[chocomouse]

I usually do have to add either water or flour to my doughs to get the right feel. This dough was different - and I don't know if it was because I ended up kneading in the forgotten yeast, or due to the kinds of flours used in your recipe. I didn't know what to expect. I'm pretty sure it was over-kneaded. It handled more like taffy than bread dough. I'm going to make it again, soon, probably tomorrow, and will post about it then.

[chocomouse]

Yes, Baker Aunt, I use cast iron for most everything. We liked the flavor of the bread, and the texture was OK, although a bit dry. But I'm reserving final judgement until I make it again, since I forgot the yeast and ended up kneading it at the end - not the usual process! Not sure what that did to the texture.

Yesterday I made Tropical Muffins, and baked them in a mini-muffin cast iron pan. I used a favorite muffin recipe, and added dried fruits, in this case candied orange peel (that I candied myself), dried pineapple, mango, and cherries. They are delicious.

[chocomouse]

I baked it for 35 minutes at 350*, internal temp of 195.
I had more success making the bread than posting the picture!!! That's fine with me. It doesn't seem to matter what I do with my picture program on my phone or computer, it flips to upside down on this site.

[chocomouse]

I made Len's recipe for Wheat/Rye/Semolina Buns today, but shaped it into a sandwich loaf. I checked it while it was rising - but it wasn't rising. Then I realized OMG I never put in the yeast!! I decided to try kneading the yeast into the dough at that point, which I've tried in the past and so far it's always worked. It did rise, very nicely indeed, and as soon as I figure out how to reduce the size of my photo to 512 KB, I'll post it!

• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by chocomouse.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by chocomouse.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by chocomouse.

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[chocomouse]

I'll have to try Len's bun recipe, soon. Our dinner tonight was ribs on the grill, with leftover marinated bean salad and a green salad with tomatoes and cucumbers. The lettuce, which I grew in a small planter on the deck, was chewy and a little bitter -- so that's the end of it for us. Sad, as the next planing of lettuce in not ready to eat yet.

[chocomouse]

Today I baked Maple, Walnut, and Fig bread. It's not too sweet, and I love the flavors. I also made chocolate chip cookies for my husband.

[chocomouse]

Skeptic, I can cook 8 muffins at a time on my griddle. And since I'm stuck in the kitchen anyway to keep an eye on them, I can do other tasks, like wash dishes, clean out a the refrigerator, make a salad for dinner, or whatever needs doing. I just plan to use the time productively. I've never tried baking them. How do you get the tops and bottoms browned and coated with cornmeal or semolina when you do them that way?

[chocomouse]

Skeptic, I actually made 17 muffins, instead of the usual 12, using 77 gr if dough for each. They came out very good. I use the griddle on my stove. I have not yet perfected the temperature and timing, so some of these were a little black on the bottom! Next time I will try #8 for 12 minutes.

[chocomouse]

Dinner tonight was steak shish-ke-bobs with bell pepper and onions, and a marinated bean salad and cole slaw. I marinated the steak pieces in balsamic vinegar, honey, mustard, and garlic -- nice flavor.

[chocomouse]

Len, your cake looks great -- and delicious!!

95 degrees here today, so early this morning I started English muffins. Not a great day with liquids in my kitchen today, either, Baker Aunt! I do not know what I did, but I ended up adding about 3/4 cup (estimate) of flour as I kneaded it! And I made 3 more muffins than I usually make! Yes, some humidity, but not 3/4 cup worth! I've made this recipe numerous times, often need to make slight adjustments with the buttermilk, but nothing like this. Husband says they taste great!

[chocomouse]

It's almost cold here! 68 and dropping. I'm thinking about putting the quilt back on the bed -- perfect night for sleeping. And we've had over 2 inches of rain in the past 48 hours. We'd had several days of sun, and the garden was beginning to look green instead of yellow. I hope you can get that ac fixed quickly, Mike.

[chocomouse]

I made two loaves of our usual sandwich bread, using oatmeal, AP, and whole wheat flour, plus 2 tablespoons of flax meal. I need to take a lesson from Baker Aunt and start adding a couple of tablespoons of dry milk to my loaves, also.

[chocomouse]

Turkey quesedillas for dinner tonight.

[chocomouse]

Thanks, Mike. I do know that commercial ovens are different from home ovens, although not specifically convection.

[chocomouse]

I used to pour water into a pan to make steam when I wanted a crisp crust, but about 10-15 years ago I bought a porous clay long covered bake. It is not the one that KAF sells, and I think I might have bought it from Pampered Chef, but not sure. It does produce a crisp crust, although not as crunchy as bread baked in a commercial steam oven. It is easier and safer than producing steam in the oven. I do love the bread I get from baking in it, but never made a rye in it, however I will try that soon. I agree with BakerAunt that it would not be suitable for large scale production.

I'd also like to comment on using a convection oven -- I've only rarely used the convection in my microwave, so really have no experience to speak of using convection for cooking or baking. However, what I have read about it makes me think it would not be a good choice for baking. Maybe others will weight in on that option.

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