BakerAunt
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I made salmon patties for dinner, which we had with the rest of the quinoa salad, which we put on some of our homegrown lettuce.
Bagels are on my list as well. I actually have a bottle of malt syrup, but it is on the older side. Does it expire, as the date would suggest, or is this one of those expiration dates that can be ignored?
Being retired gave me more time to bake, even before the Pandemic, but my high cholesterol issue pushed me into baking fewer cookies. My cracker output increased, because we banned commercial crackers and tortilla chips (sob!) from the house, and my husband is a Snackasaurus. While the Pandemic did not increase my baking, it spurred more experimentation, particularly with my sourdough starter. The latter may be in part because Aaron's experimentation with sourdough made me reallize that I needed to use mine for more than crackers and the rare loaf of bread. My husband also stopped looking suspiciously at breads made with sourdough and happily consumed them.
I'm Pantry Paranoid these days about running out of basic supplies--or what I consider basic supplies. I was happy that Bob's Red Mill had their free shipping option back and that they had enough of what I needed that I could stock up, even with some limits in place. I wish that they would get their milk powder back in stock, as I use it for making yogurt, my Sourdough crackers, and for my granola (another food the Snackasaurus likes). I've started holding back on using it for calcium enrichment in baked goods.
We are almost out of bread, due to mold on the end of the loaf, so I've switched Friday's plans and put off pizza until tomorrow and am baking the Sourdough Whole Wheat Pan Bread recipe that I first baked on May 20. I wanted to do a bread with sourdough, since after I fed it last night, it overflowed its container a bit, so I know it has plenty of oomph. I'm going to reduce the yeast more than last time, when I went from 2 1/3 to 2 tsp. I'm considering either 1 3/4 or 1 1/2 tsp. I thought it slightly dry last time, so I will make myself hold back on the bread flour, but I'll still use 1/2 cup of the high-gluten, as it needs to be used.
I guessed incorrectly.
The original recipe is at King Arthur: Sourdough Crackers:
https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/sourdough-crackers-recipe
When I started using the Bakewell Baking Powder, my observation was that it gave a higher rise and that I could use less of it in recipes. I never subjected it to a scientific test, so that may be subjective. I also thought that other baking powder left a slight aftertaste.
Ah, yes, CWCdesign. I saw the article also and was wondering if I'd have to start mixing my own. I had been checking every day at KAF, and today was the day.
It's always a treat to see a post from Cass!
On Thursday, I baked the Crispy Rye and Seed Crackers (Peter Reinhart recipe), from the dough I made Monday evening. I used whole egg for the egg wash, rather than egg white, because I had it available. I topped with sesame seed. (I pressed them into the dough by putting waxed paper on top and pushing down with my hands.) I rolled it out on parchment, with saran over the top to 28 x 24 cm. I cut them into 4 x4 cm squares. I pulled them apart so that they were spaced away from each other on the parchment. I used the convection setting of 275F and the third rack up in my oven (slightly above halfway). I initially did half the dough and baked a single sheet at a time for 25 minutes, switching the sheet around halfway through. After lunch, I baked the other two, also separately, but I cut the baking time to 24 minutes. After the crackers were done, I removed the parchment and let them cool on the hot baking sheet.
These are certainly crispy. They are not bad, but they do not wow me in a way that makes me see a need to bake them again. I cut down the time on the second batch with the idea that maybe they baked a bit too long, even though they are not burned. I think that the taste is marginally better, but it is still not what I would like. It may be that it would have been better just to use the egg white for the wash, although I’ve used whole egg for crisp bread with no issue. It may also be that the crackers would be better with dark rye flour, which would give them more flavor. My husband says they are not bad, but I suspect that he will be glad when I make another batch of the cheese crackers next week.
Thanks to Aaron's comments, I just realized that it is a gluten-free cornbread, so it might come in handy if baking for someone who needs gluten-free or who has a wheat allergy.
Today, KAF finally had the Bakewell Cream Baking Powder back in stock, so I placed an order and included it. (I had a list but was waiting for this item.) They seem to be getting re-stocked on most products.
I guessed wildly and correctly.
To go with leftover roast chicken for dinner, I made the Penzey’s Quinoa Summer Salad again. As I am still out of the Italian seasoning, I again substituted1 Tbs. of Penzey’s Sandwich Sprinkle (another small container from a gift pack). I decided to try it this time with the full ½ cup olive oil. I did not bother with the parsley.
Additional Note: I like to hold the oil until the other ingredients are initially mixed, then I drizzle in the oil as the mixer runs.
I've also changed back to brushing the dough with oil before cutting it, and then I dock each cracker. I think it is actually faster that way.
For the double recipe made with oil, I use 1/3 cup flax meal, and I add 1/4 cup powdered milk, which I think improves the flavor.
Note added October 2, 2023: I now mix the oil with the sourdough starter, then mix in the dry ingredients. The dough comes together more easily that way.
I knew this one.
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