Pizzelle Part 4

Well, the pizzelle iron survived the flood.   After an amazing amount of cleaning (do you know how many nooks and crannies there are when you have to remove all the silt?) and then re-seasoning, it was possible to make a batch of cookies.

Alas, in the middle of batch 2, it stopped working.  After taking it apart, D found a broken wire.

Perhaps there was enough slack to pull it together.
Sadly, the wire was too friable and kept breaking.
  Time for a new iron.

I couldn't find the identical one on Amazon, but this one is close.

The new iron, using the last half of the old recipe made cakey, thick pizzelles.  

Disappointed.

In the picture above, one is being held vertically so that you can see the thickness.

This is rather difficult to clean, but perhaps, as it seasons it will get better.

Finally found the recipe I like.
https://www.browneyedbaker.com/pizzelle-italian-waffle-cookies/
It's crispy and thin.  Sweet, but not too sweet.  Easy to bend if you need to make cones or other. . .

I found it worked best if I popped them in the oven at 200 for about 20 minutes to get them really crisp.

The recipe is great.  Now, I just need to figure out the timing.

The recipe has these ingredients:

•  6 eggs
•  1 cup butter(melted)  227g
•  1½ cups sugar  300g   (probably could use less)
•  Pinch of salt
•  1 teaspoon anise extract (probably needed more)
•  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•  3½ cups all-purpose flour  440g

FWIW, my family pronounces this Peet-ZELL

Pizzelle - Part Two

I blogged about the pizzelle I made a year ago.
http://muddleaged.blogspot.com/2016/12/pizzelle.html
They were not quite right - heavy and cakey.

Today we're testing out the new cart and a new recipe.

I wanted a movable work place in the kitchen.  One day, I lucked out on an Amazon Warehouse deal on a commercial cart.

It's title is:  "Metro MW Series Chrome Plated Wire Utility Cart, 3 Shelves, 375 lbs Capacity, 36" Length x 21" Width x 39" Height".  It was easy to put together.  Very sturdy.  Now, will it do what I want?

I need a work surface that is about table-height.  I think it's hard to work on a counter - tough on the arms and shoulders.  But the kitchen table is across the room from the cooking supplies.  Also, because the mixer is so heavy, it would be nice to have it live where it will be used.  This cart is the right height and the right location.

 This setup turns out to be excellent.  My back is to the kitchen sink and counter.

The drawer behind me holds baking tools - the portioner, skewers, measuring devices, scrapers.
The shelves on the cart hold flours and sugars.  The counter behind me holds the microwave.  Just need to get the eggs and butter from the refrigerator.

The pizzelle iron is probably at least 50 years old.  The cord has been replaced several times, but it still works well.

The recipe I used this time:

yield: ABOUT 30 PIZZELLES  

INGREDIENTS:

3 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons whole anise seed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon anise extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
a pinch of kosher salt


may need an extra 1/2 cup flour