[skeptic7]

I had lost power due to the great windstorm on Friday and Saturday, so when Sunday came around and with it power and refrigeration, I decided to use up as much milk as possible. I chose a Hot Cross Bun recipe that used a lot of fresh milk and started in on it. These were baked Monday with two types of pastry cross and some plain as controls. I also made candied lemon peel -- its so good having electricity. I'll write more about the Hot Cross Bun crosses. The baked on cross is a cute idea, and travels much better than the frosting version -- if only it would be pretty and tasty and have a nice texture.

[skeptic7]

Thank you. This was a great article and its the right time to remember Mrs. Cindy. I'm using up the last of the candied lemon peel made from her lemons

[skeptic7]

Mike I've added a link to the Black Bread recipe on KA page

[skeptic7]

Mike;
I am looking at Winter 2000 Baking Sheet, and there is a recipe for Black Bread by Jeffrey Hamelman and accompanying story. This recipe uses old bread toasted until very nearly black and then soaked into a slurry with coffee and oil, in the bread. This gives it part of its color. Have you seen this technique? I think its mentioned elsewhere on the web. In your post above you said you didn't want to use coffee but the nearly burnt bread would help with the color.

Addendum: I found the recipe on the King Arthur site, through not alas the accompanying story
https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/jeffrey-hamelmans-black-bread-recipe

• This reply was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by skeptic7.

[skeptic7]

I baked a batch of Hot Cross buns on Sunday. I started mixing the dough together on Saturday but by the time I finished kneading everything into the dough -- more flour, butter and dried fruit; I was too tired to deal with it so put it into the refrigerator overnight. I formed it into balls on Sunday and baked a sheet pan full on Sunday night, and 8 more buns on Monday morning.
These turned out wonderfully. I tried out a pastry cross on two of them, and that is an idea that is going to require more work. The pastry cross was flour, oil and water and was actually quite tasty when cooked. I am going to have to make it thinner so it can be piped onto the buns.

Mike; Were you making the cinnamon rolls in mini muffin tins?

[skeptic7]

I always use iodized salt in cooking because iodine is an essential element. Mike, there are some foods that naturally includes iodine. Can you eat seafood or seaweed?

[skeptic7]

I did another cabbage pie -- based on the one in KAF Baker's companion, but used canned salmon instead of the eggs and ricotta cheese instead of cream cheese. I used a normal pie crust this time. It turned out very pretty and I loved the pie crust. I have been making pizza for so long I forgot just how tasty a nice crisp pie crust can be.
I had been looking up salmon pies on the internet but most of them were salmon and mash potato, which seemed tasty but too heavy on the starch so I cobbled together this recipe.
I am trying to make the Hot Cross Buns from Jeffrey Hamelman's Bread right now. They are in the proofing stage. The recipe is only a dozen buns using 3 cups of flour so I tried using my Kitchen Aid to knead it. Its much quicker with a mixer, but its harder to tell if the dough is kneaded enough. I used KAF all-purpose flour instead of bread flour and I hope this doesn't make a difference.

[skeptic7]

I have seen recipes that mix the ingredients together just enough to form the dough, let it rise for awhile and then knead. This takes less effort than kneading immediately after mixing the ingredients together, I've never seen a recipe that called for kneading twice.

[skeptic7]

I did Hot Cross Buns on Sunday a variation of the recipe in Fleishman's yeast website with dried pineapples. These came out tasty but too dense, On Monday I baked a whole wheat sugarless fruitless Hot Cross bun which is a rather abstract idea of a proper Hot Cross Bun. I have plenty of spices and butter and eggs and milk to make them properly rich, this recipe is designed for diabetic friends who can't tolerate the sugar found in dough and dried and candied fruit in normal recipes.
I made a batch of candied orange peel for the next attempt at proper Hot Cross buns.

[skeptic7]

Mike;
I have a 4.5 quart Kitchen Aid so I guess I will have to continue by hand. I looked at the KA whole grain cookbook and might try their hot cross bun recipe this year. I was rather put off previously by the baking powder which seems an odd ingredient for a yeast roll.

[skeptic7]

I baked a batch of Hot Cross Buns. The original recipe was from a friend who had it from another friend. They were a little underdone. I'm going to reheat in the oven to get rid of some of the gumminess. It can't be any worse than brown and serve rolls. This made a half sheet pan, which I think is a perfect size.
It took a while to knead by hand. Could I use a KitchenAid Mixer on 7 cups of flour, about 4 lbs of dough?

[skeptic7]

Mike, congratulations on your success!

[skeptic7]

I just tasted a cinnamon raisin boule I made in my bread cloche. It is much better than I expected being light and fluffy with a thin crust. I was looking at the Cinnamon Bread in Peter Reinharts "Whole Grain Breads" then remembered how I adapted this to English muffins and Hot Cross Buns, so I made a recipe with all the good things buttermilk, and whole wheat flour and currants and cinnamon sugar. I started a sponge and soaker this morning, combined them this afternoon and baked a couple of hours ago.
I will have to try the cloche again. I wonder what it will do to dinner rolls.

[skeptic7]

I killed off three small Rosemary plants this winter by forgetting to water them. Another Rosemary branch which just started growing roots might not make it either. The ones outside were doing well until the very hard freeze, I just hope they will make it.
Over wintering rosemary is tricky lots of light, not too much water and not too little water.

[skeptic7]

Mike;
Do you avoid all members of the garlic-onion family when cooking? Can you still cook Italian by relying heavily on basil and parsley and various peppers?

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