Date: Sun, 13 Aug 2006 08:55:47 GMT -------------- BEGIN bread-bakers.v106.n032 -------------- 001 - "Fallingleaf" Subject: sticky bannetons Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2006 08:07:27 -0400 We recently visited some friends who live in the Adirondacks in NY state. On our way to kayak Lake Champlain, we stopped off at the following small, incredibly good (mostly bread) bakery: Merricks Bread & Coffee 2574 County Route 10 Westport, NY zip code (518) 962-2280 It's located in a very small town, not far from Rt 87 (the Northway). I tried their Dill & Walnut bread which was incredible. The baker, Phil, was extremely friendly and sold me (actually he practically gave me) some cracked rye that I hadn't been able to find anywhere else. When I mentioned to him that my own wet sourdough breads are difficult to remove from my bannetons, he suggested I try flouring my bannetons with rice flour instead of the all-purpose and semolina flours I had been using. What a difference that made! Instead of struggling to remove the loaves, they practically fell out. How come the 80 million bread baking books I own failed to mention this?? Anyway, if any of you are even remotely near Westport I suggest a visit to this bakery is in order. --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n032.2 --------------- From: Whitney511@aol.com Subject: Pizza recipe Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2006 08:23:40 EDT Pizza made with a sponge and a long cool rise Pizza Dough (Makes two 12" pizzas) Overnight sponge 1 cup water 3/4 tsp dry yeast 1 1/4 dups unbleached all-purpose flour In a small bowl, mix water and yeast and let stand a minute. Add flour to make thick mixture. Put in bread machine and close the cover. Allow to develop overnight. Dough 1/2 cup water 1 1/2 tsp salt 1 generous tablespoon honey 2 tablespoons olive oil (extra virgin cold pressed is best) 1 tablespoon stoneground cornmeal 1 cup semolina flour or pasta flour 1 1/2 cups bread flour The next day, add water, salt, honey, olive oil, cornmeal and flours to bread machine and run "dough" or "pizza" setting. (Or mixer with dough hook - 8 minutes - Or with food processor, until a soft ball forms). Put completed dough in the refrigerator and allow to rise all day. Tomato sauce 1/3 cup (or more) extra virgin cold pressed olive oil, as needed 2 medium yellow onions 5 large shallots 6 large cloves garlic 1 28 oz can whole plum tomatoes 2 medium (15 oz) cans DelMonte chopped tomatoes 1 small can Contadina tomato paste Two heaping tablespoons Bertolli Pesto (in jar) Thin slice and mince onions and shallots. Saute slowly in olive oil, stirring occasionally. When translucent and just beginning to carmelize, add 6 cloves minced garlic. Cook slowly over low heat until garlic becomes translucent. Add can of plum tomatoes and break up tomatoes with spoon as they cook down - approx. 10 minutes. Add 2 cans of chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir to thoroughly mix. Add pesto and continue to cook. (Enough sauce will be left for a pasta dish the next day.) Cheese topping Grated Mozzarella cheese Grated Parmesan Reggiano and Grana Padano cheeses Pinch of Penzey's turkish oregano over top of completed pie A little drizzle of olive oil over all Tips Put two tablespoons of stoneground cornmeal under the pie. I usually cook mine on a sheet of parchment paper, and when the weather allows, I cook it on the outdoor gas grill, which requires very little preheating and a very watchful eye as the pie cooks. Spread olive oil over dough before putting tomato sauce on it, to keep dough from becoming soggy. The center of the pie should have a very thin layer of topping, so the center cooks completely and properly. Preheat oven to 450F and allow to preheat for 45 minutes. Cooking time is approximately 10 minutes, turning pie around midway through cooking so crust is evenly browned. Brush crust with a thin coating of olive oil when the pie comes out of the oven, to keep the crust tender and chewy. Note: I whirl 3/4ths of the sauce (after cooking it down a bit) in the blender, until finely pureed - or liquified. I then return it to the original pot. I believe you will find sauce thusly produced far out-distances 99% of the available commercial jarred fare. A shot of vodka can even out a sauce that is missing "something", which this one isn't, but it's a nice tip to know. Also, if you've added sausage to the sauce, you may want to consider adding a cup of red wine, which cuts the fat and adds a nice rich depth to the sauce. --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n032.3 --------------- From: "jeremiah sisovsky" Subject: Tortillas Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2006 07:50:10 -0500 Sorry Ellen. I don't get down to SA much. Living in Oklahoma, we do have a higher percentage mexican, latino/a population so I'll look around for a bakery that might make tortillas. Otherwise, I appreciate the info and recipes. The reason I was set on flour tortillas because we are addicted to wraps. I often get a box from Angel Food, which has a lot of chicken products. Fry or grill chicken, add lettuce, tomato, ranch dressing. Too easy and amply satisfying. Another thing I like to do with tortillas is make burritos. Scrambled egg with cooked sausage or bacon. Cheese melted on the steamed tortilla. Good stuff and filling. --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n032.4 --------------- From: Roxanne Rieske Subject: four vs. corn tortillas Date: Sun, 06 Aug 2006 10:25:09 -0600 S&R Ash wrote: > I won't make corn tortillas - too much work Eh? How are corn tortillas more work than flour tortillas? You just mix masa harina with water, let it sit for five minutes, press out 1.5 oz dough balls in the tortilla press, and grill. Compared to flour tortillas, which you have knead, let rest, and then roll out by hand, corn tortillas take no time at all. Personally, I like fresh baked corn tortillas better than flour tortillas :). In Denver, if I have a hankering for flour tortillas, I go buy them from the tortilla lady at the Farmer's Market. I have no idea what her name is, and she only speaks Spanish, but she sure makes the best flour tortillas. Roxanne --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n032.5 --------------- From: Roxanne Rieske Subject: Re: pizza dough Date: Sun, 06 Aug 2006 10:35:30 -0600 RisaG wrote: >Anyway, even with the "forking" of the dough, it still puffs up. It >becomes quite thick, like Chicago-style pizza. I don't want that. I >want thin crust, like NYC pizza. Without looking at the recipe, I can't tell you for sure, but I would bet that there is not enough water in the dough. Try adding water to it to make a very slack dough, one that doesn't hold its shape when slapped on a table. I also find that retarding pizza doughs in the fridge for at least 12 hours help make crispier crusts. Roll it as thin as you can on plenty of flour, and then dock it very deeply (I have a docking pin for this, I find forks don't penetrate the dough enough). I'm assuming your baking on a preheated stone in a very hot oven (as high as your oven can go)? RisaG wrote: >Yes, I preheated the oven to 450 F (if I go higher than that my >smoke alarm goes on!) for about 20-30 minutes and my pizza stone is >always in the oven! > >I will try making the dough slacker and dock it as hard as I can. >Thanks for the suggestion. > >BTW, this is basically the dough recipe - > >1 tsp SAF yeast >1 cup lukewarm water -- or a bit less >2 cups all-purpose flour -- + more for dusting >1 tbsp basil-infused olive oil >1 tsp salt > >See anything wrong? It looks to me like there is not enough water. I cup of water for 2 cups of flour usually yields a pretty stiff dough, which will make a very chewy crust--not a crisp, thin one. I would definitely increase the water, probably as much as 1/2 cup more. I like my pizza doughs to be soft and slack. They are so much easier to roll out, and I can get them really thin. It's a totally different animal than the typical chewy pizza crust. Also, one trick I learned at work: our pizza crusts for the Crispanis (our thin, crisp crust pizza) has wheat germ added to it; this is odd, I know, but it just adds the most amazing flavor and crunch to the crust. Roxanne --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n032.6 --------------- From: "mike fuller" Subject: Pretzel Recipe? Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2006 09:52:22 -0400 Does anybody have one without special ingredients? Thanks, Mike in Havana --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n032.7 --------------- From: "Bryan" Subject: Overproofing Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2006 17:40:07 -0500 On occasion, we most likely want to let a dough rise a little longer, and let the potential loaf get a little bigger. You put it in a hot oven, and within a few minutes or seconds....POOF!! It deflates because it was over proofed. If you put the extra risen loaf in a COLD oven, nine out of ten times it will continue to rise, and come out perfectly. I know this is contrary to many recipes, but it works for me. --------------- END bread-bakers.v106.n032 --------------- Copyright (c) 1996-2006 Regina Dwork and Jeffrey Dwork All Rights Reserved