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Luvpyrpom: The lemon muffins were not supposed to be super runny. I think that buttermilk does work better than making sour milk, as it is thicker. I also used dried blueberries. I measure flour by spooning it into the cup, then leveling it. Given the liquid in the recipe, I'm not sure why your batter was soupy. Did you include the cornmeal? I also let the batter sit, as the original recipe recommended, for 15 minutes.
The main lemon flavor comes from the grated zest. You could certainly add some of the Lemon Powder, or a 1/4 tsp. of lemon oil to increase the lemon flavor.
When I'm at home, I use my "pastry wands" and a long, non-tapered pin. I can get good consistent pressure along its length. I have a long pin that is set for 1/4 inch (that's what happens when one spent too much time at the KAF site). I also have a heavy maple one with handles that I use for sweet roll dough. I stopped using if for bread because I think that rolling it out with it was contributing to the blow-outs in the finished loaves. I also have a glass one that a friend gave me, where one can fill it with ice water. (It was her Mom's, so she wanted it to go to a baker.) I've not used it yet.
Here, I have that Joseph Joseph one, and I have the little one with the handles that was my mother-in-law's. What I did was roll out to 1/16th the best I could with the JJ one, then used the other to roll it out a little flatter. One side was a bit uneven on the second bake.
I want to get the special Swedish style pin that docks the dough.
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.
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.
