boulak

Ooops, I am new at this -- I forgot to mention that this was done without the water bath. The ramekins were placed on an empty sheet pan. This was all in the interest of science. But, with the results as they were, sometimes I do it anyway.

I have baked brulee in a convection oven at 200 degrees to check the results. It works fine if you can spare an oven for hours. For a lavender creme brulee, I wanted something lighter and displaced 25% of the cream with milk. I liked the results using the no water bath and 200 degrees better than I did when using all cream. For the sugar on the top, my preference has been Turbinado.

I have had great success with baking cheesecakes in a water bath at 325 degrees. I prefer to use tall sided cake pans, not springform -- they break, they leak, parts get lost, they are cheesy. I agree with Redsugar (I love reading Redsugar's comments) concerning oiling the sides of the pan so the cakecan recdede without cracking. However, my best results have come from heavily brushing them with partially melted butter. I like to see the butter on the side of the pan. I do this after baking the graham crust and the pan has cooled or after inserting any other type of crust/bottom. I have used cake or pastry bottoms and lined the entire inside of the cake pan with plastic wrap. I spray the sides of the pan so that the wrap will cling and not cause wrinkles in the sides of the cheesecake. I generally move the cheesecakes from the oven directly to the refrigerator with little detriment. To unmold, I put the pan in a steamtable for 5 to 10 seconds and put a cardboard on top, invert, shake if necessary, and unmold. Place another cardboard on the bottom and revert the cake to the upright position. I use the same technique for the plastic wrapped cakes, but give a slight tug to the plastic. This has worked successfully with double rack ovens and single cakes at home.

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Yes, continue to reduce the amount of chemical leavening at 5% to 10% every 1,000 feet. Above 10,000 you may need to adjust the sugar and/or liquid.

Marjorie, I wholeheartedly concur with Peter. You should mix lightly (known as a short mix) as the lamination process is by definition a series of stretch and folds. I would like to add that the holes you refer to (which I like to call a honeycomb) are due to the lamination, not dough development. I also agree with Peter that you might be pressing with the pin too hard. Another consideration is maintaining the same consistencey between your roll-in butter and the dough itself. I like to freeze the dough for thirty minutes before the first roll in. Minutes before the roll in, I pound the butter square (previously formed) and get it to a plastic state. Remove the dough from the freezer and roll in the butter and give a book fold. If the dough is still in good shape, roll out and give the second fold. Otherwise, freeze for thiry minutes and then give the second fold. After the second fold, freeze for 30 minutes and give the third (and final) fold. Refrigerate for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, and then freeze for thirty minutes. Now fabricate the croissants. By doing this, the roll-in butter retains its consistency and ensures proper layering. When folding, be sure to brush out the excess flour. Bon appetit.

Greetings Peter, Yes, I am Boulak. I was in AC with the boys. It was great. We all miss you here and look forward to your next visit with great anticipation.

I enjoy Alton Brown when he is discoursing on history or technical information, but his histrionics and side bars are getting to be too much. Some of the ancillary characters are more of a distraction than anything else. He seems to be becoming a caricature of himself. Sometimes, less is more.

Greetings Seth, In response to your query concerning autolyse: This is the incorporation of the flour and water in a recipe. The flour and water are only barely incorporated to the point of what looks like and is referred to as a "shaggy mass." This mixture rests for 20 to 30 minutes. After the resting period, other ingredients are added (salt and yeast). The benefit of autolyse is improved links of starch, gluten, and water resulting in a more extensible dough. That is why autolyse is most commonly, but not exclusively, used for ciabbata and baguette processes as the dough will be extended in the shaping step. Naturally leavened breads benefit from autolyse as do any other prefermented breads. When mixing resumes, the dough reaches development more quickly and easily, thereby reducing mixing time (and oxidation). The axiom is, oxidation equals a loss of flavor due to, among other things, the destruction of the carotenoid pigments. Remember that the dough will continue to develop throughout the entire process up until baking, so take care not to develop the dough fully in the mixer. Development will continue through (and as a result of) stretch and fold, pre-shaping, shaping, and even the final proof. A dough that is less mixed will produce a creamier and more elastic crumb, greater volume, and a more open and irregular cell structure. I employ the autolyse baking at home and in commercial applications. Remember, this was a development by Professor Calvel who wanted to see what would happen when he mixed only the flour and water. The results were observed and noted by him and the procedhre has been incorporated into production schedules around the world because it works. The one drawback in commercial situations is that it does monopolize the mixing bowl for an additional 20 to 30 minutes. A creative mixing schedule will circumvent that issue. Good luck with autolyse -- it's a beautiful thing.

Greetings, I would like to add a few comments about stretch and fold. All of the above statements are quite accurate, but other factors are, a stretch and fold strengthens the dough, expels excess gas, and can even out the temperature in larger batches. There is a school of thought that oxygen is incorporated at this time which enables yeast reproduction. Doughs with a higher percentage of water often require more than one or even two manipulations at regular intervals. For example, a Ciabatta hydrated at 73% or higher will receive three stretch and folds over a 3 to 3 1/4 hour bulk fermentation. James McGuire taught a baguette recipe this summer with 78% hydration using an autolyse, no preferment, and two minutes of mixing. It received two stretch and folds during a bulk fermentation of three hours. As you might imagine, the dough was very wet and very slack coming off the mixer. It reached proper development after primary fermentation and produced a loaf with a beautiful and open crumb with a creamy color. Regarding doughs less hydrated, I almost always include a stretch and fold during the bulk fermentation, but only once. This would be true for naturally leavened bread as well as those employing commercial yeast.

Greetings, In response to high altitude baking, at 5,000 to 6,000 feet, reduce your chemical leavening by 50%. For each additional 1,000 foot gain in elevation, you should reduce the leavening by an additional 5% to 10%. If you look at the directions on a box of cake mix you will notice that the instructions for high altitude baking direct you add more water and more flour. That in effect would dilute the power of the leavening. Another concern would be if you are using the creaming method, take care not to overcream, and mix lightly when adding the eggs. If too much air is incorporated, it may have the same effect as too much chemical leavening. Some texts indicate that the sugar and/or water content should be modified, but I have not found this necessary when staying within the guidelines above. Good luck.

Hi Peter, Greetings from Mitch at theJ & W Providence campus. In regards to the high altitude baking, I baked for a number of years at 6,000 feet. I made no changes to the formulations, but I did control the dough temperature -- I maintained a temperature of 73 to 75 degrees when processing artisanal bread. I learned pan breads at an altutude of 7,000 feet from an old time, Dunwoody educated baker, and we never adjusted the recipes there either. I have used the same formulations of both types of bread at sea level without modification for over 20 years. I think that the main thing, as you have indicated in your writing, is to be in touch with your doughs; know them and monitor them, which is another benefit of the stretch and fold not previously mentioned -- it allows you to check in on how things are going. We miss you in Providence.