Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Jan 31, 2012, 9:42 am
... (there are always the old favorites that my family requests over ... what happened with this yeast bread. Highlighting oats, a little flax ... measurement alterations to some of the other ingredients while customizing some ... did. Hearty Oatmeal Bread with Walnuts and Sweet Dried Cherrie...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Jan 24, 2012, 2:54 pm
... on medium speed; beat for approximately 5 minutes, until fluffy; stop to scrape as needed. Add in the eggs one at a time, ... process. Mix each addition only until incorporated, pausing between additions to scrape the bowl and beaters. Carefully spoon the batter into the pan; ... edges and,...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Jan 12, 2012, 12:29 pm
There are, quite apparently, many things that traditional Amish cooks have pretty much mastered. Among their talents are the production of exceptionally tasty baked goods. These tender rolls, fragrant with dried dill, are a case in point. The inspiration for this recipe, which I customized partly ou...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Jan 6, 2012, 9:16 pm
So many changes have occurred here over the last year--some of them joyous, some kind of bittersweet, some blatantly sad. My first child graduated from high school and bravely headed off to college. My sweet old dad passed away in September, as did my extraordinary mother-in-law on Christmas day (a ...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Dec 20, 2011, 8:51 am
Well, the tree's finally up and twinkling away, as are the Christmas lights outside. I baked what felt like twelve thousand cookies last week, and still have tons of dough leftover in case more(!) are needed. So, yes, progress is evident around here. But I haven't yet wrapped a single gift, nor hav...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Dec 9, 2011, 10:22 pm
The Christmas-cookie baking marathon that so many of us home bakers annually embark upon has its charms but, for me at least, those charms always seem to be counterbalanced by the problem of narrowing down all the potential cookie choices. How do we please everyone when each family member has his or...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Dec 5, 2011, 2:09 pm
I don't know about you, but carrot cake sure seems like a distinctly American dessert to me. Despite the fact that carrots have for centuries been used in just about every conceivable culinary form, I want to believe that the modern carrot layer cake, blanketed in cream cheese frosting, stands tall ...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Nov 29, 2011, 9:11 am
I have, for weeks now, been in the throes of cleaning out my late parents' house in preparation for putting it on the market. I'm finally very close to being done, and I look forward to having more free time for holiday baking before Christmas is upon us. When you're sorting through the household mi...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Nov 13, 2011, 8:30 am
My husband walked into the kitchen, spotted this newly baked item on the kitchen counter, and asked the question I'd been anticipating. Him: "What kind of bundt cake is that?" Me: "Um, well, actually it's not a bundt cake. It's called Swedish batter bread, with cinnamon and dried cranberries. It's ...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Oct 27, 2011, 4:44 pm
... bake one thing from it (but why would you not?), it's pretty enough to live on your coffee table. For these muffins, I followed Levine's basic recipe but decided to omit the raisins and sunflower ... call for pastry flour, which can be tricky to find though I see it with increasing frequency i...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Oct 18, 2011, 8:34 am
A few days ago, as I sat in the same spot where I am now, windows open and the cool autumn air breezing in, I could hear my younger son's high school marching band practicing in the distance. They were already outside the school at 8 a.m., their band class well underway, polishing things up for ...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Oct 1, 2011, 11:52 am
... salt. I added a mixture of superfine- and light brown sugars to lightly ... using a very small amount of superfine alone. We served this with a ... Tbsp. unsalted butter 1/4 cup superfine sugar 1/3 cup light ... amp; half, or cream 2 Tbsp. superfine sugar Peel and core all ... heat and ...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Sep 28, 2011, 4:11 pm
Just wanted to let you know that the lucky winner of A Baker's Field Guide--the four volume set--is Mary/Kit Redmond! Mary confessed in her comment that her favorite cookie is a fabulous chocolate espresso shortbread. Sounds divine to me! To collect your prize, Mary, please email me at janessweets@...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Sep 23, 2011, 12:17 pm
Will the real buckeye please stand up? Because I wouldn't want to accidentally bite into the kind of buckeye that grows on a tree in Ohio. What I would want to bite into is the kind of buckeye that's peanut butter filled, dipped in chocolate, and plopped into chocolate chip cookie dough that's been ...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Sep 14, 2011, 5:14 pm
... the Buckwheat character of Little Rascals fame, the common buckwheat plant, also known ... American pancake continuum, these lean toward the healthier side of town, but ... flavor and pleasing texture. Drizzle even the tiniest amount of honey over ... something wonderful with which to sta...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Sep 10, 2011, 9:10 pm
Maybe you saw from my previous post that my father passed away recently? I mention this again only because, while he was ill over the latter half of the summer, my urge to bake just about completely fizzled. It was kind of like my inner pilot-light temporarily flickered out. I had other things on my...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Sep 2, 2011, 1:23 pm
You may have noticed I haven't been posting as much as usual this summer, and there's been a good reason for that. My dad, whom we affectionately called Grandpa John, passed away yesterday morning at the ripe old age of 83 after a steep decline that began in July. I was spending some time with him e...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Aug 23, 2011, 12:10 pm
Some things were born to cohabit. They were just meant to be together. Like Adam and Eve, like Ken and Barbie, these chewy butterscotch-almond cookies, partnered with homemade butterscotch pudding,  produce perfect harmony. I'm crazy about their complex flavor and just-right-to-bite texture. Along...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Aug 9, 2011, 8:26 pm
Given that I've been cozying up to the delicate sweetness of spelt flour lately, I thought it was high time to post another recipe that makes use of it. (My maiden voyage with spelt can be found here, in case you're interested.) Though spelt flour is made from the whole grain, it bears only slight r...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Jul 29, 2011, 11:15 am
As a kid, the only upside-down cake I ever encountered was the classic pineapple ring and maraschino cherry model. I couldn't stand the stuff. As I recall, my dad adored it. He was the only one in the family who showed unfettered interest. Not even my mom, devoted dessert lover that she was, could b...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Jul 16, 2011, 8:57 pm
I have to believe that humans had a harder time enduring summer before the advent of ice cream. I mean, come on, how did those cavemen get along on the steamiest days with all that excess hair, no air conditioning, and--worse yet--no ice cream whatsoever?? It must have been hellish. Yes, the presen...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Jul 4, 2011, 4:16 pm
I wasn't sure just how I was going to feel about these scones, never having used spelt before, but I'm  pleased to report that they exceeded all of my expectations. Strange word, spelt. What the heck is it anyway? Sounds like something you'd find piled on the ground in a greenhouse, doesn't it? "Ju...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Jun 30, 2011, 9:34 pm
Well, my Pastry II class is finally over, and I'm done with schoolwork until September. Boy, have I been craving the mellower pace of summer. To say I'm grateful for its arrival might just be the understatement of the year. I'm looking forward to pondering all that we did in class over the last eigh...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Jun 24, 2011, 2:38 pm
You know that saying about money burning a hole in your pocket? When you're dying to spend it because, well, it's there? That's how I felt about a particularly precious jar of strawberry-champagne jam that I received recently for review from the East India Company. I could hardly wait to try it. Yes...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Jun 8, 2011, 4:55 pm
It's the end of an era and the birth of a new one. That's how it feels around here since my oldest son, Charlie, graduated from high school a few days ago in a beautiful and moving commencement. I realized only that night, as the processional music began to play, that I had been half-consciously try...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - May 30, 2011, 11:24 am
Maybe this is too personal, but I just have to ask . . . Are you into cocoa (aka cacao) nibs? Because I am. And I love 'em. What are they, exactly? They're fragments of shelled, winnowed, roasted cacao (pronounced kuh-KOW) beans, the precious beans that bring us chocolate. Okay, big deal, you say. S...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - May 25, 2011, 9:36 pm
Sometimes we try to do extraordinary or unusual things in my Pastry II class. Sometimes we succeed. Other times, not so much. Yesterday was one of the good days. We made these delicate swans and I just wanted to share mine with you guys. The swan's body is made from blown sugar; the wings, feathers...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - May 21, 2011, 7:31 pm
One of the most pungently tasty items I've learned to make in the last year or two, hands down, is fruit curd. Fruit curd is a rich substance, cooked on the stove with with egg yolks and butter, and can be used in much the same ways you'd use a really good jam. We make it now and then in pastry cl...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - May 14, 2011, 11:14 am
I knew there'd be trouble when I read that line of the recipe instructions--the one suggesting that the cake could be turned out of the bundt pan within 2 minutes of taking it out of the oven. What? All of my past experience warned that, for me at least, doing such a thing would be delusional at bes...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - May 6, 2011, 9:59 pm
I am psyching up to begin another pastry class next week. This one, Pastry II, goes until the very end of June. So, besides readying my psyche, there are a number of other things I need to prepare in order to launch quickly from the house come 6:30 a.m. on Monday morning. The supplies alone can requ...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Apr 29, 2011, 11:18 am
  "Life is like an onion: You peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep." -- Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) This time of year, is there anything lovelier than a lustrous and golden Vidalia onion? The moist heft and smooth skin of the typical one-pounder naturally appeals to us. It's fres...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Apr 21, 2011, 9:28 pm
Dear Chocolate Bunny, Your appeal is undeniable. No question about it. You've shown up faithfully, year after year, in Easter baskets across the continent. Though your crinkly pastel foil is often askew, you'll always be a snappy dresser in our eyes. We love you, it's true. But, this year,  we're o...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Apr 13, 2011, 9:35 am
You know that concept of the bucket list? The list of things you feel you simply must do before you cash in your chips? Well, last week my list got slightly shorter. Finally, for the first time in my life, I visited New York City. Along with my husband and sons, we spent five days immersed in all it...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Apr 1, 2011, 5:44 pm
"Flower" seems to be the operative word lately. The signs are everywhere. Daffodils rushing toward readiness,  dusky tulips shooting up against all odds, giant stalks of allium gaining height at a spectacular pace, tiny crocuses about to burst open in the grass. Not a thing is in bloom yet, but the...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Mar 26, 2011, 4:03 pm
Just wanted to announce the winner of Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal's very first giveaway. The lucky recipient of the HSN gift certificate and a copy of The Sweet Melissa Baking Book is commenter Elizabeth Simpson! Congrats, Elizabeth! Please email janessweets@gmail.com and provide me with your con...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Mar 25, 2011, 10:06 am
My younger son, Nathan, has a ukulele. He procured it with his own money just after Christmas, and he's been teaching himself to play. The instrument's maker is a company called Lanikai, and their slogan is, "Lanikai . . . Makes Me Happy!" (Click that if you want to hear their perky little ditty.) T...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Mar 22, 2011, 10:32 am
This, fellow bakers, is the very first time I've ever done a giveaway, and I've been blogging now for almost two years. I long resisted climbing onto the giveaway bandwagon, despite having been approached to do this kind of thing a few times in the past. Maybe I'm mellowing, though, because when I r...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Mar 20, 2011, 7:27 pm
Perhaps you're familiar with Julia Child's statement about messiness? Essentially, she said that you'll never learn to be a good cook if you're constantly worried about making a mess. I believe that's sound advice, at least as it pertains to one's very own kitchen. It's advice that helps to free me...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Mar 12, 2011, 9:23 am
A while ago my older son Charlie asked me if I'd bake the big cake for his swim team's end-of-year banquet and I agreed. The banquet's being held early next week, so I need to get cracking. It's been a blast watching that kid swim in high school and, since he graduates this year, I will miss it. For...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Mar 4, 2011, 12:30 pm
Some things in life are debatable and always will be--politics, religion, how the Detroit Tigers will do in the upcoming season (anyone's guess, yet our affection for them never wanes), but one thing is certain: If you want really good French toast, you have to start with fantastic bread. There's a...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Feb 28, 2011, 3:07 pm
Despite the fact that I completely missed World Nutella Day on February 5th, I figure better late than never, right? I must have been sequestered in a remarkably secluded cave, or just not paying any attention that day to current baking-and-blogging events, because I heard nothing about it until ...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Feb 18, 2011, 10:42 am
What I choose to bake on any given day usually depends on four things: how much time I have; which ingredients are already in my cupboard; what I'm in the mood to prepare; and, whether or not my family members are likely to show enthusiasm for the dish I'm contemplating. Even with those limiting fac...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Feb 11, 2011, 1:25 pm
I don't mean to shock you, but we're not going to talk about bad weather. We're not going to rant about ice and snow. Nope, we're going to pretend it's a pleasant 80 degrees. You know the phrase "willing suspension of disbelief," right? Well, that's what will be required of us. So put on those rose-...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Feb 3, 2011, 2:55 pm
Wonder of wonders! A snow day that came complete with prior notice. I don't believe that's ever happened around here before. Days like that are such a nice respite, dropping into our laps like found money, no strings attached. They quiet the world down. No school for anyone, not even me! So, inste...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Jan 25, 2011, 5:13 pm
Winter rages on and it's a frosty world out there. The sort of world that calls for big pots of chili, simmering endlessly on the stove, and shiny pans of homemade corn bread puffing up in the oven. Last weekend, that scenario described my kitchen to a T. For a lunch meeting to be held at my church...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Jan 15, 2011, 2:12 pm
Some fisherman live by a little motto associated with an acronym that you may have heard. They call it "CPR" and it stands for "catch, photograph, and release." If you're a food blogger who focuses on baked goods and desserts you probably already know full well that some of the items you'll make wil...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Jan 8, 2011, 6:03 pm
This seems to be the time of year for lists. Lists of what we'd like to change, what we want to try, lists of last year's best and worst--you name it, someone's got a list for it. I had a list of bread and pastry items I wanted to make, along with a list of unusual ingredients I wanted try, and ...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Jan 4, 2011, 2:05 pm
In a humble effort to detoxify after the holiday onslaught of rich and sugary foods, it's not always easy to go cold turkey. If you're fully aware of the need to lay off heavy duty sweets and treats for a while, but you find it challenging to just back away from that lone tin of leftover Christmas c...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Dec 31, 2010, 9:32 pm
The New Year will arrive in just a few hours, so what better time than the present to do a quick recap of Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal's 2010 highlights? It was indeed a sweet, tasty, and memorable year. Here's a little sampling of one item from each month . . . these were among my personal fa...
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Jane M. posted an article on Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal - Dec 17, 2010, 12:00 pm
It's a good thing that the level and intensity of baking that occurs in preparation for Dec. 25th happens only once a year. Despite our love for all-things-baking, we also love being able to fasten the top button of our pants--am I right? That's just one of the reasons why homemade rugelach happens...
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