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My husband would mope if I did not frost the cinnamon rolls. I am planning, however, to cut back on the amount of glaze I use.
Skeptic--I started the griddle on a low-medium(?) heat for two minutes, then added some oil and spread it around, let it rest for maybe 30 seconds, then began the pancakes. I had just a bit of sticking on a couple of them. I used a silicone spatula that was good for getting underneath them and dislodging, in most cases, where a bit stuck. I also turned down the heat a bit after adding the second batch to the pan, as I did not want it to get any hotter.
I realized as I was cooking them that I had forgotten to add oil to the batter, but they were ok. I only realized at noon that I had forgotten to add the egg as well! Clearly, I need to organize my workspace better.
I made cornmeal pancakes on Monday morning. I bravely used my cast iron griddle pan, and for the most part had no sticking problems. I have had the pan for a while but only used it for English muffins. I had read that it is best to heat the pan for a couple of minutes, then add the oil, spreading it over the surface, let it heat slightly, then add the pancakes. I had four small pancakes left over, so I will warm them up tomorrow for breakfast.
In Vietnam, however, it is the Year of the Cat.
I didn't know until today that there was a difference between the two calendars.
I will be baking pumpernickel sandwich bread again after lunch today. I'm tweaking it slightly so that it will be half wholegrain by replacing 1/4 cup more cup of the bread flour with whole wheat flour. I was surprised that my husband asked me to bake it again, right after we finished the previous loaf today, but that is great, since I can experiment while the results of the previous one are fresh in my mind.
I have also been buying my BRM products from Vitacost. The prices are good, and they have had some great percentage-off sales. Shipping is free, if you spend $49 or more. Products also arrive a LOT faster than from KABC. I've also ordered sunflower and pumpkin seeds, and they even carry the Tazo black-iced tea bags that we like. It's worth exploring their site.
I always buy active dry yeast and use the same amount as any recipe that calls for instant. I suspect that the substitution would only be an issue if you are baking very large batches of bread, which we home bakers do not do. I like proofing the yeast. The one time I had a fail was with the special gold yeast, and I mixed it in as King Arthur advised. Never again. I proof both. I also get a kick out of seeing the bubbling.
When baking older recipes, as in Bernard Clayton's bread book, I cut back on the yeast for the reason Mike says: yeast today is more powerful than what we were baking with thirty or forty years ago.
I buy 2-lb. bags of yeast, split it between two containers and keep it in the freezer, along with my 1 lb. container of special gold. It takes perhaps 15 months to go through the regular yeast.
Saturday night's dinner was Oven Crisped Fish and Chips with Dill Tartar Sauce and coleslaw.
Joan--many smokers try multiple times to quit before they finally succeed. I hope your husband will give it another try.
I baked an apple pie Friday evening, using more of the Winesaps that we got last November. I reduced the sugar slightly, from 3/4 to 2/3 cup, since it still has 1/4 cup sugar in the streusel topping. I used 3 Tbs. avocado oil in place of 1/3 cup butter in the streusel.
It is great to see you posting again, Italian Cook!
I made a throw-together soup for lunch on Friday to use some of the broth I had to defrost to get freezer space. I sauteed onion in olive oil, then added the mushrooms, then garlic, then a can of petite diced tomatoes, along with thinly sliced carrot, then the 3 cups of turkey broth and a teaspoon of Penzey's Tuscan Sunset. I also used a half cup of shaped pasta and added pepper at the end. I have enough for additional lunches.
Oh, Joan! Yes, that kind of heat-resistant glass really shatters when it breaks. Good luck getting it all cleaned up.
Aldi's had frozen Butterball turkeys for 49 cents per pound today. Although our freezers are pretty full--and we have a turkey thawing in the refrigerator that we bought for $1.07 per pound at the local grocery--we bought it, and I made room for it in the Annex's freezer section. As I had to remove some frozen broth to do so, there will be soup made this weekend.
Aldi's had eggs for $3.69 per dozen. I was relieved that the price was not higher.
For dinner on Thursday, I made black-eyed peas with brown rice, ham, kale, and yellow bell pepper. While I did not make the quantities that Mike makes for chili, or that Joan makes for Brunswick stew, we have enough leftovers to rotate with other meals into next week.
IMO, Aaron, it has to be what is the right pickle juice for the baker--the flavors you like in your rye bread. We buy jars of these German dill pickles, usually from Best Buy or, more expensively, Tuesday Morning. I like no other pickle in my potato salad or tartar sauce. The juice retains that flavor, due to the spices (dill, mustard seed, onion, and maybe something else). I strain the juice, so the whole spices do not go into the bread.
I cut the salt to 1 tsp. this time, since I know that the juice is salty. I increased the yeast a previous time to 2 1/2 tsp., in order to use more wholegrains, and that seems to be what is needed. I also use Bob's Red Mill Bread flour, which I find gives better results with a more wholegrain loaf.
Wednesday dinner was ham sandwiches on that great rye bread I baked yesterday, along with more of the coleslaw.
My rye bread is excellent. Increasing the spices and pickle juice made the flavor perfect. The extra oil (in this case I used olive oil) and water also gave the bread a soft interior texture. It goes very well in ham sandwiches.
I baked my oil-based cranberry scones on Wednesday evening, so that I have some quick breakfasts for the freezer. I usually use half Irish Whole Meal flour, but this time I made it 2/3 of the flour. I also deleted the salt, given the amount of baking powder and baking soda.
I'll report tomorrow on the results.Chocomouse--I do parbake my quiche crusts, but that is in part because my crusts are oil based, and they work better with parbaking. You could parbake it but keep the parbaking time short. Cooks Illustrated had recommended times, depending on how long the pie would need to bake, and that would likely work for a quiche as well.
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