My very unscientific take is that I could see it hadn’t risen enough, as I had taken it out of the oven to preheat it. It was getting late so I just hoped for more oven spring than I got. The loaf also ‘ripped’ on one side which can be a sign too. I wouldn’t expect a bread that’s 3:1 white to whole wheat to be this dense. I keep going back for more, even though it’s heavy and moist. I love sweet bread and half a cup of molasses per loaf gives a flavour I really like.
2 Likes
Happy birthday to somebody in the @shrinkrap home!
4 Likes
I see a (tasty) cornbread robot.
3 Likes
I’ll definitely take a slice of that 
2 Likes
Happy Bday to the Bday Person! That cake looks amazing!
2 Likes
Thanks all!
I see it too!
2 Likes
I love this sort of cake!
3 Likes
yep
I would put some hurtin’ on that thar cake. 
1 Like
This is a favorite of mine perhaps you can compare it with the one you are using.
3 Likes
13 Likes
Hot cross buns (or rather, not cross buns, because I couldn’t be fussed to pipe crosses, especially flour paste ones; being neither Christian nor any flavor of religious, the iconography’s unimportant to me). I used the recipe in Milk Street Bakes, with just a couple of minor changes: dried cranberries instead of currants, cardamom instead of nutmeg (along with called-for cinnamon and allspice), and added diced candied orange peel in addition to the called for orange zest. The dough is lightly enriched with an egg, an egg yolk, and a little butter and otherwise gets its moisture from buttermilk and a small amount of golden syrup. It’s a quite sticky dough that I had to scrape off the dough hook several times. The currants are plumped in bourbon, which is saved and heated with more golden syrup until reduced, to make a glaze that’s brushed on when they come out of the oven. We’re having warm weather in the Bay Area, but it’s pretty cool in my kitchen until later in the afternoon, so I used the 100F proofing setting on my oven for the first time since I had it installed last year. The shaped buns rest in the fridge overnight before coming to room temp and baking.
These were very nice, and also very well-liked by everyone I shared them with.
14 Likes
Lovely. I’ll bet they smell great too!
1 Like
I don’t think I’ve ever eaten homemade hot cross buns. These look very tempting.
3 Likes
Neither had I, but when I got the book and took a quick spin through it, I thought the recipe looked really good.
3 Likes
I have got to get 'round to trying this!
This morning I took a 2-hour Zoom class on pretzels with King Arthur Baking.
I’ve made pretzels once before (as a side project at an in-person KA class), but this went into them more deeply. We made 12 pretzels (4 of which disappeared before I could get the photo). I went with German style (puffy in the middle and tapered at the ends). I liked the looks of the American-style better (a perfectly even rope with no taper), but I don’t think my shaping skills are there yet. I did get pretty proficient at twisting them after the first couple of tries.
The pretzels passed the taste test – delicately crunchy on the outside, soft and just slightly chewy on the inside, and tasty! Bonus points for being easy and fun to make. Next time I’ll try a little sourdough discard in them for a little more nuanced flavor.
FWIW: This was my first time taking a Zoom course. I went to bed last night hoping I would like the format because KAF offers a lot of courses on-line. I found the class well organized, fast paced, and full of good information, both about pretzel making and baking in general. Participation is structured to keep the chatter at a minimum, while still allowing plenty of opportunities for asking questions. I have no idea what the other folks in the class looked like – all you see is the instructor. Simple questions are asked via chat, but if you have a complicated question, she’ll un-mute you so you can ask directly. It was $65 well spent. I’ve signed up for bagels this spring, and given my experience today, am eye-balling English muffins, biscuits, and (possibly) scones.
23 Likes
Pure Perfection!
1 Like
