Search Results for '("C'

[BakerAunt]

Mike: My husband talked me through copying a picture. I then tried to upload that picture with Grandma A's Ranch Hand Bread, but the attachment stayed as an attachment rather than as a picture. (If clicked on, it will come up, but it does not appear with the recipe.) I must be missing a step.

[BakerAunt]

Hamburger Buns Part Deux
Submitted by bellesaz on January 23, 2011 at 10:15 pm

I call these part deux (or the less fancy term, Part II) because this is the second round of "tweaking" that I have put on these buns. The first buns came out a bit on the dense side and I was looking for that soft roll consistency, something lighter. These buns are gorgeous.. not as soft as the empty flavored bun from the grocery store.. but pillow soft and delicious. They hold up well to a hamburger and all the fixings, but soft enough to give that sliced turkey a fluffy pillow of bread to nestle within.. I think I have achieved bun nirvana with these and I hope you enjoy them. I've also used this dough to make a loaf of bread, dinner rolls and even Cinnamon Buns. It's very versatile and an easy recipe. You don't need a hamburger bun pan for these!

Yield: 16 Buns
Source: http://www.loavesandladles.blogspot.com/

6 ounces lukewarm water
6 ounces of lukewarm milk
2 large eggs
2 ounces butter, softened
2 ounces, sugar
4 teaspoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons salt
11.5 ounces Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
11.5 ounces Unbleached Bread Flour
1 egg, beaten with 1 TBS water, or 3 TBS melted butter for the tops

1. Using the paddle attachment of a KitchenAid, combine all of the dough ingredients, and mix on Speed 2 of the mixer for about 1-2 minutes or until just combined. Let dough rest in the mixer for 10 minutes. Switch out to the dough hook then mix and knead the dough for about 8 minutes. Dough will stick to the bottom of the mixer, but should not be dry.

2) Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover lightly with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled - at least an hour, maybe longer. Don't rush the rising time.

3) Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased surface, flatten it slightly, and divide it into 16 pieces, each weighing about 3 1/2 to 4 ounces.

4) Roll each piece into a tight ball and using a floured hand, gently flatten them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. If the dough needs a few minutes to rest, it will cooperate a bit easier.

6) Cover and let rise until the buns have doubled in size. About another hour. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 375°F.

7) Combine egg and water and lightly brush each bun. Sprinkle your favorite topping on immediately before baking. If you like a softer bun, skip the egg wash and brush each bun with melted butter just after baking.

8) Bake the buns, one pan at a time for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for about 6 minutes more. Cool on a wire rack.

comments
Submitted by rubyMT on Wed, 2011-02-09 14:46.
Hi,
Would love to make your recipe. Have been dying to find a great hamburger-hot dog buns recipe...I do not have bread flour though (and not sure that I can easily get my hands on it). Can I just use AP flour for the recipe^
Thanks.

Submitted by bellesaz on Wed, 2011-02-16 14:14.
Sorry Ruby, my post ended up down at the bottom and not under your post.. please read my comments regarding the bread flour

Submitted by annzie on Wed, 2011-02-09 22:17.
Thanks, bellesaz. Looking good. Some day it will be grilling season again... I will definitely make these.

Submitted by bellesaz on Wed, 2011-02-16 14:15.
Annzie.. these make great dinner rolls or sandwich buns too. Someone I know used the dough to make bread!

Submitted by Devannie on Sat, 2011-02-12 15:47.
I've tried several other bun recipes and they always turn out dense and heavy, will try this and see if they turn out for me!

Submitted by bellesaz on Wed, 2011-02-16 14:13.
Devannie,
Two tips to help you in all your bread baking.. buns or otherwise.

#1 - weigh your flour. Don't measure. Most cooks who use measuring cups are adding too much flour when they think they are measuring out by the cup. Too much flour to water/hydration will make any bread dense and heavy.

#2 - make sure you're kneading all the way through. Your dough should pass a "window pane" test. Wet your hands, pull out a chunk of your dough and slowly spread it out with your fingers. If you get a thin membrane that you can see light behind.. your dough is fully kneaded and ready. If you do this and your dough tears, or does not feel silky, you need to knead your dough more.

I wish you luck!

Submitted by bellesaz on Wed, 2011-02-16 14:10.
I suppose you could use AP flour, Ruby.. my grandmother did. Back then, they didn't have bread flour. However, you may hold back just a touch of the liquid. This dough is extremely sticky. It should clear the sides of a mixing bowl, but the dough may never really lift off the bottom of your bowl.
Go for it, why not!

[BakerAunt]

Jason's Cocodrillo (Crocodile) Ciabatta
Submitted by bellesaz on January 03, 2011 at 6:02 pm

This recipe is credited to Jason Molina, aka "The King of Gloop" at The Fresh Loaf (www.thefreshloaf.com) and is a quick and easy method for making extraordinary Ciabatta bread. NOTE: This is a very wet dough with a very high hydration - use wet dough scrapers to handle the "gloopy" dough. If you don't have a scale to measure your flour, it's highly recommended that you purchase one - I bought mine at King Arthur and LOVE IT! This dough will not work in a bread machine, but it is designed perfectly for a stand mixer with both a paddle and dough hook attachments. The trick is to beat the dough on very high speed until it fully lifts from the bottom and begins to climb the beater. For a great video demonstration of this bread baking technique, visit Jen Menke's video at YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v24OBsYsR-A

Yield: 3 loaves
Source: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/2984/jasons-quick-coccodrillo-ciabatta-...

500g bread flour
475g - 485g (~2 cups) water
2 tsp. INSTANT yeast
15g salt

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment(like a Kitchen Aid), combine all ingredients together and roughly mix for 2-3 minutes until the dough is barely combined. Stop the mixer and let this rest for about 10 minutes. Mixture will be lumpy.

Continue with the paddle and begin mixing the dough on the highest speed of your mixer. The dough will start out a shaggy, wet mass. After about 10 minutes or so the dough will begin to transform and will eventually start to pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl. As the gluten forms and the strands develop, you can even hear your dough slapping the side of the bowl. Continue mixing at high speed until the dough begins to climb up the paddle. This first mix with the paddle usually takes about 15 minutes.

Stop the mixer and insert the dough hook. Continue mixing on the highest speed of the mixer. After several minutes, the dough should not only pull away from the sides of the bowl, but actually lift off the bottom of the bowl. Make sure at this stage, you are watching your dough carefully. Your mixer can really bounce around and if you take your eyes away for a moment, it could be a disaster! This final mixing stage will take about an addition 15 minutes. You know the dough is just right and has mixed enough when it has lifted cleanly off the bottom of the bowl and begins to creep up the dough hook.
Stop the mixer and wet your fingers. Remove the wet dough from the hook. The dough will be very "gloppy" and wet. Pour the wet dough into a well oiled container for rising. Cover lightly and allow the dough to triple in size - about 2 to 2.5 hours. IMPORTANT!! The dough MUST TRIPLE!
When the dough has tripled, flour the surface of your counter generously and pour the contents of the dough onto the surface. Use a wet spatula to get the last bit if needed. Your dough will be beautiful and silky.

Next, using a wet dough scraper, cut and separate the dough into three fairly equal pieces. It helps to have a wet dough scraper. It is even easier to use two scrapers if you have them!
Form each loaf into a rough oval shape. Ciabatta is Italian for "slipper", so think slipper when shaping. Sprinkle the tops with flour and with your floured fingers, gently poke the dough quickly to release any large air bubbles.

Using a large piece of plastic (I use a clean plastic garbage bag - my friend, Jen Menke uses a huge plastic GAP shopping bag!), cover the dough lightly to rise a second time in a non-drafty environment. Don't worry if it doesn't look like it's rising too high.. you get a nice oven spring with this bread! Total rising time is about 45 minutes.

While your dough rises, preheat your oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit and raise your oven rack to the middle of the oven. A good, hot oven will be the key to great looking loaves. Add a small old cake pan to the floor of your oven to hold ice cubes or water during the baking process. Don't add ice or water until the bread is ready to bake. Let your oven heat throughout the second rising period. This bread bakes best on a pizza stone, but it will also bake on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Just before baking, gently remove the plastic from the loaves. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. I bake my loaves on a stone in my oven, so I like to turn my baking sheets upside down and line them with the parchment. That way, I can slide the parchment off of the sheet directly onto the baking stone in my oven.

Lightly dust your parchment paper with flour and using two dough scrapers moistened with water, scoop the long ends of each loaf together and flip them onto the parchment, upside down. Do this quickly. The recipe author, Jason Molina claims that this redistributes the holes in the bread for more even "holing". It looks like you've ruined your loaves by pinching them together and plopping them over, but you haven't. Use your dough scrapers to re-shape the loaves into rough ovals. Again, dough scrapers wet with water helps prevent sticking.

Since I make this bread into three loaves, I bake two loaves on one piece of parchment and the third on the second piece of parchment. I bake in two batches.. the final loaf just rests uncovered while the first two bake. (You can also make 2 larger loaves if you want)

Once you have all your loaves flipped over, give them a light dusting of flour just before putting them in the oven.

In the tin pan on the floor of your hot oven, throw a cup of ice cubes into the tin or a cup of cold water. Let it steam for about 30 seconds, then slide your loaves into the oven, directly on your stone if using or bake directly on the cookie sheets lined with parchment.

Total baking time is about 18-20 minutes. Halfway through the bake, rotate your loaves to ensure even browning. When done, remove to a wire rack to cool. Enjoy!

(NOTE: For additional flavor, you can ferment your dough overnight in the refrigerator after the initial mix and before the first rise. For best flavor, use only unbleached bread flour like King Arthur - the taste difference is amazing!)

WHERE YOU MAY GET FRUSTRATED:
1. If you try and handle the dough with your hands. I never use my hands at any point in baking this bread. I use dough scrapers spritzed with water.

2. Flipping the loaves before final baking. Use TWO DOUGH SCRAPERS for this.. trust me, you'll be glad you did!

3. Buy a scale. King Arthur sells a really good one. Once you have a scale and get into the habit of weighing ingredients, you've taken your bread baking to another level.

GOOD LUCK!

comments
Submitted by KAF_Keri on Tue, 2011-01-04 14:06.
Belles,
Thank you so much for posting your recipe here! I saw it your Facebook post and can't wait to try it.
Keri @ KAF

Submitted by pjh on Thu, 2011-01-06 08:57.
Ditto Keri's comment - what fun!! I've worked with gloppy doughs before, but have never let them go 30 minutes at high speed in a mixer... wow. Look forward to trying this.

Submitted by bellesaz on Thu, 2011-01-06 12:56.
Definitely the key to this is speed and duration. It took me the first couple of times before I finally relaxed and trusted the recipe creator.. and it turns out beautifully every time. The best video I've ever seen is by Jen Menke who makes this step by step and you really understand the process.

The above link is to her video. If nothing else, you get to smile at her Minnesota accent and see a cute doggie.

Submitted by Naturalhorsegirl on Sun, 2011-01-09 13:09.
Just a word of caution. My Kitchenaid mixer can only work dough at speed 2. I burned up my motor making Ciabatta and mixing at the high speed. They were wonderful and sent me another mixer for free since I was still under warranty but warned me never to do it again. I really want to make Ciabatta again but it doesn't come out as nice mixing at the low speed. I have the 575 watt professional model ... do other mixers handle dough at high speed?

Submitted by bellesaz on Tue, 2011-01-18 01:09.
I have been making this for a couple years in my mixer.. high speed. I've never had an issue. I have tried using my Electrolux Magic Mill at the highest speed and for whatever reason, it never comes out quite as perfectly. I have the KA Pro 600 - I don't think the wattage matters. There have been other users who work this dough by hand using a wire whip.. that seems like alot of work to me, but they claim it comes out OK. I'd say try it in a different mixer - if it doesn't come out exactly right, it still tastes good!

Submitted by Naturalhorsegirl on Sun, 2011-01-09 13:12.
Forgot to mention that the bread looks wonderful! I sure would like to try it again ... hope someone has an answer for me!

Submitted by wingboy on Mon, 2011-01-10 01:39.
I don't understand how it works. But it does. Wonderfully. Thanks!

Submitted by milkwithknives on Mon, 2011-01-10 13:01.
Oh, holy crap you can STORE things in those holes! Has anyone tried mixing this in a Bosch machine? And has anyone tried swapping in some whole wheat flour? Off to watch the Youtube video.

Submitted by bellesaz on Tue, 2011-01-18 01:11.
I don't know about the whole wheat, but you definitely need to adjust the hydration level which will change when using whole wheat. You should have a 95% hydration on this dough. You can also use semolina flour, which many people use for the flavor. It calls for 350 grams of bread flour and 150 grams of semolina flour.. the same on all the other ingredients.

Submitted by bellesaz on Tue, 2011-01-18 16:57.
@milkwithknives.. I don't know about Bosch, but I've made it a few times in my Electrolux Magic Mill and for whatever reason it doesn't get the same effect. Let me know though!

Submitted by milkwithknives on Fri, 2011-01-21 01:46.
Holy god, this really WORKS! I didn't make ciabatta, so I still have to try this the real way, but I was making focaccia for some panini sandwiches and somehow managed to get the dough way too wet. So I thought, here we go, and I turned my Bosch up and beat the daylights out of it for half an hour. Even with half whole wheat flour and flattening it on a baking sheet, it has big, giant holes in it! Woohoo! I'm so freaking excited to try making the ciabatta recipe! I have NEVER gotten big holes like that in any bread I have made. Fingers crossed that this wasn't some weird fluke....

Submitted by bellesaz on Wed, 2011-02-16 14:19.
I got the biggest kick out of reading your reply. Don't you just love what this bread does?? I have adjusted it a bit for my Magic Mill DLX and am now able to get fairly consistent results too. Much better because both the Bosch AND the Magic Mill are superior for bread mixing as compared to the KitchenAid... sorry fans of KA - I wouldn't trade mine for the world, but I love my Magic Mill!
So how did you put it all together? I'd love to know what you did. Have a friend with a Bosch and she'd like to try it, but is not sure if it would work.

Submitted by tikidoc on Fri, 2011-08-19 10:49.
My KA Pro 600 (aka Whirlpool piece of junk) is on it's last legs (at the ripe old age of 2) and objects strenuously to anything resembling bread dough, so I have a Magic Mill on order. What exactly did you adjust to get this recipe working well with the DLX?
Jess

• This topic was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Grandma A's Ranch Hand Bread
Submitted by bellesaz on September 29, 2010 at 11:27 am

During calving and branding season, my grandmother made up to 20 loaves of this bread a day for 9 kids and 6 ranch hands. She made it all in a wood burning oven. I bet that bread was fantastic!

Yield: 3 loaves
Source: http://loavesandladles.blogspot.com

20 ounces (or 4 cups) All Purpose Flour
1.5 tablespoons instant yeast
3 tablespoons sugar
3-4 tablespoons melted butter, cooled or canola oil
4 cups milk, heated to lukewarm
29 ounces (or 5-6 cups) Bread Flour
1.5 tablespoons salt

Add AP flour, yeast, sugar to a large mixing bowl or to the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix together well. DO NOT ADD SALT just yet - it comes later! Using the paddle attachment of your mixer, mix together milk and melted butter until dough forms a smooth batter, much like a pancake batter. Some lumps are OK.

Next, attach the dough hook and begin adding your bread flour one cup on Speed 2 at a time until each cup is well incorporated. Reserve one cup of the flour and only add it if your dough continues to act too sticky. If it is, add remaining flour a few TBS at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It should still act sticky on the bottom of your mixer.

Turn your mixer off and let your dough rest for about 15-20 minutes. I like to leave the dough hook in the dough and cover it with a tea towel.

Turn your mixer back on to Speed 2 and SLOWLY sprinkle the salt into the dough. Let your dough hook work the salt into the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Check your dough to see if you have kneaded long enough by conducting a "window pane" test on the dough. The dough can take anywhere from 45 minutes to over an hour to rise.

Now that your dough has doubled in size, lightly flour your counter and dump your dough out. Using your fingertips, gently remove all the air bubbles and mass that has developed as it has been rising. Now, gather your dough into a rough log shape and divide your dough into three equal pieces. This is where a scale comes in quite handy once again!

Prepare 3 bread baking pans (standard size is 8.5 x 4.5) by spraying them generously with Pam or greasing each one very well. Set them aside. Roll each dough into a ball and set aside. Using a rolling pin, gently roll out the dough no wider than the width of your pan, and about 10-12 inches long. Begin rolling up the dough into a tight roll and pinch the seams together at the ends and on the long section of the dough.

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Place dough in a well-greased bread pan, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining dough balls and then sprinkle each loaf generously with flour, cover lightly with saran wrap and a light towel. Let your loaves rise in your pans until they dome over the top and are well doubled. This usually takes anywhere from 30 - 60 minutes.

Bake for 35-45 minutes. Bread should register around 205 degrees when done.

comments
Submitted by bellesaz on Wed, 2010-09-29 11:28.
substitute half of the AP and half of the bread flour with whole wheat should you wish to change up the formula.

Submitted by jlmenz on Thu, 2010-09-30 11:01.
Will it turn out different if I use just straight bread flour?

Submitted by scottysmom on Wed, 2011-02-16 17:35.
I made this yesterday. Used all bread flour and the loaves turned out perfect. I will make this recipe again and again.

Submitted by bellesaz on Thu, 2011-03-10 13:37.
Sorry for the late comment.. I actually forgot I posted this here! I'm so glad it worked out for you. Yes, using all bread flour works fine.. we just like the balance of the two textures. If you like a slightly heavier and somewhat denser loaf, then by all means - use bread flour only. Thanks for the comment!

Submitted by judel on Sun, 2010-10-03 20:47.
This looks great. One question though--you call for 4(16 oz) cups milk, but 4 cups is 32 oz. So how much milk should you have? Just for reference, in my usual 9 cup recipe, I would use 3 cups or so of liquid. Thanks in advance!

Submitted by dachshundlady on Wed, 2010-10-06 07:31.
I checked her blog and the milk is listed as 4 cups with no ounces listed. It does look like a keeper, doesn't it? I just wonder if her Grandma used both AP and Bread or if they had different flour back then.

Submitted by bellesaz on Thu, 2011-01-06 13:01.
Sorry, should be 4 cups.. will change.
In Montana, they are known for their wheats and flours. My Grandmother bought local flour from the mills near the "golden triangle". She called it bread flour, but I suspect it was AP flour with a bit higher protein. When I made it with straight AP, it didn't have the same richness and velvety crumb. When I combined both, it kept it light yet silky and robust. I think all Bread flour makes it a heavier loaf, but if you prefer that, there is no reason why you can't do it. I've made it with whole wheat in the past.. it's a bit denser, but still amazing.

Submitted by spots4debi2 on Mon, 2010-10-04 22:22.
This sounds fantastic. You are so blessed to have the recipe from your grandmother. My grandmother was the camp cook for a mining camp in Wyoming in the mid 1920's. Like your grandmother she prepared every meal for over 20 folks including baking fresh bread daily. The only recipe I have from her is for chocolate merangue pie. Writen in her hand, it is a special treasure.

Submitted by PaddyL on Thu, 2010-10-07 16:23.
I doubt they distinguished between flours back then, and when flour was running low, they'd extend it by adding mashed potato. It does look good, though; I can almost smell it.

Submitted by dachshundlady on Sat, 2010-10-09 08:35.
I made 2 loaves of this bread yesterday afternoon to have for breakfast toast. They turned out so lovely that we had slices with butter last night before bed. It is delicious; lovely fine crumb and the kitchen aide made it easy. My only question, and this happens to me with other recipes too: sometimes my top crust ends up slightly dimpled when it cools. I prefer like the photo above "so round, so firm, so fully packed" *LOL* Any hints?

Too much yeast? Letting it rise too much or not enuf before baking?

Submitted by bellesaz on Thu, 2011-01-06 13:07.
dachshundlady.. I've had other breads come out the way you describe. I don't know why that might happen except that your hydration levels could be slightly different. I have made these loaves for years and didn't get good consistency until I bought a scale and started weighing my flour. Did you try that?
The other problem can be is if you let it rise too long. It gets some nice oven spring on these loaves and when they begin to cool, they shrink just a bit.. so an overly risen loaf may have max expansion before going into the oven, a bit more spring once the baking process begins and then upon cooling, it shrinks. You might try baking before it rises too much or too high.

Submitted by jozy on Sat, 2010-10-09 14:44.
Dlady, Did you just 2/3 this bread? Any other changes? I am going to look for your email address for the same questions. Thanks !!
Jozy
Submitted by dachshundlady on Fri, 2011-01-07 07:24.
Bellesaz, you should enter this bread in the "Best of the Midwest" baking contest mentioned on this website.Or even the other baking contest going on here. I love this bread and have shared it over at the old Baking Circle. Now people over there are making and enjoying it. What a nice tribute to your Grandma!

Submitted by bellesaz on Sun, 2011-01-23 23:00.
Hi DL, yes, I visited the Baking Circle, but wasn't allowed to comment for some reason, even though I have my blog on Blogspot. In any event, I just wanted to say that I was glad you were able to share the recipe. My Grandmother would have been so pleased knowing that others were enjoying it.. although she would be stumped as to how we figured out her secrets. LOL, she was very clever leaving out important bits of key information with her recipes. Hehehe.

Submitted by bakeraunt on Sat, 2015-02-07 15:12.
This bread is wonderful--soft with a chewy crust. I used the variation that substitutes in half whole wheat flour, and I added 1/4 C ground flax meal. I also used 1/2 cup + 2 Tbs. special dried milk and 4 cups of water in place of the milk. I used the 4 Tbs. of butter. I did change the mixing instructions a bit, since I use active dry yeast and always proof it. I also have a Cuisinart stand mixer, so I changed the mixing numbers to align with that machine. However, I did follow the instructions to use the paddle attachment with the first group of ingredients before switching to the dough hook. I think it made for a lovely texture in the finished bread. I let that first mixture rest for 15 minutes, then added a mixture of 2 1/2 cups each of the bread flour and whole wheat flour with the salt mixed in. I found that I needed another 1/2 C of whole wheat flour on this day.

This is about the most dough that my 7-qt. Cuisinart can handle.

Submitted by member-his1sparrow on Thu, 2015-02-19 14:19.
To bellesaz and other experts: I made and baked this using 3/4 AP Flour and 1/4 Whole Wheat flour stirred them together before adding rest of ingredients. I had two problems:

1. Flour and dough kept sticking to bottom of my bowl (5.5-6 at KitchenAid mixer) I kept stopping and cleaning down dough in bowl... is it because mixer is to big to keep dough down and mixing in bowl? When I dumped dough onto floured table there were two or three large hard pieces stuck on bottom...I did not scrape down any hard pieces from bottom, but when eating we found a few hard bites.
Did I add my flour to fast or too much at a time.
I'm the only one that break a bowling ball. :/ or a perfect recipe...haha

2. I am so happy I bought a Thermapen thermometer to make sure my meats, breads were done. But I made a mistake when my timer went off at 40 minutes on my bread I stuck my Thermapen into tops of all three loaves... they slumped down some, so don't do this. Grandma said 205...Any ideas on how to take temp without causing slumping down? I know to turn off oven when bread done and let set so no bread shrinking/slumping a couple of minutes then to take out let set a few minutes in pans then to cooling racks so the loaves won't have any imprints and won't shrink down.
I love these groups, you are all so friendly and so helpful. Thank you very much.

Submitted by KitchenBarbaria... on Sun, 2015-03-29 11:30.
Scaled for one loaf:
Choose either:

*..463 g - 16.3 oz - 3 c to 3 1/3 c KAF AP flour
OR
*..189 g - 6.7 oz - 1 1/3 cups All Purpose Flour (other than KAF)
*..274 g - 9.7 oz - 1 2/3 to 2 cups Bread Flour
.
2 to 2.5 tsp instant yeast (note that I always use ADY)
1 T sugar
20g - 4 tsp - melted butter, cooled or canola oil
1 1/3 c milk, heated to lukewarm
0.5 T salt
.
I made this in my Zo Virtuoso on the Regular cycle with light crust. In the first attempt at scaling I used only 1.5 tsp (0.5 T) of yeast. This is low for a single loaf of this type; I suggest using 2 to 2.5 tsp yeast instead when making a single loaf.
.
Also note that the weight vs volume measures given assign a weight of approx 5 oz to one cup of flour, where we usually assume between 4 and 4.5 oz per cup. However the weights as given fall within the normal tweaking range for a bread recipe. Using volume measures is always trickier.
.
This bread makes great toast. My favorite, in fact, as of now, for toast.

• This topic was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.

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[BakerAunt]

Blackberry Seeds and Jam

My husband was able to pick 2 cups of blackberries in his woodlands while fighting off highly aggressive mosquitos. He would like me to use them in jam. Two cups is not enough, but I thought that I would combine them with some blueberries for a mixed berry jam. The one issue is that my husband cannot tolerate the blackberry seeds. A few years back, I bought a device that has a wooden paddle that scrapes a sieve and is supposed to strain the seeds away and let the pulp go through when the handle is turned. I'm not sure that the mesh is fine enough. Is this the best way to try to remove the seeds?
posted by: bakeraunt on August 03, 2015 at 10:05 pm in General discussions

reply by: Lynette Bakes on August 04, 2015 at 3:39 pm
Bakeraunt, years ago we had some wonderful everbearing red raspberry bushes which were very prolific. I made lots of jam, and froze both whole berries for pies as well as seedless pulp for making sherbet. I found that my juicer worked great for separating the seeds from the pulp! I could process quart after quart very quickly. So, if you happen to have a juicer which separates seeds from pulp, I would suggest using that.
I miss those red raspberry bushes something awful! I hope you enjoy your mixed berry jam...I'm sure it will be delicious!

reply by: bakeraunt on August 04, 2015 at 8:37 pm
Hello, Lynette Bakes! It is good to hear from you again on the Baking Circle. I do not have a juicer, so I will see what else I can come up with. I may need an additional screen of some kind.

I can understand how you would miss your wonderful red raspberry bushes. That must have been wonderful jam. There are black raspberries in this area, and they are prolific in my husband's woodlands, but unfortunately, by the time we get here for our vacation, they are usually gone. A friend did pick some, and she gave us a small jar of jam that will go back to Texas with us and be served on some very good bread, when we need a reminder of the lovely summer we have been having here in Indiana. We actually have blackberry bushes my husband planted on the terrace here, but some animal(s) appear to have been eating them before they can ripen, so I appreciated my husband braving the mosquitos in his woods to get some.

I will let you know how the mixed berry jam comes out. I have never made jam before, so this is an experiment. I bought the Ball FreshTech Jam Maker on sale, so it will do all the stirring for me. I will, however, need to do the hot water processing with the traditional canning pot and rack (borrowed from a friend) and boiling water.

reply by: papag on August 05, 2015 at 12:48 pm
If you have deer up there I would bet they ate them. It could have been a coon too. My daughter who lives in the Texas Hill Country, has problems with them.... Birds can be pests... Happy Berry picken and baking on vacation. It is hot in Texas, so let's hope it is cooler when you get back...
I thought we used some mesh basket thing and a wooden tool to do dewberries when I had planted a lot at our house...... We have retired elsewhere. I miss my pear trees and and dewberries. I hope to get the garden and berries planted this fall for spring...

reply by: Lynette Bakes on August 05, 2015 at 6:15 pm
Oh, bakeraunt, I want to thank you for your kind "welcome back". I've not been baking much lately, mainly because of my health problems, not surprisingly! There's always a fine line to walk between how good it makes me feel to bake...and how bad it makes me feel to bake! I'm sure that all who are plagued with chronic health issues can relate.
One of the not-so-recent threads I read yesterday was about the Cinnamon Toast Cake. Well, if you're interested in how much it tempted me, I'm on my way over there to post.
I haven't purchased a Jam Maker, mainly because I don't grow enough fruit these days to make it worthwhile. And I'm quite sure that the hot water processing will serve you well. When you get your jam made, you need to make up a recipe or two of scones to freeze, unbaked. Having freshly baked scones for that homemade jam will be like heaven! Enjoy!!!

reply by: BakerIrene on August 06, 2015 at 5:26 pm
Cook the jam seeds and all.
Then use a tablespoon to rub it through a regular old tea strainer while it is warm. You will not be able to make a seal with arm jam but with 2 cups of berries you won't keep it that long.

Better yet make the husband rub the jam through the strainer...

reply by: bakeraunt on August 06, 2015 at 6:08 pm
Thanks, Baker Irene. I did find instructions in the Ball preserving book that said that the blackberries needed to be heated. I decided to microwave the blackberries in a glass dish, smash them, then put them through that metal sieve with the wooden piece. I think it worked pretty well. If not, I will follow your excellent suggestion next time and let my husband separate them with the strainer and a teaspoon!

I mixed the blackberry pulp (minus at least some of the seeds) with strawberries (store bought) and blueberries (picked ourselves) to get the right amount for a mixed berry jam. I do like how the Ball Jam maker did the cooking and stirring for me, even though it only makes four 8-oz jars at a time. This is my first attempt at boiling water canning; I will know tomorrow if I managed to get a good seal. My husband kept trying to talk to me while I was working on this, and I finally said, "I love you, but do not talk to me now." The phrase was repeated a couple of times.

I need to see if I have enough blueberries to try to can a quart of blueberry pie filling, using the site that Randy D. gave me last year. We were going to pick some more today, but the blueberry place, that had said it would be open until Friday, ended up closing after yesterday. Since my husband dragged his feet on going back, he will have fewer frozen blueberries for his oatmeal.

reply by: bakeraunt on August 06, 2015 at 6:17 pm
Hi, Papag. Yes, there are plenty of deer in Indiana, and the dog and I saw two young ones across the street when I took her out this morning. They might be eating those berries, but I think that the culprit might actually be a chipmunk. I hope that you get your garden planted, and that it yields wonderful fruit for baking.

• This topic was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Bread Tray baking
hello, been busy baking loaves for the past week, my wife is away on a trip so I have the kitchen to myself ,,ha ha. I recently purchased baking trays for Italian and French bread , perforated wells. I baked loaves in both pans and both times the bottom of the loaves did not crisp up as I expected . That is the reason I bought the trays. to crisp the bottoms evenly. I don't have a baking stone but used a cast iron griddle to place the trays on. steamed the oven also. Is there a trick to using these pans? Any help appreciated .
posted by: artpfla on June 03, 2014 at 1:50 pm in Baking, yeast

reply by: Antilope on June 03, 2014 at 6:52 pm
I have two of those perforated French bread trays (one for larger loaves and one for baguettes). They do a really good job of keeping the shape of the rising dough, but the loaves do tend to be a little pale on the bottom. I've lowered the oven temperature 25 degrees F and leave the loaves in longer to get the bottoms darker and crisper.
.
Something else I've thought about doing (haven't tried it yet, but will next time), half-way or 2/3rd's through the baking time, flip the baguettes over, so the bottoms are now facing up.

reply by: sarahh on June 04, 2014 at 3:34 pm
I don't use mine very often, because they often stick, but I don't put any pan or baking stone underneath when I bake them. I just place the perforated pan on the oven rack and let it bake away. I have had the bottoms be pale sometimes. I just remove the mostly baked baguettes from the pan and place them back in the oven, right on the oven rack, for 5 minutes or so to brown them a little more.
Now that you reminded me of the pan, I think I'll pull it out and make some baguettes. No time today, maybe tomorrow. 🙂

reply by: Antilope on June 04, 2014 at 4:26 pm
When I first got my French bread / baguette pans, they didn't stick (had a clear non-stick coating). But now after a few months use they are starting to stick. I find that spraying the pans with Pillsbury Baking Spray with flour before placing the dough on the pans really prevents sticking.
.
In case anyone else is interested, here are the type of pans we are talking about:
.
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/baguette-pan
.
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/italian-loaf-pan
.
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/baguette-pan-baguettes-recipe

reply by: bakeraunt on June 06, 2014 at 4:11 pm
I have greased mine with Crisco, and the dough does not stick. However, sometimes the Crisco gets into the holes, then melts out onto the oven and burns, so I try to make sure they are cleared out. I think that the grease does help to brown the bottom of the bread.

reply by: BakerIrene on June 06, 2014 at 8:13 pm
The perforated trays are intended to be used directly on the oven rack. That way the steam comes out of all sides of the dough.
.
If you want to use a pan of water to add steam then the steam pan must be separated from the perforated bread pan by one oven rack space.
.
In my oven I don't add any steam at all, just the perforated heavyweight aluminum tray sold for pizza at 350F makes good crusty bread.

reply by: Antilope on June 06, 2014 at 8:44 pm
On the shelf below the perforated baguette pan, I add an empty baking sheet (that has a raised edge around it). When I place the bread in the hot oven I add 1 cup of water to the hot baking sheet and it makes a lot of steam for a few minutes.

reply by: Antilope on June 20, 2014 at 5:04 pm
For me, traditional French baguettes made with only flour, water, salt and yeast dry out too fast, are dry and chewy later and don't have a good shelf life.
.
I prefer Vienna Bread baguettes. They are softer, have more taste and a longer shelf life. These are great split and used for sub sandwiches or hoagie rolls. I also make hamburger buns from this recipe. Here is my Vienna Bread baguette recipe for baguette pans:
.
.
Vienna Bread baguettes
.
Makes about 36 oz of Baguette Dough. Enough for 3 - 12 oz (350gm) Baguettes.
.
1-1/3 cups (320g) milk
4 Tbsp (46g) White Granulated Sugar
2 Tbsp (8g) Powdered Milk or Dry Coffee Creamer
2 tsp (11.2g) Table Salt
2-1/2 Tbsp (35g) Olive Oil
4-1/4 cups (544g) Bread Flour
2-1/4 tsp (7g) Instant Yeast
.
Add Ingredients to bread mixing pan, in the order that
Ingredients are listed above. Snap pan into Zo Bread Machine.
.
Set Bread Machine to Dough Cycle. Press Start.
.
Ingredients will be warmed for about 25 minutes before mixing starts.
.
When mixing starts, add more water or flour, if needed, to make a
soft smooth dough, that is not crumbly or too sticky. Add a Tablespoon at a time, if needed.

Dough will mix and knead for 20 minutes and then rise for about 70 minutes.

You can also use a stand mixer (like a Kitchen-aid) and knead the dough for 5 to 8 minutes, and let
rise for 45 minutes.

When the Bread Machine beeps, and there is zero time left on the display, take out the dough and divide into 3 equal size pieces.

Each piece of Baguette dough should be about 12-oz (350gm) each.

Roll each of the 3 pieces of dough into a sausage shape, about 14-inches long. Try to make them even diameter along their length.

Place each of the 3 pieces of the rolled out dough on the Baguette Baking Pan.

Place the Baguette Baking Pan in the oven, near the center. Mist dough with water.

On the shelf below the baguettes, add a cookie sheet and pour a cup of water in it.

Turn on the oven, at 350-F, for ONLY 2-minutes, to warm the dough. TURN OFF THE OVEN.

Allow the Baguettes to rise for 45 to 60 minutes in the warm oven, with the oven light on, until the dough doubles in size.

Cut three, 1/4 inch deep diagonal slashes, in each baguette and mist dough with water.

Set the oven to 400-F, and Set the timer for 25 to 28 minutes. We are timing from when we turn on the oven.

After 25 to 28 minutes, the baguettes crust should be golden brown and centers should be at least 195-F. Bake a little longer if needed.

Remove from oven. Let cool for about 5-minutes before slicing.

reply by: bakeraunt on June 20, 2014 at 3:24 pm
Antilope: Do you think that this recipe would still work well if I substituted in some whole wheat flour for part of the bread flour--maybe about one cup?

Thanks, Bakeraunt

reply by: Antilope on June 20, 2014 at 5:08 pm
I've substituted some whole wheat or white whole wheat in this recipe before (a cup or two). Works fine. You may have to add a little more liquid as whole wheat seems to absorb more.

You notice I start these in a cold oven. It takes 10 minutes for my gas oven to reach the desired temperature. I figured, "Why waste 10 minutes of gas?" So I just incorporate pre-heating into the baking process. Doesn't hurt bread. I wouldn't try this with a cake, however. 😉

reply by: bakeraunt on June 20, 2014 at 5:17 pm
I have an electric oven. I wonder if that will make a difference with a cold start?

reply by: Antilope on June 20, 2014 at 5:25 pm
In their French baguette recipe, King Arthur Flour preheats a baking stone to 500-F and then bakes their baguettes at 475-F for 18 to 24 minutes.

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/baguette-pan-baguettes-recipe

I bake mine at a lower temperature a little longer due to the sugar in them, so it won't burn.

If you just bake them at 400-F until the outside color looks golden, they will be done in the center.

reply by: bakeraunt on June 20, 2014 at 5:47 pm
I am going to try baking your recipe. I am supposed to bring bread to my husband's family reunion in August (where many of us are great bakers), and I want one that will stay fresh for a couple of days. I hope it will also do well in Indiana humidity in August.

reply by: omaria on June 20, 2014 at 6:00 pm
Your loaves look beautiful .

reply by: robinwaban on June 20, 2014 at 6:28 pm
Antilope- Beautiful loaves.

reply by: Antilope on June 20, 2014 at 7:09 pm
I made some of these baguettes last week and leftover pieces in a Tupperware were still good 3 days after baking.

reply by: Antilope on June 20, 2014 at 7:20 pm
I'm not happy with the slashing on these. This picture is from about a month ago. I've made several batches since and my dough slashing has gotten better. I use a Stanley box cutter to slash the loaves. I have one dedicated to just baking. The slashes should be about 1/4-inch deep and about 4 inches long, going diagonally from one side of the baguette to the other. Each baguette should have 3 slashes. The slashing is to promote dough expansion during baking, it directs the dough to expand outward. If you don't slash the baguettes, they won't expand as much during baking and may even develop splits or large cracks.

If you slashing causes the risen dough to deflate too much, slash the dough earlier (halfway through rising). This will give it time to recover and re-expand before baking.

reply by: bakeraunt on June 27, 2014 at 1:12 pm
Thanks, Antilope for an excellent recipe. I made a couple of changes in that I subbed in 1 1/4 C whole wheat flour for an equal amount of bread flour. I was out of milk, so I used water and 1/3 C of the King Arthur special dried milk (and omitted the powdered milk). I also added 2 Tbs. ground flax meal. I used by stand mixer. The three loaves baked very well in my pan at 400 and were done in about 18 minutes (electric oven). One of the three loaves had been eaten by this morning, so the family loves them.

My next experiment will be to try to increase the recipe by one and a half times. I have a "sandwich bun" tray that KAF used to carry that has five wide slots for making long buns. The recipe that came with it used about 6 cups of flour. It was good, but those buns dried out very fast (by the next day).

I will multiply all ingredients by one and a half, except for the yeast. Perhaps 2 3/4 or 3 tsp.?

reply by: Antilope on June 27, 2014 at 1:48 pm
Glad your version of the recipe worked out for you. I store the buns or baguettes in an airtight lock & lock (similar to Tupperware) container when they have been out of the oven an hour or two, so mine don't dry out.

The original recipe is 1000 grams or about 2 1/4 lbs. You are increasing it to about 3 1/3 lbs. That would be equal to about two 1-1/2 lb. loaves of bread. I would use 4 or 5 tsp of yeast (like using 2 1/4 tsp per 1 1/2 lb. loaf).

reply by: bakeraunt on June 27, 2014 at 1:54 pm
Thank you Antilope. I will try it with 4 tsp. of yeast and report back on the result.

reply by: kathyd on June 27, 2014 at 2:07 pm
These look great. I will have to try them when the kitchen is done. Adding to my list!

reply by: bakeraunt on August 06, 2014 at 5:14 pm
Hi, Antilope. Since my husband did not let me bring my baguette pan on vacation (something about no room in our tightly packed truck), I decided that I would bake my variation on your bread as a boule rather than three baguettes. I cheated in that I used an 8-inch pan with 2-inch sides to make sure that it would rise high and not spread. I don't have a stand mixer here, so I mixed by hand, then kneaded for 10 minutes. The first rising took 45 minutes. As I was shaping it, I had to keep popping gas bubbles, but I got it into a respectable ball. I let it rise for 30 minutes, then slashed it, and let it rise another 15 before putting it in the oven. At 30 minutes it was looking good but far from done. After 40 minutes, it was not done but getting there. I was concerned about burning it, so at that point I lowered the temperature on the electric oven by 25F. I also took the bread out of the pan and put it directly on the oven rack. Ten minutes later, it was at 205F. I worried that the crust was a bit dark, but it was not burned and smelled wonderful. Your technique of slashing, before the second rise is over, made for a very nice pattern on the top.

The attendees at the family reunion LOVED it. The bread had a chewy crust and a wonderful light texture. The oven spring was great (something I could not check until 30 minutes into the bake, as the oven here does not have a window in the door). I will definitely bake it this way again when I want a big loaf rather than baguettes.

reply by: Antilope on August 06, 2014 at 5:19 pm
Glad it turned out okay for you. I will have to try a boule. I've come to like rich breads (made with milk and butter or oil) better than French lean breads. I am amazed by the oven spring I get with this bread, even though I start it in a cold oven.

reply by: frick on August 07, 2014 at 2:11 pm
Keeping this for future reference. Thanks, everyone.

• This topic was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

SOUP: Spicy African Rice and Peanut Soup
Submitted by beachdee on April 24, 2004 at 9:27 pm

Mahatma Rice recipe that looks like I cut it out of Sunset Mag. OF COURSE, I've halved & played with it just-a-bit. Knowing quite a few of the BC-ers are vegetarian, or, like me, omnivorous with vegetarian tendencies, thought I'd share this as it's chock full of nutritious ingredients & can be made vegetarian by substituting for the chicken broth (& is so tasty even my "I could eat spaghetti for dinner every night" DH liked it...

Yield: 4
Source: Based on recipe from magazine ad for Mahatma Rice

• 1/2 Tblsp vegetable oil (I used coconut butter & grapeseed oil)
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 1 small/medium sweet potato, peeled and diced fairly small dice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth (or broth of your choice)
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 cup uncooked rice (brown is best)
• 1 cup thick and chunky salsa (whatever heat you and/or your audience would be most comfortable with)
• 1 16-oz. can beans (your choice), drained and rinsed
• 3/4 cup diced (fairly small to cook quicker) unpeeled fresh zucchini
• 1/3 cup creamy (or kinda-chunky but not Super Chunky) peanut butter

In a large saucepan, heat the oil to medium-high and saute the onions and sweet potato, stirring to keep from sticking/browning, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes, adding the garlic in for the last 2 to avoid overcooking it.

Add the chicken broth, water, thyme, cumin, and rice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until rice is cooked and potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Add the salsa, beans, and zucchini and cook until zucchini is tender, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter until completely combined.

Serves 4-5 hearty helpings.

[BakerAunt]

SOUP: Slovak Cabbage Soup (Sauerkraut Soup)
Submitted by beachdee on April 24, 2004 at 9:25 pm

Got this recipe after spending 3 weeks with our Slovakian exchange "daughter's" family in Bratislava--always thought I didn't like sauerkraut until I had this soup! (I guess you guessed I'm not REALLY making soup in this old-style Slovakian kitchen in a museum village in the Tatra Mountains...)

4-6 slices bacon (depending on how many servings)
1 small onion, diced
1 quart water OR 3 cups water and 1 cup mushroom broth
1 tsp. sweet paprika (ground sweet red pepper, not the hot-spicy kind)
16 oz. Clausens crisp sauerkraut (in refrigerated section of store) or favorite sauerkraut, rinsed
1/4 tsp. salt
3-4 whole allspice seeds
1/4 cup dried mushrooms (preferably mix of porcini, cremini, oyster) OR 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
ground pepper to taste
4 tsp. sugar
2 mashed garlic cloves OR 1 tsp. fresh ground garlic from a jar
1/4 lb. lean pork shoulder, in half-inch cubes OR 3 Hormel smoked pork chops (boneless), cubed
1 med. russet (baking) potato
sour cream

Fry bacon in soup pot until crisp. Remove bacon and cool so can be crumbled, saving about 1 tblsp. grease in pot. Add onion to hot bacon grease and sautý until not quite translucent.

Add water, paprika, rinsed sauerkraut, and remaining seasonings up through the garlic. Stir well and bring to gentle boil.

Add cubed meat and let simmer gently until meat is cooked/warmed through. Meanwhile, peel and grate the potato (smaller holes, not largest).

After the meat has cooked about 5 minutes, add the grated potato, turn down heat, cover, and let simmer gently for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of crumbled bacon bits on top, with a fresh loaf of thick-cut bread. Very healthy and hearty!

Added NOTE: the original recipe calls for a bit of VEGETA dried instant broth/flavor, but I don't use it because it has MSG in it. I'd say (since this is the way I cook) that one could enhance the broth (beyond plain water) by using whatever suits your taste (e.g., half water, half some flavored broth).

Serves 4 to 6.

comments
Submitted by geraldmchenry on Fri, 2010-09-24 13:50.
As We're not fans of sauerkraut - would substituting fresh chopped cabbage work? Pat

Submitted by beachdee on Sat, 2010-09-25 00:28.
Sorry took so long to reply, Pat. I didn't think to check the recipes for comments etc., still not used to this new forum!

I'd say that fresh chopped cabbage would be delicious, it just would be cabbage soup, not sauerkraut soup -- and nothing wrong with that! The other ingredients should go just as well with the cabbage as the kraut. Let me know what you think if you try it! -BeachDee

Submitted by mhang on Sat, 2010-09-25 16:42.
I have been looking for a good "cabbage soup" recipe since my husband tasted his first bowl at Frisches Big Boy, in Kalamazoo, Michigan in the 1970s. So I will try both cabbage and sauerkraut. We still have 2 heads of cabbage in the garden, so this will make for a good challenge. I will let you know how it goes as he is the expert soup cook in our house.
Martie Hang in Circleville, Oh

Submitted by beachdee on Wed, 2010-11-10 03:53.
Martie, how did your soup Taste-Off come out?

[BakerAunt]

SALAD: So Ono Sweet Potato Salad
Submitted by beachdee on April 24, 2004 at 9:26 pm

Refreshing and healthy take on potato salad, nice for summer but also well-received at holiday get-togethers. If you can find some of the purple sweet potatoes, they make a fun contrast with the mandarin oranges (perfect for tailgating if your school colors are purple and gold/orange!)

Source: I based this recipe on one by Bonnie Tuell in "Hawai'i's Island Cooking.

4 or 5 medium sweet potatoes, cooked and diced
1 cup celery, chopped
1/3 cup green onion, chopped
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1/4 cup non-fat yogurt
1/4 cup low/nonfat sour cream
1/2 cup lowfat mayo
salt and pepper to taste

Combine vegetables and mandarin oranges. Mix mayo and yogurt/sour cream (you can use all yogurt or all sour cream, however you want, also) and seasonings. Gently stir into vegetables. Serve well chilled. Roasted almonds may be added. So ono!! (so delicious/good!)

[BakerAunt]

PIE/TART Blueberry Cream cheese
Submitted by beachdee on July 02, 2010 at 3:34 am

Easy, no-bake recipe that also works well with blackberries.

12 Graham cracker tart shells or one large pie shell
4 cups berries
3 Tbsp organic (non-GMO)cornstarch or alternative (e.g., tapioca starch)
3/4 cup water (up to 1 cup)
3/4 cup sugar if using blueberries, 1/2 cup for blackberries
1 tsp lemon juice (optional)
1 Tbsp butter (optional)
8 oz softened cream cheese
1 Tsp powdered sugar
dab of milk, enough so cream cheese can be stirred and spread

Add cornstarch, sugar, and water to saucepan and mix. Add 1 cup of the berries. Cook on medium heat until thick, clear, and bubbly, then remove from heat.

Add remaining 3 cups berries and the lemon juice and/or butter, if using. Mix gently to coat all berries.

Blend the cream cheese with the powdered sugar, adding just enough milk so that the mixture can be spread in the bottom of the tart/pie shells. Spread the cream cheese mix in the shells, then spoon the berry mixture evenly in. Best to chill for at least half an hour before serving.

Store in refrigerator; pie will be easier to cut and serve if chilled at least 45 minutes before serving. Whipped cream is nice on top but totally not necessary!

[BakerAunt]

Petra's JOHANNISBEER SCHNITTEN (red currant)
Submitted by beachdee on February 09, 2011 at 1:56 am

Petra posted this to the original Baking Circle forum on 7/10/2003. Johannisbeer is the German name for currants...Rote Johannisbeere being red currant, and Schwarze being black. Schnitten means a type of cake/pastry and how it is served.

Source: Petra on the old Baking Circle

6 eggs - separated
150 g sugar
1 Tbsp flour
180 g of hazelnuts, ground
1 Tbsp breadcrumbs

225 ml black Johannisbeermarmelade [Black Currant jam/jelly; or can also use red currant jam/jelly)
chocolate glaze and hazelnuts for decoration.

Beats Egg whites to snow. – beat egg yolks with sugar, add ground hazelnuts, flour and breadcrumbs, fold egg whites under the mixture.

Distribute evenly, on a greased metal sheet bake, at 180 °C 10 - 15 min..

After the cooling cut them in half, and use one half of the melted jam, brush on one side with the jam the other with the melted chocolate, stack on top of each other and decorate with the hazelnuts.

In German:
Johannisbeerschnitten/Ribiles
Zutaten: 6 Eier; getrennt 150 g Zucker 1 EL Mehl 180 g Haselnüsse; gemahlen 1 EL Semmelbrösel 225 ml
Schwarze Johannisbeermarmelade Schokoladenglasur Haselnüsse; zum Garnieren.
Eiweiss zu Schnee schlagen. Dotter mit Zucker, gemahlenen Nüssen, Mehl und Semmelbröseln mischen, unter den Eischnee heben. Gleichmässig auf einem gefetteten Blech verteilen, bei 180 °C 10-15 Min. backen.
Nach dem Abkühlen halbieren, eine Hälfte mit Marmelade, die andere mit der geschmolzenen Glasur bepinseln, aufeinandersetzen und mit Nüssen garnieren.

comments
Submitted by beachdee on Wed, 2011-02-09 02:59.
I took a bit of posting "license" and explained in the description about what the name translates to. I also included the German version of ingredients and instructions, as Petra had included them in the originally-posted recipe on the OBC.

[BakerAunt]

Petra's Cinnamon Stars (Zimtsterne)

Submitted by beachdee on February 09, 2011 at 1:36 am

Petra posted this recipe on the original Baking Circle on 11/23/2003. They were noted as being "CINNAMON STARS - GERMAN COOKIE (flourless - gluten-free)" Zimt = cinnamon, sterne = stars.
Source: Petra on the old Baking Circle

Beachdee's Note: [Note: no ingredients/amounts were posted on the original recipe]

Whip egg whites to a peak. Sift powdered sugar and slowly add to egg whites. Set aside 3 tablespoons of egg whites to decorate cookies.

Add vanilla, almond extract, cinnamon and ground almonds.

Put dough into a plastic bag and roll out to about 1/4 inch. Refrigerate bag for about 15 minutes. Cut bag open. Cut out cookies with a 2 inch star shaped cookie cutter and transfer onto baking pan lined with parchment paper.

Brush cookies with egg whites.

Bake at 250 F for approximately 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 210 F and bake for another 30 minutes
The brushed egg whites should remain white.

(approximately 40 calories per cookie).
Tip: You can use ground hazelnuts instead of ground almonds
c
omments
Submitted by beachdee on Wed, 2011-02-09 02:41.
I have a screen-shot of the original recipe as it appeared on the OldBC. It does not give any amounts for the ingredients. Having eaten quantities of this cookie from a local bakery the winter we lived in Hamburg, Germany, I can say they are very tasty, look pretty, and are worth doing a look for a more complete recipe than Petra's if one desires to make them and are not willing to "wing it" with what is here. But I wanted to post this since it is one of the few recipes of Petra's that I know of, saved from the OBC.

[BakerAunt]

Petra's BASLER LECKERLI – FROM SWITZERLAND

Submitted by beachdee on February 09, 2011 at 1:25 am
Posted by Petra to the original Baking Circle on 9/12/2003
Source: Petra from Old Baking Circle

3/4 cup honey
1 cup fine sugar
1 1/2 Tblsp cinnamon
2 cups flour – sifted
1/4 cup kirsh
1/2 cup chopped and blanched almonds
1/2 cup hazelnuts – chopped
1/3 cup candied orange and lemon peel – finely chopped
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F

Put honey in sauce pan with the sugar and cinnamon - cook together over low heat until sugar had dissolved.

Remove from heat and stir in half the flour, the kirsh, nuts and orange and lemon peel.

Turn the mixture onto a well floured surface and knead in the remaining flour.

Spread the dough about 1/4-inch thick on one or more greased and floured baking sheet and sprinkle the top lightly with flour.

Bake in preheated oven for about 20 min. or until golden brown.

Turn out of the pan and while still warm, cut the lelkerlies in half horizontally with a sharp knife. Brush off any excess flour and cut into bars.

Dust pieces with confectioners sugar and cool on a wire rack

This recipe is made without Pottasche Petra

[BakerAunt]

Petra's APPLE OATMEAL COOKIES
Submitted by beachdee on February 09, 2011 at 1:16 am

This recipe was posted on the original Baking Circle by Petra on 11/23/2003
Source: Petra on Old Baking Circle

1 cup all purpose flour
1 teasp. baking powder
1 teasp. ground cinnamon
1/4 teasp salt
1/2 teasp. ground nutmeg
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup apples, peeled and diced
1 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 F

Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

In a large bowl, cream the shortening and sugar. Beat in the eggs until well blended.

Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in the walnuts, oats and apples

Drop by spoonfuls about 2 inches apart and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on wire racks.
Makes about 3 dozen.

[BakerAunt]

MUFFIN: Six-Week Muffins
Submitted by beachdee on January 17, 2011 at 8:12 pm

This batter will keep in the refrigerator for 6 weeks, ready to be scooped and baked for fiber-rich, tasty muffins at a moment's notice. Feel free to substitute your favorite dried fruits, but they're awfully good just as they are (obviously I'm a date-lover!) See NOTE at end of instructions.

Also -- great Gift idea: simply make up a batch, put some in a suitable container, print out the recipe in a nice format, embellish (or not) as you please (e.g., gather up in a nice dishtowel like a hobo sack and tie with a ribbon), and there you have it.

Source: Mom, who probably got it from the newspaper or a friend; possibly from a bran cereal

● 2 cups bran flakes (e.g., 40% Bran, if you can find it, or a raisin-bran cereal)
● 4 cups All-Bran cereal
● 2 cups chopped walnuts
● 2 cups chopped dates
● 5 tsp soda
● 2 cups boiling water
● 1 cup shortening (I only use butter, or butter/walnut oil mix)
● 2 cups sugar (I use somewhat less; keep in mind that the commercial raisin bran flakes and all-bran cereal already have plenty of sugar in them)
● 4 eggs
● 1 quart buttermilk
● 5 cups flour
● 1 Tblsp salt

1) Combine the 2 bran cereals, nuts, and dates (or other dried fruit) in a large (at least 10-quart) container/bowl and set aside.

2) Add soda to boiling water and let cool.

3) Cream shortening and sugar in a large mixer bowl. Add eggs, blend well.

4) Stir in buttermilk, flour, and salt. Add soda water.

5) Stir liquid ingredients (buttermilk/flour, etc. mixture) into the dry ingredients (bran, nuts, fruit) until blended.

6) Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 400°F for 20 to 25 minutes.

7) Store remaining batter in the refrigerator, for up to 6 weeks.

NOTE: northernbaker (see comment below) had a great suggestion for an alternative way with this recipe:
"We love them with dates and pecans the best but have added all kinds of fruits depending on my guest desire. Make the batter but wait until you go to bake them and add fruit only to the batter the you intend to bake that day so each time you bake them the fruit can be different."

comments
Submitted by newmoon111 on Thu, 2011-01-20 23:27.
Love these. Lost the recipe years ago!! Thanks for posting.

Submitted by Morgana on Fri, 2011-01-21 16:06.
They sound yummmmmmy!

Submitted by northernbaker on Fri, 2011-01-21 22:57.
We love these muffins. They are rich, moist, and packed with great flavor. I have made these for years. I don't know where I got the recipe. We love them with dates and pecans the best but have added all kinds of fruits depending on my guest desire. Make the batter but wait until you go to bake them and add fruit only to the batter the you intend to bake that day so each time you bake them the fruit can be different. I always have tons of visitor in the summer. I keep this batter ready for an easy wonderful breakfast or even a snack. Everyone loves them and can't wait until they come out of the over. Happy baking.

Submitted by beachdee on Fri, 2011-01-21 23:15.
Love your idea about waiting to add the fruit/nuts so can vary the taste from baking to baking...I'll add that to the notes/instructions in case not everyone reads the responses (and give you credit!). I do that with my presoaked/batch-cooked oatmeal that I eat nearly every morning, so not sure why it didn't occur to me, so I'm glad you mentioned it!

Submitted by dlewis@shadylane.net on Sat, 2011-01-22 19:52.
Thanks for posting this recipe. I have used a similar recipe in the past but it called for 2 medium bananas, mashed and added along with the wet ingredients; in addition, I used white whole wheat flour... I think I'll make a batch right now.

Submitted by beachdee on Sun, 2011-01-23 02:44.
I posted the recipe as it was on the old recipe card, but if I were to make a batch now I'd for sure substitute whole wheat, spelt, and/or some barley flour in. I'm sure the white whole wheat would work great. Mashed banana might make a nice alternative recipe, adding more flavor and nutrition, and "playing nicely" with the dates.

Submitted by hill country gal on Sun, 2011-01-23 15:39.
I make a similar muffin found on the KAF, King Arthur Flour website: Zella Lane's 2-Week Bran Muffins. Check the KAF blog, too. I substitute unsweetened applesauce or mashed banana for half the oil. And I use less sugar, like maybe half. Whatever amount of sugar I use, I make it half white sugar and half light or dark brown sugar. Try currants and/or dried cranberries (snipped in half), too. It's a family favorite!