What are you Baking the week of February 10, 2019?

[Mike Nolan]

I'm going to be doing baked custard this morning, I'm never sure if that counts as cooking or baking. 🙂

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[BakerAunt]

On Sunday, I once again baked the Lime Bundt cake that I have been developing. This time, I added 2 Tbs. lime juice to the batter along with the zest, and I will do so again, as it gave the cake more lime flavor. I also increased the freshly ground nutmeg from ¼ to ½ tsp. I mixed it by hand, first stirring together the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then in a smaller one, first whisking the oil and buttermilk before whisking in each egg, one at a time, and finally whisking in the vanilla, zest, and juice. I poured that into the dry ingredients, then combined with a cake whisk. (This is a flat whisk that resembles a miniature tennis racket that has Wireax, stainless steel, and made in England written on it. I got it from either King Arthur or Vermont Country Store, and I hope it never breaks, because I've not seen another one anywhere.) The cake had lovely soft consistency. I am confident enough about the recipe tweaks that I’ve now written it in my recipe book.

[BakerAunt]

I baked bread on Tuesday morning. I again used the base recipe from KAF’s Oatmeal Toasting Bread, with my usual changes of buttermilk, less salt, and oil in place of butter. I used 1 ½ cups bread flour and 1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour, and ¼ cup dark rye flour. I used Rolled 5-grain cereal flakes (Bob’s Red Mill), which I soaked in 1 cup of buttermilk for about 45 minutes before starting. I also increase the water to ¾ cups. I add the oil after the bread machine does its initial 5 minutes of mixing and near the end of its 5-minute rest period. I find the bread needs to bake for 45 minutes to get to about 197F. I look forward to tasting this new variation on the recipe when I cut the loaf tomorrow.

[chocomouse]

I made two loaves using KAF's Super 10 Blend and the recipe on the bag.

[BakerAunt]

Friday started at 14F at 8 a.m., and temperatures topped out in the mid-20Fs, so I decided to hunker down and try a new bread recipe, “Toasted Sesame and Sunflower Loaf,” from King Arthur Flour’s Whole Grain Baking (pp. 193-194. I made a few changes, substituting 1 cup buttermilk for 1 cup milk, and ¼ cup water for that much milk, as I use active not instant yeast, and I like to proof it. (It makes me happy to see it bubble.) I substituted 3 Tbs. of canola oil for the 4 Tbs. butter, and I deleted 2 tsp. dark sesame oil, which I do not have and would not buy for a single recipe. I soaked the old-fashioned oats in the buttermilk, and I held the oil until 10 minutes of the 30-minute kneading cycle of the bread machine had finished. I added an additional tablespoon of water, as the dough seemed dry. The first rise took two hours to achieve slightly less than double volume. Because the dough is so heavy, it was a difficult loaf to shape. The second rise took 90 minutes, and I had to push back on a side where the loaf had split before I put it in the oven. I baked for 50 minutes, but the bread, which is tented after the first 15 minutes in the oven, needed an additional 10 minutes to reach an internal temperature of 193F. Sunflower and Sesame Seeds keep popping off. Perhaps cutting the amounts down from ½ cup to 1/3 cup each might be prudent. The bread is cooling. I’ll add a note tomorrow about taste and texture.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

The Toasted Sesame and Sunflower Loaf is actually quite good. It is a firm bread and would be excellent in open-faced sandwiches and a nice accompaniment to soup or stew. I had a couple of slices with light butter-canola spread at lunch. I'll likely bake it again--and even keep the 1/2 cup each of toasted sesame seed and sunflower seed--but it won't be in regular rotation.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.

[chocomouse]

That sounds like a good recipe for me to try. I have so many baking books and I rarely use them; I have had Bread by Jeffrey Hamelman since it was published, yet have never made a single recipe from it. Although I love to read through them, it's quicker to just walk into the pantry, grab a couple bags/containers of flour/grains, usually whichever are taking up the most space, and start measuring and mixing.

Today I made Harvest Grains sandwich bread, using the recipe on the bag with a few changes. It used to be my favorite sandwich bread, now replaced by the Super 10 Blend. I also made a chocolate cheesecake and baked it in two 7 inch springform pans - one to eat and one for the freezer.

[BakerAunt]

Chocomouse--one of my resolutions for the year is to use more of my various cookbooks and baking books. As many are still packed, it has helped focus me on the ones that are available--and I kept most of the bread ones where I could find them. I also have Jeffrey Hamelman's book, as well as a number by Peter Reinhart that have not been used. Lately, it has been easier, especially with the house remodeling/renovation to stick with that recipe where I'm exchanging out various grains. However, this time I pushed myself, and I'm glad I did. I have a couple more recipes earmarked in the Whole Grain Baking book that I hope to bake over the next month.

[Mike Nolan]

I've made a few recipes out of Hamelman's book, I find re-reading the front matter messes with my technique for a few weeks but then improves it.

[chocomouse]

I've used Peter Reinhart's books (Whole Grains, Artisan breads, and BBA) more than any others, although I must say none of my favorite breads come from his recipes. My favorite bread books are some that a group of us on the old baking circle decided to buy and for about a year, we selected a recipe every couple of weeks that most of us made. We got some surprises - I remember the loaf I made that looked exactly like a cow's udder. I don't remember if it tasted good or not, but I never made it again! Does anyone here remember making those recipes?

[BakerAunt]

That must have been before I found the Baking Circle, although I seem to recall that a group was tackling the KAF Cookie book at one point.

[chocomouse]

I don't remember a group baking from the cookie book. But I lost touch with the baking circle about when KAF shut down the "old,old" baking circle, the first one they shut down. I got busy with real life and my password didn't work and they were no help to getting that problem fixed. And then I think they shut down the baking circle they created from that group, part of their website, in about 2010. I joined the original Baking Circle in 2002, and the group baking the same breads was most active in 2004. I sometimes wonder what those ladies are doing now. I know Sara W was part of that old baking circle, too.

[S_Wirth]

I do remember the bread baking trials, tho, I did not paticipaate in them.

knead2quilt was one that baked breads. Did you know she died? A BC friend was trying to locate her so I searched around and found her obituary or death notice.

[chocomouse]

Sara, I did not know that; I've often wondered how she was doing. We lost contact after she moved from San Francisco to be near her sister, in Oakland maybe? Such a talented lady, a baker and a quilter. She was always up for a new bread baking adventure! Thanks for sharing. How is your husband doing now that he is at home? And I hope you are taking care of yourself, too.

[Joan Simpson]

S_Wirth I was thinking of you the other day and wondering the same thing .Hope you and husband is doing well.

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