What are you baking the week of March 31, 2019?

[Mike Nolan]

No baking yet here this week. I probably need to make banana nut muffins soon, though.

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[chocomouse]

Today I made a dozen whole wheat sandwich thins. Yesterday I baked apricot scones.

[BakerAunt]

On Sunday, I experimented with making a lower-saturated fat version of the KAF Apple Cinnamon Bars. I replaced the 6 Tbs. melted butter with 4 ½ Tbs. canola oil. I replaced ½ cup of the flour with ½ cup barley flour and added 2 tsp. flax meal. I reduced the brown sugar from ¾ to ½ cup, which I have done in the past, or else these bars are much too sweet. I went ahead and used 1/3 scant cup of cinnamon chips, since I have them and want to use them up, but like all chips, they have lots of saturated fat. I made a half recipe of the glaze, which is plenty for this recipe, but I modified it by deleting the butter and using 1 Tbs. of half and half instead of water. The bars are delicious, but they are more like a cake than I recall from previously baking them.

Note: I used KAF glazing sugar. I bought it a while ago. KAF does not seem to sell it anymore. Instead they sell their own glazing mixes. Sigh. I will need to find another source for glazing sugar.

On Sunday, I baked a new recipe, Rye Bites (Schuastabuam) from Stanley Ginsberg’s The Rye Baker (pp.225-226). I’ve given up biscuits due to following a low-saturated fat dining plan, and I wanted something to have with the stew other than cornbread, which we had recently. These are rye rolls made with 2/3 medium rye flour and 1/3 bread flour. After the dough is mixed and kneaded for 8-10 minutes, it is divided and shaped into 24 small buns, allowed to proof for 35 minutes or so, then baked. They can be made in under two hours. My only change was to use active rather than instant yeast and to proof it first. My one mistake was not following the direction to put the oven rack in the upper-third of the oven. I thought with my particular oven the middle would be fine, but I had a bit of burning on the bottom of the cooked rolls—not bad, but I think that the rolls would also have been a bit softer had I done so. (This oven is also difficult for temperatures over 400F, so I may have had it a bit too hot.) However, they made a nice accompaniment to the stew, and my husband ate four of these cute little buns. I think these would make good party sandwiches. I had two for lunch today with tuna salad spread on them.

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

[Mike Nolan]

About the only things I order from King Arthur any more are their white pastry flour (because locally I can only get whole wheat pastry flour) and semolina. They had their $3.14 shipping sale on March 14th, and I couldn't find $31.40 worth of things I wanted.

I can get semolina from other suppliers at a lower per pound price, but only if I buy 25 or 50 pounds at a time, and that's several year's worth for me, though my wife has been willing to have me make pasta more frequently lately because it doesn't seem to spike her blood sugar as much as other carbs. I may start ordering it by the case from Bob's Red Mill, especially when they have one of their reduced/no shipping charge offers, since none of the local stores carry it, though they carry a number of other Bob's Red Mill items. I used to be able to get Hodgson Mill semolina, but I don't see any of their products locally any more.

Is what you're looking for confectioner's sugar without the cornstarch in it? That's hard to find in the USA, even in bulk through restaurant and bakery supply houses. While Kitchen Krafts has one that uses maltodextrin instead of cornstarch, it's still terribly pricey.

[BakerAunt]

Mike--Bob's Red Mill has a 25% off special right now. Free shipping if you order over $59 (after discount). Cases are ok, but not 25 pound bags.

[Mike Nolan]

I saw that, but I don't need either semolina or pastry flour right now. (And they're out of the small bags of white pastry flour, the 25 pound bag isn't eligible for free shipping.) But I'll keep it in mind for when I need to order more.

I can order a 50 pound bag of semolina for about $55, including shipping, from another supplier. I may check with the local Sysco office to see what they stock at some point. (My former neighbor is the head of that office, the last time I checked they still allow walk-in orders.)

[BakerAunt]

I'll have to look to see if I still have the ingredient list for the KAF glazing sugar. I just know that it dries smoothly, has a "clean" taste, and holds up well.

I've also noted that KAF seems to have less and less of what I need. I still order semolina and durum flour, but I may try Bob's semolina next time I run low. I use it in bread baking, although I hope to do some pasta once I have my new kitchen. KAF is the only place where I can find the special dry milk. I like their espresso powder, but I'm using it less these days because of eating less saturated fat. Whenever I need yeast, I buy it bulk from KAF. (I'm currently about to start the second container of the 2 lbs. I bought last year.) I bought the KAF membership, so I get free shipping over $20 or $25 (cannot recall which at the moment). It's an ok deal, but it was better when I could order 25 lb. bags of the AP flour. KAF says it stopped shipping those because of the high level of breakage. It is no longer a good deal to buy most flours from them, although I have difficulty finding white whole wheat locally. (Bob's, alas, was out of it when I placed my recent order there.) KAF is also my source for parchment paper. KAF is also the only place where I can get first clear flour. (Maybe I should have let you get me that 50 lb. bag, except that I don't know where I would have put it during the house construction. 🙂 )

For every $60 spent (can add up over time), KAF gives $10 in Baker's Bucks to spend on another order.

It probably makes sense for me, at least for this year, to have renewed my KAF membership, but I may reconsider when it comes up for renewal in the fall, especially given their various shipping specials.

[chocomouse]

I rarely buy from KAF any more, although they are just 10 miles from me. I can get the signature flours cheaper at the grocery store; for convenience, I do still buy the AP in 50 lb bags at the store. And I can get the 25 lb bags cheaper at BJs or Costco etc. when they carry them. I just got an email from KAF about their twice a year sale of 25% off for Reward members, in the store. The sale emails we all get and the special deals, like for answering a survey, cannot be used in the store. When I make rye bread tomorrow I'll check my supply of pumpernickel and first clear flour and rye sour, and also look at my Harvest Grains and Super 10 blend. They do have a few things you just can't find elsewhere, and I continue to buy some of those items. I feel like they now carry more and more mixes, and have their special groupings of an expensive pan/dish, a mix, or a couple small bags of flour or fancy sugar, and a utensil - all at a ridiculous price! But if it gets more people involved with baking, I guess it's OK.

[Mike Nolan]

We'll be in PA in early summer spending some time in Pittsburgh as well as in Valley Forge. So, if it is in stock I might be able to get a 50 pound bag of clear flour for you then, though I don't know our exact schedule yet.

I've noticed one thing with clear flour, though, the breads I make with it tend to go moldy much more easily than ones made with AP or bread flour, or even freshly ground whole meal flour. I'm not sure why.

[RiversideLen]

I baked a batch of burger buns using rye, semolina, whole wheat and bread flours. I normally don't use semolina in them but I have some that is a little past it's best use date so I'm trying to use it up.

[Mike Nolan]

Have you tried putting semolina in your pizza dough? That's a trick I learned from a Chicago pizzaiolo years ago.

[BakerAunt]

I always use semolina flour and durum flour in my pizza dough. I've developed my own sourdough version that I can bake in a half-sheet pan. While I like the thin crust pizza, my husband does not like it as well as the sourdough version, so that is what I make, and I enjoy it as well. Indeed, I will be making it later this week.

KAF's semolina buns and semolina bread are good. I want to try their semolina rye bread.

Chocomouse--I'm not sure that KAF's new emphasis on "baking boxes" or "bundles" will get more people baking. I suspect it brings in the occasional or one-time baker. I recall Zen commenting when KAF closed the Baking Circle that its focus is on courting the "boutique" bakers--people who do not mind buying expensive ingredients for one-time baking attempts. What I have noticed is much less emphasis on the serious, practical home baker.

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

[chocomouse]

BakerAunt, I've heard the "baking boxes" sold well at Christmas time -- gifts for people who have everything, including money, I guess! I have friends and neighbors who keep ample supplies of the various mixes on hand; if developing more mixes and advertising them helps KAF's bottom line, that's fine with me -- I just wish they'd stop discontinuing so many of their "old" items. I support KAF's endeavor - they are a wonderful B comapany. They treat their employees very well, and donate to community organizations.

[Mike Nolan]

Being a catalog house is challenging these days, Amazon and WalMart are busy trying to take all the air out of everyone else's balloon. And serious bakers like us haven't been KAF's focal point for a while. I can get KAF flour cheaper from walmart.com than I can from KAF.

[BakerAunt]

Today I baked another loaf of Oat Bran Banana bread by adapting (a lot) an online recipe. I forgot, however, to grind the oat bran in a food processor, so that may affect the texture. I'll know more after I slice into it tomorrow.

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