Hi
As with Erin Nesmith, hello King Arthur Flour, how about holding classes in
Washington State (the other Washington, you know). We are part of the
"country".
When I make cinnamon bread, I roll out the dough and lightly moisten the
surface with water before sprinkling on the sugar/cinnamon and putting on
the raisins. The added moisture keeps the sugar, cinnamon and raisins from
taking moisture out of the dough. I don't know if this is any better than
using melted butter but it does reduce the total amount of calories and
cholesterol.
I appreciate the comments by Carolyn Dandalides on using a Lame. I use one
for slashing the tops of my breads. It uses a double edged razor blade. Is
there any way to replace the blade?
I've been making sourdough pancakes, waffles and breads for a number of
years now. There are a couple of things that I do based upon experience
rather than technology. If I go on vacation and let the starter lie in the
refrigerator for a couple of weeks without being used, I take it out when I
get home, pour out half the starter and add a mixture of flour and water in
the ratio of 1 cup water to 1 1/2 cups of flour. I let this sit on the
kitchen counter for 24 hours and then repeat the process. I do this two or
three more times until the starter bubbles and expands shortly after adding
new flour. I also check the aroma of the starter. On occasion, I've found
that if I do not use the starter for 4 or 5 weeks, it will develop some odd
aromas. I can cure this problem but repeating the regeneration process
several more times until the aroma is right. A starter should have pleasant
sourdough aroma. If it doesn't, your baking will not come out tasting very
good. Using this process helps to insure getting good sourdough tasting
products.
I know this is a bread baking list but if people are interested, I can
submit my recipe for sourdough pancakes and waffles. I've modified and
changed the recipe over the past 20 years.
Bill