minas6907

Are you starting the baking from a cold loaf? Can you give us more details about your process?

Are you confident your shaping your loaves properly?

What is that your cutting in the picture?

Out of my own curiosity, has this happened before? Is this the first time you've seen this with this specific flour? I'd be interested in seeing if you get this happening consistently, because a batter that sits for a day, even if left uncovered for a time, will not rise substantially, otherwise you'd find in all kinds of recipes warnings not to leave a container exposed to air for fear it starts fermenting immediately. I have many texts on sourdoughs and starters, if your cultivating one completely from wild yeast, it will take days, not minutes. Do you live by a bakery? That could explain something perhaps, but more realistically, I'd try another bag of Bobs flour, maybe see if you can get a different lot or something, or I'd try another brand completely. If this happens on a regular basis, your in prime sourdough territory! Open a bakery! But on a serious note, one last thought, when you make your batter, make sure your bowl and utensils are very very clean, a little leaven ferments the whole lump :-)

*Deep breath* Oh my goodness I love the sheep! How adorable! Thank you! And this is all gumpaste? Now I have a hankering to try making pastillage and make a sheep or two for myself. I love the pretzel legs btw.

What would you use a centrifuge for...I'm pretty incompetent when it comes to things like this, what is the effect your looking for on your food?

You for a certainty need to whisk or stir constantly, the fruit puree and sugars burn very very easily. And when you say "Younreckon if the pan isnt flat may cause hot spots to burn?" Are you saying that your actual pan is dented or warped at all? If it is in the slightest bit, your using a pan that is too thin, you need to have a heavy bottom sauce/stock pot. If the pan is too thin, it gets way way too hot and will caramelize the sugar very easily. I suppose you can put your current pan over a hot cast iron pan and cook it that way, using the cast iron to disperse the heat, but it really is better to get a heavy bottom pan, I'd recommend a pan from a restaurant supply store, NSF makes pans that work very nicely and are very affordable.

Ooooo, make a sheep, pleeease! Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

I'm not trying to be insulting or anything, but I can barley read that font size. Does that say 7 cups of cornstarch?

I'd start getting some books and just making different things. This is just my opinion, but I dont think theres any fast track, if you want to learn, maybe look into a class and look at other peoples work, you'll see what kind of standard there is when your making different confectionery items. Probably the best way to learn fast is to really have a passion for it. I have a backround in cooking, but for a long time wanted to learn different confections, it always interested me that the same mass produced candies you see now were at one time made completely by hand, and I wanted to learn those old ways. So it didnt bother me to go through 15 lbs of sugar to be able to pull sugar proficiently, see different ways of coloring the candy and adding stripes, etc. I just made what I wanted, moving from toffees, to caramels, pulled hard candies, nougats, fruit jellies, gummies, fondants, marshmallows, and cordials. If your really motivated, you'll want to learn these things, it wont be just work. Pick up the book Chocolates and Confections, especially if you want to the "more luxuriant part of the market" you'll see what professionally made candies look like.

Oh wow...those are shiny. Nice work.

I have a recipe from The Professional Pastry Chef for a white chocolate brownie, though I havent tried it myself, I'll pm you.

I wish I could read French, darn.

Hmmm, interesting. Those look like reverse cupcakes.

Thanks a bunch! Ill give it a go! Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

Can you give us the formula? I'm rather curious now.

The only way I have had tripe is in menudo, being 1/2 Mexican, I love that stuff, yummy.

Oh wow, those are beautiful. I can only dream about my chocolates looking like that!

Nope, no alcohol, just sesame and sugar, along with different variations Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

I just downloaded this, it looks interesting. One thing though, why would there be no sugars in Halvah? That stuffs loaded Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

Very nice temper on your chocolate

Whoops, sorry about the wrong angle Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

Here's the last of the wedding candies, its champagne and raspberry. Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

Heres the pate du fruit I did for my friends wedding. The bottom layer is strawberry, and the top is peach. I used the formula from C&C at Home because I think I'm totally retarded when it comes to powdered pectin, have yet to make fruit jellies that set up properly with the stuff, its always too soft. So I continue to use the liquid stuff, I think thats dummy proof, but the only think I dont like is the high temperature you have to cook the fruit mixture to. Anywho, I was hoping for the layers to be a bit more defined, but maybe I'll try again sometime with a combo like blueberry and apricot or such.

You should try it! Once you get the hang of it you can make some cool stuff, and it'll toughen up your hands! Currently, the thrill of working with sugar has sort of worn off (I was thinking of getting into cheese) so when I do things now, its just for special occasions and way to sort of personalize a gift.