[BakerAunt]

Skeptic--If you ever decide to pursue improvisational baking, look up Ratio:  The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking, by Michael Ruhlman. Most of the first 85 pages are about the baking ratios of which Mike speaks.

When it comes to yeast breads, I am comfortable shifting around and substituting. I have been able to do more than I had hoped with quick bread and cake recipes where I need to substitute oil for butter. However, I accept that there are some recipes--those with lots of butter--for which I will not be able to create a less saturated fat version.

[BakerAunt]

On Friday, I baked my Whole Wheat Sourdough Cheese Crackers from the dough I made earlier this week.

That's great that you baked the Portuguese bread, Italian Cook. Congratulations!

[BakerAunt]

I made yogurt on Friday.

For dinner, I made salmon and couscous with Penzey's Greek Seasoning, which we had with microwaved frozen peas.

[BakerAunt]

Skeptic--I agree that it is cheating to count self-rising flour as a single ingredient.

I have seen White Lily in the store here but have not felt a need to try it.

On Thursday, I baked my version of the KABC recipe Ginger Pumpkin Braid. I substituted 2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour for that much bread flour. I use my own pumpkin puree, (about 1 3/4 cups), so I needed to add another 3 Tbs. bread flour. I added 1/3 cup special dry milk and 1/4 cup flax meal to increase nutrition and cut the salt by a third. I replaced the 4 Tbs. of melted butter with 3 Tbs. avocado oil. I heated both the golden raisins and the dried ginger in bowls with a little water in the microwave, then allowed them to rest before adding them to the dough. I was able to use the bread machine for the kneading. Making the six braids is a challenge, but this time I did not have to unbraid. I do need to try to get the bread stretched out longer rather than fatter and to tuck the end so that it does not separate. I had to bake it covered with foil for an additional 5 minutes, as it did not test done but was overbrowning. (I skipped the egg wash.)

I baked this bread to have something special for New Year's Eve and Day (and a little beyond). A slice goes nicely with breakfast, afternoon tea, or as a snack.

[BakerAunt]

We have been subsisting on delicious leftovers. On Thursday we had the rest of the roast chicken, bulgur cooked in chicken broth, and microwaved frozen mixed vegetables.

[BakerAunt]

On Tuesday, I tried baking my oil version of the eggnog cake in a Nordic Ware snowman pan--the one in which the two halves are joined after baking. It did not go as well as I had hoped. Oil cakes do not rise as much, and I needed at least a third more batter. Wo, the heads of the two snowmen are not very thick and baked much faster, while the lower areas took longer. As my husband said, the cake will still be good, but it was not the stunning presentation I was seeking.

[BakerAunt]

On Tuesday, I roasted an Autumn Frost squash (50 minutes at 375F, upside down). I used my stick blender to combine the puree with a cup of turkey broth left from Christmas cooking, and a little bit of water. I stirred in half a cup of Fage Greek yogurt, and 1 1/2 tsp. Penzey's Now Curry then warmed the soup over medium heat. It goes well with the crackers I made yesterday. I have enough for a couple more lunches.

[BakerAunt]

According to my husband's nature book, shrews are carnivores who mostly eat insects like flies and spiders, and it was certainly welcomed to any of those that it found.

A couple of years ago, we had a bat in the house. My husband actually heard it before he saw it. We opened the back door, and he made some movement behind it, and it went right to the door and flew out. On a sadder note, three years ago, the chimney sweep found that two bats had gotten into our chimney and died. When we got the woodstove, the installer failed to tell us that a chimney cap was needed. We had one installed ASAP.

[BakerAunt]

On Monday morning, I baked my version of the KABC Gourmet Soda Crackers after the dough rested in the refrigerator for about 16 hours. I rolled it out, cut the dough into 2x2-inch pieces, then baked on the convection setting of 400F for 4 minutes 40 seconds, turned the sheet around, and baked for another 4 minutes 40 seconds. I pulled them out, separated the crackers, removed the parchment, then put the crackers back in the oven, where they will stay until completely cool, to maintain crispness. My Wolf oven vents the heat well, which means that I do not have to prop the door open to prevent them from further browning. (This feature, however, is a pain when I would like to turn the oven off for a short time without losing the heat because I want to use it again within a half hour or so.)

Hugs to you and your family, CWCdesign, as you remember Michael's birthday.

[BakerAunt]

Christmas dinner was roast chicken, gravy, Pepperidge Farm blue bag dressing, applesauce from the freezer, and microwaved fresh broccoli. Dessert was pumpkin pie.

[BakerAunt]

Len--THere is a great variation in Pfeffernusse recipes. I tried two or three before I found a recipe that I like, which I have posted here at Nebraska Kitchen. I suspect regional areas in Germany favor different recipes. I've seen some with molasses, which do not tick the Pfeffernusse box for me, and a variety of spices are used. For me the citron and anise are key, and they do require butter and powdered sugar coating.

I have been buying and using the King Arthur non-melting sugar for years, but this year, I had a difficult time getting it to stick to the warm cookies, and even now the sugar goes flying when we bite into them. I contacted KABC to ask if the formulation had changed. I was told no, but that they would be happy to refund my money since I was disappointed. I told them there was no need for a refund, as I did use the product, even though it did not work as well. I did note that the sugar seemed to be of a finer consistency, with less clumping this year, so now I wonder if they are manufacturing it differently.

[BakerAunt]

Merry Christmas!

[BakerAunt]

Pastry flour or part pastry flour would also work well in scones. I recently discovered how well a combination of white and whole wheat pastry flour works in my pie crust.

[BakerAunt]

For Christmas Eve breakfast, I baked the cinnamon rolls that I shaped last night and parked overnight in the refrigerator. After I glazed them, I sprinkled some red, green, and white nonpareils over the rolls to make them seasonally festive.

This afternoon, I baked my pumpkin pie, as that is my husband's traditional Christmas dessert. We will slice into it tomorrow,

My pumpernickel bread is excellent. I do not think that I would change anything that I did. I used 1 1/4 tsp. caraway, 1 1/4 tsp. dill seed, and 1 tsp. mustard seed. The pickle juice I used gave it great flavor. I don't think that it needs that deli rye flavoring with this combination. As Joan notes, it has a great, light texture. It can also be sliced thinly. I will be baking it again!

[BakerAunt]

We had dinner shortly after 6 p.m. tonight as well: leftover coleslaw and ham sandwiches on the pumpernickel bread I baked yesterday. I found an unopened jar of Bavarian hot mustard in the cupboard, and it went so well with the mayonnaise, bread, and ham.

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