Date: Sat, 7 Sep 2002 02:24:09 -0600 (MDT) -------------- BEGIN bread-bakers.v102.n039 -------------- 001 - "Berti Steegs" - using a scale --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v102.n039.1 --------------- From: "Berti Steegs" Subject: re: whole wheat bread (to uma) Date: Mon, 2 Sep 2002 12:28:53 +0200 Hi Uma, Well, when you halve the recipe, you should need a smaller tin too. But you can also bake it on a bakingsheet, let it prove shaped and all on the sheet and bake after spritzing with water, about ten minutes shorter than you would in a tin. I also lower oven temperature a bit to prevent burning but that is up to you :-) Success and greetings from the Netherlands berti --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v102.n039.2 --------------- From: goldman@betterbaking.com Subject: Montreal Bagels, Challah, Malt and more Date: Mon, 2 Sep 2002 07:49:54 -0400 Hi fellow bakers I AM a Montrealer and a professional baker. I live seeing the passion for bread baking in this digest - It is inspiring. My own Montreal bagel recipe is authentic - I have 3 decades of watching them made and testing out my recipe against purchased bags of them to attest to their authenticity. The recipe should be at my website www.Betterbaking.Com and certainly in my first cookbook. You can also find it in archives of Eating Well Magazine where my bagel feature appeared as well as in the New York Times Archived recipes of 1987 - when I did a feature on Montreal bagels for them. My first cookbook, A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking (Doubleday 1997 - third printing) is your best source for ALL ABOUT BAGELS. It also is where..... I have about 8 pages alone written on the differences in yeast - instant, active, rapid, quick, bread machine and fresh! It IS confusing. Instant or bread machine is about the best dry yeast for home bakers but it is POTENT. SO, use less and allow for more conservative rises. I love instant yeast - but fresh yeast is about THE BEST for breads...especially challah (which yes, of course, I have alot of those recipes too - what else could you expect in a Jewish baking book) - because it makes challah fairly spring to life under your hands. I make an apple challah around this time of year - as well as the trad. sweet one. I write more about yeast and bagels in my second cookbook, The Best of Betterbaking.Com which will be out in october - although it is being ordered now. I think the dry yeast market is confusing and people need to know more. As for malt - I get mine from local bagel bakeries OR simply order it from a bakery wholesaler found in any city's Yellow pages. They will sell to anyone if you pick up and pay cash. You might have to purchase a lot (10 pounds or more) but it lasts forever and non diastatic is fine. Malted milk powder is not the same. I also sell malt via my distributor, Golda's Kitchen.com - They stock all the ingredients I like for my visitors to my website - at their retail online store. Malt powder, special vanilla, my own designed rolling pins which my friend, Beth Hensperger, an amazing bread baking author herself - endorsed to the tune of orders for 80 pins! Golda's is also a canadian operation so it is very good value for american bakers. My cookbook also has New York Bagels - and describes the differences between all bagels. Montreal bagels are smaller, have honey in the kettle water, and NO SALT in the dough. We also have a loose fire code and thus nicely banked wood fires are what are used to bake our bagels (although a home oven and my recipe will reproduce superb montreal bagels). Montreal bagels also have malt and oh yes - amazing Canadian bread flour in them. American bagels vary - some have malt, some do not. They are larger, they use american bread flour, the kettle water is not sweetened usually, they can use rack ovens, sometimes steam rack ovens (thus no kettling) and gas or electric (not wood) ovens. The dough always has salt and they are seeded more modestly than montreal bagels. Montreal bagels come sesame or poppy - no blueberry, sundried tomato chip or butterscotch chevre ripple. We are purists here. :-) Happy baking - marcy goldman head baker and editor www.betterbaking.com 1997 - 2002 5th Year Anniversary Issue (sept 10) --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v102.n039.3 --------------- From: Haacknjack@aol.com Subject: shaping loaves, a stuffed loaf Date: Mon, 2 Sep 2002 09:43:23 EDT "D. Beeckler" asked about shaping dough... To get a nice, even loaf shape, flatten out your dough (while keeping the WIDTH an inch or so NARROWER than the LENGTH of your pan!!). The flatter you can get it, the more even your loaf will be in the end. You can pat it out or use your rolling pin; be sure there is a LITTLE flour on your board (or use a non-stick cookie tin liner such as Sil-Pat, or spray your work surface with cooking spray -- though this last may make it harder for your loaf to adhere to itself). Roll up the dough from a narrow end; if the dough is quite stiff, you can help it stick to itself by pinching the dough on the board to the already-rolled dough every half-turn or so. (Or, you can brush the top of the rolled-out rectangle with whatever liquid you used in the bread -- milk or water -- very lightly to make the dough tacky enough to adhere. Once the roll is complete, pinch the "seam" (the end of the dough that was on the far end when you started) to the roll. I usually then roll the whole affair back and forth a few times to "cement" it. THEN pinch the ends together (top to bottom), encasing the interior layers, to make a nice heel. Put the completed loaf in the pan seam side DOWN. Slash the top if you like (kind of like putting a divider in poured concrete, this gives any tearing a place to happen) and let rise. (If you're considering a stuffed bread, you distribute a thinnish layer of your ingredients (cinnamon sugar? Ham 'n cheese? Pesto? Olives?) over the rolled-out rectangle and proceed as above -- just be sure to leave an inch or so UNCOVERED all around to allow for the pinching/sealing so your filling doesn't run out. And Carolyn asked about "filled bread"... and speaking of filled bread -- here is a recipe from January 2001 Cooking Light which I have made often. I'm sending the recipe as printed; I usually use KA's White Wheat Flour or regular whole wheat for 1 or 2 cups of the flour, and I make it up into 6 mini-buns which are perfect for my teenager's lunch. The whole loaf, though, is a very pretty presentation. You can stuff it with anything (PERFECT for that half-a-pork-chop that didn't get eaten last night!) Ham-and-Swiss Stromboli 3 cups bread flour (or substitute up to equal amount of whole wheat flour) 1 cup warm water 1 Tablespoon nonfat dry milk 1 Tablespoon olive oil 2.5 teaspoons bread-machine yeast (if by hand, use active dry yeast) 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon dry (ground) mustard 1/2 cup minced ham (3 oz) 1/2 cup minced Swiss cheese (3 oz) 1.5 teaspoons cornmeal 1 large egg, lightly beaten Bread machine: Follow manufacturer's instructions for placing flour, water, dry milk, olive oil, yeast, salt & ground mustard into bread pan; select dough cycle & start bread machine. Remove dough from machine -- DO NOT BAKE. By hand: Dissolve yeast in water; combine flour, dry milk, salt & mustard. Add proofed yeast & olive oil; knead well. Let rise until double in bulk. After rising, roll dough into 10 x 8" oval on lightly floured surface. Sprinkle the ham and cheese onto half of the oval, lengthwise, leaving a 1" border. Fold dough over filling and press the edged and ends together to seal (be sure to seal firmly or melted cheese will leak out.) (for individual "pocked sandwiches", divide dough into 6 or 8 equal portions; roll out in a circle. Put filling in the middle; pinch together from outer edge to center at three equally-spaced points to form a rough triangle completely enclosing the filling. Bring the three points together and pinch well to form a rough hexagon. Put seam-side-down on baking sheet to rise.) Once bread is filled and sealed, place seam-side down on prepared baking sheet. If making one large loaf, slash 1/4" deep diagonally across top, three places. (I don't slash the individual loaves.) Brush with egg (try not to get it down into the slashes of the whole loaf) and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about an hour. (Don't cover it, you want the egg wash to dry.) Prepare baking sheet by covering with parchment paper (or non-stick mat) (this protects against leaking filling) and dusting lightly with corn meal. Preheat oven to 350 F Brush again with egg and bake at 350 F for about 35 minutes for the large loaf, about 20 for the individuals ones. Glaze should be shiny and golden brown, bottom should also be browned and crusty. (The usual test of tapping the bottom for a hollow sound doesn't work due to the filling.) Can be served warm or at room temperature. --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v102.n039.4 --------------- From: DRogers248@aol.com Subject: Re: old yeast Date: Mon, 2 Sep 2002 09:54:32 EDT In bread-bakers.v102.n038, Audrey Konie writes: > I have nearly a full pound brick of yeast that will not proof up any > longer, but still has the smell, taste and consistency of it's original > state. I know I can't use it for baking, but is there any other > nutritional value to the body by eating it or mixing it in with liquids and > drinking it? > > If no one gives you any other suggestion I offer this. If you are on a septic system, flush it down your toilet. It will help your septic tank do whatever it's suppose to do. --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v102.n039.5 --------------- From: Tarheel_Boy@webtv.net (Tarheel Boy) Subject: Ice cubes... Date: Mon, 2 Sep 2002 11:01:44 -0400 (EDT) Richard writes: I am wondering if anyone has tried tossing 1 or 2 ice cubes into the oven instead of placing a pan of water in the oven or trying to open the door wide enough to spray. Seems like you would only have to crack the oven door a bit (for a very short time) to get an ice cube or two in there. I read about somebody trying this, but have not tried it myself. The Tarheel Baker sez: I did this a couple of times until I thought the process through. Look at it this way: You've got a real hot oven. You toss in some ice cubes. This will lower the oven temperature a bit as the oven has to melt the ice cubes so they become water and then become steam. It's an exercise in futility, Richard. I don't even subscribe to the theory that you should spritz water into the oven every few minutes during the first ten minutes of baking. You lose a lot of heat every time you open the oven door and the amount of steam hardly compensates. I spritz my loaves, open the oven door, put in the loaves, spray as quickly as I can, and close the door. I do not open it again until it is time to take the bread's temperature, i.e. near the end of the baking time. I NEVER open the door during the first ten minutes of baking because I believe this is the most important time of all in the baking process. This is when I get the oven spring that I like in my breads. Let's face it: we do not have those big steam-injected ovens that the pros have. My way gives me bread that crackles (sings) when I take it out to cool. I have baking friends who swear by the pan in the bottom of the oven where they toss in a cup or two of boiling water when they put their loaves in. This makes more sense to me because the oven doesn't have to work so hard as it does with the ice cube method, but, I have tried it and find the results negligible. --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v102.n039.6 --------------- From: Dan Haggarty Subject: Re: Diastatic malt powder in Canada Date: Mon, 02 Sep 2002 11:03:02 -0400 At 04:29 AM 9/2/02, Eric Fung wrote: >I recently began baking breads from the formulas in The Bread Baker's >Apprentice. Most of them have turned out very successfully! > >The batch of bagels I made last week turned out alright, but didn't brown >or taste like the Montreal-style ones that I like. I would like to try >using diastatic malt powder as Reinhart suggests, but am having a hard time >finding it. > >I live in the Toronto, Ontario area. Does anyone know of a store that sells >it? Or a mail-order source in Canada? You probably want to pay a visit to Grain Process Enterprises, 115 Commander Blvd (north of the Scarborough Town Centre), 416-291-3226. They have all kinds of malt products on their product sheet. Dan --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v102.n039.7 --------------- From: Tarheel_Boy@webtv.net (Tarheel Boy) Subject: Pump sprays Date: Mon, 2 Sep 2002 11:06:18 -0400 (EDT) Max Priola writes: <> Ahhh, Max. I love the hair-line cracks that appear on the crust of my cooling bread. Put your ear down close and listen to your bread sing to you. I think the cracks give the bread character. Leave the cracks, impress your friends. ;-))) Now, may I please have the recipe for taralli? Thanks. Bob the Tarheel Baker --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v102.n039.8 --------------- From: "herblady" Subject: For all you "pure" machine bread bakers out there! Date: Mon, 2 Sep 2002 11:04:21 -0700 I have a perfect recipe to replace tarheel bob's dilly bread. Sorry Bob, but my physical abilities are limited to lifting the pan in the machine and taking it out! Even that sometimes can be a struggle. SO................. DILLY DELI RYE 1 1/2 lb. loaf 5/8 c water(welbilt & Dak add 2T) 3/8 c brine from dill pickles 1 1/2 T oil 1 egg 2 c bread flour 1 c rye flour 1 t salt 2 T sugar 1 1/2 T dried dill 2 t yeast I use light crust, but I use instant yeast cutting it to 1 1/2 t and use whole wheat rapid cycle. Gives more knead and rise time than white. But does work that way too. Just seems to work better with my West Bend my way. From Bread Machine Magic by Conway and Rehberg gram/ruth --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v102.n039.9 --------------- From: Nifcon@aol.com Subject: Sprays - for Max Date: Mon, 2 Sep 2002 16:13:18 EDT Max wrote: > Several people have expressed doubts about the value of a pump spray. I > have used mine for a couple of weeks and also haven't noticed any > difference in the bread's structure. I was hoping that the spray might > eliminate the hair-line cracks which appear on the crust as the bread > cools, but it didnt help much Why eliminate the cracks? Most people I give bread to find the cracks very appetising and a crust that cracks is always crisp and usually thin. John --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v102.n039.10 --------------- From: Nifcon@aol.com Subject: Ice cubes in the oven Date: Mon, 2 Sep 2002 16:21:22 EDT Richard wrote > I am wondering if anyone has tried tossing 1 or 2 ice cubes into the oven > instead of placing a pan of water in the oven or trying to open the door > wide enough to spray I've done it once with a fully heated oven and ice-cubes from the freezer and the cracking, explosions and sounds of metal undergoing violent thermal cycling convinced me that the idea was a little dubious. What's more, the ice evaporated relatively slowly compared to the boiling water I normally use so I didn't get the blast of steam that I wanted. Basically, it won't do your oven any good and it doesn't work. John --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v102.n039.11 --------------- From: "Susannah Ayres-Thomas" Subject: RE: Freezing yeast Date: Mon, 2 Sep 2002 15:34:04 -0500 Several people have noted that you can extend the shelf life of your yeast by freezing it; this is true, with certain reservations. Every time you take a package of frozen yeast out of the freezer, moisture will condense on it, which can shorten its usable life. For this reason, when I get a large package of yeast, I follow this procedure: Get two containers, one for the bulk of the yeast, and a smaller one for enough yeast to get you through, say, a month's worth of baking. Put that smaller amount in the smaller container, and keep that in the refrigerator. The larger container can be kept in the freezer. When you've used up the yeast in the smaller container, refill it from the larger one and return each to its proper place. This way, your bulk container gets much less exposure to the moisture which can damage it! I got this idea from Alton Brown, on Food TV's "Good Eats". It's a good system, and works well. Susannah --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v102.n039.12 --------------- From: Nifcon@aol.com Subject: types of yeast. Date: Mon, 2 Sep 2002 16:44:16 EDT Chris wrote: > I really hate to contradict other posters, but in the interests of > accuracy, I feel that I must. A number of posts replying to a question on > yeast stated that instant yeast and rapid rise yeast are the same. But > according to King Arthur Flour, they are different creatures. Quoted below > is their answer when asked the same question >Unlike both active dry yeast and instant yeast, rapid rise yeast is a whole >different strain of yeast altogether. If active dry and instant yeast were >marathon runners, rapid rise yeast would be a sprinter. It gives bread a >speedy initial rise, but dies out quickly. Avoid rapid rise yeast when you >want to develop flavor in the bread through long rising times. Well I don't care what King Arthur says, I've used any available yeast of all types and many origins in fermentations ranging from 1 1/2 hours to 4 days and I've never seen any major difference in yeast action so I still consider that sound technique in the mixing, kneading and shaping are more important than the type of yeast you use. Besides, the major purpose of King Arthur is to sell more yeast. It's a bit like the washing powder companies who try to sell several washing powders, one for whites, one for colours, one for kids, one for pet clothes - I exaggerate of course but the principal is sound. John --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v102.n039.13 --------------- From: Nifcon@aol.com Subject: Shaping loaves Date: Mon, 2 Sep 2002 16:50:11 EDT The easiest and best way to shape a pan loaf is to roll the dough out into a thin, 5 mm or so, rectangle and roll up the rectangle tightly to make a cylinder which you then place in the pan, seam side down. This gives a superbly smooth top and a uniform proof. John --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v102.n039.14 --------------- From: Cheryl Subject: Filled Breads Date: Mon, 02 Sep 2002 16:20:24 -0500 Carolyn asked for a recipe for a filled bread. The following is from The Silver Palate Good Times cookbook and makes two beautiful loaves - one for the baker and another to share! Tomato-Spinach Roulade 14 oz (half 28oz can) Italian plum tomatoes 2 pkg. active dry yeast 1 T. sugar 1 sm. yellow onion, chopped fine 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 T. dried basil 1 T. dried oregano (I prefer marjoram) 1/2 t. celery seeds 2 t. salt 1 cup grated Swiss, mozzarella or Fontina 5 - 6 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1 T. unsalted butter 1 sm. yellow onion, chopped 2 cups finely chopped fresh spinach 1/2 cup Mascarpone or ricotta cheese 1 T. Marsala 2 t. fresh lemon juice salt/pepper to taste 1 egg 2 t. water 1. Puree the tomatoes with their liquid in a blender. Pour into a medium saucepan and heat to about 115 F. Remove from heat and stir in yeast and sugar. Let stand 'til foamy, about 10 minutes. 2. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add onion through grated cheese. Mix and stir in flour gradually to make a firm dough. 3. Knead 'til smooth and elastic, adding more flour if necessary. 4. Place dough in buttered bowl and turn to coat. Cover with damp towel and let rise until doubled in bulk. 5. While dough is rising, melt butter and saute onion. Stir in spinach and cook until wilted. Add Mascarpone, Marsala, lemon, salt and pepper. Refrigerate covered until firm enough to spread. 6. Punch dough down and divide in half. Roll each half into a rectangle about 3/4 inch thich and spread with filling. Roll up like a jelly roll and place on greased baking sheets. Cover loosely and let rise 1 hour. 7. Preheat oven to 375 F. 8. Beat the egg and 2 t. water, bruch loaves with egg wash. 9. Bake until the loaves are lightly browned and sound hollow when thumped, about 40 -50 minutes. Allow to coll on baking sheets for 10 minutes. Turn out onto wire racks to cool completely. Enjoy!!! --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v102.n039.15 --------------- From: "Schmitt, Barbara E." Subject: Shaping dough Date: Tue, 3 Sep 2002 16:27:24 -0400 Diane asked how to shape dough into a loaf shape. I have two suggestions: The simplest way is to take the blob of dough, after you have punched it down, and fold the edges back toward the middle -- away from you. In this way, you have a smooth surface on top, and the edges are all gathered underneath. If you do this on only two sides of the blob, you will have a rough cylinder with uneven ends. You can plop it into the greased loaf pan as is, or neaten up the ends by laying it on the counter, smooth side up, and pressing down from the top very near the end using the pinky side of your hand -- like a karate chop. This will extend the smooth surface down the end, leaving you with a rough little flap. Tuck these flaps under when you plop the dough in the pan. A somewhat more elaborate method, which gives more uniform results, is to roll the dough flat on the counter with a rolling pin -- anything 1/2" thick or less is good. Then roll it up like a jelly roll, starting with the end away from you and rolling toward you. About every turn, use your fingers to push together the edge of the roll where it meets the flat dough still on the counter -- this helps prevent holes. Neaten up the ends as described above, and put it in the pan. Good luck! Barbara --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v102.n039.16 --------------- From: "Ben McGehee" Subject: Re: WholeWheat Bread Date: Tue, 03 Sep 2002 17:32:20 -0400 uma iyer writes: >I just made the wholewheat bread from the 'Bread Bakers Apprentice'. It >It was delicious. There was one problem though-the dough rose to fill >about half the loaf pan. Many things could have gone wrong. First off, what size pan are you using? I think his recipes call for 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 pans instead of the 9x5 pans that some people have. It may not have proofed long enough. The times given are not absolute, but guidelines. You may have been too rough in the handling of the dough, causing all the air to squeeze out. You may need to add a little water to the recipe so that the dough is not too stiff to rise properly. You may not have halved the recipe correctly. When I make loaf bread, the dough fills up half the pan before I let it proof, and rises over the top of the pan before I put it in the oven. There are probably some other things that you could also try that other people could point out. At least it was delicious :) Ben McGehee --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v102.n039.17 --------------- From: "alexmotown@prodigy.net" Subject: Jersey Artisan Bread Date: Tue, 3 Sep 2002 21:32:43 -0400 Fellow Bakers- I wanted to put a plug in for an incredible bakery in Chester, New Jersey. If you desire/require superior bread and are slightly local, make a road trip! The store is called "Artisan," and wine, beer, and cheese are sold along with the freshly baked bread. The baker, a young guy named Sean, seems to be living a professional baker's dream by becoming part owner of a small place, and deliberately keeping volume low so he can keep quality high. He uses organic ingredients and various starters and sponges to develop flavor. Sean was nice enough to let me apprentice with him so I could finally get an idea of how professional artisan bread-baking is done. He acquired a huge, triple-decker oven from Balthazar in NYC, where he used to work (he also learned his trade at Amy's Bread in NYC). He has developed his own recipes and they are amazing. I particularly recommend the rustic (tangy), the olive baguette, and the currant-walnut (carb candy!!). Alex --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v102.n039.18 --------------- From: "Dave & Jeni Gauthier" Subject: Washing Bowls and Utensils Date: Wed, 4 Sep 2002 17:37:00 -0400 Good afternoon, I know that all of you probably know this about washing bowls and utensils, but it is something that I just learned and wanted to share. I used to be quite good about filling up my bread mixing bowls with really hot water, dumping the utensils in also and washing them up by hand while the bread was baking. My trouble was that everything was a gluey mess and would not come off the plastic scrubby I was using. Have since found out that if you fill your bowls with COLD water, let sit for a little while and then wash with scrubby or sponge, it all comes right out. Love this list! Jeni --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v102.n039.19 --------------- From: "Dorothy Tapping" Subject: Help finding 1-800 # for Funai Date: Thu, 5 Sep 2002 16:07:29 -0500 This is a repeat. I must have deleted the message I got about my funai bread machine. the person who answered gave the 1-800 # and now I can't find it. I was the one looking for a kneading bar replacement and the web page doesn't have anything about bread machines. I would appreciate this very much. Keep Those Recipes Coming! Dorothy Tapping dotoftn@charter.net ICQ #12737854 --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v102.n039.20 --------------- From: Tracey Wetzstein Subject: Breadman Woes Date: Fri, 06 Sep 2002 07:11:48 -0500 Hey all- Hoping you can help out a very frustrated machine user. For the past few months, the loaves that are coming out of my Breadman Plus have been extremely low risers. I have changed the yeast, made certain that my measurements are correct, tried different recipes, checked and double-checked the water temp, and even gone through multiple mixes, all with the same result. I called Salton (manuf), and was told that "the machine doesn't do anything in the rise cycle." The rep I spoke with suggested that I take my yeast (active dry - Red Star) out of the fridge and try it again. I did to no avail. This is a new phenomenon-- I've used this machine for at least 3 years without a glitch. Any thoughts and assistance are greatly appreciated. Cheers- Tracey in Hoosierland --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v102.n039.21 --------------- From: Okie Subject: using a scale Date: Fri, 06 Sep 2002 10:35:58 -0400 Last week's digest addressed a hydration question, a response by Diane who said: "Percent hydration is the amount of water expressed as a percentage of the weight of flour. If you were using one pound of flour, a 70% hydration dough would use 0.7 lb, or about 11 oz of water. Other ingredients may also be expressed similarly as a percentage of the flour weight, where the weight of flour is taken to be 100%." The hydration question (confusing initially, simple and superb once understood) leads me to an additional perspective: If there is one item that made a dramatic change in my baking experience - buying a scale to weigh ingredients tops the list! It was not the mixer, nor the knife, yeast, flour-brand, etc. My advice: Those with a moderate interest in baking, make the scale a must-buy item. Ironically, scales are rarely mentioned in baking discussions. Yes, you absolutely can bake without a scale. But a scale pays two big dividends: 1. Simplifies your baking life, 2. Makes you a better baker. Accuracy (repeatability in particular) improves greatly. A second bonus: measuring cups are eliminated- less things to clean or keep track of. One set of 1/8-to-1 tea measuring spoons (for items too small to weigh - salt, yeast, etc.) is the only other tool needed. An equally strong recommendation: change to the metric system - use grams. The ounces, pounds and measuring-cup system is a nightmare and error-prone. Diane's hydration advice illustrates the pounds-ounces stumbling block - a math-conversion nightmare. It becomes worse when trying to increase or decrease (in size) a given recipe. When using grams, all number-units stay in grams. In Diane's example: one pound equals 454 grams of flour. 70% (water required) of 454 is 318 grams. In the mixing bowl (the bowl placed directly on the scale), add 454 grams of flour, reset the scale to zero, then pour in 318 grams of water. Measuring cups are not used. None. Scales and the metric system provide another advantage in liquid measurement: 1 milli-liter (ml) of water equals 1 gram of weight. There's no need to use a graduated cup (many are inaccurate) to measure say, 300 ml of water... simply pour 300 grams (weight) into the mixing bowl on the scale. In comparison: bending down trying to view the 11-ounce line on a measuring cup, first figure out which column (of many) is in ounces, also remember which side of the liquid's edge is the correct point of measure, and is the cup setting on a level counter? Another advantage of scales: If you wish to make a slight adjustment, say 66% hydration (a stiffer dough) instead of 70% (which is wetter) ...the water added (by weight) is 300 grams (66% of 454), the flour portion remains 454 grams. I suspect we often get too wrapped up in discussions about flours, mixers, knives, yeast, etc. Though each has its place, buying a scale provides the best value by far. Once you own one you'll wonder how life is possible without it! - Ed Okie --------------- END bread-bakers.v102.n039 --------------- -------------- BEGIN bread-bakers.v102.n040 -------------- 001 - Okie - bread storage/crisp crusts 002 - "a" - Interesting ingredients and my appreciation --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v102.n040.1 --------------- From: Okie Subject: bread storage/crisp crusts Date: Fri, 06 Sep 2002 10:38:29 -0400 Anyone have a "secret method" for storing bread, to retain crust crispness? Long-term (36+ hours) "freshness" is not the objective. Reheating bread (turning on the oven) isn't a desired direction (it affects other bread qualities). Example: French baguettes baked last night had a thin, crisp and crackly crust. The bread was glorious! 10 hours later (the next morning)... "crust crispness" was a long-forgotten child. Didn't even recognize it! Event sequence: after dinner (the thoroughly cooled bread at room temperature, an hour+ out of the oven), I wrapped the remaining bread in a heavy zip-lock bag and left it on the counter. (If left on the counter - unwrapped - it simply becomes hard, tough and dry). Zip-lock bag logic: the bread at that point (last night) was crisp and dry... keeping it within the air-tight plastic bag prevents room humidity from going back into the bread (I live in Florida, the home well air conditioned, humidity controlled at 56%). But the zip-lock bag doesn't work. No next-day crispness. Even 10 hours later. Nada. Zero. Zip. Anyone with a bright idea on how to store bread to retain crust crispness? - Ed Okie --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v102.n040.2 --------------- From: "a" Subject: Interesting ingredients and my appreciation Date: Fri, 6 Sep 2002 01:55:45 -0700 Hi everyone. I'd like to express my appreciation for all the great information I've been enjoying, whether or not I can personally use some of the recipes myself. They often point to the richness of our great food heritage and thus to the incredible richness and variety of our society. It's hardly surprising, at least to me that other societies, especially those whose make-up is relatively homogeneous often find it so difficult if not disconcerting to observe our particular mores or to appreciate the diversity of our expressions. So in the name of diversity as well as refinement in both cooking and society, bring on more dough, I say! Especially in this regard, I wish to express my sincere thanks to the kind efforts of writers such as, Mike Avery, (Cold Rising and Tiles); "Tarheelboy", ( Pain a l'Ancienne especially) and so much more technical background information which I especially need as I am allergic to many of the ingredients in most standard recepies. These range from wheat, rye, oats, soy and other, so-called "health promoting" dry and/or wet ingredients! I am really excited about the possibility of making a baguette type loaf and still being able to use my type ingredients by creating new recepies using the relative weights and volumes I saw posted recently. However, given the pioneering spirit offered to me through this list and (maybe some descended through my French grandparents) I've "discovered" a la Lewis & Clark, that there are many new and old safe ingredients out there that can and do make for an interesting and often exciting bread. For instance I've discovered that grinding my own fresh organically grown hard red wheat berries and cooking them up immediately either in my Sunbeam Breadbaker or by hand into a loaf size that can be reasonably eaten within a few days, i.e. before the flour or other natural ingredients can become stale , I experience very little if any allergic reactions, plus a whole world (literally) of fun things to do, eat, and best of all share!! So it's with a lot of anticipation that I look forward to trying my ingredients with the "cold" method of preparing, rising and starting bread in a cold oven. Since I also live in a very hot summer area I really feel deprived in summer when it's too hot to heat up the oven and I can't always find my whole wheatberry loaf by La Brea Bakery which Costco doesn't carry anymore and which runs out early at Ralf's and Trader Joe's. Until then (to the tune of my favorite WW2 song; aha, that should tell you something) I'll be "cooking you, and you and You. and I'll see you in my dreams- of a perfect baguette- Au revoir et a bien tot! (My speller is having fits!!) All it means is "so long and see you soon, I hope. --------------- END bread-bakers.v102.n040 --------------- Copyright (c) 1996-2002 Regina Dwork and Jeffrey Dwork All Rights Reserved