What are You Baking the Week of September 1, 2019?

[BakerAunt]

I baked a new recipe on Thursday, “Light-As-Air Seed Bread,” which is on the KAF site and was also featured in the August catalog in a doubled version for the long Emile Henry Baker, which I have and like to use. I made a few changes. I substituted in 1 cup of white whole wheat flour for that much bread flour. I substituted in 1 ½ cups buttermilk for that much of the water. I reduced the salt to 1 ¾ tsp.

I used active yeast, so I proofed it with a pinch of sugar, before adding the buttermilk and the semolina, white whole wheat flour, and about half the bread flour. I mixed it, then gave it a fifteen-minute rest. I mixed in the rest of the flour with the salt, then mixed in the olive oil. Once all was combined, I switched to the bread hook, and because the dough was a little dry, I added 1 Tbs. water. II kneaded on speed 2 for 4 minutes and had a lovely windowpane.

The dough rose for an hour to double, then I turned it out, formed a rough oval, covered it, and let it rest 5 minutes. I shaped it into a log, then placed it in my greased—and liberally sprinkled with farina—Emile Henry long baker, covered with the top and let rise for 45-minutes. (I checked it at 35, and it needed longer.) I slashed, spritzed with water, then sprinkled with a mixture of 1 Tbs. sunflower seeds and 1 tsp. each sesame seed and chia seed. Next time, I will sprinkle on the sesame seed and chia seed after sprinkling on the sunflower seed. (KAF uses one of its blends, but I want a bread that will work for a variety of sandwiches this time, or I might have tried my free sample of their Bagel Blend.)

I started in a cold oven, as specified. My oven took 18 minutes to reach 425F. When I took the cover off at 35 minutes, as specified, that was too soon. After 5 minutes, the bread was only at 145F. I let it go another 10, and it was 174. After an additional 4 minutes, with temperature reduced to 400F, the bread was over 200F. The bread browned nicely, but the seeds on the top are somewhat burned. This recipe depends on how long it takes the oven to come to temperature. Next time I bake it, I would leave the bread covered for at least 40 minutes before uncovering it.

Otherwise, it is a lovely loaf. I'll post tomorrow about taste and texture.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 3 months ago by BakerAunt.

[Joan Simpson]

I made a loaf of Banana bread today.

[BakerAunt]

I cut the bread for lunch today. It has a chewy crust and a softer interior. Substituting in the 1 cup of white whole wheat flour did not affect the rise. With the cold oven start, and my particular oven, I will try baking with the lid on for 40 minutes next time.

I would like to take this bread to my husband's family reunion at the end of the month, as his cousins do not seem to be keen on wholegrain wheat breads, but they liked the semolina bread I brought last year.

[Italiancook]

How do you measure the temperature inside your oven, BakerAunt? Do you have a thermometer that goes inside the oven with the readout outside the oven? Does such a thing exist -- anyone know? That's what I need -- something that will tell me the inside temp without having to open the oven door.

I gotta tell y'all, I'm excited. For years, I've "imported" Parm-Reggiano cheese from Chicagoland when people would come this way. Now, that life has stopped those visits, I tried local cheese and was sorely disappointed.

Somehow -- I don't recall how -- it was eons ago -- maybe an online search -- I found Frank and Sal Italian Market on Staten Island, NY. I ordered a pound of Parm-Reggiano & 24 "made daily" cannoli shells. They just arrived. Cheese looks fresh-cut, just as they advertised. It's well-sealed in plastic. If it tastes as good as it looks, I'll be a regular Frank & Sal customer. I have my eye on the DOP Pecorino-Romano they have on their website.

My husband just opened the shells. None were broken. Tonight, I'll make the ricotta filling for the shells. It needs to sit in refrig overnight. Tomorrow, we'll eat high on the hog with cannoli. I'll be giving cannoli to the neighbors. Twenty-four shells is more than we can use. The filling recipe also makes more than we can use, so I have to giveaway some.

[BakerAunt]

Italian Cook: I adore cannoli and would go off my eating plan to have a good one. Enjoy!

My oven is new, so I've not checked the interior temperature. I just know that everything bakes evenly and a bit faster in it. I will at some point need to get a new oven thermometer.

[Mike Nolan]

I would suggest getting an infrared thermometer, they're useful for more than just checking the temperature in various parts of your oven. You do have to open the door to use them but you can take readings at multiple places inside the oven. A decent one will cost anywhere from $25 to $60. Some can measure temperatures as high as 1000 degrees (F) and as low as 50 below.

You can probably use any meat thermometer that has an external readout. The wireless ones are meant to go in meat, which keeps the electronics from getting fried.

Maverick makes an oven thermometer that is meant to hang below the rack. But it doesn't measure the current temperature, which goes up and down a lot (that's called hysteresis), it measures the average temperature, which also goes up and down, but not as fast or as much.

I've mentioned this before, but a chef once told me that whenever he moves to a new kitchen, one of the first things he does is check for hot spots in the oven by using some sliced bread at various temperatures and on each rack setting.

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