[Italiancook]

Tomorrow or Monday, I'm going to make KAF's Apple Cake. Went to the market today to look for baking apples. They had Granny Smith, which I didn't buy thinking they'd be too sour for cake. Pink Lady, Gala & Fuji were my other choices. No Winesap, which I wanted, but I haven't seen a Winesap in decades. I came home with some Gala's & Fuji's. Wasn't sure which to gamble on. Now that I see your comment about Gala apples for pies, BakerAunt, I will use Fuji's and hope for the best. Would y'all have chosen the Granny Smith's? If you think I should use Granny Smith's, I'll send my husband on a mission for them. Having grown up on an orchard, I know it's important to use the right apple for baking. It's just that none of the varieties I grew up with are sold around here.

My mother always used Winesaps for pies. I used to use McIntosh's to make applesauce, but haven't seen a McIntosh in stores this century, so I quit making applesauce.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 2 months ago by Italiancook.

[Italiancook]

While I'm on this website, I'll mention that I'm making olive oil & garlic sauce for spaghetti for dinner tonight. I bought a loaf of ciabatta bread to go with it. Romaine salad will be the green part of the meal.

[Italiancook]

BakerAunt, thanks for posting Cass's helpful information. Now I know what to do the next time I have dough that retracts when rolled. Thanks! Cass's info about testing for proofing made me curious: What do you do if you overproof dough? Do you have to punch it down, form it into a ball & restart the proofing process?

[Italiancook]

The blueberry muffin recipe I use comes from the Better Homes & Garden New Cookbook. My son always liked them, but we all preferred a recipe from a cookbook that was lost in a move. Don't recall the title. It used canned blueberries. We preferred the rich blueness in the muffins as compared to the cleaner blueberry presence of fresh blueberries.

I appreciate the streusel topping recipe, BakerAunt. As a rule, I don't use streusel when it's called for. The recipes usually use more flour whose tasted I don't enjoy. Your recipe has way less flour, and I think I'll enjoy it. I wrote it down as my go-to streusel topping. Thank you! Maybe blueberry muffins with this streusel topping are in the offing. I won't make the whole wheat ones whose link you posted, because I can no longer eat whole wheat flour.

[Italiancook]

I laughed aloud when I read KIDPIZZA's comment about Ft. Knox. I agreed with him over the weekend when it took me almost five minutes to be approved to login. After I thought about it, I realized I had not correctly read the directions.

Thanks, BakerAunt, for letting us know Cass is okay and moving, although moving is a stress.

[Italiancook]

Thanks, chocomouse, for the report on the KAF Jordan Marsh muffins. I printed this recipe today to make in a few weeks when guests are here. I would not have tried it until the day I wanted to serve it. Now, I'll stick to my tried and true blueberry muffins, although I may put sugar on the top as KAF recipe does. Did you think the top sugar added anything positive to them?

[Italiancook]

Here's a link to, I believe, the Parker House roll recipe from Omni Parker House. It's almost identical to the one in the WSJ. I didn't put the rolls in a roasting pan. WSJ piece said to put them on sheet pans. You'll see these look rectangular, not ovalish. So maybe the original ones were rectangles. But I like ovals better, even if it's not authentic.

https://www.omnihotels.com/blog/zagat-iconic-parkers-restaurant-parker-house-rolls/

[Italiancook]

If overproofing is what leads to the pop open, I was probably saved from that by a discussion I read recently somewhere on the KAF site. I learned to test the dough when I think it's risen the required amount, instead of waiting until the time suggested in the recipe. As I recall, for the Parker House Rolls, the first rise was until doubled in bulk, about 1-1/2 hours. With the KAF discussion in mind, I tested the dough at one hour. It tested proofed, so I went on with the next step in the recipe. In the wintertime, that might be a different story.

I just checked "The Wise Encyclopedia of Cookery." It says to brush one side of the dough rounds with butter before folding. Then brush the tops with butter. Instead of dipping both sides in butter. I may try that next time, because dipping them became quite messy.

[Italiancook]

Mike, none of my Parker House Rolls opened up. They all stayed closed. I think the secret is the butter application.

The recipe I used came from the WSJ article you posted a while ago. It's probably behind a paywall now. It's an adaptation from Omni Parker House, Boston. I checked out the KAF blog you posted. Mine don't look like theirs. Mine are prettier, more ovalish instead of rectangular. I think the reason mine didn't pop open is that after I cut the circles, both sides were dipped in butter, placed on parchment-lined tray, then folded. Most, I folded over completely, as recipe said, but some I did only 3/4, because a TV chef had done that. I think the ones I folded over 3/4 look prettier -- or at least more interesting.

[Italiancook]

Thanks for checking, BakerAunt. Hopefully, you'll hear from him in the near future. If you do, please let us know.

[Italiancook]

I don't have a backsplash, but the thought of tile makes me think of the problem with grout maintenance. Grout has to be cleaned and re-sealed. Have no idea how often in a kitchen. We do it every 3 years in the bathrooms.

[Italiancook]

I baked Parker House Rolls for the first time. While I was in the throes of making them, I thought I'd never make them again. Now that I've tasted the finished product, there will be a second time. The dough was light and fluffy. The rolls are soft and way too buttery good. I made them for the freezer to give with a roast beef dinner to three people homebound in a couple of weeks, so I will be able to resist the temptation to make a meal out of them.

I don't believe I've folded them right. Some of them look like they should, based on some of the photos on Google Images. The recipe said to fold them in half, which I mostly did. Seems to me a celebrity chef on TV said to fold them 3/4. Have any of you made Parker House Rolls? How did you do the fold?

I had problems rolling out the dough. It rested for 15 minutes after punching it down, but when I rolled it, the dough kept springing back. In frustration, I quit rolling and pressed the dough into proper thinness with my hands. I know that spring-back means something, but I don't know what. Anyone know?

These are pretty and delicious, but I don't see how anyone could make them fresh to serve with a special dinner. They're labor-intensive, take up a lot of counter space, and would take away time from entrée prep, even if I made the entrée the day before. I'm more apt to make 90-minute rolls for a special dinner. But Parker House Rolls are much more stunning.

The recipe said to use a 2-3/4 inch cutter, which I did. If you made these before, do you recall what size cutter you used? The finished product seems large for a roll, but maybe I let them rise too long after cut.

[Italiancook]

Thanks, BakerAunt, and Mike. I checked out the website, BakerAunt. Helpful info. Thanks for taking the time to find it.

[Italiancook]

When I have the kitchen faucet changed, I'm also having a new sink installed. Contractor wanted to do a 9" deep sink, as I recall. I think I currently have 7". We compromised at 8". My concern is pulling pasta pots full of water out of the sink. The heft of lifting them up over a higher sink/counter top, because the sink bottom is lower concerns me. I think it'd take more muscle to lift it up 9" instead of 7", or even 8". I'm unsure why contractor spoke up for the deeper sink, but now that we've had this discussion, I'll probably ask him before he buys the sink.

BakerAunt, I grew up with well water. I know it's a challenge.

[Italiancook]

After reading your post, Mike, I hurried to call the plumbing store where the faucet will be purchased. I was told that the one that's being bought for me does have the pull-out sprayer. But I was also told there's more than one model of them, so there may be some variances between models -- or even brands. But it certainly is a good thing to check before buying. The pull-out sprayer is quite helpful.

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