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Hi, Pyewacket. By all means e-mail me.
When will you be arriving? My husband and I are actually planning to retire after the spring semester, at which time we will be moving to Indiana permanently. I hope that we will have a chance to meet up.
BTW, I've always been able to get into The Baking Circle. I've had to sign in again occasionally, but that also happens at this site.
I think that a bulk mailing to subscribers is a good idea.
If the bananas seem to be approaching the time when they will get squishy, peel them, pop them in a bag, and freeze them.
I think that liquidy is too much. I like them fairly soft.
I actually keep a Baking and Cooking Log and write in it every time I bake or cook. I then paste it into the threads (sometimes cutting out extraneous material or adding clarification) that I start each week. However, if I'm fascinated with something I've baked and want to share it quickly, I do not wait but start a separate discussion on it--as with the Buckwheat-Oat English Muffins on the wood stove. That also happens when I have the kind of problem that came up with the Pecan Sticky Buns.
I rarely have time while I'm baking or cooking to be writing simultaneously about it. However, pmiker (I miss him) often did threads on the Baking Circle that discussed his bread baking projects and experiments--with pictures no less--over the course of the day or several days, and I enjoyed following them. Maybe if someone is doing that kind of project, he or she could do an extended thread on it so we could follow the process and comment.
Baker's Joy does not leave a residue. Regular cooking spray, such as Pam, that is not designed specifically for baked goods will leave a residue. I've not noticed an aftertaste, but everyone has different taste sensitivities.
Now, to Aaron's question about the baking soda. I think that the answer is along the same lines as what Kid Pizza said about baking soda in cookies in his reply to Italian Cook, who wondered about refrigerating and freezing the dough. The baking soda is not there to give lift.
The recipe that I was using had baking powder and yeast. Because I was using buttermilk, I needed to offset it with some baking soda, remembering that baking soda has 4x the rising power of baking powder. I buy the Bakewell Cream Baking Powder from KAF (not the regular Bakewell Cream, which is different).I'll post my version of the recipe in the recipe section as soon as I can.
Addendum: I've now posted the recipe in the recipe section here.
For Bundt pans, I use Bakers Joy, which RLB had recommended in The Cake Bible. I also use it for layer cakes and even for the brownies I baked last night. However, it is more expensive to use, and I am aware that I am contributing to non-recyclable trash when I use it. So, I'm going to experiment with the pan grease this year.
I wonder what on earth the person (surely not a baker!) at KAF was thinking. It is standard practice to grease and flour a pan to get the cake to release. I have heard that when brushing it with butter, it helps to refrigerate the pan. I recall that Backform, which recommended using melted butter and finely ground nuts to coat a crown pan, also said to refrigerate the pan while mixing up the batter. Someone on the BC reported using this technique and said that it worked.
The wood stove is cast iron, so it gets hot. I would only use cast iron pans or griddles on it. Other metals would likely melt. The Le Creuset and Staub ones that I use have the enamel on iron. Our stove is designed primarily for heating the house, although it also creates a nice atmosphere. An Amish woman, the sister of the owner at the store where we bought it, told me that the top would be suitable for heating a pot of soup and other such kinds of cooking. If I had an iron kettle, I could probably boil water for tea. One of these days, I will try it for flatbreads and pancakes.
I have seen Lodge rectangular cast iron griddles at T.J. Maxx on occasion. Possibly that would work over Aaron's two burners on a gas stove. I think that the cookie sheets would warp.
I'm sure the stove that Italian Cook remembers was a real cast iron kitchen wood stove--probably with an oven as well.
A friend who bought an old house here found a wood stove in the basement that was designed to heat up water for doing laundry!
With our stove, my husband is still learning about how different woods burn. (Yes, he can tell by looking at it the kind of tree from which it comes. I'm trying to learn that.) Some give a fast fire, like pine, which is good for starting the fire, while oak and ash create a steadier fire.
I remember a discussion about this, but I think it was on the Baking Circle before this site began. I don't know if anyone saved that thread. There was so much that we were trying to save.
- This reply was modified 8 years ago by BakerAunt.
I read in some articles this past year that chefs who want to reduce food waste are using the mushroom stems in broths in order to get the flavor that Italian Cook was discussing.
- This reply was modified 8 years ago by BakerAunt.
I ought to make that resolution since we will be moving in June, and I need to reduce my stacks of recipes. I've been trying to copy them to a computer file unless I know that I WILL try it within a week or so.
I decided last New Year's that I would try more new recipes in 2016, and I actually did it. I will continue on that path and try at least several new ones every week.
Let us know, Italian Cook, when you find a great one!
I've heard of using potato peels, but I've not tried it. I like red bell pepper in soups, so you could try it in a stock as well.
I buy Breitsamer honey--a German brand that is carried at T.J. Maxx, Tuesday Morning, and Big Lots. Of course, they do not always have it all the time. We like their Golden Selection, and the Rapsblute Honey (rapeseed flowers) honey is my husband's particular favorite. The Acacia honey is very light, so it is good when you do not want too much honey flavor. My husband asked me not to buy the Forest Honey (too strong) or even the Meadow Flower honey.
I like to buy local honey when I can. That is harder to do in my part of Texas, hence resorting to the stores mentioned. In Indiana, there is a couple who have honey production and come to the local Farmer's Market in the summer. We liked theirs enough that I bought the biggest jar of it that I could before we left last summer. (Yes, it was gone within a month.) I've also bought blueberry flower honey at the local blueberry place, that was from Michigan. A friend gave us some Buckwheat Honey. I've not tried it yet.
My husband goes through honey fast. He likes it on pancakes and waffles, and he likes it on the oatmeal he eats almost every morning. I like baking with it, since as Cass has told us, using some keeps our baked goods fresher longer.
- This reply was modified 8 years ago by BakerAunt.
Thanks, for the link, S. Wirth. I looked at the ingredients, and that does suggest to me that part of the issue is not using the special cinnamon sugar mixture KAF sells. I thought it odd that in the recipe for the topping, it was so non-specific about what to substitute for that in the topping. It just said "additional brown sugar." I don't care for buying such specialized ingredients, and I think a viable alternative should have been given.
The dough for these sweet rolls was wonderful, as was the filling. Pan size and getting the topping right seems to be the issue. It certainly tastes great, but all that butter leaking out is not acceptable, especially when it causes burning on the buns. When I get back to Texas, I'll have to look through my baking books and see if I can come up with an alternative.
I did review the recipe at KAF, but it has been more than 24 hours, and as of yet, my review has not appeared. I may contact the Baker's Hotline via email today
Added thoughts: I note that a lot of reviewers for the recipe were refrigerating the rolls overnight on the second rise. Perhaps that is why no one else reported a butter boil over. It's also possible that the KAF special cinnamon sugar mix soaks up more butter. Apparently, more butter boiled over than I realized, because I'm baking bread tonight--and the oven is still releasing smoke. I will need to do a thorough cleaning of it tomorrow.
- This reply was modified 8 years ago by BakerAunt.
I don't know how to make it, but I want one!
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