[BakerAunt]

On Tuesday evening, I baked Cranberry Scones. The recipe is from Biscuits and Scones, by Elizabeth Alston, but it is identical to the recipe that came with the Nordic Ware scone pan, and it bakes perfectly in that pan. I adapt it by using whole wheat pastry flour for a third of the flour. I also added 1/4 cup of pecans and 1/2 tsp. of orange oil, and sprinkled it with the coarse sparkling sugar from King Arthur Flour. I'll have some for breakfast the rest of this week, and I will freeze some.

[BakerAunt]

I'm also a fan of the doughnut pans and substituting in some whole wheat pastry flour. I like the pumpkin doughnut recipe from KAF. I also like the one with the maple glaze. I need to make those again.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 1 month ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Today, I made a soup with mild Italian Sausage, garlic, onion, chopped carrot and chopped celery, red bell pepper, mushrooms, 1/2 cup of pearl barley, about 3 cups of white beans I'd cooked and frozen, and 4 cups of chicken stock from my freezer. I froze half of it (trying to get ahead for the semester) and had some for lunch. For dinner, I used the leftover pork chop from the dinner my husband cooked yesterday. Using the drippings saved from the pan, I sautéed celery, red bell pepper, and sliced mushrooms, then added the diced pork, a bit of grapeseed oil, and the broccoli. I mixed it with soba (buckwheat) noodles, and added about 1/2 cup of the noodle cooking water, then added sliced green onion and minced parsley

• This reply was modified 9 years, 1 month ago by BakerAunt.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 1 month ago by BakerAunt. Reason: spelling error

[BakerAunt]

Luvpyrpom--I also use stoneground cornmeal in the Lemon-Blueberry Muffins, so that might make a difference as well.

[BakerAunt]

Now that I'm home in Texas, I called the recall line. My new blade will be shipped in anywhere from 4-8 weeks, as they are backlogged (hardly surprising, given how many food processors are out there). The representative did say it would arrive FedEx and that I would be emailed when it ships.

[BakerAunt]

I think that the experiment, prompted by Riverside Len has shown that we get some increased discussion, as well as more details about the recipes that people are baking or cooking, if we have an ongoing thread for the week. So, I'm changing the titles to What are You Baking and What are You Cooking. However, if you prefer to do a recap, then by all means do so.

Now, how many people want one of Riverside Len's doughnuts?

[BakerAunt]

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.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 1 month ago by BakerAunt.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 1 month ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

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.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 1 month ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

I have a thought about Riverside Len's suggestion. I could begin the thread at the start of the week--that is, on January 15, start the "What Did You Bake the Week of ...?" for the week of January 15. That would allow people who wished to do so to post what they are cooking and baking during the week right after they cook or bake it, and anyone who wants to wait until Saturday to do a re-cap could do so.

We can experiment with it this week. My husband and I are headed back to Texas on Thursday, so I will start the thread for the week of January 8 tonight or tomorrow morning. I'll check out how the response is on Sunday, and if it is moderately good, then I will begin the January 15 thread on that day for the current week.

I like having it in weekly segments because it is easier to locate discussions. It also is a way to look at data and show trends in baking and cooking among members.

[BakerAunt]

I would do better if I had my wood strips here. I do have a Joseph Joseph rolling pin that does do 1/16th of an inch, but it is not long enough (another reason to divide the dough into thirds rather than halves next time).

[BakerAunt]

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.

[BakerAunt]

I think that a bulk mailing to subscribers is a good idea.

[BakerAunt]

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.

[BakerAunt]

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.

[BakerAunt]

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.

For Italian Cook from Cass

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.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 1 month ago by BakerAunt.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 1 month ago by BakerAunt.

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