sheet of paper and begin folding the bottom third up toward the middle. Then fold the top third down. Remember this step, because you’re going to have to do it again.

  9. Align the dough so that if you pictured it as a book, the “spine” is to the left. Now, you are going to repeat the rolling and folding steps. Roll out the dough into another 9-by-18-inch rectangle. Repeat the process in the previous step (folding into the thirds with the top and bottom). Make a mental note: You’ve made 2 folds.

  10. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

  11. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and repeat the folding process again, 2 more times. Repeat the refrigeration between foldings. Make a mental note: Now you’re up to 4 folds.

  12. I know that you’re getting bored, but stay with me, because the dough is ready to be rolled out and shaped. If you’re tired, though, you can wrap the dough and refrigerate again for several hours, or up to overnight.

  13. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

  14. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Cut the dough in half. Return one half to the refrigerator while you work with the other.

  15. On a lightly floured surface, roll one half of the dough into a 6½-by-20-inch rectangle, about ¼ inch thick. Place on one of the prepared baking sheets. Repeat this step with the second half of the dough. Let the dough chill, right on the sheet, for about 30 minutes.

  16. Remove one of the trays from the refrigerator. Using a knife, cut the dough into 3 equal parts along the same imaginary “folds” as when rolling the dough. Cut each rectangle diagonally into 2 triangles. You should end up with 6 triangles. Repeat with the second tray of dough.

  17. Make a small vertical slit in the middle of the base of each triangle. This allows you to roll the triangles into a crescent shape: Using both hands, roll each triangle into a crescent starting from the base. Tuck the tip of the triangle on the bottom (this will keep them from unrolling while baking).

  18. Place the croissants back on the prepared baking sheets. Cover them with plastic wrap or a wet paper towel to “proof” for 1 hour at room temperature.

  19. Position 2 racks in the center of the oven; preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

  20. Apply the egg wash directly before baking.

  21. Place the trays in the oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the trays halfway through baking, or until the croissants have puffed and turned golden. Let cool on the trays before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

  REALLY, HE’S THE PERFECT MAN. He’s tall, dark, and handsome. He smells nice. He’s quiet but not brooding. And when you get tired of him, it’s totally OK to bite his head off. And then eat the rest of him, too. We’re talking, of course, about the spicy cut-out cookie known as the Gingerbread Man, a tasty holiday classic, famously personified in a classic children’s story, and immortalized by his famous line, “Run, run, as fast as you can! Can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!” Well, perhaps it’s time to chase down the tale of how this well-bread (pun intended) fellow came to be so famous.

  A tasty holiday classic, famously personified in a classic children’s story, and immortalized by his famous line, “Run, run, as fast as you can! Can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!”

  As it turns out, the Gingerbread Man carries a serious pastry pedigree. Gingerbread itself is very, very old—it was a tradition that began in Europe not long after ginger’s entry to the continent in the year 992. The spice wasn’t merely flavorful, it also acted as a natural preservative—and in addition to being used to mask the scent of decaying meat, the spice became a frequent addition to bread recipes. Fairly early in the game, bakers cut the bread into shapes and decorated them with sugar. By the 1600s, the bread, since dubbed Lebkuchen, or “cake of life,” was so respected that in Germany and France only professional gingerbread bakers were allowed to bake the spicy treat. Thankfully, rules relaxed during Christmas and Easter, when anyone was permitted to do so. Nuremberg, Germany, became known as the Gingerbread Capital of the World when the bakers’ guild employed master bakers and artisans to create intricate works of art from gingerbread.

  We have England to thank for man-shaped gingerbread cookies. In the sixteenth century, the English adopted and revamped the recipe a bit by adding eggs and sweeteners, the result being a lighter and more delicate product. Gingerbread men were first presented by Queen Elizabeth I, who definitely made a sweet impression on visiting dignitaries by presenting them with gingerbread characters baked in their own likenesses.

  That first batch of delicious gingerbread men had its effect, and the custom caught on; when the English immigrated to America, these sweet fellows came along for the ride. “Shape [the dough] to your fancy,” Amelia Simmons recommended to housewives in American Cookery, the first published American cookbook. Entrepreneurial peddlers picked up on the trend and started selling fancifully shaped tin cookie cutters. In Pennsylvania Dutch country, gingerbread men and ladies measuring more than a foot high, iced with buttons and smiles, were used to festively decorate windows during the holidays, making chilly passers-by smile. Of course, this is a good indication of why the tradition continues: these cookies are extremely effective at a most important task, which is making people happy.

  But doesn’t every gingerbread man need a place to hang his hat? The tradition of baking sweetly decorated gingerbread houses began in Germany after the Brothers Grimm published their collection of German fairy tales in the early 1800s. Among them was the story of Hansel and Gretel, children left to starve in the forest, who came upon a house made of bread and sugar decorations. The hungry children feasted on its sweet shingles. After the fairy tale was published, German bakers began baking houses of lebkuchen—that soft gingerbread—and employed artists and craftsmen to decorate them. The houses were particularly popular during Christmas, a tradition that crossed the ocean with German immigrants. Pennsylvania, where many settled, remains a stronghold for the gingerbread house tradition.

  Gingerbread Men

  I’M NOT A FAN OF BEAUTIFUL-LOOKING but hard-as-a-rock gingerbread cookies, so I’ve adapted this recipe with the goal of giving you a wonderful eating experience. These gingerbread men are deep, dark, molasses-rich, and moist. They will keep for ages, but perhaps it’s best to not let them sit too long, because you might start to feel like they’re family—and it’s not in good form to bite a relative’s head off.

  Makes 3 to 4 dozen 2½-inch-tall gingerbread men cookies

  5½ cups all-purpose flour

  1 teaspoon baking soda

  1 teaspoon sa
lt

  1 teaspoon ground ginger

  1 teaspoon ground cloves

  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

  1 cup packed dark brown sugar

  1½ cups dark molasses

  ⅔ cup cold water

  Writing icing, candies, or sprinkles, for garnish (optional)

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cookies sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

  2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cloves, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Set aside.

  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and molasses until thoroughly combined on medium-high speed, about 5 minutes. Stir in water and mix until incorporated. The dough will be wet and “broken” (strangely lumpy), but this goes away when you add the flour.

  4. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in 3 to 4 additions, mixing on low speed just until incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. The mixture will be extremely thick. Form the dough into 2 flattened disks and wrap in plastic wrap; let chill for at least 2 hours.

  5. Lightly flour your countertop or a large board. Roll the dough ¼ inch thick, using a metal spatula to help lift and turn the dough occasionally, and dust with extra flour as needed to keep it from sticking. Using a gingerbread man cookie cutter, cut the cookies. If desired, make slight variations by hand (using a toothpick or skewer) to personalize the cookies. Arrange them on the prepared baking sheets. Chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator to help them hold their shapes while baking.

  6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until no imprint remains when the cookies are touched lightly.

  7. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the sheets for 5 minutes. Using a metal spatula, transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

  8. Personalize your cookies further, if desired, by decorating with writing icing, candies, and/or sprinkles.

  9. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 10 days (in a single layer, if you’ve applied icing), or store in the freezer for up to 2 months.

  THE OPERA CAKE, LIKE ITS NAMESAKE, is a work in several acts: an intense, intricate work of artistry that, when it comes together, is an oeuvre in the mouth. It’s an elaborate confection, composed of layers of thin almond cake, each soaked in coffee syrup, stacked with coffee cream filling, bittersweet chocolate ganache, and then finished with chocolate glaze, and it’s a beauty to behold. Served in squares or rectangles that accentuate its clean lines and precise craftsmanship, a very authentic opera cake boasts its signature written across the top, with a little gold leaf for a dramatic finish.

  Gâteau is a French term that refers, fairly indiscriminately, to any number of different cakes; today, perhaps owing to sweets such as the opera cake, it’s a term more generally used for a multilayered cake extravaganza.

  While in America we call it opera cake, in its native France it’s known as either l’opéra or gâteau opéra. Now, I don’t know about you, but this dessert is definitely fancier than many of the cakes I bake or eat, which begs the question: is there a difference between gâteau and cake? Sort of. Gâteau is a French term that refers, fairly indiscriminately, to any number of different cakes; today, perhaps owing to sweets such as the opera cake, it’s a term more generally used for a multilayered cake extravaganza. For instance, you wouldn’t call a simple layer cake with candles a birthday gâteau, but you might if it was split into four levels, filled with fancy-flavored buttercreams, wrapped in fondant, or topped with ganache. So a gâteau is a cake, but a cake is not necessarily a gâteau. The idea that I always informally carry in my mind is that the true difference between a gâteau and a cake is the price tag.

  L’Opéra is said to have made its grand debut in the early 1900s in Paris, at the Exposition Culinaire. But that wasn’t its name, not yet. It was introduced as gâteau Clichy, named after its originator, the gourmet grocer Louis Clichy. “Clichy” was emblazoned on top of it when it was served at the exposition.

  So yes, Clichy must be given some credit for developing this cake. But today, not many would refer to the cake by that name. Because it was another bakery that made the cake an international superstar: Dalloyau. Dalloyau, which is pronounced something like “Dal-oh-yoww” (but in your Frenchiest voice), is a Parisian pâtisserie with a serious pedigree (it’s said that this fancy bakery has owners who served Louis XIV). They reintroduced a version of the cake as L’Opéra, coinciding with a huge showing by the Paris Grand Opera. It was an instant hit, and has proliferated on bakery menus in France and beyond ever since.

  Dalloyau is still known, years later, as the finest purveyor of the stuff. Famed writer on Parisian pastry arts, Dorie Greenspan, says it’s still the best, citing that the pastry chef makes “a cake as sleek and smooth as an opera stage and as gloriously delicious as La Bohème is affectingly beautiful.” This recipe is inspired by their famous version, but streamlined: it uses ganache for the sides and top of the cake, rather than a different recipe for the top.

  Opera Cake

  THIS CAKE IS PROOF THAT PASTRIES ARE THE ULTIMATE affordable luxury: while not everyone can afford opera tickets, this cake, assembled in “acts,” is akin to an operatic experience—an indulgence that’s pricey but not unattainable. Making this regal cake is definitely a labor of love, and it requires quite a bit of time and energy, but your resulting dessert will be a splendid affair that will make guests want to eat with pinkies fully extended.

  Makes one 10-by-8-inch cake (8 servings)

  3 egg whites

  6 egg yolks

  ½ cup granulated sugar

  1½ cups finely ground almonds

  1½ cups confectioners’ sugar

  ½ cup pastry flour

  3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

  ½ cup Coffee Syrup (recipe follows)

  1½ cups Chocolate Ganache (recipe follows)

  3 cups Coffee Cream Filling (recipe follows)

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of 2 (approximately 10-by-15-inch) jelly roll pans with parchment paper. Spray the paper with nonstick spray for easy removal later.

  2. In the very clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and granulates sugar until stiff peaks form. Transfer to another bowl.

  3. In a separate bowl, use a large hand-held whisk to beat the egg yolks until well combined. Add the ground almonds, confectioners’ sugar, and pastry flour, mixing only until incorporated. Stir in the melted butter, then fold in the beaten egg whites. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pans, smoothing and leveling the tops with an offset metal spatula (an offset metal spatula works great for these large cakes).

  4. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the centers spring back when lightly touched and the edges of the cakes have pulled away slightly from the sides. Invert the cakes onto a heatproof flat surface lined with clean parchment paper and peel off the parchment paper used for paper. Let cool completely before proceeding. Make the other components of the cake now, then proceed with assembly.

  5. To assemble the cake, cut each sheet of cake in half crosswise so you have 4 roughly 5-by-8-inch rectangles. You will use only 3 of these pieces, so if you make a mistake you’ll have a back-up cake; or, you could also feel free to add an extra layer, or use the cake for another dessert.

  6. Place one cake layer on a sheet of parchment paper over a sheet of cardboard slightly larger than the cake as a work space. Brush it with half of the coffee syrup. Spread with half of the chocolate ganache to make an even layer about as thick as the cake layer. Top with another layer of cake, soak it with the remaining coffee syrup, and then spread an even layer of the coffee buttercream frosting, also about as thick as the cake, over that. Top with the third cake layer. Cover in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator 1 hour.

  7. To finish, heat the remaining ganache in a double boiler over
simmering water until liquid. Place the cake on a rack over parchment paper (to catch drips) and pour the warm ganache over the top, completely covering the surface, using an offset spatula to spread if necessary. Chill the cake in the refrigerator until the ganache is firm.

  8. To serve, using a long sharp knife (and cleaning it between slices) trim about ½ inch from the sides of the finished cake. Garnish the cake with and cut into 8 pieces.

  COFFEE SYRUP

  Makes about ½ cup syrup

  1 cup sugar

  ½ cup water

  2 tablespoons very strong brewed coffee

  1. Combine the sugar, water, and coffee in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 1 minute more. Stir in the coffee until completely incorporated, then set aside.

  CHOCOLATE GANACHE

  Makes about 1½ cups ganache

  2 cups heavy cream

  14 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (about 2 cups)

  1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream to a boil. Once boiling, pour it over the chopped chocolate in a large bowl. Stir slowly until it has melted together and the mixture is smooth. Let cool to room temperature before spreading.

  COFFEE CREAM FILLING

  Makes 3 cups filling

  1 cup sugar

  ¼ cup water

  3 egg whites

  1¼ cups (2½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature

  1 tablespoon very strong brewed coffee, such as espresso

  1. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the sugar and water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, brushing down the sides of the pan so that no sugar crystals remain, then stop stirring and continue heating the mixture until it boils. Heat to 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer (soft-ball stage). Remove the syrup from the burner when it reaches the correct temperature.