What are you Baking the Week of March 2, 2025?

[Mike Nolan]

I'm still hoping to do the group bread, but maybe in another week.

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[skeptic7]

I am in the middle of doing the following KAF pillowy perfect cinnamon rolls.
I am following the ingredient list more than the directions because I like using a sponge, and letting the dough rest before seriously kneading it. I first started doing this with my first serious baking book years ago and because for a very long time I mixed the dough by hand. I am using a stand mixer now and the directions seem wierd even for it.
Firstly the directions call for the tangzhong to be added to "Cold Milk". Doesn't the milk need to be scalded first? Next the directions says that kneading by machine takes 10-12 minutes. Isn't this a bit long for a straight dough? Other recipes claim 5-7 minutes.
Here is the recipe for your perusal
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/perfectly-pillowy-cinnamon-rolls-recipe

[RiversideLen]

Hi Skeptic,
Pasteurized milk doesn't need to be scalded but if you want to scald it, I'm sure it won't do any harm. I use milk in bread making and I never scald it, never had any issues with it.
I agree that the kneading time seems long, I'd be inclined to knead for 8 minutes, which is what I do for most of my yeasted doughs.

[Mike Nolan]

Pasteurization generally does disable some of the enzymes present in milk, but depending upon the pasteurization method used it may not disable all of them.

See
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0958694621001321

There are numerous recipes from sources like the Culinary Institute of America that still call for scalding milk even though all milk used in restaurants is pasteurized, presumably this is being done for a reason.

[skeptic7]

I found that you have to scald milk when using whole wheat flour, but with all white flour sometimes you can skip that without serious consequences. There I've gotten more careful as I've gotten more experienced and I always scald the milk now.
I'm irritated that this recipe for KAF website is omitting such a standard step. There are enough ways that a bread recipe can fail without deliberately leaving out something so simple.
I changed the mixing/kneading instructions also and don't know how long I actually kneaded it since I worked in stages. The stages went -- mix in ingredients except for butter. Stir until all flour is incorporated. Let dough sit for a while so flour can be absorbed by dough. Mix the dough by hand and machine, realize there are some dry spots. Let dough sit for a while longer. Knead the dough until done, or until you get bored. Cut up the butter. Knead in about 1/5 of the butter. Add more butter, knead in some more. Repeat process until all the butter is in the dough. Knead until the dough seems to be kneaded enough. Let dough rise until double. Make into cinnamon rolls. Let rise . This is where I am at the moment. The dough seems to be rising slowly. Might not bake until late tonight or tomorrow.

[skeptic7]

Cinnamon rolls turned out fairly well. I let them have the final rise for nearly 15 hours so they were light and fluffy. I made much smaller half size rolls then the recipe recommended, 20 instead of 10. I have been eating them unfrosted and they might benefit from a sugar glaze as the dough isn't very sweet.

[BakerAunt]

I'm glad your sweet rolls came out ok, Skeptic. That is a long rising time.

On Tuesday, I baked Bittersweet Blackberry Brownies using blackberry puree that I froze last summer. They rest in the refrigerator overnight, and we will begin having them for dessert tomorrow evening.

[RiversideLen]

I made a batch of rye/wheat/semolina buns today.

[Joan Simpson]

I made banana bread today actually 2 loaves.

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[aaronatthedoublef]

Nice looking banana bread!

I made challah to give away this week and I just made batches of molasses cookies and chocolate chip cookies. I pitched adding dessert to a local brewery and I have a meeting with their COO this afternoon. I decided to bring some samples.

The challah rose this time. Hooray! As I was making it some caterers came into the kitchen with me. I always make extra so I gave them a couple of rolls (it is mean to bake bread around people and not offer them some!). They asked me if I was available on weekdays and took my contact info. We'll see where it goes.

I bought the St. Germain couche on Amazon. I'm going to use it next time I make ciabatta. It should be this weekend. Henry is home and he eats a lot of bread!

If nothing else, scalding milk will reduce some of the water in milk. This will concentrate other things, like the sugars. I boil my cider for challah. It's pasteurized but boiling makes the flavor stronger.

[Mike Nolan]

I made peanut butter cookies today. Same recipe I've been using for a while, but Diane said they didn't taste very peanut buttery, I think COVID has dulled her sense of taste, I know mine is still a bit off.

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[chocomouse]

Today I made focaccia using a recipe from Smitten Kitchen. I topped it with a mix of The Works and Everything Bagel. I like it better than the focaccia from one of KAF's recipes. It's not quite as browned and crisp as we like it, because the oven is old and failing, I fear. Next time I'll bake it at 425*.

[Mike Nolan]

I made banana nut mini-muffins on Saturday.

[BakerAunt]

My husband and I can testify to the excellency of Joan's banana bread!

I'm posting my baking for the remainder of this week, since our internet went out on Thursday, and we only got it back Monday afternoon.

I was so happy with Peter Rinehart's "Everyday 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread," that I decided to bake it again, this time using the multigrain variation that allows for 20% of the whole wheat flour to be replaced. I used King Arthur's 6-grain blend. I replaced the honey with maple syrup, in part because I had a couple of maple syrup bottles that I wanted to rinse with the water I would use to proof the yeast. I'm also curious as to the flavor. I made the dough before lunch on Friday, then put it in a 6-quart container, since last time I made the recipe, the dough was pushed up against the lid of the 4-quart container.

I baked the Multigrain Sandwich Bread on Saturday. I let it rise for 2 hours and 20 minutes. It was not quite an inch above the pan rim, but with the multigrain variation, that may be normal. When we sliced it the next day, we agreed that the flavor was a bit blah, which is one reason I don't use the six-grain mix that much. However, I find that it is quite tasty when toasted.

I also baked two recipes of my recipe for Scottish Oatcakes while I was waiting for the bread to rise, so now we have them to eat with our tea.

[Mike Nolan]

One thing I have wondered about the practice of scalding milk is whether it wasn't also used as a way to extend the useability of milk that was starting to go sour, since that seems to get rid of some of the sour smell/taste. It probably isn't drinkable but it could be used in baking.

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