[BakerAunt]

I also keep my opened yeast (regular active and the higher sugar one) in the freezer. I have that acrylic jar with the locking lid that KAF sells. It won't hold two pounds of yeast, but I can put the excess in Tupperware. I use it straight from the freezer with no problem. I always proof it, having had a bad experience when I first baked bread, even though I know that the prevailing wisdom is that it is not necessary. I enjoy seeing it bubble up before I add the rest of the ingredients.

For me, it works best not to freeze dough, since if I've got time to take it out, let it come to room temperature and rise, I might as well have baked it first. It's easier for me to pull out a frozen loaf or rolls and let them thaw overnight. I just have to watch my husband who has been known to attack a frozen loaf with a bread knife because he did not tell me we needed to thaw another loaf. I think that cutting it while frozen compromises the thawing, the taste, and the texture.

[BakerAunt]

Barley flour is sweet, but it is low in gluten, so if using it, do not substitute in too much. I've not tried it in yeast bread, but I do recommend the barley scones and the large soft barley cookies in the KAF Wholegrain Cookbook. Even those call for some unbleached flour.

[BakerAunt]

Cwcdesign, it was our intrepid Mrs. Cindy. I emailed her about it, and she sent me a chuckle back!

[BakerAunt]

My one attempt to freeze bread dough came at a moment of desperation. My oven went bad with a cake in it, and orange-cinnamon swirl bread rising. I ended up putting the pans in the freezer, then wrapping them after they froze. They did ok, when the oven was repaired. As it was a new recipe, and I've not gotten around to baking it again, I do not know if the freezing affected it negatively.

A lot of KAF's recipes use too much yeast, so I don't know that you would need to increase the yeast all that much. I usually reduce the yeast a bit in their recipes.

• This reply was modified 9 years ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

I only use my stone (Emile Henry rectangular glazed one) when I make pizza. I actually use it on the middle rack, which I know is not what is suggested, but it works for me. I do not leave it in the oven. I thought that the oven might use more heat as it would be heating up the stone as well as the oven.

I also wouldn't trust my husband--who roasts the chickens and turkeys--not to muck up my stone.

[BakerAunt]

As it is a cheesecake, I would refrigerate it.

[BakerAunt]

I wonder why they are called Protestant cake. The recipe seems universal to me.

[BakerAunt]

Cwcdesign--Mrs. Cindy also posted, in a reply to my comment on the pie crumbs. KAF may try to erase every trace of the Baking Circle, but still we rise--just as our bread continues to do!

You should be fine with the white whole wheat flour in the bread. I've been sneaking it into some other recipes. No one knows unless I tell them that 25% of the flour in the pumpkin snickerdoodles I baked this weekend is white whole wheat.

• This reply was modified 9 years ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

That cardamom cake was wonderful and a big hit at church. I was lucky to have some slices left over. I need to Xerox the recipe for two people who asked for it. The cookies went over well, too. Although my husband does not care for cardamom, he loved the baking odors that wafted his way. I think that the cinnamon in the cake tones down the cardamom, making it an accent rather than the main flavor, so he will be enjoying it as well. I will definitely bake this cake again. It really does not need any glaze, which I think would make it too sweet, so I'm glad that I did not use it.

• This reply was modified 9 years ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Of course with the open concept kitchen, everyone sees EVERYTHING. There is also more distraction. After I messed up something I was baking a few years back, I started a thread titled, "I blame the open concept kitchen!" We had quite a discussion, with people weighing in on both sides. Of course, I've also messed up when it is just I in the kitchen.

[BakerAunt]

Either my mother or my grandmother dropped the turkey on the floor one year. It was rinsed off and the family ate it!

[BakerAunt]

I'm sorry that the week has been so frustrating. Take a day to catch your breath, then when you go back into the kitchen, make a recipe that you know will come out right, so that you begin to rebuild confidence.

[BakerAunt]

I'm curious about the dried bay leaves, as my mother always said that they needed to be removed because they could damage the digestive tract. I wonder if there is any evidence supporting this idea, since Italian Cook also has heard it.

[BakerAunt]

Mike, I saw some chocolate extract from Sonoma at T.J. Maxx. It said something about being what the bakeries use. I didn't buy it, since if I want chocolate flavor, by golly, I will put in chocolate, but I wonder if that is what is in the glazes.

[BakerAunt]

Two other links to look at, courtesy of the Serious Eats website:

http://www.seriouseats.com/talk/2011/12/freezing-mash-potatoes-1.html

and this mashed potato casserole with bacon, cheese, and scallions looks very good, but I'm not sure it can be frozen:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/11/how-to-make-mashed-potato-casserole-baked-potato.html

• This reply was modified 9 years ago by BakerAunt.
• This reply was modified 9 years ago by BakerAunt.

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