Robert Schonfeld

Jinmyo,Dec 16 2004, 07:37 AM: No. Yes. I'll have what she's having.

Hello, Mr. Reinhart. My question concerning gluten is this: if I choose a flour with a relatively low protein number, and then add vital wheat gluten, do I stand a better chance of producing a very wet dough that can be aggressively developed into loaves that will retain their form and also have a very open crumb, as opposed to simply using a strong flour at a high hydration which, in my experience as a home baker, does not yield the large holes one looks for in such a loaf? edit: I am familiar with turning techniques, and I have produced good flattish loaves with a variable crumb. What I am curious about is a loaf I once saw that was very high - nearly round - but also with very large holes. I have seen flour offered that gives both protein and vital gluten specifications, which is what gives rise to my question.

It was a thoroughly delightful afternoon. I have other photos, which I may try to post when I have more time to futz with things. Meantime, thanks to Bux for getting these up.

It was our pleasure to share a meal at this restaurant with Susan and Robert Brown last month. Lunch was served in a small, charming garden. One dish stands out in memory: daurade sauvage topped with a half-dried tomato, girolles and a sauce of galinette, described by the chef as a kind of (or similar to: my French isn't that good) rouget. The sauce was a deep reddish brown, as rich in taste as the promise of its color. It served perfectly to marry the mushrooms with the meaty fish. It also balanced nicely with the tomato, which in its turn was acid, rich and meaty. Plate design of the first by Bob.

I meant the region of Tuscany. Thank you for pointing that out. The nomenclature was always a pain for me.

I am very interested to hear more about this from knowledgeable participants. My own experience has been that food in Florence can be "urbanized" with a greater dose of sophistication and finesse, like the city itself. This has also been true for me in at least one other important Tuscan city, Lucca. In general, it tends to be true of cooking in cities as opposed to the countryside, the latter of which makes up the majority of Tuscany and all of Italy. In addition, creations can arise in Florence, such as schiacciatta with grapes, rather than the foccacia found commonly elsewhere in Tuscany and throughout that part of Italy. Or things prepared "alla fiorentina" as another example. The Tuscans I know refer constantly to common characteristics of their province, as they do to differences among tiny areas within the province that are virtually indistinguishable to outsiders. Both are valid points of view. edited for typo

Adam, thank you for the well researched and well written article. Your approach was especially interesting, as the larger subject of pasta outside Italy is not as thoroughly covered in the literature as it should be.

The use of different sauces, condiments and blowtorching is actually not that unusual in Japan either. My last meal in Tokyo for example I had Chu-Toro with some mayonaisse-based condiment that was cooked with a blow torch. Although the use is more common in NY, it is definitely not unique to the city. It was not my intent to encourage an inference concerning the uniqueness of this style to New York, but rather to report that it is referred to that way by at least some Japanese both in New York and in Japan.

My Japanese friends in New York call the style of sushi that involves different liquid applications and different condiments, as well as the occasional blow-torching, "New York style sushi". This style may be experienced at a high level of quality at Jewel Bako, for example.

"Risotto" and "great party/catering item" strike me as contradictory terms.

Correct

Or make the driest dough ball you can, chop it into pieces, and whizz the pieces in a blender. Store the result in a tightly sealed jar. I kept one once in a cupboard for over a year, including through a hot summer, and it reactivated just fine.

There's a very nice underlying structure to Iain's first loaf, one that will show itself better with practice, no doubt. You can learn to evaluate the doneness of a loaf by its look, its color, its sound when tapped on the bottom. It's like poking a piece of meat as it cooks.

I agree. here's one that I have been using for nearly ten years with much satisfaction. It is available for the cost of a self-addressed stamped envelope from the family of a man who literally spent the last years of his life dedicated to giving it away to anyone who asked. A good part of the sourdough spirit resides in sharing. Carl exemplified that.

I learned the folding-during-fermentation technique from a pizza baker in Rome. It's a good one and it works to increase the extensibility of the dough. As discussed, there are ways of making sour bread. Understanding buffering is important to this. Sour bread is not the goal of many regular sourdough bakers. Sourdough is an unfortunate misnomer in this regard. Why is the recipe in volume, rather than weight measure, which is so much more convenient for figuring hydration? When Dick Adams makes it onto this board, you know that sourdough has gone mainstream. Edited for spelling and clarity.