[BakerAunt]

On Wednesday, I baked Apple, Barley, and Olive Oil Bundt cakes. I used a 6-cup Nordic Ware Heart Bundt pan and a 3-cup Kaiser Bundt pan. I will freeze the small one for future desserts. I have loved this recipe ever since I first tried it five years ago. I was unsure about the olive oil, but Cass told me that olive oil goes well with apples, and he was, as always, correct. I put the heart-shaped cake on a heart shaped platter, because why not celebrate Valentine's Day throughout all of February?

I also baked orange Sesame Whole Wheat Muffins to take advantage of the zest of some Cara Cara oranges. (I will eat the oranges.) Some of the muffins are for breakfast over the next few days, and some are destined for the freezer.

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[BakerAunt]

Everyone needs a lazy day, Joan!

On Wednesday, I roasted three large bone-in chicken breasts, which I seasoned with Penzey's Justice blend. I also made muddled mashed potatoes after steaming the potatoes and mixed in a bit of salt and some evaporated milk. I pulled out a small container of turkey gravy that I froze at the end of January. We also had microwaved frozen peas.

With the baking that I did earlier, I was in the kitchen for about 7 hours today. However, that will set me up to spend less time in the kitchen and more on some other projects for the rest of the week.

[BakerAunt]

That's a fine-looking soup, Joan.

I made yogurt on Tuesday.

We had more of the spaghetti squash casserole for dinner.

[BakerAunt]

I soaked 2 cups of black beans overnight, then used them to make Black Bean and Pumpkin soup on Monday. I froze three servings and left two servings for lunches. As my husband has a problem with black beans, onions, and assertive spices (cumin in this case), the soup is for me. I cut the cumin from 1 Tbs. to 1 tsp., which is plenty for me.

For dinner tonight, I will have some of the spaghetti squash casserole. My husband thinks he has recovered enough to have sone of the black-eyed peas with brown rice and ham.

[BakerAunt]

I don't think that bird flu will end any time soon, especially since the staff working on investigating and tracking infectious diseases has been cut.

[BakerAunt]

Thanks, Joan. Your picture posting inspired me to give it a try. The new computer we got 18 months ago also helps, as I can send the pictures from my phone to it, which I cannot do with the older computer. It does mean running upstairs to do the post, but that's a small price to pay.

Thanks, Len. I think that cookbook authors should give us a list of sources for ingredients that are not readily available.

[BakerAunt]

I had more of the black-eyed peas with brown rice and ham that I made last week. My husband did not eat dinner, as he had a very bad vertigo attack. There have been too many fluctuations in the barometer.

[BakerAunt]

On Sunday, I tackled the remaining limes in the refrigerator and juiced them. I froze 1/3 cup. Little of the zest was useable. I decided to take the King Arthur recipe for Lemon Crinkle Cookies and see if I could use the rest of the lime juice. I substituted white whole wheat for the AP flour and added 1 Tbs. milk powder. I replaced the 2 Tbs. of melted butter with an additional tablespoon of avocado oil (my oil choice) and increased the lime juice from 3 to 4 Tbs. It is a soft dough and would likely be so even without my substitutions. The cookies baked for 11 minutes. I might increase the time by 30 seconds if I bake this recipe again. They would be better with the zest, but they are good enough to accompany a mug of tea.

[BakerAunt]

We sliced some bread last night, and we really like it. I did not know that a whole wheat bread could be so light and soft. I'll be baking this recipe again and trying some of the suggested substitutions of oats, mixed grains, or other wholegrain flours.

I'm going to try to post pictures--my first time to do so.

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[BakerAunt]

I made Spaghetti Squash Casserole for dinner on Saturday. As my husband's digestive system does not agree with Italian spices, I used 2 tsp. of Penzey's Bouquet Garni and some freshly ground black pepper. The tomato sauce, from our tomatoes, came from the freezer. My husband liked it, so I will use that spice combination in the future when I make it for both of us.

[BakerAunt]

On Saturday, I took the dough out of the refrigerator at around 11:30 a.m., as the recipe says to remove it about three hours before planning to bake. My dough was actually pushing at the lid of the 4-quart container. I may use a 6-quart one next time. From what I can tell, the dough is shaped cold after removing it. I found it easy to shape the cold dough, although I used a different shaping method from Reinhart. (The description and pictures on how to shape loaves for pans did not seem to align.) I flatten the dough to a rectangle, then fold in the long sides, then the short ends, before rolling it from the long side.

The dough needs 2-3 hours to rise. I checked it after two hours, but it was ready at 2 hours and 35 minutes. The house temperature is about 67 F. The loaves required 40 minutes to bake. I followed the directions to rotate the pans after 20 minutes, which is not something I usually do. Both my husband and I noticed the wonderful aroma, which differed from the usual wonderful aroma of baking bread.

[BakerAunt]

Mike--The recipe is for two loaves.

[BakerAunt]

We had more of the black-eyed peas with brown rice and ham.

[BakerAunt]

I started my chosen recipe today, "Everyday 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread," from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day (pp. 83-85). He says it is a simplified version of a recipe in his Whole Grains Book.

I was surprised that the recipe called for mixing the dry ingredients and putting them into the mixing bowl first, but the ingredients combined easily, and the bowl did not have dough stuck all over it. The vegetable oil (I used canola) is whisked into the egg. I chose the honey option, and I have active rather than instant yeast, so I proofed the yeast in the water to which I added the honey before adding the buttermilk. (The recipe says milk of any kind.) I followed the stand mixer directions and was amazed at how well the dough came together. With my Cuisinart 7-qt mixer, I used the second speed for the low, and the third speed for the medium low. I used speed 5 for the last 20 seconds. The recipe requires three stretch-folds. I did them on a small Silpat mat, dusted with about 1 Tbs. of whole wheat flour, covering the dough with a large, inverted metal bowl between folds. I put it into a 4-qt. lightly oiled dough bucket and stuck it in the refrigerator. I plan to bake it tomorrow. When I last checked, the dough had more than doubled and was at the top.

[BakerAunt]

Today, Friday, is Valentine's Day. I baked a Blueberry Coffee Cake with streusel topping in a red heart-shaped pan that I bought some years ago from King Arthur. I used a doubled recipe from Recipes from the Old Mill (p. 143) that we like. I used three cups of blueberries that we picked in the summer of 2023 that had gotten lost amid the 2024 berries in the freezer. I followed the recipe, other than cutting the salt a bit and adding 2 Tbs. each o milk powder and flax meal. I also used buttermilk. For the topping, I replaced 4 Tbs. melted butter with 1 Tbs plus 3 Tbs. avocado oil, and I used ½ cup pecan meal in place of the 2/3 cup nuts. This pecan meal is of a finer consistency than what King Arthur used to sell, so next time, I would cut it to ¼ cup. My husband was very pleased with this edible valentine.

My other baking project was making the dough for my February 2025 challenge recipe. See the details there!

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