jackal10

That was direct on the floor of the top oven of the Aga - lots of bottom heat. I think that was made about February 2007 according to the date on the file. Note the thinness of the web. You can get big holes by having a very wet dough, but then web is thick and the bread a bit pudding like.

The crumb also depends on the flour. Particles of bran will puncture the gas cells, so whole wheat is denser then white flour. The texture depends on the gluten matrix. For large cells you want weaker gluten so more cells coalesce. I tend to use soft white flour around 10% protein, but flour has many variables. More yeast activity, so more yeast and longer bulk fermention times relative to proof times will give larger, weaker bubbles that coalesce in the moulding process and hence a more open and uneven crumb.

Hocks and trotters are cheap and sometimes free and are good eating.. Using a haybox (or an insulated picnic box) cuts down the fuel costs

Yes it applies to non-sourdough yeast doughs as well. Sourdough is even more complex as the yeast does not directly metabolise the complex sugars from the startch but the lactobacilli split the complex sugars into simple sugars that the yeast can use., Timing is a bit different, about twice as fast for yeast doughs. How did the bread come out?

Both. Its wrong in principle. The amount a dough rises depends on many factors. The optimum point to shape is when the dough is saturated with carbon dioxide and micro-bubbles have begun to form, but the sponge is not yet so delicate that it will lose gas and collapse as its handled. That is much earlier than when the dough has doubled. Many commercial bread processes such as "no-time doughs" omit the bulk fermentation stage entirely. Its also wrong to let the proof stage double. Bear in mind that properly conditioned the dough will more than double in the oven from the outgassing and the steam before setting. If it has already doubled the most dough stuctures will not take that expansion, and heavy bread will result. Its wrong in practice, since its very hard to estimate a doubling in volume, especially for boule. For my sourdough I shape 2 hours after mixing (at room temperature - say 75F), and then eithr immediateky retard overnight and bake for cold, or bake after a further 2 hours. a toatl of 4 hours form mixing the dough. The dough includes 33% by weight of flour an overnight pre-ferment. Typically Preferment: 200g flour 100g water 10g culture Mix and leave 24 hours at 75F Dough All the preferment 400g flour 12g salt 320g water (70% hydration) Mix roughly, then stretch and fold every 1/2 hour for 2 hours Shape, prove for 2 hours or overnight in the fridge. Bake 40 mins 450F, bottom heat, steam in first minute The processes happening in dough during fermentation and rise are complex and interacting. They include: Formation of the gluten matrix (chiefly from hydration) Splitting of some of the starch into sugars and shorter chains Fermentation by the yeast of sugar to produce CO2 and flavour by-products. Gentle mixing during the bulk fermentation stage redistributes the available food, and stretches the forming gluten matrix. Saturation of the dough with CO2 Formation and growth of micro bubbles, partly from initial mixing Stretching of the gluten matrix as the cells expand Collapse and amalgamation of the gas cells As the dough matures the sponge becomes more fragile and liable to collapse. When you have just mixed it its pretty robust stuff and can be banged about, but as it matures you need to handle it with increasing gentleness so as not to lose that precious gas and bubble sructure. The original reason for punching down was to give a fine, even crumb, like pullman bread or pain de mie. Now we prefer a more open texture, so don't punch down, but handle and shape as gently as you can, and earlier so the dough is not so delicate. Bake before the bubbles reach their maximum size so that there is room for expansion (mostly from steam) before the cell walls cook and freeze. If they grow too much they will rupture and and collapse, losing the gas before setting

Oh yes it will. The oven spring will give a greater total volume than proof alone. Use lots of bottom heat so the bread souffles. Baking in a hot casserole such as a Le Crueset is good

Sourdough (at least for me) takes about 4 hours at room temperature from mixing the dough, bulk fermentation (2 hours), divide, shape a prove (2 hours). However this is using 33% of the flour as a pre-ferment. Yeast dough moves about twice as fast, so 1 hour for bulk fermentation and 1 hour for proof. Vital gluten won't make any difference to the oven spring. Using part white flour will make a lighter and a more open crumb, but not affect oven spring. Best test is experience and experimentation with different times. You can make a cut in the bulk fermenting bread and look for very small bubbles on the cut surface Another traditional trick is to put a small lump of dough in a galss of water. When it floats its ready. Another way is to measure the expansion more accurately - pack some dough into a graduated measure - I use a glass measuring jug, and mark the level on the outside. Here is a sequence of sourdough 0-5 hours, by which time it is overproved and the structure breaking down. Start: about 100ml dough 1 hour 2 hours 3 hours. Bubbles in the dough are visible 4 hours 5 hours Most people greatly overprove their dough. You will get more total volume if you do not let the dough prove to its maximum expansion, but let that happen in the oven. Halve your fermentation and proving times, and see.

Almost certainly you are over-proving. Doubling in size is very misleading. Cut your proof time in half - for yeast bread no more than a total of 2 hours at room temperature from mixing to baking.

Anyone experimented with savoury macaroons like these? http://www.playingwithfireandwater.com/foo...he-macaron.html

You have fresh yeast cake. It will keep a few weeks in the fridge. it is NOT sourdough starter/culture - different yeast and no lactobaccillus. You can make a yeast starter ("poolish") to use in your recipe, but the bread will be ...different. Not better or worse, just your bread. Fresh bakers yeast will ferement about twice as fast as sourdough, so you will need to adjust the times. To try and answer your questions 1) It asks for "1 cup fully active sourdough culture" <- how to I make this (yeast:flour:water:sugar ratio, time, temperature) Make it like you did before: 1 tsp yeast, half a cup water, half a cup flour and leave in a warm place (75F) for a few hours. No point in doing the 12-18 hour fermentation, as this is not sourdough. 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? He uses the bake from cold trick to give a period of proving befoe the oven ges hot enough. ALcohol is not the primary inflation - CO2 and then steam is. However baking in a pre-heated big caserole with the lid on for most of the bake is a very good idea and simulates a professional oven. non-recipe related fresh yeast questions 3) how long will the butter-like yeast last in the fridge? 3-4 weeks. Keep covered. 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) Not really. A fresh starter will work better as an old starter will accumulate by products that will slow the yeast down, However using a smaller amount of orignal yeast allows a longer fermenation and slightly different flavoured bread, but get the basic recipe working well for you first. 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.... This is yeast, so no bacteria. Also that is not really what is happening in a sourdough starter. The lactobacillus break the starch down into sugars, that the yeast then ferments. For a sourdough starter you refresh the starter every once in a while by effectively starting from fresh with flour and water, and a spoonful of the old starter as an innoculum, throwing the rest of the old starter away to get rid of the acids and other by products that have accumulated.

You might want to contact Rich Hollway at http://www.theyardfoods.co.uk/menus/ready-to-go-foods-menu/ They are doing something similar quite successfully in the UK, and could share experience, Rich was my MBA student, and he is using some of my recipies. Freezing will limit your quality, better if you can sell fresh but pastaurised and sealed. One way of reheating is to take the fresh or thawed food in the sealed bag and immerse or pour about the double the quantity of boiling water over it, off the heat and leave it to warm. You can control the temperature by the amount of boiling water. Be sure to prepare and confirm to an HACCP. It will keep you out of trouble with the health inspectors. I agree with Douglas about fish, except in dishes like fish pie where a certain amount of overcooking is acceptable. One thing that seems to be missing from your menu is pasta. Fresh pasta pastaurises well, so you can have ravioli, lasange and the like... Your menu is also a bit short on sides. I'd like to be able to pick up a complete meal pack, including vegetables, rice or potatoes or whatever is appropriate. Deserts also.

Reckon 4 drinks/head 8 glasses to the bottle (if mean) 5 if generous. Provide a non-alcoholic alternative for those who need to drive etc

Good fruity Pinot with a bit of age, such as a Chalkers Crossing http://www.chalkerscrossing.com.au/tumbaru...notnoir2001.cfm

Too hot. 135F for 12 hours for both. Sear before and after.

Use as good a chicken as you can find and add a little soy sauce and madeira or sweet sherry for extra meatiness (umani) - about a tsp of each to a quart of stock

Whisky Mac

hmm...surely a fig is more classically erotic - press a slit through the skin to reveal the pink flesh Maybe a whole new thread on erotic foods...

Beef on sourdough, all wood fired.

Oh experts, pray tell me how long for a boneless ham, about 5kg? I'm guessing 60C for 12hours or so. SInce its Xmas I will add apple juice and cloves...

I'm smoking! 3 sides of supermarket salmon Brined for 3 hours: 4 pints water, 2 cups salt, 1 cup sugar Hang in smoker Together with a ham and some trout General view - the smoker is an old oil drum In the hole is a small charcoal fire, and a tray of damp sawdust (oak and cherry from a local furniture maker in exchange for bacon) goes on top for the smoke Smoking happily. Put the lids on and go away. The fire will need checking and maybe more fuel in a couple of hours or so

Roasted sprouts

Tongue comes out pink, maybe because its usually a cured meat. Its smoother because you cook it for 24 hours! IF you are serving as a main you might want to think about presentation While a whole tongue shaped and pressed is a fine sight, it may spook some people. Its more usually served as a cold cut, or as part of a choucroute or the like. Escoffier gives some suggestions: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ov6IWEB...t8eAN#PPA353,M1 Keller (p 180) does Corned Beef Tongue, pain perdu, watercress leaves, horseradish mousse, oven roasted tomatoes

Tongue and cheeks are pretty tough, and you want to mobilise the fat, so I would cook rather hotter. Keller recommends 70C/185F for 24 hours. Tongue is usually brined, and you might want to soak in several changes of water first to remove the salt, although Keller cooks his in brine. That would make it too salt for me, but I guess its depends on how you want to serve it. I would cook them whole, in seperate bags It will keep in the bag, unopened for 2 weeks in the fridge Leave the skin on and peel it when cooked and cooled to lukewarm. If you want to eat the tongue cold, sliced or in sandwiches, trim and press it into a basin or mould, weight it and let it cool and set. The juice from the bag will jelly.

Chicken pie, since you will have chicken or a hot ham or a ham and chicken pie You are crazy doing crepe suzette (either type) for 20.

Pork (and ham) hocks. Delicious long slow braises. Ideal with beans Pork belly ditto The pressure cooker is your friend.