Today I made Harvest Grain rolls, using a new bag I bought at the KABC sale this week. The recipe is on the back of the bag. I made 16 small (40 gram) dinner rolls and 8 (55 gram) slider buns. We ate a couple of those with our corn chowder. The Harvest Grains blend is one of my favorite things to add to most any bread recipe.
Tonight we had salad from the Aerogarden (with lots of stuff still needing to be picked) plus a bagel from today's batch.
I've been buying Fleischmann's IDY yeast in 2 pound lots (2 one-pound packages) at Sams, but they've switched to another brand, which I may try once I run out. I've still got a pound of Fleischmann's yeast unopened, I don't use it as fast these days with just two of us.
I think Costco has Red Star IDY.
Spot wheat prices are at multi-year highs, and durum wheat prices have more than doubled on the world market.
High demand and shortages due to weather-related crop issues are to blame. I'm sure higher transportation costs are factored in as well.
Next year could be worse, fertilizer prices have in some cases tripled and farmers are having to decide what to grow and how much they can afford to plant and treat.
I don't think the fall (December) wheat storage reports are out yet, those generally come out in January, but that'll be interesting to watch.
Aaron, I'm also no longer a big fan of KABC, for lots of reasons. I have no need to join Baker's Rewards (the paying version) as I live just 10 miles from the store, so free shipping would be a ridiculous option, a complete waste of earth's resources and ruin to the environment. When they advertise a sale, it only applies to shipped items; the sale does NOT apply to items in the store. However, I am a Baker's Reward member, the free version. Twice a year, December and May (?) they have a 20% off day for Reward members, and I do take advantage of that, although yesterday I spent only $74 plus 34.95 for the 50 lb of Sir Galahad. This was the first time I've been able to buy it on sale - they've said in the past that since it is wholesale, it never goes on sale, but yesterday they said it was included in the sale. Most of the products KABC sells are available cheaper elsewhere. I do buy pumpernickel, First Clear, lemon juice powder regularly, and yesterday I splurged on Harvest Grains - expensive but I love it. And today I regret not buying a bag of the Super 10 Blend, which I also love and I'm almost out.
Baker Aunt, I buy 2 lb bags of yeast at BJs, which is less than half the price of KABC yeast. Do you have a Costco or Sam's near you?
The price of flour (among other things) has been a recent big topic on the BBGA and I know my baker has been shifting whole grain flours just trying to keep costs down. Recently he switched to spelt and now he cannot find that. Most of his flour comes from Central Milling and he has had a hard time finding flour from them. He has switched to Galahad for now but is not a big fan of KABC anymore.
Down here in CT, the cost of gas has increased about $1.15 since since January. It may be more or less where you live but when something that basic goes up it increases the cost of everything. ANd the more touches a product goes through the more it will raise the cost.
I love working in supply chain/logistics.
I made chocolate cake-in-the-pan (or crazy cake, if you prefer) for my wife's birthday today.
posted by
Kimberly Ann
Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
3/4cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup veg. oil
1 1/2 tsp. grated orange zest
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups AP Flour
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Topping
1 egg white
2 tbsp. sugar
In a large bowl bet eggs with sugar, beat in oil, orange zest and vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, cranberries and pistachios. Stir into sugar mixture.
Divide dough into quarters. On a lightly floured surface roll each quarter into log about 13 inches long. Place each log on parchment lines baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Flatten to about 3/4 inch high leaving slightly rounded top.
Topping
Brush lightly beaten egg white over tops of logs and lightly sprinkle with sugar. Bake in centre rack of 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Let cool in pan on cooling rack for 10 minutes.
Transfer to cutting board; with a serrated knife cut diagonally into 1/2 inch slices. Stand slices upright onto the same pan. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes longer. Transfer to rack and let cool. ( making ahead, layer between wax paper in airtight container and store at room temperature)
I bought A 50 lb bag of Sir Galahad (AP) flour at KABC this morning -- $34.95!!! Wow! I get a bag twice a year, late spring and fall, so I have not bought it since last May-June. (I also supplement it with the seasonal 5 lbs on sale 2 for 5.00 at the grocery store) I don't recall the price at that time, but it usually run around $28-29, wholesale, so it varies. That is a huge jump!
I needed to use up some cherry tomatoes and black olives and remembered a recipe from the short-lived Penzey's One 2.4 (2007) for Herbed Pasta with Feta and Cheese which I used to make for fast dinners and lunches. I made it today for lunch and will eat it for lunch the next few days, as the herbs put it out of my husband's digestive comfort zone, and he does not care for black olives. It should have had angel hair pasta, but the only whole grain pasta I could find locally was thin spaghetti, so I used it instead. Leftovers can be reheated or eaten after coming to room temperature.
Sigh. All this cheese talk makes my mouth water. I've had to confine myself to low-fat mozzarella and 2% pre-grated cheddar cheese, along with feta (both the cow's milk variety and the goat milk). I particularly miss gouda.
There's a shortage of cream cheese (and what you can find is really expensive), so Kraft is offering up to 18,000 people a $20 reimbursement for Kraft products other than cream cheese.
See Cream Cheese Offer.
I made applesauce on Wednesday. I used 3 lbs. each of organic Gold Rush and Jonagold apples. I will freeze most of it. I saved the water that cooking the apples produced. I use it for my oat bran cereal (1/3 cup of oat bran, 1/2 cup of apple juice, and 1/2 cup of milk. I add raisins and walnuts before eating this breakfast treat. It is a change from just steel-cut oats.
My next project will be to make another batch of yogurt. I broke one of the six jars last week and have nothing of the correct size, so I will reduce the recipe to make 5 jars. I found some jars at Lehman's that should be the correct size and have ordered them, so I hope they will work. I had to buy a set of eight. If they do work, it will give me a chance to make yogurt before I empty out the last jar.
If you tried the real imported Finlandia regular (not lacy)cheese you would not find it bland. I think your comment about the 60 day requirement for raw milk explains why they use pasteurized milk instead.
My understanding (confirmed by Google) is that raw milk cheeses must be aged at least 60 days to be sold in the USA. The local cheesemaker at the farmer's market makes a couple of raw goats milk cheeses, she's won a number of awards for her cheeses.
That which we call Swiss cheese is usually mass produced and bland. But it's not just because it is made from pasteurized milk.
I keep a little pre-sliced Swiss (usually Sargento) on hand for sandwiches, but I never cook with it.
For cooking purposes I buy 5 pound bags of whole milk mozzarella at Sams (about the only place I can find mozzarella that isn't part-skim), and I buy Havarti in 2 pound blocks (pre-sliced) at Costco.
Sams for years had an excellent 4 cheese blend, a mixture of shredded parmesan, romano, asiago and provolone, but they've stopped carrying it. Instead they have a shaved cheese blend (parmesan and asiago, as I recall) that was a major disappointment. I went out and bought some tubs of shredded asiago and romano and use that with some Kraft parmesan (which I'll probably replace with another brand once it is gone.) Not as good, but tolerable.
