sanrensho

^^^Good link, this might by the non-spray blueberry farm that my friend usually goes to (in Richmond): http://www.pickyourown.org/PYO.php?URL=htt...s.bravehost.com

I'm no expert (nor even a novice) on this subject, but here's a link to an English summary of one Japanese study on the use of gibberillin to induce seedlessness in grapes: http://ci.nii.ac.jp/naid/110004788974/en/

Thanks for correcting my sloppy writing. I meant "going through bones." The most I would use a santoku for is to go through chicken cartilage. After re-reading the original post, I wonder if the author means "boning" instead of literally "going through bones."

I triple the comment that a santoku shouldn't be used to go through chicken bones. If you go the route of Japanese steel, I would get a knife specifically for chopping bones, such as a cleaver. OTOH, once you try some Japanese steel, I wouldn't be surprised if you demoted your current knives to boning duty.

^^I'm pretty sure there are at least two blueberry farms (probably on No. 6 Rd.) in Richmond that are spray-free. I have no idea of the phone numbers and exact locations, however.

^^^Thanks for the heads up. It looks like Driediger Farms in Langley won't be opening until June 15. http://www.driedigerfarms.com/fruitstand/

Here's the Web site for House brand tofu shirataki: http://www.tofushirataki.com/ I've never had it, but it appears to be a konnyaku-based shirataki with tofu added.

Which Q? 220 or 300?

I definitely prefer books with lots of photos. Images are such a great source of inspiration. One photo per recipe is pretty much the norm with Japanese cookbooks. However, if I used that as my criteria for buying English cookbooks, my bookshelves would be almost completely bare.

War has been waged on the slugs. Beer is in the ground. (Finally, a use for Molson Canadian.) Two nightly sticking sessions to dispose of the slugs and even the kids have been recruited as paid bounty hunters. I noticed that the beer traps seem to work with big slugs, but not necessarily the little baby ones.

A biga? This is a neat idea and a nice compromise given my time restraints. I am still stuck on the idea of exposing the kids to homemade bread vs. biscuits, simply because store-brought bread seems to have become so pervasive today. Whereas I would expect some of the families to make biscuit doughs occasionally. BTW, I wanted to mention that I have learned a lot from your posts and Web site/forum. Even though a lot of it is still over my head. I've also printed out the above recipe, thanks.

Bob's idea is a good one. It's very difficult to get tenderness in a dough that only has a hour from mix to bake, whereas a buttermilk biscuit or scone dough will be very quick and taste great too. Dan ← I see your point. I actually thought of a biscuit dough initially, but was worried that it might be too delicate for a bunch of ham-fisted 6-year olds. (I almost never work with biscuit dough.) The Brunch Bread recipe, on the other hand, I already knew was foolproof and indestructible. I'll add a test run using a biscuit dough.

No photos! I badly misjudged my portions and ended up with a regular loaf (non-Pullman) and a dwarf Pullman made by placing a baking sheet over the loaf pan. Next time I'll weigh and try to post photos once I have a presentable loaf.

Here is the translated Pullman bread recipe that I promised, with notes and adapted for a stand mixer. The original recipe and incredibly detailed instructions (in Japanese) can be found here: http://www001.upp.so-net.ne.jp/e-pan/pullman2/pullman.htm Notes: 1. I use smaller than normal loaf pans so you might want to scale up by 50% or double this recipe. Also, I did not use a pullman pan (don't have one yet). 2. I omitted one extra step from the Japanese instructions, between the 2nd rise and shaping. 3. I used 50/50 Canadian pastry (10%) and bleached A-P (13.3%) flour for a 11.65% protein content. This is roughly equivalent to Nissei Camelia flour (11.7% protein), which appears to be a popular flour for home bread bakers in Japan. Japanese Pullman Bread Recipe Flour (570 g) Active dry yeast (6 g) Sugar (35 g) Salt (11 g) Skim or whole milk (12 g) Whole eggs (57 g) Unsalted butter, softened (29 g) Water (348 g) 1. Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water and sugar. Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT BUTTER and mix on low (Speed: 2) for 14 minutes. 2. Add butter and mix for 12 minutes on LOW (Speed: 1 or 2). Test for windowpane. 3. Form dough around itself to form ball and place in greased container. Dough will be fairly slack and tacky, not outright sticky. 4. Cover and let 1st rise to 2.6-2.7 times original volume. 5. Degass and press out into rectangle. Fold in thirds top-to-bottom and side-to-side. Flip over and repeat. Place back in greased container. 6. Cover and let 2nd rise to 2.0-2.3 times volume. 7. Divide into four or six pieces and press out into rectangle while degassing. Images 4-2 to 4-8. Fold in thirds top-to-bottom and then fold over itself in the same direction. Seal seam with fingers and roll out into thick ropes (not too long). Form U or N shape with seam side down and place in greased loaf pans. 8. Cover and let 3rd rise until doubled. If you find any bubbles at this point, pop them. Bake 10 minutes @ 160C and 15-20 minutes at 190C.

The thing is, I've found that simply watching parents cook and take care in preparing meals is enough to spark kids' natural interest in food. Talking about and showing enthusiasm for good food (as well as having the Food Network on all time ) also helps. It's all about the environment you expose them to. Growing up, I literally never cooked with my mom nor did I show any interest in cooking whatsoever. However, being around my mom's cooking/baking and being exposed to her food eventually had its impact when I moved out. It was a pretty natural transition for me to start learning to cook, although I would have had a head start with some actual tutelage from my mother. Parents, do not despair!

K8: Believe it or not, I already did a test run with my 6 yr old and her older sister (almost 9 yrs) and it went pretty smoothly, from measuring and mixing all the way up to kneading and shaping. If anything, they got so engrossed with the shaping that it was hard to get them to quit! ChezCherie: You're right, cracking the eggs could be a little challenging, but I'm not worried about the handling of raw eggs. I planned to do an egg wash anyway so the kids could sprinkle with black/white sesame seeds. There will be a few older kids and my wife to assist/supervise, plus I intend to divide them up in pairs/threes. Of course, it could all go very, very wrong...

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. What about switching to 50% pastry flour/A-P? (With my Canadian flours, that would bring it down to 11.6% protein from 13.3%.) Maybe add a bit of baking powder for additional rise and a more biscuit-like (lighter) texture?

Thanks K8, we're trying to avoid using any refrigerated or premade doughs to give the kids an opportunity to measure and mix from scratch. I doubt any of these kids have ever made a dough bread from the bottom up, so I though it would be neat for them to see how easy it is. (I also had the idea of making pizza, but it would have taken out the hands-on measuring, mixing and initial kneading.) If I can manage to lighten up the texture of this recipe, then we can also do things like simple braids. (The current recipe is too dense for that, IMO.) EDIT: You'll have to ask Jamie Oliver about omitting the fat, how much would you suggest I add/substitute?

I need some help tweaking a very simple yeasted bread recipe (minimal knead/rise) to produce a lighter and less tough texture. It will be taught to a bunch of 6-year olds. The recipe is Jamie Oliver's Brunch Breads recipe. I'll be using it for a fun breadmaking activity for my younger daughter’s birthday party. Basically, we’ll have a bunch of 6-year olds mix, knead and shape the dough into pigs in blankets and filled buns under my lead. The above recipe pretty much satisfies all my prerequisites: simple ingredient list, easy to mix, requires minimal kneading/rise, dough is easy to work with, and we can go from bowl-to-bread in just over 60 minutes. Bread flour (500 g) Dry active yeast (11 g) Lukewarm water (312 ml) Salt (1 TBS) Sugar (15 g) Instructions: Mix and knead into dough. Roll out dough, shape and let rise for 15 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees F until golden brown (30-35 minutes). What can I do to this recipe to make the end product less tough? Change flours or incorporate some milk instead of water? Add butter/oil? I’m a decent beginner bread baker and have some vague ideas of where to start, but I really need some direction. I’ll also only have time to make two more test runs at the most. The technique also needs to be kept simple, within what a ham-fisted 6-year old can handle and in a relatively short time frame. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I'm pleased (and relieved!) to report that the Japanese Pullman bread recipe worked out pretty well. I definitely overproofed it after shaping, which resulted in unnecessary holes and a slightly open crumb. However, it definitely had that familiar shokupan texture and crumb where the bread pulls apart into "threads." I'll continue working with the recipe and experimenting with overnight proofing and different flours. In the meantime, I'll post the English recipe and instructions when I get some time.

I can't think of a substitute, but if you can find them fresh, remember that you can freeze them. Still much better than dried kaffir lime leaves.

I wonder if this is a common experience with curry leaf trees? I've been thinking about picking one up (if I can find one), but it sounds like it might not be worth it...

Mint is like the borg, it will take over everything if given the opportunity. Fortunately, it's also easy to rip out as necessary and/or replant in another location.

Thanks Cheryl, that's quite helpful actually. I have a test batch from the Japanese Pullman recipe rising as we speak, so I'll report back later.

Carrot cakes (and zucchini cakes) also tend to use large amounts of oil.