Bake Around The World

[Sharikee]

[Sharikee]

Finland
Mustikkapiirakka (Finnish Blueberry Pie)

Ingredients:
150 grams butter (soft)
150 grams sugar
1 egg
200 grams plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
400 grams blueberries (or whatever berries you like!)

Filling:
250 milliliters sour cream (or full fat Greek yogurt)
50 grams sugar (or Sugar Substitutes for Baking)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 200 °C (390°F).
Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Mix in the egg thoroughly then sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl. Mix together until a smooth batter forms.
Spread the batter over the bottom and up the sides of a greased 10″ flan dish. Bake for 10 mins in the oven then remove.
Pour the blueberries onto the pie base and spread out.
Whisk together the sour cream/yogurt, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract until well combined. Pour over the blueberries.
Bake for 30 minutes then turn off the oven. Leave the pie in the cooling oven until the surface firms up.
Cool and serve with organic ice cream/cream or on its own.

[Sharikee]

France
French Loaves

Ingredients

2 tablespoons active dry yeast
2 cups warm water (110° to 115°)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
4-1/2 to 5 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon cornmeal

Directions

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add salt, sugar and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape into 12-in.-long loaves.
Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 450°. Sprinkle loaves with cornmeal. With a sharp knife, make four shallow slashes across the top of each loaf. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

[Sharikee]

Germany
Fresh Plum Kuchen

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 cups sliced fresh plums (about 4 medium)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Combine flour and baking powder; add to the creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Add lemon zest. Pour into a greased 10-in. springform pan. Arrange plums on top; gently press into batter. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.
Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 40-50 minutes or until top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around edge of pan; remove sides. Cool on a wire rack.

[Sharikee]

Greece
Greek Honey Nut Pie

Ingredients

4 cups chopped walnuts
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup butter, melted
1 package (16 ounces, 14x9-inch sheet size) frozen phyllo dough, thawed
SYRUP:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the walnuts, brown sugar and cinnamon; set aside. Brush a 9-in. pie plate with some of the butter; set aside.
Unroll phyllo dough; keep covered with plastic wrap and a damp towel to prevent it from drying out. Layer eight sheets of phyllo in prepared pan, brushing each layer with butter and rotating sheets to cover the pie plate. Let edges of dough hang over sides. Sprinkle a third of the nut mixture onto the bottom.
Layer four sheets of phyllo over nut mixture in the same manner; sprinkle with a third of the nut mixture. Repeat these last two steps. Top with an additional eight sheets of phyllo, again brushing with butter and rotating sheets. Fold ends of phyllo up over top of pie; brush with butter.
Using a sharp knife, cut into eight wedges. Cut 1-2 additional sheets of phyllo into thin strips, rolling into rose shapes if desired; arrange decoratively over top. (Save remaining phyllo for another use.) Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the sugar, water and honey; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Add vanilla. Pour over warm pie. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate leftovers.

[Sharikee]

Greenland
Kalaallit Kaagiat – Greenlandic Cake

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup butter
1 cup boiling water
2 1/4 teaspoons dry active yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water (110 – 120 F)
3 – 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

Place sugar, raisins and butter in a large bowl. Add boiling water and leave until butter melts.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, dissolve a 1/4 teaspoon sugar in the lukewarm water. Sprinkle yeast on top and leave 5-10 minutes until it becomes foamy.
Add yeast to the other ingredients and mix to combine.
Add 2 cups flour and mix until you have a shaggy dough.
Add the remaining flour, a little at a time, until you have a soft and elastic dough. Knead well for 5 minutes.
Place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel. Leave to rise for about 1 hour until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet and spray with non stick spray.
Shape dough into a round and place on the cookie sheet. Cover with a towel and leave to rise for 30 minutes.
Brush the top with milk and bake for 30 minutes.
Reduce oven to 350 F. Bake for another 15 – 30 minutes, until it sounds hollow when tapped.

In a small bowl, combine the confectioner’s sugar and the cardamom. Dust over the cake.

This is halfway in between a cake and a bread. It is too sweet to be a sandwich bread, but it’s not quite sweet enough to be a sweet bread to eat on its own. However, when spread with some jam, it added just the little extra sweetness it needed and was perfect.
Notes:
If the top is getting too dark, cover with aluminum foil during the second half of baking.
It also tasted great with salted butter and a breakfast omelette.

[Sharikee]

Hungary
Hungarian Cream Puffs

Ingredients

1 cup water
4 ounces unsalted butter (1 stick, cut into small pieces)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream (whipped and sweetened to taste)
6 ounces semisweet chocolate( melted and cooled slightly)

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly coat 12 muffin tins with cooking spray. In a medium saucepan, bring water, butter and salt to a boil. When butter has completely melted, remove from heat and, using a wooden spoon, add flour all at once. Return to stove and stir over low heat for 2 or 3 minutes or until dough cleans sides of pan and forms a ball.

Remove from heat and stir in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Batter should be smooth and glossy and cling to the spoon.

For mini puffs, using a cookie scoop, portion out mounds of dough on baking sheet. For large Indianers, fill muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake minis for 20 minutes, large puffs longer. They should be puffy, and golden brown on top and bottom. The interior will still be moist like a popover.

Let puffs cool completely before filling. For mini puffs, fill a pastry bag with a No. 6 plain tube and insert into side of puff and fill with sweetened whipped cream. Place a puff on a fork and dip in chocolate, or just dip the top.

For larger puffs (minis can also be prepared this way), cut the bottom off puff, remove the moist interior, fill with cream, level, replace the bottom and dip entire puff in chocolate or just the top. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready.

[Sharikee]

Iceland
Vínarterta - Icelandic Celebration Cake

Ingredients

Filling:
2 cups water
1 kg pitted dried prunes
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
.
Cookie:
1 cup butter, softened
1½ cup sugar
2 eggs
4 cups flour
½ tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp almond extract
½ cup milk

Instructions

Heat water and prunes in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the prunes are very soft and water is evaporated, stirring occasionally- approximately 30 minutes. Once the prunes are very soft, mash them with a potato masher or blitz them through a food processor. Add lemon juice, cardamom, vanilla, sugar and cinnamon and stir well. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350.
In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together. Beat in eggs one at a time.
In a small bowl, mix together the milk, vanilla extract and almond extract.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, cardamom and baking powder.
Add a third of your dry ingredients to the creamed butter bowl and mix well. Then, add a third of the milk mixture to the butter bowl and mix well. Continue to alternate adding dry ingredients and wet ingredients to the butter bowl until everything is mixed together.
Roll dough out on to a floured surface until roughly ¼ inch thick (or rather, thin!). Using an inverted 9 inch round springform pan OR an inverted 8 inch rectangular brownie pan, trace a square/circle with a knife. Gently place your dough square/circle on to a baking sheet (I like to roll it on to a rolling pin and then roll it off on the sheet). If you have two baking sheets, you can bake two layers at once, cutting down your cooking time. You should end up with 5-7 'cookie' layers in total, depending on the width of each layer and the size your are cutting them to.
Bake each layer of dough for 10-12 minutes, until firm, but not browned. As they are baked, gently transfer each to a wire rack to cool completely. The baked and cooled squares/circles should have a firm, cookie-like consistency.
Once all your dough layers are baked and fully cooked you can start to put them all together! Place one cookie layer down on a piece of wax paper. Using a spatula, gently spread a layer of the prune mixture over the cookie, getting as close to the edges as possible. Place the second cookie layer over top and do the same. Repeat this until you have one cookie layer left and place that on top but do not cover your top layer with the prune mix.
Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and/or tinfoil and store in a cool, dry place for at least 3 days or up to 4 weeks, until ready to serve. The longer you let it sit, the softer your cookie layers will be.

[Sharikee]

India
Gajar ka Halwa Cake (Indian Carrot Cake)

Ingredients

4 cups carrots, grated
¼ cup golden raisins
¼ cup cashews, roughly chopped
¼ cup pistachios, roughly chopped
5 tablespoons melted ghee
2 cups almond flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cardamom powder (freshly ground)
3 eggs, whisked
2 tablespoons raw honey
coconut butter, optional for glaze

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 °F.
Add carrots, raisins, cashews, pistachios and ghee into a bowl. Mix well.
In another bowl, add almond flour, baking soda and cardamom and stir until well combined.
Add the carrot mixture to the bowl and combine well – then mix in the honey and eggs.
Pour into a 9-inch springform pan and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Optional coconut drizzle: warm coconut butter and drizzle. Mix in some coconut oil if the butter is too thick.

[Sharikee]

Iran (Persia)
Persian Rice Cookies (Nan-e Berenji)

Ingredients

4 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup confectioners sugar 60g
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp rosewater
1 cup rice flour 150g
1/8 tsp cardamon powder
1/2 tsp pistachios crushed, or sesame seeds, optional

Instructions

Whisk together the oil and confectioners sugar until well combined and glossy. Whisk in the egg yolk and the rosewater.
Add the rice flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, and the cardamon and mix well. Use your hands as needed to press together. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight, to help the flavors to mingle.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F/175C. Take small handfuls of the dough and press together into a slightly flattened ball. Place the cookies on a baking sheet (lined is probably better but they don't really stick so not too drastic).
Lightly score the tops of the cookies in a cross shape either with the tip of a knife or the edge of a spoon to be more rounded. Be careful not to cut in too far or the cookies will split wen you bake.
Top with a little crushed pistachios or poppy seeds, if you like, then bake for approx 20 minutes until still not browned but they look more dry. Allow to cool before moving.

[Sharikee]

Ireland
Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter, softened, plus more for pan and for serving
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons caraway seeds
1 cup raisins
4 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch heavy iron frying pan.
In a large mixing bowl, blend butter and sugar together with a wooden spoon.
In a separate bowl, combine milk, soda, caraway seeds, and raisins, then stir into sugar mixture.
In a bowl, sift flour, baking powder, and salt, and gradually add to sugar-milk mixture, beating with a wooden spoon, until a wet dough forms.
Turn into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Turn out of pan and cool about 30 minutes before cutting. Slice and serve with butter.

[Sharikee]

Israel
Ma'aroud (Date Roll )

Ingredients
Dough

4½ cups white four
2 cups semolina flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoon sugar
200 gr soft vegan butter
1 cup canola oil
1½ cups lukewarm water
1 teaspoon rose water

Filling

1 kg soft dates, pitted, or ground dates that are sold as a paste with no sugar added. (Soak dates for 30 minutes if they are too hard to use)
1 tablespoon canola oil
½ cup concord wine
2 teaspoon cinnamon
Powdered sugar for decoration

Preparation

1. Mix the dry ingredients. Add the margarine, oil, water, and rose water and use your hands to make a dough (you can use a mixer or a food processor as well). Add water as needed.

2. If you use fresh dates and they are on the dry side, soak them with some hot water for 30 minutes, then drain them. Cut into small pieces and add the oil (no oil is needed if you use the paste). Mix the dates with concord wine and cinnamon. If the dates are still tough, microwave until soft.

3. Divide the dough into 8 balls, roll each ball to a ½ cm thick rectangle. Spread the dates mixture over the dough and fold to make a roll. Place on a baking sheet and slice, about 2 cm thick.

4. Bake at 350° F for 35 minutes until top is golden. Let cool, then separate the slices and spread powdered sugar for decoration.

[Sharikee]

Italy
Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti

Ingredients

1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup baking cocoa
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup pistachios
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Mix flour, cocoa, baking powder and cinnamon; add to creamed mixture and mix well (dough will be sticky). Stir in chocolate chips, pistachios and cranberries.
Divide dough into four portions. On ungreased baking sheets, shape portions into 10x2-1/2-in. rectangles. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake 20-25 minutes or until set. Carefully remove to wire racks; cool 5 minutes.
Transfer to a cutting board; cut each rectangle into 10 slices. Place cut side down on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 5-8 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container.