What are You Baking the Week of May 27, 2018?

[BakerAunt]

For Sunday breakfast, I made Cornmeal Pancakes, using Bob's Red Mill coarse grind cornmeal and the recipe from the package. I've made these once before, and we like those thin little pancakes as a change from our usual heavier mixed grains ones. I went ahead and cooked the extra batter, so I have five and a much smaller sixth one. I'll see how well I can warm them in the microwave tomorrow.

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[BakerAunt]

On Sunday afternoon, in spite of the heat (we turned on the air conditioning), I baked my Whole Wheat Sourdough Cheese Crackers from the dough I made up last Monday evening. They really are best when the dough has 5-6 days in the refrigerator. They also rolled out easily in the warmer weather. If my husband will pace himself, the crackers will last about two weeks.

I am also making KAF’s Chocolate Icebox Pie—and I planned to do that before I saw their email suggesting it for Memorial Day weekend. It will be for dessert on Monday and into the week. Originally, I had planned to do red/white/blue cookies, but since I had to do the crackers today, I did not feel like a cookie project.

[BakerAunt]

A Note on the Chocolate Icebox Pie:
I make a few changes, based on what other reviewers had to say. I add 1 tsp. of espresso powder with the cocoa and water. (I'm surprised KAF missed the chance to push a product!) The original recipe used all bittersweet chocolate. That would be a bit strong for me, especially as I do not plan to use the whipped cream topping. (You have to cut back SOMEWHERE 🙂 ) I used one 4 oz. bar Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate and one 4 oz. bar Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet chocolate, which is the same proportion I use when I make fudge. (One of my sister's suggested that to me for the fudge recipe.) I increase the sugar from 1 Tbs. to 3 Tbs., again based on a comment in the recipe reviews.

Further Note: I did not use cinnamon in the graham cracker crust.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 11 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Although it is hot today, we are almost out of bread, so this Memorial Day I will be baking two loaves of my Buttermilk Grape Nuts Bread and continuing my experiment of adding barley flour.

[Joan Simpson]

Made another batch of cinnamon rolls and soaked the raisins in rum.Topped them off with a cream cheese icing,gave them all away.

[skeptic7]

I did Northern style cornbread to eat with strawberries -- I would really like to eat biscuits as in strawberry shortcake, but its hard to make a whole wheat biscuit and they are sort of gritty. I could eat strawberries and yogurt by themselves but it tastes better accompanied by a biscuit, or muffin or cake. This year I've decided that quick breads are moister and tastier than biscuits and less sweet than cake and can be made with whole wheat flour.
I also made gingerbread with diced apples. Tasty and moist and gets rid of more apples. I want to eat all the apples in the refrigerator before cantalope season starts. Last week was apple and raisin scones. Apple pizza is in the future.

BakerAunt;
Is making crackers like making rolled cookies? Doesn't this take a lot of time to roll and cut and bake them? Especially since they could mysteriously disappear in a couple of minutes with a little cheese. or apples, or soup.

[BakerAunt]

Skeptic7: I've actually gotten rather good at the rolling out. It helps to make a large flat rectangle of each piece of dough before refrigerating, and it definitely helps to have the dough warm when rolling it out. Since it does not need to be moved off the parchment, softer dough is not an issue.

I roll 1/16th inch thick, using pastry wands and my long cylinder rolling pin. I roll on parchment, with saran over the top. I work to make sure that I get a mostly rectangular shape. I've discovered that it is best to dock the cracker dough, after rolling it, then brush with grapeseed oil, then cut into 3 cm. squares, then sprinkle on the salt.

My husband seems to be able to inhale them without cheese, apples, or soup.

[BakerAunt]

On Wednesday evening, I baked a new recipe from the KAF website: Maple Millet Scones.

https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/maple-millet-scones-recipe

I had inadvertently bought whole millet flour from Bob’s Red Mill instead of whole millet the last time that I ordered, so I need recipes to use it. I made two changes to the recipe. I do not have the KAF Six Grain Blend, so I substituted Bob’s Red Mill Five Grain Rolled Cereal. I also used buttermilk rather than regular milk, and so I adjusted the baking powder, reducing it from 1 Tbs. to 2 ½ tsp. and adding 1/8 tsp. baking soda. (Note: I accidentally used ¼ tsp. baking soda—oops.) I found the dough very sticky, even after letting it sit for 10 minutes to allow the millet to absorb the liquid, so I needed to use floured hands and surface to lightly knead it. I cut the circle into wedges, but they were too soft to separate, so I froze them for 10 minutes, then pulled them apart, then froze them for 20 minutes longer. The scones had great rise, and a lovely aroma. I let them cool for 5 minutes, then I spread the glaze over them. (Note: I used 1 tsp. heavy cream rather than milk in the glaze.) We will sample them for breakfast tomorrow, and I’ll add a note about taste and texture.

Note: The scones have a surprisingly light texture. They do not have much maple flavor, even with the glaze, and are not overly sweet. These will probably not become part of my scone repertoire, but I might make them again to use up more of the millet flour, and to see if that extra 1/8 tsp. of baking soda is part of the issue.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 11 months ago by BakerAunt.

[Italiancook]

I baked a loaf of Banana Bread. It's going to the freezer for house guests in June.

[BakerAunt]

I spent a couple of hours shelling pecans to get three cups of pieces. I'm going to make the dough for Lemon Walnut (but I'm using Pecans) Biscotti, a recipe from Bon Appetit (April 2005), p. 119, which I first baked back at the start of January. The dough is to be refrigerated at least three hours or up to three days, so I plan to bake them tomorrow morning. They should go well with iced tea.

[BakerAunt]

Friday's late morning/afternoon project is baking the lemon biscotti from the dough I made up yesterday.

[Mike Nolan]

I made honey wheat bread today.

[skeptic7]

BakerAunt;
How was the lemon biscotti? Also I was reading about biscuits and wanted to ask you if you had a docker to prick holes or did you use a fork? How long does it take to make a batch?

Friday I made sugarless pumpkin bread, and pumpkin cream cheese. I was taking this to a party and the hostess is diabetic so I made this so she could eat some, and everyone else had the pumpkin cream cheese to add some sweetness to the bread.
https://www.bhg.com/recipe/cheese/pumpkin-cream-cheese-spread/

[BakerAunt]

Skeptic7. The lemon biscotti came out even better than the first time I baked it (more lemon zest this time).

I dock the cracker dough with a fork, one stab at a time. I keep thinking that somewhere amongst my kitchen utensils I must have some kind of docker, but until our renovation gets started and finished, I'll have to wait to find out.

When I make the Swedish Christmas flat bread, I use a "knackebrod rolling pin that is notched, and that makes the indentations. However, I don't think it would work with the very thin cheese cracker dough.

[wonky]

BakerAunt...I swear some day I will show up at your door, KitchenAid in hand and ready to go. Your baking amazes me. I have never made crackers, and don't even know how to begin. Lemon Biscotti....YUM, it is on my "things to bake" list...which is getting longer and longer all the time.

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