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After dinner on Tuesday, I put together a new recipe, Blueberry-Barley Pinwheel Scones, from Bob's Red Mill:
https://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes/how-to-make/blueberry-barley-pinwheel-scones/
These sit unbaked overnight in the refrigerator, then are to be baked in the morning. Having come this far, I found the recipe has some issues. The first one was with the website. When I printed the recipe, part of the section at the end of #1, until #4, was omitted. (I felt, in a much lesser sense, that I was in the technical challenge of the Great British Bake Off, but unlike those contestants, I was able to go to the computer, copy the portion that would not print, paste it into a word document and print it.)
The dough was very sticky--little wonder that the instructions say to make liberal use of flour. I think that 3/4 cup half and half is too much, although perhaps the barley flour will absorb more of the liquid? I've used barley flour in other scone recipes, and I can't say that it seemed to absorb an unusual amount. If I make the recipe again, I might cut the half and half, and only add more as needed. I was able to get the filled dough rolled up, by using my bowl scraper to help it along, but the sticking caused a couple of tears.
I used some of my three-berry jam (blackberry, strawberry, blueberry) for the filling. I did not coat the rolled-up dough in poppy seeds because my husband has issues with poppy seed. I used KAF sparkling sugar, in part because I thought it needs something on the outside to form a "skin". I was able to cut the rolled-up dough with dental floss, as I do with yeast rolls. I ended up cutting the roll into 16 pieces that stayed together reasonably well when transferred to a parchment-lined baking sheet. I've covered it with saran and refrigerated it. I will bake it tomorrow morning and add a note.
NOTE: These baked into wonderfully light little “biscuits” with jam swirled inside. After seeing the result, I would probably use only a smidge less half and half—perhaps 2/3 cup instead of 3/4 cup. I also wonder if letting the dough rest in the refrigerator, after forming it into a rectangle but before putting the jam on it, would give the barley flour time to absorb the liquid and make it a bit easier to roll up the filled dough.
Additional disclaimer: I did the mixing by hand rather than using a food processor.
I baked Whole Wheat Sourdough Crackers on Sunday afternoon, from the dough I made a week ago Saturday. They should have been baked on Wednesday or Thursday, but life intervened. These have a stronger sourdough flavor, so I’m surprised that my husband, who says he does not like sourdough, has commented on their tastiness.
I also baked a Blueberry Galette. I had a Fruit Galette with Buckwheat Crust that came into my mail box from Bon Appetit. The BA staff member used blueberries instead of the given strawberry-rhubarb filling, but did not say how the filling needed to be changed for blueberries. Then when I read that the person, a rookie baker, used waxed paper instead of parchment paper, I lost confidence in approaching that recipe. I have suspected for some time, based on their email recipes, that Bon Appetit, in its quest for the "Millennial” audience, has been focusing on trend foods, and perhaps they thought illustrating the human error of this baker was a good thing. I’ve not seen an issue of the magazine for years, so I do not know if it reflects their emails.
I went back online and found a Blueberry Galette recipe at Everyday Dorrie, which is Dorrie Greenspan’s website. The recipe is from her 2014 Baking Chez Moi:
Of course, I used her recipe! The doughs were almost the same, except hers used all AP flour. I substituted in ¼ cup of buckwheat flour, so consider my galette rustic! Her recipe is also designed for blueberries. I made up the galette dough in the morning. While she uses a food processor, I did mine by hand. She instructs you to roll out the dough after it has come together, instead of leaving it in a disc, and then having to bring it to temperature and roll it out later. I made a 12-inch circle (although she does not give a thickness, 1/8th-inch thick is perfect), then stuck it in the refrigerator for several hours. My husband is not a fan of ginger, so I substituted 1/8th tsp. allspice and a couple of scrapes of freshly grated nutmeg. I used Panko for the bread crumbs. After assembling the galette, I brushed the crust with heavy cream and sprinkled it with sugar.
I just took it out of this old avocado green oven, which is increasingly hard to set to a specific temperature. [If you are wondering about the kitchen remodel, so am I. The contractor keeps putting us off.] The galette did have some juices leak out, which I've read is typical and the reason why the baker should always use a rimmed pan, which I did. I'll add a note tonight after we sample the galette for dessert.
Promised Note: Delicious! The pastry is nice and flaky and the filling is slightly tart, which is fine with us. We had it with a bit of vanilla ice cream on the side.
On Saturday, I again baked Bernard Clayton’s Dark Grains Bread. This time, I used 3 ¾ tsp. yeast and 2 ¼ tsp. salt. I again used 1 ½ cups buttermilk. I tried soaking the wheat germ and buckwheat in the buttermilk while I proofed the yeast with a bit of the honey. I then added the rest of the honey and the buttermilk mixture, mixing with the flat beater of my 7-quart Cuisinart. One cup at a time, I beat in the 3 cups of whole wheat flour. I removed the paddle and allowed the dough to sit for 15 minutes. I then added 2 Tbs. melted butter around the edges of the dough in the bowl, before adding 1 ½ cups of bread flour with the salt—half at a time—using the kneading hook on speed 2, and stopping to use the scraper into all the flour was incorporated. I then kneaded at speed 3 for 5 minutes. It looked risen at 55 minutes, so I de-gassed it and pre-shaped two loaves, then let rest 5 minutes before final shaping and panning. I preheated the oven after 15 minutes, as the rise was going quickly. After 35 minutes, I put the bread into the oven. I checked it at 45 minutes (5 minutes earlier than the recipe states), and it registered 205F. There is a bit of “dimpling” on the top, but less pronounced than last time. It may be that is a feature in a 75% whole grain bread. I'll add a note on taste and texture after we cut into it tomorrow. As soon as I am satisfied with my version of this recipe, I will post it at Nebraska Kitchen.
I made the All-American Potato Salad again, as there are such nice red potatoes for it at the farmers’ market--the kind where you can leave the skins. We had it with the rest of the turkey-zucchini loaf and some steamed broccoli.
Have a safe trip, Chocomouse! We will miss you.
Joan--Did you can your fig jam, or did you make it for the refrigerator or freezer? It sounds delicious.
Because vanilla has been plentiful for most of our lives, it seems to make its way as an ingredient into most dessert recipes. What I would like to figure out is when the vanilla (and how much of it) is essential, and when it is being added as force of habit. In the case of these scones, my husband thinks the lemon oil is too strong, although I find it ok; perhaps the vanilla would have evened it out, or perhaps I could have left both out.
For breakfast, I baked a new recipe, “Blueberry Cream Scones [with Mint Sugar], from Ken Haedrich’s The Harvest Baker (p. 46). I did not use the optional mint sugar (my husband is not a mint fan, nor do I have any fresh mint on hand) or the glaze, as a good scone should be able to stand on its own! I made a couple of changes: I substituted in 25% barley flour for that much AP flour, I deleted the ½ tsp. of vanilla, and I used ¼ tsp. lemon oil rather than 1/2 tsp. lemon extract or 2 tsp. grated lemon zest, which I do not have. I have an old jar of vanilla sugar that still smells like vanilla, so I sprinkled some of it on top before baking, along with a bit of the KAF sparkling sugar. These are some of the lightest, most tender scones that I’ve ever baked, and they are heavenly. I followed Haedrich's advice to freeze the blueberries overnight. I also mixed up all the dry ingredients the night before, covered the bowl and put it in the refrigerator, along with my pastry cutter.
I omitted the vanilla because, with the skyrocketing vanilla prices (and no end to it in sight), I find myself taking a page from the home front of the second world war when posters reminded motorists of gas shortages: “Is this trip necessary?” I try to apply that to recipes these days, “Is the vanilla necessary?” My only concession was that stash of vanilla sugar that I really should use up.
