If at first you don't succeed...

I wasn't quite sure what the title of this post should be because I wanted to tell you all about the story of my recent jump into putting myself out there.  But, I also wanted to talk a little bit about my successful first attempt at mini pies using Mason Jar lids.

First, I'll explain how my husband helped push me towards my first step [on this journey I'm beginning] to becoming more than just a home baker.  I had mentioned many times to him that I would love to be able to bake for a living and that I thought a great starting point would be to bake for some local coffee shops and small eateries.  
The Sunday, two weeks before my baby was due, we decided to check out the newest coffee shop that just opened up in our neighborhood.  As we entered, I noticed right away that there was no sign of baked goods in sight.  Not even a cookie jar of Biscotti or even prepackaged granola bars.  My husband, son, and I took a seat to enjoy our coffees, sans any type of baked treat, and I mentioned my observation.  We also observed that the next group of customers asked what selection of baked goods they had and the cashier told them that since they are so new they weren't sure how much to order and that they had sold out for the day.  (Mind you this was about an hour before closing.)
My husband immediately told me I should go up to the counter and say, "I bake, can I bring you some samples?"  I was hesitant and felt intimidated.  He said, "OK, I'll do it for you."  So, on our way out he went for it.  He told the barista (whom we thought was the owner) that my wife bakes, can she bring some samples.  He asked me what I can bake, I rattled off some things and he mentioned that he would be interested in scones.
So, the pressure was on, I really had to do this.  I needed to bake some samples for my first potential client.  The next couple of days I spent time trying to find the perfect font for my business name, started a rough draft of a menu pamphlet, bought some supplies I needed, and looked up recipes for things to bake.  It was eventually the end of the week and I hadn't really completed anything.  I had wanted to present myself in a professional way, to show this coffee shop owner that I was a legitimate baker.  My husband said that stuff doesn't matter, just bake the goods and write your name and number on the box.
So, Saturday came and I had my list of what I was going to bake.
And, oh what a list I had:

1. Bagels
2. Almond Biscotti
3. Orange Pistachio Biscotti
4. Ricotta Blueberry Scones
5. Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
6. Apple Cinnamon Muffins
7. Chocolate Chia Seed Muffins
8. Amish Cinnamon Buns 

One could say I was over ambitious with this list.  I baked for over 15 hours that day, all while being nine months pregnant.  This was a Saturday, I wanted to deliver everything Sunday morning, one week after we had first visited the coffee shop, and only 5 days till my due date.  But, I did it.  I even had to bake the Poppy Seed scones twice, because the first batch did not come out right.  The bagels did not come out the way I wanted either, they were deflated and some of them were soggy and a bit raw.  That didn't matter so much though, because I had plenty of other things to showcase my baking skills.
Sunday morning came, I placed two bakery boxes full of my creations in a bag and was off to make my first delivery.
I walk into the shop and my heart began to sink a little as I see the, once empty counter top, filled with glass cases of what clearly looked like professionally made baked treats.  No matter, I told myself, he could still like one or two of what I made and add it to his collection.
I ordered a Vanilla Chai and said with a smile, something to the affect of, here are the samples I said I would bring. 
Joe, who turned out to be the owner, did remembered me.  As I was waiting for my Chai, he said he hoped it wasn't too inconvenient to have baked for him.  And I thought to myself; man, you have no idea how long I spent on these things.  But, with a smile, saying, "Oh no, not at all."  He said he would give them a try after it slowed down a little.  He thanked me for bringing the samples and I went on my way.
Here we are one month later and I still haven't heard back from Joe.

Some mistakes to avoid next time I put myself out there...

1.  Don't spread myself too thin and attempt to bake too many different items.
2.  Present myself more professionally, be prepared with some information about myself in writing along with a menu/options for them to review.
3. Be sure the samples I bring are stellar; not over baked, dry, or lacking in presentation.  
4. Follow-up, don't be afraid to give a call a few days later.

After researching and reading articles about creating a baking business.  My biggest take-a-way is, become great at one signature item.  I can be more creative and expand on more items down the road; but, with most successful bakeries, they are really good at one particular product.

After lots of thought and consideration, I have decided that my key item will be pie.  The great thing about pie is that the options are limitless.  I can still be creative in my flavors and my ingredient combinations as long as I perfect the crust.

My first attempt at mini pies using Mason Jar lids turned out great!

My son loved them, too!  After all, who doesn't love pie?

I will continue writing about my adventures in making pastry and perfecting my pie crust in the next few posts.

-Jerrie

An (overdue) time for a change...

I struggled with the title to this post because I couldn't quite pinpoint the exact intent on my next move.  What do I mean by, "my next move"?  Well, I've been reflecting on what would make me happy to be doing everyday (as I tend to do from time to time).  And, I'm sure lots of people also do.  However, not a lot of people have the ability, freedom, courage, instinct, or know-how to choose a career that makes them truly happy.  I can't say that I regret every decision I've made up to this point but, I would have surely picked some different ones, if only I could go back.  After several hours, days, even years of contemplating on:
What should I do?,
What am I good at?,
and of course more importantly,
What do I have a passion for?
I have, with no doubt now, decided that I would really love to make a career out of my love of baking.

With that being said; I am going to shift the purpose of this blog to become one that showcases my journey into building a baking business.  Using baby-steps, I plan on practicing and perfecting recipes, researching the competition, reading and self-teaching myself about new cooking and baking techniques, as well as, finding ways to put myself out there.  I'll map out some of my goals and plans of exactly how I can accomplish these goals.  I'll, pretty openly, share my successes and failures along the way.

Realistically, with a new-born baby, a three year old son, and a husband that all rely on me for many different things, as well as, a part-time job; this journey will not be an easy one.  But, I'm pretty sure if it were easy then it might not be worth it.

I have already made a few steps into my journey that I will share with you on my next post.  I'll talk about how I dove head-first into my decision with the help of my husband.  I'll give away the ending it was my first "failure."  Although, really, with every defeat comes a learning experience.  So, I've looked back on it as just that.

I'll explain it soon...  Here are a couple of pictures of one of the recently baked products (and oh, there have been many).  I made authentic, classic almond biscotti.

Till next time,

Jerr

Oh, how time flies...

I can't say that an entire year has gone by and I have not thought about writing a post on my blog.  But, I can say an entire year has gone by and I have not actually written a post on my blog.  I actually have done a lot of bagel eating, as well as, baking myself over the last year.  I've baked batches of bagels, sweet breads, cookies, and pies.  I actually have a "bun in the oven" right now (ie: I'm expecting baby #2 in March).  Anyway,  I could make a list of excuses as to why I haven't sat down to write a post; but, why?  The truth is that I just didn't.  So, as we are here a few days into the new year of 2016, I guess I could say that a resolution of mine will be to continue on my mission of exploring the Philadelphia bagel scene.  And, since the scene is quite small, most likely expanding the content of this blog.  I will try to post on a regular basis; bagel related findings, experiments of my own, or any other new baking discoveries. 

Be talking to you soon,

Jerr

Knead to stop by...

I mentioned in my last post that I had tried a bagel from Knead but, needed to visit again to write my review.  I had stayed in the car last time and wanted to get the full experience of entering the bakery before I wrote my review. 

Fresh sausage was a plus, wish there was a little more seeds though.

 I say bakery, which wasn't quite my first impression when walking into the place.  I was looking forward to it being a warm and cozy shop, and smelling of freshly baked bagels.  It wasn't quite what I was expecting, it was busy and took me a minute to realize where the bagels were displayed.  They were up front and center, but just kind of lost behind the tables and guests garnishing their coffees.

Bacon, egg, and cheese.

The selection of non-traditional bagel flavors and spreads were pretty interesting like Moroccan Spiced Apricot and Pastrami Spiced.  But, I decided to go with the Black Sesame seed sandwich with sausage, egg, and cheese.  The egg sandwiches are made with their signature aioli sauce.  Which was very tasty!

Here are some notes on my review of Knead Bagels:

1- The look... I have to say, when I first pulled the bagels out of the bag, they sort of reminded me of mass produced bagels.  But, they did have a nice sheen.  I guess they were missing a deeper caramel color that I was expecting.  I would give the look a 2.5 out of 5 poppy seeds.

2- The crust... was quite firm and did have a bit of a crunch.  There was no need for us to toast the bagels the first time we had them and took them home.  The second experience was consistent with the first; the crust had a pleasant bite.  The crust gets a 5 out of 5 poppy seeds.

3- Inside Texture and Taste... I have to say the interior texture was pretty on par with what I would call a great bagel.  It was not overly doughy and certainly not dry.  The flavor was pretty balanced; I didn't get a sense of salty or sweet.  I'll rate this a 4.5 out of 5.  

So, the overall rating for Knead is: 4.0 out of 5 Poppy Seeds = Very Good.  I will definitely go back, I'm tempted to try some of their non-traditional flavors.  Lemon Goat Cheese, yes please.

Till next time, 

Jerr

Just one more Pumpkin recipe...

Yes, stuffed with Nutella!?!

Another rainy day is upon us... I guess its better than snow.  Although, snow would make such a more beautiful sight.  My last post was about pumpkin and pumpkin flavored treats; well, here is one more recipe worth mentioning. 

 brown butter Nutella-stuffed pumpkin chocolate chip cookies (I know, its quite the mouth-full)

These are the Nutella rounds after coming out of the freezer.

This recipe calls to brown the butter before adding it into the batter.  I've been baking for years, let's just say the gift I wanted most as a young girl was an Easy Bake Oven.  Which incidentally is still available; check out the video, it will make you want one, too. 
Anyway, I can't believe that I never came across a recipe to brown the butter before using it.  (Or I may have, but decided not to choose that recipe because it sounded too complicated.)  This was not the case, it just took a little longer, but well worth it!  It gives a rich, deep, almost nutty flavor to the cookie.

Let butter melt slowly.

Stir frequently.

Continue stirring until the butter literally starts turning a caramel color.

Again, these cookies take a little longer than normal because there are a few extra steps to create them.  You have to prep the Nutella, just line a cookie tray with parchment paper and freeze small spoonfuls while you prepare the batter.  Then brown the butter, which can take a few minutes.

 Of course, another step is to "fill" the cookie.  So, you need to flatten the dough top with the frozen chocolate, and roll into a ball.

I only wish that I hadn't pressed down the tops of the cookies like the recipe said.

                                                                                                    

 These cookies turned out very good!  The pumpkin flavor/spices were not overwhelming.  If anything they got a little lost with all the chocolate.  I plan on using an interpretation of The Ambitious Kitchen's recipe for chocolate chip cookies from now on, because the brown butter is that good.  So, next time you make a chocolate chip cookie consider browning your butter first.




Oh, in case you were wondering, yes, I eventually did get the Easy Bake Oven.  But, truth-be-told, I got it after I had already been using the real kitchen oven.  So it was fun, but the real oven was way better.  The last pumpkin treat I will probably be making is a Mini Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cheesecake for Christmas Day.  Its been a few years since I've made it, but I'll post how it comes out for y'all.
Also, a quick note on bagels.  My husband and I did visit Knead Bagels last weekend.  I still haven't written about it because I wanted to visit one more time.  So, hopefully in the next week I will let you know my official review on that.  For now, let's just say they were quite good.

Take Care,

Jerr

Is it still Pumpkin season?

I know November is almost over and probably so is Pumpkin season, but maybe it doesn't have to be.  Once October hits and everything pumpkin flavor comes out, you usually get a mixed opinion from people- either they love it or they could care less and think its overkill.  Well, I'm on team pumpkin- but, of course I usually go for the homemade pumpkin goodies.  So, I've been meaning to post my recent baking successes with pumpkin.

Here is one recipe that came out really well, thanks to (what seems like) countless hours of searching pinterest for ideas.

Pumpkin Coffee Cake- This turned out to be probably the moistest cake I've ever made.

The recipe called for dark brown sugar for the inside and for the crumb topping, which gives a strong molasses taste.  So, I decided to use light brown sugar for the cake and dark brown for the topping.  Another note: I used coconut oil instead of vegetable oil.

 This cake is great for breakfast, a mid-morning snack, or a late night snack.  Perfect if your having guests over and of course to bring with you to your next holiday party.

 

 

 

A trick I learned a while back, is to cut sweet cakes, brownies, and bars with a plastic knife to prevent the cake from sticking to your baked treat.  It makes things much neater.

Yum!

Till next time,

Jerr

New York vs. Montreal

When I had the idea to find the best bagels in Philadelphia I figured that I would be looking for the best New York style bagels.  I really didn't think there were other styles of bagels other than the N.Y. kind; except when I was researching bagel bakeries in Philadelphia and I found Spread Bagelry.
Intrigued, I wanted to take some time to distinguish the differences between probably the only two style of bagels out there.  I found this short article, at HuffingtonPost.com that will explain it in a little more detail.  But, basically New York Style bagels are boiled prior to baking and have a shiny crisp exterior with a chewy interior.  Montreal Style bagels are also boiled; however, in water sweetened with honey, then baked in a brick oven to make them extra crispy.  After visiting Spread, who offer the Montreal Style, I was able to first-hand compare them to the N.Y. style I am more familiar with.

Today, despite it being a chilly, rainy and down right miserable day, I decided I would drive my son and myself to try-out these new kind of freshly baked bagels.  Before I even left for my outing I said to myself, "I'm going to actually get a sandwich made there this time."
After finally finding a parking spot, I walk through the rain with umbrella in one hand and toddler in the other and make my way into Spread.  It felt so nice to walk into the warm and cozy bakery.  I was first impressed with the beautiful marble counter top, and as I scan the place I notice the fire burning in the brick oven.  Just below the oven are a pair of baskets full of bagels.
I try to pick out a sandwich from the handwritten chalk menu above; however, after seeing the prices, I decide to just stick with some un-garnished bagels.  Just to give you an idea, the bagels are $2.00 each and the sandwiches start at $6.50 up to $13.00 each.  

Here are some pictures of the bagels I took home:

Wheat Bagel

Poppy Seed

I was a little surprised with the amount of extra flour that was on the bottom of the bagel.  Also, they didn't seem to have a nice sheen that I'm used to with the N.Y. style.

  

Underside of wheat bagel.

I seem to not be able to pass up a whole-wheat everything bagel.  So, that was my choice for my sandwich today.

I decided to make myself a sandwich with some ingredients I had at home.  I had made some fresh hummus the other day; I love bagels with hummus.  A couple of our tomato plants are still producing, so I had an heirloom tomato on hand.  I also added cucumber and parsley.

A little salt and pepper on any sandwich can make all the difference.

Homemade hummus, heirloom tomato, cucumber, and parsley sandwich on whole-wheat everything bagel.

 Here is how I would rate these bagels:

The Look - {3.5} I didn't rate the look any higher than a three because they didn't have the sheen that I normally look for in a good bagel.  I think the extra flour around the bagel may have affected the shine.

The Crust - {3} I was pretty surprised that the crust didn't have a real crisp to it, especially coming out of a brick oven.  It appeared like it would crack when you broke into it; however, that was not the case with the plain whole-wheat.  The poppy seed did have more of a crunch to the outer layer though.

Inside Texture and Taste - {4} The texture of the center was soft and doughy.  A little more bread-like than a typical N.Y. bagel.  The best part of these bagels was the taste; they were flavorful and sweet.  Definitely much more sweet than other bagels I've had.

Overall, I would rate these bagels a {3.5} out of 5 poppy seeds.  I did enjoy my sandwich.  If only the crust was crispier.  The drive, hassle of parking in center city, and the cost of the bagels kind of put a damper on the already damp day. 

Until next time,

Jerr