[BakerAunt]

The Four-Bean Salad recipe is now posted.

I need to ask: what is the fifth bean in the Sam's 5-Bean Salad?

[BakerAunt]

Italian Cook--I've never used a kneading hook, as my mixer came with the spiral. The spiral was one reason that the Cuisinart briefly replaced Kitchen Aid for America's Test Kitchen. Once KA added the spiral, ATK noted that as one reason to prefer it again over the Cuisinart.

[BakerAunt]

That's good to know, as I plan to bake even more rye breads.

I did the mixing a bit differently from Len. I use active rather than instant yeast, so I proofed it with the molasses, then mixed in the buttermilk and egg. I added the whole grains, mixed to incorporate, then allowed it to rest 10 minutes. I then mixed in the oil (I used canola), then the bread flour and salt. I let it rest for another 10 minutes, then I moved to the kneading spiral on speed 2, stopping and adjusting until it was coming together. I then kneaded on speed 3 for 5 minutes. (Remember, I have the Cuisinart; your times will differ.) I didn't need to add water.

[BakerAunt]

I thought that I posted it, but I looked and do not see it. After I have some at lunch--and see how I like it with the changes, I'll post it. My recipe is from my college roommate, who adapted one in my old Betty Crocker cookbook--probably more than forty years ago. (Where does the time go?)

[BakerAunt]

Missed it.

How about some recipes with that super ingredient? 🙂

[BakerAunt]

After dinner on Tuesday evening, I made a Four Bean Salad (green beans, waxed beans, kidney beans, and garbanzo beans). I cut the sugar, oil, and cider a bit in the marinade, but I did not cut the celery seed. (I have my priorities straight.) I wanted to use up these four cans of beans. The salt content is higher than I would like, although I used no-salt added green beans and reduced salt garbanzo and kidney beans. I omitted the ½ tsp. salt in the dressing. In the future, if I make it, I will cook my own garbanzos. I will have the salad with lunch the rest of this week and into the next, as my husband does not care for garbanzos and kidney beans.

[BakerAunt]

I’ve been avoiding cooking chicken breasts since I see so many packages where the breasts have those white streaks. Today in Aldi’s, we found a small package with two breast halves that looked good. Thus, for dinner, I made my roasted panko-encrusted chicken breasts. I smear the breast with low-fat mayonnaise, then dredge it in a combination of panko, a bit of grated Parmesan, garlic powder, Penzey’s roasted onion powder, and pepper. They roast for 30-35 minutes at 375F on a parchment-lined baking sheet. These were tender and good—the way I remember them before those rubbery ones made me swear off eating them. We had it with spinach noodles tossed with onion, frozen broccoli I wanted to get out of the freezer, sliced mushrooms, and the drippings from roasting a turkey breast that I had in the freezer. I tossed it with a little grated Parmesan. We have enough to have it again tomorrow.

[BakerAunt]

I'm sending good thoughts your way, Navlys. I was plugging along in "moving mode" a little more than two years ago, and we started moving items throughout the year before that. It will be a relief when you are settled again!

[BakerAunt]

My riff on Len's bread turned out very tasty, with good crumb. What I did to double the recipe worked. The molasses gives just a hint of its flavor, which is the way I prefer it in bread. When mixing this bread, the temptation would be to add flour, as it initially appears too wet. I found that stopping the mixer a couple of times, and using a bowl scraper to turn the sticky dough over, helped it come together, but that may be my particular mixer.

[BakerAunt]

I had a grinder--something KAF used to sell, but after a while, it broke. (Am I sensing a pattern with nutmeg grinders here?) I just use my Microplane narrow grater and grate what I need, as I need it. I buy nutmegs whole from Penzey's.

I read somewhere that a marriage will always be happy as long as there is a whole nutmeg in the house. 🙂

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

[BakerAunt]

I missed it because I didn't pay attention to "large."

[BakerAunt]

I saw my doctor last week, and she is still firmly on the Vitamin D train. I had cut back at the end of last March, so that I was alternating (every other day) a multivitamin with 1000 IU Vitamin D with a 2000 IU Vitamin D because I was concerned about taking 3000 IU per day, and frankly not keen on 600 IU in calcium supplements, as I am working to get most of my calcium from food. Well, they tested my Vitamin D levels and said, just as they did last year, that "they are a little low" and the doctor wants me on the 2000 IU and says it's ok to take the multivitamin with its 1000 additional IUs of Vitamin D as well. I may ditch the multivitamin. I am, however, wondering if I'm even absorbing most of the Vitamin D that I take.

I do not like being so confused.

[BakerAunt]

On Tuesday afternoon, I am baking Len's Rye/Semolina/Whole Wheat Buns recipe, but I am experimenting with baking it as two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaves. I 3/4 cup buttermilk for that much water in the original recipe, so I did that again. I decided to try, in my doubled recipe 1 and 1 1/2 scant Tbs. molasses instead of honey, and I'm using canola rather than olive oil. I'm using 3 tsp. yeast and 1 1/4 tsp. salt and only one egg. (I'm remembering Paddy's bread recipe where she specified that when doubling the recipe, do not double the egg.) My only other change was to add 1/4 cup special dry milk. I'll report back on the final result.

Note: The bread baked nicely, although I let it over rise a bit the second time. Thirty minutes would have been enough. I'm looking forward to cutting into it tomorrow.

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

[BakerAunt]

I selected correctly, but that may be because I was focused on fresh green peas, but had I thought about dried ones, used to make soup, I might not have chosen the correct answer. I take it, from Mike's explanation that dried or fresh does not matter, in which case I've learned a nutritional fact I did not know and will keep in mind when I make split pea soup (green peas or my favorite yellow peas).

[BakerAunt]

Well, I never said it was the original recipe....

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