What Did You Bake the Week of July 10, 2016?

[BakerAunt]

I hope that I can get this thread posted before our internet goes out yet again. (Tomorrow we get a new modem.)

It was a travel week, so baking time was limited by packing, then traveling for two days. On Tuesday, I baked a KAF cream biscuit recipe to use up some heavy cream. I also baked the double recipe of cheese-sourdough cracker dough that I'd made five days earlier. On Friday, I tweaked and baked my mother-in-law's recipe for Blueberry Cobbler, using frozen blueberries from last year. Today I baked Antilope's recipe for Vienna baguettes--and discovered that I left my Thermapen thermometer in Texas. Drat!! I used my husband's water thermometer, but I'm going to have to get a cheap instant-read one for here. I overbaked the baguettes slightly. (I miss my oven in Texas with its even heating and its WINDOW that lets me monitor.) There were also distractions, as we've been trying to get internet issues resolved. The bread is for my husband's family reunion. I think that I can take them and not lose my baking reputation. I also baked koulourakia--Greek cookies that the family recalls fondly from vacations in Florida.

Added Note: The Vienna Bread baguettes were not overbaked after all. The taste was perfect. Now I've got to work on my slashing technique.

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• This topic was modified 8 years, 4 months ago by BakerAunt.

[Italiancook]

I didn't bake this week. Instead, I exercised twice a day in an attempt to lose more weight. At week's end, I had gained one-and-a-half pounds! So much for exercising instead of baking.

[cwcdesign]

Thanks for the giggle Italiancook. I find summer.to be a tougher time of year with weight and lack of exercise because it is too d*** hot! I didn't bake anything either,but I thought and read about it.

[luvpyrpom]

I made Finnish Rye Bread - I had written down the changes I had made in the ingredients but not the time in baking. Will have to make more detailed notes next time. Also made Texas Sheet Cake for work. Has anyone made a smaller version of Texas Sheet cake? Like for 2? I've seen recipes for quarter sheet size but I want to make it in a 9x9 pan. Does anyone think about half-ing the recipe for the quarter sheet? I'm going to look at both websites (here and Zen's) to see what's available.

[Mike Nolan]

I've made it in a 10 x 10 pan several times. I make a half-recipe of batter but a full recipe of frosting.
If you made it in a 9x9 pan it'd be a bit thicker, but I think that'd be OK.

I use this recipe: Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake but with a few modifications:

1. I dust the greased cake pan with cocoa powder rather than flour.
2. I use 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder instead of 3 in the frosting.
3. I use more buttermilk in the frosting than it calls for (needed because of the extra cocoa powder.)
4. I make sure the butter/cocoa/buttermilk mixture for the frosting gets boiled for a minute or so. (The butter will separate a bit and the buttermilk might curdle, don't worry about it.)
5. I keep the frosting on low/simmer while mixing in the powdered sugar and until it's ready to pour on the warm cake. This also ensure that it doesn't cool down before I can pour it on the cake.
6. The cake should be quite warm when your pour the warm frosting on it, probably in the 140F to 150F range if tested with an infrared thermometer (my constant companion in the kitchen.)

I have made this cake using a gluten-free flour and although I could tell the difference, both were good. (The frosting's the real star, IMHO.) I add a little xanthan gum, because I'm never sure how much there is in a GF flour.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 4 months ago by htfoot.
• This reply was modified 8 years, 4 months ago by htfoot.
• This reply was modified 8 years, 4 months ago by htfoot.
• This reply was modified 8 years, 4 months ago by htfoot.
• This reply was modified 8 years, 4 months ago by htfoot.

[luvpyrpom]

Thanks, Mike. I'll have to try it with the 9x9. The one I made for work didn't have the pecans as I knew a couple of coworkers had nut allergies but everyone loved it. For home, I'll add the pecans.

[Mike Nolan]

Recently I've been making a full recipe of Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake, putting 60% of it in a 10x10 pan and 40% in an 8x8 pan. I make a double batch of frosting and split it the same way. (I actually tried it with a triple batch once, and my wife said I finally managed to make one with too much frosting on it, though I though it was great!)

I usually freeze one of them, it handles freezing very well.

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