To: Pam Archer
Subject: Sweet dough swirl question
Pam,
We're back from Mexico and I now have some time to address your
questions about the Swirl Bread recipe I posted. You wrote: <<< I
used a filling of brown sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and raisens that I've
used in a quick bread. The bread turned out tasty, but a lot of the
filling concentrated on the bottom, especially the raisens. Also, it
didn't rise all that well (I used bread flour)>>>
The dough needs to be worked quickly (because you're losing rising
time the longer you work with it, unless you have a machine with a
"Pause" cycle.) It should be rolled into a rectangle and the filling
evenly distributed over it and slightly pressed into the dough. Then
it's important to roll it up tightly and seal all edges well,
including the ends. Quickly coil it back into the machine. It's
also important to close the lid while working with the dough to keep
any heat from escaping. I don't recall which sweet roll recipe I
posted but if you try it again and find it still doesn't rise well,
try "lightening it up" a bit by reducing the sugar and fat. If you
have a machine with a short final rising cycle, you may need a
"lighter" dough that will rise faster or switch to whole wheat which
has a longer rising cycle.
Linda Rehberg
www.breadmachinemagic.com
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To: Patrick
Subject: Halving Recipes
You asked:
<<<I have a big ol' Zo machine and would like to know if anyone have
ever halved the recipes they use to make a smaller loaf with any
success.>>>
Are you referring to the newer Zojirushi V-20 with the horizontal pan
or the older S-15A with the vertical pan? If it's the older vertical
pan, you can reduce the recipe or use the 1 lb size recipes without a
problem. You'll just have a shorter, smaller loaf. However, you
can't do likewise with the larger 2 lb horizontal pans. You still
need to use at least a 1 1/2 lb recipe...the reason being, if you cut
the 2 lb recipe in half, you'll have a very squat horizontal loaf
that won't work well for sandwiches, etc. Bottom line, the vertical
pans are more versatile when you want to bake different size loaves
but the horizontal pans are more traditional looking.
Linda Rehberg
www.breadmachinemagic.com
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To: Diane Downs
Subject: good or bad ZO??????????
You wrote:
<<<we bought a zojirushi bread machine model #BBCC- V20, I have been
having trouble with the the crust getting too thick and crunchy,
almost like it is burning (sometimes it is burnt), this
happens on the "light" setting....I have only had this machine for
about three weeks and want to either take it back while still under
warrenty or find out what the matter is. Has anyone else had any
experiences like this with a zo?>>>
Diane,
Try calling Zojirushi for some advice. They excel at customer
service. I think their phone number is still 1-800-733-6270. If
you aren't able to correct the problem that way, by all means return
the machine. You paid a considerable sum for it...you should have
one that works properly.
Linda Rehberg
www.breadmachinemagic.com
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To: Russell Fletcher
Subject: Modifying bread machine recipe question
You asked:
<<<I am working on a multigrain bread machine recipe (almost done)
but I have a problem. It hits the glass on my 2 lb bread machine,
which may cause the top to be too moist, underdone, or look funny
since no two brands of bread machine works the same. I am afraid
that if I just decrease the amount of yeast, the loaf will be too
dense. If I mess with the ingredients too much without knowing what
I am doing, the taste of the loaf will change. Any ideas?>>>
Russell,
Lois and I face this problem all the time when testing/creating
recipes to try and make them work in all machines. My advice would
be to make a minor change first such as switching to all-purpose
flour rather than bread flour. Another alternative is to reduce the
liquid by a tablespoon or two if the loaf seems rather light and airy.
Yes, you can reduce the yeast slightly but that doesn't always make
a big enough difference. After that you get into reducing sugar,
increasing salt, etc. which can affect the taste.
Good luck!
Linda Rehberg
www.breadmachinemagic.com
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To: ptj <gypsy-witch@rocketmail.com>
Subject: Missed you, did I?
You wrote:
<<<I've made three attempts at a sourdough starter and every single
one has died. These are starters that include yeast and that will,
when done, be sealed up and refrigerated. After two or three days,
each one has just gone flat, separating into a greyish water on top
and gluey flour paste on the bottom. Any suggestions? What might I be
doing wrong, or does anyone have a favourite way to make one that has
always worked for them?>>>
It's possible those starters didn't really die. It's perfectly
natural for starters to separate like that. I'll post you our recipe
for a sourdough starter. I've also heard that the dehydrated
Goldrush Starter that can be found in most cooking stores (probably
at Bob's Red Mill, too) is very good, very lively.
-Begin Recipe Export- QBook version 1.00.14
Title: SOURDOUGH MADE EASY
Keywords: BREADS, BREAD MACHINE, BREAD MACHINE MAGIC
We condensed the many pages of sourdough data we had compiled into
this brief instruction and fact sheet. If you follow the steps
carefully, you can produce your first loaf of delicious sourdough
bread within a week. Good luck!
SOURDOUGH STARTER
1. Heat 1 cup skim (nonfat) milk to 90øF to 100øF.
2. Stir in 3 tablespoons plain, fresh, high quality yogurt.
3. Pour mixture into a 1-quart glass or ceramic crock, jar,
or bowl. Cover with a non-metallic lid; set in a warm
place (between 70øF to 100øF) for 24 hours. On a warm
day you can place the starter outside in the sun or on
the kitchen counter. On cooler days, place it in a gas
oven with a pilot light, on top of the water heater, or
on a heating pad set on low.
4. After 24 hours, the milk will thicken and form curds. At
this point, gradually stir in 1 cup white flour until
well blended. Cover with lid and set in a warm place
again until it ferments and bubbles and a clear liquid
forms on top, about 2 to 5 days. Stir daily.
5. Starter is now ready to use. Stir, cover loosely, and
refrigerate.
IF AT ANY POINT IN THE PROCESS THE STARTER TURNS PINK, SMELLS
RANCID (NOT JUST SOUR), OR DEVELOPS A MOLD, THROW IT OUT AND
START OVER.
REPLENISHING THE STARTER
Every time you use some of the starter you must replace it
with a like amount of milk and flour. For instance, if you
use 1 cup of starter, return 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of flour
to the jar. Follow the directions for feeding the starter.
FEEDING THE STARTER TO KEEP IT ALIVE AND HEALTHY
A starter should be used as often as possible, at least every
2 to 3 weeks. If you are not using it that often, plan to
feed it once a month to keep it going.
1. Bring the starter to room temperature. (You can place it
in a bowl of warm water to speed the process.)
2. Add equal amounts of warm milk (90øF to 100øF) and flour
(1/2 to 1 cup each)
3. Cover with lid and allow to stand in a warm place (70øF
to 100øF) for 12 to 24 hours until bubbly and a clear
liquid has formed on top.
4. Stir, cover loosely (set lid on jar but do not tightly
seal; gases must be allowed to escape), and refrigerate.
REJUVENATING A NEGLECTED STARTER
If you forget to feed your starter monthly, don't throw it
away thinking it's gone bad. Chances are you can still
revive it.
1. Pour off the liquid and discard all but 1 to 2
tablespoons of the starter. Temporarily place reserved
starter in a bowl.
2. Wash out the starter container with hot water.
3. Put the starter back into the container.
4. Follow the directions for feeding the starter using 1 cup
warm (90øF to 100øF) nonfat milk and 1 cup flour.
5. You may have to repeat this procedure once or twice to
bring it back up to a bubbly, sour smelling starter
again.
SOURDOUGH FACTS TO KEEP IN MIND
. Use only wooden utensils and glass or ceramic containers.
The acid in the starter will corrode any metal with which
it comes in contact.
. Store loosely covered in the refrigerator; do not put in a
tightly sealed container. The gases must be allowed to
escape.
. The yellowish or grayish-beige liquid that rises to the
top is the "hooch". Just stir it back in before measuring
out starter for a recipe.
. You can refresh your starter once a year or so with a few
tablespoons of fresh, plain, good quality yogurt.
. For the sourest taste when making bread, mix the room
temperature starter with the liquid and half the flour
called for in the recipe. Cover and allow to stand in a
warm place until bubbly and sour smelling, about 12 to 24
hours. At that point, combine the mixture in the bread
machine with the rest of the ingredients in the recipe.
. Your starter can be frozen up to 3 months. Before using
it again, let it thaw completely at room temperature for
24 hours until bubbly. You may need to feed it once to
bring it back to the bubbly stage after freezing.
From: "Bread Machine Magic" by Linda Rehberg, Lois Conway
-End Recipe Export- Linda Rehberg
Linda Rehberg
www.breadmachinemagic.com
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