~Blackberry Crisp & Homemade Bread~

"There is no spectacle on earth more appealing than that of a beautiful woman in the act of cooking dinner for someone she loves."
~ Thomas Wolfe

Good afternoon. Gracious it is such a lovely afternoon. The skies are dark & ominous with the threat of rain, the air is cool and I am doing a bit of baking. In the last couple of weeks, Mark & I have been spending a lot of time on the mountain across from our home picking gallons upon gallons of blackberries. The land is part of our brother in-laws farm and gracious, is it ever beautiful there. ..I just LOVE it....I mean..look at it!!!!!!!!!! Who wouldn't love this!!

This picture was taken from the very top...where there was a HUGE flock of turkey's enjoying a large patch of blackberry's..they had cleaned out the patch actually so we had to move on to another one :) This past Saturday Mark & I headed up the mountain at 5pm and were finally forced down out of the woods by darkness and a few sounds that made me a little nervous (there are bears about after all...and coyotes and lord know what else) which caused me to quicken my pace to the safety of Mark's truck....
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Anyway, I thought that I would share a recipe or two with you as I have been promising to do so for quite some time now.....one is a blackberry recipe ...Blackberry Crisp to be exact ......and the other is my bread recipe which I've been meaning to share for quite some time now and just have not taken the time to do it. When I talk about baking bread week after week...this is the recipe I use..we love it and there is nothing better than freshly baked bread. I have been making and my family has been enjoying..... both these recipes for years...so I can attest to their tastiness......I hope you enjoy them :)


~Blackberry Crisp~

Makes 1 large pie-sized or 6 ramekins
For the filling:
1 ½ lbs (4 to 5 cups) berries (a mixture of any kind works..I did apples & blackberries)
¾ oz (3 tbs) cornstarch
5 ½ oz (2/3 cup) granulated sugar
2 tbs lemon juice

For the topping:
4 ½ oz (1 cup) all purpose flour
2 3/8 oz (1/3 cup) granulated sugar
2 1/8 oz (1/3 cup packed) brown sugar
pinch of salt
8 oz (1 stick) cold butter, diced
1 5/8 oz (½ cup) quick-cooking or regular rolled oats
1 5/8 oz (1/2 cup) walnuts

(I very often double the topping recipe as ...we LOVE the topping)

In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, brown sugar & salt & Oats. Add the butter & combine until you get a coarse mixture. For this you can use a pastry blender, a fork or two knives...or...your hands :). Add the walnuts. These are optional...sometimes I use them..sometimes I leave them out...Mix & set aside.

In another large bowl, combine the granulated sugar and cornstarch, whisk until thoroughly combined. Add the fruit and lemon juice and carefully mix with a wooden spoon, trying not to mash the fruit. Transfer the fruit into a large baking dish (or ramekins) and sprinkle on the topping. I like to make sure the fruit is completely covered. Bake in a 350F oven (on a sheet pan to catch the juices) until bubbly and the topping is golden.

Serve warm, with a scoop of ice cream or homemade whipped cream :)ENJOY!!!
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~Brioche~
(Rich Egg Bread)

•3 cups all-purpose flour
•1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
•2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
•2/3 cup milk, warm
•2 Tablespoons butter, softened
•2 eggs

Preparation:

In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, yeast and sugar. Make a small hole in the center of the flour mixture and gradually add the warm milk, butter, and eggs and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Knead with floured hands until the dough is completely smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with buttered plastic wrap...butter side down of course.... and allow the dough to rise for 2 hours, or until it is doubled in size. This very much depends on the weather....be sure to set the dough in a warm place away from any drafts.

Transfer the dough from the bowl onto a floured work surface and punch it down in the center. Knead the dough for approximately 3-5 minutes until it is shiny and smooth. Shape into a round loaf....being sure to tuck the ends under so the bread is smooth and neat looking. Place on a floured baking stone or lightly greased cookie sheet. Using a serrated knife make three quick slices across the top of the bread..just slicing through the top skin. Allow bread to rise for approx 45 minutes to an hour until it has doubled in size.

Bake in a 375 degree (preheated oven) for approximately 25 minutes until golden brown. Remove & cool on a baking rack....slice, butter & ENJOY!!

Wishing you all a lovely day. Happy baking! Doreen