BakerAunt
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I saw fresh yeast at our local grocery store today! It probably ended up there as a casualty of the shutdowns in the restaurant industry. It was a block about the size of a one-pound box of butter and selling for $2.99. I was tempted, but I did not see an expiration date, and I know fresh yeast does not last as long as the freeze-dried yeast, so I did not buy it.
Skeptic--Bob's Red Mill has occasionally had whole wheat flour available--limit of two 5 lb. bag. You have to hit it right on their website. Shipping is $9.99 flat rate for me (UPS), and the two orders I've done have arrived within a week. Usually, I can find a few other items to add (if they are in stock), so I don't cringe too much at the shipping. I'm happy with their whole wheat flour.
I missed it.
Chocomouse--I never really had a sense of HOW I should be using it. In some cases I may have used too much, and it made the breads heavy. I'm not sure that I noticed much difference when I did use it. I do know that potato water is good for bread. I also know that Joan has used mashed potato in her bread with good results.
On Monday, I made another batch of yogurt (i.e.—six ¾ cup jars).
For dinner, I made split pea soup with carrots, celery, and ham. It also has 2 Tbs. dried onion, ½ tsp. thyme, and ¼ tsp. marjoram.
Skeptic--I'll take tasty over beautiful any day!
I use potato flour in the KAF recipes that call for it. For a while, I was adding it to various recipes.
Some people in our area flushed disposable masks and gloves. That created issues at the local sewage treatment plant. I don't know how anyone thought that could be acceptable.
Aaron--King Arthur's Whole Grain Baking Book often used 1/4 cup orange juice to "tame" the whole wheat flavor. I've never done that, as whole wheat taste does not bother either my husband or me.
Excess buttermilk is not an issue around here, either, Skpetic. I often replace most of the water in my breads with buttermilk to increase nutrition, and S. Wirth told us that it also improves the keeping qualities.
I don't think that the recipe requires a Pullman pan. I plan to make it my next bread, and I'll use a regular loaf pan.
Yesterday I was able to buy a small bottle of 70% alcohol (the last one) at CVS. I was also able to buy a bottle of hand sanitizer.
The hand sanitizer I've been using is old, but it was all that I had until now.
According to this article in The Atlantic (they allow a few free reads per month), the flour shortage is continuing:
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/05/why-theres-no-flour-during-coronavirus/611527/
I'm not sure that I buy their argument that more baking was going on in the 1980s and that women moving into careers led to less baking at home. My husband actually baked bread in graduate school, but it went by the by once he started his career.
If the article is correct, however, the flour shortage will not be ending any time soon.
I missed it.
I did bake on Sunday: Bob's favorite Scottish Oatcakes. I baked this recipe from the Bob's Red Mill site last December and posted about it. This time, I used a combination of 1 Tbs. melted butter, 1 Tbs. canola oil, and 1 Tbs. buttermilk, rather than 4 Tbs. butter. I increased the cane sugar from 3/4 tsp. to 1 tsp. I had forgotten that the recipe on the website uses more water than the recipe on the bag, and I was following the one I printed from the website. So, I mixed in the greater amount of water and had a dough too sticky to roll out. At first, I thought perhaps I'd used too much water, as the Snackasaurus (aka my husband) was foraging in the kitchen, which distracts me. However, I then found the bag recipe and realized what had happened. Instead of trying to roll the dough, I used a Zeroll #40 (1 Tbs.) cookie scoop and made 17 mounds. I then flattened them slightly with a glass and put just a bit of large crystal white sugar on top. That may be what I do from now on, as it is certainly easier than rolling out and using a cookie cutter. These are not designed to be sweet, per say, but to serve as a base for lemon curd and berries or cheese, smoked fish and herbs. I may try to take the recipe more in the direction of a cookie next time I bake it. That will have to wait until I obtain some more Bob's Red Mill Scottish Oatmeal.
Thank you to Aaron and Mike for organizing the Virtual Pizza Party. It was fun. I'm sorry that Chocomouse's computer did not allow for her to join us on video, but I'm glad she was able to get in on audio.
I also like the idea of brunch or "the taking of a toast and tea."
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