[Italiancook]

Mike, I've been wondering: Since you made your Thanksgiving breads over "the last few days," how did you keep them fresh-feeling? Did you freeze the earlier batches and then pull them out of the freezer on Thanksgiving? I'm thinking that the earlier breads would have been dried out if left at room temperature. I can't imagine I'd ever have the opportunity to do what you did, but I'd like to know how you managed this, just in case.

Yesterday, I baked a new recipe for cinnamon rolls. It doesn't use yeast. Baking powder and soda, instead. The recipe makes only 4. They don't taste bad, but they're not as soft as I like cinnamon rolls. They're as much work as yeast rolls, because I still had to clean the rolling pin and the pastry board -- both tasks I don't like to do. I just think if I have to clean the pastry board, I want more return on my effort than 4 not-squishy cinnamon rolls. Having said that, I still plan on using the recipe Mike shared for 4 cinnamon rolls. It uses yeast.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 3 months ago by Italiancook.

[Italiancook]

We're not doing Thanksgiving this year, so all I've cooked this week are marinated chicken breasts and cabbage.

[Italiancook]

I tried a new recipe for chocolate chip cookies. The blurb promised chewy cookies, which I took to mean soft. They turned out crispy. I really want to find a recipe that makes soft choc. chip cookies. Maybe I'm baking them too long. I worry about the egg being fully cooked.

[Italiancook]

Like BakerAunt, my first reaction was to not attempt it. But as Mike pointed out there's something to be learned by the explanation. So, I picked an answer -- the wrong one, of course.

[Italiancook]

Thanks for the warning, Mike. Because of previous Romaine recalls, I quit buying it.

[Italiancook]

I don't know, BakerAunt, but I wonder if the oil in the crust would leech out & add too much oil to the baking galette. There's oiliness to the mozzarella.

[Italiancook]

I knew this because I dislike marmalade.

[Italiancook]

Len & BakerAunt, thanks for all the info on the rings and how to use them. I'm no longer in the dark. I'm sure I'll end up buying one of them. Just don't know which one yet. I like the idea, Len, that it's long enough for cinnamon rolls.

[Italiancook]

Len, re: the Fondant Roller you mentioned on the 21st: I checked it out and am confused. What do the rings do for you when you're rolling? Do you remove all but only the width ring you want? How do the rings tell you when your crust is the thickness you want? Seems to me they'd make an indentation in the dough. I read the Q&As & some reviews and couldn't get a sense of how the rings help.

[Italiancook]

I don't think I had too much leaving, BakerAunt, since I didn't add extra baking soda. But I am going to add the 1/4 tsp. extra soda next time I use buttermilk just to see what happens. Mike, I keep my baking soda only for 6 months then replace it.

[Italiancook]

Thanks for the roux/milk suggestion, Mike. I hadn't thought of that. Broccoli went on hold until tomorrow. Took me longer to make the Endive Rice Soup than I expected.

[Italiancook]

I baked Blueberry Muffins this morning from Better Homes & Garden New Cookbook. Recipe calls for regular milk. I used 1 cup + 1 tablespoon buttermilk. I didn't add baking soda, because I use baking soda and cream of tartar in place of baking powder. I thought the 1/2 teaspoon baking soda in the formula would be enough for the buttermilk. I think I erred, because the muffins didn't rise as much as usual. What is the amount of extra baking soda to add for what amount of buttermilk? 1/4 teaspoon? Or is that too much?

[Italiancook]

I'm headed to the kitchen to make Escarole Rice Soup from the Romagnolis Italian cookbook. I also have some broccoli I need to cook. I think I'll make a Cheddar cheese sauce to go with it -- oops, can't do that, I don't have any cream. Plain broccoli suits me, too.

[Italiancook]

As BakerAunt said, I also had a 50/50% chance of having the right answer, and I chose the wrong 50%.

[Italiancook]

BakerAunt, my grandmother's recipe box has a recipe I've never tried. It's for a roll-out cookie. It calls for butter, but maybe you can adjust that to oil. I have no memory of eating these cookies growing up, so I can't vouch for the taste.

NEW DEAL COOKIES (Yield: About 2 dozen)

3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream butter & sugar. Add eggs & milk. Sift flour twice. Add baking powder & salt. Beat with other ingredients. Chill dough. Roll thin & cut. Top with walnuts. Bake 10-12 minutes in 350 degree oven.

All my grandmother's sweet recipes call for sifting flour at least twice. I tell myself flour is better now and only sift once. The time I left out sifting altogether, I was disappointed with the finished product.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 3 months ago by Italiancook.

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