Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2006 09:24:01 GMT -------------- BEGIN bread-bakers.v106.n031 -------------- 001 - "Mary Fisher" Subject: Thrilled! Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2006 10:41:22 +0100 Yesterday I made my first real batch of loaves in our small stone oven in the garden. Three French style baguettes (in ss banettons made by Spouse), five large free form loaves - all made to a recipe from here (Barry's Fairly Good Baguette) - and six fast-rise free forms made to use up the heat. I cooked a turkey leg in the remaining heat overnight. I'd have had enough bread for three or four weeks but a son came and said it would be rude not to test a loaf and Spouse wanted to give some to the neighbours! It's wonderful :-) And I've learned so much, next time I need to light the fire earlier, let it burn longer and have more dough prepared. Oh joy! Thank you for pizza recipes - two very different types. I'll try both. I can't wait! Mary --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n031.2 --------------- From: "Bryan" Subject: Recipes Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2006 05:26:29 -0500 For those interested, I have a small blog that is NOT very well organized, but contains some excellent bread recipes - both yeast breads, and quick breads. Just go to the blog and in the 'SEARCH" option, type in bread. --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n031.3 --------------- From: Judi Boniface Subject: Cuisinart ABM Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2006 05:25:27 -0700 (PDT) I bought the Cuisinart last summer and have been really pleased with it. First it was a Zoji, then a Regal and now this one. My recipes tend not to be too exotic: rye, anise seed, hawaiian, sandwich breads or just the dough cycle and I found that the cycle #2 which they say is a rapid cycle (2:45) works well for almost everything. It has a beep to remove the paddle from the pan, added ingredients, and when finished. It seems to be very heavy and well built, doesn't travel around the counter. The loaves are a tall and loaf shaped, I've only made the 1 1/2 pound recipe because they come out so tall. If I get carried away with the yeast the bread doesn't fit in the toaster! Another bonus is that the replacement parts are CHEAP! A pan is $20 and the paddles are $3 and it comes with a 3 yr warranty. I've already had them replace the pan because the shaft the paddle sits on got really stuck a few times. The only one drawback is that it is a little noisy, the motor sounds very heavy duty. Hope this helps. Judi --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n031.4 --------------- From: Ellen Lee Subject: Flour tortillas Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2006 08:40:50 -0400 Is it worth it to make your own flour tortillas? You wouldn't ask this question if you ever have had hot-off-the-grill fresh flour tortillas in an authentic Mexican restaurant or bakery in a city like San Antonio! They are nothing like the commercially made grocery store variety that are only a step beyond cardboard in comparison with the fresh tortillas. Flour tortillas are not difficult to make; my grandson was making them regularly by the time he was about seven years old. You don't need any special equipment, although a cast iron pan or grill works best if you have one. Don't worry about turning out the perfectly round ones; odd shapes taste just as good. Only one warning: They are seriously addictive! --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n031.5 --------------- From: debunix Subject: Re: Flour tortillas Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2006 08:57:11 -0500 >anyone make flour tortillas? Is it worth it? Corn tortillas are a lot more flavorful and are reasonably nutritious -- just lime-cooked corn, and water -- it is possible, but not easy, to get dried hominy corn to mill yourself into masa for corn tortillas; standard flour tortillas are just unbleached flour & shortening, pretty nasty if you think about it, and a bit of work to boot to make large, uniformly thin rounds. There are so many other interesting flatbreads in the world that I've never been tempted to make flour tortillas. Here I'll put in a plug for a favorite bread book, "Flatbreads and Flavors" by Alford and Duguid, which has lots and lots, all of which are adaptable to fresh home-milled flours. Diane Brown in St. Louis http://www.well.com/user/debunix/recipes/FoodPages.html --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n031.6 --------------- From: Popthebaker@aol.com Subject: Making a loaf keep its shape Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2006 11:47:09 EDT Jennifer, You could try using a Banneton for the final fermentation of the dough. This is usually a wicker basket lined with well floured cloth. Actually almost any appropriately sized bowl will work. After scaling (dividing the dough) and rounding (forming the dough) place the dough in the banneton and let it ferment until it retains a finger poke. Preheat the oven and baking stone and you are ready to proceed. There are a couple of ways you can transfer the dough to the baking stone. First is to turn it onto a well floured peel (large wooden paddle) and then slide it onto the stone. The second is to turn the dough onto a round of parchment and then transfer to the oven. (the second is easier) You can use different shaped baskets to make long loaves, etc. Slash the top of the loaves with a sharp knife to allow expansion of oven spring. Use a heavy pan for water in the shelf below the stone to generate steam that will allow oven spring and also help form the desired crust texture. Pop --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n031.7 --------------- From: Popthebaker@aol.com Subject: Flour Tortillas Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2006 12:02:04 EDT Jeremiah, Flour tortillas are well worth the little effort they take to make. Flour Tortillas Per Cup of A/P Flour {150g} 1/4 tsp salt 1.8 tsp baking powder 40 ml. Olive Oil {35g} 80 ml hot tap water Combine dry ingredients. Cut in oil with a pastry blender to a coarse meal consistency. Add hot water and mix to form a rough dough and then cover and rest the dough for 20 to 30 minutes. Knead briefly then divide the dough and form into balls. About 100 gm works well for a 9 inch tortilla. Dust with flour and cover with plastic wrap for at least 20 minutes or up to 3 hours. Form dough into flat rounds with fingers then roll out the tortillas one at a time keeping the dough balls covered. Roll from the center out to keep the round shape. Irregularity does not effect the taste. Also, you can vary the thickness to suit your taste. Cook on cast iron griddle (Comal) turning when the bottom has browned areas and there are bubbles on the top. Turn and cook, transfer to a warm plate covered with towels. I usually use three, one on the bottom, then two on top with plastic wrap between. It will take some practice but you will come up with great tortillas. Pop --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n031.8 --------------- From: "S&R Ash" Subject: Re: Flour Tortillas Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2006 12:48:38 -0500 YES! I make mine when I live away from a good tortilla district, such as the past 17 years in Ohio. If you live near an area where you can get them fresh from a local tortilla bakery I would not take the time. I have a simple recipe that has never failed me. Learned to make them in Texas. These are wonderful for Fajetas! Just make them a little bigger about 3 oz dough. I won't make corn tortillas - too much work. Flour Tortillas 2 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 4 to 5 Tablespoons Crisco Shortening 8 to 10 Tablespoons warm water Mix the flour salt and baking powder together. Cut in shortening as you would for a pie dough. when fine like cornmeal add the warm water, one Tablespoon at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball. (I mix in a plastic tupperware style bowl. Seems to work best.) Take the ball up into your hands and knead between hands until finely worked together. Let dough rest on counter fifteen minutes covered with cloth. Pinch off balls of 2 ounces each. I weigh them to be sure I have 2 oz. Roll flat between the paper that comes in cereal boxes. It's stronger than waxed paper and won't give way before you are done You can roll all of them if you stack with paper between them, or roll each one as you fry them. That works best for me.) You want a circle of about 6 to 8 inches. depending on your desired results. Be careful handling to not tear them. Bake one at a time, in a small teflon skillet, wiping a little oil on the skillet each time. Bake over medium/low heat until slightly brown spots appear turn and bake other side. Place in a towel lined basket to keep until you are done frying all of them. They heat up well in microwave. You will need to practice to get the right heat. I use a gas stove that is easy to adjust heat. If you don't bake them fast enough you won't get the right appearance and a tough tortilla, too fast and they will burn before done. Also I tried different oils and shortenings. Oil makes them too greasy. Try to use a good white solid shortening. Hope you will give it a try. Sue Ellen --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n031.9 --------------- From: RisaG Subject: RE: Problem with Pizza Dough Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2006 12:17:00 -0700 (PDT) I've made pizza dough a million times. I adapted a Wolfgang Puck recipe for the ABM and make that dough almost exclusively. It is wonderful BUT I am having a problem when baking it. I'm from NY originally and we like our dough very thin. I have been rolling it as thin as I can. Pretty thin. I also take a fork and make tiny marks in the dough so that it doesn't puff up in the oven. 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. What am I doing wrong? This is frustrating. The pizza tastes wonderful BUT it is too thick for our tastes. Any suggestions would be wonderful, from the experts on the list! RisaG --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n031.10 --------------- From: "Ken Vaughan" Subject: making your own tortillas Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2006 13:17:24 -0800 I am always in favor of fresh tortillas. Hope Acala, who was my teacher, advised that she made one or two dozen every morning for lunches for her husband and children. Even here in Juneau Alaska you can get masa trigo (white flour tortilla mix) to make your own quickly. The following is from a co-worker who retired a decade ago. These are capable of being rolled out thin enough to read print through them. Great flavor too. * Exported from MasterCook * Tommy Grimes' Tortillas - Flour tortillas with masa Recipe By : Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 2 cups white flour 13 tablespoons white flour 1 cup masa corn flour 3 tablespoons masa corn flour 1 cup Crisco or other vegetable shortening (or lard) 4 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 cups water -- tepid Flours should equal 4 cups with 30 % masa. Vegetable shortening is preferred but lard can be used. Use 1 tsp baking powder per cup of flour (4 teaspoons for 4 cups) dash of salt 1 1/2 cups tepid (luke warm) water Mix the flour and shortening together with your hands until the shortening is well dispersed. Add the water and mix to a pie dough consistency. Roll out as thin as possible. Cook on a very lightly greased 400 F degree griddle. Keep warm wrapped in damp towels in a warm oven. Tommy Grimes developed these as a hybrid tortilla. They combine some of the better flavors and textures between flour and masa tortillas. They will roll quite thin or may be left medium thickness and still cook through. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Happy griddle time with making your own tortillas Ken in Juneau Alaska --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n031.11 --------------- From: Gloria J Martin Subject: Cuisinart ABM questions Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2006 16:49:25 -0500 I am curious about the Cuisinart ABM machine. Is it a processor, or what? I used to work for them, teaching classes and I have not heard anything about it. I looked on their web site, and it was not under processors. I put in Cusinart ABM and they didn't seem to know what I was talking about. Would you mind taking the time to answer me, please? Gloria Martin ggmartin2@juno.com --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n031.12 --------------- From: yguaba@yahoo.com.br Subject: Re: making bread [sourdough] Date: Tue, 01 Aug 2006 18:20:21 -0300 On 30 Jul 2006 at 8:07, Jennifer Angelo wrote: >The bread has great texture, chewy, and even, small holes >throughout. It needed salt. I have read where salt kills the >bacteria so I didn't put in enough. But for my first batch I am delighted! Salt does kill the yeast (which is a fungus, not a bacterium, by the way), but almost all breads contain salt. You just don't put salt in the starter (your wild yeast culture), but add salt normally when mixing the final dough. >How do make a loaf to hold it's shape so I don't have to use a loaf >pan the next time? That depends on the recipe you're using. Some breads, for instance, call for more water and don't hold their shape so well. Look for a recipe of sourdough bread on the web (or even better, search the archives of this list) and you're sure to find one that will direct you to shape free-standing loaves. It's also important to remember that the more you work the dough, the more the gluten will develop, and the better the shape of the loaf will hold. But as I said above, follow a good recipe and it will certainly instruct you on how long to knead or mix the dough. Good luck, Erik --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v106.n031.13 --------------- From: Larpea@aol.com Subject: Chewy interior, crunchy crust? Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2006 12:46:59 EDT How does one achieve a thick, hard crust and a chewy, hole-filled interior? How much whole wheat flour can be used? Please post or e-mail me at --------------- END bread-bakers.v106.n031 --------------- Copyright (c) 1996-2006 Regina Dwork and Jeffrey Dwork All Rights Reserved