[BakerAunt]

We had leftover spaghetti squash-turkey "lasagna," microwaved frozen peas, and two ears each of the last sweet corn of the season (the farm is sold out as of this afternoon). It is delectable--the best we have eaten this season.

[BakerAunt]

It's amazing to me how this recipe has evolved. How I bake it now--and some of the ingredients--is not the same as three years ago, is not how I baked it two years ago, and is not how I baked it one year ago. Some of that was forced on me when I had to cut most butter out. Some of it is due to my new oven with its convection mode. Some of it was trying to increase flavor and health value. Some of it was discovering new ways of proceeding.

The one problem that I haven't solved is the "rapid consumption of the product." 🙂

[BakerAunt]

Skeptic--I've now posted the recipe as "Scottish Style Scones (Barley)". At some point, I will likely try it with whole wheat pastry flour, and if successful, also post that version.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do your pumpkin biscotti recipe!

[BakerAunt]

Ah, once again there is no way to go back to the previous comment (on previous page) without advancing the next page.

I know that I've not ever had self-rising flour in the house. The closest I got, back in my early baking days was Bisquick.

[BakerAunt]

Of course, if those people are not baking frequently, then there will be major disappointment when they use expired self=rising flour.

Bags probably have an expiration date? From what Corriher says, self-rising flour does not use the same kind of baking powder that we do.

[BakerAunt]

We had a discussion on vegetable stock once, but no recipe came out of it or was mentioned. Sigh.

[BakerAunt]

I use some whole wheat pastry flour (Bob's Red Mill) in my pie crust. I use 1 1/4 cup AP and 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour for a single deep dish pie crust. I started using Bob's because it was less expensive and works well.

Added Note: This is an oil pie crust with some buttermilk. I have used a small amount in a butter crust, back when I was making butter crusts, but I think that I kept it at about 25% of the flour.

[BakerAunt]

Chocomouse--I usually use just half whole wheat pastry flour when I substitute it into a recipe. The same is true for barley flour. They give a more tender result, but alone I do not think that they have the structure to hold the final scone together.

On Wednesday, I baked a version of the KAF recipe for Zucchini Chocolate Chip Bars—the one made in the food processor. I changed it by using 5.9 oz. zucchini, reducing the brown sugar from 1 to ¾ cup, reducing the oil from 1/3 to ¼ cup with buttermilk added to make it 1/3 cup. I used the white whole wheat flour option. I replaced the 2 cups of chocolate chips with about 1/3 cup (60g) cinnamon chips (I still have a substantial stash in the refrigerator.), and I added 1 tsp. cinnamon and deleted the vanilla. I baked them in a glass 13x9 inch dish on the third rack up in my oven for 28 minutes. I am avoiding acidic ingredients in my USA pans. They seem to do ok with items that are removed immediately but the finish seems to suffer when the baked item is stored in them.

[BakerAunt]

Dinner for tonight is salmon and couscous with Greek seasoning, along with microwaved frozen peas.

[BakerAunt]

I'll post it later today, Skeptic. They remind me a bit of biscuits.

I use 1/3 cup canola (or sometimes olive oil) in place of butter. Of course that does not work for every recipe. (I've had to give up a lot of cookies and shortbread.) Butter is a big one, since a single tablespoon contains 7 g saturated fat, and most women should limit themselves to 11g per day. I try to make sure that the saturated fat that I do consume includes some healthy fats. Canola oil has 1 g saturated fat per Tablespoon, and olive oil has 2 g, but both contain other healthy fats. Ditto with eggs.

For cheese, I stick with small portions of 2% pre-grated cheese (I can't get it ungrated where I live) or low-fat mozzarella (no more than 3g per oz.). Some low-fat mozzarella cheese sticks are 1.5g saturated fat, and they do give a nice calcium boost, so I include those as snacks. I drink 1% milk. While I use about 3/4 cup whole milk when making yogurt, it gets combined with 1% milk and some milk powder, so the saturated fat remains low, and I do need the dietary calcium.

I still use some butter--in streusel toppings, but I usually halve the streusel and keep the butter to a minimum.

We do not eat much beef, and we stick with less fatty pork. We eat a lot of chicken, as well as tuna and salmon. I cook my chicken on a rack and pour off the fat and do not eat the skin. (I do however roast whole chickens on potatoes and carrots, so some fat is included there.) I try to incorporate more beans, but my husband and most beans do not get along, so I do most of those recipes for myself for lunch. We do a lot of lean ground turkey, which I try to pair with ingredients that will make it not so bland.

I eat steel-cut oats for breakfast almost every morning. My cholesterol was 25 points lower last year (and that was with having eaten breakfast). I'm curious as to what it will be at my next doctor's visit.

[BakerAunt]

I, too, searched the Nebraska Kitchen site, and I concur with Mike's assessment that the recipe is not here.

[BakerAunt]

The story is indeed behind a paywall.

It makes me sad to think of all that wasted flour. One bright spot would be that if anyone is interested in picking up a lightly used bread machine, they should start popping up at home sales and thrift shops. People who buy bread machines do not often realize that it is not a "dump it all in a forget about it" activity. Most bread machines do not give the kind of information that would help people use them effectively, since I find mine most useful for mixing and kneading dough. I'd never bake in it.

We are living in a society where a lot of people expect instant results. Bread making and gardening require a focus on process, and both demand that the practitioner pay attention, and perhaps change the process while proceeding. As Mike notes, people do not realize that it takes time to master skills. What I thought that the former KAF Baking Circle did well is that it brought together a number of people who helped new bakers master skills. I don't think that the KABC Facebook site creates the same sense of community.

We do have that community here at Nebraska Kitchen, whether it was helping Italian Cook develop her pizza skills or Chocomouse her bagel skills. I've benefitted more than once from other people's suggestions when I had a baking issue. We are also generous here with sharing what we learn--and admitting our not so successful bakes, while celebrating the great ones. We are a lot less intimidating than some baking sites, and I wish that we could have been noticed by more of those would-be bakers. Maybe more of them would have stuck with the baking they began.

[BakerAunt]

I made another batch of tomato sauce. I freeze it in 1-quart yogurt containers, which is about 3 ¾ cup, which is a good amount for what I use when I cook.

[BakerAunt]

On Tuesday, I made dough for my Whole Wheat Sourdough Cheese Crackers. I’ll bake it at the end of the week or early next week.

[BakerAunt]

Hi, Skeptic--it's good to see you posting again. I had two of the scones at lunch. I warmed each up, wrapped in waxed paper for 40 seconds, and they were almost as good as fresh. I did have some jam on one. If you are interested, I'll post the recipe as I've developed it so far. I hope to try a whole wheat pastry flour version. I like the sweet taste that the barley gives these scones. The recipe uses only 1 Tbs. sugar, and it made eight.

[Author]

Posts