Robins arrived in Houston today. I look forward to them each year and they arrive reliably on schedule, about 4 weeks before the official start of spring. They will be here for a couple of weeks before heading a bit further north to chase the edge of the ground temperature change. Of course, I’m just making this up because I am not an ornithologist. But it could be correct.*************
I stumbled onto a new blog yesterday and the author listed ten things that she learned last weekend. If you think about it, we learn things all the time. So I stopped for a moment or two to consider what I learned last weekend. I did not undertake any particularly studious endeavors, so the things I learned were rather ordinary. But useful, nonetheless. At the top of the list is that fact that when you bake with whole wheat flour, the baked product tastes different. Previously, I had believed that you could bake with whole wheat flour but wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. I was wrong. The banana bread coffee cake I made with whole wheat flour is still good, but in a healthy-good sort of way. Not a yummy delicious treat sort of way.
Unfortunately, I purchased a standard size bag of whole wheat flour, so there is plenty remaining for future baking projects. And since I am frugal-girl, completely unlikely to discard a perfectly good bag of flour, there are plenty of whole-wheat baked items in my immediate future.
Whole wheat baked goods are much denser as well. You can always add one quarter of the flour quantity as wheat, therefore making that scrumptious goodie just a teensy bit healthier...I've done that before...when I purchased whole wheat years ago for healthy baking to find no one in my house liked the end result. We live and learn, don't we?
ReplyDeleteBanana bread is sooo yummy. Add it with chocolate chips and it's golden. I never really went the healthy route with sweets. Just want either one or the other. Trials and error will perfect your technique Diane and when you do, ill give you my address for some bread!
ReplyDeleteRobins are phenomenal! I didn't appreciate them when I lived in NC. Now in Fl for 17 years, I can tell you when they come through and stay a bit for migration, it's so special. We have FLOCKS of them this year...hundreds, thousands! Love the way they hop forward with their heads bent down and then straighten up. Know what I mean?
ReplyDeleteI had a crazy weekend and learned a few things myself. All this baking talk is making me hungry.
ReplyDeleteyes I think I do know what you mean. Since we only get to see them twice per year, I love watching them for the short duration of their visits.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my tried and true favorites, but I thought I'd sneak in that wheat flour and no one would be the wiser. I'm not as prolific a baker as my mom, or even my brother, but I am a relatively capable home cook. Thankfully - because the ability to fix dinner comes in handy from time to time. :)
ReplyDeleteI originally bought the flour to make cornbread for someone who is on weight watchers and was coming over to our house for dinner. I thought that they didn't allow refined flour, so I figured whole wheat & cornmeal would be OK. The cornbread wasn't all that good - go figure. So now I'm stuck with this big bag of wheat flour that's not going anywhere fast. I need to get imaginative!
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