Firstly, I know I've been a very slack blogger. I'm blaming Christmas for December and a visit from my Mother-In-Law this January. The second shouldn't really be an excuse at all as I've had extra help with the monkey and done loads of eating out which I really should've documented. I will endeavour to improve my frequency in 2010.
To be honest I wasn't very excited when I saw this months challenge and kind of forgot about it until Mr Jen asked about it on Australia Day (26th January - a day before posting was due!!). I was all baked out that day as I'd made a big pile of lamingtons and considered dropping out of this challenge but felt much more energized this morning and set straight to it.
The January 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and www.nanaimo.ca.
Nanaimo Bars are a classic Canadian dessert, named after the town where they were created; Nanaimo (pronounced Nah-nye-moh) and apparently you get them everywhere in Canada. They consist of 3 layers: a chocolately, nutty biscuit base, a custardy middle layer and chocolate on the top..
The whole cooking process was very straightforward. I didn't bother with the gluten-free options as I didn't have time to get the flours today and my only gluten free friend is on a detox so wouldn't appreciate me turning up with these on her doorstep!! The Graham wafer recipe produced far more than I needed but I didn't think of reducing the quantities so I left some dough in the freezer for another time. I forgot to prick them with a toothpick but they didn't seem to rise too much.
I've heard that they're equivalent to digestives (I think because both get used for cheesecake bases) but I found them completely different. They're nice and crunchy and have a more complex flavour due to the dark brown sugar, honey and vanilla.
When assembling my Nanaimo Bars I found I needed to refrigerate between layers due to the heat in my kitchen but the process was simple nonetheless. I was pleasantly surprised to find that mine looked very similar to the ones created by this months host. I found them a bit sweet but I used dark chocolate and some very dark dutch cocoa which balanced the sweetness a little. I have packed them all off for Mr Jen to take into work tomorrow where I'm sure they'll be gratefully received!
Looking forward to next months challenge now - I'm hoping for bread or cake!!
Here is the recipe if you'd like to have a crack at them.
Preparation time:
- Graham Wafers: 30 to 45 minutes total active prep, 2 ½ hours to overnight and 45 minutes inactive prep.
- Nanaimo Bars: 30 minutes.
Equipment required:
- Food Processor
- Bowls
- Parchment paper or silpats
- Cookie sheets
- Double boiler or pot and heatproof bowl
- 8 by 8 inch square pan
- Hand mixer or stand mixer (You may use a wooden spoon, but this makes it much easier!)
- Saucepan
For Gluten-Free Graham Wafers
Ingredients
- 1 cup (138 g) (4.9 ounces) Sweet rice flour (also known as glutinous rice flour)
- 3/4 cup (100 g) (3.5 ounces) Tapioca Starch/Flour
- 1/2 cup (65 g) (2.3 ounces) Sorghum Flour
- 1 cup (200 g) (7.1 ounces) Dark Brown Sugar, Lightly packed
- 1 teaspoon (5 mL) Baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon (4 mL ) Kosher Salt
- 7 tablespoons (100 g) (3 ½ ounces) Unsalted Butter (Cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen)
- 1/3 cup (80 mL) Honey, Mild-flavoured such as clover.
- 5 tablespoons (75 mL) Whole Milk2 tablespoons
- (30 mL) Pure Vanilla Extract
Directions:
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine the flours, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pulse on low to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal. If making by hand, combine aforementioned dry ingredients with a whisk, then cut in butter until you have a coarse meal. No chunks of butter should be visible.
- In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the honey, milk and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky.
- Turn the dough onto a surface well-floured with sweet rice flour and pat the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 2 hours, or overnight.
- Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of sweet rice flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be quite sticky, so flour as necessary. Cut into 4 by 4 inch squares. Gather the scraps together and set aside. Place wafers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes. Repeat with the second batch of dough.
- Adjust the rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
- Gather the scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and reroll. Dust the surface with more sweet rice flour and roll out the dough to get a couple more wafers.
- Prick the wafers with toothpick or fork, not all the way through, in two or more rows.
- Bake for 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. Might take less, and the starting location of each sheet may determine its required time. The ones that started on the bottom browned faster.
- When cooled completely, place enough wafers in food processor to make 1 ¼ cups (300 mL) of crumbs. Another way to do this is to place in a large ziplock bag, force all air out and smash with a rolling pin until wafers are crumbs.
Nanaimo Bars
Ingredients:
Bottom Layer
- 1/2 cup (115 g) (4 ounces) Unsalted Butter
- 1/4 cup (50 g) (1.8 ounces) Granulated Sugar5 tablespoons (75 mL) Unsweetened Cocoa
- 1 Large Egg, Beaten
- 1 1/4 cups (300 mL) (160 g) (5.6 ounces) Gluten Free Graham Wafer Crumbs (See previous recipe)
- 1/2 cup (55 g) (1.9 ounces) Almonds (Any type, Finely chopped)
- 1 cup (130 g) (4.5 ounces) Coconut (Shredded, sweetened or unsweetened)
Middle Layer
- 1/2 cup (115 g) (4 ounces) Unsalted Butter
- 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons (40 mL) Heavy Cream
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) Vanilla Custard Powder (Such as Bird’s)
- 2 cups (254 g) (8.9 ounces) Icing Sugar
Top Layer
- 4 ounces (115 g) Semi-sweet chocolate
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) (1 ounce) Unsalted Butter
- For bottom Layer: Melt unsalted butter, sugar and cocoa in top of a double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, nuts and coconut. Press firmly into an ungreased 8 by 8 inch pan.
- For Middle Layer: Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and icing sugar together well. Beat until light in colour. Spread over bottom layer.
- For Top Layer: Melt chocolate and unsalted butter over low heat. Cool. Once cool, pour over middle layer and chill.
Additional Information:
- These bars freeze very well, so don’t be afraid to pop some into the freezer.
- The graham wafers may be kept in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
- If making the graham crackers with wheat, replace the gluten-free flours (tapioca starch, sweet rice flour, and sorghum flour) with 2 ½ cups plus 2 tbsp of all-purpose wheat flour, or wheat pastry flour.
- Watch the wheat-based graham wafers very closely in the oven, as they bake faster than the gluten-free ones, sometimes only 12 minutes.
- For the Nanaimo Bars, if making with wheat, replace the gluten-free graham wafer crumbs with equal parts wheat graham wafer crumbs
The view from our table - pretty special!
Our trays of goodies!
Scones, raspberry jam and cream
