[BakerAunt]

I needed a break from packing. I found an overlooked bag of cinnamon chips in the refrigerator, so I made cinnamon biscotti. I usually add 1/3 cup pecan meal, but I have some to use up, so I added 2/3 cup. The dough was a little more crumbly than usual, so I did the second bake for the longer time of 20 minutes rather than 15.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 8 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

We realized yesterday that we had packed all the frying pans, but my husband was able to do a reasonable job with pork chops in the microwave.

[BakerAunt]

I would be drooling, even if I were not someone eating somewhat oddly this week as we pack up our kitchen. Thanks for sharing your experience, Mike.

[BakerAunt]

Thank you, Navlys! I look forward to trying this recipe after we finish our move to Indiana, which should be in about a week.

[BakerAunt]

On Wednesday, I baked my variation on Ellen's (Moomie's) Buns, which I made as a dozen pan rolls. I usually substitute in 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour, but this time, I used a bit of remaining rye flour and buckwheat flour, then made up the difference with whole wheat flour. Instead of the 3/4 cup buttermilk that I usually use, I used up some half and half.

[BakerAunt]

On Tuesday I baked a double batch of my Sourdough Cheese Crackers, using the dough that I made up last week.

[BakerAunt]

On Monday, I used the KAF Barista Bites recipe, but I added 3/4 cups of hazelnut meal. I will not be dipping these in chocolate, as they would not travel well in the heat. I also made the KAF Irish Cream Scone recipe, but this time, I substituted a cup of pastry flour for the regular flour. I also added a little over 1/2 cup of hazelnut meal (I used it up!). I used 1/2 cup of half and half rather than the Bailey's Irish Cream, and I used hazelnut flavoring rather than the Irish Cream flavoring. I also made corn bread muffins to go with the leftover pot roast for dinner.

Addendum: I did the scones in triangles, but they spread a bit. I probably should have dropped them. However, they are tasty.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

I realized today that I did not post what I cooked on Saturday. I made another "throw-together" soup, using canned Spam (bacon one), onions, garlic, carrots, celery, some red bell pepper, about 3 cups white beans that I found in the freezer, and the rest of the black rice and the brown rice. These were combined with 8 cups of chicken/turkey stock and seasoned with sage and thyme. However, I did not get to sample it until the following Monday because I had to go check our building after flooding from the heavy rain Friday evening, and I went out to lunch with friends after church. This is the second time I've tried Spam in a soup. I'm just not impressed.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Sigh. I could not read it either.

[BakerAunt]

Saturday evening, I pulled out an old recipe, "Oatmeal Crunch Bars," that came from A Pillsbury cookbooklet (#51) that I probably bought about 30 years ago. It used up the rest of a jar of orange marmalade, as well as some coconut and walnuts. I also threw in some mini-chocolate chips. I reduced the butter by 2 Tbs. and the brown sugar by about 1-2 Tbs. When they cool, I'll cut them and wrap them as single serving "granola" bars.

I also baked "Lattice-Top Cherry Pie," from Baking Illustrated (pp. 194-195), but I used my own buttermilk crust recipe. I decided to use pastry flour rather than Gold Medal, although I still used a bit of whole wheat pastry flour as well. The dough rolled out beautifully. This recipe used up three jars of Trader Joe's Morello cherries. I would have waited to bake it for Independence Day, but the weather is going to get hot again, and we are also busy preparing for another moving run.

[BakerAunt]

The Bob's Red Mill Unbleached Super-Fine Cake Flour produced the lightest of these cakes that I have yet baked. The ones in the past have been a wee bit dry, but needed to bake the 35 minutes to be done in the center. This one had exactly the right moistness. As usual with this recipe, I did have a slight dip in the center, even with the cake straps and building up the sides slightly. Next time, I will use the more finely ground sugar or grind it fine myself. I might also wait 15 rather than 10 minutes before removing the cake from the pan. It was delicate and required careful handling, and it got a bit ragged around the edges where I'd run a knife around.

Everyone loved the cake. It was a good way to culminate my cake baking for staff parties over the past four years.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Welcome, Wendy! It's great to see you posting here. My favorite flours for pizza are semolina and duram wheat flour--the KAF Ultra-Thin Crust recipe.

[BakerAunt]

I just baked the Lemon Cake variation of the "Basic 1-2-3-4 Cake" in Susan Purdy's The Perfect Cake (pp. 84-85. I am lazy, and so I did not separate the eggs; denser cake is fine when there will be a lemon curd filling. I did substitute Bob's Red Mill Unbleached Super-Fine Cake flour for the regular flour. I would have used extra-fine sugar if I'd had it around or had not packed what I could have used to grind it down. This cake rises so high that I think next time I will use 9-inch cake pans.

The cake is for an "Un-Birthday Party" at work. I always baked the birthday cakes for the office parties. I'm retiring after next week, so I promised the staff one more lemon cake. I will assemble and frost it this evening.

[BakerAunt]

This evening, I baked the two doughs I made last night--Chocolate Chip Tahini Cookies (see thread) and Rye Crisps. I'd made the Rye Crisps before, using the bread machine, but this time I used my stand mixer with the paddle, and the dough came together quickly. As I did last time, I substituted 1/2 cup buttermilk for that much water, and reduced the baking powder from 2 tsp to 1 1/2 tsp. and added 1/8 tsp. baking soda. Instead of trying to roll out and bake all the crackers at once--which last time resulted in some burning on the edges, this time I divided the dough in half and made the crackers in two batches. I did not have any problems with burning, and the crackers baked evenly, so I will do this from now on. If anyone is interested, I will post the recipe with my changes.

[BakerAunt]

I baked these cookies this evening, after making up the dough last night. I had to let the dough soften before I could scoop it. On heavy baking sheets, they needed to bake for 18 minutes, and they must be well-spaced, as they spread. Definitely sprinkle a bit of salt on top when they come out of the oven. After eating a warm one, I can report that they are superb.

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