re: 7 Year Old Son & I: Dad/Son Cake Bake Fundraiser : Concluded. Thanks FDB

Pic of whatever cake you decided upon is required.

I don't see a Betsy in this thread.

Will definately take some pics. Gonna to a test run on the bread tonight w/o the boudin.

Although this "cake" is probably gonna b good, I doubt it keeps well. Not sure how one would reheat boudin bread topped w syrup & bacon bits.... And it still be appetizing.

I will likely buy it myself at the auction (I am sure it will go super cheap, lol) and cut it for folks to try at the event.


That said, I could be wrong. Looks and sounds and appears to be a good party dish.... Not so much a leftover snack!

Bought this stuff for the bread....




It didnt appear to "rise" after "kneeding" the 1st time....it sat with a damp towel over the bowl for 1:45 (no real noticable size difference).

Yeast is included in this box...and I thought I followed the directions to the T.

It didnt appear to "rise" much more after rolling it and sitting out another 45 minutes.

Baked 350 for 40 min.







The real deal is 2morro. I gots to get better.


Was my "kneeding" the problem? Ive never kneeded before. May watch a video on it 2morro. Was the water too hot when mixing my yeast? Should I wrap the dough in the moist towel next time instead of putting it over the bowl?


Instructions from the box:

Only if n appropriate company, Goat

Yeast may have gone bad, has a limited shelf life, water should be between 105&110, use a thermometer

Try this recipe , I have not personally done it but it appears very similar to one that I rember to be excellent

cup butter
16 ounces sour cream
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 packets active dry yeast
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 cup warm water
2 large eggs
6 cups flour
1/2 cup grandulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, softened
Directions
PREP
3 hrs
COOK
15 mins
READY IN
3 hrs
Heat butter, sour cream, sugar, and salt in saucepan over low heat until butter melts. Stir often.
Dissolve both packets of yeast in 1/2 cup warm water with a tablespoon of sugar mixed in. Let stand 5 minutes, or until the yeast starts to bubble. Add the butter mixture, eggs, and 2 cups of flour and beat with a mixer for two minutes, or until mixture becomes smooth. Gradually add enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough.
Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth--approximately 10 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl and turn the dough so that all sides are greased. Cover and let rise in a warm place for approximately one hour, or until doubled in size.
Mix 1/2 cup of sugar and cinnamon and set aside for later.
After the dough has risen, punch it down and divide it in half. Place one portion on a slightly floured surface and roll it with a rolling pin into a rectangle approximately 10"x 22".
Spread half the butter over the surface of the dough with a spatula and then sprinkle half of the cinnamon and sugar mixture over it, as well.
If you are adding a coin, bean, or figurine as a token in the King Cake, place it on the rolled out dough just before rolling it up so the token is contained in the rolled up dough.
Start on the long side of the dough and roll it like a jelly roll. Place the roll, seam side down, on a greased baking sheet and bring the ends together to form an oval ring. Pinch ends together to seal. Repeat steps with remaining dough.
Cover and let rise for 20 minutes or until they double in size again.
Bake at 375º F. for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
When cake is cool, decorate with powdered sugar frosting and sprinkle with bands of colored sugars in purple, yellow and green.

Buy Mam Papaul's king cake mix and give that a shot.

Kneading wasn't the problem. You probably killed the yeast with too hot water. It's alive...lukewarm from the tap is fine. You want it around body temp or barely warmer. Also, look for a war isn place when rising....on top of the stove with the hood light shining, not directly under an ac vent.

The windowpane test will tell you if you've kneaded enough....once the dough feels cohesive (it wants to stick to itself more than it wants to stick to you), pinch off a little piece and stretch it between your thumbs and fingertips. Properly kneaded dough will sheet--thin out and stretch but not tear right away--forming a windowpane of thin, translucent dough. At least 5-8 solid minutes of hand kneading will get you there, maybe less if you have very large, strong hands.

Also, if your bread mix is for a non sweet bread, you cannot simply add more sugar to make a sweet bread. Too much sugar will inhibit yeast growth....the dough will rise, but it will take hours n hours (like overnight). Very sweet yeasted breads are made using osmotolerant yeast (SAF Gold is one kind locally available). Boxed King cake mixes are prob made w this special yeast.
Good luck....

I teach bread baking classes as a hobby. I'm a yeast evangelist. You can do this...bread is not hard. You just need a few key pieces of knowledge.

Also, if it isn't risen noticeably in the time specified on the package, be patient and wait for it to get poofy before shaping it. Give it time. Try putting the bulk dough into a straight sided container rather than a bowl....makes it easier to judge when it has truly doubled.

And press it good and flat (aka punching it down) before shaping, or the second rise (after you shape it) will be uneven. Use less filling, case the dough beneath the filling will always be a bit flatter due to the weight of the filling.