andiesenji

Sometimes "accidental" breads have incredible flavor and seemingly can never be repeated.

A friend used to send me unshelled macadamia nuts. Her brother was a grower on the big island until the mid 2000s when he was bought out by a big corporation. I have a nutcracker made for cracking hickory nuts that works great on mac nuts. It is made of solid steel in a wood frame, has a "cup" to hold the nut and a thick sort of blade shaped thing that screws down using a T-shaped handle and exerts a lot of force so the shell splits, usually without damaging the nut inside. You have to stand or sit on either side where the frame is because the shells often fly out the open sides with some force. My cousins used to send me a 25 pound bag of hickory nuts when I was still baking a lot. When we were kids, the cook would line us up on the edge of the porch outside the kitchen, each of us with a sad iron upside down between our thighs over a kitchen towel and a small hammer (I always wondered why there were so many hammers in the kitchen but there must have been a dozen ball-peen hammers) anyway, it was our task to crack hickory nuts, and black walnuts, which were very hard, pecans, English walnuts, which were easier, for all the baked goods and candies that were made in large quantities in the fall and winter. I haven't had any nuts for several years and have no idea where the nutcracker is.

You might want to check if it is dried brewers yeast, which was used almost exclusively for levening bread as far back as in Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome and continued well into the 19th century. "Cakes" of the fresh yeast were sold by brewers to bakers, who maintained community ovens, and they in turn dried the yeast and sold it to their customers who would prepare the dough at home and bring it to the baker for baking. It had to be crushed and sieved into a fine powder and mixed with water and a little flour to produce the "sponge" or starter, which was set near the fire overnight to "awaken and grow" then early the next morning added to more flour and water and a little salt to make the dough which was worked and left to rise once, then shaped, left to rise and then taken to the bakery. Somewhere in my boxes of books, I have one that describes a place in Boston, during the Revolutionary War, where "a dozen women lined up, carrying their fat loaves and waiting for the baker to admit them to the warmth of the bake-house."

I received three surprise gifts. A box of 48 Tea Forte Earl Grey tea "pyramids" with a Large, blue 17ounce "Mermaid" mug from a friend who moved to Arkansas several years ago and has now moved back and I "baby sat" her little dog for a few days, one where movers were in and out all day and two more when some installers were going to be in and out all day. This dog is so tiny, 4 pounds, she was worried she couldn't keep an eye on it all the time. My Basenji was not quite sure what to make of it but he was very gentle and shared his bed nicely. The other gift was from a friend that tries to find unusual gifts for me because "you already have everything" and I certainly did not have this: One POUND of BRROKLYN BILTONG. Apparently "NAKED" Grass Fed beef. It is quite tasty with less of the seasonings that for me have way too much salt, in jerky made here. (I do not buy any herky sources from China!)

I finally found the bookmark for this site - "rye" was not prominent in the Bookmark title - It has some good information and a recipe with which I have had excellent results. Masterclass Rye Breads The site has been active for a long time and is updated periodically. The advice on handling the dough is quite good. There are instructions both for baking in a loaf pan OR on a baking sheet.

Rye contains a type of gluten but not enough to produce a strong rise that will sustain througout the process. It will not develop the proteins that support the yeast. Breads from northern Europe contain more rye but all have some wheat. This Norwegian Rye has a larger percentage of rye flour and produces a very tasty bread. Pumpernickel which is all rye, has to rise for a very long time and the oven has to be steamy. The fruited rye breads, like raisin rye can have a higher percentage of rye because the sugar in the raisins boosts the yeast activity.

That is so strange. I usually have no problem with rye and the flavor is not as strong as some ryes but that is because I usually add ground caraway, as well as the whole seeds because I want that flavor to come forward. I do mix the rye flour with the water and oil first and aultlyse for 30 minutes and it is like a batter until I add the bread flour mix and autolyse for another 20 minutes or so. Then I add the sugar, caraway and yeast and in the bread machine let it run through the first mix and knead then first rise and when the second kneat starts I add the salt. I have found that the initial boost, before the salt kicks in, gives a better rise. When I make a "half & half" rye with white whole wheat flour, I use a rounded tablespoon of vital wheat gluten, otherwise I don't get the rise I want and the crumb turns out rather dense.

Yes, they are cheese buttons or cheese "picks" I have some that are cut off antique forks that had the tines flattened so they are straight.

I am cooking a tiny ham for my solitary Christmas dinner but there is enough that I will have leftover ham for sandwiches. So I made Onion/Caraway Rye. First I made the rye with caraway dough last Saturday and it has been in the fridge hydrating and whatever. Monday night I started a poolish which, with only a tiny amount of yeast, fermented actively for 20 hours. Then using my 3-pound bread machine, I cut up the rye dough into chunks, soaked dried onions in just enough water to cover and they took it all up within 30 minutes and I added the poolish, the rye dough and the onion to the bread maching and turned it on the "regular" white bread setting. In the second LONG knead, I noticed it was a bit loose and gradually added AP flour until it looked and felt right. It proceeded through that knead and the two additional short ones, the last with 1.47 still on the timer, at which time I took it out and removed the paddles. It finished baking in the machine and this is the result.

If anyone wants to tiptoe into the sous vide experience at a very inexpensive cost, I have an extra brand new Secura model sv-617 and an Anova vac sealer also new, never used and at least a 100 vac bags, two sizes. These were Gifts and I already have both a sous vide circulator I have used only a few times and my big vac sealer and several boxes of the bag strips where you make your own sizes. The Anova vac sealer is new on the market. $60. plus shipping. Will not be a lot if you are on the West coast. weight total of the items is 9 pounds. You can go to USPS click and ship to calculate the cost. my zip code is 93535 I am running out of room to store things. Contact me by Private mail. Could be a gift for someone too.

Making almond paste is not difficult with a food processor - if you first STEAM the almonds and remove the skins. I just steam them for about 15 minutes, dump them on a large terrycloth towel and fold it over to cover them and rub and the skins come right off. I weigh them and dump them into the food processor and pulse several times till they are crumb size. Then I add sweet almond oil - 1 tablespoon to each 16 ounces and process till it begins to thicken. I then add powdered sugar in increments and pulse a few times after each addition until the paste is just slightly tacky. The amount will vary with every batch because of the variation in the moisture and the oil in the almonds. I feel and taste until it is the way I want it. Before food processors, I used to grind them in a meat grinder and mix by hand and it was a chore.

I have done ZERO baking this year. I thought about baking stollen (there were years when I baked 4 dozen loaves for gifting) but can't seem to generate the necessary energy. There were years when I baked at least a dozen different cookie recipes, panettone, and etc. I have no plans for Christmas dinner as there will be just me and Aston, my Basenji dog (he would appreciate a treat but it doesn't look like that will happen either. I have some rye dough in the fridge that I am going to let ferment for a few days and then mix with a pre-ferment and some sweet dough to make a version of the Swedish limpa rye that includes orange zest, caraway, anise and dark molasses.

I have arthritis in my hands and my right shoulder so I stopped using juicers that require force years ago. I have used electric juicers since. I had one, that was more expensive with a METAL REAMER that did not work as well as the plastic reamers - it was not as "sharp" as the plastic reamers. They have all worked just fine for me. Most have a "standard" sized plastic reamer and do a fine job, start reaming with pressure and reverse if there is a slight shift one way or another. The plastic reamers become less "sharp" with repeated heavy use and I do a lot of juicing of lemons for some things that I prepare regularly. For me they last about 4 years, maybe 5 and they are cheap enough that I can toss them and order another without agonizing about it. Currently I have a Black & Decker - I think the last one was also a Black & Decker, before than I had another INEXPENSIVE one, I think this one cost about $15.00 and the next one will be about the same. I did have one that was 10.99 one of Amazon's "gold box" specials, made by Aroma, that lasted longer than any of the others.

I haven't made sausage rolls for several years and they sound so appetizing. Many years ago I used to make pork mincemeat (for the pork cake) and as there was always a lot of "extra" mincemeat, I would form the extras into little "links" and wrap them in pizza dough cut into triangles to make them a bit fancier. To make the "links" I just formed the mincemeat into a "rope" about the size of Tootsie rolls and then cut with a bench scraper into 3 inch sections. If I was in a hurry, I rolled the dough out into a rectangle, placed the uncut "rope" along one edge, rolled it into a cylinder and cut that into sections. Not at all greasy.

Did the dough rise once and then it didn't rise in the oven?

So, WHAT is the name of the variety? The article is blocked unless I pay Washington Post. If I know the name I cal look for other article that don't hold me up for payment before I can read it.

November 30, 2019 Today's bake. Apple kuchen. I had planned to make an apple bread pudding on T-Day but ended up just baking a small bread pudding. Today I decided to mix up some dough for scones but as I began to measure out the liquid, I stopped at half the amount. I mixed in some self-rising flour, a little sugar, some almond extract. Then cored and sliced 3 apples, layered them with the batter/dough, sprinkling with cinnamon/sugar. Baked for 65 minutes at 370°F. Very tasty.

Where I grew up in western Kentucky we had several pecan groves and a couple were very old and the trees were huge. There were not as many in the "old" groves because many had been cut down for the lumber, probably a hundred years earlier. The younger groves produce more nuts but not as large as the older trees. My grandparents cook used a lot of pecans in cooking and baking and candy making. The Divinity she made was loaded with pecans. I have tried hundreds of times to duplicate it but have never succeeded in getting that evasive flavor.

Back in the '60s, when my husband and I and another couple used to camp in the high Sierra, I did a lot of engine cookery. Reynolds Aluminum produced an excellent booklet. I often did beef shoulder clod or 7-bone roasts seasoned with Lipton's onion soup mix and with potatoes, carrots and onions wrapped in the foil - I did triple layers, taking no chances. I would have the prepared packs in an ice chest as we drove up the 395 and when we stopped at Bishop for breakfast, I would put the packs in the engine compartment with a couple of extra, wadded layers of foil as insulation. When we got to Convict Lake, everything would be done. My husband had a Lincoln convertible - so a big engine that had room for the packages. I often did apples cored with sugar and cinnamon, etc., at the same time. Once I did a peach cobbler and while the "crust" was not crisp, it was certainly done.

My Thanksgiving dinner (Cooked in my electric pressure cooker, 27 minutes on high pressure. Perfectly done. Fresh pork loin "roast" 21 ounces. On a 12 inch platter. with Potatoes, Carrots, Celery. Sliced tomatoes and a slice of the bread I baked yesterday. Hot tea, a malty Assam with milk and just a hint of sugar. I was going to make gravy but decided that can wait till tomorrow. I can make open-face sandwiches with gravy on a thick slice of my bread. Note that I didn't show my plate. I cut my slice of roast up at the counter, also the tomatoes, so I would only need a fork while eating.

That is just weird.

Today's loaf from the 3-pound bread machine. 3 1/2 cups bread flour, 2 cups KA White Whole Wheat flour, 5 tablespoons dry whole milk powder, 5 tablespoons sugar, 3 teaspoons salt, 1 3/4 teaspoons SAF instant yeast. 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 1 2/3 cup warm water. I won't cut it until tomorrow. Will add a photo of the crumb then. I had to cut the top off so it would fit into my slicing guide. Beautiful crumb, can be sliced thin. Toasts nicely, great flavor. Only faintly sweet.

The newer ones do not contain lead. Only a limited number of the very early ones contained some on the EXTERIOR but unless one spends hour a day for a very long time soaking the exterior in an acid, like orange juice or vinegar, there is no physical exposure.

When I was much younger and used to hunt geese, among other waterfowl, I used to see notes posted in the gun shops from people who offered to "share expenses" in return for a goose or geese. It depends on your state and what the bag limit is. Different for different species. I always had takers for all the geese I got but with the cost of ammo, gas and etc., even back then some of the people with whom I hunted traded geese and would make a call so they could meet us at a pickup point. (Pay phones in those days) The recipient would bring an ice chest full of ice. They had to do the plucking and cleaning but they got a super fresh goose or geese and for bargain prices. I think one guy was a chef because he got ten from one hunter - white geese - I think the bag limit was 30 back then in the southern San Joaquin Valley. Anyway, check to see if there is a gun shop in your area and go and ask, doesn't cost anything to inquire if there is any waterfowl hunting in your region and if they supply hunters and explain why you are asking. I was no longer hunting when I moved up here to Lancaster but I met an officer from Edwards AFB in my computer club and he mentioned he hunted and we talked and I learned his wife refused to do the prep on the game he hunted and he wasn't all that adept himself so we made a deal. i would prep it so all she had to do was put it in the oven and in return I would get part of whatever it was. I posted about the time I got a haunch of wild boar, took photos and took a roasting pan full to an eG potluck. All of the guys who hunted have gone, reassigned or retired so no longer do that but it was great for 20 years. Anyone who has experience with preparing game can often make similar arrangements because there are a lot of newly hatched hunters who do not have a partner who is enthusiastic about preparing it to make a meal. It's worth a try.

It's one of the "classic" Jell-O strawberry molded salads in a Jell-O booklet that was featured and given away with the Tupperware gelatin molds - in the '60s. Made with sweetened frozen strawberries, bananas, crushed pineapple, walnuts, cream cheese, sour cream and topped with whipped cream. Later it was modified by omitting the bananas, subbing drained crushed pineapple and/or mandarin oranges (when the canned product became available in most supermarkets). I read that the original recipe was a Jell-O contest winner in the late 1950s that was sponsored by Jell-O in conjunction with Bird's Eye which had just introduced sweetened frozen strawberries in a box so the product was like a brick.. I lived next door to a regional Tupperware distributor who held "intro" parties for her sales people and I catered many of her parties. Besides paying me, she gave me a lot of Tupperware, including some of the items only for the hostesses. I had several of the molds in both sizes and a stack of the Jell-O booklets that featured that "salad" that could double as a dessert because it was quite sweet. Later people made all kinds of changes to the basic recipe.