[BakerAunt]

For Christmas dinner, I roasted sweet potato chunks, which we had with ham, green beans (frozen this summer from our garden), and applesauce, with pumpkin pie for dessert.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

[BakerAunt]

We love the Zimtsterne (Cinnamon Stars) with the baked meringue topping. I will not be baking them any other way. I wanted to post a link to the recipe, but the exact one I used is not coming up on Google. I found one with the same proportions, so if you are interested, and have a surplus of egg whites, here it is:

https://www.food.com/recipe/zimtsterne-cinnamon-star-cookies-262925

I did not find that I needed to thin the meringue with milk.

I used fine almond flour, by weight, rather than grinding almonds.

I'm in favor of making the larger stars, unless you have patience for spreading the meringue. I used a small spatula to spread it out to the star tips.

I would NOT use the second method for spreading meringue specified in the recipe, as it would waste a lot of dough that could not be re-rolled.

We also love those three meringue cookies I made with the leftover meringue topping. I could see baking these using a recipe of the topping.

[BakerAunt]

After dinner on Christmas Eve, I baked the Zimtsterne (cinnamon star cookies) from dough I made last night. I used the same star cookie cutter as last year, which is probably too large (about 3 inches across) and got 14 stars and a circle from the leftover dough. This year, I did the meringue topping that is spread on the cookies before baking. Because my cookies are larger, I baked them for 15 minutes, just until the tiniest part of the tips of the stars started to get a bit of light brown. When I baked the Zimtsterne last year, I used a glaze that I found online that was ok but not so great, so I am looking forward to tasting these cookies tomorrow with the traditional topping.

I had about ¼ cup of the meringue frosting left over, so I stirred some hazelnuts and mini-chocolate chips into it, then used a #40 scoop to make three cookies. I baked them for 15 minutes, at 300F, until lightly browned. The three cookies made from the leftovers came from my vamping off of a hazelnut cookie recipe that calls for one egg white, hazelnuts, and sugar.

After I finished the cookies, I baked a pumpkin pie. It will cool on the counter overnight.

[BakerAunt]

On Sunday, I roasted two pie pumpkins. I set aside enough for the pie I will bake tonight and froze the rest.

I also made applesauce.

I made chicken salad from leftover chicken from last week, which we had on the rye bread I baked several days ago. We had some warm applesauce with it, and Pfeffernusse for dessert.

[BakerAunt]

I baked 3 dozen Pfeffernusse cookies on Saturday.

I also made dough for Zimtsterne (Cinnamon Stars), which I will bake tomorrow.

[BakerAunt]

I made yogurt on Saturday.

We had leftover beef stew for dinner.

[BakerAunt]

I baked Braided Cranberry Ricotta Bread. See the thread "Would Cranberry Relish and Ricotta Work in a Sweet Roll?"--which details how this recipe came to be and how I baked it.

[BakerAunt]

The braid looks and tastes delicious. The only thing I would do differently is a doubled baking sheet to prevent the bottom from overbrowning. My husband loves it, probably because the cranberry is understated, in part because I cooked and sweetened it, but also due to the ricotta. The glaze also helps.

I look forward to trying this recipe with other fillings.

[BakerAunt]

I made beef stew for dinner on Friday. There is enough for tomorrow, as well as for the day after Christmas.

[BakerAunt]

After some consultation with the folks at Nebraska Kitchen, I experimented today to bake Braided Cranberry Ricotta bread. I used my normal cinnamon roll dough but increased the sugar from ¼ to 1/3 cup and the avocado oil from 3-4 Tbs. I used half whole wheat flour. I increased the buttermilk by 1 Tbs. As usual, I let the bread machine do the kneading.
For the filling, I used a scant cup of my Cranberry, Dried Cherries, and Cardamom sauce. It is uncooked, and Mike had suggested cranberry sauce might be a bit runny, so I added a bit of oil to a skillet, then added the cranberry sauce. I mixed 3 Tbs. light brown sugar with 1 Tbs. ClearJel, which I sprinkled over the sauce. I cooked until thickened, then set it aside to cool
I rolled the dough out to an 11 x 16 rectangle and followed the instructions for a braided loaf from the King Arthur Braided Lemon Bread recipe that Chocomouse uses. I spread 5 oz. low-fat ricotta down the center and topped it with the cranberry sauce. I got the idea for that combination from Skeptic's dessert pizza. Shaping requires cutting away four one-inch rectangles at each corner. After I had made the braid, I braided the small pieces into a roll.
I baked for 30 minutes, taking the little roll out after 15 minutes. It is hard to know when a braided bread is done. I checked at 25 minutes and decided to give it another five. The bottom seems a bit overdone; I might use doubled baking sheets next time. I'm letting it cool, and then I will add some glaze in order to entice my husband to try a recipe that has cranberries in it.

I'll post about taste and texture once we have some for dessert tonight.

I love the way we can bounce off of each other in our baking experiments!

[BakerAunt]

Mike--I'm not sure if there is a best-by date. It may depend on the kind of starter you have. I use a milk-based one, and it does fine after a week. I may even have gone a day or two longer. I try to bake the crackers in about five days.

I would say sniff the dough, and if it smells funky, don't use it. You could also do a test batch.

[BakerAunt]

Your loaves look wonderful, Mike--as do the croissants. You are fortunate to have an appreciative audience to help you consume your baking.

I cannot believe that, just like last week, it has taken until the middle of the week for me to be baking. I spent two days doing our Christmas cards, so that was where the early week energy went. I am planning a baking-heavy rest of the week. I began on Thursday by baking my Sourdough Whole Wheat Cheese Crackers from dough I made a week ago.

I also baked my adaptation of the King Arthur Sandwich Rye Bread. I have been tweaking the recipe and getting closer to what I like, which is more wholegrain. When I type it up for me, I will call it Pumpernickel Sandwich Bread.

[BakerAunt]

For dinner on Wednesday, I roasted three bone-in chicken breasts. I roasted some cubes of honey nut squash separately (lower temperature). Those honey nuts came from our garden and have been awaiting use. We also had microwaved frozen peas and carrots. We have leftover chicken to use in at least two more meals.

[BakerAunt]

Mike--ah, practice makes perfect, a great reason to make them more often!

[BakerAunt]

Thanks, all! I am going to give it a try with the lemon braid recipe, possibly with my sweet roll dough.

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