[BakerAunt]

On Monday, I baked a streusel apple pie using the first oil-based crust in the KAF Anniversary Cookbook. I used 1/3 white whole wheat flour this time, and as I’ve done before, I replaced the milk with buttermilk. I accidentally put in 1 ½ Tbs. sugar rather than 1 ½ tsp. I forgot that I prefer to put this pie in the deep-dish Emile Henry pie plate. By the time that I remembered, I’d already blind-baked the crust in my 9-inch metal one. I used small Winesap apples that have been keeping cool in our heated garage (temperature at 48F). The original recipe, from Bernard Clayton used 7 large Granny Smith apples, so I used 15 of the little Winesaps. (I intended to use 14 but realized an extra one needed to be used.) I pre-cooked the apple mixture in a skillet after allowing it to sit for 15 minutes. I piled it very high in the pan. I cut the streusel topping ingredients by 25%, except for the butter, which I cut from 1/3 cup to 4 Tbs. I initially baked at 425F for 15 minutes, then 375F for 30 minutes. The filling cooked down just a bit, but it did not run over. (Thank heavens for the drip rim on that metal pie pan.) It is now cooling. While it ought to wait until tomorrow to be sliced, having only finished baking at around 4:45, my husband is unlikely to be that patient.

[BakerAunt]

That must have been before I found the Baking Circle, although I seem to recall that a group was tackling the KAF Cookie book at one point.

[BakerAunt]

Today I'm baking a banana oat bran bread. I baked it last fall, with some adjustments to the original recipe. I'm making a couple of changes. If it comes out well, I'll post it. We are having snow again, so it is a good day to bake.

Note: The bread seems to me to need a little tweaking. It definitely is better the day after it is baked. I don't think the recipe is ready for prime time yet.

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

[BakerAunt]

I'm bringing up this thread again, as I've been having trouble getting buttermilk at the local grocery again this year. They do have, on and off, 1-quart containers, which of course cost more than the 2-quart jug. When I asked, the clerks shrug their shoulders and say that is what the suppliers send. I've decided, as I'm running low and it is an essential ingredient in my baking, that I need to culture my own as I did last year. My only concern is where will be a good spot to put it. Last year, I would set it on the floor near the wood stove, and that worked spectacularly. This year, however, we are not in the house and the stove is out of use until the renovation is completed. I'll have to get an idea of where in the apt. would be warm enough. I might do some baking this afternoon, so perhaps the central area of the stove would be a good spot.

One thing I noticed about this thread: how many people were posting. I feel sad that we don't see more posting activity these days.

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

[BakerAunt]

Navlys--sometimes, when it comes to baking and cooking supplies--you've got to do what you got to do. 🙂

For dinner on Friday, I made my Turkey-Zucchini loaf with Dijon mustard and Peach Jam glaze, using some of my supply of homemade jam. I wanted to use up some zucchini, so I stuffed in too much, as well as an additional ¼ cup of oats, but my husband happily ate it, and stretching it will make it last for three meals. I also made rice blend in the rice cooker, and we had microwaved peas as well.

[BakerAunt]

Chocomouse--one of my resolutions for the year is to use more of my various cookbooks and baking books. As many are still packed, it has helped focus me on the ones that are available--and I kept most of the bread ones where I could find them. I also have Jeffrey Hamelman's book, as well as a number by Peter Reinhart that have not been used. Lately, it has been easier, especially with the house remodeling/renovation to stick with that recipe where I'm exchanging out various grains. However, this time I pushed myself, and I'm glad I did. I have a couple more recipes earmarked in the Whole Grain Baking book that I hope to bake over the next month.

[BakerAunt]

The Toasted Sesame and Sunflower Loaf is actually quite good. It is a firm bread and would be excellent in open-faced sandwiches and a nice accompaniment to soup or stew. I had a couple of slices with light butter-canola spread at lunch. I'll likely bake it again--and even keep the 1/2 cup each of toasted sesame seed and sunflower seed--but it won't be in regular rotation.

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

[BakerAunt]

I may give the food processor--in 2 batches--a try. If I do, I'll report back. It won't be for a while, since I just baked another bread yesterday.

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

[BakerAunt]

True, but that takes twice as long. I still wonder if my 7-quart Cuisinart stand mixer could manage it.

[BakerAunt]

Friday started at 14F at 8 a.m., and temperatures topped out in the mid-20Fs, so I decided to hunker down and try a new bread recipe, “Toasted Sesame and Sunflower Loaf,” from King Arthur Flour’s Whole Grain Baking (pp. 193-194. I made a few changes, substituting 1 cup buttermilk for 1 cup milk, and ¼ cup water for that much milk, as I use active not instant yeast, and I like to proof it. (It makes me happy to see it bubble.) I substituted 3 Tbs. of canola oil for the 4 Tbs. butter, and I deleted 2 tsp. dark sesame oil, which I do not have and would not buy for a single recipe. I soaked the old-fashioned oats in the buttermilk, and I held the oil until 10 minutes of the 30-minute kneading cycle of the bread machine had finished. I added an additional tablespoon of water, as the dough seemed dry. The first rise took two hours to achieve slightly less than double volume. Because the dough is so heavy, it was a difficult loaf to shape. The second rise took 90 minutes, and I had to push back on a side where the loaf had split before I put it in the oven. I baked for 50 minutes, but the bread, which is tented after the first 15 minutes in the oven, needed an additional 10 minutes to reach an internal temperature of 193F. Sunflower and Sesame Seeds keep popping off. Perhaps cutting the amounts down from ½ cup to 1/3 cup each might be prudent. The bread is cooling. I’ll add a note tomorrow about taste and texture.

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

[BakerAunt]

On Wednesday, I was going to make a stir-fry using leftover pork that my husband had cooked for dinner on Tuesday, but I got busy on something else, and next thing I knew it was nearly 6:30. So, last night, we each had a pork chop sandwich with a slice of bread each and steamed broccoli. Tonight, I will make sure that I get dinner preparations started in a timely fashion, and we will have pork stir fry with celery, broccoli, red bell pepper, mushrooms, de-fatted pork drippings, onion (turns out we had no green onion), and soba noodles.

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

[BakerAunt]

Thanks for the report, Mike. Your experience suggests that this recipe does indeed require a large food processor. (Sigh, says the woman whose food processor is unlikely to handle it.) I'll be interested to hear, if you bake it again, if you can prevent the collapse by tweaking the process.

[BakerAunt]

I baked bread on Tuesday morning. I again used the base recipe from KAF’s Oatmeal Toasting Bread, with my usual changes of buttermilk, less salt, and oil in place of butter. I used 1 ½ cups bread flour and 1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour, and ¼ cup dark rye flour. I used Rolled 5-grain cereal flakes (Bob’s Red Mill), which I soaked in 1 cup of buttermilk for about 45 minutes before starting. I also increase the water to ¾ cups. I add the oil after the bread machine does its initial 5 minutes of mixing and near the end of its 5-minute rest period. I find the bread needs to bake for 45 minutes to get to about 197F. I look forward to tasting this new variation on the recipe when I cut the loaf tomorrow.

[BakerAunt]

On Sunday, I once again baked the Lime Bundt cake that I have been developing. This time, I added 2 Tbs. lime juice to the batter along with the zest, and I will do so again, as it gave the cake more lime flavor. I also increased the freshly ground nutmeg from ¼ to ½ tsp. I mixed it by hand, first stirring together the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then in a smaller one, first whisking the oil and buttermilk before whisking in each egg, one at a time, and finally whisking in the vanilla, zest, and juice. I poured that into the dry ingredients, then combined with a cake whisk. (This is a flat whisk that resembles a miniature tennis racket that has Wireax, stainless steel, and made in England written on it. I got it from either King Arthur or Vermont Country Store, and I hope it never breaks, because I've not seen another one anywhere.) The cake had lovely soft consistency. I am confident enough about the recipe tweaks that I’ve now written it in my recipe book.

[BakerAunt]

For Sunday’s dinner, I made the “Pizza Beans” from Smitten Kitchen Every Day. I first made this recipe last fall, but at the time, my husband requested that next time I make it, I add ground turkey, so I did. I had mozzarella on hand, thanks to Mike Nolan’s helpful advice that it can be frozen. (I freeze it in 4 oz. amounts, tightly wrapped in saran, then sealed in a baggie.) I decrease her amount of cheese from 8 oz. to 4 oz. and use one made with part skim milk. I cooked my own large lima beans from scratch. I do not have the Italian type she uses, so I just used the large lima beans sold by Bob’s Red Mill. We like this recipe, so it will stay in the repertoire. It was particularly nice on a cold day in which it snowed heavily all afternoon.

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