loompa

It is important to keep in mind that a recipe is only a roadmap to help you along. Your knowledge, understanding of the different properties of food, experience in baking, and sweat are what makes your formula yours. You can share the exact recipe to 20 people and you will get 20 different products. No one can take away your experience in baking. A very well known chef once told me that if one is not willing to share a recipe, it must be because you don't have enough skill or experience to stand out from it. Share and share alike. By the way, I love macarrons. Would you share that recipe? Chris

You said that you dissolve the yeast in the water (warm)? Are you using dry yeast? If so, dissolve it in a small amount of warm water and add that to your dough. The water for your recipe should be about 68oF when you add it. Otherwise, the entire mix will be over heated by the time it is through mixing and the dough will overproof quickly then stay flat and heavy through baking. Also, add your salt in the last 1-2 minutes of mixing or during the autolyze. Yeast will react poorly with the salt if added together. Never put them together when you are setting up your mise en place. Chris

"The Taste of Bread" by Calvels is most often quoted on the Bread Bakers Guild of America site. I haven't read it yet but hope to soon. "Baking with Julia" by Dori Greenspan is very nice as well. "Beard on Bread" by James Beard is a great resource as well. Good Baking!! Chris

Thanks Steve. While I am new to this group, I am familiar with your teaching style which is rich, infomative and always facinating. I took a cake decorating class from you in '97 or '98 at Whole Foods Market in Arlington, VA when you taught for Peter Krump's School. I have passed on your wisdom to many pastry newbies since and I still have the gum paste rose I made in that class. "Life really is too short for cheap chocolate"

I'm sure many of you know that all chocolate is not the same. All Callebaut is not the same either. A 70% dark Callebaut has quite a high cocoa butter ratio and requires special handling (tempering) or it will "break". It is better, I have found, to use semi-sweet chocolate (60% or lower) for a foolproof Ganache. You can boil or not boil the cream. It never fails. I have had nothing but trouble with bitter sweet or liquer (sp?) chocolate in Ganache. If you try to reheat Ganache and get it too hot, it will become grainy and break as well.