A Southern Grace: whoopsidaisies!

March 3, 2009

whoopsidaisies!

Yum

That's what I said when this batch of bread came out of the oven...


...and that was putting it mildly.

Don't judge me too harshly, but I'm a sucker for "Notting Hill," and my favorite part (aside from the press conference scene at the end) is when the delightful Hugh Grant is attempting to shimmy over a gate and failing miserably. "Whoopsidaisies!" he says. It gets me every time.

Yes, this bread can only be classified as a big ol' "Whoopsidaisies!" Lesson learned: Don't use baking powder that's over three years old, and if you stubbornly insist on doing so, at least make sure you sift it.

Other mistakes: I didn't bake the bread long enough and shouldn't have spread the batter out into six mini loaves--the end result was more like a batch of way-too-moist and sticky rectangular hockey pucks.


I should've known that I was in for trouble when I had to dig my baking powder out with a knife. I foolishly soldiered on, though, not even pausing to break up the chipped-off clumps of the stuff. The result was the green, vomit-like growths you see above. They were scattered throughout my loaves, which had such potential--they were flavored with apple-blueberry baby food and speckled with dried blueberries.

I'll give you the recipe anyway, and maybe you'll have enough sense to use unexpired ingredients. The flavor wasn't bad at all, if you stayed far away from the parts tainted by the pesky baking powder. So I guess it wasn't a complete failure, and hey--at least Eb got a work-out. Speaking of sourdough, my big brother finally named his starter, cleverly dubbing it Barack Dough-bama. :)

Sourdough Blueberry Bread
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup apple-blueberry baby food
1 cup sourdough starter, at room temperature
1 cup dried blueberries, coated in flour

Preheat the oven to 350F. Generously grease or spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon into a small bowl.
In a larger bowl, whisk together the egg, vanilla, vegetable oil, apple-blueberry baby food, and starter. Add this wet mixture to the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Fold in the dried blueberries and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, covering the loaf with foil during the last 10 minutes if necessary to prevent overbrowning. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

70 comments:

Julia said...

And it had such potential... I'm sorry... I do like the cinnamon-blueberry combo, though!

The Blonde Duck said...

I hate it when things don't work out. It sounds fabulous though!

Donna-FFW said...

Dont you hate when ingredients are wasted.. happens to me all the time. It really sounded like marvelous flavors. Im still singing the Barney song in my head from your last post.

♥Rosie♥ said...

It comes as a disappointment Grace when a bake doesn’t turn out as expected - I am sorry! The flavours sounded really good.

Rosie x

kat said...

perhaps I need to go get some new baking powder too, mine was a little rock like

Sara said...

The concept sure sounds good anyways!

Kendra said...

I'm sorry...looks pretty though

Sophie said...

Aww, I'll be sure to remember that about the baking powder, I had no idea! I do remember that part in the movie! I had my own little failure last night, but it didn't come out looking this good :P!

Anonymous said...

Too bad, but it's great you kept a sense of humor about it! The recipe sounds delicious, and I could actually try this now that I (finally) have some starter!

OhioMom said...

Well I am gonna give you points for posting a failure .. mine just go to the landfill :)

Kudos kid!

Ingrid_3Bs said...

I know it's wrong but I'm glad to read that things don't go well for others, too often it feels like it's just me! :-) 'Cause it's rare that something doesn't go wrong! Thanks for sharing!
~ingrid

Heather said...

i love notting hill, too! spike never fails to crack me up!

barack dough-bama?!?! I LOVE IT!

Anonymous said...

Aawww Grace, that looks like my carrot cake I tried to make for my birthday! :) We can't be perfect every time!(that's what I tell my kids!)

Theresa said...

Even though it didn't turn out as it was suppose to, kuddos to you for still posting. We all have mishaps. Let me go check my baking powder!

Anonymous said...

This post wins best post I've read today, for 3 reasons:
(1) "Whoopsidaisies"
(2) I ADORE Notting Hill
(3) you're practically giving a shoutout to everyone of us guilty of having expired ingredients in our pantry!

Foodie with Little Thyme! said...

Oh well. You win more than you lose. As the saying goes "keep on trucking"!

Paula said...

Whenever I think of Notting Hill, I picture Hugh Grant saying, "Beevis and Butthead" to the hotel clerk! HA! Sorry these didn't turn out; the addition of baby food was genius! Now I'm off to check the expiration date of all things baking related in my cupboard!

Culinary Wannabe said...

Aw shucks! Lord knows I've been in this type of situation before!

Robin said...

Perfect timing. I just bought a can of new baking powder! Ew that green stuff looks like mold. I have used dead yeast before- not pretty. I mess up alot in the kitchen and I should start kitchen blooper posts so that we can all laugh at the stupid things I do.

Amanda said...

I love Notting Hill, too.

Anonymous said...

LOL at Notting Hill quote! Which reminds me of another quote I heard (I can't remember where) where they said "He's not gay, he's just British". If a straight Aussie guy said "Whoosidaisies", I think there'd be a stunned silence :P

Marjie said...

I've been known to sneak a jar of baby food into breads; it's really a great treat.

I recently made a batch of banana bread and just plain forgot to put in the baking powder. Talk about a "brain fart" that makes you feel like a real idiot!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I use the phrase all the time but never attributed it to Notting Hill. I learn something new every day!!

Anonymous said...

aww that's definitely happened to me and this is a great wake up call to check for expired stuff in the pantry.

krysta said...

i can't imagine you with an expired can of baking powder! quite shocking.

Katie said...

A lady I took a cooking class from once called these misses because normally nothing fails because you can still eat it but its just not as pretty. But the flavor combo looks fantastic, I would give it another shot!

Laura said...

What I want to know, with all the baking you do, is how you have baking powder that is 3 years old? :)

Well I am the one who made 5 bundt cakes the other day for a successful 3 so I feel your pain....

Anonymous said...

OMG I laughed out lous at the dough name...hahahahahaha

Lori said...

LOVE your brothers starter name. Too funny!

I like Notting Hill too. I am a sap for romance. I watch, Sleepless In Seattle, An Affair to Remember, Return To Me (my fav) and You've Got Mail quite often. Such a sap I know.

Oopsidaisies has transformed itself in our house to "oopey-do-do's". The kids love to say it!

I finally printed out a sour dough recipe. Soon I hope to "start" it!

vanillasugarblog said...

I adore Hugh Grant, I don't like Julia Roberts-hate me if you will. But I adore Four Weddings and a Funeral too. Any Brit movie I adore.
Sorry the bread didn't work out, can we make pancakes with it?

Tabitha Blue said...

Oh no, sorry about your bread. Parts of it look really good. The green area definitely looks vomit worthy!

Whoopsidaisies!!


:)
~Tabitha~

freshmommyblog.com

Anonymous said...

Love that movie too :)

Vera said...

Well, I learn from my own mistakes too :) The recipe sounds great though.

Aleta said...

Ok, that second picture? Scary - looks like something that a person would find at the back of a refrig left after months. Sorry....

But thanks for sharing the experience, because you taught me some things!

Anonymous said...

I had a major fail this week too - I hate wasting ingredients like that!
Love your brothers starter name. Too funny!
And, I love Notting Hill...the movie, the soundtrack. Love it all!

Lyndas recipe box said...

That's too bad. It sounds like it would be really delicious.

Maria said...

I love Notting Hill, great flick! I love his flat mate..and his sister, too funny!!
Anyways, we all have mess ups!!

pam said...

I hate when that happens. At least you have a positive attitude!

Sharon said...

I'm surprised you have bad baking powder with all the baking you do!

The Food Librarian said...

What a fantastic post! I love love Notting Hill - when I saw the title, I immediately thought of that blue door... I think I need to pop in the DVD tonight! I have used baking soda instead of baking powder and have had so many baking disasters...Glad you posted it! Keeps us all real! :)

MaryBeth said...

FOr as much baking as you seem to do what a shock to find out your powder is so old...LOL, it happens to all of us one time or another, but you are the bigger person to own up to it. Sorry it didn't turn out cause I bet it would have been fabulous.

Y said...

Doughbama is a very excellent name! Why on earth did the baking powder make your bread go green though?

Karen Brown Letarte said...

Oh, Grace, how disappointing! It's so frustrating to put time into a project and have it not turn out the way you want. I have seen that same greenish, grayish discoloration going on with other blueberry baked goods, however, so it may not have been all due to the baking powder.

toontz said...

Hey, Grace, I have a tin of cocoa powder in my cabinet that has your name on it. It has to be at least 4-5 years old. I know you are probably thinking - why doesn’t she throw the thing out? I can't. I like the tin. No worries...I am the only one who cooks or bakes in THIS house...*sigh*

veggie belly said...

thanks for sharing this, ive learned about old baking powder :)

♥Rosie♥ said...

Hi Grace, please pass by my blog and collect some awards ;o)

Rosie x

Pam said...

It's one of my favorite movies...I love Hugh and Julia. I bet this recipe is terrific if you use fresh baking powder. I'll be checking the date on mine.

La Bella Cooks said...

I love a good, sweet Brit film and Notting Hill fits that bill nicely. So sorry this didn't work out but the recipe has fantastic potential. When you try it again, you can send it my way for quality assurance purposes ;)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the baking-powder tip (I'm sure mine is old), for stopping by again and for sharing about Notting Hill. I love anything with Julia Roberts in a romantic comedy--my favorite movie is Pretty Girl, and I can recite the script by heart!

Jessica@Foodmayhem said...

Glad to know I'm not the only one to have whoopsidaisies

jesse said...

I LOVE that phrase! Another favourite of mine is "Oh bugger!" Whew, it's good to know that we all make mistakes in the kitchen... I was starting to get discouraged! Maybe next time I'll actually get the courage to catalogue my mishaps as well as my successes... =D

Anonymous said...

You realize I'll be saying "Whoopsidaisies" for weeks!

Unknown said...

looks so moist and yum... :)

KJ said...

I've had my share of whoopsiedaisies. I feel your pain!!!

Sandy said...

Really, old baking powder doesn't work? What about the rock-solid soad in my fridge LOL. Yummy-looking as always, Grace!

Hayley said...

I love that movie, his roommate is my favorite. We've all been there with the ingredients. Should I or shouldn't I use that? Oh well, next time!

Elyse said...

Haha, what an hysterical occurrence...totally worthy of a Notting Hill reference! I must admit, apart from the green parts, your gooey bread looked quite appetizing to me. I guess that says something about how I like my baked goods. I can't wait to try this recipe; it looks like a great one!

Dee Light said...

What a great post! We've all had things turn out this way. The recipe really does sound yummy.

giz said...

Maybe if the Toronto Maple Leafs had pucks like this they might be able to score more often :) - and if it doesn't get to the net, they can eat them.

Emily said...

Oh nooo! Well, it happens to all of us. Sounds tasty, though.

100 Thoughts of Love said...

I read the other day that you should replaxce baking powder every 3 months...i think mine is 3 years at least...:)

Amber Marie said...

The recipe looks delish! And I have to admit that it looks yummy too. I've always been a sucker for making food odd colors - my specialty as a kid was blue sugar cookies! :)

Gloria Baker said...

I know waht you say Grace (sometimes happens to me) but I think look so yummy!!! really! Gloria

Susan from Food Blogga said...

I love your sense of humor. I really, really do. :)

Anonymous said...

Oh no! It happens to all of us though, these kitchen disasters. At least you're laughing about it. :)

Nic said...

3 years old? LOL!!

Jeanne said...

LOL - this sounds lioke something I'd do... Fairly impressive horror story green gunk you manufactured though! And the concept is just grand - maybe next time...

Lore said...

Couldn't have guessed things didn't work out from the photo, still looks good to me :). Look at it this way, you'll have an excuse to try am make some more soon.

Rico said...

I feel we all have Whoopsies...but not many people show them...I think is really brave and nice to show from time to time that we are only human.. :D cheers for sharing :D

Rumela said...

My father is a huge fan of sourdough blueberry bread and I always try to bake one for him whenever we see my parents. He has yet to be fully blown away by any of the recipes i've tried. Simplicity is key, and yours looks perfect! Can't wait to try it. thank you for shearing your post.