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DanM

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    Yeast: Types, Use, Storage, Conversions (instant<>active, US<>UK, etc.)

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    Let me preface this by saying that my experience with bread is limited to being a serious home baker and training in culinary school. I do not have any experience working in a bread shop.

    Lets break this down for you.

    1) It asks for "1 cup fully active sourdough culture" <- how to I make this (yeast:flour:water:sugar ratio, time, temperature)

    That depends... does the recipe call for a stiff or liquid culture? I recommend that you get your hands on Peter Reinhart's Bread Bakers Apprentice or Jeffery Hammelman's Bread. Here is Peter Reinhart's instructions for making a starter. http://books.google.com/books?id=yHGBOXSNo...nhart#PPA227,M1

    2) It asks the final dough to be placed in a cool oven for optimum oven spring, I thought that happens when the alcohol evaporates and inflates the tiny air bubbles, wouldn't a hot oven do that faster before a crust develops?

    Partially correct. Oven spring happens when yeast reproduce wildly just before meet their maker. This creates pockets of CO2 that expand while baking. As the bread bakes, the moisture turns to steam and gives you your oven spring. You can improve the crust by steaming the oven and baking on a stone.

    3) how long will the butter-like yeast last in the fridge?

    Until the date on the package...

    4) is there a difference in the bread flavour produced by using (a starter made by this fresh-yeast which I already feed/kept alive for days/months/years) vs (a "fresh" starter made a few hours ago)

    First, you do not make starters with fresh yeast. The beasties you need are actively living in your kitchen, you just don't know it!

    The starter is only as good as the beasties that CURRENTLY live in it. You can find people who are willing to sell you starters from San Francisco and many exotic locations. In a very short amount of time, the beasties from those exotic locals will be displaced by local beasties and change its flavor to anything you find locally.

    5) yeast turns glucose into alcohol, bacteria turns alcohol into acid...in a starter flour is used up but the acid will build up over time (or where does it go) and eventually it'll be too acidic for the yeast and it dies...right? if so how does one keep a starter going....

    Regular culling and feeding. You will occasionally feed the starter by throwing out most of the starter and feeding it with fresh water and flour.

    Best of luck

    Dan

    Obscene Sandwich

    in Cooking

    Posted

    So Peter... what did the other half say about your obscene sandwich?

    I don't have an obscene sandwich to share, but I am sure it would be wonderful on this delicious loaf of cheddar, potato, and chive sourdough bread I made recently.

    http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll57/da...ng/100_0277.jpg

    DanM, that is a crazy beautiful piece of bread -- my knee jerk reaction was "Easter Island Zombie". What did you eat it with? Please don't say "brains".

    To answer your question, we both loved it.

    To be honest, we ate most of it plain... It was too good on its own. I think we served a veg burger or two on it though.

    The formula is on page 278 of Peter Reinhart's Bread Baker's apprentice. I usually substitute 20% of the flour for whole wheat and 10% for spelt. http://books.google.com/books?id=yHGBOXSNo...nhart#PPA278,M1

    Dan

    Chocolate covered 'jellies'

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted · Edited by DanM (log)

    Your friend may be referring to glaceed fruits, which are typically dipped.

    You can go over the top and make some wonderful slab truffles with classic ganache on the bottom and pate de fruit on top. .25" layers work well. I made some in school with passion fruit and they were out of this world!

    Dan

    http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll57/da...ng/100_2450.jpg

    Edited to meet EGullet posting standards...

    Cooking with "Chocolates and Confections" by Peter Greweling (Part 2)

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted · Edited by DanM (log)

    Greetings! 22 pages of amazing insight and knowledge into making stunning chocolates and comments on Chef Greweling's books. It took me two days to read through it all, but it was well worth it.

    I recently finished up culinary school (a second career for me) and garnered a great respect for chocolate and confectionery work. My chocolate and confections instructor was a student of Greweling's at the CIA and suggested that I pick up a copy of his book to learn more. Most of my internship was spent at a chocolatier here in CT. Now that I am done and have free time to play, I will put Chef Greweling's book to use.

    Here is a box I made for my final along with a bunch of hand rolled truffles.

    100_2456.jpg

    Does anyone know of a manufacturer of kosher glucose syrup? I haven't had any luck finding any.

    Today's project... Put my new mold and box of chocolate to work and make a runny caramel filling for them. Pictures, of course, once I am done.

    Dan

    PS... Thanks for the link to Chocolat-chocolat. I see a lot of cool molds in there I might have to add to my honey-please list.

    Beer-flavoured chocolates & ganache

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    300 g beer - bring to a boil to destroy yeasts.

    choice of spices - Wybauw says Gingko powder (then you won't forget where you left the truffles)

    80 g liquid sorbitol

    500 g milk chocolate

    100 g butter

    Looks good. Is it possible to substitute corn syrup or glucose syrup for the sorbitol? What effect, if any does the specific gravity of the beer have on the amount of sugar used in the final product?

    Thanks!

    Dan

    Substitutes for Sherry

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted · Edited by DanM (log)

    Good evening,

    I have been asked to make a birthday cake for my mother in law and want to make a chocolate, hazelnut, and sherry cake with sherry-raisin cream from Crazy Water Picked Lemon, by Diana Henry. The only catch is that I cannot find any kosher sherry in the DFW area. What are some decent substitutes that I can use?

    Thanks

    Dan

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