[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, 10 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

I recall the packages being about the size of a matchbox, although perhaps more square, in an open box with perhaps a dozen.

[BakerAunt]

I have a special issue "magazine" from America's Test Kitchen that is baking for two. One day I shall try their cheesecake, since I should confine myself to just a slice.

For me, the issue is that if I'm going to make a dessert, I usually want at least two day's worth if it's something like a cake or quick bread. With quick breads, I use small loaf pans and freeze some.

[BakerAunt]

I also recall seeing the yeast cakes in the "dairy" section, probably in the 1980s. I also haven't seen them for a long time.

[BakerAunt]

I also got it.

[BakerAunt]

I made a batch of yogurt on Thursday.

For dinner, I made a soba noodle-vegetable-shrimp stir-fry with carrots, celery, mushrooms, and broccoli.

[BakerAunt]

Ah, is this the blog, kimbob?

https://www.dessertfortwo.com/

[BakerAunt]

I have leftover potato water from Sunday’s mashed potatoes, so the Soup du Jour for luncheon, beginning on Thursday makes use of it. As usual, I sautéed chopped onion, celery, and carrots. I added some minced garlic before adding the potato water, a 14.5 oz. diced tomatoes with juice, about ½ cup black beans that I found in one of the freezers, and 1/3 cup of farro. I added ½ tsp. sugar and ¼ tsp. of Penzey’s Pico and Salsa seasoning. I brought it to a boil, then simmered for 30 minutes. It needed something, so I added ½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce, then dissolved ½ tsp. Penzey’s beef base in ¼ cup of hot water and added it.

[BakerAunt]

The starter recipe I used avoided the "throw away" or discard by refrigerating the starter, then directing to let it come to room temperature (bubble), stir, take out what is needed, then feed. The issue with these directions is that unless the starter is being fed frequently, it won't have enough oomph without some yeast. I find it better, if I want to bake bread with it (even with a bit of yeast), to time the bread making so that it is the day after I've done my sourdough crackers and fed the starter.

The recipes that came with the starter specified an overnight sponge that mixed some of the starter with flour and water.

So, until I started reading up on sourdough, I'd never heard of "discard."

[BakerAunt]

I answered correctly. What I miss in waffles is all that luscious butter, although I have worked out a wholegrain recipe that we like that uses canola oil.

[BakerAunt]

I don't know if we met, Kimbob. I joined when there was a new Baking Circle. Welcome, and please post often!

Aaron, I looked up what I did when I baked the 100% Whole Wheat Bread:

What are You Baking the Week of April 14, 2019?

I didn't have the side problem, but there was a slight sinking in the center. What I see from my post is that I reduced the amount of salt. I also added the oil later. Cass told me once that the yeast needs to get going before adding the oil, so I put it in through the feed tube as the processor was running.

I'm glad to hear that your starter is bubbling along.

[Author]

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