[BakerAunt]

I baked on New Year’s Eve. I again used as my base recipe, the KAF recipe for Oatmeal Toasting Bread. I use half bread flour and half whole wheat flour, along with 1 Tbs. flax meal. I use 1 cup buttermilk, in which I soak my grains of choice. Previously, I’ve used KAF’s Harvest Grains, but I’ve also used rolled oats, and last time I used rolled barley. This time I used Bob’s Red Mill rolled Five Grain Flakes. I cut the salt to 1 tsp. I find that the bread bakes a nice high loaf in an 8x4 loaf pan. I bake it to about 200F, which takes 47 minutes rather than 40 minutes, although that may be the oven I currently am using.

[BakerAunt]

I tried a new recipe on Friday, Maple Date Kamut Cookies, from Bob’s Red Mill. It was on a package of dates I bought from them, and apparently it is in their cook book, but it is not on their website. The only saturated fat comes from the two eggs, and the recipe made 26 cookies. It also has oats. The cookies stay as little balls. I left the first batch that way; the second batch I smooshed flat. I think that the flatter ones bake better. I was not that impressed with them Friday evening, but they improve the next day. If I make them again, and likely I will since my husband likes them, and I still have the rest of the bag of kamut flour to finish, I might cut the quick oats back from 2 ½ cups to 2 ¼ cups, as the cookies seem a bit heavy.

I baked another new recipe on Saturday, Fresh Apple Cake, from Recipes from the Old Mill: Baking with Whole Grains, by Sarah E. Myers and Mary Beth Lind, two sisters whose family, according to the blurb on the back, has operated a mill producing stone-ground flour in West Virginia for two generations. This recipe is on p. 213. (Publisher: Good Books, 1995). It’s a favorite baking book, and so far, every recipe has worked well. I was particularly pleased that the 13x9-inch cake has 18g of saturated fat, so reasonable pieces work within dietary parameters. I used one Jonathan and three Winesaps. I substituted Penzey's Apple Pie Spice for 1 tsp. cinnamon and 1/4 tsp. cloves in the cake itself, simply because I have the apple pie spice (a free sample) to use. I also substituted 1 cup buttermilk for 1 cup yogurt. We will have it for dinner tonight. I'll add a note after we sample it.

Note: The apple cake is delicious. I will definitely bake it again.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 8 months ago by BakerAunt.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 8 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

We are also eating leftovers--and loving it!--but for dinner Friday night, I supplemented the small amount of leftover dressing by roasting a pan of potatoes, cut into cubes and rubbed with olive oil and sprinkled with poultry seasoning. 40 min at 400F worked perfectly.

[BakerAunt]

On Thursday, I baked a bread that KAF called “Nelson’s Choice Rye Bread,” on a long-ago package, but which they now call something else. The recipe comes directly from Secrets of Jewish Baker, and it was so attributed at the time. It’s an iffy recipe, and KAF now has reduced the original amount of water in order to produce a better result. I used 1 cup plus 1 Tbs. water; next time, I will reduce that to 1 cup, although the rainy day may have also affected the dough. I baked it this time with dark rye flour (usually I do a mix of dark and medium rye flour), and I used non-fat plain Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream. (I’ve used regular sour cream and low-fat sour cream in the past.) I added 1 Tbs. canola oil to try to make up for the fat that isn’t there in the dairy. I do not have vital wheat gluten, an ingredient that I do not stock, so I omitted it. I had to add an additional 4 Tbs. of First Clear flour, which is the other flour in the bread. With this bread, the key is not to let the second rise go too long, or it will collapse when baking. I let it rise for about 35 minutes, then slashed and baked in a round 8-inch cake pan. The bread did not rise as high as it sometimes does, but it held its shape better. We will try it for sandwiches on Friday. I'll add a note to this post then about taste and texture.

Note: The bread came out delicious, and the crumb was even throughout.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 8 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

I found basic instructions for the Galaxy, which is from Sears. There was no mention of whether the broiler is supposed to come on for pre-heating. I think that Mike is correct, and that the broiler is not supposed to engage. As the oven holds a temperature that equates with what is on the dial, it's good for baking, even though my baked goods seem to need a longer time.

[BakerAunt]

Skeptic--yes, I'll check the internet. The broiler does work, so maybe the oven just takes longer.

The pumpkin pie was excellent from the crust to the filling! At about 4.5 g. sat. fat per 1/8th, it is slightly high, but workable for my low-saturated fat parameters.

[BakerAunt]

I made a vegetable soup (onion, celery, carrots from our garden, mushrooms, parsley) with chicken broth and Christmas shaped pasta for lunch on Christmas Day.

For dinner, my husband roasted at 15 lb. turkey (smallest we could find when we bought it before Thanksgiving). I made a "lighter" version of my blue-bag Pepperidge Farm dressing, which means I used a bit more than 1 Tbs. butter (usually I use 8 Tbs.). I cut back the broth a bit so it would not be soggy. It was pretty good, even though my taste buds would have liked more butter. We also had steamed broccoli, before moving on to pumpkin pie.

[BakerAunt]

The original article was on The Atlantic website, which is where the Colbert staff found it. I did not find the article itself convincing, and there did not seem to be much else on the topic in my Google search, although I was in a hurry. The author may be observing this phenomenon among friends, but that does not rise to enough evidence for a trend. My thought is that there may be more "entry-level" baking--cookies and the occasional cake--occurring among millennials, although how often they do it would need to be assessed.

I do bake when anxious. After Sept. 11, I needed to bake bread, and I've also done so at other stressful times in my life. When I was younger, after issues with a senior faculty member, I baked buns and shared them with a friend and said this was Name Withheld's Head rolls. That was back when I kneaded by hand. However, I have constantly baked since moving into my own apt. in college, and I bake when I am happy, and I bake when I need bread. I'd say it is integrated into my life. I did like the point that people who work in fields that can be more abstract, or where it takes a while to see results, tend to enjoy working on something with their hands where the results are seen more quickly. It is also a way of balancing all areas of the brain.

I've always said that the world would be a better place if more people baked. It teaches process and patience.

[BakerAunt]

Merry Christmas to all, and to all good cooking and luscious baking!

[BakerAunt]

Skeptic--I think that your substitution should work. The biscotti may be more tender or crumbly with the almond flour.

Chocomouse--My Bake from Scratch bread collection has a star coffee cake that uses jam in the layers. It's on my list to try with my black raspberry jam, since I made a lot of it and peach jam, expecting to use the jams in recipes that on my forbidden list for the time being.

On Christmas Eve, I baked a pumpkin pie, which for my husband is a Christmas tradition, so I've adopted it as well. I used the same oil crust recipe I used for the two previous crumb apple pies, but I made the larger amount so that I could build up the sides in my Emile Henry deep pie dish. My only changes were to reduce the salt, use buttermilk, and use 25% white whole wheat flour. After blind baking the crust for 15 minutes, I removed the liner with the beans and put it back for another 5 minutes to crisp the bottom crust. I made the pumpkin pie in my usual way—pre-cooking all the filling ingredients except for the eggs, then whisking one egg into a little bit of the filling before returning it to the rest, then whisking in each additional egg. I did cut the butter in the pie from 2 ½ Tbs. to 1 Tbs. I baked it starting at the higher temperature for 10 minutes, then reducing it. The pie did not puff up as it usually does, and I had to bake it an additional 10 minutes before I decided it was set. It does not look quite like my previous pies, so I was not quite sure about doneness.

The mystery was on its way to being solved on Christmas day, when I realized why this oven in the apt.—a “Galaxy” (brand of which I have never heard)—has been performing differently from the old Frigidare I had in the house. I’d put it down to different ovens of different vintage. I was pleased that the oven temperature on the thermometer was identical to the stove’s temperature setting, although I’d also noted that this stove takes a lot longer to pre-heat than the other, and sometimes slips slightly below the temperature. I was also having to bake items at least 10 minutes longer. Today, when we put in the turkey, I noted it was close to the top, so the rack needed to be lowered. My husband said, “Is there a top element?” I looked (this oven has no light in it, which is irksome) and noted the top element, which was not lit up. The light bulb in my brain came on: I don’t think that the top element is working, which would explain the long preheat and the longer baking times. After the turkey cooks, and the oven is cool, I’ll try turning on the broiler. It may be that the top element needs to be replaced. I don’t have a manual for this range, as it was in the apt. when we bought the place.

[BakerAunt]

Our Christmas Eve dinner will be Salmon and Couscous with Greek Seasoning and microwaved peas.

[BakerAunt]

I usually make a Swedish Coffee Ring with almond filling for Christmas, but it did not fit into the low-saturated fat parameters (less than 11 g per day), given the other food, such as stuffing and pumpkin pie, that I’d be consuming per day in this holiday week. (I’ll save it for another time.) I happened upon KAF’s Cinnamon Star Bread recipe, and I baked it Sunday evening.

https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/cinnamon-star-bread-recipe

I used half white whole wheat flour, and I replaced the ¼ cup butter with 3 Tbs. canola oil. (That means the whole coffee cake has about 4 g. sat. fat, instead of 29g.) I also added a Tbs. of flax meal. I slipped up and only used 1 tsp. cinnamon in the filling. It’s still good, and next time, I will grab the correct spoon (oh, yeah, it’s the BIG ONE). I used all the water, since I had subbed in the white whole wheat flour. It is a soft, slightly sticky dough, which I mixed and kneaded in the bread machine.

I found it easiest to roll each round on parchment, with saran over the top. After I did the bottom one, I left it on the parchment on which I would be baking it, and I rolled out the others on another piece, one at a time. I then flipped that piece over, peeled off the parchment, and used the saran to position the dough onto the stack of circles. I peeled it off and proceeded to the next one. I discovered that after marking the center circle with a cookie cutter, it should be removed, or its weight will cause it to cut the dough, which will make the twists more difficult (you want them attached to the center at the top). When using the bench knife to make the 16 cuts, it is best to wet the blade slightly, or it will stick.

There is a blog with the KAF recipe that helps show how to make the twists. Although the recipe said to bake for 12-15 minutes, I use a heavy baking sheet, and I needed to bake it 25 minutes before the center tested at 195F. We had some for breakfast this morning, after our oatmeal, and it goes very nicely with coffee and it looks nice, even if all the twists didn’t quite come out correctly. I will bake it again.

[BakerAunt]

We were out of bread, so on Friday evening I baked a loaf of what I’ve named Buttermilk Barley-Whole Wheat Bread, using the bread machine to do the kneading. My starting point was the KAF Oatmeal Toasting bread, the same recipe I used last week, except that this time, in addition to making it half whole wheat and half bread flour, I used barley flakes in place of the oats. (I’ve discovered that I have a LOT of barley flakes). I used buttermilk again but increased it to 1 cup because the dough was dry. I also needed to add another tablespoon of water. I cut the salt to 1 tsp. and used about 1 ½ Tbs. canola oil. I needed to add 7 minutes to the baking time to get it to 200F. It’s a heavier bread but it rose nicely and baked well. My husband really liked it for his sandwich, and I enjoyed a slice with soup for lunch on Saturday. We clearly like barley! I think this recipe is a good base for a variety of grains.

We went hiking at a reservoir on Wednesday, then stopped off at Countryside Orchards and bought more apples: traditional Winesaps (the little ones!) and another, larger variety of Winesaps. We also bought Melrose and Ever Crisp for eating, and a jug of fresh cider for drinking. As I’m still using up the apples we picked in November, on Saturday morning, I again baked my Barley-Buttermilk Apple Cinnamon bread that began its life at Bob’s Red Mill as a gluten-free one. I again used AP and barley flour in the same proportion as the second time and buttermilk and boiled apple cider. I reduced the sugar in the bread further (originally ¾ cup; I’d used 2/3 but this time cut it to ½). I also added 2 tsp. chia seeds. This bread became a favorite of my husband’s the first time I baked it, so I’m curious to see if the changes work for him. When I stop fussing with it, I’ll post it at Nebraska Kitchen.

[BakerAunt]

On Thursday, I made Spaghetti Squash-Turkey “Lasagna" because I inadvertently thawed tomato sauce earlier in the week instead of turkey broth. The tomato sauce is what I made and froze in September. I also made chicken broth this afternoon from the bones of a rotisserie chicken. Other than making the broth into soup, I shouldn't have to cook again until Christmas day.

[BakerAunt]

I baked another apple pie, with crumb topping (Bernard Clayton's French Apple Pie) on Tuesday evening, using a combination of Winesap and Jonathan apples. I reduced the topping by 25%, and I used that oil-based pie crust recipe again. I like it with buttermilk rather than milk, and I substituted in ¼ cup of white whole wheat flour.

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