Tuesday, February 28, 2012

The Daring Kitchen Challenge

Hi all! So... I got this crazy idea when I fell upon this sight called The Daring Kitchen. Once a month on the 1st, they post a challenge. You can either sign up for Cooking or Baking or both! I didn't want to over do myself so I just signed up for the baking gig.  I waited for my approval and then waited a little longer for my first challenge!
 
The Daring Bakers’ February 2012 host was – Lis! Lisa stepped in last minute and challenged us to create a quick bread we could call our own. She supplied us with a base recipe and shared some recipes she loves from various websites and encouraged us to build upon them and create new flavor profiles.
I LOVE quick breads! I was so happy to see that my first challenge wasn't crazy! I really set my mind at ease. I scoped out the sight and saw some of the amazing things they challenged so I really was sweatin' bullets LOL
 
I knew exactly what I wanted to make. A Lemon Blueberry Loaf. Yes, yes... Pinterest. But the recipe came from Sweet Pea's Kitchen
 
It was delish!  Next time raspberries! Oh it was so good and so moist!
Lemon-Blueberry Yogurt Loaf
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For the Loaf:

  • 1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (approximately 2 lemons)
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen, thawed and rinsed
For the Lemon Syrup:

  • 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup sugar
For the Lemon Glaze:
  • 1 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom and sides of one 9 x 5-inch loaf pans; dust with flour, tapping out excess.
  2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix the blueberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour, and fold them very gently into the batter.
  4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing loaf to a wire rack on top of a baking sheet.
  5. While the loaf is cooling, make the lemon syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir together the lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, continue to cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat; set aside.
  6. Use a toothpick to poke holes in the tops and sides of the warm loaf. Brush the top and sides of the loaf with the lemon syrup. Let the syrup soak into the cake and brush again. Let the cake cool completely.
  7. To make the lemon glaze, in a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of the lemon juice. The mixture should be thick but pourable. Add up to another tablespoon of lemon juice if the mixture is too stiff. Pour the lemon glaze over the top of each loaf and let it drip down the sides. Let the lemon glaze harden, about 15 minutes, before serving.
Yields: 1-9×5 loaf

The second bread I made was just the basic Banana Nut Bread.
 
Now that the month has passed and seeing all the yummyness that the other bakers created, I'm going to have to kick it up and actually 'create'. 

1 comments:

Unknown said...

YUM! Sounds sooo good I can almost taste it. I could actually tell how moist it was from the picture. Sounds like a fun challenge!