[BakerAunt]

I look forward to your report on the FP whole wheat bread, Mike.

The bread that I baked yesterday has great flavor--in my opinion. My husband claims the flavor is not as "robust" as my other breads, while I would say the opposite. It is not as heavy of a bread as some of my others, and I think he prefers the firmer texture, and perhaps the rolled grains.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

On Monday, I fed my sourdough starter and used the 2 cups I removed to make the dough for my lower-saturated fat version of Whole Wheat Sourdough Cheese Crackers. I’ll bake them later this week.

My sourdough starter was nice and strong on Tuesday morning, so I made my version of King Arthur’s Rustic Sourdough bread, and I made it in my Emile Henry long baker. My changes to the recipe are to use 2 cups Irish Wholemeal flour, ¾ cup dark rye flour, 2 Tbs. flax. Meal, and additional 2 Tbs. special dried milk, honey in place of sugar, salt reduced to 1 ¾ tsp., and 2 ½ cup KAF AP flour. I use my milk-based sourdough starter. I always begin with the wholegrains, mix them in, then let them sit for 20 minutes before proceeding. The bread baked very nicely. I’m still working out how to use the EH baker effectively. This time I baked for 15 min. at 425F, then reduced it to 400F for 10 minutes. I removed the cover, and let it go for 15 minutes longer, checking every 5 minutes, until the interior measured 198F. Other than a tiny bit of sinking in the center from when I slashed it before baking, it’s a lovely loaf. I look forward to cutting into it tomorrow and will post about taste and texture after doing so.

[BakerAunt]

For dinner on Tuesday night, I tried a new recipe, “One-Pot Tarragon Chicken, Mushrooms & Rice, a recipe by John Whaite that I received in an email from the PBS radio show The Splendid Table:

https://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/one-pot-tarragon-chicken-mushrooms-rice

I made two changes. I didn’t have a banana shallot, or any shallot for that matter, so I used some chopped onion. I also replaced the basmati rice, which I do not have, with 1 ½ cup medium grain brown rice. I misread the amount of broth and used about 1/2 cup too much. However, we like the recipe enough that I will make it again—this time with the correct amount of broth and perhaps a bit more of the rice. My husband was unfamiliar with tarragon, and I’m never sure how he will respond to a new spice, but he liked the flavor.

[BakerAunt]

The pie was delicious and held together surprisingly well although warm. It is worth seeking out those small (traditional) Winesaps if you can find them. I hope the orchard where we got them has another good year.

[BakerAunt]

On Monday, I baked a streusel apple pie using the first oil-based crust in the KAF Anniversary Cookbook. I used 1/3 white whole wheat flour this time, and as I’ve done before, I replaced the milk with buttermilk. I accidentally put in 1 ½ Tbs. sugar rather than 1 ½ tsp. I forgot that I prefer to put this pie in the deep-dish Emile Henry pie plate. By the time that I remembered, I’d already blind-baked the crust in my 9-inch metal one. I used small Winesap apples that have been keeping cool in our heated garage (temperature at 48F). The original recipe, from Bernard Clayton used 7 large Granny Smith apples, so I used 15 of the little Winesaps. (I intended to use 14 but realized an extra one needed to be used.) I pre-cooked the apple mixture in a skillet after allowing it to sit for 15 minutes. I piled it very high in the pan. I cut the streusel topping ingredients by 25%, except for the butter, which I cut from 1/3 cup to 4 Tbs. I initially baked at 425F for 15 minutes, then 375F for 30 minutes. The filling cooked down just a bit, but it did not run over. (Thank heavens for the drip rim on that metal pie pan.) It is now cooling. While it ought to wait until tomorrow to be sliced, having only finished baking at around 4:45, my husband is unlikely to be that patient.

[BakerAunt]

That must have been before I found the Baking Circle, although I seem to recall that a group was tackling the KAF Cookie book at one point.

[BakerAunt]

Today I'm baking a banana oat bran bread. I baked it last fall, with some adjustments to the original recipe. I'm making a couple of changes. If it comes out well, I'll post it. We are having snow again, so it is a good day to bake.

Note: The bread seems to me to need a little tweaking. It definitely is better the day after it is baked. I don't think the recipe is ready for prime time yet.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by BakerAunt.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

I'm bringing up this thread again, as I've been having trouble getting buttermilk at the local grocery again this year. They do have, on and off, 1-quart containers, which of course cost more than the 2-quart jug. When I asked, the clerks shrug their shoulders and say that is what the suppliers send. I've decided, as I'm running low and it is an essential ingredient in my baking, that I need to culture my own as I did last year. My only concern is where will be a good spot to put it. Last year, I would set it on the floor near the wood stove, and that worked spectacularly. This year, however, we are not in the house and the stove is out of use until the renovation is completed. I'll have to get an idea of where in the apt. would be warm enough. I might do some baking this afternoon, so perhaps the central area of the stove would be a good spot.

One thing I noticed about this thread: how many people were posting. I feel sad that we don't see more posting activity these days.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by BakerAunt.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Navlys--sometimes, when it comes to baking and cooking supplies--you've got to do what you got to do. 🙂

For dinner on Friday, I made my Turkey-Zucchini loaf with Dijon mustard and Peach Jam glaze, using some of my supply of homemade jam. I wanted to use up some zucchini, so I stuffed in too much, as well as an additional ¼ cup of oats, but my husband happily ate it, and stretching it will make it last for three meals. I also made rice blend in the rice cooker, and we had microwaved peas as well.

[BakerAunt]

Chocomouse--one of my resolutions for the year is to use more of my various cookbooks and baking books. As many are still packed, it has helped focus me on the ones that are available--and I kept most of the bread ones where I could find them. I also have Jeffrey Hamelman's book, as well as a number by Peter Reinhart that have not been used. Lately, it has been easier, especially with the house remodeling/renovation to stick with that recipe where I'm exchanging out various grains. However, this time I pushed myself, and I'm glad I did. I have a couple more recipes earmarked in the Whole Grain Baking book that I hope to bake over the next month.

[BakerAunt]

The Toasted Sesame and Sunflower Loaf is actually quite good. It is a firm bread and would be excellent in open-faced sandwiches and a nice accompaniment to soup or stew. I had a couple of slices with light butter-canola spread at lunch. I'll likely bake it again--and even keep the 1/2 cup each of toasted sesame seed and sunflower seed--but it won't be in regular rotation.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

I may give the food processor--in 2 batches--a try. If I do, I'll report back. It won't be for a while, since I just baked another bread yesterday.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

True, but that takes twice as long. I still wonder if my 7-quart Cuisinart stand mixer could manage it.

[BakerAunt]

Friday started at 14F at 8 a.m., and temperatures topped out in the mid-20Fs, so I decided to hunker down and try a new bread recipe, “Toasted Sesame and Sunflower Loaf,” from King Arthur Flour’s Whole Grain Baking (pp. 193-194. I made a few changes, substituting 1 cup buttermilk for 1 cup milk, and ¼ cup water for that much milk, as I use active not instant yeast, and I like to proof it. (It makes me happy to see it bubble.) I substituted 3 Tbs. of canola oil for the 4 Tbs. butter, and I deleted 2 tsp. dark sesame oil, which I do not have and would not buy for a single recipe. I soaked the old-fashioned oats in the buttermilk, and I held the oil until 10 minutes of the 30-minute kneading cycle of the bread machine had finished. I added an additional tablespoon of water, as the dough seemed dry. The first rise took two hours to achieve slightly less than double volume. Because the dough is so heavy, it was a difficult loaf to shape. The second rise took 90 minutes, and I had to push back on a side where the loaf had split before I put it in the oven. I baked for 50 minutes, but the bread, which is tented after the first 15 minutes in the oven, needed an additional 10 minutes to reach an internal temperature of 193F. Sunflower and Sesame Seeds keep popping off. Perhaps cutting the amounts down from ½ cup to 1/3 cup each might be prudent. The bread is cooling. I’ll add a note tomorrow about taste and texture.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

On Wednesday, I was going to make a stir-fry using leftover pork that my husband had cooked for dinner on Tuesday, but I got busy on something else, and next thing I knew it was nearly 6:30. So, last night, we each had a pork chop sandwich with a slice of bread each and steamed broccoli. Tonight, I will make sure that I get dinner preparations started in a timely fashion, and we will have pork stir fry with celery, broccoli, red bell pepper, mushrooms, de-fatted pork drippings, onion (turns out we had no green onion), and soba noodles.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by BakerAunt.

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