With all those peaches we brought home, I couldn't just rest on my laurels after canning two measly (but beautiful) jars. I've been experimenting with peach cobbler recipes, and have now used Paula Deen's peach cobbler recipe twice.
This is one of those recipes that *has* to be possessed by evil spirits --people either love it or hate it, it comes out perfectly or it is a complete disaster, you have to modify it/don't dare modify it -- you know what I mean. The one thing I know for sure is that the baking powder is HUGE in this recipe. It cannot be done with all-purpose flour. How do I know? I ended up with delicious peaches atop library paste the first time around.
So I read the comments for Ms. Deen's recipe in some bemusement, and learned that all-purpose flour is no substitute for self-rising flour. Being from New England, I am not sure I'd ever HEARD of self-rising flour but believe you me, I am now an expert, having even googled directions for making my own. I added up all of my fractions of teaspoons and made my self-rising flour before I attempted round 2. I did also cut the amount of butter almost in half, and reduce the sugar by 2/3 of a cup. It came out much better, and even looked more or less like the photo on the website, so I took it to tonight's cookout. But even after all that effort, I don't think I love it. I might just like peach crisp (like this) and peach streusel (like this) better.
So now I know. And how nice that a cold wet June and sunny August has resulted in a fabulous peach crop here in MA!
4 comments:
Mmm...peaches... Our peaches have been fabulous this year, too, and we're eating them like candy! I keep thinking that I should bake something with them, but they go too fast :)
We buy peaches at the grocerystore, just to eat, but I have a feeling thay taste quite different from those you can pick yourself...
My mum makes canned pears, because we have the trees at home. I've tried a couple of times, but live so far away that I can't just go and pick...
I've heard of self-rising flour, but don't understand why. Isn't it much easier to use the all-purpose, and add whatever you want?!??
mmm...good to know. Those other recipes sound interesting. I've just been thinking of what to do with peaches too because Chris brought some home and somehow hasn't eaten enough of them quickly enough.
I'm dying to make a trip back up to MA and get some peaches to make all sorts of peachy things.
I always pick up Southern self rising flour when I head to TN. Flour in the south is softer than flour from our environs.
Down south you have to look at the flour real closely because you have the exact opposite problem you encountered, you have to look closely to make sure you aren't buying self rising flour.
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