[chocomouse]

I made two loaves of whole wheat bread and added a cup of KAF's Harvest Grain mix to the dough. I also made an Apple Sharlotka, which I am going to cut into very soon. It looks and smells wonderful.

[chocomouse]

Tonight I made broccoli-cheddar soup, using the Panera Bread copy-cat recipe, which is my favorite. We had the leftover chicken-broccoli braid with it.

[chocomouse]

I made a chicken-broccoli braid for a bookclub monthly meeting with a Halloween themed potluck. I shaped it like a mummy, with a rounded head.

[chocomouse]

Dinner tonight was leftover pot roast.

[chocomouse]

Thanks for your thoughts, Mike. My first instinct was to "blame" the pumpernickel. Rye bread doughs are so much more "rubbery" than doughs made with AP or bread flour (although this dough included 1.5 cups of AP too). I'm planning to try this again, but using only 1/2 cup of pumpernickel instead of 1 cup. I will also make it without the rye sour, although I suspecting that will take away some of the flavor (and I will make only one change at a time!) I think letting it relax and then rerolling would not change it; I handled it exactly the same way I always do when making thins. As for carb content, I've been buying thins for many years, and the carb count does vary from 26 to around 40. I never purchased any that had 30 or more carbs. At one point, I did calculate the carb count, but have forgotten what it was. I just know that it was a reasonable amount for me, since I am a diabetic.

[chocomouse]

Today I made DIY Sandwich Thins. This is a flat, rolled out thin, about 5-6 inches in diameter. I wanted a rye version, instead of my usual whole wheat - AP combo. I subbed one cup of pumpernickel for one cup of the whole wheat, and used pickle juice for half of the water, added one tablespoons of Deli Rye Flavor, and added caraway, dill, and mustard seeds. These little rounds shrunk, down to about 4 inches in diameter, and rose very high, lots of oven spring, and when they came out of the oven were about an inch thick. Usually they stay the about the same diameter as after I roll them out with a rolling pin, and although they get puffy, they don't really rise. I like to use these, sliced in half horizontally, in place of a hot dog bun (we were having grilled sausage, peppers, and onions in buns for dinner). I'm wondering what made these thins behave so differently. I know that acid is a catalyst for the yeast; do you suppose I had too much yeast, in both the pickle juice and the rye sour? (the rye flavor contains acetic acid and lactic acid). Pumpernickel and whole wheat are both "strong" flours. Any thoughts? I spoke to a "master baker" when I was at KAF this afternoon (buying more pumpernickel!) and she wasn't sure what the difference might be. I think that next time I make more rye flavored thins, I will eliminate or reduce one ingredient each time time I make them, starting with the rye flavor. The flavor and texture of these were great (although at least one was almost hollow). I'd love any comments and suggestions!

[chocomouse]

I'm pretty sure that Amaranth is included in one or more of KAF's whole-grain flour mixes, like the Harvest Grain or Special something or other. I love all of their grain blends as part of a bread dough. But I've not tried plain Amaranth flour.

[chocomouse]

Tonight we had a pot roast, with potatoes, onions, and carrots. It is very windy, with peaks of 15 mph, and the storm isn't even quite here yet. Unfortunately, I'll be traveling on the interstates, pikes, and thruways most of tomorrow, going to the NY Sheep and Wool Festival.

[chocomouse]

Monday night dinner was grilled salmon, roasted potatoes, broccoli, and green salad. It has been a gorgeous day here - clear blue skies and 70*. Hard to believe winter will soon be upon us.

[chocomouse]

Dinner was stuffed peppers. I spent most of the day prepping and freezing green bell peppers, in strips and in bite sized chunks. Then I prepped red bell peppers, onions, and garlic for the hot pepper relish I can every fall. I'll finish it tomorrow, after I grocery shop and buy jalepenos for it.

[chocomouse]

I have a huge pot of tomato soup simmering on the stove. It's the Watts Tea Room Tomato Basil Cream Soup from jej on the obc, and my favorite tomato soup recipe. I don't have enough milk on hand, and we use only 2% anyway, so I'll substitute some 2% and Half and Half. I'll freeze the leftover soup for later. I'm thinking about making cornbread to go with it for dinner tonight.

[chocomouse]

I just pulled two loaves of pumpernickel bread out of the oven - smells wonderful!

[chocomouse]

Good news! Thanks for letting us know.

[chocomouse]

Tacos at our house tonight.

[chocomouse]

So sorry you are having to deal with this Mike. Take all the time you need. I think you should also plan to take short breaks from preparing the quizzes every once in a while too (but stone-free breaks!). Maybe the rest of us could plan in advance and have some quiz items ready to post.

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