Flour Power

The Gold Medal for Baking Success

Flour0219 
February 2019 Issue

by Lindsay Gifford
Recipes, Information and Photography provided by Gold Medal Flour and Betty Crocker Kitchens

Gold Medal Flour has been a staple in kitchens across America for more than 130 years. Milling flour is a skill requiring an expertise in blending art and science. Founder Cadwallader Washburn started the company in 1866 on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. From the beginning, Washburn built the flour company on a solid foundation of commitment to larger production and superior quality. Controlling his own mills afforded the company almost immediate success.

Confident in his products, Washburn eventually entered his flour in an international competition, where the flour was awarded the top three prizes, including the gold medal. This win inspired Washburn to change the company name to the brand you know today—Gold Medal Flour. Gold Medal has stayed true to its commitment to quality all through its years, and now focuses their baking line on eight precision milled, premium-quality flours, including bread, organic, Wondra, whole wheat, and white whole wheat flour types, in addition to the standard self-rising, plain and un-bleached.

Regardless of your experience as a baker—novice or pro—using Gold Medal Flour in your baked goods will make a difference in lightness, flakiness and texture—they call it adding the “golden touch!” No one knows the golden touch better than Gold Medal and they are happy to share their expertise with you through their from-scratch-tips, how-to videos, baker blog, articles, holiday collections and expert recipes, all featured on their website www.goldmedalflour.com.

Turn the page for a sampling of Gold Medal Flour’s scrumptious recipes, along with sister company Betty Crocker Kitchen’s (www.bettycrocker.com) luscious treats. Do you see that chocolate cake? There is no doubt these decadent desserts will become treasured delights passed down for years to come with Gold Medal as your secret flour power.




Raspberry BeretFlour0219 RaspberryBerte
Prep Time: 60 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins
Servings: 48
From: Gold Medal Flour

Cookie Shells:
1/2 cup Sugar                                1/2 tsp Salt
1 Egg
1 1/2 tsps Vanilla
1/2 cup Confectioner's sugar              1/2 tsp Baking soda
1 cup Butter, unsalted, softened (2 sticks)
21/4 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

Toppings:

1 cup seedless Raspberry jam, divided         
1 pinch Salt
1/2 cup Butter, unsalted, softened (1 stick)        
1 tsp Vanilla
3 cups Confectioner's sugar
48 Fresh raspberries (about 1 pint) or 48 raspberry gummy candies

Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare the cookie shells. In large bowl, cream butter, sugar, and confectioner's sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add soda, salt, and flour. Mix on low speed until incorporated. Roll dough into 48 balls, about 1 inch in diameter. (Tip: Use wet hands to prevent sticking). Press a ball into each cup of a mini muffin pan, pushing dough up sides of each cup and creating a small depression in the middle. (Tip: use greased or lined tins or a silicone nonstick mini muffin pan). Bake 11 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven. While warm, re-press the indentations with the bottom of a wood spoon handle (or whatever works) to make shells deep enough to hold the toppings.

Once shells cool, spoon 3/4 cup of the raspberry jam among the 48 shells, dividing evenly. Mix the remaining 1/4 cup raspberry jam with the butter, confectioner's sugar, salt, and vanilla until smooth. Generously pipe or spread on top of the jam. Top each with a fresh raspberry when ready to serve.

 



“All-the-Stops” Chocolate CakeFlour AllTheStopsChocolateCake GMF
Prep Time: 1 hr 10 mins
Total Time: 4 hrs  |  Servings: 16
From: Gold Medal Flour

Cake:

2 tsps Vanilla
2 cups Strong coffee
2 cups Butter
4 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
2 cups Granulated sugar
2 cups Dark brown sugar, packed        1 Tbsp Baking soda
1 tsp Salt
3 Eggs
1 Egg yolk
1 1/3 cups Sour cream
1 1/2 cups Unsweetened baking cocoa (preferably Dutch processed)
Icing:
2 Tbsps Light corn syrup
1 quart (4 cups) Whipping (heavy) cream
2 tsps Vanilla
32 oz Semisweet or bittersweet baking chocolate, chopped
40 Thin chocolate wafer cookies, finely crushed (about 1 3/4 cups)

Adjust oven racks to middle and bottom positions. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray three 9-inch round pans with cooking spray. Line bottom of pans with cooking parchment paper rounds; spray with cooking spray. In 3-quart saucepan, heat coffee and butter over medium heat until butter melts and mixture just comes to a boil. Remove from heat and add cocoa. Beat with wire whisk until there are no lumps; set aside and cool 5 minutes.

In very large bowl, beat flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda and salt with wire whisk. Pour coffee mixture over dry ingredients and stir just until no dry flour mixture is visible. In small bowl, beat eggs and egg yolk with wire whisk. Add to flour mixture, beating well. Stir in sour cream and 2 tsps vanilla until well mixed. Pour batter into pans. (Batter will nearly reach tops of pans.) Carefully place pans in oven, 2 on bottom rack and 1 one on middle rack. Bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until cake tester or toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and cake top is no longer wobbly. Cool on wire racks, about 10 minutes. Invert cake layers onto wire racks and remove parchment paper. Cool completely, about 1 hour. (Layers are easier to handle when cold, so you may want to wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate 8 to 12 hours before frosting.) In large bowl, place chopped chocolate and set aside. In 4-quart saucepan, heat whipping cream and corn syrup to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and add 2 tsps vanilla. Pour mixture over chocolate and cover bowl with plastic wrap; let stand 5 minutes. Remove plastic wrap and beat with wire whisk until chocolate is smooth. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes. Stir well and refrigerate 30 minutes longer. Continue to stir every 30 minutes until icing is spreadable, about 2 hours total.

Place about 2 Tbsps icing in center of serving plate or stemmed cake plate. (This will steady the cake as you ice it.) Place 1 layer on plate and spread approximately 11/2 cups icing to edge of layer. Top with another layer and spread 11/2 cups icing to edge. Top with last layer. Frost side and top with remaining icing. Smooth top and side of cake. Use hands to liberally press crushed wafers into side of cake. Repeat all around cake to cover side with coating, filling in any bare spots.


 

Strawberry Shortcakes Flour0219 Shortcakes
Prep Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 60 mins  |  Servings: 12
From: Betty Crocker Kitchens
1/4 cup Granulated sugar
1 Tbsp Baking powder
1/3 cup Butter, chilled, cut into small pieces
1/4 tsp Salt
2 1/2 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
1 cup Milk
1/3 cup Granulated sugar
1 Egg yolk, slightly beaten
1 tsp Granulated or coarse decorating sugar
3/4 cup Whipping cream
2 bags (10 oz each) Cascadian Farm® frozen organic strawberries, thawed (do not drain)

Heat oven to 400°F. In large bowl, mix strawberries (with juices) and 1/4 cup sugar; set aside. In medium bowl, cut butter into flour, 1/3 cup sugar, the baking powder and salt, using pastry blender or 2 forks, until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in milk. Place on lightly floured surface; knead 5 to 7 times or until dough forms. Pat dough 1/2 inch thick; cut out 12 rounds with 21/2-inch round cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Brush egg yolk over rounds; sprinkle with 1 tsp sugar. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 15 minutes.

In chilled small bowl, beat whipping cream with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Split shortcakes in half horizontally. Spoon strawberries between halves and over tops. Top with whipped cream and additional strawberries.


 

Flour0219 SilkPie
French Silk Pie
Prep Time: 25 mins  |  Total Time: 3 hrs 20 mins  |  Servings: 10  |  From: Gold Medal Flour

Pastry:
1 cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp Shortening
2 to 3 Tbsps Cold water
Filling:
1 cup Granulated sugar
3/4 cup Butter, softened (do not use margarine
or vegetable oil spreads)
1 1/2 tsps Vanilla
3 oz. Unsweetened baking chocolate, melted, cooled
3/4 cup Fat-free cholesterol-free egg product
Topping:
3/4 cup Whipping cream
2 Tbsps Granulated or powdered sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
Chocolate curls, if desired

In medium bowl, mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 Tbsp at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl (1 to 2 tsps more water can be added if necessary). Gather pastry into a ball. Shape into flattened round on lightly floured surface. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable. This allows the shortening to become slightly firm, which helps make the baked pastry more flaky. If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly before rolling. Heat oven to 475°F. With floured rolling pin, roll pastry into round 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths; place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of pie plate. Fold and roll pastry under, even with plate; flute as desired. Prick bottom and side of pastry thoroughly with fork. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown; cool on cooling rack.

In medium bowl, beat 1 cup granulated sugar and the butter with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in 11/2 tsps vanilla and the chocolate. Gradually beat in egg product on high speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Pour into pie crust. Refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours but no longer than 24 hours. In chilled medium bowl, beat whipping cream, 2 Tbsps granulated sugar and 1 tsp vanilla with electric mixer on high speed until stiff. Top pie with whipped cream; garnish with chocolate curls.


 

Classic Red Velvet CakeFlour0219 RedVelvet
Prep Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 2 hrs  |  Servings: 12
From: Betty Crocker Kitchens

Cake:

1 1/2 cups Sugar
2 1/2 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
1 tsp Salt
2 Tbsps Unsweetened baking cocoa
1 tsp Vanilla
1 1/2 cups Vegetable oil
1 cup Buttermilk
1 Tbsp Baking powder
2 Eggs
1 bottle (1 oz) Red food color
Frosting: 
1 1/2 cups Milk             
1/2 cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups Sugar         
1 1/2 cups Butter, softened
1 Tbsp Vanilla

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms and sides of 3 (8- or 9-inch) round pans with shortening; lightly flour. In large bowl, beat all cake ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat 2 minutes on medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pans. Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

In medium saucepan, mix 1/2 cup flour and 1 1/2 cups milk with whisk until smooth. Cook over medium heat until mixture is very thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; cool 10 minutes. In large bowl, beat 11/2 cups sugar and the butter with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour mixture by tablespoonfuls; beat on high speed until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Fill and frost cake, using 1 cup frosting between layers. Store covered in refrigerator.



Ultimate Homemade CheesecakeFlour0219 Cheesecake
Prep Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 6 hrs 45 mins
Servings: 16
From: Gold Medal Flour

Crust:

1 1/2 cups Graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup Sugar
6 Tbsps Butter, melted

Filling:

1 1/4 cups Sugar
2 tsps Vanilla
2 Tbsps Lemon juice
5 Eggs
2 Tbsps Gold Medal™
all-purpose flour

Sour Cream Layer:

1 pint (2 cups) Sour cream
1/3 cup Sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1 Tbsp Lemon juice
2 pkgs (8 oz each) Cream cheese, softened
2 containers (8 oz each) Whipped cream cheese spread, softened

Garnish:

Sliced fresh strawberries
Strawberry sundae syrup
Whipped cream

Heat oven to 325°F. In small bowl, mix crust ingredients; press in bottom of ungreased 10-inch springform pan. Bake 10 minutes. Cool 3 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat both kinds of cream cheese, 11/4 cups sugar, 2 tsps vanilla and 2 Tbsps lemon juice with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and well blended. On low speed, add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition until blended. Add flour; beat until smooth. Pour filling over crust. Bake 55 minutes. Cool on cooling rack 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix sour cream layer ingredients. Spoon and spread sour cream mixture evenly over top of cheesecake. Bake 10 minutes longer. Run knife around edge of pan to loosen cheesecake. Cool completely on cooling rack, about 2 hours. Cover; refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight. Before serving, remove side of pan. Garnish each serving with fresh strawberries and a drizzle of strawberry sundae syrup and a dollop of whipped cream. Store in refrigerator.



The Ultimate Valentine's Day CookieFlour0219 Cookies
Prep Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 60 mins  |  Servings: 4
From: Betty Crocker Kitchens

Cookies:
1 cup Powdered sugar   
1 cup Butter or margarine, softened
1 Tbsp White vinegar     
2 1/4 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp Baking soda
1 1/2 tsps Ground ginger
1/4 tsp Salt
6 drops Red food color
Frosting:
1/2 tsp Vanilla
2 cups Powdered sugar
2 Tbsps Milk or half-and-half

Heat oven to 400°F. In large bowl, beat 1 cup powdered sugar, the butter and vinegar with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in remaining cookie ingredients except food color. Divide dough in half. Mix food color into one half. (If dough is too dry, stir in milk, 1 tsp at a time.) On lightly floured cloth-covered surface, roll dough 1/8 inch thick. Cut into heart shapes with various sizes of cookie cutters. Place smaller hearts on larger hearts of different color dough if desired. On ungreased cookie sheet, place shapes about 2 inches apart. Bake 5 to 7 minutes or until set but not brown. Cool 1 to 2 minutes; carefully remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. In medium bowl, mix all frosting ingredients until smooth and spreadable. Tint with food color if desired. Spread frosting on cookies.


Salted Caramel Pecan Turtle BarsFlour0219 SaltedCaramel
Prep Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins
From: Gold Medal Flour

Crust:

1/4 tsp Baking powder
2 1/4 cups Gold Medal™
all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp Salt
2 sticks (1 cup) Butter,
softened
1/4 cup Granulated sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
3/4 cup Milk chocolate chips

Filling:

2 sticks (1 cup) Butter
1 1/2 cups Brown sugar,
packed
1/2 cup Corn syrup, light
2 Tbsps Heavy cream
12 oz. Pecans, chopped

Caramel Icing:

4 Tbsps Butter
1/4 cup Brown sugar, packed
1 tsp Heavy cream
1/8 tsp Vanilla
1/4 cup Powdered sugar
1/8 tsp Coarse sea salt (or to taste)

For Crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and set aside. In a food processor, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; mix. Add in flour mixture. Pulse just until combined. Spread dough into parchment-lined 9 x 13-inch rimmed baking sheet, with spatula. Even the dough out by hand, using a light dusting of flour on hands or dough. Bake for 12 minutes on middle rack of oven. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over top of hot crust, spreading evenly. Let sit while making the filling.

For Filling: On the stove top in a heavy saucepan, add the butter, brown sugar and corn syrup. Over medium heat melt and let boil three minutes. Add heavy cream, stir and turn off heat. Mix in chopped pecans. Pour mixture over crust and chocolate chips, spreading evenly. Return to oven and bake 22-25 minutes. Allow to cool.

For Caramel Icing: Heat butter and brown sugar in saucepan over medium heat. Let boil for two minutes. Add in heavy cream and vanilla. Stir and turn off heat. When mixture has cooled slightly, add in powdered sugar, stirring in one Tbsp at a time until desired consistency. Drizzle warm caramel icing onto cooled cookie bars. Sprinkle lightly with coarse sea salt. Cool, cut and serve.

For more amazing recipes, log onto www.goldmedalflour.com.

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