[BakerAunt]

My husband says that would be true of ocean salt water, but he is not certain it is true of water to which we add salt. (OK, I tried to "cheat" by asking him, and when the answer came up as wrong, he was puzzled.)

[BakerAunt]

I Thursday afternoon, I baked Maple Granola. I had seen the recipe in the KAF Whole Grain baking book, but I also checked online, and I prefer that variation of the recipe, which reduces the oil to 1/2 cup and adds 1/2 cup of powdered milk:

https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/vermont-maple-granola-recipe

My changes were to use Bob's Red Mill powdered milk rather than KAF's special dried milk, which I will save for baking where it is needed. I used the BRM powdered milk because it is a fine powder. Probably it would be ok to grind one of the granular powdered milks, then measure, if that is what is on hand. I deleted the salt, since I was using coconut which has plenty. Although I've been cutting the coconut in most of my granola recipes due to the saturated fat, since this is a large recipe, and I have large flaked coconut to use up, I added the full amount. I also deleted the vanilla because if I'm using my precious dark maple syrup, I'm not about to confuse the taste with vanilla! I chose to add 1 1/2 cups of raisins.

I may have baked it slightly long. My pans did not allow it to spread out as much as I would have liked, but they fit into the oven I'm currently using. Somewhere I have a large pan and next time will likely use it. I had some for breakfast this morning, and the granola has a good taste. I think that it would be a good breakfast food for traveling when we don't want to resort to instant oatmeal packets (which even unsweetened don't have what I consider a pleasant consistency). Lately my husband has been eating the granola for snacks, so I hope the 15 cups I made will last for a couple weeks.

[BakerAunt]

I'm glad you posted the recipe, Italian Cook! Thank you also for giving us its history for your family.

[BakerAunt]

I did not know that about employee owned companies, Aaron. Thanks for the insight. It will be sad when/if KAF is acquired by another brand.

I understand the need to focus on the bottom line for both KAF and BRM. However, KAF seems much less focused now on serious home bakers--a change that started when they removed the Baking Circle site. The focus is on the professional (understandable) and the occasional baker. I am part of their Bakers Rewards Plus, but these days, I only buy certain items from them that I cannot get anywhere else. The one advantage of the Bakers Plus membership is that I don't have to wait for a special--then try to buy enough at that time--to make free shipping work.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 5 months ago by BakerAunt.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 5 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

To go with leftover rotisserie chicken, I made a noodles and broccoli dish. I used the rest of a package of spinach noodles. After the water boiled and I added them, I waited for the water to boil again, then dumped in a package of frozen broccoli. Meanwhile, I sautéed some onion and mushrooms in a bit of olive oil, then added the drippings from the chicken (almost no fat) and 3 “Mini-Moos” I had left over from a trip and need to use up. They are nice when there is no half and half around, and these days there rarely is in our refrigerator. I added freshly ground pepper, then mixed with the drained noodles and broccoli, with a bit of the pasta water. After tossing with grated Parmesan cheese, we had a nice accompaniment to the chicken.

[BakerAunt]

That's disappointing, Aaron.

Bob's Red Mill was sold by Bob to the employees about a year or so ago, and it is undergoing some changes. I suspect that is a reason some products are being dropped; another maybe that the business needs to change to survive and grow.

KAF went through this transition to employee owned, and I suspect it has had some additional transitions as it changes its business plan.

[BakerAunt]

We've been having a lot of rain as well, and Monday had severe weather, mostly to our southeast.

[BakerAunt]

I wonder if the filling for Sarah H's recipe would work with an oil crust for larger small pies. I may try it at some point.

[BakerAunt]

Tuesday's dinner was a salad using mixed greens and radishes from the farmers' market--along with celery, carrots, cherry tomatoes, and green onions from the store. We had it with rotisserie chicken.

[BakerAunt]

I wondered about that the sourdough gluten claim also.

[BakerAunt]

This recipe makes scrumptious bars. I replaced the AP flour with white whole wheat flour, and I used my homemade black raspberry, reduced sugar jam instead of the apricot. This recipe should work with almost any jam.

[BakerAunt]

I missed it, but with a low-saturated fat diet, the 93% is what I buy for our occasional use of ground beef in a recipe--usually my mother's hamburger stroganoff. However, for grilling, which my husband does maybe a couple of times in the summer, hamburger with more fat works better, and I hope that the fat drips away. I buy that at our farmers' market from a local producer.

We do use a lot of lean ground turkey.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 5 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Aaron--I'm sure your boys are equal to the task!

On Monday afternoon, I baked my version of Ellen’s buns. I always think of Mrs. Cindy when I bake this recipe, as she encouraged me to try it. I am working to bake buns that are at least 50% whole grain, but I know from experience that too much whole wheat takes over the flavor. So, this time I used 1 ¾ C. KAF AP flour; 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill whole wheat, and ½ cup white whole wheat flour. I also added 3 Tbs. flax meal and 2 Tbs. special dried milk. As usual, I used just 2 tsp. yeast, replaced the sugar with 2 Tbs. honey, and replaced ¾ cup of the liquid with buttermilk. I replaced the butter with not quite 2 Tbs. of canola oil, and I cut the salt to ¾ tsp.

While the bun dough was rising, I baked the Apricot Oatmeal Bar recipe to which S. Wirth called our attention a few days ago. However, I substituted white whole wheat flour for the AP flour, and I used 10 oz. of the black raspberry jam I made last summer. My husband and I loved them, and this recipe will go into my permanent repertoire, especially as it is low in saturated fat.

[BakerAunt]

For our Memorial Day dinner, my husband cooked thick boneless porkchops on the stove top. We split one lengthwise and made sandwiches, using the buns I baked today. We usually have the PBS News Hour on during dinner, but when the audio switched to repeated tornado warnings in the South Bend area, we turned to weather coverage and my husband ran to the house to check the radar. It rained heavily with some wind and thunderstorms, but the severe weather did not hit our area. I know that areas southwest of us did have tornados, and this is the system that went into Ohio.

[BakerAunt]

Aaron--Have you sent an inquiry to the BRM people? I have noticed that they seem to be cutting back on certain items. I cannot get dried cherries, dried chopped apple, dates, or long grain brown rice on the site anymore. I'm not baking many cakes these days that require cake flour, having lost my audience when I retired and moved away, but I liked how the BRM cake flour performs and would hate to see it discontinued.

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