Pie dough with smart balance

Having heard so much about smart balance, I am determined to try it out to see how it is in my pie dough for Thanksgiving.

Recipe: Medium flake pie dough (make 1 10-inch pie crusts and 2 8-inch pie crusts; or 2 9-inch crusts)

Ingredients:
- 2.5 cup unbleached all purpose flour
- 3/4 tp fine table salt (do not use kosher salt)
- 2 sticks smart balance baking stick
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Procedure:
1. Sieve together flour and salt.
2. Chop baking stick into small cubes. Mix with flour mixture.
3. Use knife to flake the shortening and rub into the flour until the shortening becomes fine crumbs.
4. Add ice water to the mixture in about 2 TB at a time. Mix. Be very gentle. Do not knead.
5. When the mixture has incorporated into a ball, chill overnight.
6. partition into two and freeze until use.

Results:
Day 1, 10:05pm, ingredients for pie dough:

Day 1, 10:10pm, chopped shortening sticks:

Day 1, 10:18pm, initial look of the dough when rubbing the shortening into the flour and salt:

Day 1, 10:22pm, when all shortening has been chopped in and rubbed in:

Day 1, 10:26pm, started adding water to dough:

Day 1, 10:28pm, 1/2 cup water added:

Day 1, 10:28pm, final dough after adding all the water:

Day 1, 10:30pm, final dough to chill:

Day 2, 3:27pm, dough after chilling overnight:

Day 2, 3:30pm, dough cut in half to freeze until use:

On baking day

5:33pm, a piece of dough allowed to warm at room temperature for over 30 minutes:

5:36pm, dough rolling out on dusted counter top:

5:40pm,  dough stretched:

5:42pm, dough very easily torn because it's too soft (out of the fridge for too long) and too sticky (not enough flour on counter top):

5:52pm, 10-inch pie pan lined with dough, through sheer patch work because dough falls apart:

5:52pm, details of the crust patch work on 10-inch pie pan:

5:53pm, pie pan to chill; leftover from first half of dough, too soft; preparing to use the second part of the dough freshly taken out from fridge:

5:57pm, half of second part of dough cut out, and allowed to warm up to room temperature for barely 5 minutes:

6:02pm, rolling out second part (use only half):

6:03pm, generous use of flour helping the roll out:

6:06pm, good stretchability of dough:

6:07pm, dough rolled up:

6:08pm, dough transferred to 8-inch pan:

6:12pm, edge patched for 8-inch pie dough:

6:27pm, both pie crusts chilled for 15 minutes:

6:27pm, details of chilled dough:

Observations:
1. Despite the claim that these shortening sticks are usable like butter, the result is quite different. The shortening sticks are much softer to handle.
2. When chilled overnight, the dough becomes hard, and yet can be cut through by a knife.
3. I find this shortening rather tricky to handle because of how easily and quickly it softens. Taste-wise, the crust is good. But the crust does not have great strength.

My 94th experiment: Blueberry bread

I got a pound of frozen wild blueberries from Trader Joe's. Eventually I find a way to use it up after consulting Bernard Clayton's blueberry-pecan bread.

Recipe: Blueberry bread (2 small loaves)

Ingredients:
- 2 cups KAF all-purpose flour
- 1+1/2 tp baking powder
- 1/2 tp baking soda
- 1/2 tp kosher salt
- 3/4 cup orange juice (bottled)
- 1+1/2 TB sugar
- 3 TB melted butter
- 1 egg
- 2 cups frozen wild blueberries

Procedure:
1. Soak frozen wild blueberries in warm water for a minute. Drain and shake dry.
2. Sieve together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a large bowl.
3. Add thawed blueberries and 1/2 cup orange juice. Add egg and melted butter. Mix.
4. If mixture is not moist enough after mixing, add about 1/4 cup more of orange juice.
5. Grease two small loaf pans.
6. Spoon batter into pan. Flatten top with oiled fingers.
7. Preheat oven to 350F. Bake for 30-40 minutes.


Results:
5:32pm, dry ingredients sieved together, berries thawed, 1/2 cup orange juice:

5:34pm, adding 1 egg:

5:36pm, adding 3 TB melted butter:

5:37pm, adding 1/4 cup more of orange juice:

5:46pm, top of batter in pan:

5:46pm, height of batter in pan:

5:51pm, to bake at 350F:

6:12pm, loaves baked 20 minutes:

6:22pm, loaves baked 30 minutes, internal temperature 160F:

6:22pm, thermometers coming off almost clean:

6:23pm, loaves resumed baking covered:

6:34pm, loaves baked 40 minutes, internal temperature 180F:

6:34pm, crown of loaves in pan:

6:34pm, thermometer coming out clean:

6:35pm, height of loaves in pan:

6:36pm, top of a loaf:

6:52pm, heels of loaves:

6:53pm, bottom of a loaf:

8:52pm, interior of a loaf:

8:52pm, a bite:

Observations:
1. This experiment is just nice in taste. Not too sweet, only very mildly sweet.
2. The crust is rather soft and easy to tear when being sliced.

My 86th experiment: Banana bread

A banana bread adapted from KAF cookbook.

Recipe: Moist banana bread (1 medium loaf)

Ingredients:
- 1 egg
- 3 TB sugar
- 2 TB vegetable oil
- 2 very ripe banana
- 1 tp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tp baking soda
- 1/2 tp baking powder
- 1/4 tp salt
- 1/2 tp cinnamon
- 1/4 tp nutmeg
- 1 cup KAF all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Procedure:
1. Sieve together flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg.
2. Mash two bananas.
3. Beat egg, vanilla, buttermilk. Add to dry ingredients. Mix. Then add banana and oil.
4. Generously grease a medium loaf pan with about 1 TB vegetable oil. Pour mixture into pan. Sprinkle walnuts on top.
5. Bake at 350F until the loaf passes the toothpick test.
6. Allow to cool for an hour before slicing.

Results:
10:23am, all ingredients:

10:39am, flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, sieved together:

10:45am, two mashed bananas:

10:53am, egg, vanilla and buttermilk:

10:56am, wet ingredients mixed with dry ingredients:

11:05am, banana and oil stirred into the mixture, then poured into pan; walnuts sprinkled on top:

11:05am, height of batter in pan:

11:09am, to bake at 350F:

11:28am, loaf baked 19 minutes:

11:44am, loaf baked 35 minutes:

11:44am, internal temperature 160F:

11:44am, thermometer coming out almost clean:

12:08pm, loaf baked 1 hour:

12:09pm, loaf's height just out of oven:

12:11pm, loaf collapsed in just 3 minutes:

12:12pm, loaf's bottom:

12:13pm, loaf's very soft body bending gently:

12:13pm, pan's bottom:

12:14pm, loaf's heel:

12:14pm, loaf's corner:

12:14pm, loaf's top details:

1:16pm, loaf cooled and cut (sticky to knife):

1:16pm, interiors:

1:18pm, a bite:

Observation:
1. This loaf is so very moist and thick that I can hardly call it banana bread. It's more like banana pudding. But hubby recognizes it as banana bread.
2. I love the taste of this loaf, even though it's so moist and unlike bread.
3. If I do it again, I would either use just 1 banana or drop the buttermilk completely. The batter is just too thin this time.