Carla Hall shares recipes from new her cookbook 'Carla Bakes'
Chef, TV host and author Carla Hall joined "Good Morning America" Tuesday to share recipes from her new cookbook, "Carla Bakes: Sweet, Savory, and from the Heart."
The book, available on Sept. 8, includes over 80 recipes for sweet and savory treats inspired by Hall's world travels and her Southern roots.
Explore some of Hall's recipes from "Carla Bakes" below!
Citrus and Sour Cherry Scones
Yields 16 servings
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for shaping
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, VERY cold
1/2 cup dried sour cherries, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream, plus a few tablespoons for brushing
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Coarse sugar (optional), for sprinkling
Directions
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Lightly flour a work surface.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, lime zest, and orange zest. Using the large holes on a box grater, grate the cold butter into the flour mixture. Toss until all of the pieces are coated. Lightly pinch the butter pieces into the flour mixture, just enough to create an irregularly crumbly mixture. Toss in the cherries, making sure to coat and separate the pieces.
In a medium bowl or spouted glass measuring cup, whisk together the cream, egg, and almond extract until well blended. Pour into the flour mixture and mix with a flexible spatula just until combined. There shouldn’t be any bits of flour left, but avoid overmixing. The dough will be cohesive but still rough.
Transfer the dough to the floured work surface and pat it into a rectangle, then divide that into 2 equal pieces. Gently shape each piece into a disk about 6 inches in diameter and 3/4 inch thick. Using a lightly floured chef’s knife or bench scraper, cut each disk into 8 equal wedges. Flip the wedges over so that the smooth sides that were against the work surface face up and place them on the prepared pan, 3/4 inch apart. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. (At this point, alternatively, freeze them for up to 3 months and bake them directly from the freezer.)
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Uncover the scones and brush the tops of them with cream. If desired, for sweetness and crunch, sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake one sheet pan at a time until golden brown, about 15 minutes (a few minutes longer for frozen scones).
Transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool for 5 to 10 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature. Freeze leftover scones for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container and reheat in a 200°F oven directly from the freezer.
S(esame) B(utter) & J(am) Bars
Yields 16 bars
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
1 cup well-stirred tahini
3/4 cup blueberry grape jam (recipe follows) or your favorite store-bought jam
Ingredients for blueberry grape jam
2 3/4 cups fresh blueberries, stemmed
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup grape juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Directions for blueberry grape jam
In a deep, heavy saucepan, combine the blueberries, sugar, grape juice, and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring gently, until the sugar dissolves, 6 to 8 minutes.
Using an immersion blender, blend the fruit until liquefied and the skins have broken down. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 40 minutes.
Let cool (and thicken further), then cover and refrigerate for up to 1 month
Directions for sesame butter and jam bars
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9 by 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper, allowing the paper to hang over two sides by an inch or two.
In a food processor, combine the flour, brown sugar, sesame seeds, salt, and baking powder. Pulse once or twice. Add the butter and pulse 2 or 3 times until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add the egg and vanilla. Pulse once or twice to combine, then add the tahini and pulse another 5 or 6 times, until the mixture just comes together in a few large clumps but is still sandy.
Measure out 1 cup of the shortbread mixture and set aside to use as a crumble topping. Press the remainder into the prepared pan, creating a thick bottom crust.
Bake until the edges are lightly browned, about 20 minutes. The shortbread will be soft and puffy. Allow the center to sink and cool slightly in the pan, 5 to 7 minutes.
Spread the jam evenly over the warm shortbread crust, then sprinkle crumbles of the reserved shortbread mixture over the top, completely covering the jam.
Return to the oven and bake until the crumbles are golden brown and the jam has bubbled a bit at the edges, 30 to 40 minutes.
With 10 minutes left in the oven, sprinkle evenly with more sesame seeds.
Let cool completely in the pan. Using the parchment overhang, transfer the baked slab to a cutting board. Cut into 16 equal bars, discarding the parchment. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator (I like these cold as well as at room temperature) for up to 3 days.
Chocolate Focaccia
Yields 12 to 18 servings
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups warm water (100º to 110ºF)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, such as Guittard Cocoa Rouge
1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) bread machine yeast (not rapid-rise)
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1/3 cup Port and Hibiscus Soaked Fruit (optional), drained and packed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Flaky sea salt, for garnish
Directions
In a medium bowl or a 2-cup spouted glass measuring cup, stir together the warm water and oil.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and yeast with a flexible spatula. Gradually add the water/oil mixture, stirring just until no trace of dry ingredients remains. Stir in the salt. The dough will be almost pourable, like brownie batter.
Snap on the dough hook and knead on medium-low speed until the dough is soft, slack, smooth, and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed.
Grease a 4-quart straight-sided container with nonstick spray and then scrape the dough into it. Turn the dough to coat it, then cover the container with plastic wrap or its container lid. Mark the side of the container with a piece of tape to show the dough’s starting volume. Refrigerate for 8 hours or up to overnight.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit in a warm spot until it has doubled in size and is quite spongy, about 2 hours.
Grease a 9-inch square metal baking pan with 1 tablespoon oil. Uncover the dough and use 2 forks to pull the dough toward the center from 4 corners to form a ball. Transfer the ball to the prepared pan. Using oiled fingers, gently stretch the dough to the corners. Create dimples in the dough by pressing your greased fingertips deep into its surface.
Make the topping: Press the pieces of fruit into the dimples. Re-cover and let the dough rise again in a warm spot until puffed and some bubbles have formed, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Uncover the dough and gently re-dimple or press in the fruit. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the oil over the top and transfer to the oven.
Bake until the focaccia is set and slightly puffed and registers an internal temperature of 190°F, 18 to 22 minutes. Brush the surface with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil as soon as you take the focaccia out of the oven, then sprinkle with the flaky sea salt.
Run a knife around the edges of the bread to loosen it from the pan. Cool slightly before transferring the focaccia from the pan to a cutting board and slicing and serving.
Wrap leftovers loosely in parchment paper or a kitchen towel, place in a paper bag (to keep the crust crisp) or a resealable plastic bag (to keep the bread soft), and store at room temperature for up to two days. Or wrap in plastic and then foil and store in the freezer for up to one month.
Recipes reprinted with permission from "Carla Bakes: Sweet, Savory, and from the Heart" by Carla Hall with Lauren Chattman.
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