CIA Homeschool: Soft Dinner Rolls

It is time to FINALLY get started on this whole CIA homeschooling. Just in case you didn't see my announcement on the first about this, I am going to be working my way through The Culinary Institute of America's "Baking and Pastry: Mastering the Art and Craft" textbook/cookbook. I would love to go to culinary school one day, but right now I want to be home with my kids. I figured this would be a way for me to work on my craft while being home.

A few notes about this project: I won't be working in order, I won't be making every recipe (the book is 833 pages long!), and I won't be posting the recipes. At the end of this post will be a list of the recipes I have chosen to make from the book. There are quite a few and it will definately be challenging to get them all made but I am ready for it! I am also open to requests, so if there is anything on the list that catches your fancy, let me know and I will try to work it into my menu!

One of the most difficult parts of this challenge is going to be scaling all the recipes. Since this is for the Culinary Institute, every recipe feeds an army. Literally. We are talking 12 dozen cookies, 8 pounds of bread dough, and wedding cakes. It looks like math class is finally going to do something for me. :)

I started with one of the easier recipes and made soft dinner rolls. I chose to make two different shapes; Parker House and knot rolls. The dough was easy to work with and the rolls were quite simple to shape. In the future, I think I would make the knot rolls over the Parker House rolls because they are prettier. Ahhhh... looks. It's sad that now rolls are judged by that, too.

One bit of information on the Parker House rolls. They were first created at the Parker House hotel in Boston. When I was explaining this to Anya, she took the information in and then asked where knot rolls were created. I told her I didn't know and she sat quietly for a minute. Then she said matter-of-factly, "Mom, I am pretty sure knot rolls were made in Michigan.". There you go.....

List of recipes to be made from the CIA book:

Yeast Raised Breads and Rolls

Boule (White Wheat Lean Dough)
Split Loaf (Lean Dough with Pate Fermente)
Batard (Whole Wheat Lean Dough)
Baguette (Lean Dough with Poolish)
Grissini
Bagels
Ciabatta
Stollen
Pannetone
Soft Roll Dough (Knot Rolls & Parker House Rolls
Brioche a Tete
Craquelin
Challah (6 Braid)
Coffee Cake (Twisted)
Pita Bread
Apple Fritters
Berliners (Jelly Doughnuts)
Yeast Raised Doughnuts

Yeast Doughs (Not listed above)

Prosciutto and Provolone Dough
Tomato Dough
Roasted Potato Dough
Apple and Walnut Sourdough

Quick Breads and Cakes

Ginger Cake
Buttermilk Biscuits
Bran Muffins
Lemon Buttermilk Cake
Polenta Cake
Devil’s Food Cake
Chocolate XS
Carrot Cake
Roulade
Chocolate Souffle Cake
Patterned Jaconde Sponge
Walnut Cheesecake

Cookies

Mudslide Cookies
Sand Cookies
Orange Coconut Macaroons
Fudge Brownies
Pecan Diamonds (Short Dough)
Mirror Cookies (1-2-3 Cookie Dough)
Citrus Crisps
Zedern Brot
Vanilla Kipferl
Checkerboard Cookies
Madeleines
Springerle
Vanilla Pretzels
Ladyfingers
Langues-de-Chat Sandwiches
Frangipane Cake (Made into Petit Fours)

Custards, Creams, Mousses, and Souffles

Crème Brulee
Pots de Crème
Vanilla Pudding
Lemon Curd
Chocolate Mousse
Bavarian Cream
Raspberry Souffle

Frozen Desserts

Chocolate Swirl Ice Cream
Lemon Frozen Yogurt
Orange Sorbet
Vanilla Bean Sherbet
Fresh Ginger Granita
Praline Parfait
Frozen Lemon Savarin

Pies, Tarts, and Fruit Desserts

Blueberry Pie
Warm Apple Charlottes
Lemon Fantasy Tart
Zesty Lime Tart
Cheese Tart
Clafoutis
Cranberry Pecan Tart
Apple Strudel

Filled and Assembled Cakes and Tortes

Bavarian Cream Torte
Charlotte Russe
Black Forest Cake
Opera Torte
Orange Mousseline Torte

Individual Pastries

Lemon Curd Tartlets
Pecan Cranberry Tartlets
Strip Tartlets
Pecan Passions
Classic Napoleons
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bombes
White and Dark Chocolate Mousse in Glasses
Trifles
Chocolate Eclairs
Bear Claws

Plated Desserts

Blueberry and Cream Cheese Crepes
Brown Sugar Roasted Pear
Funnel Cake with Maple Syrup and Summer Fruit Sauces

Chocolates and Confections

Milk Chocolate Truffles
Fujiyamas
Rochers
Candied Orange Peel
Soft Caramels
Hard Candies
Fudge
Nuss Bonbon
Marshmallows

FINAL PROJECT

TBD (Trying to pick a cake with gumpaste, modeling chocolate, and possibly pulled sugar)