This week, we focused on fine-tuning our final presentation and reflecting on our project. Looking back on the last 12 weeks, it is an understatement to say it has gone quickly. We have learned a lot about baking and there is still so much more we do not know and can still learn. There are many valuable life skills we learned throughout this project such as time management and learning how to bake. Knowing how to cook is one of the most important life skills one can have, so to learn a little bit more about cooking is useful.
Throughout the course of the project, we have set several goals for ourselves. Those goals have ranged from easy, realistic, and stretch or ambitious goals. Our easy goals have included things like learning how to bake and baking one item per week. Besides one planning week, we succeeded in these easy goals. Additionally, we succeeded in our realistic goals which were to upload every blog post to fit the requirements and to bake two items in one week. Our stretch/ambitious goals posed a challenge for us. We did not succeed in these goals which were to host a bake sale at a farmers market and make 200 dollars for charity and to make 3 or more items in one week. Though we planned on achieving these goals, various factors rendered us unable to complete them. Due to how busy our lives were with school and sports, we were unable to find time to host a bake sale, let alone produce enough goods we would have needed for it. Additionally, we were unable to make 3 or more items in one week because of a lack of ingredients. There was one week we almost achieved this goal, but we ran out of the needed ingredients and could not get more. Through the ups and downs of the project, we have learned a lot and succeeded, mostly, in what we set out to do: learn how to bake. Though we had our failures, this project went well for us. Also, though the project was fun, it is relieving to be able to not have to worry about finding time to bake or worry about blog posts anymore.
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This week was all about making our final presentation and bringing the project to a close. As we look back at all the work we have done, we have come a long way and learned a lot about the science of baking. Throughout the project, we have made many things, ranging from monkey bread to bagels, to pie crust straws, and even a cake with Drake on it. There have been many challenges throughout the project such as learning to make something completely new, managing time, and remembering to stay up to date with our blog posts. Though we have gotten behind on blog posts and had some weeks where we have not baked, we stayed pretty on top of the project.
As we made our presentation we had to keep a few things in mind. We had to remember to make it lengthy to fit the time requirement, but also concise to not drag things out and make the presentation boring. Additionally, we had to make sure we went in-depth on what we learned throughout the project, what we could have done better throughout the project, and what we did not succeed in throughout the project. We also needed to include why we decided on our project and what the purpose of it was. Throughout this project, the most important thing we have learned is that time management is hard. It was difficult to balance the project and find time to bake in the midst of our other classes, especially with our AP exams coming up. Due to the business of our school lives, we have not been able to plan and execute a bake sale, however, there is still one remaining week in the project, so it may still happen. This coming week, it is important we make sure to bring things to a close and do what we can to figure out a bake sale if possible. This week, we decided to go for a different cake structure as opposed to a sheet cake. To start this process, we prepared our bundt pan by spreading butter along the inside and sprinkling some flour inside, making sure to rotate the pan to spread the flour evenly. Afterward, we mixed baking powder and self-rising flour in a small bowl. Then, in a separate bowl, we combined sour cream, vegetable oil, and buttermilk. After they were combined, we whisked until the mixture was even throughout. Then, in a large mixing bowl, we creamed the butter and sugar. After this, the recipe started getting a little difficult. While the butter and sugar were mixing, we added three eggs one at a time, making sure the previous was mixed before adding another. Then, we added the buttermilk and flour mixtures into the mixing bowl, alternating between them three times until they were both used up, making sure to scrape the bowl as we went along. This was difficult due to the fact that the mixer we used made it difficult to pour in the ingredients, so we had to turn it off and remove the whisks from the batter every time we had to add something. After the batter was finished, we poured it into the bundt pan and put it in the oven. About 35 minutes later, it was done. We let it cool for a few minutes before it was finally ready. The bake itself was a little more difficult than anticipated. We originally planned to prepare a more cylindrical cake but realized we lacked the right pan to make it. On top of that, we realized that the recipe we originally planned to use was for a cake that was only seven inches in diameter. Luckily, we found a bundt pan in a cabinet and found an alternative recipe. Unfortunately, the previous recipe called for self-rising flour while the new one called for all-purpose flour. To fix this, we didn’t add baking soda and only added a small amount of salt. However, the self-rising flour did not make-up for the lack of baking soda, and the cake collapsed. To offset this, we intentionally caved in the bottom to fill the insides, and after a few more minutes in the oven, it looked perfect and tasted amazing. To make it more presentable, we made some homemade icing and added three strawberries, cutting into each to resemble rose peddles. Despite the minor setbacks, we were proud of how we adapted and modified the recipe to fit our resources.
Ingredients • 3 Eggs, large • 3 2/3 cup All purpose flour • 1/4 tsp Almond extract • 1 tsp Baking powder • 1 tsp Baking soda • 1 2/3 cup Granulated sugar • 1/2 tsp Salt • 2 tsp Vanilla extract • 5/8 cup Vegetable oil • 2 sticks Butter • 1/2 cup Buttermilk • 1/2 cup Sour cream Recipe For this week's baking, we decided to learn how to make cake. The original plan was to have a decoration contest and have family members vote on who had the better design, however, Logan was not able to bake this week due to unforeseen circumstances. Due to not being able to meet, only Brayden made a cake. To start, I gathered all my ingredients. Once I had my ingredients, I began by whipping together eggs and sugar for 7 minutes. In a separate bowl, I combined flour, baking powder, and salt. From there, I gradually added the flour mixture to the egg mixture, a little at a time while whisking it together. Once the mixtures were well incorporated, I set them aside and prepared the milk mixture. Using a stove to heat the milk, I then added butter to the milk and let it sit until melted. From there, I mixed part of the batter in the milk mixture until it had a foamy consistency. Next, I added the milk and batter mixture with the rest of the batter, mixing slowly. Now came the cooking process. I preheated the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the oven was ready, I put the cake in for 25 minutes. Once it was done baking, I took it out of the oven and let it cool for 45 minutes. Now that it had cooled, it was time to decorate it. I started by preparing all the different color icings I needed: black, brown, blue, yellow, and white. I then decorated the cake as desired. Overall, this week was something different, but it did not pose too much of a challenge, however, there were some difficulties. Trying to get the egg mixture to the right consistency was difficult and decorating the cake was fun but difficult as well. Next week will be part two of making cake with Logan baking his. This week we made bagels. As stated in the post last week, this is not completely new to the group, so it was not too much of a challenge. However, we decided to challenge ourselves by making new flavors we had not made before. The flavors we made were blueberry, everything, and Asiago cheese. To begin with the bagel-making process we gathered all our needed ingredients. This included water, yeast, sugar, bread flour, salt, everything seasoning, Asiago cheese, and blueberries. To begin, we mixed warm water with sugar and yeast. We then let that sit while covered for 10 minutes to let the yeast wake up. Next, we prepared our bread flour and salt in a bowl while waiting for the yeast to wake up. Once the 10 minutes was up, we added our water mixture to the flour mixture. From there, we mixed and kneaded until we had a smooth dough. For the blueberry recipe, we added in the blueberries during this process. Once our doughs were smooth, we put them in a greased bowl and let them rise for one hour. After an hour had passed, we put our dough onto a floured work surface. From there, we cut the dough into 4 equal pieces, 8 in total from both doughs. We rolled each piece of dough into a ball and let them rest for another 10 minutes. After the dough balls had rested for 10 minutes, it was time to begin the cooking process. We added water to a pot and brought it to a boil. Once boiling, we took each dough ball, pinched a hole in the middle, and dropped it into the water for one minute per side. When this process was complete for all 8 dough balls we added our toppings. We sprinkled everything seasoning on 2 bagels and Asiago cheese on another 2 bagels. Once the bagels were topped, we put them into the oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. After they were done, we let them rest for a few minutes then served them to eat. This process has many steps though it is not too difficult. Next week, we will be making cake and may have a competition to go with it. This week we made double deluxe brownies. This was a smooth and easy process with no major difficulties or obstacles. The only difficulties we faced were mixing the batter and the cooking time. The batter was very thick, making it hard to mix without a mixer. The cooking time from the recipe left the brownies a touch undercooked, so we had to cook the brownies for longer than intended. To make the batter we started with the dry ingredients. We combined granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl and then set it aside. Next, we combined the wet ingredients. We melted unsalted butter and mixed it with eggs and vanilla extract until it was smooth. From there, we combined the wet mix with the dry mix and mixed until fully incorporated. This took a few minutes due to the density of the batter. When everything was fully incorporated, we stirred in chocolate chips. From there we put the batter into a pan greased with cooking spray. After the oven preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, we put the brownies in for 40 minutes. Due to the brownies still being undercooked, we decided to put them in for an extra 5 or so minutes. When they were cooked, we cut them into squares and served them to eat. This week's baking was not too hard overall. Next week the plan is to make homemade bagels. This is not something completely new to the group so it should not pose a challenge. However, the challenge could come from making new flavors. Next week time management is going to be important, as it was hard to find time this week to make the brownies. As of right now, we still plan to hold a bake sale, however, with each week passing we may need to resort to one of the other options discussed last week. This week was all about planning out our fundraising strategy. We are in the works of finding a specific organization to target, but we plan on raising money to help fight hunger and homelessness. In terms of how we are going to go about raising the money, we are still in the process of figuring it out. We had originally planned on setting up a bake sale with the help of a local business. However, we found that it would be easier to set up in a farmer's market. To maximize profits, we would need to attend an event, which would be hard to time so it can land on the last few weeks of the project. As we discussed some more, we began to draft up some possible alternatives. Instead of donating money, we could donate food directly to pantries. We would need to bake something that doesn't go bad quickly enough before it can be dispensed, such as bread. We will continue to explore more possibilities in the future.
Another thing we needed to address this week was time management. This week, we did a poor job of managing our time and setting a planned schedule, so we were not able to do any baking. As a result, we were stuck planning. As we continue forward with this project, we need to figure out how to balance our busy days from school with making time to bake and continue everything needed for the project. Not only will figuring out time management help us in this project, but it will also help us throughout the rest of our lives, so it is important we learn it now before we create too bad of a habit of procrastination and putting things off. Next week, we plan to make brownies and practice time management to make things easier on ourselves. This week we decided to make crust straws. These are like pie but easier while still having all the best parts. To start, we whisked a large egg and one tablespoon of water until they were combined. In a separate bowl, we mixed granulated sugar in with cinnamon to use for later. Then, we got our puff pastry out and spread it over a floured sheet. From there, we spread the blackberry jam evenly along the surface, being careful to leave some room along the edges. We then covered these edges with our egg mix and put a second puff pastry sheet on top. With this new sheet, we again brushed it with the egg mix and sprinkled the cinnamon sugar over top. After that, we sealed the edges and sliced the two sheets into thin strips. We twisted these strips to give the dough its iconic form. The twisting stage proved to be the most difficult. Due to the egg coating, the strips kept slipping out of our hands as we twisted. From there, we put the strips into the oven until they were golden brown, and they were ready to serve. All in all, the process wasn't too difficult. However, we did not flatten the puff pastry sheets as much as we should have, which increased the difficulty of the twisting stages. Along with this, we were not able to bake as many pie-crust straws. We felt like we improved the original recipe by adding a layer of powdered sugar, adding to the taste factor. Overall, these turned out nicely and tasted delicious. As we are nearing our bake sale, we are trying to decide which foods we should choose to sell from each week of the project. The food we choose must be easy to make a lot of, and it must be a crowd favorite to be able to sell well. As we choose what to make in the coming weeks we are keeping these things in mind, and reflecting on what we have already made. This week, we decided to mix it up a little. Rather than just craft one dish, we baked two. We started with the most difficult portion of our task– making the gourmet donuts. After this, we baked the bread. We also began to look for potential places to set up our end-of-project bake sale. We are leaning towards setting up at a local farmer’s market. To bake the donuts, we started by preparing the dough. Before we could make the dough, we needed to warm milk in the microwave then add yeast to it, and let it sit for 10 minutes to wake it up. While that was resting, we combined all of our dry ingredients: sugar, brown sugar, salt, and all-purpose flour. In a separate bowl, we cracked and whisked the eggs together. Additionally, we melted butter. Once all three wet components were prepared, we added them to the dry mixture and mixed until a dough formed. Once the dough was formed, it was time to knead the dough on the countertop until it was smooth. From there, we placed the dough into a greased bowl and let it rise for one hour. After it was done rising, we placed the dough on a lightly floured surface, rolled it out, and cut as many donuts as we could. Once the individual donuts were cut out, we let them rise for another 45 minutes. While the donuts were rising, we preheated the frying oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. As soon as the donuts were rested and the oil was heated, we fried each side of the donuts for 3 minutes then let cool on a wire rack. While the donuts were cooling, we made the icing. We mixed together powdered sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and water. When the icing was prepared, we dipped the donuts in the icing fully and they were ready to be eaten. This week for our Genius Hour project, we decided to bake chocolate chip cookies. First, we cooked a pot of butter on the stove until it was golden brown. Then, we took it off the stove and added light brown and white sugar to our crisp solution. From there, we mixed the ingredients until they were combined. After that, we added an egg yolk, a whole egg, and vanilla. Then, we added some all-purpose flour, along with baking soda. Again, we mixed all the ingredients together until the dough was consistent throughout. After making certain that we got rid of all clumps, we added some semi-sweet chocolate chips. Now, it was on to the baking process. We scooped our cookie dough into balls and rolled them between our hands, which proved to be a challenge considering how perfect we wanted them to turn out. For us, this took the longest in terms of preparation. From that point, we added a few more pieces of chocolate chips on top of each cookie and chilled them. After removing them from the fridge, we baked them for roughly twelve minutes. Our baking process was complete immediately following the addition of sea salt to the surface of the cookies. Overall, we were pleased with the results of this project. It wasn’t too difficult, which may be an indication that we could move on to perfecting more challenging recipes. However, we made some mistakes here and there. We forgot to add some salt to the original mixture, which could have potentially affected the results. Fortunately, the addition of sea salt to the top of each cookie recovered for that lack of flavor within the dough itself. Even though we messed up a portion of the recipe, we still managed to turn it into a learning experience. This mistake forced us to come up with alternatives to ingredients, while also providing the same level of satisfaction when eaten. Which, ironically, is what makes a good chef. It’s one thing to be able to follow a set of instructions, but it’s a different challenge to find what is wrong and correct it.
Ingredients: ¾ cup butter 1 cup light brown sugar ¼ cup white sugar 2 eggs 1 tbsp vanilla 1 ¾ spooned all-purpose flour ¾ tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or 8 oz chopped chocolate |
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