What are You Baking the Week of October 20, 2019?

[BakerAunt]

Sunday breakfast was Buckwheat Pancakes with more of that blueberry sauce and maple syrup. The recipe comes from Better Homes & Gardens New Baking Book (p. 319), where they call it “Native Grain Hotcakes,” although as we know, buckwheat is a seed not a grain. I follow the recipe except for cutting the salt from ½ to ¼ tsp. and the honey from 2 Tbs. to 1 Tbs., since they are destined for covering with maple syrup! Unlike many buckwheat pancakes recipes, this one uses a cup of buckwheat, ¼ cup corn meal, and ¼ cup AP flour, so they are hearty and delicious.

Spread the word

      

  

  

[Mike Nolan]

No baking here yet, but I will need to make Vienna bread some time this week.

[Joan Simpson]

I made a batch of oatmeal cookies but baked them in a 9x13 pan and cut them like brownies,I liked them was a little thicker than regular cookies and stayed moist and so easy.I used the recipe on Quaker Oats box and baked for 30 minutes.

[BakerAunt]

On Sunday afternoon I baked Whole Wheat Sourdough Cheese Crackers using the dough I made up last week.

[aaronatthedoublef]

So far made 10 dozen cookies for a pot luck, a sour cream chocolate cake, and scones. Want to make some rye bread too this week.

[chocomouse]

Today I made DIY Sandwich Thins. This is a flat, rolled out thin, about 5-6 inches in diameter. I wanted a rye version, instead of my usual whole wheat - AP combo. I subbed one cup of pumpernickel for one cup of the whole wheat, and used pickle juice for half of the water, added one tablespoons of Deli Rye Flavor, and added caraway, dill, and mustard seeds. These little rounds shrunk, down to about 4 inches in diameter, and rose very high, lots of oven spring, and when they came out of the oven were about an inch thick. Usually they stay the about the same diameter as after I roll them out with a rolling pin, and although they get puffy, they don't really rise. I like to use these, sliced in half horizontally, in place of a hot dog bun (we were having grilled sausage, peppers, and onions in buns for dinner). I'm wondering what made these thins behave so differently. I know that acid is a catalyst for the yeast; do you suppose I had too much yeast, in both the pickle juice and the rye sour? (the rye flavor contains acetic acid and lactic acid). Pumpernickel and whole wheat are both "strong" flours. Any thoughts? I spoke to a "master baker" when I was at KAF this afternoon (buying more pumpernickel!) and she wasn't sure what the difference might be. I think that next time I make more rye flavored thins, I will eliminate or reduce one ingredient each time time I make them, starting with the rye flavor. The flavor and texture of these were great (although at least one was almost hollow). I'd love any comments and suggestions!

[Mike Nolan]

I suspect they rose more because they shrunk in diameter. That suggests your dough had too much elasticity, you probably need to let it relax and then stretch it out some more.

Rye has some gluten in it, technically its called a secalin, but I don't know whether it contributes more to elasticity (like glutenin) or to extensibility (like gliadin).

I wonder if adding some semolina would help, it has a higher ratio of gliadin to glutenin in it, which is why it is good for pasta, where you want to be able to extrude it.

I've looked at the sandwich thins at the store, they tend to have more carbs than hamburger buns.

[BakerAunt]

On Tuesday afternoon, I baked a half recipe of “Toffee-Pumpkin Snack Cake,” from Better Homes & Gardens “Fall Baking” (p.28), a special issue magazine that I bought a couple of years ago. It’s a nice whole grain recipe, with buckwheat, spelt, and chia seed, and I used pumpkin frozen from last year. I reduced the toffee pieces, so that I only sprinkled 2 Tbs. on top (and that is 5g saturated fat!), then I put on some Halloween sprinkles from my stash. I also substituted buttermilk for half the oil, and I added 1 Tbs. Bob’s Red Mill milk powder. The cake needed to bake 35 minutes for the center to be done. It’s delicious.

I also baked my buttermilk version of Len’s Rye/Semolina/Whole Wheat Buns as ten buns. We plan to go apple picking tomorrow, then have a picnic lunch in a nearby park before hiking and enjoying the fall colors.

[chocomouse]

Thanks for your thoughts, Mike. My first instinct was to "blame" the pumpernickel. Rye bread doughs are so much more "rubbery" than doughs made with AP or bread flour (although this dough included 1.5 cups of AP too). I'm planning to try this again, but using only 1/2 cup of pumpernickel instead of 1 cup. I will also make it without the rye sour, although I suspecting that will take away some of the flavor (and I will make only one change at a time!) I think letting it relax and then rerolling would not change it; I handled it exactly the same way I always do when making thins. As for carb content, I've been buying thins for many years, and the carb count does vary from 26 to around 40. I never purchased any that had 30 or more carbs. At one point, I did calculate the carb count, but have forgotten what it was. I just know that it was a reasonable amount for me, since I am a diabetic.

[Mike Nolan]

When I make Peter Reinhart's marbled rye bread (I use 40% rye/pumpernickel flour), I find I have to stretch the dough repeatedly to get it to the right shape for stacking, it keeps snapping back, so the elasticity is fairly high.

Because this dough is different, I think you may have to take that into account in your handling procedures.

[BakerAunt]

On Friday, I baked Skeptic’s Pumpkin Biscotti recipe with a few tweaks. I use white whole wheat flour and add 3 Tbs. Bob’s Red Mill milk powder. I reduce the cloves to 1/8th tsp. and delete the vanilla. To celebrate the season, I used a mix of black and orange sugar which I sprinkled on top of the log before the first bake. I remembered to add a rack to the oven, just above the one I use for bread, since cookies and crackers bake more evenly on the slightly higher rack in my oven.

Note: I used a little over 5 oz. of a peanut pumpkin (probably left over last year from when I divided up the rest). I think that the extra pumpkin made for a good texture.

[BakerAunt]

For breakfast on Saturday morning I made cornmeal pancakes, using Bob’s Red Mill coarse ground corn meal and KAF white whole wheat flour, and buttermilk, of course. We had them with maple syrup and the last of the blueberry topping, along with maple syrup.

[BakerAunt]

On Saturday afternoon, I baked an apple pie—my first of the season—using Jonathan apples that we picked at an orchard on Wednesday. I’m refining my oil-buttermilk crust. This time I used whole wheat pastry flour rather than white whole wheat flour, and it made an amazing difference in the dough, which came together so well that I could have rolled it out rather than pressing it into the pan. I did my usual blind bake with it, after an hour in the refrigerator, and once again cooked the apples, sugar, tapioca, and spices in a skillet for a bit, before putting them into the hot (first sprinkled lightly with Panko to prevent sogginess) crust. I tried cutting the apples in chunks rather than slices this time, and I left the peel. I used a light streusel crust (2 Tbs. butter). We will cut into it for dessert tonight, but a taste of spilled juices and an apple piece that fell off promise a scrumptious treat.

[Author]

Posts