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I tried growing apricots up here, but it's just too wet for them. My Dad had some apricot trees down in Sacramento and I got to pilfer them a few times. You have to be careful and not eat too many of them though.
I'm in the same pickle, but I had a piece of lemon meringue pie last Sunday afternoon. It was at a seniors potluck at church. But I had also cut back on other carbs for that meal too.
The old people in any church are often some of the best cooks and you can really have a great tasting meal at a seniors potluck. But there were enough desserts at that potluck that I think everyone attending could have a half of the total dish. There is one lady that is the wife of one of my farmer friends and she often will bring a cobbler of a combination of blueberry and Marionberry. There's never any of that left over.
I made up a fresh batch of sourdough bread dough this morning before I came down. I'll have a pretty good idea before the day is over if I have found the right combination to the ingredients. I think I will post my first effort and follow up with the results of the following ones.
1-1/2 cups sourdough starter (approximately)
5 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 cups water
The starter was started in the usual way by taking about a cup to a cup and a half of starter from the refrigerator and putting it into a bowl with a couple of cups of flour and enough water to make a mix about the viscosity of thick soup. It was left overnight to work and then part of it was used to replace the starter used from the starter container. A couple of cups of flour and the salt were sifted into the mixing bowl (KitchenAid) with the starter and a cup and a half of warm water. This was mixed and the balance of the flour was added slowly until all was added. Turn the dough out into a bowl that has been greased. Turn the dough in the bowl so the exposed top is greased. Allow to sit in a warm place until the volume is doubled. Since there is no baking powder or added yeast, this will take up to 24 hours. Punch the dough down and allow to double in volume again. Separate the dough into two portions and roll each portion into a ball. Place each ball onto a greased pan. Cut the top of each ball to allow gasses to escape while baking. Bake in a 380 degree oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until well browned.
Note: The two loaves baked were baked at 350 degrees with a pan of water in the oven to allow glazing of the crust. It didn’t work and it also blocked the radiation from the element which resulted in slightly underbaked bread. The crust was firm which could be desirable, but also makes it quite chewy. Flavor was excellent.
Even with the pan of water though, I didn't get the glaze that I thought I would. I baked two more loaves today and didn't use any water in a pan. I posted that one on the sourdough thread though. I made some progress in one respect (the crust), but I fell back some in flavor. My next try will be to leave out the yeast and the baking soda and let the sourdough work longer. I was very pleased though with the crust. The olive oil made it just right.
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