[BakerAunt]

I always refrigerate my sun-dried tomatoes after opening. As Mike notes, I just let the jar sit on the counter for about a half hour before I use the tomatoes. I often use the oil to saute vegetables for the dish that I am making. I prefer ones packed in olive oil.

[BakerAunt]

Chocomouse: I will post my version of the recipe. I looked at the comments but thought that the people who reported poor results may be inexperienced in the kitchen. Maybe they over creamed the butter, maybe they used regular rather than Greek yogurt, or used a brand that is not so great. However, the blog writer needs to give a clearer cooking time--a 15 minutes difference in possible baking time is just plain sloppy. Most of my blueberries stayed on top of the cake for a lovely presentation.

[BakerAunt]

Thanks for posting the link, CWCdesign. The problem of supply and shortage is complex.

The explanation on graham cracker shortage surprised me because most graham crackers are NOT made with real graham flour but with white flour. Graham flour is much harder to find these days. Bob's Red Mill stopped selling it a couple of years ago. I still have some in the freezer. I've tried baking my own graham crackers but have yet to find a recipe that has the taste I want AND does not require butter. I tried one by Peter Reinhart, but it was not what I sought.

As for soybean oil in crusts--that's the difference between a homemade and a commercial (need to be financially viable) graham cracker crust. Most homemade ones use butter. I made a great one this past year using olive oil.

[BakerAunt]

Chocomouse--If you bake the Blueberry Greek Yogurt cake and substitute oil as I did, I suggest using the method of combining the flour, etc. in a small bowl and beating the sugar and other ingredients in a larger mixing bow. I did it with a whisk. Then stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, being careful not to overmix. That will keep the oil cake from being tough.

[BakerAunt]

I do what Joan does--which is what S. Wirth told us to do. 🙂

I wanted to use up some Greek yogurt, so on Tuesday, I googled recipes and landed on Blueberry Greek Yogurt Cake at the site Julia’s Album. She had adapted the recipe from Epicurious. I further adapted it by using white whole wheat flour, adding a tablespoon of Bob’s Red Mill milk powder, and respacing the 2 oz. of unsalted butter with 3 Tbs. avocado oil. I used frozen blueberries. The baking time was rather broad at 20-35 minutes. I baked for 25 minutes, checked, and the tester came out clean. My husband brightened when he came back from working in the woods and saw a blueberry dessert. We each had a slice for dessert. It is a light cake with just the hint of vanilla, and the blueberries are the star.

[BakerAunt]

We continue to eat our turkey-vegetable-mixed lentils and peas soup.

Thanksgiving preparations continued Tuesday when I made another batch of applesauce with the Doud Greening and Ida Red apples. I like this pairing a lot. I added only 1/3 cup sugar for five pounds. The apples produce a lot of liquid; I strain it, put the apple part into the sauce and drink the rest as juice.

[BakerAunt]

Although I read about a canned cranberry shortage online, there was still a respectable amount of a generic brand and Ocean Spray at the local grocery store this morning. We do not do the canned cranberries, but I post this information for anyone who worries. It probably depends on the store and where its supply chains are.

[BakerAunt]

Monday began the Thanksgiving preparations. I roasted two of the six pie pumpkins that I bought in October at the Farmer’s Market. I set aside the pumpkin for the pie, the pumpkin for the rye bread, froze a container with pumpkin for another loaf of the rye bread, and set aside the rest for now. I may use it to bake a pumpkin breakfast goody.

[BakerAunt]

My husband and I bought a pair of grow lights from Gardener's Supply Company, which arrived last weekend. He built a wooden frame and attached the lights. We will see what happens with his spinach crop. I persuaded him to give it a try after his first attempt at spinach did not go well. We are hoping it will also help us start plants earlier in the spring.

[BakerAunt]

To go with soup on Sunday, I baked my complete re-imagining of KABC’s Dutch Oven Dinner Rolls, baked in my Emile Henry ceramic Dutch oven, and served warm with the soup.

This week's baking plans include a pumpkin pie and that Pumpkin Walnut Rye Bread from the Rye Baker blog.

As it is only my husband, me, and the dog, a single dessert will do, and that rye bread makes excellent sandwiches.

[BakerAunt]

I giggled over the Washington Post turkey article, CWCdesign. Of course, we think nothing of roasting turkey several times a year in our house. Thanks for posting the link here.

Sunday was chilly, so it was a good day to be in the kitchen. I made a batch of applesauce from the bag of seconds we bought on our orchard trip. The combination of Doud Greening and Ida Red is excellent. The batch made from a 5 lb. combination needed only ½ cup sugar. I froze this batch. I will make another later this week to go with Thanksgiving dinner.

I made yogurt.

For Sunday dinner, I made a large pot of soup, using the Bob’s Red Mill Vegi-Soup combo (red and brown lentils, green and yellow split peas, some barley), along with my homemade broth, celery, carrots, a mostly red bell pepper from one of our pots, garlic, a pound of mushrooms, ground turkey, rehydrated dried onion, Penzey’s Ozark seasoning, and kale (added at end), then 1 Tbs. red wine vinegar and a bit of freshly ground pepper. I am hoping the soup will see us through Wednesday, so that I can put my efforts toward Thanksgiving preparations.

[BakerAunt]

For dinner on Saturday night, we had roasted sweet potato cubes, breaded chicken breast, and microwaved fresh broccoli, which came from the organic growers at the Farmers’ Market this morning. For the chicken breast, I toasted the Panko at 375F for 7 minutes before using it to coat the chicken. I started the sweet potatoes 30 minutes early, at 375F, then stirred them on the sheet, before returning them to the oven and adding the separate baking sheet with the chicken breast. Next time, I will roast the sweet potato cubes at 350F, as they were a bit blackened on the bottom, although still tasty. We also had the last of the applesauce I made last week.

[BakerAunt]

Italian Cook--I'm pretty sure that Cass would tell you to use all King Arthur unbleached rather than use any bleached Gold Medal in this bread.

Bleached flour is good for shortbread but not for bread.

[BakerAunt]

Italian Cook: Cass called today, and he had some thoughts about your Portuguese bread recipe that he asked me to pass along.

1. He thought that the King Arthur unbleached flour would work well. He also thought a mixture of half Gold Medal AP and the King Arthur AP would work, perhaps better. He said it is a matter of extensibility for the fough.

2. The recipe has a hydration of 75%, so it will be like working with ciabatta dough. He was not certain you would want to mix it without a stand mixer, as it will be a gloppy mess, and you will likely be tempted to add in too much additional flour.

3. He thought this recipe would work better with a biga. He suggested that you look at the King Arthur site, as they have included information on using them. The biga is an overnight "starter." It will help when you try shaping the bread.

4. Be prepared for the bread to spread out and be flat like a pancake. You might want to think about baking it in a pan so that the sides will be contained.

He also said you can get a similar kind of bread, maybe with less pain, by baking a French or Italian style loaf.

I took notes as CaSS talked to me about your bread recipe on the phone, so I hope that I have correctly communicated his suggestions.

He also had a serving suggestion--the way his mother did it: Instead of dipping the bread in olive oil, toast just one 1/4-inch slice, one side of the bread only, but do not let it turn amber or tan, just a bit crispy. Drizzle 1-2 tsp. olive oil over the toasted bread, then toast again until it is a bit crisp, not brown. Use a pepper mill to put a bit of pepper over it. Eat and enjoy!

[BakerAunt]

My husband and I both enjoyed our slices of pie after lunch. I bake with the skins on the apple, and they were not intrusive. Northern Spy is more tart than Winesap, and I used a bit more sugar in the filling, but it has a lovely light taste. I would definitely bake pies with Northern Spy again. While I was worried about the height of the pie when I took it out last night, it had subsided to a regular level this morning.

I'm not sure that most markets sell good apples for pie baking or applesauce. I have bought Jonathans a the local grocery in the past, but the rest that they sell are not baking apples.

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