[BakerAunt]

It was -15F here this morning. We may have reached a high of 4F. On top of that our internet was out until late afternoon. So I did a lot of reading, and I baked my current variation of Antilope's Vienna Bread (see reply on the recipe), but I reduced the salt to 1 3/4 tsp. from 2 tsp.

In terms of procedure, I tried the idea of holding back the butter--cut into pieces and coated with flour--until half way through the 30 minute bread machine kneading cycle. I do not know if that is why the bread had such a wonderful rise. I also used the Emile Henry long baker (fourth time for it but first time for this recipe) and adjusted the baking times for 10 minutes at 425F, 25 minutes at 375F, and 5 minutes more without the top on. It made a beautiful loaf. I look forward to cutting into it tomorrow and seeing the texture.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 3 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

For New Year's Day dinner, I again made the "One-Pan Pork Loin Roast Dinner" that I first made the week of December 3. (The recipe is in Cook's Fall Harvest Recipes, p. 24.) This time I had pearl barley (ordered a case!), and the consistency is much better than with the instant barley I had to use the first time. I again used frozen mustard greens, and I used a whole butternut squash rather than a half. In addition to tasting delicious, it makes a stunning presentation on the plate. It is a perfect dinner for a day when the temperature did not get above 4F, and it is now below 0.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 3 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Beautiful Star Bread, Cwcdesign!

[BakerAunt]

Italian Cook--The yeast does not depend on the salt to make the bread rise, and too much salt can affect yeast negatively. The salt is there in part to control the yeast's rise. A lot of bread recipes strike me as having too much yeast. When I reduce the yeast, I also reduce the salt a bit. However, I have read that salt is important to a bread's structure as well as to its taste, so I proceed cautiously. I suspect that the yeast-salt issue is partly because recipes are designed for the "one-hour" first and second rises. Home bakers have been trained to be impatient.

Tuscan bread does not have salt. I also have a no-salt bread from Bernard Clayton's first edition of his bread book (not in the second) that I used to make for a friend's mother when she would visit her daughter. It did not have the domed rise of a regular bread.

It helps to know that very few of us are going to consume the entire loaf of bread or every roll in a recipe in a single sitting.

In cooking, I have tended to limit salt, even before I met my husband who limits it due to high blood pressure. (Of course, now The Powers That Be are saying that in half the cases of high blood pressure, limiting salt intake makes no difference. Sigh.) Even without limiting it for my husband, I would be limiting salt for me, as it acerbates a facial nerve issue that I have. I like Penzey's Mural Seasoning, which I use on eggs and in my salmon patties. It's a no-go for Mike, however, since it contains garlic. Penzey's Tuscan Seasoning is no-salt, and it is my go-to for pizza topping for me. They also have a Forward seasoning that I need to try that is salt-free. It helps to stay away from most poultry seasoning, which has a lot of salt; instead, I do my own combination of rosemary, sage, thyme, sweet curry (maybe I should check the ingredients on the curry), and fresh parsley.

What we miss most are potato chips! We used to treat ourselves when we were in Indiana by buying "evil potato chips," but we agreed once we moved here permanently to banish them from the pantry. Tortilla chips are an occasional treat, but I buy the brand with the least salt. For snacks, I've been making my own crackers, and that helps for controlling salt, as well as what kind of fat is used.

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

[BakerAunt]

Hi, Bev,

I don't think that I have posted it. One of the issues I have in finding my recipes is that I also posted a lot of recipes by others from the former Baking Circle, so my name comes up rather a lot.

I will post it tomorrow. My recipe uses biscuits on top. I adapted it from a KAF email for Town Meeting Chicken Pie. I use frozen peas and carrots, but it would be adaptable if you want to cut up your own fresh vegetables.

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

[BakerAunt]

Although restricted diets are a change, it is nice to know Mike that there are steps you can take for your health. With exercise, I suppose that those are literal steps. 🙂 We will all be supporting you in this lifestyle change, and learning from it for ourselves as well.

According to google that is 3/4 tsp. of sodium per day. Of course, there is naturally occurring sodium in other food that needs to be taken into account. Sigh. If it were just a matter of not adding salt, it would be easier.

I have a resolution to get more exercise. I've been recovering from plantar fasciitis, so that has limited my walking, but insoles are helping. Now I need the temperatures to get above the teens! The high this morning was 14F, and by afternoon it was 9F.

[BakerAunt]

For Saturday's dinner, I made my turkey pot pie with the biscuit topping. It's becoming standard for us with turkey leftovers.

[BakerAunt]

Italian Cook: I'm signed up for their emails. I recommend being on their email list as well as Penzey's email list. For people who do a lot of specialty flours, Bob's Red Mill's email list is excellent as well.

KAF got a new computer system within the past year, and apparently some information was lost in the transition, and so if people previously were getting their emails and then the emails stopped, it is a good idea to sign up again.

[BakerAunt]

I thought of you today Aaron while reading a ATK recipe in one of their Holiday Baking magazines (which year by year repeat most of the same recipes, sigh) for a gooey cinnamon bread. As with all ATK articles, the author pontificated at length. He was trying to get a Japanese style bread without ordering the extra high gluten flour of his base recipe. Several points he mentioned: getting more air into the dough gives a higher rise (one reason doing it with machines helps), doing folds helps incorporated more air for a higher rise (something I've never tried), and adding butter toward the end (he suggested cutting up the butter and coating with a Tbs. or so of the flour to help get it incorporated at that late stage). Butter coating the flour will inhibit gluten development. Kid Pizza told me the same about oil; however, it is not that easy to get the oil incorporated at later stages.

I'd be interested in knowing if others have experimented with adding butter or oil later.

[BakerAunt]

Years ago when I drove from Los Angeles to Spokane for a one year teaching job, I made fruit cake, using a recipe that also used canned pears, as one of my trip foods. I'm actually looking at a fruitcake cookie recipe for when we take a trip next month.

[BakerAunt]

Several weeks ago, I experimented with my own recipe for a bread using the King Arthur mixed grains. I baked it again today, only I substituted in some barley flour I wanted to use up for half the whole wheat flour. I again used the Emile Henry long bread baker that KAF is selling, and it makes a stunning loaf of bread. This time, after greasing it, I sprinkled farina (cream of wheat) instead of semolina to prevent sticking, since the semolina tends to burn a bit. My rising times were long since the house is so cold, but I thought a slower rise might be nice, or I could have put it near the wood stove.

It was a cozy day for baking. The lake froze two nights ago, and temperatures are bitterly cold. It started snowing again this evening.

[BakerAunt]

Let's all head over to Luvpyrpom's house for tea and cookies! 🙂

[BakerAunt]

For Wednesday lunch, I'm made a version of Cass's Mother's Lentil Soup. I sautéed some chopped onion, celery, red bell pepper, and garlic in some bacon grease. I added sliced carrots. For liquid, I used 3 1/2 cups of the water left over from cooking the potatoes for Christmas dinner, and about 1 cup of drippings left from deglazing the roasting pan after the turkey. I added 1 cup mixed lentils and 1/2 cup pearl barley. I used 1/2 tsp Ozark seasoning from Penzey's. I moved it to the wood stove to boil, then simmer. Chopped parsley is added near the end of cooking.

[BakerAunt]

For Christmas dinner tonight, my husband roasted a turkey. I made the Pepperidge Farm Dressing (blue bag!), mashed potatoes, gravy, and steamed green beans.

[BakerAunt]

Merry Christmas! Here on the lake in northern Indiana, we have a white Christmas, due to four inches of snow that began at 8:40 a.m. yesterday and continued into the evening. My husband, who does the shoveling has decided that a paved rather than a gravel driveway, albeit a short one, is in order. It is in the 20s this afternoon, although the sun is shining brightly. This morning icy slush floated on the lake near shore, but the wind has broken it up--no frozen lake yet. Our local Santa portrayer went by in a canoe with one of his dogs. (When the lake is frozen, he ice skates; other years, he paddleboards.) We are having a quiet holiday with just the two of us and the dog. The three kids called in from California, after we failed to figure out how to set up skype with them. We will try to figure it out by New Year's Day.

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