Very glad that this thread is getting more attention last year than the years before in HO. Bakers, let’s keep going in 2021! Everything counts: sweet or savoury desserts, bread, ice creams, chocolate making…
Absolutely know nothing about this syrup. Waiting to see what you will do with it! 
Packaging states: This Dark Syrup is distinctive and aromatic, with a full-bodied, toffee-like flavour. It is ideal in gingerbread and chocolate toffee, and as a flavour-enhancer in many savoury dishes.
It’s a product from Sweden.
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For starters.
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Sounds excellent. It’s weird to say, we are closer to Sweden than you do but I don’t see much Nordic products around.
Let me know how it is compared, for example to maple syrup.
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More like an alternative to dark molasses.
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DH’s birthday cake - carrot, a recipe from Bon Appétit. Good but not great. A bit drier than the old standard recipe I typically make. Cream cheese icing went runny on me, too - I’ll try a cooked flour or German buttercream with cream cheese next time.
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If we’re keeping it 2021, I started my first starter a bit ago. I’m on day 10. It took a little while extra because I have a cold house and apparently, organic flour slows things down too. Anyway, I mixed up a small boule today, and will bake off tomorrow. Maybe a pic if it’s pretty. In other news, I used the discard for the first time yesterday in waffles. Sort of just wung the batter. Some discard, and since that is just flour and water, I also added sugar, salt, egg, and some buttermilk. They came out super airy, somewhat sour, but with a slight bitter finish. If not for the finish, they would have been A+. But they were ok. I also had some way past plantains, and made them into banana bread tonight. Delish, but no real difference in taste to just banana. The plantains’ floral note was obliterated.
After using puff pastry for the seafood pot pie I still had a sheet left so I followed a quickie cinnamon bun trick from Ina Garten. Cardamom icing.
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Started off the year with some excellent brown butter rye shortbread cookies. They are slightly sweet and went well with the saltier items.
Second thing I’ve baked this year is sourdough with preserved yuzu and Khorasan wheat. My aunt gave me some underripe yuzu and I wasn’t sure what to do with it, so I preserved the rinds in salt similar to how you preserve lemons. I blended the softened rinds up before adding to the bread. Good, but I need to add more yuzu next time.
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Stunning photos. How can you slice into such a beautiful bread! I’m going to bookmark the cookie recipe; nice short ingredient list. My wife prefers crisp cookies and these look terrific.
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Now that I’ve read the shortbread recipe, I am going to use it once
my wife’s new rolling pin arrives from these creative folks
https://us.pastrymade.com/collections/embossed-rolling-pin/products/leaves-embossed-rolling-pin
It will be a perfect match.
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Beautiful rolling pin! Sadly, my only two cookie cutters were a chili pepper and the USA (both bought for theme parties). I’m thinking about buying some nested cutters in a neutral shape.
These turned out so tasty! I have a huge bag of rye berries, so I like that this recipe only uses rye. Lately, I’ve been experimenting with cookies made entirely of whole wheat mostly because of said bag of rye (and red wheat and spelt berries) residing in my closet. Ha ha!
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Beautiful @Rooster! Does the postage seem reasonable?
$14.95 shipping for two custom made pins (they are made to order using Polish folk art) which also included a free recipe book using the pin and a wood Bristol brush to clean them properly. As a gift, yes it was worth it.
https://us.pastrymade.com/products/vintage-rolling-pin?_pos=1&_sid=f14d8d7f3&_ss=r
This is the other pin I selected.
The pins for kids or smaller hands are a tad cheaper but for a budding baker…
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