Date: Sun, 26 Aug 2001 03:00:52 -0700 (PDT) -------------- BEGIN bread-bakers.v101.n041 -------------- 001 - "Julie Moretti" Subject: Re: bread like bricks Date: Mon, 20 Aug 2001 15:58:21 -0400 Try reversing the order in which the ingredients are placed into the breadmaker. Such as 1)Liquid, 2)flour, 3) yeast. This may help. --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v101.n041.2 --------------- From: TheGuamTarheels@webtv.net (The Ol' Tarheel) Subject: Opinions, please? Date: Mon, 20 Aug 2001 17:19:25 -0400 (EDT) A friend sent me the following. This guy seems to be saying that bromated flour is okay. I disagree. Any comments? Bob the Tarheel Baker > From "Oil Slick" (washingtonpost.com) > By Robert L. Wolke > Wednesday, May 30, 2001; Page F01 QUESTION: How does bleached flour differ from unbleached flour? Unbleached wheat flour looks pretty white to me, so why do flour manufacturers bother with the bleaching step? Does the bleaching process leave any unsavory residues or leach out any nutrients? ANSWER: Wheat flour is naturally yellowish, but people apparently don't like yellow flour, except for the semolina used in pasta-making, which isn't usually bleached. Yellow bread and snow-white pasta wouldn't sell very well. If given half a chance, though, flour bleaches itself. That is, as it ages in air, the yellow color is oxidized away. But that takes time and time is money, so manufacturers speed up the process by using an oxidizing or bleaching agent such as potassium bromate (in which case the flour is said to be brominated), chlorine dioxide or benzoyl peroxide. These bleaching agents aren't mere cosmetics. Flour that has been "aged," either naturally or by being treated with oxidizers, makes doughs that handle better and produce better bread. Unbleached flour generally costs more than bleached flour because it has been whitened by natural aging, which entails the costs of storage. Some people are concerned with the intimidating natures of these chemicals. But they are all unstable and, after doing their jobs, do not remain in the flour. The bromate, after reacting with the yellow compounds in the flour, is converted into harmless bromide. Chlorine dioxide is a gas that dissipates, so there is none of that left in the flour either. Any excess of benzoyl peroxide would decompose as soon as the flour is heated. The claim that bleaching flour destroys its Vitamin E is true but empty, because wheat flour contains negligible amounts of Vitamin E to begin with. Robert L. Wolke: http://www.professorscience.com is professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v101.n041.3 --------------- From: "Mark Judman" Subject: re: vital gluten and wheat gluten flour Date: Mon, 20 Aug 2001 13:26:23 -0400 "betty hodge" wrote: >Will someone please explain to me the difference in vital wheat gluten and >wheat gluten flour. Betty, Gluten is the protein in wheat flour that enables bread to rise by trapping the gas produced by yeast fermentation -- like a balloon being blown up. What you're calling "wheat gluten flour" is probably otherwise known as "high gluten flour", that is, a wheat flour containing more gluten than all-purpose or even bread flour. Cake flour and pastry flour have the least gluten, all-purpose has more, bread flour has more still and high gluten has the most. Vital wheat gluten, which can be found in health-food stores or ordered from King Arthur, is not flour, but just the gluten protein extracted from wheat flour. It can be added to recipes to increase the amount of avilable gluten. You need to mix it well into the dry ingredients before you add any liquid. Your recipe, which calls for both, probably includes another type of flour such as rye, which has no gluten and therefore won't rise, unless it's given special help through the use of high gluten flour and added vital wheat gluten. Mark Judman --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v101.n041.4 --------------- From: TheGuamTarheels@webtv.net (The Ol' Tarheel) Subject: King Arthur Flour in South Carolina... Date: Mon, 20 Aug 2001 11:53:06 -0400 (EDT) This is for Joy Alexander and the rest of you bread bakers in South Carolinia. It was touch and go here in Hendersonville, North Carolina at Harris-Teeter for a while when they first had KAF on their shelves. I got all of my friends to ask all of their friends to request that H-T keep KAF on their shelves. It took a while to catch on, but all of the H-T stores in North Carolina now carry KAF. Go get 'em, Joy!!! Bob the Tarheel Baker --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v101.n041.5 --------------- From: dap@cyberstreet.com (Darlene McKnight) Subject: Sam's yeast Date: Mon, 20 Aug 2001 11:57:48 -0400 Hi Becky, I've used the yeast from Sam's for years, and it works great , but because of the large amount you need to keep it in the freezer. Take out what you need, one scant tablespoon is equal to one packet, and fold it over and use a little bag clip and return it to the freezer. It will keep for a year or more frozen. I find it equivalent to all the yeast as it is packed for commercial bakers. Darlene --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v101.n041.6 --------------- From: Miller Subject: Sam's yeast Date: Mon, 20 Aug 2001 08:15:39 -0500 I have bought the Sam's yeast in the 2-1 lb pkgs for over 5 yrs now. I use it exclusively in the bread machine and have never had a problem with it. I use what the recipe or my machine calls for and keep it in the freezer in a ziploc bag. I have not made dough outside of my bread machine in that time so I can't help you on that. Margaret --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v101.n041.7 --------------- From: SRaineault@aol.com Subject: Fleischman's Yeast at Sam's Date: Mon, 20 Aug 2001 08:56:10 EDT This is the only yeast I have used for 7 years, aside from a sample of Saf Instant yeast I was fortunate to receive. I have always had great results with the yeast available at Sam's. Check the use by date!!!! It is an active instant dry yeast I believe. I found I do not have to preproof it in warm liquid before adding it to flour mixture. I add it right along with all the other ingredients watching temperatures of course. --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v101.n041.8 --------------- From: RCox45@aol.com Subject: Sam's "stuff" Date: Tue, 21 Aug 2001 06:35:26 EDT I'm another pleased user of Sam's Bread Flour. I package it in empty "Schwan's" Ice Cream tubs and put a couple of bay leaves on the top. I've used it for years and never had a problem. (be sure to take the bay leaves out when dipping flour.... they make a disgusting loaf of bread when you forget!) I also use the vacuum packed yeast from Sam's. I "did the math" and used it accordingly, but couldn't tell any difference when I just measured it as it says in the recipes, so, save your self the trouble and just use it like regular yeast. For the lady in Scotland whose friends were having trouble with timed bakes. My machine has specific instructions to begin with the liquids and end the ingredients by making a small indentation in the top of the flour and putting the yeas there.... not letting it touch liquids. Also, I got another (I think ) great tip from the book from Barnes and Noble that was recommended here. They suggested adding the liquids, then the flour, then putting the salt, sugar, and butter in 3 separate corners of the pan and then making the indentation or well in the center for the yeast. I tried it and it made the best looking loaf I've ever gotten from my machine. I did a timed bake too! So, that might be worth a try! Cheryl --------------- END bread-bakers.v101.n041 --------------- Copyright (c) 1996-2001 Regina Dwork and Jeffrey Dwork All Rights Reserved