Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Palacsinta {crepes}...and a big 'flop'

Hungarian palacsinta, {crepes} filled with homemade mango jam
At the rate that I'm going...looks like I could go from 'Silent Sunday'...right into 'Silent Wednesday'. Actually, I was hoping to post a cheddar cheese bread for Lora's '#Twelve Loaves'...for the month of September, but my bread just did not rise...it refused to rise...waiting for over 2hrs (recipe called for 2hrs of rising)...waited for 3hrs, and still not much luck, but I persevered and was determined to shape the bread, and make it any way!

linking to: Hearth and Soul Blog Hop @ Zesty South Indian Kitchen


For Labor Day, which I hope you all had an enjoyable time with family and friends...as for me, I opted to stay home-alone, which did not happen.

I was so thrilled the my son came by with my two sweet granddaughters but then...I did not have a plan for lunch, but certainly had the right ingredients for a quick mac n' cheese (from scratch)...little burger sliders, on my grill pan, and for dessert, palacsintas filled with my mango jam.  Not so bad after all...and for the latter part of the day, I went by my daughter's neighbors' for a BBQ. Great day, after all!


Please excuse the not so great presentation of my photo but really good crepes)... and the scribbled recipe...I really wasn't going to bother posting this (I had my heart set on posting my bread, which unfortunately flopped...sigh!)

I hope you can make the chicken scribble out, I saved this recipe for the past 20 years now, tucked away in my little red box along with my other index cards, and hand written recipes. Recipe makes at least 12 crepes (pancakes is not the right term) copied it from 'word to word'...from a Hungarian cookbook written in English.



Here's the most amazing grill pan I found at Goodwill last weekend...brand new, heavy, I mean super heavy weight cast iron grill plan from IKEA for $9.99. I just had to have it, could not pass up this great grill pan. I tried it out to make my little mini burgers...of course, the pan has to be sprayed first with the vegetable cooking spray, and pre-heated, but just look at those grill marks on the burgers...a great 'thrift find' for sure!






Another amazing 'thrift find'...this awesome mini cake pan with 4 compartments to make the same banana bread recipe that you would make in one loaf pan. The time that it takes to bake, is totally half the time then the one pan makes. This was done in 35 minutes, moist delicious and yummy. Cost for the cake pan, $4.99.
 





I hope I'm not going to regret this...but I feel that after all the work I put into make this bread, which I will try again...not understanding what happened with the yeast. 1.) I should have waited to see if the yeast dissolves in the warm water properly before adding it into the work bowl with the other ingredients...2.) I used warm tap water...maybe too warm, and it killed the yeast from bubbling up, because it certainly did not look like it bubbled, just merely dissolved...I am determined to re-make this, or something with some kind of different cheese for a different yeasted bread or rolls.

I was all set to start out with fresh herbs that I planted at Lora's garden. Oregano and basil, they are always striving, and so healthy...especially the oregano, which is so healthy looking, and so aromatic.














Kneaded the dough properly...so far, so good!











The dough looks great...thinking that I'm still on the right track.

After 2 hrs, which recipe called for to rise double...well, it did not. Dough was tough...nothing to punch down on; which you're supposed to do. I was still determined to keep going.














I even fried up some bacon, crumbled it, and added into the dough, and worked it in.












I shaped the loaf, and placed it into the loaf pan...













Well, here it is, grated cheddar cheese sprinkled on the top, and baked for 35 minutes. Did not rise high.












I am soooo embarrassed to show the result...the taste was so incredible with the bacon bits, there's grated cheddar cheese right in the batter, and fresh snipped herbs. Lora asked me if I'm going to post this flopped version of my bread...and I said, NO, of course not, but then, I had a change of 'heart' and are revealing my 'failure'. As you can see the texture is hard, and not light and flaky...this texture is what you would call it in Hungarian...'szalonnnás' meaning...like the tough pork fat!

Not 'throwing in the towel'...just throwing out the bread...so sad, but will try again!
Enhanced by Zemanta

41 comments:

Patty said...

Love all of your finds...will you try the bread again?

Elisabeth said...

Patty, I'm very determined to make this bread again, even though I wasted so much time and ingredients, it was a learning experience! I am extremely happy with my finds...both, like brand 'new'!

Phong Hong said...

Elisabeth, I know how you feel! Nothing to be ashamed of. Be like me, flaunting my failure for all to see. hah! hah! Maybe your yeast was already past expiry date? I did have my fair share of dough that refused to rise. My mum suggested that I kneaded the dough too much until I killed the yeast! What my aunt does to her failed bread is to toast it in the oven and convert them to biscuits. Try the bread again, surely it will work out next time :)

Amelia said...

Hi Elisabeth, *A big hugs to you* Nothing to feel bad about your failure. I did post my disaster too and create some humour at the same time for some comfort.LOL Sometimes we do have some haywire in the kitchen, this is unavoidable. Hope to see you bake this bread again.

Anyway your crepes look delicious, wish I can have 2 pieces now for my tea break. I bookmark your recipe to make mango crepe cake. Hope to try it out very soon.

I love all your thrift treasure, really value for money. And your collection of treasures from the thrift shop......I'm sure it's uncountable by now. LOL

Have a nice week ahead, warm regards and hugs to you.

Ola said...

this mini cake pan looks very interesting and would be usueful, I am sure!
we celebrate here labour day on 1st of May:)

Blog about life and travelling
Blog about cooking

Rashida shaikh said...

If you're doing your best, you won't have any time to worry about failures...keep it up.
We too have failed, just varying circumstances.
Have a good day!

The KitchenMaid said...

Ah, there's nothing worse than bread that won't rise - all that waiting around getting hungry for nothing! Better luck next time, I'm sure. I must say, your handwritten recipe is really beautiful. I've seen something recently about transfering handwritten recipes onto tea towel fabric and that one would be perfect!

Chic & Gorgeous Treats said...

Happy Labor Day to you! What a productive weekend you had. I truly enjoyed reading on your meal preparation. Sliders, Crepes and bread? I would love to be in your kitchen and feast away. Love your hand written recipe too. I love crepes and it has been in my list ages. Still hasn't found the right time to make them since family has always been busy attending to errands. Till then, have a wonderful week ahead!! Huggss, Jo

Rosemary said...

It's weirdly comforting for me to know that someone like you, who's so comfortable making bread, has a flop now and then. If you can have problems, then I can, too! Now those crepes! That's another story! Sounds like you had one heck of a good labor day, labors of love.

Ridwan's kitchen/Asian spice mix said...

Sound like you had a great holiday weekend with your son and grand daughters,sure it's Fun with these delicious food,especially the crepes sound YummY,,,anything with mango it's always delicious to me :)
goodluck if you try to make the bread again,,,,everyone sure have some experiences with yest :)

Zsuzsa said...

don't throw in the towel - use bread flour - make sure yeast still works - always add the flour gradually - never move to the next stage until dough doubles. it can take several hours longer than the recipe says.

Sissi said...

Elisabeth, I'm afraid of making bread so much... I haven't even tried it. I have already discussed it with Zsuzsa, but yeast seems to hate me.
The palacsinta look delicious and remind me of my mum's crêpes, which were always a good idea on days when she didn't feel like shopping. Jam, eggs and flour were always in stock at home.
I also have a grill pan (a square one from IKEA too!) and it's the only possibility for me to grill because I don't have a house or a garden... It's better than nothing and as you say grilling marks are almost the same ;-)
Talking about thrift finds, I have recently bought in a place selling end of series a very cheap beautiful ceramic terrine dish with a lid (I paid the equivalent of 6 dollars!). I'm preparing myself for the cold days and making pâtés, terrines etc. Until now I only had small terrine dishes.
Unfortunately for my wallet, I have found a miracle place selling cheap end-of-series books, and among them cookery books...

Angie's Recipes said...

The crepes look fabulous to me, Eli.
Sorry that bread didn't turn out right...I agree it didn't rise properly, but at least it didn't taste bad. I would probably turn them into some croutons or just grind them and add to the some ground beef for patties.

Elisabeth said...

Angie, thanks for your kind words and advise...the bread tasted amazing with the cheddar cheese and bits of bacon, also the fresh herbs addition. I should not have discard it; after all, I'm a 'thrifter'...just was so disappointed. I could have even toasted up the slices or bake them crispy. Now it's too late!

You're the 'spelt queen' as I have mentioned before. Your yeasted breads just simply blows everything away:) xo

Elisabeth said...

Sissi, I seem to have a similar issue with yeast lately. There was one type of yeast that looked like tiny little pearls, I even posted it on my blog last year...a gift from a food blogger friend from Singapore. I will have to track back on my blog...even have photo of it. That yeast is MAGIC! Comes in a tiny little canister, and it is amazingly 'fail proof' Will have to google to order it again.

The grill pan is a very heavy duty square shaped pan, from IKEA...I'm sure its a lot more expensive than $10 US dollars.

I'm so happy for your 'thrift finds'...I'm so excited every time I find something valuable, just can't pass up the treasure and the bargain price!

trollanyu said...

Gyönyörű palacsinták, olyan, mint amilyet anyukám sütött:) Bizony ő, ha nekiállt, sütött 100 darabot is, én csak enni szeretem, sütni nem. A fűszernövények fantasztikusak, nekem is van a teraszon, mindegyiket imádom:) Nagyon ritkán, de előfordul, hogy az élesztő nem működik, de ezen ne keserdj el, ez nem a te hibád. Ilyenkor én mindig megpróbálom mégegszer, csak hogy bebizonyítsam magamnak, hogy meg tudom csinálni. Happy Labor Day:)

Paula said...

I'm sorry that your bread did not rise. Very disappointing and frustrating for you but we have all been there. I'm glad that you decided to share your *big flop*. That's keeping it real and it's a comfort to all of us who have had disasters in the kitchen to know that others with beautiful blogs have experienced similar situations.
The only thing I can think of as to why your yeast did not proof properly was either because the yeast was too old or because the water added to it was too hot. That's a definite yeast killer!
Love your thrift finds, especially that 4 in 1 loaf pan. Your crepes look wonderful and I'm glad that you did not spend the day alone as planned. Visits from the grandchildren are too precious!

Kathy said...

Sorry about your bread, Elizabeth! It’s happened to the best of us…unfortunately!! Your palacsinta look fabulous…I haven’t made them in so long! My recipe is written on a pice of paper by my aunt…it looks just like yours. Have a happy!!

Juliana said...

Oh Elisabeth, sorry about the bread...I know how disappointing it is...after so much work and expectation...anyways, we all learn and the important thing is not to give it up :)
The crepes look awesome!
Have a great week my dear!

Kati said...

Hogy te mennyi finomságot készítettél:) Az a mangodzsemes palacsinta de jó lehet:)

Swathi Iyer said...

Elisabeth, did you check the yeast, may be they are old something else. Good luck with second try. By the way I love that cake pan. I wish I can find one. The crepes looks delicious.

Inside a British Mum's Kitchen said...

Love the crepes! sorry about your bread but I bet it still tasted good! and I LOVE the grill pan - clever you to find that :)
Mary x

Elisabeth said...

The biggest problem is; I tend to follow the yeasted bread recipes...even when I question certain methods which I don't use, especially adding the yeast to the other ingredients, without proofing the yeast...no wonder I didn't know it its going to rise or not!

Thanks Zsuzsa, for your valuable tips...really appreciate them:)

Cardamom Hills said...

I really need to try making my own bread....its been so long since I have wanted to but the thought of it being hard enough to use as canon balls kinda freak me ;-) but you are a brave women, you actually posted it out here...hahaha...but then there are those days when somethings dont go rite...That grill pan...ohh, i envy you...wish we could find stuff at such cud price here....I am totally envious of those green green herbs...looking all so fresh and beautiful...My daughter is a fan of crepes...I shall try this for her.
The hungarian hot paprika is really good.....i should get some more...maybe order online :-)

mia xara said...

Hi Elisabeth, other than the bread mishap (which by the way looked really good even though not properly risen:)), it sounds like you had a great time with your family and from your posted pictures it looks like they enjoyed a great meal!!!I'd love to try at least one of those crepes..Love your thrift finds, when it comes to kitchen gadgets and accessories it seems I can never get enough, now if I only had the space..lol..XOXO

Katalin said...

Nagyon guszta a palacsintád, szívesen ennék belőle. Nálunk a férjem szokta sütni, meg a lányom, én még nem próbáltam :)
A fűszernövényeid is nagyon szépek, nekem csak bazsalikomom van az erkélyen, jövőre majd szeretnék még más féléket is ültetni....

Lisa said...

I'm so sorry it didn't rise as it should have, but dang..I'd still eat it! I ghad the opposite problem with my sriracha cheese bread -it rose so fast and quick, it collapsed, so I had to press it down twice and let it rise two more times because it kept popping up and collasping. This resulted in a crooked swirl, but, you know what? It tasted good - ugly or not LOL That said, your Palacsinta were a huge success. Your scribbled recipe for it remind me of grandmother's recipe box..which I can't find and am devastated. It's got to be somewhere (knock wood). OK, before I write a novel..love the crepes AND the bread..and definitely pin, tweet etc xoxo

Anita at Hungry Couple said...

We've all had our kitchen failures and sometimes they lead to triumphs later on. The crepes look delicious and I'm glad you had a nice holiday after all.

ping said...

Awww ... make croutons! COuld be all that humidity due to the hurricane, you think? The crepes look delicious tho ... yum!

Delicious Deliveries said...

It all looks delicious. Keep up the great work that you do. :)

Illéskrisz Konyhája said...

A palacsinta olyan étel, amit minden nap megennének... Legalábbis itthon nálunk. Nagyon guszta! És az a kenyérke! Hát az is mennyei!

Zsuzsa said...

Elisabeth if I wasn't sure of the yeast I would proof it first. I don't routinely proof anymore, because I use instant yeast and I go through the jar fast, plus I keep it in the fridge. I always check the expiry date when I buy a jar, sometimes the stores reduce the price for a quick sale and then a couple of months later the yeast is too old and no longer works. Larger amounts [or if you don't use it often] are best to keep in the freezer.

Giancarlo said...

Queste crepes devono essere fantastiche, mi sembra di sentire l'odore uscire dal video!! buona giornata e felice fine settimana a te...ciao

Lizzy Do said...

OH, gosh, that's happened to me more often than I care to admit. My problem is usually water that's too hot. But it IS frustrating. I love your idea here...and I'm glad Lora's bread challenge is up for a whole month...I'm hoping to join in, too. But look at all the perfectly delectable dishes you shared with us...the crepes, the burgers, the banana bread! Such lucky grandchildren :) Have a great weekend, Lizzie! xo

Cathleen said...

I thought I was the only one getting the bread wrong sometimes! At least these crepes turned out beautifully. (by the way, I also have trouble making crepes. Sigh)

Elisabeth said...

Cathleen, I'm not able to post my comment on your blog because of your word verification not letting me send comment thru, so I copied and pasted comment to you on this reply...so sorry!

Cathleen, your simple chicken salad sandwich is perfect, and delicious. Love the simplicity of this classic sandwich, your photo is awesome...pinning it right now; and as I'm writing this, you've given me an idea what to make for lunch with my leftover roasted chicken:)xo

The Café Sucré Farine said...

It makes me so mad when I take all the time any energy and then something is a flop. Your crepes certainly make up for the flop though, they look fantastic and I'm sure your son and granddaughters will be back soon for another yummy lunch on the fly!

Toni (Boulder Locavore) said...

I've been thinking of you so much Elisabeth with hurrican Issac, hoping all is well. From your Labor Day plans it seems to have passed. I have to say for not having a menu plan, you throw down a mean meal for unexpected guests! No PB&J for your grandtots! Hope all is well!

lena said...

over here, we usually use instant yeast , i dont hv to soak in the water first, i normally mix them straight into the dry ingredients and are usually fail proof..err, i'm referring to rising. have you made the 2nd batch oredi? maybe you could try with a new packet of yeast.

Carmen Anderson said...

It's not a flop at all Elisabeth!!!! Even though the bread didn't rise, it still looks so good! I bet it was delicious! I am sure when you get it right next time it will be phenomenal!!!!

Lyndsey Chapin said...

Wow this post is packed full of goodness. I love that grill pan...nice find! A friend of ours is in Hungry right now, his family is there. he dad came to visit for most of the summer. I think he missed there sausages and pork the most! I hope he brings back some good foodie find for me. Love the old hand written recipe!