[BakerAunt]

One additional note on that cherry cake: the topping softens up nicely the next day. So, it does work to have it on for the entire hour of baking. Just wait a day to serve the cake. It has stayed nicely moist.

I should also mention that I bake it in a 10x10 inch ceramic dish that came from KAF.

Wonky--I didn't realize that you are also a member of the Order of the Flax Meal!

[BakerAunt]

I roasted boneless chicken breasts that were smeared with mayonnaise and coated with panko, garlic powder, onion powder, freshly ground black pepper, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

I wanted potatoes with it, so I first cut up four medium-sized yellow potatoes, rubbed the pieces with olive oil, put them on a parchment-covered rimmed baking sheet, sprinkled with a bit of salt, and baked for 30 minutes at 400F. I then pushed the potatoes to each side of the pan, and put the two coated chicken breast halves in the center. I sprinkled any left over coating over the potatoes. I reduced the temperature to 375F and roasted for 30 minutes. It came out very well, and I will make it this way again.

[BakerAunt]

Don't feel bad Navlys. I had a similar problem with "sirloin tip." (It's in the cooking forum, under that title.)

• This reply was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

My favorite use of corned beef hash--when I can find the reduced fat, less salt can--is to saute onion to add to it, then add ketchup. I stuff it into a red bell pepper (used to use green ones). I set it upright in a microwaveable dish, then microwave on high for a few minutes. It is not a dinner that I can feed to my husband, so I have not made it for a long time.

[BakerAunt]

On a very windy Friday, I'm baking a double recipe of Whole Wheat Sourdough Cheese Crackers from the dough that I made on Monday.

Baking my own crackers has spoiled me. We were at friends' house for dinner, and she served Wheat Thins with guacamole before dinner. I was amazed at how sweet the Wheat Thins tasted to me--and not in a good way. I used to like eating Wheat Thins, but now I would not buy them.

I would like some additional cracker recipes. I have a rye one that I like. The Swedish Christmas Crispbread is good, but it is higher in fat than I would like. I've not been able to bake an oat cracker that isn't rubbery.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Joan--the only issue is that the topping tends to get overly browned during the long baking time. I'm wondering about waiting 20-30 minutes and then putting it on top. Or maybe I should put half the topping on, then half-way through add the other half.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

I thought that I was done baking for the day, but I went back into the kitchen Thursday evening and baked a pan of my Healthier Corn Bread to go with the soup I made yesterday that we are having for dinner tonight.

[BakerAunt]

I spent Thursday morning in the kitchen. That's what happens when the blazing sun of Eastern Standard Time blazes in through the bedroom window and hits me in the face at 6:30.

I baked Anzacs, from the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion. If you ever make this recipe, the key is using Quick rolled oats, not the old-fashioned rolled oats. You also need Lyle's Golden Syrup.

I also baked Cherry Almond Cake, a coffee cake recipe from KAF's The Baker's Catalogue--a long time ago, at least fourteen years, maybe more.

https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/cherry-almond-cake-recipe#reviews

Since neither Wonky nor I can leave a recipe alone, I made a few changes. I substitute in 2/3 Cup whole wheat pastry flour, add 1/4 Cup of powdered milk (added calcium), and added 2 Tbs. flax meal.

Instead of Cherry Pie filling, I usually substitute in canned cherries. I used the ones in heavy syrup, but this time decided to forgo the syrup. For the topping, I use the whole can of almond paste because I do not want half a can left over--and it is delicious that way.

BTW--I used a can of Almond Paste with a 2/2014 expiration date. Although a bit drier than normal, it was fine to use.

As it is very sweet, we will have it for desserts the rest of the week.

[BakerAunt]

Sorry about that. I get a M-F email that is about food trends and stories of interest to people who are professionals. I'm not, of course, but they let me receive it. Apparently, access to this story is only allowed when clicking to it from that newsletter. Let me see if giving a link to the newsletter online will get you to the story.

http://www2.smartbrief.com/servlet/encodeServlet?issueid=714D36E8-8928-49DB-8E3B-A00379067B9E&sid=58923bd8-11e3-4110-aecb-ba7b447a18f1

Ok, that works. It's the first story under the "Culinary News" section.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

I did some googling and found this KAF blog:

Date pinwheels (and their cranberry cousins)

It looks like 1/4 inch is the way to go.

[BakerAunt]

I ended up reducing the AP flour in the Honey Spelt Sourdough bread by 2 Tbs. Although the bread rose more than on my second attempt and is not as dry, it still does not have the amazing rise of the first time I baked the recipe.

Could using Bob's Red Mill spelt flour rather than KAF's make that much difference? That is the major difference. If so, I need to figure out how to compensate for it. Maybe reduce the spelt flour rather than the AP flour?

I also might use more sourdough starter or else take out the required Tbs. within a couple hours of feeding it.

I could increase the yeast from 1/2 tsp to 3/4 tsp. I did, this time, reduce the salt to 1 tsp.

It drives me crazy when a recipe that baked so well the first time does not get the same results the second time.

[BakerAunt]

It looks like a windy, rainy day, so I'm making soup, using some of the broth I recently made. I'm using a mix of lentils and some hull-less barley from Bob's Red Mill. I had a bit of leftover, cooked ground turkey in the freezer, so that went into the pot. Before I started, I sautéed some chopped onion, celery, and a large yellow bell pepper, with a bit of garlic. I'll let it simmer for 90 minutes, as the hull-less barley needs a longer cooking time.

[BakerAunt]

Here's another article, with additional background on the American team training for the Bocuse D'Or:

https://guide.michelin.com/us/new-york/people/matthew-kirkley-bocuse-dor-competition-france/news

• This reply was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Red bell peppers are my choice of peppers to stuff!

Tonight I cut up leftover pork from what my husband cooked last night. I then sautéed chopped red bell pepper and sliced mushrooms in the drippings from last night's pork and some I had in the freezer. I added the meat and the broccoli florets. In the meantime, I cooked half a package of soba noodles (these are partly whole wheat). I mixed the drained noodles and a bit of the cooking water into the vegetables, then added sliced green onion. We have enough for dinner tomorrow as well.

[BakerAunt]

Tuesday I'm baking the KAF Honey Spelt Sourdough Bread. I started the levain this morning, so it will be evening before I'm ready to make the dough. Previously, I've baked this recipe twice. The first time it was wonderfully light. The second time it came out a bit dry and did not rise as well. It was colder that second time, so I may not have gotten enough of a rise. I was careful this time to stir the bubbling, fed sourdough well before measuring out a tablespoon of it. The second time, I was using spelt flour from Bob's Red Mill, rather than the KAF spelt flour, and I had thought the dough was not as hydrated as the first time, and perhaps I should have added more water. The differences in spelt flour between the two sources may play a part, so I'll hold back a bit of the AP flour. I'm using Bob's Red Mill spelt flour because it costs a lot less, especially when I buy a case of it, than the KAF spelt flour, which is only sold by the bag, and at four cups per recipe, that is the whole bag, which makes for an expensive loaf.

I'll report back on how it turns out.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by BakerAunt.

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