[BakerAunt]

I know this.

Some brands are pre-rinsed, such as BRM.

[BakerAunt]

That Buckwheat Banana Cake is fantastic! I didn't frost it, and frankly, frosting would be overkill. It was so dark that I thought I'd overbaked it, but there is no "burn" taste. The buckwheat gives it the darker color. I should mention that I made one additional change in that I used light brown sugar rather than dark, which I haven't used in years. I don't tasted the olive oil either. I think that olive oil works well in cakes that have fruit, at leas that seems to be true for apples, oranges, and bananas.

When I first baked rye, Italian Cook, the flavor didn't impress me. I now think that was because the standard bag of rye in the stores--yes they once stocked run of the mill rye flour--was not that great. When I tried Bob's Red Mill dark rye in my Limpa bread, I suddenly realized what good rye could be.

Rye dough does have a different texture from wheat dough, so it takes some getting used to.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 7 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Thank you, Aaron and Italian Cook. Yes, the cake is gone as of last night.

[BakerAunt]

Chocomouse--last fall when I was talking to Cass about bagels, he told me that most recipes say to leave them in the water too long. I'm trying to remember, but he may have said 30 seconds for each side.

I'm hoping to give bagels a try sometime this winter, now that my kitchen is more organized.

[BakerAunt]

On Saturday afternoon, I baked a new recipe, “Buckwheat Cake with Yogurt-Espresso Frosting,” by Chris Morocco at Bon Appetit (November 2016):

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/buckwheat-banana-cake-with-yogurt-espresso-frosting

I made three changes: I added 2 tbs. Bob’s Red Mill powdered milk, reduced the salt from 1 tsp to 1/2 tsp., and I used a 5.3 oz. carton of Chobani Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream. The 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 pan I used is a little small for this recipe. I used one of my nonstick ones, and clearly the volume is not quite the same, as the cake is in the oven and has risen above the sides of the pan. I'm hoping that it will be ok. I'll post back later with results.

I used the grease rather than a spray on the pan and did not use parchment for a sling.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 7 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

I was able to work out the correct answer.

[BakerAunt]

For dinner on Friday, I made stir-fry using the leftover pork and deglazed pan drippings from last night. Vegetables were carrots, celery, red bell pepper, Baby Bella mushrooms, broccoli, kale, and I threw in the leftover potatoes (not that many). The potatoes don't really go but they don't clash either. I combined it with soba noodles.

[BakerAunt]

On Friday, I fed my sourdough starter and made dough for my Whole Wheat Sourdough Cheese Crackers. I'll bake them some time next week.

[BakerAunt]

I missed it also, but now I'm ready for Jeopardy!

[BakerAunt]

For dinner tonight, my husband cooked pork on the stove top, as he does so well. I cubed some yellow potatoes, tossed them with olive oil, sprinkled on a bit of salt, then roasted them at 375F on the convection setting for 40 minutes. They were browned but soft, which we like. We had microwaved frozen peas as well.

[BakerAunt]

I should add that one of my sisters has lectured me on the "evils" of canola oil, but she didn't give me any specifics, and I didn't see issues at sites that I trust.

[BakerAunt]

I've used a combination of olive oil and canola oil when I was concerned that the olive oil flavor might be too strong, but I combine it myself. I usually use canola oil in my baking, although Len's buns convinced me that olive oil can work in breads, and it certainly works in my apple cakes. Cass told me that olive oil goes very well with oranges, so I'll try that the next time I make that chocolate orange cake I tried last year.

I use grapeseed oil for browning meat and for my stir-fry. It seems to me that the canola gets an off taste when heated. That is also why I use it to brush my cheese crackers before baking them.

Aaron--I'm sorry that you were not able to lower your cholesterol by diet and exercise alone. Some people just have no choice, but it's good that you made the effort to find out that the drug is necessary for you. I did drop my cholesterol by 25 points after a year, and I think my doctor is waiting to see what the numbers are next time. My rule of thumb is to try to stay below 11g of saturated fat per day, eat oatmeal almost every morning, and incorporate more beans, fruits, and vegetables. Whether that will be enough for me remains to be seen.

[BakerAunt]

Thanks, Mike. When I try it, I'll post back on this thread about the smell and the results.

[BakerAunt]

Aaron--Here's a saved thread, where Sandra Alicante helped Mrs. Cindy with a baking project:

One More a Time, Please, Sandra Alicante!!

Sandra had a site called bakeinspain where she chronicled her baking and taught people how to bake her recipes. Mrs. Cindy was particularly complimentary about her croissants. Sandra needed to back off of the baking for health reasons (I can certainly understand that!) and was not checking in as frequently on the KAF Baking Circle as frequently, even before it closed. However, she was leaving the site up; I don't know if it is still there. She went on to create a new site craftinspain or maybe it was createinspain.

At least several people stopped coming to the Baking Circle because they felt it was too tempting when they were trying to change their diets for various reasons. After I learned about my cholesterol issues, I was determined not to be one of those who disappear from a baking site, but to 1)enjoy vicariously the kind of baking I can no longer do, and 2)explore and experiment with altering some recipes to make them accord with my new way of eating, and to share them with others who may be in the same situation.

[BakerAunt]

I missed it also, but I have learned interesting information.

[Author]

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