Creme Brulee

 

Easy Crème Brûlée

★★★★★4.8 from 86 reviews

• Author: Sally
 
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
 
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
 
• Total Time: 4 hours, 50 minutes
• Yield: serves 8

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This is the BEST and creamiest crème brûlée recipe! Flecked with espresso and vanilla, you only need 6 simple ingredients and they’re ready to bake in only 15 minutes.

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Ingredients

• 5 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup (150g) granulated sugar, divided ( lessen Original 3/4)
• 3 cups (720ml) heavy cream or heavy whipping cream*
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract*

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C).
2. Whisk the egg yolks and 1/2 cup (100g) of granulated sugar together. Set aside. (At this point or before you temper the egg yolks in the next step, bring a small kettle or pot of water to a boil. You’ll need hot water to pour into the baking sheet for the water bath.)
3. Heat the heavy cream, espresso powder, and salt together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. As soon as it begins to simmer, remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla extract. Remove about 1/2 cup of warm heavy cream and, in a slow and steady stream, whisk into the egg yolks. Keep those egg yolks moving so they don’t scramble. In a slow and steady stream, pour and whisk the egg yolk mixture into the warm heavy cream.
4. Place ramekins in a large baking pan. If you don’t have 1 pan large enough, bake them in a couple pans. Divide custard between each ramekin, filling to the top. Carefully fill the pan with about a 1/2 inch of the hot water. The baking pan will be hot so use an oven mitt to carefully transfer the pan to the oven.
5. Bake until the edges are set and centers are a little jiggly. The time depends on the depth of your ramekins. My ramekins are 1-inch and the custard takes 35 minutes. Begin checking them at 30 minutes. For a more accurate sign, they’re done when an instant read thermometerregisters 170°F (77°C).
6. Remove pan from the oven and, using an oven mitt, remove the ramekins from the pan. Place on a wire rack to cool for at least 1 hour. Place in the refrigerator, loosely covered, and chill for at least 4 hours and up to 2 days before topping.
7. Using the remaining granulated sugar, sprinkle a thin layer all over the surface of the chilled custards. Caramelize the sugar with a kitchen torch and serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 1 hour before serving. (Caramelized topping is best enjoyed right away.)

Homemade Pizza Dough

 

Homemade Pizza Dough

A super easy recipe for Homemade Pizza Dough, with all the tips and tricks you need to get a seriously flavorful crust on your pizza! This recipe is quick to make, with just a 20 minute rise (or an optional longer rise). I'll show you how to make it step by step!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes

Resting Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes

Servings 8 (makes 2 12-inch pizzas)

Calories 275kcal

Author Karen

Ingredients

• 1 & 1/2 cups warm water between 105-110 degrees F
• 2 & 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast this is one 1/4 ounce packet
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 & 3/4 cups Bread flour, OR All-Purpose Flour, OR half Bread Flour and half "00" flour*spooned and leveled, plus more, see notes

Instructions

• Add 1 and 1/2 cups warm water to a large bowl or stand mixer. The temperature should be like nice bath water: not so hot that you can't hold your finger in it comfortably. I like to check with my wrist, it is more honest than fingers when it comes to temperature.
• Add 2 and 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar to the water. Wait about 3 minutes until you see bubbles forming. It should look slightly foamy. If no change has happened, you have killed your yeast. Murderer! Dump it and start over. 
• OPTIONAL SPONGE STEP: You can skip this. I promise. But it sure tastes good to let your yeast ferment a little while. Here's how to do it: Add 1 cup of flour to your bowl of water, yeast, and sugar, and stir together. You don't need to get all the lumps out. Let rest uncovered on the countertop for 30 minutes, or up to 3 hours. It will foam and sponge and get all lovely and fermenty. Mmmm.

  After it has rested, continue with adding the remaining ingredients called for in the recipe (2 teaspoons kosher salt, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 and 3/4 cups flour added one cup at a time). Because that first cup of flour had a long time to absorb the water while it sat, it is likely that you will need to add an extra few tablespoons of flour to get your dough workable. Remember, don't overdo it. Stiff dough=tough pizza crust. You want a nice, softy, slightly sticky dough. Continue with step 5.
• STRAIGHT METHOD: Follow these instructions if you are skipping the Sponge step.Once you have added you yeast, warm water, and sugar to a bowl and you know for sure it's not dead (should be bubbly), add 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 3 tablespoons olive oil, and 3 and 3/4 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. 
• Once all your flour is incorporated into your dough**, it's time to knead for 5 minutes. You can do this by hand on a flour-dusted countertop (in which case you should knead more like 7 minutes), or using the dough hook on a stand mixer. The dough should be smooth, elastic, slightly sticky, and soft. If after a couple minutes of kneading, the dough has not come together in a ball (still sticking to the sides of the bowl) then it's time to add a bit more flour. See notes for more details. 
• Shape your dough into a ball and place in a large greased bowl, turning over once so the top of the dough is greased. Sometimes I cheat and just leave it in the bowl I kneaded it in, but know that it will stick to the sides (often I just lift up the dough, spray the bowl with nonstick spray, and set it back down. Spray the top of the dough too so it doesn't dry out.) You just need a nice spot for the dough to rise.
• Cover the bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place. I like to turn my oven on to 350 for about 45 seconds, then turn the oven off. This creates a nice warm environment for rising dough. If the oven racks are too hot to touch with your fingers, the oven got too hot, wait until it has cooled to put your covered dough in. (Make sure you remove dough before preheating your oven for pizza baking!!)
• Rising time: This is totally up to you. 20-30 minutes is the minimum if you are in a rush. (I do it all the time.) You can rise 1 hour. Or 2 hours if you want. You can let it rise 4 hours, or 8 hours, coming back every 2 hours or so to punch it down. The longer you wait, the more flavorful and textured your crust will be. See below for overnight instructions. 
• Once your dough has risen, punch it down and separate into two balls to make two 12-inch pizzas. (Separate the dough in 3 balls if you like super thin crust!) Place each ball on a greased or floured surface and let rest, covered with a tea towel or plastic wrap, for another 5-20 minutes, whatever you have time for.
• Deflate each ball with your hands. Your pizza dough is ready to go! Here is my Easy Pizza Sauce Recipe, as well as my Homemade Pizza Recipe, with all the instructions you need for rolling out the dough and baking. That recipe picks up right where this one left off: it has all my rolling-out and baking instructions, plus so many tips.
• Overnight instructions: Place the kneaded dough (no need to rise first) in a large covered bowl or a gallon ziplock that is well sealed. Let rest overnight in the refrigerator. Punch down and let the dough rest at room temperature for at least 1-2 hours before rolling out. 
• Freezer instructions: Separate the dough into 2 balls (for faster thawing). Place the kneaded dough (no need to rise first) in 2 labeled ziplock bags and freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw on the counter or in the fridge. Once it is completely thaw, let rest at room temperature at least 1-2 hours before rolling out. (I've even tried the hack of putting the well-sealed bag of frozen dough in a bowl of warm water to speed up thawing. Works great. Just make sure once it's completely thaw, you give it plenty of time to rest/rise.) 

Notes

*A note about the type of flour you use in your pizza dough: flour is the most important ingredient for achieving the taste you want. All purpose flour will totally work in this recipe.Use the exact same amount, 3 and 3/4 cup. But I'm telling you, bread flour is better. It results in a more chewy crust. 

00 Flour: If you want an even more amazing crust, the kind that you only seem to be able to find at artisanal pizza places, use half Bread flour and half double zero (00) flour in this recipe. I usually use about 2 cups bread flour and 1 and 3/4 cup double zero flour. Here is a link to buy 00 flour online. You can use either flour in your Sponge, if you choose that method.

**A note about how much flour to add: this recipe calls for 3 and 3/4 cups flour, and that is the starting point I always use. It's possible you will need a bit more than this, depending on the kind of flour you are using (which has so many variables, including type of flour, what region you are buying your flour from, and the humidity levels that day). If you chose to do a Sponge rest, then you will probably need a couple extra tablespoons. Even if you didn't though, you still might need a bit more. Start by adding just a couple tablespoons at a time. Your finished dough (after kneading 5 minutes!) should be smooth, elastic, slightly sticky, and soft. See photos. It should not feel tough. When you grab a piece and stretch it out, it should stick to your fingers a bit and stretch. If it is dry and breaks after just a short pull, you've added too much flour.

ice-cream

 INGREDIENTS

·       7 egg yolks

·       3/4 cup granulated sugar

·       1/4 teaspoon salt

·       3 cups heavy cream

·       1 cup whole milk

·       1 tablespoon vanilla extract

US CUSTOMARY – METRIC

 INSTRUCTIONS

·       In the bowl of your stand mixer add the egg yolks, sugar, and salt. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed until pale yellow and light and airy. About 4-5 minutes.

·       In a large pan heat the cream and milk over low heat, stir occasionally. If you have an instant read thermometer the mixture will reach 155-160°F. If you don’t have a thermometer, the will be hot but not boiling! 

·       Turn the mixer to low and add the heated cream in a slow, steady, stream. Mix until thoroughly combined, about 3 minutes. 

·       Pour the cream/egg mixture back into the pan and heat over medium-low heat stirring constantly. Heat to 155-160°F. If you don’t have a thermometer heat until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon. It should NOT boil, however, a few bubbles may come up along the edges. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla. 

·       Set a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl. Pour the warm ice cream mixture into the bowl (through the fine mesh strainer)*

·       Cool the mixture over an ice bath, stirring every few minutes. After about 10-15 minutes place the mixture in the refrigerator until completely chilled.

·       Set up your ice cream machine according to the manufacturers directions. With the machine running, add the mixture in a slow steady stream. Churn according to the directions. 

·       Transfer the churned ice cream to an airtight container and place in the freezer for several hours to firm up. Serve with your choice in toppings!

 

gluten free burger bun

 

Gluten-Free Hamburger Buns

Enjoy the best, juicy burgers again with this easy gluten-free hamburger buns recipe! Soft, squishy burger buns taste even better than you remember with a hint of sweet, buttery flavor. Dairy-free option included. 

Course Bread, gluten free bread

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 12 buns

Calories 205kcal

Author Melissa Erdelac

Equipment

• Stand Mixer
• Cup 4 Cup Gluten Free Flour
• Food Scale

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cup warm water (110°F)
• 1 packet (2 ½ tsp) instant dry yeast
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• ¼ cup melted butter, cooled slightly
• 3 ¼ cup gluten free all purpose flour, I recommend Cup4Cup brand
• ⅓ cup + 1 tsp granulated sugar, divided
• ½ cup potato starch
• 2 tablespoons psyllium husk powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• egg wash: 1 egg mixed with 1 tbsp water
• (optional) sesame seeds, for topping

Instructions

• Before you begin mixing the dough, turn the oven to 200ºF. Once it reaches the temperature, turn it off. Line a baking sheet with greased parchment paper.
• Stir the yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar into the warm water. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add the eggs and butter to the yeast mixture.
• While the yeast sits, use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to combine the dry ingredients - flour, remaining sugar, potato starch, psyllium husk powder, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the yeast mixture and mix on low speed to combine.
• Once the dough comes together, increase to medium speed and beat for 6 minutes. The dough will be pretty stiff but still sticky. You may want to stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl once or twice.
• For an average sized burger bun, portion the dough into about 3 ounce portions. To do this easily, spray a ⅓ measuring cup with cooking spray and scoop out a little less. Place greased plastic wrap on top of a food scale. to measure precisely or use the scant ⅓ cup.
• Use additional cooking spray on your hands to roll the dough into a tight ball. The smoother the ball is the better, so the dough doesn't crack during baking, which doesn't affect taste, just appearance. Place on the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Flatten the dough balls to about 1 inch high. Cover loosely with a piece of plastic wrap and place in the warmed, turned off oven for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let sit at room temperature for 20 more minutes while the oven preheats to 375°F.
• Brush the top and sides with and egg wash and sprinkle on sesame seeds. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container or freezing.
• DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?? DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE FEEDBACK AND RATE BELOW!

Nutrition

Calories: 205kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 241mg | Potassium: 151mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 158IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 1mg