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On Tuesday morning, I experimented with a biscotti recipe to see if I could substitute 1/3 cup canola oil for ½ cup butter. The recipe is Double Ginger biscotti with Pistachios, and it originally appeared in the Bon Appetit “RSVP” column. I had made it once or twice, before I had to change my way of eating, so I’d made some changes. I do not use orange zest but ½ tsp. lemon extract, and I used an equal weight of almond flour to the whole almonds which the original recipe toasts then grinds, and I add 1/2 cup crystalized ginger. Without butter, I thought the biscotti might not brown as well, so this time I added 2 Tbs. Bob’s Red Mill powdered milk (and increasing calcium is always good for me). The dough was rather dry, so I added 2 Tbs. water. I deleted the resting period, since I did not need to let any butter in the dough become firm in the refrigerator. I don't do an egg wash, but I spritz the logs with water and sprinkle with demerara sugar. After the first bake, I cooled the pan on a rack for 25 minutes, then spritzed the logs with water. (I got this technique from KAF, for their Cinnamon Biscotti, and I always use it, as it prevents crumbling.) Five minutes later, I sliced them, then baked them standing on edge for 20 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through the time. I have sampled an end piece, and I am pleased with taste and texture.
On Friday, I baked a batch of Hot Cross Buns using my own recipe, but I used white whole wheat flour this time and increased the whole grains. They came out well, but I think that I will increase the cinnamon from 1 to 1 ½ tsp. next time. I do a full frosting of the tops rather than make crosses, but some day, I may do a frosting cross on top of the frosting.
On Friday I also baked, for the first time, Stella Parks’ recipe for 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread. I was unable to find a listing on my Cuisinart Food Processor for how many cups it holds, and the recipe calls for a 14-cup processor. I have the DLC-7 Super Pro. In looking through the manual (yes, I still have it 30 years after I received it), I read that the processor can handle 8 cup bread recipes with regular flour or 5 cup recipes with whole wheat flour. As this recipe uses 3 ½ cups whole wheat, I decided that I could knead the dough in one batch, and that is what I did. I reduced the salt slightly to 10 grams. I do not have instant yeast, so after I put the dough into the food processor, I put in the brown sugar, then put the salt on one side. I proofed my yeast with the water and a bit of the reserved brown sugar, then poured that on the other side. Next time, I might drizzle it in through the feed tube. After I did the 75 second processing, I poured the oil in through the feed tube while processing. It was a somewhat sticky dough, and I did not enjoy getting the processor blade cleaned off, but the dough did come out of the bowl relatively easily. I did two pre-shapes of the loaf; next time, I’ll just do one. The loaf baked well, with only a slight bit of sinking along the center after it came out. I’ll report on taste tomorrow.
