hi Everyone!
i've been silent for months due to my total absorption into my first
blog: <http://wwwrealbakingwithrose.com/>. (of course i have listed
the bread bakers as one of my favorite sites with a link and of
course i've never missed a posting!
instead of the one hour a week i was planning for responses on my
blog it is more like 5 whole days a week! but how gratifying! i've
learned about a terrific new scale called myweigh
<http://www.myweigh.com/> and discovered a fantastic blog
<http://www.breadbasketcase.blogspot.com/> on which the owner/blogger
is listing photos and comments on every bread she has made from my
book "the bread bible" and she plans to work her way through the entire book.
i'm on my way to iacp annual conference in seattle and should be
packing but must just respond to three of the comments on this current digest:
Ron, re weighing: my blog offers several recipes and i always give
weights. (see my blog posting "weigh to bake"!
if using metal weights on a balance or to calibrate (thanks Pop for
your great posting about scales and accuracy) i never touch them with
my fingers as the grease resident in all people's fingers will build
up and eventually affect the weight. i use a clean cloth to lift
them. this is something i learned in chem lab years ago at college
and probably only makes a difference for minute weights but
none-the-less, my thought is that if you're going to publish recipes
with weights they should be as accurate as possible as each person's
instrument of weighing may vary up or down and at least one is
starting with as close to accurate as possible. of course Pop is
right that the relativity is reassuring , i.e. if your scale is off
say 1/4 ounce it will (hopefully) be off 1/4 ounce at 4 ounces as
well as 12 ounces so it all remains relatively in balance. (this is
not true of thermometers that can be off 1 degree at say 75 F. and 3
degrees at say 90 F.
Allen, re dough slashers, i agree that a single edged razor blade is
the best and i've tried most everything. great idea to attach it to a
wooden or metal stick--didn't think of that!
we all thought that my baking blog would elicit the most postings on
cakes but it turns out bread rules!
best bread baking and warmest wishes,
Rose (Levy Beranbaum)