Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 23:17:28 GMT -------------- BEGIN bread-bakers.v106.n017 -------------- 001 - "Michael Arnoldi" Subject: Re: spelt berries Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2006 07:31:58 -0400 QUESTION: :From: Bszim@aol.com :subject: spelt berries? :I make it into flour (I have no flour mill, just a food processor) or flakes etc.? I also need recipes for spelt berries. --------- REPLY -------------------- i am sure that you have a clean coffee grinder - give that a try, as the food processor method will not work, unless you soak the spelt berries in water overnight & then process before incorporating into your bread (about 1 cup). make sure that you also reduce your water / liquid in your bread recipe accordingly if using the soaking recipe Chef Arnoldi --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n017.2 --------------- From: "Werner Gansz" Subject: Croissants Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2006 08:38:07 -0400 Since the subject of croissants has come up here recently I want to point readers to a recipe / procedure for classic croissants in "Baking with Julia" from the Julia Child PBS series of the same name (the recipe is actually from Esther McManus). The recipe for the dough is on Page 52 and the procedure for final rolling and shaping the croissants is on Page 185, (with pictures on Page 178) for plain, almond, pate' and chocolate croissants. This is a "no-short-cut" recipe, real layers of butter separated by "window panes" of yeasted dough. I make it about once a year. It takes that long for the memory of how good they taste to overpower the memory of how much work it is. I tried to cheat the system a few times by doing more than one rollout and fold at a time but if the butter melts into the dough you get brioche, not croissants so it is not worth the risk. Take the time and let the folded dough rest in the fridge after each fold. The dough is mixed in the evening, refrigerated overnight, and the rolling, folding and shaping and baking take up most of the next day in spurts of 15 minutes every 2 hours. The book recommends using a French rolling pin (no handles) to roll. The French pin does work better during the initial rollout but I find that a French pin requires real skill to get the dough even in thickness. I have a large (16") handled roller that I use to finish the last few inches of the roll. It evens out the dough thickness and by then the dough is pliable enough to respond to the big roller. (Small rolling pins with handles don't work at all, they leave creases and don't keep your knuckles high enough above the dough to avoid creating knuckle grooves. Julia once called them "toys" on one of her shows.) The final step before baking is to let the shaped croissants over-rise to tripled, then add second coat of egg wash and bake. The results is a flakey, buttery tapestry suspended in air that just melts in the mouth. They also freeze well. To thaw, wrap them in aluminum foil (one at a time or several together) and put them in a toaster oven for one full toast cycle. The foil protects them from burning and keeps moisture in. Wait for 15 minutes after the toaster shuts off, remove the croissants from the foil and let rest for 5 minutes. They well be as good as fresh. --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n017.3 --------------- From: "mike fuller" Subject: Dangers of Hooch Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2006 09:00:29 -0400 Bob and Mary have been engaged in a fascinating dialogue on the dangers of drinking hooch. Well, if you consider aphrodisiacs a danger, then sourdough hooch is almost lethal. It is a commonly known fact that in the real story behind the two cowboys in a popular current film routinely drank naturally leavened bread hooch together in the mountains whenever they ran out of whiskey. One thing led to another and they ended up rustling more than cattle. In their case a beautiful relationship was created, but it could just as easily backfire. The intricate culture of bread baking has so many curious manifestations like this that I never tire of learning. But it is important to remember that the power of our craft must always be used for good things. Baked love, Mike in Havana --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n017.4 --------------- From: Sue Hermosillo Subject: spelt berries Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2006 07:23:06 -0700 (PDT) I'm not sure if it's appropriate to post a non-bread recipe, but Beverly asked. [[Not usually, but we'll let this one slip through the filter. :)]] Spelt berries need long cooking, but they make a great hot breakfast cereal. I make them several times a week. First soak them in water to more than cover for at least 8 hours. I start a full day ahead and soak during the day then drain and cook them overnight in the crockpot. Here's my recipe: 1 c. spelt berries, soaked 2 small apples, corred and chopped in about a half inch dice 1/4 c. raisins 1 c. soymik (you could use cow milk, I think, but I've never tried it) 4 T. flaxseed meal 3 c. water a healthy sprinkle of cinnamon Lightly oil the inside of your crockpot. Mix everything in the crockpot and cook on high overnight. If you leave out the flaxseed meal, reduce the water by half to a third cup. Sue H. --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n017.5 --------------- From: Popthebaker@aol.com Subject: Drinking Hooch Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2006 10:24:40 EDT Hooch is a natural byproduct of fermentation and is mostly ethyl alcohol. You could drink it with no significant ill effects but I suspect the taste is less than great. Baker's yeast and flour is not the ideal combination for beverage fermentation so the product may be off flavor, however, ask someone who has done hard time (prison) about the brews made there from various carbohydrate products. I have heard stories from old Alaska folk about drinking the hooch from batches of sourdough starter but they may be just that, stories. The bottom line is if one wants the effects of alcohol he/she will tolerate almost any taste to get those results. Generally in the production of alcoholic beverages there is time ranging from a few weeks to years for the flavors to develop in the product before consumption. Any fermentation process can develop undesired byproducts leading to off taste and unpleasant odors. So, for beverages I would stick to tried and true ingredients and leave the hooch in the starter jar. Pop --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n017.6 --------------- From: Debunix Subject: Re: Spelt Berries Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2006 10:32:33 -0500 >I bought a bag of spelt berries which I know NOTHING about....how do >I make it into flour (I have no flour mill, just a food processor) >or flakes etc.? I also need recipes for spelt berries. I don't know how you'll make it into flour without a mill; your food processor may be able to break them up into a coarse meal, a bit like steel-cut oats, if you're lucky. If you have a poppyseed grinder, that can be used to make a reasonable flour, but otherwise I know of nothing but a proper flour mill that will turn them into flour suitable for baking bread. If you do get or get access to a mill and turn them into flour, the gluten content will not be as high as a bred-for-bread hard wheat, so they'll do better in a recipe calling for a lower gluten flour, like some french or italian breads do, or in combination with hard wheat flour for a more traditional sandwich loaf. Another option is to use them in a sprouted bread, in which you sprout them for several days, rinse the softened, sprouted berries and use the food processor to grind them into a dough. I found a delicious recipe for a sprouted wheat and apricot flatbread in Flatbreads and Flavors--it is unleavened and heavy but that's why it's made flat, and it is delicious. I think that would work find with spelt. E-mail me if you're interested in the recipe. I have found spelt berries to be delightful in soups, where they are slightly crunchy, soft, and chewy all at once, and am particularly fond of this lentil-spelt soup: http://www.well.com/user/debunix/recipes/LentilSpeltSoup.html or http://tinyurl.com/nay2o and this simple but really fabulous soup is just made with spelt, mint, pepper, cheese, and stock, and if you have really fine stock and cheese it is unbelievably good as is: http://www.well.com/user/debunix/recipes/Zuppadifarroemente.html or http://tinyurl.com/rh8eq Good luck! Diane Brown in St. Louis http://www.well.com/user/debunix/recipes/FoodPages.html --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n017.7 --------------- From: "Lloyd Davis" Subject: Breads cracking during proof Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2006 07:31:52 -0400 Usually I score my sourdough or rye breads after they proof, right before baking. Recently I have had a number of breads crack during the proof. The cracking makes a huge gringe but is sometimes misshapen. Does anyone know why this is happening and a solution to the problem? Is it too much hydration? Too little kneading? Lloyd --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n017.8 --------------- From: Roxanne Rieske Subject: Re: Using other doughs for quiche Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2006 09:58:32 -0600 I can't remember if I already answered this or not: Brioche dough may be too soft for quiche. I would think the filling would fall right through the dough after baking (unless you used a really thick piece, but I don't think that would be appealing). Puff pastry could work. It would be a bit crunchier than croissant, but I wouldn't necessarily mind that. Heck, I would even use something like a cream cheese pie dough (Rose has a wonderful recipe in The Pie and Pastry Bible). Even phyllo dough would be nice (flaky and butter layers--yum!). So yeah, you could use something other than croissant. Just keep in mind it has to be a rather sturdy dough to hold the filling in. Roxanne --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n017.9 --------------- From: WLHelms@aol.com Subject: Making sourdough starter with commercial yeast - ha! Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 01:53:58 EDT Re: Digest bread-bakers.v106.n014 Bob the Tar-Heel Baker wrote: Blend a cup of warm water and a cup of flour, and pour it into the jar. That's the whole recipe! I use plain, unbleached bread flour most of the time, but I've had good results with all-purpose and whole-wheat flour, too. If you want, you can add a little commercial yeast to a starter to "boost" it. If you do this, sourdough snobs will look down their nose at you - but who cares about snobs? I personally find that (at least here where I live) no yeast "boost" is necessary, and I can make "real" sourdough with no trouble. But if you are having trouble, go ahead and cheat. I won't tell. Note that starter made with commercial yeast often produces a bread with less distinctive sour flavor than the real thing. I was going to ignor his disdainful remarks about us 'sourdough snobs' but I decided to make a comment anyway. If you are going to add commercial yeast, you might as well forget playing with the sourdough altogether One more comment: It isn't necessary to keep your sourdough starter in the refrigerator. If you use your starter everyday then it isn't necessary. I affirm that the old trail cooks and sheep herders never owned a refrigerator to keep theirs in. Enough said! --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n017.10 --------------- From: "thomas dalton" Subject: Sweet potato bread Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 15:17:42 -0500 Would like a receipe with making bread from sweet potatoes. Rosemary Jasso --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n017.11 --------------- From: "Karen Thornton" Subject: coarse breads Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2006 11:29:35 -0400 Hi I am looking for a recipe for a coarse bread the kind that has big holes in it, preferable one that can be kneaded with a dough hook. Peace, Karen --------------- END bread-bakers.v106.n017 --------------- Copyright (c) 1996-2006 Regina Dwork and Jeffrey Dwork All Rights Reserved