[BakerAunt]

I've been experimenting with cutting back on yeast. For the 8x4 loaf I baked today, I used 1 3/4 tsp. yeast rather than 2 tsp.

On the Pumpkin-Ginger Braid that I baked yesterday (and it is delicious, particularly with a Greek Yogurt-Cream Cheese blend that Kroger sells), I cut back 1 Tbs. to 2 3/4 tsp. The rise and bread came out great.

In fairness, I also cut back the salt by 1/4 tsp in both breads. I have a hypothesis that recipe developers don't like to use 3/4 tsp. measurements where yeast is concerned.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

The issue with black walnut is that it has a chemical that inhibits the growth of seedlings and even large trees of many species. My husband isn't sure how long it lasts in the soil, but he says it is pretty potent stuff. However, we do have an area where he says we can try planting a few black walnuts in the fall. There are a number of them on one of his other properties.

[BakerAunt]

On Saturday, I also baked Barley-Wheat Bread, a recipe that appeared in the glossy King Arthur Baking Sheet (Summer 2009), p. 10. I remember discussing this recipe on the Baking Circle with Cindy (not Mrs. Cindy) who needed to use up some rolled barley. I reduced the salt by a quarter tsp. and added 2 Tbs. special dry milk. I replaced the 2 Tbs. of butter with 1 Tbs. olive oil. I reduced the yeast by one-quarter tsp. I let the Zo bread machine do the kneading. I had to add 1 Tbs. whole wheat flour and a half Tbs. of AP flour. Both risings went well, and the loaf baked in 40 minutes. It had a great rise, although it has a tiny bit of "spillover" in the center on both sides. The 8x4-inch loaf pan is almost a bit too small.

[BakerAunt]

Well, it's not a garden, but on Friday, my husband and I had 600 trees, evenly divided between white oak and black oak, planted on some land we bought last fall that is adjacent to the woodlands that he has had for 35 years. A couple weeks before, he planted 100 red pine. He's also planted a few aspen sprouts that came up here and there around the house, as well as six balsam firs. He planted some Winterberry as well.

Now we need that rain that seems to be everywhere around us but here to come and water the trees.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Saturday’s dinner was Salmon and Couscous with Penzey’s Mural seasoning, accompanied by microwaved frozen mixed vegetables

[BakerAunt]

On Saturday, I baked four mini-blueberry pies with the last of my canned pie filling from the summer of 2018. I used a pan from Chicago Metallic called “Cup Pie Set.” The pan has wells for four pies, with removeable bottoms, so they can be popped out easily. I used a three-quarter recipe of my oil pie crust, which was just the right size. I used small basket coffee filters to blind bake the shells. It should have been at 400F for 10 minutes on the second shelf up, but I mistakenly set the oven to 425F because I was looking at the large pie shell recipe. I preheated the 2 cups of blueberry pie filling and added a dab of lime juice and about 1/8 tsp. allspice. I made a streusel recipe that was one-third of what I use for my large blueberry pie; next time, I’ll just do a quarter recipe. I baked for about 12 minutes at 400F until bubbly.

[BakerAunt]

Skeptic. I will look for the recipe; right now, I'm not sure where it is. (My recipe organization needs work.) When I find it, I can post it--if that's ok with Mike--since it no longer seems to be around. Or, if I can find the name, Rottiedogs might be able to find it in the Way Back machine and give you a link.

It may be that the recipe originally appeared in one of the email recipes that King Arthur used to send out regularly. I miss that time.

[BakerAunt]

I first started cutting back on yeast years ago when I read that too much yeast causes bread to dry out faster. I wonder if dried yeast recipes just use more yeast as insurance.

In reading reviews of a couple of Swedish baking books, including the one I own which has disappointed me, I noticed that someone commented on the books' propensity for fresh yeast, and one person commented, "which seems to be available on every corner in Sweden," that is, if you can believe the baking books. My assessment is that the professional bakers who write these books have easy access to fresh yeast, and neither they nor their editors and publishers think about how recipes bake in a home kitchen with the supplies that a home baker will have. Ideally, baking books would have user tests before they are printed.

[BakerAunt]

Italiancook--My Mom used to eat rice pudding for breakfast. I also read that in Sweden it is eaten for breakfast. So, rice pudding for lunch is dandy.

[BakerAunt]

Thanks for the detailed report, Mike. I've occasionally let a sponge go too long, and that sourness is pronounced. I didn't realize that underproofing could cause a blowout and why it usually happens with loaves where I'm not sure if they have fully risen. I always have a slight blowout on that pumpkin-rye bread recipe from Ginsberg's blog, even though I slash it (which the recipe does not state).

I don't recall if Ginsberg mentions what kind of oven he uses. I'm still learning about my Wolf oven and the best rack position at which to bake various items. I have learned to check most recipes five minutes early, and with Bundt pans, I've been baking at 325F rather than the usual given temperature of 350F.

Maybe the bread would make good croutons?

[BakerAunt]

KAF has a pain au chocolat recipe, Skeptic. There is even a wholegrain version. They are not croissants. I've baked the first one a couple of times. I have the wholegrain one set aside to try, as I think that I can substitute oil for butter. I do have chocolate bars to use.

Chocomouse--I just brought my binders of The Baking Sheet into the house. I don't have the first ones, but I subscribed long enough to have three binders of the pamphlet ones and two binders of the glossy one--right up until KAF ended it.

[BakerAunt]

I was able to work out the correct answer. I don't know, however, that I would try it with my lime tree.

[BakerAunt]

Thanks Mike. I write my baking comments in my baking log, then copy and paste here. It was ok initially, but then I noticed that I hadn't separated the paragraphs, and so I edited to do so, and that landed me in the spam file.

I'll try to do the fractions here as you suggest. MS Word automatically converts them to the other form, so I will have to change them when I post.

[BakerAunt]

Aurgh! my post just disappeared after I edited it!

[BakerAunt]

On Friday, I baked Ginger Pumpkin Bread, a yeasted, six-braid bread from the KAF site. I’ve baked it once before and substituted in 2 cups of white whole wheat flour. This time I increased that to 2 ½ cups. I used 1 ½ cups bread flour and ½ cup of high-gluten flour to stretch my bread flour. I added 1/3 cup special dry milk and ¼ cup flax meal. I reduced the salt from 1 ½ to 1 ¼ tsp. I increased the diced ginger to ½ cup and used golden raisins. I replaced the butter with 4 Tbs. canola oil. I use my own spice mixture of 1 ½ tsp. cinnamon, ½ tsp. ginger, and ½ tsp. freshly ground nutmeg. The recipe calls for 1 Tbs. of special gold yeast. I reduced that to 2 ¾ tsp. I warmed the pumpkin puree with the sugar, then proofed the yeast. I mixed in the eggs, then put that into the Zo bread machine bucket, then the flour. I held back the raisins and the minced ginger until near the end of the kneading cycle when the machine beeps. I let it rise in an oiled 4-qt. bucket with snap lid.

I have the KAF baking mat with the braiding instructions. I managed to do the braid on my second try. It helps to write the numbers and put them at the top. The second rise was 55 minutes. I brushed with an egg (did not add water, as I want to use the rest of the egg wash for another recipe). I baked it on the third rack up in my oven. I probably should have used the second rack up, which is my usual rack for loaf pan breads, because it was not done in 30 minutes. I needed to bake it almost 15 minutes longer to get it to 193F. I tented it with foil after 30 minutes because it was starting to overbrown. It’s cooling on a rack now. It’s a lovely looking loaf. I look forward to cutting it tomorrow.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.

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