[BakerAunt]

Today I made dough for Rye Crisp crackers (recipe is posted here at Nebraska Kitchen). I'll bake them tomorrow. I also made another recipe of Skeptic's wonderful pumpkin biscotti.

[BakerAunt]

I roasted a "peanut" pumpkin from the farmers' market on Saturday afternoon, then pureed it in my food processor. Some I will use right away, and some I will freeze.

[BakerAunt]

That was not a great welcome home for you, Joan, but I am glad that you got the problem under control. I'm glad you and your sister had a great time. It's good to have you back with us at Nebraska Kitchen.

[BakerAunt]

Skeptic--Many thanks for posting the low-fat biscotti recipes. I look forward to baking them. My husband and I have already devoured the pumpkin ones.

The cheese crackers did taste better the next day, even though they will never be the same as the butter version. They seem to me to have an aftertaste when eaten on their own, but they work quite well with soups. I used canola oil in the crackers. I could try them with grapeseed oil next time, as it has a more neutral flavor than canola oil and that might work better with the Vermont Cheese powder. Grapeseed oil, like olive oil, however, has 2 g saturated fat per Tbs., compared to canola which only has 1g per Tbs. And canola is supposed to help lower cholesterol. I will try a canola based version with some kind of herb seasoning.

I let my 7-quart Cuisinart mixer handle the kneading of the Whole Grain Sourdough. I find it helps, however, to add the flour in stages, rather than the all at once that KAF seems to suggest in so many of its recipes. I also find it helps, with whole grains, to give them a resting period.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 7 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Friday night’s dinner was my Dijon-Peach Glazed Turkey Zucchini Loaf which we had with leftover ratatouille and mixed rice and steamed broccoli.

[BakerAunt]

For Thursday night dinner, I made ratatouille again. We had it over a mixture of several different kinds of rice, along with leftover rotisserie chicken and fresh green beans from our garden.

[BakerAunt]

On Monday evening, I baked Baker’s Grain Sourdough Bread, a recipe that appeared in a KAF catalog last year. I did not start the dough until after 8:30, so it was a late night. I baked this recipe once before, and it came out very well in the Emile Henry long baker.

It requires some alteration, as it calls for 1/2 cup of their Ancient Grains Flour Blend, which I tried years ago and did not like. It’s also expensive to buy. I know that my sourdough starter is not as thick as what KAF uses in its recipes, so I expect to add about ¼ cup flour per cup of sourdough starter. The recipe calls for the Harvest Grains blend, and I have that ingredient. While they soak them in a cup of hot water, I soak them in ½ cup of warm buttermilk. I was delayed in starting the bread, so they soaked about 3 hours.

I proof the yeast with honey in the other ½ cup of water. The recipe calls for ½ cup potato flour, but I used 1/3 cup. For the Ancient Grains mixture, I used ½ cup dark rye flour, ¼ cup barley flour, ¼ cup spelt flour, and ¼ cup flax meal. (Yes, that is more whole grain flour than KAF specifies.) After proofing the yeast, I added the rest of the honey and the soaked grains and mixed. Then I added the whole grain and potato flour blend, and ½ cup of the high-gluten flour, and the 2 Tbs. oil (I use canola) and mixed. I let it sit for 10 minutes. I mixed the salt (reduced to 1 ¾ tsp. from 2 tsp.) with the other 1 ¾ cups of high-gluten flour and mixed it in. Once it was incorporated, I kneaded on speed 3 for 5 minutes. The dough passed the window pane test.

The first rise was 1 hour and 15 minutes. I de-gassed, then pre-shaped and let sit for 5 minutes. I then shaped by folding the oval longways in half, sealing the edges with the heel of my hand, flattening to an oval, and again folding it over. (I turn so that the smooth side will be the outer side.). I then roll it as a cylinder, and put it in the greased, and sprinkled with farina, Emile Henry long baker. The second rise was 50 minutes. Although the recipe did not specify to do so, I slashed it before putting it into bake with the lid on for 35 minutes (recipe says 35-40 min.), then an additional 10 minutes until 190F.

Note: I sliced it the next day, and I love the way the whole grains meld with the sourdough tang.

[BakerAunt]

This Monday evening, I'm baking my adaptation of KAF's Baker's Grain Sourdough Bread, a recipe that appeared in their catalog last year. I got a late start, so it will be a late night.

[BakerAunt]

Today I baked Whole Wheat Sourdough Cheese Cracker dough I made last week. I used 1/3 cup canola oil in place of the usual 1/2 cup butter. On the positive side, I found the dough easier to work with. I could roll it right away when I took it out of the refrigerator, and it was easier to get it to 1/16-inch thickness. The crackers baked well and are crisp. They may even be more crisp than the butter ones. On the less positive side, without the butter, the Vermont Cheese powder flavor does not come through as nicely. I wonder if olive oil might have been a better choice for the dough, even with its stronger flavor.

I might need to think about other ways of flavoring the crackers if I'm going to make the oil for butter substitution. That might mean omitting the cheese powder and using some kind of herb mixture in the dough.

I'll add a note to this post after they have a day or so for the flavors to blend.

[BakerAunt]

Skeptic, Yes, I would like to see your other recipes when you have time to post them.

I will use whole eggs, since the yolks have important vitamins. (I wish the same could be said for butter, which I have loved not wisely but too well. Sigh.) I would include nuts, as walnuts and almonds are considered heart-healthy. As with eggs, of course, the key is not overdoing it. My approach is to make sure that my saturated fat per day is under 11 grams and to include more prominently foods that help lower cholesterol, such as beans and oatmeal.

[BakerAunt]

After dinner Sunday, I mixed up the ingredients for Skeptic's Pumpkin Biscotti. I used white whole wheat flour, rather than regular. I followed Skeptic's lead in reducing the sugar to 2/3 cup. I added 3 Tbs. powdered milk to the flour mixture. (I'm trying to make sure I get enough calcium.) I made it into a long log (16 inches), but I only made it 3-inches wide. It was 1/2 inch high. I spritzed it with water and sprinkled it with demerara sugar (Sugar in the Raw) to give it a bit of sparkle.

It's in the oven on its first bake. I'll add to this post after it is finished.

The first bake was 25 minutes. After the 15 minute cooling period, I spritzed it with water, moved to a cutting board, then cut straight, rather than on a diagonal, 1/2 inch thick. I checked on the second bake at 15 minutes, then gave them another 5. I'm waiting to taste test until tomorrow, since I want the spices to have a chance to meld, but I did nibble some of the crumbs after I sliced the log, and the taste is great. It made 28 biscotti (counting the little curved ends).

• This reply was modified 6 years, 7 months ago by BakerAunt.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 7 months ago by BakerAunt.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 7 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

I made chicken and potatoes. I used a half, boneless, skinless chicken breast (cut in half--these are large!) that I rubbed with a bit of low-fat mayonnaise, then dipped in a concoction of 3 Tbs. Panko, 3 Tbs. coarsely ground quick oats, about 1 Tbs. or so of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, 1/4 tsp. onion powder, 1/2 tsp. dried chives, and freshly ground pepper.

I cut up (large dice) three Purple Viking (I think that's the name) potatoes from the farmers market, leaving the skin, and rubbed the pieces with olive oil. These went onto a parchment-lined baking sheet to roast at 400 for half an hour. I then scooted them to the sides of the pan and put in the two pieces of chicken. I put it back in the oven at 375F for 30 minutes more (probably 25 would have been better, as chicken was slightly dry). We had it with microwaved fresh green beans from our garden.

[BakerAunt]

Cooler weather moved in yesterday, so Saturday is a good day for soup for dinner and to use some of that broth in the freezer. I tend to throw my soups together, based on what is in the house, so I have to write down what I did. I started by cooking 2/3 cup Bob’s Red Mill Hull-less Barley in 4 cups of the broth for 80 minutes. It’s supposed to be healthier than the usual pearl barley, but I know from previous experimenting that it takes a while to cook and get soft. In large Le Creuset pot, I sautéed diced onion and celery in about 1 ½ Tbs. grapeseed oil, as I wanted a more neutral flavor than olive oil, added garlic, then added about 8 oz. sliced Baby Bella mushrooms. I added the cooked barley and its liquid, 2 cups of Bob’s Red Mill Vegi-Soup Mix (red and brown lentils, split green and yellow peas, some letter barley that always dissolves), then added another 4 cups broth. I used ½ tsp dried Rosemary, 1 tsp. dried thyme, and ½ tsp. ground sage to season. After bringing to a boil, I simmered for an hour, decided it was too thick and added 2 cups more broth from the freezer, then let it sit covered until dinner. We like this version of soup a lot, but some of the flavor may be because half of this broth was made using the bones of a rotisserie chicken.

[BakerAunt]

Saturday evening, I baked “Healthier Cornbread,” a recipe I’ve used for a long time now, to go with soup for dinner. It only calls for 2 Tbs. canola oil and uses one egg and a cup of buttermilk. I tried it with 1 cup of white whole wheat flour in place of the AP, and I used ¾ cup of the ground cornmeal from KAF and ¼ of Bob’s Red Mill coarse cornmeal. It came out very well. I thought initially that it might be a bit dry, but it was fine and not quite as crumbly as what I make with AP flour.

[BakerAunt]

Glad to hear that your freezer is fixed, Mike! And before the weekend! And in time for the tomato harvest!

I have been wondering about a food mill with the tomatoes for removing skin and seeds.

Is there a specific reason for removing tomato seeds? I've never done so.

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