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Tips & tricks

Ed Okie <okie@digital.net>
Fri, 05 Sep 2003 10:10:21 -0400
v103.n038.14
 From the Bone-Idle-Lazy pantry of passion:

"Slash dough tops, or not to slash" is an interesting question. It popped 
up recently in another website forum. Responses were, as one might expect, 
passionate (the subject ranks right up there with yeast "type" and baking 
stones). One theme prevailed: the slash-opening allows dough to rise better 
in the oven, interior dough has room to expanded. Truth is: the slash 
doesn't make a bit of difference. Side-by-side tests in my kitchen 
consistently show "same as" or "rise higher -without- a slash." Esthetics 
and tradition is the reason for slashing. Your tummy won't experience a bit 
of difference.

In the same arena: "skinned-over somewhat dry dough exteriors," the dryness 
allegedly preventing dough expansion during the baking phase. Rules say 
"the need" (and value of) "water-misting" dough prior to baking softens the 
exterior and makes it more elastic. Also required, "generating steam" 
(various methods) in the home oven (ice cubes, tossed boiling water, 
sprayers, etc.) Steam plus directly misting the tops allegedly creates 
higher and better oven spring (dough rise) during baking. Truth is: it 
doesn't. Even the notoriously difficult and cantankerous French baguette - 
bakes superbly well without misting, steaming, even when starting with a 
slightly dry skin. Yes, this is directly opposite traditional advice. 
Suggestion: give it a try and see what happens. Very likely you will be 
surprised.

Most valued wisdom worth sharing: simplicity. KISS. Keep It Simple, Stupid. 
View complexity and a multitude of "necessary" steps as something to avoid 
(or reason not to buy a book). The baking guru who advocates "exotic" 
techniques and ingredients... likely has too much flour dust on his or her 
glasses (or is named Slick Willy and trying to sell you something). When 
exploring new baking techniques and methods, stick to baking one bread. 
Bake it repeatedly changing only one thing at a time. Again, a query on 
another website forum: "I just baked (four different bread-types in four 
days) and am having problems learning how to bake." I rolled my eyes and 
let that query pass. Explaining the obvious wasn't worth the time. A 
reminder to those using "no-spam" addresses posting a question on Reggie's 
excellent bread-bakers list: we can't respond directly to your question 
(and in more depth) when faced with frustrating "mail non-delivery" 
bounce-backs. A few weeks prior I answered a query about flour types, 
brands, etc. 20-minutes of user-specific writing went down the tube, the 
"non-delivery, we do not accept mail."

Same arena, question variation: "Which (additive) should I use (dough 
improvers, enhancers, additives and various "secret" ingredients). Shared 
wisdom: toss 'em all in the trash. Don't buy 'em in the first place. Learn 
to work and understand basic ingredients, the techniques of working with 
four basic elements: flour, water, yeast and salt. The variations possible 
are enormous. Most enhancers and additives are often a short-trip to 
nowhere, band-aids to underlying problems (imagined or otherwise). Solid 
advice for those wanting to advance in baking: Weighing ingredients is by 
far the best method of constructing bread. Though the expense of a scale 
($40-60) may seem frivolous - once used, you'll never go back to the 
"volume-cup" method. After you use a scale, "How did I ever get along 
without it?" will cross your lips. Beyond the accuracy issue (consistency), 
simplicity and less things to clean are extra but significant benefits... 
true Bone-Idle-Lazy goals in life.


Will using a scale guarantee "perfection"? Absolutely not, but it is so-o-o 
much better!

Example: measuring a cup of flour by - volume - (the physical cup) is 
highly variable, one of those "it depends" instances. Use the "dip & sweep" 
method and one cup weighs about 150 grams. Sprinkle flour into the same cup 
and it's about 120 grams. Sift the same flour into the same cup - only 
about 90 grams! Which is correct? All of 'em!

Catch-22: the recipe you're reading well might be different than your 
cup-measuring method (often only mentioned in one brief sentence, "buried 
on page 3 of a 300-page book"). Highly regarded Cook's Illustrated magazine 
uses "dip & sweep," Maggie Glezer's "Artisan Baking Across America" book 
uses it. But many recipes use the "sprinkle" method. Interchange one for 
the other and significant baking errors result. You end up saying "but I 
followed the recipe exactly."

Consider a recipe calling for say, 5 cups: 150x5=750 grams. But if you're 
sprinkling flour into the cup you're using 120x5=600 grams. The former is 
asking for - more than - a full cup of extra flour... that you didn't use! 
Wonder why the recipe failed?

Grams-vs-ounces. BIL (Bone-Idle-Lazy) club members on both sides of the 
pond (ocean) use grams. We swear by 'em. It's simpler. It's easier. And 
there's less swearing. With grams the number-flow stays consistent and easy 
to understand (doesn't jump between pounds and ounces, or fractions of an 
ounce; most scales "stop" at 16 oz and heavier amounts are displayed in 
pounds plus ounces). If you need to proportionately increase or decrease 
with grams - percentages is a piece of cake (pun intended). Attempt the 
same with ounces and pounds - a headache, and very error prone. "But I'm 
not a math-whiz" is the cry of anguish. Answer: keep a cheap hand 
calculator next to the scale. And since you're weighing everything, it's a 
great chance to clear space and get rid of all those measuring cups and 
bowls. (I place the machine's empty mixing bowl directly on the scale and 
dump each ingredient into the bowl, liquids are last (the dry ingredients 
blended prior to adding liquids). No other containers are used; milk from 
the carton goes direct to bowl, same with olive oil, honey, etc. Water is 
added using the hose-spray at the sink.

Other tradition-changing methods: I never oil my mixing bowl for rising 
dough. After the mix period, the dough stays in the bowl for whatever rise 
(ferment) time required. Plastic wrap covers the bowl. The "Stretch-Tite" 
(yellow box) brand is the best I've come across, less than $3 for 250 feet; 
clings better than any other brand, and is heavy duty in thickness. Highly 
recommended.

Do BIL members weigh token amounts such as yeast and salt? No. Scales 
aren't accurate in those low weight ranges (1 gram of yeast as an example). 
Keep one set of measuring spoons at hand. The most functional and accurate 
set I've used is made by "Endurance" called Spice Measuring Spoons. They 
have extra-long, 4" handles and narrow rectangular heads that reach easily 
into small jars. The set (on a small chain) includes 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 1 
tsp, 1 Tbsp (about $8-10). A worthy investment.

Silicone baking mats - another "they're a dream" BIL staple. Frankly, years 
ago I thought they were just another gimmick. They're "the real deal." 
Simpler. Easier. Cleaner. Place 'em in the bottom of whatever tray or 
cookie sheet being used. Reuse 'em forever, untouched. The thicker French 
Exopat Matfer is about $20; I prefer (by far) a less expensive version made 
in China named SiliconeZone ($15) - it is paper-thin, red border, almost 
fragile looking. Thinness IS the major asset: the ability to conform to any 
tray shape. I use 'em in 3-slot perforated-metal baguette trays. Never has 
the bread bonded to the mat; wish I could say the same when dough rests 
directly on the non-stick perforated metal surface (even when using messy 
sprays). Bottom browning of the bread: equal-to or better-than the bare 
metal! Bonus with the silicone sheet: I like baguettes with corn meal on 
the bottom, the "extra-crunch" factor. Sprinkle corn meal on the silicone 
sheet before placing the dough on top. Result: Not a bit of mess with corn 
meal dropping or burning on the oven's floor! Haven't had to clean the oven 
in a year! A Bone-Idler's dream.

Handling hot trays, etc. Best product Bone-Idler's have found: Lowes or 
Home Depot - buy a pair of Welder's gloves! About $10-12 for a pair. The 
gripping ability (fingers, not a mitt) vastly exceeds that of a slippery 
cotton mitten (or miserable "hot pad.")

Baking tip: books and magazines often specify "unsalted butter." Hint from 
the BIL crew: using unsalted butter isn't important. Doesn't make a bit of 
difference in your breads, salted or unsalted butter. It's 
laboratory-technical gibberish, in relative terms a microscopic 
measurement. To wit: salted butter with a "serving size of 1 Tbsp" weighs 
14 grams. The salt content of 1 Tbsp is listed as "Sodium 90 mg" ("mg" 
means milligrams - 1000ths of one gram.) If the recipe uses 1 Tbsp of 
butter you've added 90 mg of extra salt. But, the recipe also calls for 1 
Tbsp of salt (weight is 18 grams) - in math terms that is the same as 
18,000 mg of salt!) Do you think butter's 90mg-worth of salt makes a twit 
of difference out of the 18,000 mg of salt added? Not a bit. It's like 
saying I missed two blades of grass when mowing the whole yard. Use 
whatever butter is on hand, salted or unsalted.

          - Ed Okie