jackal10

All food is fatal. Everyone who has eaten has eventually died. It may be the DHMO it is commonly polluted with...http://www.dhmo.org/ There are whole industries devoted to making you unhappy with what you eat. I know people who will only eat processed and manufactured food because they believe its healthier and less likely to have nasty germs, as if. Unpasteurized cheese is an example of food falling to the food police, despite no supporting evidence and statistics of harm - you are more likely to fall ill from eating badly stored processed pasteurized cheese than from eating a an artisan unprocessed cheese. In fact there are no reported incidents of food poisoning from unpasteurized cheese. It looks like sous-vide cooking is going the same way, despite no reported incidents of harm, and FDA time/temperature guidelines. Many of these scares are poor understanding of the statistics of rare events. Because there is a theoretical threat, it doesn't mean there is an actual risk. The risk is also way below what we accept in other situations. The US has a road traffic death rate of roughly 15 deaths per 100,000 people per year; you have about 1 in 6000 chance of being killed on the road next year. The risk of accidental poisoning from the food you eat is minuscule by comparison.

Add some sherry for a "divine" variation

I put the soaker in the fridge to guard against it beginning to ferment. My kitchen hygiene isn't perfect, and there is probably enough yeast blowing blowing about or in the flour to start fermenting. After all, that is how you capture a wild starter.... There is more than enough yeast in the poolish for the bread. Adding yeast to the dough is a bit pointless, and maybe why you got less developed yeast flavour. People leave the salt out for half an hour "autolyse" since salt adversely affects certain enzymes that convert the starch to sugar for the yeast to feed on. Personally I've never found it makes much difference when you use a poolish, since However you are adding all that saltless well developed poolish. Its easier to add it at he beginning; I've often forgotten it at the end and have to remix.

Poolish is mostly about the yeast flavours. Doesn't do much for grain flavour. Its more important for sourdough as it lets the lactobacillus develop flavour. Helps a bit with instant yeast - less of the "instant" flavour, but not a lot. If you want a more pronounced flavour of the grain mix the flour with the water for 24 hours beforehand. Personally I'd increase the proportion of the Spelt flour. I make a 100% spelt loaf and its very nice. Thus a modified recipe: Poolish: 250g bread flour 250g water 1.5g instant yeast mix, put in fridge for 12 hours, then ferement at room temperature for 12 hours. Soaker: 165g Spelt flour 410g Bread flour 445g water 13g salt (was this omitted from the original?) Mix and leave in fridge. Dough: Mix poolish and soaker, then proceed as normal. However allow time for them to warm up. I don't think you slashed deep enough, and you should slash more parallel to the length of the loaf, rather than across the loaf. Also at 60% your dough is quite stiff. You could increase the water to 66%, another 50g of water.

The recipe uses grated raw potato, which may behave differently to cooked. However the dough may be acid enough to stop the discoloration.

Traveller's tip: Remember it is customary to shake hands with everyone in the restaurant or bar on entry.

In southern indian cuisine dahl is often wet ground in a stone edge mill to make Idli, dosa, vada, dhokla, Puto and the like. Ther are modern electric domestic versions such as http://www.innoconcepts.com/grindplus.htm These have a pair of stones running over a stone base, quite a different mechanism for the whirling blades of a food processer.

Try it and see, the potato might discolour, but I'm inclined to think not. The proof will work fine.

d) Yuck! For me Krispy Kreme are over sweet and fatty. Combine that with more fatty meat, bacon and cheese and you have a coronary special. No wonder the US has a problem with obesity. Why not batter and deep fry the lot and serve it on a stick?

It was discovered here in Cambridge that chocolate under high pressure flows and becomes plastic. It stays flexible for a while before hardeing again. No need for additives. http://www.cheng.cam.ac.uk/research/groups...extrusion1.html http://www.rsc.org/delivery/_ArticleLinkin...Advance_Article

I have, slightly by accident, spare copies of Vol 1 and II of Edda Servi Machlin's The Classic Cuisine of the Italian Jews. I bought them for around $30 each. Happy to pass them on or better, swap...

You know how hot commercial kitchens are? You know how much heat a commercial stove puts out? You know how noisy all that extraction is? Its OK if you are in a commercial kitchen and doing the numbers, but firing all that up just to cook for one or two or boil an egg is overkill. You are using the wrong tool - its a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Commercial kit is also designed to turned on and mostly left on - ovens and flat-tops take time to heat and cool Much better to get a range designed for domestic use - I'm a fan of the AGA, but you love or loathe them. Either that or get a domestic stove for everyday and a separate commercial kitchen for when you are really entertaining.

No added sugar, just sourdough and a long preferment, and a hot oven. Maybe its the camera flash, but the colour is about right. This method mixes in the food processor for 2-3 MINUTES, maybe something like 15-20 minutes in a conventional mixer. Its a wild sourdough yeast, so will move slower than a commercial yeast. I'd only prove a commercial yeast something like 45 minutes. The dough isn't that sticky, but quite soft. I shaped in two stages 1. Stretch and fold, and fold 8 ways to centre to make a ball, (and to coat the outside so the dough handles OK 2. Make a baton shape: flatten to a rectangle, then fold in the corners then the centre points, /--\ \--/ then fold in half. Put in banneton seam side up. One centre slash before it goes in the oven.

Like chicken, of course...

Ahh..that inspires meto go and look in Farley (1790), eher there is a mutton ham, and also veal ham and beef hams...

3.5 hours later: Note the oven spring, and the grigne. Not perfect. There is a slight molding fault, and the bread could have been mixed more to give an even finer web between gas cells.

I'd appreciate the recipe (and original source) for the mutton hams, and the other delicious things mentioned: scarlet and hung beef, and powdered goose... I've just made some fine bacon from Gloucester Old Spot belly and back; dry cured for a week (66g salt; 33g dark brown sugar; 1g saltpetre) then cold smoked over cherry for 36 hours.

For big holes and an artisanal texture you must develop the gluten much more then normal, either by a long hydration (for example mix the flour and the water but not the yeast 24 hours beforehand, and keep in the fridge, or intensively mix past the normal point. Here is my 100% wholemeal sourdough, I use Doves Farm 100% Organic wholemeal, a fairly rough textured wholemeal, sold here in larger supermarkets. The pack says 12% protein. Their Spelt flour is also good. http://www.dovesfarm-organic.co.uk/organic...king-flour.htm/ 500 g Flour 350g water 200g starter (100% hydration, 12 hour ferment) 12g salt 1g Vit C Whizz together or use a mixer until it goes past the pick-up stage and the gluten is well developed, and starts sticking to the bowl. Shape, prove in a banneton in a plastic bag for 4 hours at 30C Note how extensible the dough is, and how it tends to form fine sheets. More in 4 hours or when I bake it.

Ahh, you are in Isreal.. Don't health food stores sell Vitamin C powder or tablets? You only need a pinch, but its OK to omit. You are trying to over knead in conventional terms, so long as the dough doesn't get too hot. It will get wetter as it proves. Mine comes off the mixer almost as a cream, and then magically transforms as you shape it. I'll try and do some pix later.

Looks to me like a wet dough that has been under developed but overproved. The flat top and rather coarse crumb with thick webs between the cells are characteristic. Did you cut the water to 75% hydration? (300g instead of 340g?). How are you mixing? Mix on high speed until the dough "picks up" and the continue mixing until it releases again. Some Vitaman C (ascorbic acid) - about 0.5% will help as well. Then cut the prove time. You'll need to experiment a bit

I'm confused. In Chacuterie bacon is hot smoked or otherwise cooked. Here in UK, and in many other sources bacon is either green (not smoked) or cold smoked. Is this just this book or is what is called bacon in the US different?

A triumph for long slow low temperature cooking.. You can do the same but without the smoke for wonderful roast beef

Slashing allows you to control where the loaf shreds. Slash at a 45 degree angle just before baking. You need the dough to skin slightly to support the weaker foam inside, like a balloon. It won't inhibit the rise. I think your flour is already strong enough. I use a Doves Farm, sairly coarse wholemeal, 12.0% protein, or a Spelt 11.5% protein.

Can we have some pictures? I doubt if changing the flour will have much effect. Are you slashing the loaf? Another point is that I note you are covering loaves with clingfilm. This will inhibit the slight drying and skining needed to form a good crust. Try covering with a cloth, such as an oven cloth, and then putting the whole thing in a large loose plastic bag like a bin liner to prove.

Bigger souffle will take longer to cook, of course.