What are you Baking the Week of February 25, 2024?

[Mike Nolan]

Nothing planned yet.

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[navlys]

I am going to bake sugar cookies with almond extract.

[BakerAunt]

I baked a streusel apple pie. I made a mistake and instead of adding the filling ingredients to the apples, I added the topping ingredients (pre-streusel). I went ahead and added the filling ingredients, so there was 1/4 cup more sugar in the pie, as well as 1/2 cup of flour that would not be there. I made up more topping mixture. The pie still baked well and looks good. Next time, I will put the streusel mixture on the other side of the room.

[Mike Nolan]

I need to start tinkering with a low(er) carb apple pie recipe.

[Italiancook]

Mike, I've been reading with interest your journey with the keto diet. I have a question:

Our son was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes back in the dark ages before blood glucose testing existed. Automatically, he had daily ketone strip tests. They were on the regular testing strips. Ketones meant dangerously high blood glucose. So if the keto diet requires you to exercise ketone caution, how can it be a safe diet? Seems to me from what you've said here is that the keto diet elevates blood sugars, and that's why you have to be ketone-concerned.

[Mike Nolan]

I think it's a lot more complicated than that, but I'm not sure how well I can explain it, so I'll start by saying what we're seeing.

My wife is Type II but takes 2 types of insulin daily. Since going on the keto diet her blood sugar readings (she also wears a CGM) have been excellent, especially overnight. Before she would sometimes go too low late in the evening and then skyrocket up about 6AM. Now most of the time her graphs are pretty flat all night. Her endocrinologist is also pleased with them. She's also been able to cut back a little in how much insulin and other meds she's taking. She's not losing a lot of weight like I am but I think there are other factors for her.

I don't know if Type I diabetics would experience similar results.

Now this is probably simplifying matters a bit, but here goes anyway.

Keep in mind that on a keto diet the goal is to have 70% of your daily calories from fat, 20% from protein and only 10% from carbohydrates, so your body has to convert fat back into sugars once it's used up the sugar stored mostly in your liver. Over time, it becomes more adept at doing that.

Of course the reason you lose weight on a diet is because you eat fewer calories than your body burns up. That's true regardless of where those calories come from.

[Italiancook]

Thanks, Mike, for taking the time to explain this to me.

[skeptic7]

I did steamed bao again. Well mantao as these didn't have a filling. I'm pleased with how these are turning out and I wanted them to eat with the remainder of the Chinese Roast Pork. I'm pleased with this recipe but wonder if I should try experiments to see how it turns out with less oil or a different flour.

Also I was looking at an article about a cast iron covered bread cloche. It said these are particularly good for lean ie low fat breads. Has any one seen any articles on high fat breads or milk breads baked in a cloche or Dutch Oven? Serious eats thinks that a Dutch oven would be more cost effective.
https://www.seriouseats.com/le-creuset-bread-oven-review-5272499

[Mike Nolan]

IMHO, the biggest advantage of a cloche would be that it may be a better fit for the shapes of bread you make. A round or oval Dutch oven is going to be as good, IMHO, for boules. Beyond that it comes down to storage space issues. About once a week I run across some kitchen gadget or pan that sounds interesting, but I have to remind myself that even though our kitchen is huge, it's pretty full of stuff.

[BakerAunt]

I've been happy with the cloche I bought from Skeptic, although for larger loaves, I use a Romanoff bowl on the bottom with the cloche on top. I like that the recipe calls for a cold oven start. In fact, I'm going to make the levain tonight for my Rustic Sourdough, which I will bake that way tomorrow.

I have never tried the "drop it into a heated Dutch oven." I also use my Dutch ovens frequently for soups and stews, so it does double duty. I have a ceramic Emile Henry Dutch oven that I've used for rolls, but although it is supposed to be safe on the stove top, I have no plans to try it there.

[Mike Nolan]

I have used a very large spatula (King Arthur used to sell it as a 'cookie spatula') to lower boules into a hot Dutch oven. You can also use a parchment sling. I hate getting my fingers burned as much as everyone else does.

[RiversideLen]

America's Test Kitchen tested a couple of cast iron bread ovens, which is similar to baking in a Dutch oven but they are "upside down" so you put the large part over the base once you have put your shaped dough on it. I found it interesting.

I hope my link works, you can skip to about 13 min 20 seconds if you don't want to hear about the other things they reviewed.

America's Test Kitchen Cast Iron Ovens

[Mike Nolan]

Can they be used both ways? Otherwise you've got a pan with limited uses.

[skeptic7]

I've cooked in cast iron Dutch ovens, and in a clay cloche; but I've never preheated them. I preheat the oven and then put the cold cloche or the cold cast iron in the oven. My oval cast iron Dutch oven will hold a loaf pan so I can make sandwich shape breads.
The cast iron things recommended by American Test Kitchen look too heavy for me.

[RiversideLen]

Mike Nolan wrote:

Can they be used both ways? Otherwise you've got a pan with limited uses.

The one made by Lodge can be. The other one, the Challenger, the base can be used as a griddle.

Skeptic, I agree, that one especially (the Challenger) is really heavy. Cast iron in general is heavy.

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