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On Saturday, I continued working to adapt Ken Haedrich's Pumpkin Soda Bread recipe. I had baked it with the changes I made last year upon first baking it. I replaced the butter with avocado oil, and I used 2 ½ cups of King Arthur's Irish Style flour. I increased the pumpkin by ¼ cup, since I freeze my pumpkin in 1 cup containers. I added 3 Tbs. Bob's Red Milk powder. The recipe calls for forming two loaves on a baking sheet, which is what I did last time, but as soda bread is messy, I decided to bake it as a large loaf in a ceramic bowl I bought from King Arthur some years ago. (It is white with snowflakes around the flat rim, and they had a couple of bread recipes for it.) I did not lower the temperature from 400F, which may have been a mistake. After 40 minutes, it was not done but browning a lot on top. I lowered the temperature to 375F and covered the bread to prevent overbrowning. After another 15 minutes, it read 160F. It took another 10 minutes to reach 200, which various internet sites said was the correct temperature for soda bread. I cooled it in the dish for ten minutes, then turned it out onto a rack to cool.
The crust is slightly too dark, but I had good reviews from my husband and elder bonus son on taste, and I agree that the flavor and texture are good. I seem to recall from last year's attempt with this soda bread, when I baked it on a baking sheet, that it was still a bit too dark on the outside and not quite cooked through, so this year's bake is an improvement. It went well with the soup, and it will be excellent as breakfast tomorrow.
I made split pea soup for dinner on Saturday, using a meaty ham bone from the freezer. You know that autumn has cooled considerably when the pea soup recipe appears! We had it with the Pumpkin Soda Bread I baked in the early afternoon.
Our ten-year-old model is a Toshiba, and it has been a good little workhorse. Between the two of us, it has gotten a lot of use. We did have to replace the hard drive once, but other than that, it has been excellent. However, it will not run the new version of Windows, and at some point, the version on the Toshiba will become unsupported. I also want a separate keyboard, as typing on a laptop has always been an issue for me, since I know how to type. My husband does not, so the laptop keyboard does not bother him.
On Friday morning, I made a double recipe of my adaptation of Soft Oatmeal Cookies from Jennie Can Cook. We took some with us for our hike in the Indiana Dunes State and National Parks.
We had a late dinner on Friday of Salmon and Couscous with Penzey's Greek seasoning, along with a mixture of leftover peas and lima beans. Dinner was late because we went hiking at the Indiana Dunes State and National Parks, then stopped by Best Buy to consult with the elder son on a new laptop. He deemed the selection inadequate, so we ended up ordering one from Costco, which will come next week. He will help set it up for us before he leaves. We will still use the old laptop, but now we can both be on the computer at the same time. In the store, my husband and I felt like the Beverly Hillbillies. So much has changed since we bought this laptop ten years ago.
Joan--I've been trying to recall what my Girl Scout troop sold them for in 1968 and 1969. It might have been 50 cents.
I baked Beets, Greens, and Greek Cheese Flatbread for dinner on Thursday. My elder bonus son and I ate some of it, while my husband had leftover hamburger stroganoff, as he does not care for beets and cannot eat onions. These beets, from the local farmers' market, were not as sweet as beets that I have had in the past. The tops were good, so I used them in place of spinach in the topping.
One other thing I do on the crackers is let the dough come to room temperature before I roll it out. I found that made it easier. However, it may not make a difference with Mike's sheeter.
I have never been able to appreciate cold soup. I know that many people do enjoy them, but for me, they just do not compute.
Mike--I don't allow the crackers to rise before I bake them. I usually roll them out, brush with avocado oil, cut them, prick each cracker a couple of times, then put them into the oven. With the first two trays, I don't turn on the oven until the second tray is started, so it does sit longer than the rest. I have not noticed any difference. I think that some of the main development comes from the rest period of 5-7 days in the refrigerator. I divide the dough (double recipe) into four pieces, wrap in saran, and park it in the refrigerator. I've baked them earlier than five days, but I think the taste suffers.
I'm going to post my updated oil recipe later today--probably with the original recipe as an alternative.
Aaron--I'm glad to hear that your challah project continues successfully.
I baked my Pumpkin Snacking Cake again on Wednesday. I put Halloween sprinkles on top.
For dinner on Wednesday, I made my healthier adaptation of my Mom's hamburger stroganoff, which we had over a mixture of brown and wild rice, along with what may be some of the last green beans from our garden.
Mike--How much headspace did you leave before canning?
Aaron--King Arthur is (was?) running a special where some of its unusual flours were on sale for $4 off the regular price. I had some Bakers Bucks to spend, so I ordered some of those flours yesterday, including another bag of the Italian-style. I'm not sure if the sale is still on for today.
I was irritated with King Arthur, in that they were offering a free spatula yesterday, with a minimum purchase amount. However, I was told that I am not allowed to use a Baker's Bucks coupon and a free spatula code on the same order. I politely declined the spatula, which the rep. said was the better buy, as it normally costs $16, and my BB coupon was for $10. While I would have been happy to pick up another spatula for free, I preferred to use my coupon. I'm considering writing a complaint to King Arthur, as that should have been spelled out in the email.
The crackers still look good, Mike. With the sheeter, you may be able to get them thinner than I can by hand--about 1/16th inch.
I always rotate the tray halfway through, even on the convection setting. In my oven, I bake the crackers on the third rack up, but I think that a lot depends on your oven. I also make sure the tray is towards the front of my oven. When all else fails, I quietly consume the overly brown ones!
On Tuesday, I made dough for my Whole Wheat Sourdough Cheese Crackers. I will bake them at the end of the week.
We had leftover pork tenderloin, applesauce, and mashed potatoes from last night for Tuesday's dinner, along with roasted chunks of honey nut squash--the first we have eaten from our garden.
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