[BakerAunt]

I highly recommend that Pear and Cherry pie filling recipe. We cut into it for dessert this evening, and it is delicious. I'm glad that I reduced the sugar in the filling to 1/2 cup and used just half the streusel. It is the perfect degree of sweetness.

[BakerAunt]

I have that baking book (or think I do!), Skeptic. I'll have to check out that bread.

Temperatures reached the 90s this Tuesday, but we were out of bread, so I started the dough around noon. I made another attempt at Bernard Clayton’s Dark Grains Bread, from his revised New Complete Book of Breads (223-225). I have made it before, but each time, I had a bit of sag in the middle of the loaf. I followed my usual changes, although I reduced the yeast to 3 ¾ tsp, but I replaced the 1 ½ cups of bread flour with 1 cup high gluten flour (have it and need to use it) and ½ cup plus 3 Tbs. bread flour. It took about nine minutes of kneading on speed 3 of my Cuisinart 7-qt. stand mixer to get a windowpane. The first rise took 58 minutes. I shaped, then let rest 5 minutes, then did final shaping. The second rise took 50 minutes. I baked it for 47 minutes and it was at 203F and maybe a little dark. There is still some slight dimpling, but the loaves look good. We will slice into one for lunch tomorrow.

[BakerAunt]

On Tuesday, I was able to buy a package of six Roma tomatoes that had been marked for quick sale. I cut out the bad place from one, then made them into sauce for the next time we have pizza. I start by putting olive oil and 2 cloves minced garlic in a sauté pan, heating until the garlic becomes fragrant (about 30 seconds or so), then adding the chopped tomatoes and cooking them down to make a thick sauce. I add about ½ tsp. sugar.

I also needed to use up the potato water left from when I made potato salad last week, so I sautéed some chopped carrots and celery, then added the water and 2 tsp. rehydrated Penzey’s dried onion, along with 1 cup brown lentils and ¼ cup red lentils. After 20 minutes, I added ¼ cup farro, then cooked for another 30 minutes before adding torn kale from two stalks. I ate some for lunch. We will either use it for a meal later this week (if the weather cools down!) or else I will freeze it for an “emergency” meal

[BakerAunt]

I guessed correctly.

[BakerAunt]

We have been eating leftovers as well. Yesterday, we finished the chicken and had potato salad, along with microwaved fresh broccoli. Monday night, we had leftover black-eyed peas, ham, and vegetable rice bowl, and we will have it for dinner again tomorrow. That allowed me to bake a pie this evening, and it will let me bake bread tomorrow.

[BakerAunt]

When I was at the grocery on Sunday morning to get bananas, an essential fruit in our house. I saw a bag of five Bosc pears for 99 cents in the clearance section. While they had splotches, that is not out of the ordinary, and Bosc pears are a favorite of mine, and I have been missing fresh fruit. I bought them, having no idea what I would bake with them. I found a recipe at the KAF website for Pear and Cherry Almond Streusel Pie. I had all the ingredients, including dried cherries. I baked the pie on Monday evening. I used my oil crust (recipe posted at Nebraska Kitchen) in a 9-inch Emile Henry deep pie dish. I was a little short on the pears (2 lbs. 10 oz. rather than 3 lbs.). I used 170 g dried cherries rather than 142g because I wanted to use up the bag. (These were from Bob’s Red Mill, and they stopped carrying most dried fruit almost 2 ½ years ago.) I reduced the sugar from ¾ to ½ cup. Pears are naturally sweet, and there is a streusel topping. I replaced the 6 Tbs. of instant Clearjel with 2 tsp. tapioca and allowed the fruit, sugar, and tapioca to rest for 20 minutes. While I parbaked the pie shell for 12 minutes, I par-cooked the filling in a skillet on the stove top. I do so with all my fruit fillings with streusel toppings in parbaked crusts. I stirred in a scant tsp. almond extract at the end. (I didn’t want to fetch another bottle for the full tsp.) I halved the topping ingredients, except that I cut the butter down to 2 Tbs. I sprinkled the bottom of the pie shell with a bit of Panko to soak up excess juice and keep the crust crispy. I baked at 425F for 10 minutes, then reduced to 375F and baked for about 35 minutes. We shall cut into it tomorrow.

[BakerAunt]

Aaron--It's only a matter of time before one of us says, to heck with it, and tries Ms. Parks' recipe with a stand mixer.

She also has a Yeasted Pumpkin Bread Recipe. I posted the link here at Nebraska Kitchen and started a discussion thread about it. Len and I both made the bread, and darn it, we used our mixers, not the food processor on which she insists. I even substituted in 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour, and made up the rest of the weight with the bread flour the recipe specifies. Both Len and I were pleased with how hour loaves turned out.

So, one of these days....

As for all the orders, clearly the word is getting around that you have superior baked goods!

• This reply was modified 5 years, 7 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

I just checked. The pans were there yesterday, in the "Sale and Specials" section. However, you are correct that as of today, only a few USA pans are there.

I like to use Bakers Bucks in the sale section, which is why I will be receiving the electric mini pizzella griddle, which I plan to use for crackers.

[BakerAunt]

BTW, King Arthur has a lot of their baking pans (USA) currently on sale, including the pain de mie pan.

[BakerAunt]

When I have soaked raisins, I have cut back the liquid or been prepared to add a bit more flour. I also try to let the soaked raisins rest on a towel to remove excess moisture.

[BakerAunt]

I answered correctly, which should give you an idea of some of the contents of my pantry.

[BakerAunt]

I miss garage and estate sales, but then, this area was never as good for these as the place I lived in Texas. There is one next weekend in town that might be of interest (same place I got the bread machine last fall). Masks are required, as is physical distancing. I've not made up my mind on whether to go.

[BakerAunt]

I made another batch of yogurt on Sunday. I have had to use nonfat Chobani Greek yogurt as the starter, but when we went to the next town for groceries for the first time since lockdown, I was able to get Stonyfield full-fat Greek yogurt again. I use ¾ cup (170g), so when added with the 1% milk, it is low enough in saturated fat. I like the taste of the Stonyfield yogurt better.

[BakerAunt]

For Sunday breakfast, I made my buttermilk wholegrain waffles (whole wheat, cornmeal, buckwheat flour; flax meal), with oil rather than butter. I had mine with maple syrup. My husband had his with honey.

[BakerAunt]

I guessed wildly and incorrectly.

[Author]

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