[BakerAunt]

On Saturday, I adapted a Nordic Ware recipe, “Pumpkin Chocolate Harvest Cake,” and baked it in a Nordic Ware Christmas Wreath Bundt pan. I used my own pumpkin puree, so I deleted the water they use with canned pumpkin. I replaced 1 cup of the flour with 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour. I replaced 2/3 cup butter with ½ cup oil, I used 2 whole eggs instead of one egg and two egg whites. I added ¼ cup BRM milk powder and 1 Tbs. flax meal. I accidentally put in an extra ¼ tsp. cinnamon and twice as much nutmeg. I tried a different method of preparing the pan and clearly missed a section, as it stuck and broke as I turned it out of the pan. I managed to get the stuck part off and stuck it back on the cake. When we cut it, we will eat that part first.

[BakerAunt]

I keep both on hand, and I use the baker's powdered milk in yeast breads and the regular powdered milk in yogurt and other baking, such as quick breads, muffins, cakes, and now cookies. The price is about the same for King Arthur's dried milk for baking and Bob's Red Mill milk powder.

Someone asked, in a roundabout way under the questions under the Bob's Red Mill product, about whether it was treated for high heat--and clearly that person was thinking about the special dry milk King ARthur produces (an no one else?) but not naming it. The answer from the company seemed to hedge. I'm not sure how much of that was not identifying their process or trying to avoid getting in trouble with another company.

I do not care for the granular powdered milk, although before I found BRM, which is a powder, the granular was what I bought. I would usually grind it to powder, which was a bit of a mess. Of course, the granular dried milk is easily reconstituted. Perhaps that is a clue? The BRM milk powder also can be reconstituted, but the King Arthur special dry milk cannot be reconstituted and must be mixed in with dry ingredients.

[BakerAunt]

Does powdered milk have to be reconstituted and scalded to use? I thought that the heat used to dehydrate it would take care of any problem.

[BakerAunt]

I made up another batch of my Whole Wheat Sourdough Cheese Crackers on Friday evening. I divided the dough into fourths, wrapped each in saran, and refrigerated. I will bake the crackers sometime next week. I am irritated that I have somehow misplaced the nice ruler that I use; it is about 16 inches long, but it has centimeters on the other side, and it was perfect for measuring to cut the crackers into 3x3cm squares. My husband found another ruler that has cm markings that I can use until I find the first one, but this one is not as long.

[BakerAunt]

For Friday dinner, I made my Turkey-Zucchini Meat Loaf with Peach-Dijon Mustard Glaze. We had it with the leftover mashed potatoes and frozen mixed vegetables.

[BakerAunt]

I agree, Navlys! I always use the meaty bones for broth.

[BakerAunt]

Maybe it is due to this time of pandemic, which began for all of us in earnest nine months ago, but I am really missing all the special Christmas baking I used to do before I cut almost all butter from my diet, so on Thursday, I baked Pfeffernusse. Yesterday, I decorated the tree. Today I strung lights on the dining room railing. With the spicy fragrance of these special German Christmas cookies, the Christmas decorations, and the light snow outside, I now feel part of the season.

[BakerAunt]

On Thursday, I baked a half recipe of Pfeffernusse. I just realized that I forgot the pepper! (Too much activity in the kitchen around me.) They will still taste good with the spices.

[BakerAunt]

Happy Birthday to Mike's wife. Continue to enjoy your cherry pie!

On Wednesday, I made mashed potatoes and used the drippings from the roast chicken to make gravy. We had it with leftover roast chicken and microwaved frozen peas. I had some of Cranberry-Cherry-Cardamom sauce as well.

[BakerAunt]

North central Indiana, where we live got about an inch and a half of snow overnight and into this morning. The grass is still peaking about it. Our dog was quite surprised by it this morning.

[BakerAunt]

I didn't see a specific video for using the sourdough starter as a coating for chicken, but I saw recipes that used it in waffles that are served with the chicken.

I've never fried chicken. My Mom used to coat chicken with flour and some seasoning, then fry it in bacon grease. We loved it, but we now know that is not the healthiest combination, and it took her a long time, as there were eventually eight of us kids. She embraced Shake 'n Bake when it came out, and who can blame her?

I've never made pasta, so I will probably start with a non-sourdough pasta recipe. I hope to make it some time in the New Year, while still riding out the pandemic.

[BakerAunt]

Skeptic--I've noticed with other breads that the oil tends to keep the bread softer. High sugar breads with butter, may be more accurate in terms of breads that stale faster.

I also use buttermilk in place of regular milk or sometimes part of the water, so that may make a difference as well.

The sugar reminds me of another reason that the famous pastries of Scandinavia are a later development.

[BakerAunt]

Thanks for posting the link, Aaron. Lucia was considered a patron saint of Sweden, who supposedly brought food during a famine when the people were starving. Even though Sweden became a Lutheran country in the sixteenth century and saints were no longer considered intercessors, St. Lucia retained her special day. I'm not surprised that there was also a merging with pagan tradition, as that was common among the early Christian missionaries. I'd not heard about the devil connection before.

I read once that a lot of the butter rich, white flour pastries with almond fillings, citrus, and spices for which Sweden and the Scandinavian countries are known are actually nineteenth-century imports from European countries. That makes sense, since the growing period for grain favors heartier ones. I was very tempted to buy a recent book on Scandinavian baking that was said to explore the older tradition.

I've never used saffron (expensive).

One final note: the oil-based Lucia Buns I baked this year have grown on me, and they stay softer than the butter ones did.

[BakerAunt]

We had leftover roast chicken, microwaved fresh broccoli, and I roasted more potato wedges. I was going to make mashed potatoes, but my husband preferred the wedges, and as they are faster, with less hands-on time, I was happy to accommodate him.

[BakerAunt]

The weather people are teasing the possibility of snow tomorrow, but not the amount that is supposed to be headed for Kimbob. I hope that Kimbob and family stay cozy--and do not lose power.

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