The May 2009 Daring Bakers’ Challenge is brought to us by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks

We chose a recipe that is all about technique: Apple Strudel.

Making strudel dough has been on my personal baking to-do list for quite a while but I was always kind of scared to actually try making the paper thin dough. And as being a Daring Baker means challenging yourself, making strudel dough seemed like the perfect recipe for this month's challenge.

To download the recipe in .pdf format, click HERE

The inaugural May 2009 Daring Cooks' Challenge was brought to us by Ivonne of Creampuffs in Venice and Lis of La Mia Cucina

It seems like yesterday that The Daring Bakers were humming along and The Daring Cooks wasn't even a twinkle in our eye.

Well here we are!

Two-and-a-half years after the birth of The Daring Bakers, Lis and I are so happy to inaugurate The Daring Cooks with the first ever challenge! Thank you so much to all of you for joining and for supporting us!

So to do away with the suspense, we're happy to announce that the very first Daring Cooks' challenge is ... Ricotta Gnocchi!

We have chosen a recipe from the stunning cookbook by Judy Rodgers, named after her restaurant, The Zuni Café Cookbook.

To download the recipe in .pdf format, click HERE

For this month’s challenge, I, Jenny of Jenny Bakes, have picked a basic cheesecake recipe, courtesy of my very good friend Abbey T., who has tweaked and played with this recipe. She has made many variations, and anyone who knows her knows to ask her to bring a cheesecake!

I know some of you will have made cheesecake before, but I’m hoping it is new for some of you. The real challenge this month is to take this basic recipe and play with it. Make it unique. Make a showstopper of a dessert. Add flavor, sauces, decorations – dress it up and show it off. To be clear, I'm allowing for almost any flavor modification within the basic recipe (alcohol, lemon juice, vanilla), changes for dietary needs, and you can also experiment with the crust (graham crackers not essential). And then what you do on top - you have free reign here.

To download the recipe in .pdf format, click HERE

With spring around the corner in the northern hemisphere, and autumn descending in the southern hemisphere, the March challenge is a rich dish that we hope will be suitable fare for Daring Bakers around the world and not cause too much heat or stress in the kitchen!

This month’s challenge has global input, with the three hosts living in three continents: Mary from Canada, Melinda from Australia and Enza from Italy. All three of us are very keen bakers for our families and friends and very excited to be hosting our first Daring Bakers challenge!

The recipe we’ve chosen this month is Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table: Recipes from Emilia-Romagna, the Heartland of Northern Italian Food by Lynne Rossetto Kasper (published by William Morrow and Company Inc., 1992).

To download the recipe in .pdf format, click HERE

The February Challenge comes to you from Wendy at A Charmed Life (Arizona) and Dharm at Dad - Baker and Chef (Malaysia). We both are passionate about baking for our families.

Chocolate has many associations – godliness, health-giving, mood altering, and addicting. Bless the ancient Mayans and Aztecs for developing the cocoa bean into the delicious luxurious chocolate drink that the Spanish explorers brought back to Spain. How the Spanish kept chocolate a secret for 100 years is a mystery that perhaps can only be explained by the lack of the internet!

It is no wonder that February, the month for honoring love on St. Valentine’s Day, is best represented first by the heart and then by chocolate or better yet a chocolate heart. The potency and power of chocolate can only be rivaled by vanilla, and then they make a wonderful combination!

February’s challenge is a Flourless Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Valentino, inspired by Malaysia’s “most flamboyant food ambassador”, Chef Wan. Recipe comes from Sweet Treats by Chef Wan

To download the recipe in .pdf format, click HERE

The January 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge comes to you from Karen a/k/a Baking Soda at Bake My Day! and Zorra a/k/a Kochtopf at 1x umrühren bitte

Don't know about you girls and boys but we feel in need for a little shaping up after the holidays. We're adapting an air of lightness, adding a touch of crisp and maybe even go nuts. A challenge that’s more about technique than about baking a recipe. With the choices given, we think you've got plenty of options to chose something that’s individually challenging. You are allowed every flavour in the universe, you may go round or square, roll or fold but you need to shape up!

So here we go; January – something light... Tuiles – what could be lighter??

Traditionally, tuiles are thin, crisp almond cookies that are gently molded over a rolling pin or arched form while they are still warm. Once set, their shape resembles the curved French roofing tiles for which they're named.

To download the recipe in .pdf format, click HERE

Greetings Daring Baker Type People (as Lisa would say).
Welcome to the December 2008 Daring Bakers’ Challenge! We, Hilda of Saffron and Blueberry and Marion of Il en Faut Peu Pour Etre Heureux, are your hosts this month.

And the Challenge this month is…

A French Yule Log!

SO, what is a French Yule Log you say and how is it different from the Yule Log we made last December if you were a member then?

In France you can buy two kinds of Yule log, either the Genoise and Buttercream type that we made last December, or what is more commonly purchased which is a frozen Yule Log very reminiscent of an ice cream cake, only often it’s not made of ice cream but rather frozen mousse of some sort. In French this is called an entremets which is sometimes loosely translated in English as simply a cream dessert. This also means that this recipe is not holiday-specific, it is also just a scrumptious dessert recipe.

To download the recipe in .pdf format, click HERE

November 2008 Daring Bakers Challenge recipe is brought to us by Dolores of Chronicles in Culinary Curiosity, Alex a/k/a Brownie, of the Blondie and Brownie duo, and Jenny of Foray into Food.

And since none of us know jack about alternative baking, we’ve once again turned to Natalie of Gluten-a-Go-Go to assist us.

We’ve spent two months exploring the savory side of baking...

Now that it’s November and the holidays are upon us, we’re bringing sugar back to the party. In fact, this month sugar is the STAR of the party.

Our leading lady this month is Shuna Fish Lydon of Eggbeater and her signature caramel cake. And in a supporting role we have an optional challenge: Alice Medrich’s Golden Vanilla Bean Caramels from Pure Dessert, with LOTS of variation. Guaranteed to keep us all on a sugar-induced high all month!

To download the recipe in .pdf format, click HERE

The October 2008 Daring Bakers Challenge is brought to us by Rosa of Rosa's Yummy Yums

THE RULES: This month’s recipe leaves you with much freedom! You can either make the Pizza Dough gluten-free or the normal way. You may use the sauce (anything liquidy, saucy and spreadable like cream cheese, flavored oils, pesto, Nutella, Peanut Butter, pumpkin puree, etc...) and toppings of your choice, may they be savory or sweet, gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian or non-vegan/vegetarian. You must use BOTH (sauce & toppings).

JUST USE YOUR IMAGINATION!!!

EQUIPMENT: Stand mixer with paddle and dough hook attachments (optional, see recipe), cooking thermometer, baking sheet, parchment paper, cooking oil, plastic wrap, pizza peel/scraper, pizza stone or pan.

RECIPE SOURCE: “The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering The Art of Extraordinary Bread” by Peter Reinhart. Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA. Copyright 2001. ISBN-10: 1-58008-268-8, ISBN-13: 978-158008-268-6.

To download the recipe in .pdf format, click HERE

The September 2008 Daring Bakers Challenge

This month we are making Daring Bakers history as our September challenge is vegan and/or gluten free. For the first time ever, the torch has been passed to « Alternative » Daring Bakers Natalie from Gluten A Go Go, and co-host Shel, of Musings From the Fishbowl. We wanted to make something savory this month, and we chose the recipe for Lavash Crackers from Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice (pp 178 - 180).

The Challenge: Make Lavash Crackers and create a dip/spread/salsa/relish to accompany it. This challenge allows for large helpings of creativity and personality, with the crackers, your flavor choices for the crackers, and with your dip/spread choice. You can create your own dip/spread recipe, use one of your favorites, or use one of the recipes we’ve provided at the bottom of this post. Get crazy! Just be sure to post the recipe along with your challenge crackers.

To download the recipe in .pdf format, click HERE