tino27

Make sure to flour the banneton WELL. Very well. I've never had to do this, but I've heard of people using rice flour in the banneton with great success. Also, once you've shaped your loaf, make sure you do the final proofing seam side up. That way, when it is fully proofed, you just have to flip it onto a floured peel, slash, and into the oven it goes. Also, it should go without saying that you don't wash bannetons between use.

My mother has an issue with goat cheese. Cheese from any other animal is fine. When asked about this aversion, her response is, "But it's from a goat!" It's not even the fact that she doesn't like the taste of it -- she won't even try it. I just sigh and neglect to mention the fact that it's in a dish if I know she will be having some.

It's already starting to emerge which restaurants will be consistently be at the top and which ones should be shut down immediately. **** POSSIBLE SPOILER -- DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN LAST NIGHT'S EPISODE **** If I was the business partner of the chef/drummer guy, I would've flipped if I'd found he out he fired the sous chef. And if I were the sous chef, I probably would've used a lot fouler language. Then again, through clever editing, WE got to see what a complete nincompoop the co-owner is. His business partner at the time of shooting might not have caught on yet.

Has anyone else here in the states been watching this on BBC America? It feels like Hell's Kitchen (in terms of visual presentation / editing) without all of the yelling.

Sorry, Zoe, I didn't realize you had weighed the water. So there *is* an extra ounce of water that's unaccounted for ...

Hi. This is the hydration I use for KA AP flour in ounces, but my hydration is coming out differently than yours Tino? I converted it to metric and all of your numbers add up correctly. 2#=32oz 3 1/4 cup=26oz hydration = 26/32 (x100) = 81.25 for KA AP flour Pat, I wonder if using a higher protein flour would give the dough more stretch and allow it to rise higher than you previously got with the lower protein AP? This is a mystery! Zoë ← Zoe -- The mystery here is the difference between ounces and fluid ounces. A fluid ounce is a measurement of volume. 1 fl oz of water and 1 fl oz of oil will not weigh the same amount. An ounce measurement is a weight. 1 ounce of water weighs the same as 1 ounce of oil. There are 8 fluid ounces in one cup of anything. There are 8.33 ounces in one cup of water. The problem is that the two are not exactly interchangeable. So, while yes, there are 26 fluid ounces in 3 1/4 cups of water, a fluid ounce of water weighs 29.57 g / fl oz. 29.57 g / fl oz. x 26 fl oz. = 768 g I think that's where the discrepancy came in. Tino

Hmmm .... You didn't mention what kind/type of yeast you were using. Do you buy the one use, single packets of active dry yeast or do you buy in bulk and measure out the yeast? It is possible that you may have gotten a really active strain of yeast. I'll assume that the ambient temperature you are bulk fermenting the dough in has remained the same between flours. Also, did you add the full amount of salt? Besides flavor, it also helps to regulate the growth of the yeast. I know you mentioned you tasted the raw dough ... too little salt would allow the yeast to grow very rapidly. Finally ... 2 lbs flour = 908 grams 3 1/4 cups water = 3.25 cups x 236 g/cup = 767 grams Hydration = 767 / 908 (x 100) = 84.5% hydration for All Purpose flour That seems too high to me ... Zoe, what are your thoughts? Sorry if my response seems a little disjointed; I'm trying to solve the problem through multiple angles. Basically, just switching flours and adding a 1/4 cup more water shouldn't have caused the top to pop off. Something else must be going on.

One of two things happened, I would guess ... 1) You measured the right amount of flour, but didn't develop the gluten enough 2) You didn't add enough flour If it were me, I would add the remainder of the mixture to a stand mixer bowl, add about a 1/4 cup of flour at a time (using the dough hook) until the dough passes the "windowpane test" (Google that term and you'll find out what I mean). and place back in the fridge and use as normal. You could just start over -- you'd only be out maybe $1.50 in raw ingredients. It might be an interesting project to try and save it though. As much as people think that bread dough is a mystery, it is pretty forgiving.

I would agree. The batard is one of the more difficult shapes to master simply by relying on a book. And even then, five different bakers could show you five different ways to make the batard shape. When I've been pressed for time, I have actually done as you suggested and done my bulk fermentation, shaped the dough into it's final shape, and then let it proof overnight in the refrigerator. I wouldn't bake it right out of the fridge (although I've read that some people have tried that), but would let it rest on the counter for maybe an hour or so. Then slash it right before you put it into the oven. I've never tried shaping the dough straight out of the fridge though.

I recently ate at a local northeast ohio chain that has respectable dishes. Normally I'll go for one of their sandwiches, but upon looking over the menu, I noticed they had a fried fish dinner that came with shoestring fries and cole slaw. So, that's what I ordered. When the dinner finally came out, there was no side of cole slaw. After getting the waitress's attention, I asked if she had forgotten it. Her response was classic. "You know, I get asked that question all the time when people order this. This dinner doesn't come with cole slaw." I asked her to look at the menu and pointed out that yes, indeed, it does come with cole slaw. I'm thinking the tip-off for her might have been all the other poor customers who may have asked for, but never received their cole slaw.

Based on your numbers, you had 300g water and 500g of white flour. This is a 60% hydration (300/500 x 100). Try increasing your hydration to 70% and you may be rewarded with a looser crumb. BTW, this is quite exciting. Thanks for being so rigorous on your documentation.

Whew! That's a long list of questions. I'll start at the top and work my way down. If the bread is denser than you like, it could be for one of two reasons: either the dough is not hydrated enough or it isn't fully proofed when you put it into the oven. Are you "steaming" the oven after you put the bread into the oven? This steam helps to keep the outside of the loaf from crusting up before having a change to bloom in the oven. Not slashing deep enough can also prevent the loaf from rising to it's fullest height. Shaping: This takes practice. I almost never flour the work surface when I am shaping. In fact, when I am making boules, I actually spritz my work surface with some water to cause the dough to stick a little bit. Slashing: Do this right before you put the loaf into the oven. I like to load the fully-proofed dough onto my peel (or other delivery device), slash the loaf accordingly, place into the oven right away, and then steam the oven. If you are loading multiple loaves, steam the oven before you put the first loaf in, slash and place each loaf into the oven, and then steam again afterwards. You should use either a lame or a sharp serrated knife (like a small utility knife). You shouldn't need to clean it between slashes, but sometimes dipping it into water helps it slice through the dough. Couching: Wet doughs tend to spread out, not up. Wet doughs also tend to have that lovely irregular hole pattern that we all strive for, too. So, it's a toss-up. I once made a potato rosemary bread two times, the only difference being that in one I added 30 grams less water (1 ounce). The difference was noticeable. One rose upwards, the other outwards. As far as couching itself goes, you could always use a basket or banneton (that has been well floured), or barring that, a colander that's been lined with a well-seasoned linen towel. Transferring: I'm guessing you are talking about transferring the loaves from the place they are proofing to the peel to the stone in the oven? In the case where you were using a banneton or colander to proof the loaf, it would be proofing upside-down (seam side up), so you could just flip it over onto the peel. If you aren't using a bowl, shape the loaves and the place seam side down onto a piece of parchment paper. Then when they are ready to go into the oven, simply slide the parchment onto the peel, slash, and place into the oven. Half-way through the cooking time you can simply slide the loaf off of the paper and discard. Over-proofed: If you can push a finger into the dough and the indentation does not come out or comes out VERY slowly, you more than likely have over-proofed. I know that sounds like a lot of rules to remember, but you'll get the hang of it ... it just takes practice. Good luck.

This would make the mundane task of supermarket shopping much more pleasant.

Perhaps, something like this? Sounds like you may be on to something.

You were close -- Hydration = grams water / grams flour In Baker's Percentages, flour is always the denominator. And if the hydration percentage is 65%, I would also agree that it is too low. You should probably start out at the 75-76% hydration level and see how the crumb is at that point.

Contact other firms in the area in which you live that do similar consulting work and find out what their hourly rates are. Decide on something competitive based on the feedback and your own level of expertise.

I think you are right about that.

A baking instructor had us make the exact same brioche recipe, only adding the butter at different points. One way was to add it at the beginning, during mixing. This resulted in kind of a "cakey" crumb, presumably because the gluten strands were coated in fat and thus not allowed to develop into long chains. The other way was to add the butter at the end of the kneading process. This resulted in a more "layered" result, like a good croissant. I also do the starter and the chilling overnight.

Quick question for you ... when did you add the butter to the dough? At the beginning when you were mixing the ingredients together? Or at the end, after the dough has had a chance to develop gluten?

I have recently had a family "situation" come up where my grandfather has been admitted to a physical rehab facility after his latest fall and it looks as though he may be there for a while. My grandmother, ever the doting type, spends a lot of time with him. When she eventually comes home, she is usually vary tired and the rest of the family is concerned that she may not be eating as well as she could be. Last weekend, I floated the idea amongst the rest of my family of me preparing several kinds of soups, individually portioning them out, putting them in my deep freeze, and then delivering five or six different portions of soups that my grandmother can simply throw in the microwave to reheat whenever she wishes. My family really liked the idea and are all willing to split the costs associated with me doing this. I've been doing research over the last couple of days and have been amazed at the variety of soup preparations that are out there. So, now a couple of questions for the knowledgeable eG crowd. Basically, you can classify soups into several categories: * Cream/milk based soups * Roux based soups * Broth based with meat/meatballs/pasta * Chili and Chili analogues * Stews Any advice on which freezes and thaws well? I guess the thing I'm concerned with is that the quality of the reheated soup is close to or as good as if I was making it fresh. Second question goes to viability -- how long can she keep the frozen soups in the freezer without them going bad? I'm thinking of using the Glad Ware disposable containers for convenience (straight from the freezer to the microwave). Any downsides to this thought? Thanks!

CaliPoutine -- I think it may actually be less than 20. And you're right ... it is pretty forgettable pizza.

Clear flour is not a type of flour, but rather a state of refinement between milling and fully-sifted, bleached white flour. Once the flour has been milled, it is sifted through various devices to remove things like the bran and the wheat germ. Clear flour is a point in the middle of this sifting process. You can Google it if you want more info. The protein content of the flour you purchased is dependent on what type of wheat berry was used to make it. The easiest way to figure it out is to contact the manufacturer. And unfortunately, knowing the protein content of your flour won't give you the exact amount of water you will need. Higher protein flours will require slightly more liquid than lower protein flours. That's really all that can be said. That's why Zoe's recipe with AP flour is 76% hydrated while bread flour requires 81%. Your best bet is to make the recipe with varying levels of hydration with this particular flour, find out which amount of water works best, and then you can calculate the hydration level by doing this Water (in grams) ------------------------ x 100 = Hydration Percentage Total flour (in grams) Hope that helps.

Ah, but that's the beauty of baker's percentages ... regardless of the amount of flour you start with, the individual percentages of water, salt, and yeast remains the same. If you are doing an 81% hydrated dough, it doesn't matter if you start with 1#, 2#, or 10# of flour. Multiplying by the 0.81 gives you exactly the amount of water you will need. In our case, 2# of flour = 908 g x 0.81 = 735g water. Always remember though, the amount of water is variable, given the age of the flour, the humidity of the day, etc. There will always have to be a human judgment involved in determining if the dough looks and feels "right". (As an aside, I based the original post about using 750g of flour on saluki's question earlier in the thread -- 6 1/4 cups of flour was specified. That's why I used that number.)

Higher hydration helps, too. Typically the wetter the dough, the "holier" the crumb. From my experience, you will always lose a little gas while shaping. The trick is to try and minimize the loss. For me this is achieved through higher hydrations and minimal handling. It was just something I had to achieve through practice. The tendency is to throw lots of flour on your work surface so nothing sticks. Sometimes, a little sticking is not such a bad thing.

After doing some research on the matter, I saw a number of articles on pectin and mango skins, too. I suppose it could be a combo of cooking the flesh long enough and there was just enough natural pectin and sugar that it actually set. Like I said before, the resulting product is naturally sweet, but nothing like jam or jelly sweet. The other odd thing, too, is that if I cut a square of it, put it between two paper towels and compress it slightly, moisture seeps out. But to just open the container and touch it, it is dry. I think I may have come up with a new phase of matter. What a great alternative to candy though!