The statement that anyone can cook often feels like a complete hoax, particularly when it comes to baking. I’m no novice in the kitchen and I’ll easily whip up a tasty meal, but when it comes to baked goods I quake in my shoes.
Getting a cookie mixture to the perfect consistency, and not a gloopy mess, or cooking a sponge cake in a way where it doesn’t feel like the Sahara in my mouth always feels like a Herculean task; one that I avoid at all costs. But, with the start of the New Year I thought it was high time that I put my deepest fear behind me and tackle baking head on. No more would I be a victim to a deflated souffle. No more would people mock me for being petrified of the sight of a rolling pin.
My weapon of choice for this dangerous and potentially disastrous endeavour, the KitchenAid Stand Mixer. It's a classic - sleek, elegant, and “so easy to use”, according to my masterchef home-cook mother. What could possibly go wrong?
Turns out, nothing. Despite the catastrophic mess - no, I do not wash dishes as I go - the following recipes were a complete success with the help of the KitchenAid Stand Mixer. Don’t get me wrong, the process wasn’t painless. There were moments where I truly wanted to throw everything out a window, except my trusty mixer. It never faltered, never failed.
Without further ado, my attempt at a couple of foolproof baking recipes:
Chocolate-Hazelnut Cookies (Makes about 2½ dozen)
Image: A little bigger and more disfigured than intended, but very tasty!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (115 g) blanched hazelnuts
- 3½ cups (440 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- ¾ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. ground ginger
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) raw sugar or granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) (packed) light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 42-oz. bittersweet chocolate bars, cut lengthwise into ¼"-thick sticks
- Flaky sea salt
Image: The chaos begins…I forgot to change the attachment so I started making the cookies with the dough hook. After a fistful of flour in my face I quickly realised my mistake…use the paddle attachment!
Preparation
Step 1
Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 150°. Toast hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet on upper rack, tossing halfway through, until golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Let cool slightly, then chop very coarsely; set aside. Increase oven temperature to 180°.
Step 2
Whisk flour, kosher salt, baking powder, baking soda, and ginger in a large bowl to combine. Beat butter, granulated sugar, raw sugar, and brown sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally, until pale and fluffy, 5–7 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-high and add eggs, one at a time, increasing speed to high after each addition to fully incorporate and stopping periodically to scrape down sides of bowl. Add honey and vanilla and beat just to combine. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients; beat until combined. Add chocolate and reserved nuts and beat just until incorporated.
Step 3
Scoop dough into 1½-oz. portions (about 3 Tbsp.); roll into balls (if the batter feels loose or sticky, chill 30 minutes). Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill until firm, at least 2 hours.
Step 4
Arrange chilled cookies on 2 fresh parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2" apart; you should be able to fit about 12 cookies on each. Sprinkle cookies with sea salt. Bake, rotating top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until bottoms and edges are golden brown, 12–15 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets. Place a fresh sheet of parchment on 1 baking sheet and repeat process with remaining balls of dough.
Note: Dough can be made 1 month ahead. Transfer chilled balls to resealable freezer bags and freeze. Bake from frozen.
Pull-Apart Potato Rolls (Makes 18 Servings)
Image: Watching the dough swirl around was highly satisfying.
Ingredients
- 1 medium Yukon Gold potato (about 6 ounces), scrubbed
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for brushing
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ¼-ounce envelopes active dry yeast (about 4½ teaspoons)
- 3 (heaping) tablespoons sugar
- 2 large eggs, beaten to blend
- 1 large egg yolk, beaten to blend
- 2 ⅔ cups (or more) bread flour
- 1 tablespoon flaky sea salt, plus more
- Vegetable oil (for surface)
Preparation
Step 1
Boil potato in a small saucepan of boiling water (no need to add salt) until a paring knife passes through flesh with no resistance, 30–40 minutes; drain. When cool enough to handle, pass through ricer into a small bowl (peel won’t go through; discard).
Step 2
Mix milk and ¾ cup riced potato in the bowl of your KitchenAid Stand Mixer with whisk attachment until no lumps remain. Add ½ cup butter and mix until incorporated. Switch to dough hook. Add all-purpose flour, yeast, and sugar and mix on medium speed, scraping bottom and sides of bowl as needed, until a very wet, sticky dough forms, about 2 minutes.
Step 3
Let dough rise, uncovered, in a warm spot, 30 minutes (it will have puffed slightly).
Step 4
Add eggs, egg yolk, 2⅔ cups bread flour, and 1 Tbsp. salt and mix on medium-high, adding more bread flour if needed, until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Brush surface of dough with butter, cover, and let rise in a warm spot 30 minutes (dough should rise 1½ times its initial size).
Step 5
Turn out dough onto a lightly oiled surface and divide into 18 pieces; roll each into a ball using your palm. Brush a 13x9" baking dish with butter and place balls side by side in dish (rolls will be touching). Brush tops with more butter. Let sit, uncovered, in a warm spot 1 hour.
Step 6
Preheat oven to 200°. Brush dough again with butter and sprinkle with salt. Bake rolls until deep golden brown, 15–20 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack and let rolls cool in dish 10 minutes. Turn out rolls onto rack and let cool 30 minutes before serving.
Image: I have to say, I am pretty proud of this one! They’re so golden and fluffy!
For more recipes visit: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/collections/slideshow/kitchenaid-recipes-stand-mixer
Anna Faber