My 113rd experiment: Calabasa bread for someone special

This is a loaf I specially make for a dear friend, after testing the recipe out 2 days ago, with spectacular result. Considering the popularity of the KAF recipe, I try to redo it, only scaling down the amount of sugar by half, and dropping the chocolate chips.

Recipe: Calabasa bread (1 loaf)

Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 5 tp white sugar
- 12 pieces saffron sugar cubes
- 2 eggs
- 1-2 cups calabasa pumpkin, half cooked and mushed
- 1+1/3 cup unbleached all purpose flour
- 1/4 tp baking powder
- 1 tp baking soda
- 3/4 tp salt
- 1/2 tp ground nutmeg
- 2 tp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup chopped spicy pineapple preserve
- 2 TB evaporated skim milk

Procedure:
1. Sieve together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon.
2. Melt sugar cubes in microwave or heat.
3. Mix egg with white sugar and melted sugar cubes. Add melted butter. Beat to integrate.
4. Add pumpkin. Mix well.
5. Add dry ingredients and stir, about 1/4 cup at a time. If batter becomes too thick, add milk.
6. Add chopped walnuts and pineapple preserve.
7. Bake at 350F for about 1 hour.

Results:
4:15pm, all ingredients:

4:28pm, dry ingredients sieved:

4:52pm, eggs beaten with butter and sugar, ready to add pumpkin (need to be more mushed):

4:56pm, adding 2 TB milk:

5:04pm, final batter:

5:07pm, batter in pan:

5:07pm, batter height in pan:

5:07pm, to bake at 350F:

5:48pm, loaf baked 40 minutes:

5:48pm, loaf's height:

6:19pm, loaf turned out:

6:19pm, loaf's top:

6:19pm, loaf's side:

6:19pm, loaf's heel:

6:20pm, loaf's bottom:

Observations:
1. I am very pleased that this loaf does not collapse.
2. I think the use of shortening makes it super easy for the loaf to turn out of the pan, even though just a very thin layer of shortening is used.

My 112th loaf: Lemon zucchini quickbread

This recipe is adapted from the KAF cookbook.

Recipe: Lemon zucchini quick bread (make 1 loaf)

Ingredients:
- 1 cup KAF all-purpose flour
- 2 TB granulated sugar
- 1+1/2 tp baking powder
- 1/2 tp salt
- 1/4 tp lemon oil
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup chopped spicy pineapple preserve
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup evaporated skim milk
- 1 small zucchini, shredded to about 2 cups

Procedure:
1. Sieve together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
2. Beat eggs, oil with lemon oil until well blended.
3. Add shredded zucchini into egg mixture. Stir.
4. Add dry ingredients about 1/4 cup at a time. Stir the mixture thoroughly. If the mixture appears too dry, add milk.
5. After the batter is well formed, add in the walnuts and pineapple preserve.
6. Pour into greased 4x8 loaf pan. Bake at 350F for about 1 hour or until the toothpick test is passed.
7. Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes. Turn out. Let sit overnight before serving.

Results:
3:23pm, all ingredients:

3:39pm, dry ingredients mixed, one zucchini shredded, walnuts and pineapple preserve chopped:

3:42pm, 2 eggs to be beaten:

3:44pm, eggs well beaten with oil and lemon oil:

3:46pm, zucchini added; wet ingredients and dry ingredients ready to mix:

3:48pm, midway through the integration, 1/4 cup milk needed:

3:51pm, final batter:

3:53pm, final batter with nuts and fruits, ready to add to greased pan:

3:55pm, batter in pan:

3:55pm, batter height in pan:

3:56pm, to bake at 350F:

4:28pm, loaf baked 30 minutes:

4:47pm, loaf baked 47 minutes:

4:47pm, loaf's height just out of oven:

5:15pm, loaf cooled 30 minutes:

5:15pm, loaf's cooled height:

5:18pm, loaf returned to oven at 350F because of sticky interior:

5:47pm, loaf rebaked for 30 minutes:

5:47pm, toothpick test:

5:58pm, loaf turned out:

5:58pm, loaf's top:

5:58pm, loaf's side:

5:58pm, loaf's heel:

5:58pm, loaf's corner:

Overnight, 8:07am, interior:

Overnight, 8:07am, compare with pumpkin bread:

Observations:
1. This loaf collapses right after coming out of the oven. It's a disappointment to me.

My 111th loaf: Whole wheat flat bread

After a day of exuberant successes with baking, I encounter a flop again. This time, I guess the primary reason is still the shortage of time, though my dough has been given days to ferment.

Recipe: Whole wheat flat bread (1 loaf)

Ingredients:
- about 2 to 3 cups KAF whole wheat flour
- water
- 1/2 tp salt
- 3 TB honey
- 1.5 tp active dry yeast
- 3 TB oil

Procedure:
1. Mix 1/2 cup flour with 1/4 cup and 1/2 tp yeast to form a soft dough. Chill and allow to ferment overnight.
2. Feed the culture after 2-3 days. Allow to sit in room temperature for half a day. Return to fridge at night.
3. Feed the culture one last time. Allow to sit in room temperature.
4. Add salt, honey, and 1 tp active dry yeast dissolved in warm water to culture. Mix to form dough. Adjust hydration accordingly.
5. Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes.

Day 1, 8:51am, initial culture of 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, water, and 1/2 tp active dry yeast:

Day 4, 12:40pm, on the 4th day:

Day 5, 12:37am, feeding dough:

Day 5, 6:24pm, culture stirred:

Day 6, 5:40pm, culture growing:

Day 6, 5:52pm, state of the culture when just about to add remaining flour, 1 tp yeast, salt, honey and oil:

Day 6, 6:16pm, gluten developed in dough:

Day 6, 6:20pm, dough done (actually too moist this time):

Day 6, 6:40pm, dough to proof:

Day 6, 6:40pm, dough's height to proof:

Day 6, 7:06pm, dough risen 26 minutes on warm stove top:

Day 6, 7:07pm, dough to bake at 350F:

Day 6, 7:30pm, loaf baked 25 minutes:

Day 6, 7:32pm, loaf top brushed with butter:

Day 6, 7:42pm, loaf baked 35 minutes:

Day 6, 7:42pm, loaf's corner:

Day 6, 7:43pm, loaf's top:

Day 6, 8:19pm, loaf's bottom:

Day 6, 8:19pm, loaf's interior:

Observations:
1. This dough has all the smoothness and gluten it needs for a good bread.
2. However, it is probably too moist and does not have the time needed to rise properly. Therefore, the loaf ends up very dense.
3. This loaf has a rather rubbery texture.