Date: Sat, 13 May 2006 07:26:02 GMT -------------- BEGIN bread-bakers.v106.n020 -------------- 001 - Subject: sourdough Date: Sun, 7 May 2006 08:34:30 -0500 Fellow Kneaders At a recent baking preparation when I started to remove my starter from the jar I dug into large chunks of ice. The refrigerator must have been too cold and the starter partially froze. Since I'd started the process I figured keep going. The sourdoughs in the Yukon must have run into the same problem. I used warmer tap water than usual and stirred it very well. I let the starter mix work overnight then let it work some more with more flour and water. I also increased the rise time and kneading to be on the safe side. The result - as good four loaves of bread as I've had in a long time. I think the real moral of the story is that starter is indestructible. Don't fret over it. One of mine exploded in the refrigerator, just blew off the cap, and kept on doing good. Hooch. My starter, from infrequent use or whatever, always shows lots of hooch. As so many have posted just stir it in. No Problem. Joe Quinton Kingsville TX --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n020.2 --------------- From: mrolle@juno.com Subject: Whole Grain Quick Breads Date: Sun, 7 May 2006 10:59:33 -0400 First - Thanks to all the people who contribute to the list. I no longer bake very much, but my interest has not lessened. Second - I would like to bake whole grain quick breads. How do I figure out how much whole grain flour I can substitute for the all-purpose flour that is used in most quick bread recipes. I expect to choose the recipes with added fruit, nuts,etc. Many thanks for your help. Maze --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n020.3 --------------- From: RosesCakeBible@aol.com Subject: Re: big hole focaccia Date: Sun, 7 May 2006 12:00:49 EDT RVH, thank you for the kind mention. I do have to add that the dough I beat for 20 minutes is a recipe adapted from Sullivan Street Bakery and the reason it works to make big holes is that it is the most super-hyrated dough I've ever encountered. But actually it doesn't make big holes unless it's dimpled deeply after the shaped rise. So it really is an exception. I just addressed the "hole" issue on my blog today when someone wrote from another country that she doesn't have access to what is probably the right flour for artisinal bread baking. One of the things I mentioned is that to obtain big holes I find it helps to under knead the dough--say only kneading for about 3 minutes and then to turn the dough twice or three times during the first rise. I think I got that idea from our beloved Peter R. and it really is a lovely method for gently developing gluten. Of course we all know that over-developing gluten tightens the crumb. Just thought I'd mention it anyway! Best, Rose (Levy Beranbaum) P.S. Great news is that Gold Medal flour is launching an artisinal bread this Fall formulated by Didier Rosado. It has been available for food service for several years now and Peter and I have been two of the people instrumental in persuading them to make it available to the consumer. I'm proud to say that my basic hearth bread recipe will be on each bag and thrilled that I'll soon be able to go into the supermarket and pick up a 5 pound bag instead of the usual 50 pounds I've been storing in my apartment! --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n020.4 --------------- From: Jonathan Kandell Subject: Re: Keeping shaped dough moist Date: Sun, 7 May 2006 11:24:31 -0700 You'll probably get tons of advice, for here's my two cents. Yes, it's crucial to keep the dough moist for the reasons you identify. You can use plastic wrap as you're doing, but try a very light spray of Pam (or, even better, Trader Joe's olive oil spray). Just the tiniest amount, since you don't want the dough to get oily at all. Another way is just to use an upside-down bowl which sits flat against the table or cutting board. If it's too big, dough will dry out; so you want large enough for dough to expand, small enough to keep in the moisture. I live in a desert, so at the height of summer sometimes will rinse out the bowl and then shake it almost totally dry before putting it on. I've been known to rinse-n-shake it again hours later if I need to. Another good place is a large pan with tight lid, at least for the long ferment (it will be too hard to remove without collapse for the proof). Other good places to let the dough ferment without getting dry is a bread-machine pan in the machine, in a microwave (off), or even in the dishwasher. Many people construct "proofing boxes", which seal and control the temperature for each stage. Or they wrap the whole thing in a large food-grade plastic bag and even put a moist sponge in there. I find all that too tedious and prefer simplicity. --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n020.5 --------------- From: Dave Glaze Subject: Re: Keeping shaped dough moist Date: Sun, 07 May 2006 20:43:55 -0700 Brigitta, I use large plastic bags tied with a twist tie. Most of my breads are not in pans. I place the shaped loaves on a couche on an overturned half sheet pan. I place this into a large plastic bag, trap air in it as best I can, then tie the neck of the bag with a twist tie. If the dough is sticky, I will put some flour on the top of it. I seldom have trouble with the bag sticking. That way the shaped dough stays moist. If using pans, I will do the same thing with smaller bags or I will put a few pans on the half sheet pan and put that into a large plastic bag. Hope this helps, Dave Glaze --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n020.6 --------------- From: Dave Glaze Subject: Re: Whole Wheat Crackers Date: Sun, 07 May 2006 20:53:51 -0700 Jerry, I can't remember if I made that particular recipe from Alford and Duguid's book, but I am a cracker lover and have made several kinds from that book and elsewhere. I found that rolling by hand was not successful for me as I couldn't get consistent thickness throughout. I now use a pasta maker and can get them paper thin. I roll them out then lay them on a lightly greased half sheet pan. I use a pizza cutter to quickly cut across the strips to make smaller crackers. Then I salt them and put them into the oven. The other advantage of this method is that you get more even browning. The purpose of pricking with a fork is so the cracker doesn't balloon up like a pita does. But when they do balloon they just make a different looking cracker and are just as tasty. I haven't found it necessary to use the fork because the crackers are so thin. I will try the whole wheat cracker recipe from Duguid and Alford to see if it works as well as the other crackers I make. Cheers, Dave --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n020.7 --------------- From: Debunix Subject: Re: Keeping sourdough "crust" moist before baking Date: Mon, 8 May 2006 00:40:47 -0500 Put a large plastic bag around the bread & pan, and blow some air into it to inflate it so the plastic is well away from the rising dough, and seal it with a loose knot, bag clip, or twist tie. It should be sealed loosely enough that some gas can escape without causing the bag to burst. And the yeast is working anaerobically--without air--inside the dough. It does not need fresh air as it is fermenting. --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n020.8 --------------- From: Debunix Subject: Re: Whole wheat crackers Date: Mon, 8 May 2006 00:48:44 -0500 A couple of favorite recipes for whole wheat crackers: mine-- http://www.well.com/user/debunix/recipes/CornyCrackers.html and "little salted biscuits" from _The Breads of France_ by Bernard Clayton work very well with whole wheat flour. In general, a bit of rice flour adds crunch to the crackers. Diane Brown in St. Louis http://www.well.com/user/debunix/recipes/FoodPages.html --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n020.9 --------------- From: Jeff Dwork Subject: digests added to archives Date: Fri, 12 May 2006 23:54:55 -0700 The archives at have all digests up to May 7, 2006 (v106n019). Jeff --------------- END bread-bakers.v106.n020 --------------- Copyright (c) 1996-2006 Regina Dwork and Jeffrey Dwork All Rights Reserved