There will be pictures of beautiful croissants and croissants that may not be so pretty, but all the pastries would have been made by people, both professional bakers and home cooks alike, with a genuine interest to do their best.
These are the Daring Bakers – a fiercely proud group of women and men who meet online to take on baking challenges. On the 1st of each month, a host announces a dish to make, providing a precise recipe, substitutes, and suggestions for variations. Daring Bakers are asked to make mandatory items, but members often have their own versions of the dish which makes the challenge all the more enjoyable as it’s a chance to show off their creativity.
Members with blogs post about their attempt on the 27th of that month. The September 2011 challenge is to make croissants and that’s why we may see more of these flaky French pastries tomorrow.
The Daring Bakers (thedaringkitchen.com) have been around since 2006. Friends Lisa Cifelli and Ivonne Mellozzi (one lives in the US, the other in Canada) decided to bake pretzels for the very first time using the same recipe, and blogged about it later. The following month, they tried it again with biscotti, and brought in a few more bloggers.
Their baking group started to grow and finally turned into The Daring Bakers. The idea spread and today, the group has over 2,500 members from around the world. A sister group, The Daring Cooks, was formed in 2009 as a way to learn how to become better home cooks.
Soon after the announcement of a dish, the Daring Bakers forum starts buzzing, with members talking about what their variation will be or asking about things they are unfamiliar with. Anyone who finds themselves stuck at anytime need only raise a question and there will be no shortage of help from experienced members. Because it’s a live online forum, someone may respond immediately (and it won’t be restricted to 140-character sentences – there’ll be an answer, and then some!).
Having access to tips from all over the world is one of the best things about the Daring Bakers. There’s much to learn from the online “tutorials”, which are pragmatic because they come from fellow home cooks as well as enthusiasts who understand the obstacles faced by someone without access to professional equipment or ingredients.
I have been a Daring Baker since April last year and have taken part in 16 challenges, including the croissants. I’ve made items that I had never heard of (chocolate marquise); attempted things that I would never dream of doing (baked Alaska – have you tried putting ice cream in a hot oven?) and learned many interesting techniques (tempering chocolate to give it a gloss and crisp snap; and weaving bacon cups to fill with maple syrup mousse, a Québécois specialty).
There are things I will never try making again (filo pastry – too much trouble when store-bought is easier to use), while some recipes (sugar cookies; pastry cream; crostata) are keepers.
The suet pudding from April 2010 was the first challenge I took part in and I wanted to make buttermilk doughnuts (October 2010) simply because they’re a great snack.
While members need to be serious about taking part (at least in eight of the 12 challenges every year), it’s the spirit that counts. The Daring Bakers may only meet online but there’s no doubt that many have become good friends.
Now that the croissants are done, I say bring on the next one. I’ve no idea what it’ll be, but I know it will be another interesting dish.
Marty documents the Daring Bakers’ challenges at martythyme.blogspot.com
Review is a regular column in the Don’t Call Me Chef recipe series, co-produced by Hungry Caterpillar, Marty Thyme and Veggie Chick. The column looks at cookery-related items like cookbooks, gadgets and online recipe resources.
Steamed Ginger Suet Pudding
Serves 6
100g all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1½ tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
100g breadcrumbs
75g caster sugar
75g shredded suet or suet substitute (eg. vegetable shortening or lard)
70g candied ginger, chopped medium fine
1 medium egg
6-8 tbsp cold milk
Method
Butter six fluted moulds or small ramekins well. Cut out pieces of aluminium foil larger than the top of the containers and make a pleat in them; butter them well. Get a steamer ready.
Sift flour, salt, baking powder and powdered ginger into bowl. Add breadcrumbs, sugar, suet and candied ginger.
Beat egg and 6 tbsp milk together and add to the dry ingredients; mix to a soft batter. If the mixture is too dry, add the extra milk.
Spoon into the moulds and cover securely with the foil. Steam steadily until puddings are cooked, 40-50 minutes.
Serve warm with sweet sauce to taste such as custard, caramel or a sweetened fruit sauce.
Buttermilk Cake Doughnuts
Makes 12 (7cm) doughnuts and 12 doughnut holes
90ml milk
2 tbsp white vinegar
270g all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground allspice
2 tbsp vegetable shortening
90g caster sugar
1 medium egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
Icing sugar
Method
To make the buttermilk, combine the milk and vinegar and set aside for 10 minutes; it will curdle and thicken.
Sift flour, baking power, baking soda, salt and allspice together.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the shortening and sugar together. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
Stir in the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately in three batches and mix to a soft dough (you may not need to use all the buttermilk). Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1-6 hours.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1cm thick. Cut out 7cm rounds using a doughnut cutter or with a round biscuit cutter and a smaller one for the hole.
Pour about 6cm of oil into a medium saucepan and heat until shimmering (a deep-fry thermometer will show 190°C). Fry doughnuts and holes until golden, 20-30 seconds on each side. Remove from oil onto a plate lined with kitchen paper. Roll in icing sugar.
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