Smithy

I thank you, both for the summaries and the links to deeper explanations. I have a couple of observations and questions, after reading and considering this material. 1. On the one hand, my bread courses have all said that ideally salt should be added after the flour, water and yeast (or sourdough starter) have been allowed to sit together, because salt interferes with yeast growth and development. Yet these articles say that salt helps with the gluten formation. That seemed contradictory at first, but after some thought I think I've resolved the apparent conflict. Salt is necessary but timing is also important because of two opposing effects on two very different factors: yeast growth and gluten development. Do I understand those two issues correctly? 2. I'm surprised at the statement that a pH of 5 - 6 is ideal for gluten development, and this makes me wonder what commercial bakers do, if anything, to compensate. City water is generally controlled to around a pH of 7 (maybe slightly less) and the EPA drinking water standard is a pH range of 6.5 - 8.5. Do bakers simply give the gluten extra time and/or mechanical activity to compensate? Perhaps the optimal gluten development pH isn't that important because there are workarounds. Further insights would be welcome.

As prices go this is more in the "slightly more expensive" than "crazy good" category, but I want to point out a book anyway. I fell down the rabbit hole of eG Foodblogs, and found the fine 2006 entry divina: Over the Tuscan Stove. Judy/divina hasn't been around here since 2009, but her web site shows that she's still alive and teaching - well, will be when things reopen from the pandemic. And she has a cookbook out. Secrets from my Tuscan Kitchen, by eG member divina, is $3.99 in Kindle format from Amazon. I do not need another cookbook. I do not need another cookbook. I have another cookbook.

I forgot to ask: can you remember any of the flavor or texture notes? For instance, was the red sauce smooth or chunky, tomatoish or hot like a chili sauce or not like either of them? Could the white sauce have been the classic tzadziki, or was it something different?

I think of shawarma (other spellings around here include shwarma, schwarma, or even shwerma as I first heard it called) as being a Middle Eastern food, so it's interesting to think that there might be Russian variations on the sauces. I shouldn't be surprised, though. If you check out this topic on Shawarma you'll find a lot of argument discussion about the proper ingredients and it's clear there are regional variations. You may find something there that sounds like what you remember. Don't be shy about resurrecting that old topic!

I'm another fan of Better Than Bouillion, although I still have part of a jar of Wyler's bouilion cubes taking up space in the cupboard. I like the convenience of scooping out a spoonful of the Better Than Bouillion when I realize I need it; the Wyler's requires enough foresight for me to boil water to dissolve the cube!

Can you (or anyone else) explain this, please? I haven't run across this bit of information before, and I'd like a chemical explanation.

You'll get there, @Kim Shook. If you want to vent and laugh a bit, feel free to post more of their instructions for our merriment. 🙂

I sprang for the Ruhlman book thanks for the heads-up. Pepin is already back up to $9.99! Incidentally, I have Epitaph for a Peach on hard copy from when it first came out. I recommend it.

You may have given me the excuse I need to buy one of these things.

I know the smell you're describing! There's something very distinctive about citrus mold, isn't there? I can pick it out from yards away. That a rattlesnake nest smells like rotten potatoes, now...that is new information that I hope never to need.

I haven't seen anything about Prime Day this year. Under the current circumstances I'd be more surprised if it happened than if it didn't. Still, I'm curious as to whether Amazon has addressed the question either way. Has anyone seen an announcement?

That's exactly what they mean: 3-prong, and don't defeat it by tying the ground and neutral together, or by plugging into a 3-prong to 2-prong converter. I'm sorry for your discomfort. You're quite right that the instructions are oddly translated. I think they're hilarious - but if I'd just reacted with "laugh" you might have thought I was laughing at you. It's a lovely-looking machine!

So, does that mean she gave bad advice then, or that there are better techniques now, or tastes have changed, or...what?

Let's see if this works... https://youtu.be/gmxHmuV4vTU

Until this post, I didn't know about The Duke's Mayonnaise Cookbook! It looks like fun. A cookbook with a forward by Nathalie Dupree is off to a good start.

I've put in the updated spreadsheet; it's still pinned to the top of this forum.

Well, Jo could always pretend the jalapenos are zucchinis, and treat them accordingly. Leave them on someone's doorstep in the middle of the night. Put them in a guest's unlocked car. Ask @Shelby, she has dozens of such tricks!

Yes, I need to try this. More info, please! It looks like a good gluten-free crust idea.

I have never even thought about using cactus in salsa! Since I have a bag of frozen, chopped nopales that bought on impulse much too long ago, I'm all ears to this idea.

Thanks for the input, folks. In looking back at my post I realize I was unclear about when I had problems. The wet hands trick definitely worked for the initial stretching and folding (maybe I didn't do enough of that) and I don't remember having issues with stickiness then. The dough rose beautifully during that first rise, too. The problem came after that, when I needed to cut and shape the dough. (This batch was for 2 loaves.) My lessons to date have said that at that stage - the final shaping - to put the dough on a floured counter and use floured hands. That's where stickiness was an issue. Should I try doing the final shaping and proofing on a wet counter with wet hands instead? I have visions of the dough incorporating more water and getting sloppy.

My latest batch of bread: sourdough, using half bread flour and half heritage (Barrio Blend, from Tucson) flour. I'm pleased with the flavor. I still need some adjustments in time and temperature, though. This was done in the CSO on bread cycle. It almost got too brown on top at 450F for 40 minutes, so I had to lower the temperature for an extended time to get the interior to cook. It's still a bit chewy, as though the interior could have afforded just a few degrees more. Here's my real issue, though: how the heck does one keep the dough to sticking to one's hands? This dough is about 78% hydration. Despite my best efforts (heavily floured hands, heavily floured counter) the dough kept sticking to my hands while I was trying to shape it and tighten the surface. This loaf deflated somewhat; its counterpart boule got more handling, stuck more, and deflated a lot more. I finally tried oiling my hands instead, but by that time the damage was done. Grr. Shouldn't flouring my hands have worked? What else should I try?

Ripe summer tomatoes, freshly-sliced red onion, freshly-picked-then-chopped basil; good romaine lettuce; grilled marinated artichoke hearts from Trader Joe's. Cubes of last week's bread, toasted until dry. Red wine vinegar vinaigrette, heavy on oregano. There would also have been mozzarella pearls, slices of salami and proscuitto, and slices of freshly-baked sourdough bread on the side, but at some point my darling woke up and said, "where's the meat!?" We had grilled smoked Polish sausages instead. He grilled them, so I can't complain about extra work. Still. This hybrid salad (inspired by 2 recipes, thwarted by 1 husband) was darned good. I hope tomorrow's leftovers live up to the original.

@Kim Shook, I'd say a husband who can read your mind on an unspoken dessert is a real treasure. That sundae looks wonderful!

I laughed at this because of the amusing last line in your post, but in fact that rubber band is there to support a couple of toothpicks that are suspending the green onions off the bottom of the jar. Are you saying it won't hurt them to rest on the bottom?

I finally got around to trying this, and it's working well for me too. The interesting thing is that the greens grow at different rates. I cut all the onions to the same height the last time I used some, late last week. Look how uneven they are now!