What are You Baking the Week of March 3, 2019?

[Italiancook]

Thanks, Mike & Skeptic7, for your comments on the lead. Probably, I will eventually buy a lead-testing kit to check Grandma's roasting pans. Based on the color of the metal, I'm more worried about them than the cake pan. I quit using the roasters in the last century because of my concern. Obviously, it's not a pressing concern, since I haven't bought the kit yet.

[BakerAunt]

I'm catching up on what I could not post while the computer was out of commission:

First, that applesauce cake is delicious and moist. It did not need the frosting, so I'm glad that I did not include it.

On Friday, I baked two loaves of English muffin bread, using the recipe in Bernard Clayton’s second edition New Complete Book of Breads (revised and expanded edition), pp. 52-53. I made a few changes. 1 reduced the yeast from 2 ¼ tsp. to 2 tsp., I reduced the salt to 1 ½ tsp. from 2 tsp. salt. I might reduce it an additional ¼ tsp. next time. I used 1/3 cup KAF special dried milk in place of the ½ cup nonfat milk. I substituted in 1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour in place of that much bread flour (flour is total 4 cups). I used only the paddle on my stand mixer. After the first rise, I tried using it to mix in the baking soda dissolved in 1 Tbs. of warm water, since the last time I made this recipe and tried doing it by hand, I was not able to eliminate the brown streaking that occurs in the loaf but does not affect flavor. However, I had no better luck in eliminating the brown this time. I have 7 ½ x 3 ½ -inch loaf pans, so I used those. The bread baked well and had splendid holes. I gave one to the friend who helped us with the house while we were in Florida, as he is an English muffin bread connoisseur, with a favorite bakery in Michigan that produces it. He was very impressed. I enjoyed my loaf toasted with light butter canola spread. For some reason, my husband prefers it untoasted--heresy, in my opinion.

On Saturday, I baked a loaf of Malted Wheat Flakes and Buttermilk Whole Wheat Bread, using that basic recipe with which I’ve been experimenting. The malted wheat flakes do not behave the same as the other rolled cereals I’ve used (barley, oats, mixed grains) in that they do not soak up the liquid as readily. As a result, I had to add nearly ¼ cup of flour, and I did some additional kneading after it finished kneading in the bread machine. I did two stretch and folds before final shaping to strengthen the structure. The loaf came out well. Next time, I use the malted wheat flakes, I’ll reduce the liquid.

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