The challah bake is done. We had a big, raucous group of 7th and 8th graders and we made 26 loaves in about two hours (including second rise and bake time). There were some interesting shapes but everything will be saleable. A few of my balls of dough were still a little frozen but I worked them into logs to be braided for the kids.
The proceeds are going to rebuild a playground that is accessible to all kids including those in wheelchairs. We used to take our kids there weekly before it was closed when it fell into disrepair so this is a good cause. I'll have to see if the teacher took any pictures. I forgot to.
I haven't tried reviving the flat dough yet. I was out of energy by the time I was done making dough yesterday. I'll pull it out of the freezer and try later this week. I want to do it before Wednesday so the kids can sell what I can make from it.
BA, like Mike and you I've cut way back on the butter (and the sugar) in my waffle recipe. Especially as you add flax meal you can use less butter. I think I am down to two or three TBLs. I use pastry flour and flax meal. I have not yet started to add in some whole wheat flour. But maybe I'll get some WW pastry flour and sub that in. I use the same recipe for pancakes and waffles because three people like waffles and one likes pancakes so everyone get what he/she wants. My oldest is now a teenage boy and I think he eats things faster than he can taste them.
I made a double recipe of wholegrain waffles for breakfast Sunday morning. My recipe started out as a Cornmeal Waffle recipe. I began to substitute in half of the unbleached flour with whole wheat flour, then substituted in buckwheat flour for 25% of the cornmeal (new preference medium ground cornmeal), and added some flax meal. I had cut back the butter and added a bit of canola oil, but today's innovation was to forgo the canola oil, and just use 5 Tbs. of butter per recipe, rather than 8 Tbs.. I was inspired by Mike Nolan's story of how his wife once made waffles, and the next day, they found the melted butter in the microwave: They had not missed it when eating the waffles. We liked how the waffles came out, so from now on, I will use the reduced amount of butter and no oil. One of these days, when I stop fiddling with the recipe, I will post it. Most of this morning's waffles have now been frozen for quick breakfasts. When my younger stepson was still living with us during high school and college, he always liked to sleep in as long as he could, so he would often grab a waffle from the freezer, toast it, smear it with peanut butter, and breakfast on the go as he headed for class.
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This topic was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by
BakerAunt. Reason: added omitted word
It's nice to have you back, Chocomouse! I'm glad that you are also pursuing some baking therapy.
Tonight, using the last of my cranberries, I baked Cranberry Scones, from Elizabeth Alston's Biscuits and Scones. I have substituted in 1/3 whole wheat pastry flour, added some pecans that come from our tree (I'll miss it when we move), and a bit of orange oil. Most of the scones will be frozen for fast breakfasts over the coming weeks.
Thanks Joan. That sounds like it. I knew I could find an answer if I asked here. All the websites I found called for "real steak" and all kinds of soups with herbs and spices when all I wanted was a simple dish without those extras. One even called for goat cheese! Well I'm off to start supper, baked steak, mashed potatoes and home grown and frozen haricot verts (fancy French green beans) and home made applesauce for dessert.
I got started making gluten-free stuff because our daughter-in-law thought she has a gluten problem, but not celiac. (There appear to be at least five different types of gluten sensitivity.)
In the process, we've discovered several things (like cornbread) that we like better as a gluten-free product. There are several gluten-free cookies on that list, too.
I’ve had a hectic couple of days, so I needed some cookie therapy. This afternoon, I baked Cherry-Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies. (They also include toasted almonds.) The recipe comes from Bon Appetit (February 1998). My only change was to use the Bittersweet Chocolate Chips from KAF and decrease the amount from 1 1/2 to 1 1/4 cups. I used a combination of sweet and tart cherries that I first plumped with a bit of hot water. I dropped the cookies using the 2 Tbs. scoop (Zeroll #30) and got 26–but two of the warm ones were eaten quickly.
BAKERAUNT:
Good afternoon Marliss. I hope you didn't forget to incorporate the "ALMOND EXTRACT in your Cherry Cookies......Do tell now my friend.
~CASS / KIDPIZZA.
I've had a hectic couple of days, so I needed some cookie therapy. This afternoon, I baked Cherry-Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies. (They also include toasted almonds.) The recipe comes from Bon Appetit (February 1998). My only change was to use the Bittersweet Chocolate Chips from KAF and decrease the amount from 1 1/2 to 1 1/4 cups. I used a combination of sweet and tart cherries that I first plumped with a bit of hot water. I dropped the cookies using the 2 Tbs. scoop (Zeroll #30) and got 26--but two of the warm ones were eaten quickly.
BA, what is sweetened chocolate? I have unsweetened, bitter sweet, semi-sweet, and milk all with varying amounts of cocoa.
I finished up the week making KAF no-knead challah. I subbed out 1/2 cup of water for 1/2 cup of apple cider. Also, like many of the reviewers I mixed all the wet and dry ingredients separately then combined them. I found when I put the recipe together as called for by KAF I either have streaks of egg running through the dough or I had to knead the dough quite a bit. I was testing to see how big a loaf I needed before baking to end up with at least a 1 lb loaf after baking. I lose about 2.5 ounces during baking so I'll start with a 21 ounces loaf. If I bake a loaf in a pan I only lose about 1.5 ounces. All of this is in preparation for our big challah bake next weekend. I will be with the 7th and 8th grade at our religious school and we're going to make between 30 and 40 one pound loaves of challah in about two hours. Lots of prep this week.
I have some leftover shortbread dough and I was going to bake cookies and dip them in chocolate for dinner at a friends but my wife nixed it as our friends were trying to be healthful (actually it was a conspiracy of the two moms!). But I'll make those some time this week.
We were out of bread, so on Saturday, I baked three loaves of "Grandma A's Ranch Hand Bread" (recipe posted on this site). In addition to my usual substitutions of 3 1/4 cups of buttermilk for that much milk, 3 Tbs. of honey rather than sugar, and the addition of 1/3 cup ground flax meal, I substituted in 2 cups of Irish Wholemeal Flour (I was amazed at how much I have in the freezer!) and used up 1 3/4 cups of Sir Lancelot flour as part of the bread flour.
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This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by BakerAunt. Reason: fixed spelling error
America Test Kitchen's magazine a while back said that U.S. tomato canners put citric acid in their tomatoes. Italians do not. They claimed that tomatoes with citric acid do not break up during cooking whereas those without the acid break apart. That has been my experience when cooking with U.S. canned tomatoes vs. Italian imports. I much prefer the Italians, because I like the way they "dissolve" in the sauce, soup, or chili.
Today, I made Mariola (broth with omelet bits) from my best Italian cookbook, "The Romnagnolis' Table." It's an easy, quick soup to prepare. I made the open-faced omelets, will cut them up when they're cooled and store for tomorrow's lunch. That reminds me, I have to go now to pull homemade chicken broth from the freezer.
Previously, I had reported making Martha Stewart’s “Creamy Tomato Soup.” I wasn’t happy with it, because I had to add sugar. I reluctantly gave a quart of it to the homebound person to whom I give prepared food. I always give her a sheet that details what foods she received and how to reheat them (they’re usually all frozen). I wrote that if she didn’t like the tomato soup, she should throw it away. Tonight, she declared that it’s delicious! I guess this is a case where you’re better off not knowing what’s in the food. Maybe my dissatisfaction with the taste was just that I knew it had sugar. BTW, Martha’s recipe does not say to add sugar. I just did that because it tasted too bitter to me.
I couldn’t find the tomato size Martha recommended, so I used my imported-from-Chicago-Italian-imported tomatoes. Probably that accounts for the need for sugar.
Another BTW, Cass, I like your idea of adding rice to the soup. If I hadn’t already frozen the soup before you offered that suggestion, I would have made rice, added it to the soup before freezing, and told her it was Tomato & Rice Soup.
ITALIAN COOK:
Good morning to you. I first tasted "BASIL TOMATO " soup here at my home about 2, months ago. I never liked tomato soup. But I asked the kitchen to put a dollup or 2 of rice in it It tasted Soooo much better. The basil really adds very good flavor to this acidic soup. I am posting a website for your convience for this soup. I have not made this soup but it sounds like a typical tomato soup. Anyway the BASIL really is a important addition. I do not know what the outcome is of this little tidbit. But if you do not have fresh basil use the dried variety. I did this once & the flakes did not blend well but the good taste was there however....I think it takes the place of sugar somewhat. In tomato soups or tomato sauce for spaghetti it is important to kill that acidic taste. but just employ a small amount of sugar at a time. I use the restaurant packets slowly till I get it just right. Then I stop adding any more sugar. One tip a very very small amount of ground cloves will help any tomato product. It does enhance the tomato flavor. OLD ITALIAN TRICK!!!
http://www.recipechatter.com/how-to-make-tomato-basil-soup
Please let us know how well you have done for yourself.
Enjoy the day.
~CASS / KIDPIZZA.
On Friday, I tried a new recipe that I had printed from the Baking Circle before KAF closed it: Sour Cream Chocolate Cookies by mreader. (I checked, and no one had posted the recipe on this site, so I've added it in the recipe section.) I realized too late that I only had unsweetened and sweetened chocolate, rather than semi-sweet. I used the unsweetened, but it really does need the semi-sweet. If I'd been thinking clearly, I would have used half of each! I may need to put some ganache on top of each cookie. I also replaced half the shortening with butter, substituted in 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour, and added 1 tsp. espresso powder. I mixed up the dough while I was at home for lunch, which was why I was a bit rushed, then refrigerated it until after dinner. I used a 1 Tbs. scoop and baked 12 at a time on parchment-lined cookie sheets for 12 minutes. That produced 45 cookies.
Sour Cream Chocolate Cookies
submitted by mreader on June 14, 2012 at 9:25 p.m.
A cake-like chocolate cookie that freezes well. Yield 4 dozen
2 ox. semi-sweet baking chocolate
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream (regular or light, not fat free)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
Melt chocolate, and set aside to cool.
Cream together shortening and sugar, then add eggs and mix well. Mix in chocolate. Mix in sour cream and vanilla. Sift or whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, about one-third at a time. Chill one hour (can bake immediately but the cookies will spread a little more).
Preheat oven to 350F. Drop dough onto greased baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Baking time and yield will vary depending on size of cookie.
Previously, I had reported making Martha Stewart's "Creamy Tomato Soup." I wasn't happy with it, because I had to add sugar. I reluctantly gave a quart of it to the homebound person to whom I give prepared food. I always give her a sheet that details what foods she received and how to reheat them (they're usually all frozen). I wrote that if she didn't like the tomato soup, she should throw it away. Tonight, she declared that it's delicious! I guess this is a case where you're better off not knowing what's in the food. Maybe my dissatisfaction with the taste was just that I knew it had sugar. BTW, Martha's recipe does not say to add sugar. I just did that because it tasted too bitter to me.
I couldn't find the tomato size Martha recommended, so I used my imported-from-Chicago-Italian-imported tomatoes. Probably that accounts for the need for sugar.
Another BTW, Cass, I like your idea of adding rice to the soup. If I hadn't already frozen the soup before you offered that suggestion, I would have made rice, added it to the soup before freezing, and told her it was Tomato & Rice Soup.
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This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by
Italiancook.
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This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by Italiancook.
