Any Bakers here???

table1349

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If so, I just got my hands on some European butter with 86% milk fat. Needless to say my baking costs are going up. The tried and true favorite family cookie recipe came out even moister and fluffier than with typical American butter. It is my new go too butter for baking and it is nice that we have a local outlet to get it.
 
If so, I just got my hands on some European butter with 86% milk fat. Needless to say my baking costs are going up. The tried and true favorite family cookie recipe came out even moister and fluffier than with typical American butter. It is my new go too butter for baking and it is nice that we have a local outlet to get it.

Well normally when I'm going for soft and chewy I'll add a couple of teaspoons of cornstarch and make sure to chill the batter before I bake, seems to work pretty well. Have to check out this super special sophisticated butter though, see how that works out. Assuming I can find any here in booniesville, of course...
 
They will have it in Omaha. The two differences between European Butter and American butter is not just the fat content, but it is cultured butter. The buttermilk is actually fermented before it is whipped into butter. Takes a bit longer but gives a more buttery flavor as well as the high fat content.

I managed to get my hands on some Vermont Creamery cultured butter with it's 86% fat content. Definitely be making a couple of pies this weekend to see how much more flaky the crusts are.
 
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Here in Boston it's all about the buttah. As a spread, we like Kate's (made in Maine) or Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter (made in USA I'm pretty sure, lol). For baking I usually use a store brand but your post is making me think maybe we've been cheating ourselves. Although I don't really bake a lot of pies - more cookies or cakes...
 
Here in Boston it's all about the buttah. As a spread, we like Kate's (made in Maine) or Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter (made in USA I'm pretty sure, lol). For baking I usually use a store brand but your post is making me think maybe we've been cheating ourselves. Although I don't really bake a lot of pies - more cookies or cakes...
The cookies were well appreciated by momma when she got home. They were the chewy moist kind that she likes. Part of it was from using dark brown sugar as I was out of light brown sugar, but I have made the recipe with dark brown sugar before. These were moister than before while still being properly baked. If you can get your hands on some Vermont Creamery Butter give it a shot. It is 86% milk fat.

While I do make jokes about the French, I must say I truly admire their culinary disregard for the use of butter.
 
Here in Boston it's all about the buttah. As a spread, we like Kate's (made in Maine) or Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter (made in USA I'm pretty sure, lol). For baking I usually use a store brand but your post is making me think maybe we've been cheating ourselves. Although I don't really bake a lot of pies - more cookies or cakes...

I had a friend a few years back who insisted on Kerrygold for bread with dinner one night -- I picked up the habit because it's much better than any of the normal stuff in that application. A couple of years ago, we started getting more European butter in the stores around here, and the prices dropped (slightly)...and convinced me that I should just suck it up for baked goods, cookies especially. Butter cookies and shortbread made with the fancy stuff beats the pants off Land'o'Lakes or even Cabot. Only annoying thing is that most of it seems to come in a non-standard 7 oz size.
 
I don't bake but I'm willing to be a taste tester for anyone posting on this thread.
 
I will give it a shot. I typically hate baking, too much waiting (as opposed to grilling). But I do make my own breads. I capture free-range yeast for my breads, it takes a week or two for the starter.
 
I will give it a shot. I typically hate baking, too much waiting (as opposed to grilling). But I do make my own breads. I capture free-range yeast for my breads, it takes a week or two for the starter.

Is that something different than using a sourdough starter? Just curious.
 
I will give it a shot. I typically hate baking, too much waiting (as opposed to grilling). But I do make my own breads. I capture free-range yeast for my breads, it takes a week or two for the starter.

Is that something different than using a sourdough starter? Just curious.
Yep, the yeast aren't penned up in a little coop made to lay baby yeast all day. :biggrin-93:
 
I will give it a shot. I typically hate baking, too much waiting (as opposed to grilling). But I do make my own breads. I capture free-range yeast for my breads, it takes a week or two for the starter.

Is that something different than using a sourdough starter? Just curious.
Yes and no ... You can make sourdough this way and typically this type of bread is on the sour side ... But you you can go for different tastes depending on where you go with the starter.

It isn't hard, you just make a started and set the container out in the air. Every other day, empty about half out of the starter container and re-feed the yeast. There are probably plenty of free sources on the internet providing a blow-by-blow description of how to do this. I learned from a book, Tartine Bread. This bread I make is quite heavy and old fashion nearly a solid meal in itself, very tasty and satisfying.
 
PS- I also make my own pizza dough (with yeast added), but use the Ninja and it takes about an hour. But, I let it rise on the pizza stone and toss in a ton of herbs. And I use roughly the same recipe to make flatbread.

Ever tried cold proofing the dough? I use less yeast than the standard ratio and throw it into the fridge to rise for a day or two -- get a lot of interesting flavor from the longer fermentation time. It's the closest thing I've found to pizzeria crust.
 

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