Chestnut Pumpkin Danish

A June Daring Baker's Challenge

This month's challenge was hosted by the lovely Kelly of Sass & Veracity and the fabulous Ben from What's Cookin'?. They selected the "Danish Braid" from Sherry Yard's "Secret of Baking". Kelly and Ben chose for us to make danishes for a variety of reasons, one of them would allow us as Daring Bakers to get creative with our fillings and the shapes of our braids.

Pumpkin is a favorite flavor in my house, attaining a level of popularity that out shines any fruit including apple. When I started contemplating what flavors to use, my kids wanted to know what was wrong with using pumpkin. Absolutely nothing, I assured them, so pumpkin it is.

The dough was easy to make and worked very well with all the changes I made to make it gluten and dairy free. The finished dough turned out flaky and flavorful as well. I made a braid and several smaller pinwheel danishes with the dough, but the pinwheels were devoured by my eager family when they first came out of the oven.

This was a wonderful challenge for a gluten free baker with learning to make laminated dough and then make different shapes with the dough. My family loved the danish, everything from the crisp flaky dough to the pumpkin custard filling. I served it on Father's Day for breakfast and we almost ate the entire danish at one sitting. Simply delicious.

Thanks Kelly and Ben for a great challenge!

Recipe

Dough

½ cup brown rice flour
½ cup chestnut flour
¼ cup + 1 Tb arrowroot starch
¼ cup + 2 Tb sweet rice flour
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp chia seed meal
½ tsp pectin powder
1 pkg dry active yeast
¼ cup + 2 Tb almond milk
Pinch monocalcium phosphate powder *
3 Tb cane sugar
1 Tb chestnut spread **
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 egg, chilled & beaten

Shortening Block

1/3 cup vegetable shortening
2 Tb coconut oil
2 Tb sweet rice flour

Dough

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flours, salt, chia seed meal and pectin. Stir and make sure the chia seed meal and pectin are thoroughly incorporated through out the flours.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine the yeast, almond milk and calcium powder. Start mixing on low speed. Slowly add the sugar, vanilla extract, chestnut spread and egg. Continue mixing and slowly add the dry ingredients into the bowl. If the dough is sticky add a tablespoon of flour.

3. Transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper and wrap it. Then place it in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Shortening Block

1. In a mixing bowl, dump in the vegetable shortening, coconut oil and flour. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape the sides down and beat for 1 more minute.

2. Transfer the shortening mixture to a small bowl. Leave at room temperature.

Layering the Dough & Shortening Block

1. Once the dough has chilled for 30 minutes, turn it out on a parchment paper covered surface. Sprinkle with flour and then cover with parchment paper. Roll out the dough into a rectangle that is ¼ inch thick. If the dough is sticky, keep sprinkling it with flour. After it is rolled out, slightly score the dough into thirds. Spread some of the shortening block on the middle and right thirds of the dough. Fold the left side into the center and then the right side on top of the left side. Wrap in the parchment paper and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. This is the end of the first turn.

2. Remove from the freezer and rotate the dough. Repeat the above steps and place back in the freezer to chill for 30 minutes. This is the end of the second turn. Repeat the same for the third and fourth turns.

3. Once the fourth turn has been completed, leave the dough in the freezer for at least 5 hours or overnight. The dough is now ready to be used. If you aren’t going to use it within 24 hours, roll out the dough until it is about 1 inch in thickness. Then wrap it in plastic wrap and place back in the freezer. Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Making the Braid

1. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. On another sheet of parchment paper, sprinkle it with some flour and then lay down the Danish dough. Sprinkle the top with flour and cover with parchment paper. Roll out into a rectangle that is ¼ inch thick. If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes and then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet.

2. Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 3 - 4 inch long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the other side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.

3. Spoon the filling in the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom flaps, fold down the top flap over the filling to cover it. Then, fold the bottom flap up to cover the filling. This helps to keep the braid net and to hold in the filling. Begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.

Chestnut Pumpkin Danish Filling

2/3 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp chia seed meal
¼ cup arrowroot starch
½ tsp vanilla extract

1. Combine all the ingredients in a medium sized saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the mixture has thickened.

2. Spoon the mixture down the center of the danish dough.

3. Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container if you are not planning to use the filling right away.

Chestnut Glaze

1 Tb chestnut spread

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 Tb almond milk

1. Place the ingredients in a small bowl and stir together. Work the mixture with the back of a spoon to work out any lumps that might remain.

2. Pour over the top of the warm danish.

Proofing and Baking

1. Set the baking sheet with the Danish on it in a warm location. Cover the Danish and allow it to rise for 2 hours or until it has doubled in volume.

2. Near the end of the time the bread needs to rise, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Position a rack in the center of the oven.

3. Bake the Danish for 10 minutes then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake about 15 – 20 minutes more or until it is golden brown.

4. Cool and serve the braid either warm from the oven or at room temperature. The cooled braid can be wrapped and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or freeze for 1 month.

* The monocalcium phosphate powder is part of the Pomona’s Universal Pectin package.

** Chestnut Spread is by Clement Faugier (crème de marrons de l’ardeche).

Roast Chicken Soup with Roast Pumpkin and Sage Dumplings

My neighbor was remarking the other day that she hadn't seen us very much and wanted to know if we had been sick. I explained that we had been sick, but the truth is that every winter you will see less of us. When the wind and cold come in from the north, we hide from the elements in our warm and snuggly house. That's when it becomes quite obvious that we are Southerners and not native New Yorkers.

Any snowfall will see us outside and enjoying it, but bundled up as though we were starting out on an Arctic expedition. All four of us are garbed in parkas, snowsuits, insulated boots with our feet in layers of socks, multiple pairs of gloves, scarves and hats. We even resort to hand and foot warmers on very cold days.

In winter weather, I always seem to have a pot of soup on the stove or a stew going in the crock pot. Nothing warms us up as well as a bowl of soup or stew. As an edible tummy heater, it warms us up from the inside out, making all of us very contented. After we come inside from the snow, it's the only thing that can tempt the kids away from their cuddle with the radiators.

This recipe is for Roast Chicken Soup with Roast Pumpkin and Sage Dumplings, comes from the Book of Soups by The Culinary Institute of America (2005). It was originally made with roast turkey and butternut squash, but I used the chicken and pumpkin that I had on hand. My modification to the recipe was to make the sage dumplings gluten free.

The Roast Chicken Soup has a deep and soothing flavor. Each spoonful is spiked with the richness of the bay leaves and the roasted pumpkin. The tender sage dumplings add a heady spiciness to the flavor of the broth, reminding me of the foods of Thanksgiving and Christmas. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the savory flavor of the soup. My son liked the soup, but it preferred it without the pumpkin and dumplings. My daughter didn't care for the soup at all. She feels that pumpkins belong in muffins and not in her soup. Plus the dumplings were too soft and not firm like noodles. She prefers the firmer texture of noodles. Since most of us enjoyed this soup so much, I'll definitely make this recipe again. The next time I make it, I'll set aside some roast chicken and vegetables for my daughter to eat.

Recipe

Soup

3 lb roasted chicken, skinned, boned and diced
3 qt chicken broth
1 large onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
5 - 6 whole black peppercorns
1 Tb dried parsley
1 large bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried thyme
Sea Salt, to taste
olive oil
2 cups fresh pumpkin, diced
Sea salt, to taste
Ground pepper, to taste
1 recipe Sage Dumplings

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat the bottom of a jellyroll pan with olive oil. Peal and seed a small pumpkin. Then dice the pumpkin and place it on the cookie pan. Turn the pumpkin over in the oil so that the sides get covered. Make sure all the pumpkin pieces are in a single layer on the pan.

2. Place the pan into the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn the pumpkin over. Return the pan to the oven and continue to bake for another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool.

2. In a Dutch oven, pour in the chicken broth and put on medium heat. Dump in the chicken, onion, carrot, celery and peppercorns, parsley, bay leaf, thyme and sea salt. Allow to simmer for about 1 hour.

3. To serve, ladle the soup in to warm bowls and then top with roasted pumpkin and sage dumplings.


Sage Dumplings

1 1/4 lb yellow sweet potatoes
1/3 cup corn flour
1/3 cup brown rice flour
1 1/2 Tb arrowroot starch
2 tsp chia seed meal*
1 Tb sea salt
1 tsp dried sage
1 egg, beaten
1 Tb olive oil


1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Then coat the bottom of a baking dish with olive oil.

2. In a large bowl, pour in some cold water and some lemon juice. Peel the sweet potatoes, as you finish peeling each one place it in the acidic water. When you are ready to dice the sweet potatoes, remove them one at a time to cut them. This will keep the sweet potatoes from turning dark. Dump the diced sweet potato in the baking dish.

3. Place the sweet potatoes in the oven and bake for approximately 40 minutes or until tender.

4. When the sweet potatoes are done, remove them from the oven to cool. Dump the sweet potatoes into a large mixing bowl and mash them.

5. In a medium bowl, dump in the flours, salt, sage and chia seed meal. Stir together.

6. Add the flour mixture to the sweet potatoes mash and stir together. Plop in the beaten egg and olive oil and continue to stir together. When you are finished stirring the mixture will be soft.

7. Put the sweet potato mixture into a pastry bag and pipe out 1 inch tubes onto parchment paper.

8. Pour water into a large skillet until it is at least 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep. Then add about 2 teaspoons of sea salt to the water and stir. Bring the water to a boil.

9. Using a fork or a small spatula, ease the dumpling dough off the parchment paper and add to the water. Cook until they begin to float in the water, approximately 90 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, remove the dumplings and place on a jellyroll pan to drain. Serve with the soup. Cook's Notes: It will take a little while to cook all the dumplings. I cooked enough to serve with dinner and then finished the rest after our meal was over. You can cook the dumplings the day before. Then store them in an air tight container in the refrigerator.


* I purchased my chia seed from Native Seeds/SEARCH. Then ground the seeds in a coffee grinder that is dedicated to grinding spices and flours. (Note: One local organic grocery store, Mrs. Green's, sells chia seeds from Shiloh Farms.)

Pumpkin Leek Soup - Gluten Free

The leaves have begun to change and are showering the landscape with their bright colors. Pumpkins are covering the ground all around the vegetable market along with yellow, orange and burgundy Chrysanthemums. The Fall vegetables are arriving at the market, leeks, spinach, and squashes. With Fall all around me and my chilly toes talking to me, I wanted to make a warm hearty soup for my family to enjoy.

I had brought home a number of leeks as they have a delicate and sweeter flavor than onions. Leeks have manganese, Vitamin C, iron, folate, Vitamin B6 and very few calories. Leeks can be used a wide variety of ways from chips, soup or tarts.

Leeks are relatively new to the Americas where they were only in use by 1775 by both the colonists and natives, but they have been used throughout history. There is evidence from tomb paintings that the ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians cooked with them. Notably, they were a favorite of the Emperor Nero, who liked them in his soup and ate so many he became known as Porrophagus or leek eater. They are so beloved by the people of Wales that they are one of their national emblems.

To prepare your leeks, trim away the wilted or damaged leaves from the outside. Trim away the tops of the leaves. Then cut the leek in half beginning at the end of the white part and going all the way to the end of the leaves. Next, turn the leek over and repeat the last step so that the green leaves are cut into quarters. Fan out the leaves and wash the leek under running water to remove the dirt. After chopping the leek you may find dirt in between the white layers. Place the chopped leeks in a colander and rinse well to remove the dirt. If you would like to see how this is done, visit Jacques Pepin's website for a video on how to clean leeks.

I made the Pumpkin Leek Soup recipe from Colavita, but I needed to make a couple of adjustments for time and personal flavor preferences. This is a robust soup, filled with the flavors of leeks, pumpkin and spices. I served it with warm gluten free rolls and a light salad of mixed baby greens. It was a delightful meal to sit down to on a cool fall evening.

Recipe

1 Tb butter
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 medium leek chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 Tb dry white wine
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground sage
pinch rosemary leaves
1 Tb chopped pecans

1. In a skillet, saute the chopped leek in the butter and olive oil until they have softened. Pour in 1 cup of the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and allow the leeks to cook for about 10 minutes.

2. In a stock pot, pour in the rest of the ingredients and the leek broth mixture. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Garnish with chopped pecans and serve warm.

What did my family think? My children weren't fond of the flavor of the soup, as they didn't like the spices. My husband and I thought it was warm and delightful.

Agave Pumpkin Muffins

Since my family has type II diabetes I have been following a diet lower on the Glycemic index for several years. However, over the last six months I have begun to have episodes of reactive hypoglycemia due to my hypothyroid condition. This has meant I have needed to work on lowering the Glycemic index of the foods I eat, once again.

I have been altering my family's favorite recipes, replacing the sugar with agave syrup, because it is lower on the Glycemic index. One of the first recipes I chose to work on was pumpkin muffins, because my children adore them. I topped some of them with pine nuts and pumpkin seeds that my husband and I thoroughly and enjoyed.

Recipe

1/3 cup vegetable shortening
3/4 cup agave syrup
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup pumpkin (fresh or canned)
2/3 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup chestnut flour
1/3 cup arrowroot starch
1/3 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cloves or nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup water
1 1/2 tsp kudzu/kuzu powder (dissolved in water)
Optional: 1/2 cup chopped pecans, pine nuts or pumpkin seeds

Servings: 14 muffins

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and place 12 silicone muffin cups on a cookie sheet.

2. In a mixing bowl, dump in the vegetable shortening and cream it on medium speed. Pour in the agave syrup and mix.

4. Dump in the pumpkin and eggs, then beat on medium speed.

5. Slowly add the flours, baking powder, soda, spices, salt and water with kudzu dissolved in it. Mix on low speed just until blended. Pour batter into silicone cups.

6. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

What did my family think about pumpkin muffins made with agave syrup? My family thought they were delicious and ate them up in a few days. I thought they were fabulous and they didn't bother my reactive hypoglycemia at all.

Mesquite Pumpkin Bread - Gluten Free

With Christmas only a few days away, I wanted to have some nice gluten-free sweet batter breads around the house for breakfast. Pumpkin Bread is a family favorite and I had a can of organic pumpkin, so the decision was made. Next step was trying to figure out which flours to use in the recipe. While I was contemplating what flours I had in the pantry, I remembered my bag of mesquite flour and realized that the light caramel-like of mesquite would go beautifully with pumpkin.

The basic wheat version of this recipe for Mesquite Pumpkin Bread comes from a church cook book that belonged to my mother. Her dear friend shared this recipe with their church community and now I'll share it with you.

Mesquite Pumpkin Bread

1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin (fresh or canned)
2/3 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup mesquite flour
1/3 cup oat flour
1/3 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup water with 1 1/2 tsp kuzu powder dissolved in it
Optional: 1/2 cup nuts

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a bread pan with parchment paper. Cream the shortening with the sugar. Then add the eggs and pumpkin. Slowly add the dry ingredients. Bake for 1 hour. Remove and cover with aluminum foil. Return to the oven and bake until a stick comes out clean. Approximately 90 to 120 minutes total baking time for one loaf. Allow to cool before cutting.

Alternative: Divide dough into two parchment paper lined bread pans. Bake at 325 degrees until a test stick or toothpick comes out clean. Approximately 1 hour. (Note: I would make this recipe as two loaves rather than one. It takes a long time for the one loaf version to bake all the way through.)

The bread turned out a warm shade of dark caramel and smelled divine. Just the aroma brought back so many memories of pumpkin pie and holidays. I had just set the bread to cool on the counter, when in comes my son looking for snackage. "Ohhhhhhh," he says when he spies the bread, "I want that for my snack." Out comes the bread knife (actually a cake fork might work better) and away I went fixing up servings for my salivating critics.

The family critics voted this recipe as yummy, to be repeated, and there won't be enough to have for Christmas morning. Not to worry, I told my daughter I'll make some more. By the way, mesquite flour and pumpkin are very good together. Now, where's the cream cheese.....