Sunday has been a major baking day. We are attending my husband's family reunion this week, so I baking for that. I baked the Rye Crisps this afternoon, following the recipe that I have posted at Nebraska Kitchen. These are low in saturated fat. The recipe makes about 92, so that would be .119 per cracker.

I baked a new recipe, Pumpkin Espresso Bundt Cake from KAF. I made two minor changes: I substituted ¼ cup buttermilk for ¼ cup of the oil, thus reducing the oil to ½ cup, and I added ¼ cup powdered milk. I used THE Grease to coat the 10 cup “Elegant Party” Bundt pan. (It’s the one that has the ribs that can be cut for 20 slices.) I baked it for 55 minutes, since the pan is deeper than most Bundt pans of that size. The cake filled the pan nicely.

I baked a version of Antilope’s Vienna Bread Baguettes. As usual, I incorporated whole grains, so the flour mix was 1 cup whole wheat flour, ½ cup white whole wheat flour, ½ cup medium rye flour, 2 Tbs. flax meal, and 2 cups plus 3 Tbs. bread flour. I used olive oil as specified, but I substituted 3 Tbs. honey for the 4 Tbs. sugar. I used 2 tbs. special dried milk. I used ½ cup water to proof the yeast and 9 oz. buttermilk. I reduced the salt to 1 ¾ tsp. I used the stand mixer to mix the whole grains and a cup of the bread flour first with the proofed yeast and buttermilk. I let it rest for 15 minutes, then I added the olive oil. (Cass once told me that it is better to give the yeast some time before adding oil.) After I’d mixed it in, I then mixed in the rest of the bread flour with the salt, starting with the additional cup; I needed 3 Tbs. more. I kneaded for 4 minutes, pulled a windowpane, then put it in a dough bucket to rise. (I've just started experimenting with dough buckets. I got this small one for 50 cents at the local thrift shop.) I made it as 3 baguettes, using my baguette pan. They baked in 20 minutes. I probably should have made them a little longer and skinnier, as the sides touched and baked together slightly.

Yesterday I made whole wheat bread. Today I had planned to make Mini Apple Pie Bites (using home-made dough instead of Pillsbury crescent roll pop-open dough) but I got involved cleaning out old paperwork in my file cabinet, so the baking will wait until tomorrow.

Skeptic--At least one other person who rated the recipe agrees with us that the Golden Semolina Bread is not a no-knead recipe. KAF says to mix it with the paddle for 8-10 minutes. It's a heavy dough. Before I had my stand mixer, I tried it with the "kneading hooks" that came with my hand mixer. [Note: those kneading hooks are not useful.] Although that hand mixer has pretty good power, it is no match for that dough. It is a thick, sticky dough, and a bread machine or stand mixer is needed. I got a wonderful rise by kneading it in the bread machine, and I would do it again.

The bread was very well received by my husband's cousins, with only a single slice left, and it was still good the next day when I ate that slice. I have figured out that my husband's cousins seem to prefer a white bread, so I will be sure to bring it again to our next reunion. The whole grain baguettes that I baked, using Antilope's recipe as my base, are mostly being eaten by my husband and me. That's ok. I needed to be sure I had a healthy bread for this four day reunion that has, alas, not been as low in saturated fat as what I have eaten in the five weeks prior.

I recommend the KAF Pumpkin Espresso Cake--especially with the modifications I made. It has stayed nicely moist, and it does not need the glaze at all.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by BakerAunt.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by BakerAunt.

Yesterday I baked an apple crumble.