What are you Baking the Week of August 13, 2023?

[Mike Nolan]

Probably making something with zucchini today, I'm running out of refrigerator space for them!

I also have a peach-cherry cobbler I'm planning to make (I bought a lug of Colorado peaches on Friday), if I can find some sweet cherries. (Hy-Vee had them in their sale ad, but their grower got too much rain and they couldn't pick the orchard.)

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[navlys]

I baked a banana bread. I discovered that the bulk aisle at the local supermarket is the best place to buy chopped walnuts in a small portion.

[Mike Nolan]

The things you have to be careful about with bulk food sections are cross-contamination and stuff that's gone bad because it has been there too long, nuts are prone to go rancid. But the bagged nuts at the grocery store can also have been there for ages.

[BakerAunt]

Mike--I wish that I could find some good peaches. The Michigan ones I bought from the guy at the corner stand peeled easily, and the pits came out easily, but the taste was so-so. I would like to make some peach jam to have for my zucchini-turkey loaf.

Navlys--I miss the Sprouts store where we shopped in Texas. They had great bulk nuts--and they were never stale or rancid.

[Mike Nolan]

These Colorado peaches are good, but I've had sweeter ones.

The peach-cherry cobbler was a bit of a disappointment, with these peaches it isn't quite sweet enough (just 3 tablespoons of honey and 1 tablespoon of demera sugar on top) and the peaches sort of overwhelm the cherries for flavor. I think it'd be better with some ice cream on top, though. (Ice cream improves many desserts.)

[chocomouse]

I made hoagie buns. Still working on my shaping; today I tried using a rolling pin. I want to make them thinner, flatter, but they always seem to rise up so high and thick. I'd like to minimize the amount of "bread".

[Mike Nolan]

The cobbler is improved by a little ice cream, but not enough for me to be likely to make this recipe again.

[Mike Nolan]

making peanut butter cookies today

[Italiancook]

BakerAunt, I appreciate your previous information about KAB's Soft Wrap Bread and how you'd freeze it. I printed the recipe but haven't ordered the potato flour. I'm debating with myself. Theoretically, I'm not supposed to eat potatoes. Because of the phosphorous. I do, but never without trepidation. On the KAB website it says potato flour makes baked goods softer. If I purchased the potato flour, I know I'd also use it in KAB's recipe for onion buns. They're very good, but not as soft as I prefer bread products. So I've been debating whether I should risk have a pantry product with phosphorous AND a sack of potatoes in the larder. If this debate ever ends with a purchase, I'll post here when I make the Soft Wraps.

[Mike Nolan]

I've never been fond of breads with potato flour or potato starch in them, whether they're softer than other breads is something I've not noticed.

Peter Reinhart recently suggested I try using oil or shortening instead of butter in a buns recipe (like Moomies) to produce a softer bun. Haven't tried it yet. I will say his marbled rye bread, which uses a little Crisco, is a really soft rye.

[BakerAunt]

I bake Moomi's buns with olive oil all the time. Canola or avocado would also work for people who need to avoid olive oil. Baked goods made with olive oil do stay softer longer. Goods with butter go stale more quickly.

Your thoughts about the potato flour are intriguing, Italian Cook. I usually have a container of it in the freezer for he few recipes I have that call for it. My experience, however, is that it can sometimes absorb too much of the liquid in the dough, so I use it sparingly, and indeed, only use it in those few King Arthur recipes.

King Arthur has said that you can substitute instant mashed potatoes, although I do not recall the amount. I think it was on the order of 1/2 cup potato flakes for 1/3 cup potato flour.

[BakerAunt]

Speaking of oil in place of butter in recipes:

On a rainy Monday, I decided to see if I could adapt a recipe, "Cinnamon-Apple Bars with Peanut Butter Glaze," which is in the King Arthur Whole Grain Baking. I had made it back when I was still baking with butter and liked the bars, although I made a note to lose the topping which was too sweet and overpowered them. I have leftover applesauce from last week's cookie experiment, and this recipe uses a cup. I replaced ¾ cup butter with ½ cup canola oil and ¼ cup buttermilk. I added a Tbs. of flax meal and 2 Tbs. Bob's Red Mill milk powder. I reduced the salt from 1 ½ to ½ tsp. Instead of grinding the oats to make flour, I used quick oats and combined them with the flour and dry ingredients. I used just ½ cup cinnamon chips (75 g). I baked in a 13x9 inch glass dish. I have started to prefer glass dishes for bar cookies or cakes. I baked for the shortest time, and they tested done. After the bars cooled, I glazed them with some glazing sugar that came from King Arthur long ago that I had in the pantry. King Arthur does not sell it anymore. It does not have cornstarch, so it dries with a nice glossy surface. My husband and I sampled them for dessert tonight, and I would certainly bake my adaptation again.

[BakerAunt]

I made a batch of Maple Granola on Tuesday.

[skeptic7]

ItalianCook;
Have you tried other methods to make breads moist? I've increased the amount of butter, and used the tangzhong paste. I've tried a few other things but don't remember how well they worked. The cooked white rice bread was boring.
I found the Japanese Milk Rolls stayed moist for several days. I'm going to try the KAF cinnamon rolls which use the tangzhong later.

[BakerAunt]

I realized, as I made lunch on Wednesday, that we were running out of bread, so in the afternoon I baked my Whole Wheat Oat Bran Bread. I gave my husband the choice of my two recipes that make three loaves, this one or Grandma A's Bread, and he said that he preferred my oat bran bread because to him the latter seems more like commercial bread. I wanted three loaves so that I could tuck two into the freezer. We are using up the loaves more quickly, because I am making turkey bacon and tomato sandwiches for lunch as I enjoy the tomatoes from the garden.

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