Baking from scratch

I just made brownies from a mix and was thinking the same thing. I DID go and add chocolate chips instead of the regulation nuts, though! My very own innovation!

Um, hate to tell you this sozobe, but my kids think brownies come with chocolate chips all the time instead of nuts. I've been doing that for years (they do taste soooo good). In fact, when they come home and I have brownies around the first thing they ask is whether they have the chips (if they do, the brownies disappear very quickly; if not it takes a few minutes more).

I had once developed a cake, which I had modified from a rather common recipe. It took me a long time to get it just right. My husband loved it so much, that I used to bake two at a time (large tube pan cakes). Anyway, for years, I always made these cakes from scratch, and there was always some in the house.

A few years ago, during a particularly grueling Florida summer, I gave up. I announced that I would no longer make this cake. My husband now buys the lemon streusel cake at Sam's (tonight we bought 4, and put them in the freezer). He is perfectly happy, and so am I!

That's the thing, Phoenix, as long as everybody's happy why go to all that work. For a long time I wasn't baking anything (even from a mix) but lately I've been on a baking kick -- getting ready for the big cookie push I guess.

I do like fresh-baked cookies brownies et al as opposed to store-bought -- they make the kitchen smell good, they're yummy when they're still warm, they're just nice. But I tend to agree that it's not like the stuff from scratch is SO much better. I mean, there are exceptions, to be sure -- I make carrot cake from scratch and can't imagine that it would be anywhere near as good from a mix. But brownies?

For all those in-between things, while it might actually taste better at the end -- from-scratch cornbread vs. from-a-mix cornbread -- I'm not sure the taste differential is worth the extra work.

Hi All!!

Just stopping in between shopping trips,..guess what,..I'm so excited, I just finished ALL of my Christmas Shopping!!!

Now I must run out to buy cards!!

OK,..back to baking.

I have nothing against "mixes", I just prefer to make things from scratch.

Bread Baking,..you'll never get the same result from a mix.

Quick Breads & Muffins,..you can get some decent mixes,..even better you can get some really good frozen batters. When I have big brunches or morning meeting to serve,..sometimes those batters are my BEST FRIEND!

Cakes,...There are some good mixes out there,..in a pinch, Duncan Hines "Dark Dutch Fudge" is great, the "All Butter Yellow Cake" is good too.

Cookies and brownies are just too easy to not make from scratch. Especially the cookies,...there are some really bad mixes out there.

Anyway,..off to buy cards, then meet friends for cocktails,...may be back afterwards,..I just love posting AFTER a cocktail or ten!!

Cookies and pie I do from scratch. But cake, never ever, cannot even sucessfully bake a box cake.

I would love to bake from scratch, but I can never find the stuff in the grocery store. When I ask the cashiers, "Can you help me- do you carry scratch?" they just look at me funny.

Silly Equus! :-D

I'll make cookies if I'm in the mood (it helps if it's chilly out, as the baking warms the house up nicely). I have a cornbread mix (can't remember the brand) which I doctor up with cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, jalapenos, salsa (not too much, as it can make the batter too wet), frozen corn kernels and cilantro. Voila! Mexican cornbread!

I don't think I've ever made a cake from scratch. Mr. Jespah isn't much of a sweets eater, and we rarely have company, so I'd end up eating it, which wouldn't be good. Cookies are different because they're easier to freeze and portion control is less of an issue. And for cookies, I'll just vary them depending on what I've got on hand -
* cinnamon chips vs. chocolate chips
* coconut shavings, or not
* nuts, or not
* almond extract instead of vanilla extract or a mix of the two (particularly when I'm adding nuts)
etc.

I do everything from scratch. I admit that I don't bake as often, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

I would much rather bake from scratch..in fact its the only way I know how, I get nervous around mixes and never buy them. I hardly bake either but, still.
For years and years I did dozens and dozens of cookies and breads for the Holidays but, the last few years I havent done any baking and its just not the same somehow.

I've baked cake from scratch, but I don't do pies. First year I was married we went to my in-laws for Thanksgiving dinner. Since they'd invited my parents and I knew how much my Dad loved his apple pie, I volunteered to bake the pies. I was literally in tears trying to get the rotten, miserable crust to cover the pie tin without breaking. Haven't baked a pie since.

I'm glad to see Jerry occasionally uses mixes, too. Kind of makes me feel less like I'm cheating my family or someting.

There is only one mix I like using. Here in France you can get a mix for making choux pastry, for making cream puffs or savory appetizers and the like. They taste great, only need eggs and water and bake up perfectly every time.

Otherwise, I bake lots of things from scratch: quick breads and biscuits and cookies. Some of you may remember my experiments with bready steamed piroshkis. I am lucky to have access to chewy sourdough, crisp baguettes, flavorful fougasses and all sorts of great bread at my local boulangeries but I do on occasion knead yeast breads by hand, just for the satisfaction of making my own bread.

I also have a secret weapon. If an impromptu dinner is organized and there is no bread, I can make a quick bread that takes no time at all. It comes out dense and is best served hot from the oven. Pour some flour (say two or three cups... this is a recipe for when you're short of time, so no exact measurements) into a bowl, add a handful of sugar (preferably brown, but white will do) and a generous pinch of salt. Mix. Beat one egg, place in a well in the center of the flour. The add beer (preferably room temperature), just enough to make the dough come together. Mix thoroughly. The dough will be a little sticky. Bake on a lightly greased sheet or in a loafpan, about half an hour at 350ºF. Tap it, it should sound slightly hollow. When it does, it's done.

Whoa! That sounds incredibly easy. Thanks.

Can I ask an off-topic baking question? I want to make some chocolate candy/ fudge poured into a mold. How do I keep it from sticking? The recipe calls for lining the dish with waxed paper, but I'd like to have more detail than that. Powdered sugar?

sozobe, what kind of a mold are you using? I've molded individual chocolate candies in plastic molds and they come out very easily with a simple tap and a turn upside down. But it would depend on the consistency -- fudge might not come out as easily.

Bandylu, I think I changed my mind. I think I'm going to use cookie cutters instead -- make a thinnish (1/2 inch) layer of the fudge candy on wax paper, let it cool and harden, then run hot water over the cutters and do it that way. I have some cheap plastic candy boxes in Santa and tree shapes that I thought could be cool to use, but I think they're too big, and a christmas tree cookie cutter would probably work better. Got some white chocolate too to make snowflakes out of.

Sounds yummy, sozobe.