Baking in An Earthenware

I got a good advice that some recipes can be converted for clay pots by increasing temperature by 100 degrees and deducting a half an hour of cooking time.

Maybe if you are serious in your everyday cooking and you want to make sure of increased flavor, tenderness with all the natural nutrients retained in food, it's time you go for a clay baker. I suggest Romertopf Clay Bakers. My Mom's Romertopf prepares quick, super quality and healthy dishes anytime the whole family gathers up. And for her bread, she gives us the bigger one from a recipe she said from breadtopia.com. She would put it in the cold oven, preheat, and then drop the loaf (on parchment) into the hot bottom and cover for the first 15 minutes. The loaves look and taste so professional. I wish she had two so I could make both loaves at the same time.

I actually became intrigued by the idea that I wished I had my own Romertopf Bread Baker. Now I'm saving up for this and I can't wait to bake my own claybaked bread in fabulous crust...yes the crust is what I am after.

Here's a photo from Teresa ( I got from the Fresh Loaf Forum).


I was really impressed by the loaf! I was wondering if it was because the pot is so big, maybe too big?

Mom said I can prefer cast iron enamel dutch oven, but I still would go for clay bread baker... perhaps with my claybaker sitting in my shelf, I'd get great rise and beautiful color, great crusts and crumbs anytime!

Baking with Kids

I don't have kids but I find this very interesting.

Once children are old enough to stand on step stool at a kitchen counter, you can start involving them in simple kitchen tasks. Start baking with your kids! It is important for children to know how their food is prepared so they will learn while they're young. This is also a wonderful way to introduce them to new foods and tastes.

Your 3 to 6 years old will love adding and stirring ingredients in a bowl. The older ones will be thrilled filling and leveling measuring spoons and cups. Not even that, they will already enjoy learning how to beat ingredients with a wire whisk. The 8-10 years old can be responsible enough to prepare simple recipes with few ingredients with little adult intervention. This age starts to solve little problems too. You can begin teaching your 11-13 years old teeners on the proper use of oven mitts and where to place the hot dish when removing it from the oven to avoid burned fingers or scorched countertops). Some can even prepare recipes without supervision.

When making a recipe with children, it is always advisable to set up everything on a baking sheet before you start mixing and baking. This will allow the children to see every ingredient, keeping down the mess, and you are sure all ingredients will be added. To prevent bowls or baking sheets from slipping, keep in place with a dampened dishtowel underneath.

Your kids will appreciate the value of their young presence in the preparation of your meals. You will have fun with them baking this Brownie Bites recipe (courtesy of The Ultimate Diabetes Cookbook by Carol Gelles)

Brownie Bites

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 squares unsweetened chocolate
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour ( or replace it with whole wheat flour, its healthier)
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Heavily grease and flour an 8-inch square baking pan.
• In a 1-quart saucepan, heat the butter and chocolate over medium-low heat until completely melted, about 4 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, beat the sugar and eggs until light in color, about 3 minutes. Beat in the chocolate mixture and vanilla, then stir in the flour.
• Pour into baking pan and bake 30 minutes. Let cool completely.
• Cut into 20 squares.
• Makes 20 chocolate brownie bites.
  

Enjoy!