Date: Sat, 17 Jun 2006 06:58:24 GMT -------------- BEGIN bread-bakers.v106.n024 -------------- 001 - "bryan carmenati" Subject: Bottled water Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 07:27:05 -0500 There are way too many 'acceptable' elements such as lime, calcium, chlorine, etc. in U. S. tap water that will change the texture, taste, baking qualities of a good bread. Bottled water is 'pure' water without all the chemicals added Bryancar@greenhills.net --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n024.2 --------------- From: Lois Silverman Subject: Robin Hood Flour Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 09:07:25 -0400 Anyone know how/where I can purchase Robin Hood flour in Central NY state? OR Is it available anymore? It makes the best bread, but it has been unavailable in my area. Thanks Lois Silverman Utica, NY --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n024.3 --------------- From: "Allen Cohn" Subject: Re: Mixer woes Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 07:20:14 -0700 I have the Viking 7 qt. and it works fine. Despite its 1,000 watts, it only seems a bit stronger than my old KitchenAid 5 qt. And it it is quite noisy. But much less wobbly than my old KA...which *really* helps with the bread dough. I bought a refurbished unit for half price at: http://www.thegourmetdepotco.com/store/ I still wonder if the Bosch Universal or Magic Mill would completely outclass the Viking, KitchenAid, etc. for the limited purpose of making bread (despite the Cook's Illustrated report). Does anyone in the San Francisco Bay Area have either of these? I'd love to see one in action. (Please contact me directly.) The pros use spiral mixers where the bowl moves and the spiral stays put. They seem to develop the dough much better than a conventional stand mixer. There's a home version http://www.tmbbaking.com/sp5.html but it costs over $1,000. ... someday. Many thanks, Allen --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n024.4 --------------- From: "Leigh" Subject: RE: Mixers Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 07:46:00 -0700 Yes, I bought the Viking mixer through King Arthur Flour when they had were offering free shipping. I had been wanting one for years but had balked at spending $500 on a mixer. I'd heard such wonderful things about it; I was very excited at being able to upgrade. I took it out of the box, plugged it in, and made two batches of bread within about a week. It made a dreadful noise and died on the second batch. I thought I must have gotten a lemon. They were great about sending someone out to pick it up at their expense. The second one (a replacement as they were unable to repair the first one) arrived a week later, and died with the first batch of bread. Oh please! For $500, I don't think so. I'll stick with my KitchenAid 5 quart. Mine isn't a Hobart but it is a good workhorse. I've only had it repaired once (I put WAY too much dough in it), and I told the repair shop I used it for kneading bread dough. I also use mine for grinding chicken meat and uncooked bones (using the food grinder attachment, of course). I push mine hard, and it has served me well. I couldn't believe how poorly the Viking performed. When I called KA Flour to return it, the woman with whom I spoke said she had a KA too. Leigh --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n024.5 --------------- From: "Karen Ford" Subject: Mixer Woes Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 08:03:52 -0700 Dear All, And I do mean all that posted comments about mixers. I was just about to purchase a KA 600, when something told me to wait. Thank goodness I did! All I can say is, if there has been that dramatic of a change in the KA mixers, it must be due to the decline in the quality parts used and cutting corners perhaps even in the design. I am now looking at the Magic Mill and the Bosch as alternatives. As a product marketer in a large company, I sure would want to see/hear about this kind of input if customers were having that kind of problem with my products, as it will certainly begin to affect the bottom-line.revenue. Although, I doubt KA is unaware at this point if folks have been experiencing problems for this long! Thanks again for saving me from wasting money and probable disappointment! Karen --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n024.6 --------------- From: Joe Tilman Subject: Re: Taking bread dough on an airplane Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 08:07:11 -0700 (PDT) >Does anyone have any experience with taking raw bread dough on an airplane? No, but I have taken a cooler. Call the airline about their particular needs, usually it will need to be opened for inspection, and the TSA folks will wind some "inspected tape" around it. All that is assuming you are checking the cooler -- you can get the lunch size coolers for carry on, I see lots of folks do that, but never done it myself. Certainly big enough for a couple pounds of dough. Heck, some of the soft-side ones can go inside your carry-on luggage. Anyway, make the dough and refrigerate it at least 8 hours ahead (possibly even freeze it) and blue ice should suffice. Another option would to be to go to a local bakery or pizza place in IND and ask them if they might sell you some dough. Joe --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n024.7 --------------- From: "Jeff Miller" Subject: re: Whole wheat pain a l'ancienne Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 11:46:39 -0400 I've tried it, but came up with a very unsatisfactory loaf - the texture was fairly coarse and the taste was strongly of whole wheat with none of the nutty sweetness I love in the regular version of Pain a l'ancienne. Perhaps if I'd tried white whole-wheat flour? I dunno. On the Baking Circle board (King Arthur Flour), a poster put the following recipe up that uses the same technique, though the bread is rather different. I've not tried it, but others on the list have, and said it turned out really well. BJK originally submitted a recipe she calls "100% Whole Wheat Bread that's Actually Fluffy". Ameadrat made essentially that formula with an "ancienne" technique: BJK 100% fluffy Whole Wheat Bread Mixed with reinhart Submitted by: ameadrat day 1 8 oz 100% KAF WWf from the freezer (DO NOT WARM) 1 3/8 CUP No fat milk from refrig (DO NOT WARM) 1/2 tsp instant yeast from freezer put milk in a cold bowl, add 2-3oz flour, stir in, add yeast and stir add the remainder of WWf stiring in, cover with plastic wrap and put in frig. pain l'anncient from reinhart BBA using milk to soften flour day 2 4 oz 100% kaf wwf in freeer 1 large egg cold and stirred 1-2 TBSP honey 2 TBSP Butter softened but not melted 1/2 tsp sea salt Remove bowl from frig, add beaten egg, honey, butter, salt. Stir in. Slowly add flour, beating in, you should end with a sponge that will just start to ball. Cover and put back in frig day 3 Baking day - plan to be home 100% KAF WWF at room temp 6 oz appoximate some extra virgin olive oil (I only use extra virgin) Set out bowl and let warm 3 hours (haven't yet set out in morning and went to work). Turn out onto kneading surface with flour on surface, flour your hands and start kneading, at about 6 minutes you should be able to wash hands and oil your hands, kneading until you pass window pane test. Adding flour to keep from sticking is your call - I do both. When pass test make a ball stretching from top and pulling together at bottom. Let rest 20 minutes. I shape using BBa loaf shaping, place in oiled pan 4 1/2x8". Let rise at room temp (I set mine inside my microwave. it will take about 3 hours to rise 1" above rim). Carefully slash parallel to surface, take paper towel soaked with olive oil and gently tap over top surface. In preheated 350 F oven spray water on sides of oven, place bread on a baking stone in oven. Mist every 30 seconds 4 times. Bake 35 minutes. Mine is mahogany in color. Remove and cool. -- Jeff Miller Davies Murphy Group, Inc. (formerly SparkSource) --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n024.8 --------------- From: debunix Subject: Re: Pain l'ancienne and whole wheat flour, and dough on airplane Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 11:18:52 -0500 >Has anyone tried substituting whole wheat flour in pain a >l'ancienne? If yes, can anyone share their results with me? I've never made it with anything else, and it works splendidly. I use a very fine, home-milled hard white wheat flour, and though I have gotten lazy and do not measure my water very precisely each time, I believe I add 10-15% more because the whole wheat is thirstier flour. I do it in the food processor (as I posted in last week's digest). I made a batch of dough last Monday, and because of an unusually busy week, didn't get to take it out of the fridge to finish rising and shaping until last night--the 6th day after I started it--and it made some lovely pizzas and a few small rolls. It is my favorite recipe. And re: the dough on the airplane: I've not taken completed dough on before, but I have shipped bags of pre-measured ingredients for recipes several times, and sometimes my checked luggage gets searched and sometimes it doesn't. I think the yeast shouldn't be too traumatized by the pressure changes; I'd be more concerned by the possibility of it being too active and becoming alcoholic while you're in transit. One way to get around that would be to use instant yeast and cold water when preparing the dough, and to chill it thoroughly for several hours before you leave. If the trip is short enough, and you can keep it well insulated (but loosely wrapped enough for easy inspection if need be), it should arrive before it has completed the first rise. Diane Brown in St. Louis http://www.well.com/user/debunix/recipes/FoodPages.html --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n024.9 --------------- From: "Lisa Worthington" Subject: question Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 12:45:19 -0500 Hi everyone, Wow this mixer thing is a great discussion! I am still looking and mix my bread by hand. I will be looking closely at the suggestions. Does anyone know how to make the starter for Amish Friendship Bread? A friend and I we lamenting that we had killed our starter (neglect). Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you, Lisa W --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n024.10 --------------- From: David Kleinberg Subject: Request for Tutoring in Whole Grain Bread-Making Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 13:49:59 -0700 Dear Fellow Baking Enthusiasts, I am a home baker who is experimenting with freshly ground whole grain flours and my sourdough starter to make breads. So far, the breads I've baked have good flavor, but are too heavy. Is there is a patient teacher in the group who can show me how to work with wet whole grain doughs to produce a lighter loaf? I need help in shaping and slashing as well. Of course, I am happy to pay for your time. Many thanks! Warm Regards, Pat Kleinberg --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n024.11 --------------- From: sariah Subject: Re: Bosch Mixer Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2006 16:40:48 -0500 Hi all, I mostly lurk here, but had to put in my .02 about mixers. I also unreservedly recommend the Bosch. I bought mine in the early 1980's. It can make many loaves of bread and I have used it extensively with never a problem. In fact, one time I put it on high speed accidentally and it walk off the counter and fell on the hard, tile floor, still mixing the dough the whole time. The plastic removable cover cracked, but that was easily replaced. The attachments are top-notch. It is still going strong and has never needed a repair. I am partial to many German-made products, as they seem to be superbly engineered and made to last through a nuclear war :-D And I agree with Brett Baker that they would have to pry it from my cold, dead hands. Sariah --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n024.12 --------------- From: aqn@panix.com Subject: Re: Taking bread dough on an airplane Date: Thu, 15 Jun 2006 12:04:57 -0400 (EDT) Yeah, I think the pressure will be a problem. The cabin pressure will be lower at higher altitude than near the ground. The cabin is pressurized, but the pressure does vary. If I drink from a bottle of water at high altitude and then tightly cap it, after we land I invariably find the bottle squished up. more than a little bit As suggested , maybe you can freeze the dough, pack it in dry ice in a little styrofoam cooler, and then pack that in a checked bag? It is *VERY* cold in the luggage compartment. (I can usually feel the residual coldness on items in my checked luggage when unpacking. -- Andy Nguyen --------------- END bread-bakers.v106.n024 --------------- Copyright (c) 1996-2006 Regina Dwork and Jeffrey Dwork All Rights Reserved