shain

My guess is that you can use as if it was finely ground peanuts. My way of thinking about it is to use the powder to substitute ground almonds which are more commonly used: MacaronsMadeleinesPie crustShortbreadFinanciersPancakesIn streusel topping for cakes or muffins (or in the muffins, maybe banana+peanuts?) I guess you can also use it in savory applications, in order to thicken sauces (maybe curries or stir fries sauce?). It can be interesting to try and use it instead of almonds in Chinese almond tea. I saw (on Google) that most powders are reduced fat, but it shouldn't be a problem with most recipes.

I mostly agree with you, I'm not likely to use gelatin method for my regular baking, but I am interested in understanding it's effects. The loaf was quite as usual, this is not a ciabatta after all However do note that the dough was truly much easier to work with while achieving the normal outcome. So I think it was quite a successful experiment. I could have used s&f method to easily achieve better results, but that would miss the point, as gelatin will only hinder the effectiveness of this method. I hope that I'm making sense

Got to bake the bread today. Made a whole wheat bread with coriander. 84% hydration. 63% whole wheat flour + 37% bread flour. 1/16 of the water (100g, 13%) were made into stiff jello and added toward the end of kneading. The jello broke into small uneven pieces and distributed quite evenly. Then the dough was cold fermented for apx 30 hours. The pieces of jello were visible scattered on the dough surface. The dough was stiffer then usual at this hydration and not sticky as usual, but rather very tacky - adhering to the surface, yet being quite easy to separate from it (You might say that it is somewhat akin to how jello sticks to surface). It was quite nice to work with. The loaf rose well. It browned slightly less then I'm used to, but that might be due to me using some new WW flour in the mix. When sliced, the crumb was nicely moist and a bit less open then usual, but not by much. Texture was nice, moist and slightly chewy as usual, with good wheat flavor and the coriander flavor came out well. The gelatin was not felt when eaten. The crumb wasn't sticky at all and was easily sliced thin. The crust was slightly less thick then I'm used to in this recipe, but that haven't bothered me. Over all, I'll say that it works quite well, but I think extra hydration is required in order to maintain the same results as without gelatin. I'd say one may replace about 10-15% of the water with 13-20% of jello. Next time, I'm going to try an hearth loaf with around 90% hydration. Happy baking

Hello all, I got a large bottle of dark malt syrup in my fridge. It is commonly used in making of dark beer. It has a slightly sweet yet savory flavor with strong nutty roasted smokiness (every time I taste it I'm reminded of campfire roasted potatoes) and obvious maltiness. I use it a lot when baking breads, as it gives great subtle flavor (and also slightly darker color). Many people use beer in dough for similar effect, but the syrup is cheaper and more convenient. I'm sure it can be used to great results in many other savory and sweet applications, and I'd like to hear your ideas! I used it once in hamburgers, but since they were grilled the malt wasn't noticeable.

Thanks for your reply Mick, but I see little difference between technique that is based on ingredients and techinque based on method. People made (and still do) bread before refined flour, commercial yeast, refrigeration, thermostats, and even before without wheat. I'm just interested in trying new things and play with the ingredients I have, and hopefully make it faster for me to bake a loaf of good bread for the week

My favorite use for it is in creamy soup (usually roasted butternut with some sweet potato for body). I spice it up with chilli or some Indian style spices (cumin, fenugreek, turmeric and plenty of pepper). I also like it in large chunks as part of the stew that is usually served on a plate of couscous around here (also contains chickpeas, onion, potatoes, carrots and zucchini). What I dislike is squash served with extra sugar in a savory dish (ain't roasted squash sweet enough without maple glaze?!). BTW, this recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi is great: http://www.ottolenghi.co.uk/roast-butternut-squash-and-red-onion-with-tahini-and-za-atar-shop

Thanks you both for replying. Since I bake only for my family, I am not very worried about it being misleading, but I see no reason agar gel won't work the same. Gelatin is commonly used in gluten free breads, and indeed tend to give a slightly eggy texture. This is my reasoning for using gelled cubes of water, and not mixing the "raw" gelatin into the dough. I believe that since the gelatin is fully hydrated, and mixed in after kneading, it will not have much chance to interfere with gluten formation and have minimal effect on the dough formation and handling.

Hello all, In attempt to make it easier to work high hydration dough, I had a thought about using gelatin and water in order to make jello cubes, and incorporate them into the kneaded dough. The idea is that unlike extra water, the jello will not have much adverse effect on the dough texture, stickiness and ease of handling. However, when baked, the gelatin will dissolve and allow the water to boil into steam and effectively increase the hydration, resulting in more aeration, raise and moistness. I tried it once, reducing apx. 7% water from the dough and folding in 7% gel after kneading. However, I mistakenly made too weak of a gel, and it just melted into the dough. Shaping wasn't easier then usual (sticky as always ). The bread did bake as usual, with no ill effects. I think I should try it again, replacing 15% of the water with much stronger jello. I'd like too hear your opinion, am I wasting my time or does it make sense? I thought it might also theoretically work in laminated dough, possibly replacing some of the butter?

You should be fine if subbing a small portion (just make sure to use regular AP flour, as cake flour diluted with cocoa will be too weak to hold the cake). If you want a stronger chocolate flavor you can add a little coffee (either instant coffee powder or some strong brewed drink instead of some liquids). Also, you can incorporate chopped chocolate pieces, which will not effect the cake base. Just make sure to use dark, barely sweet chocolate for this (70-85% cocoa solids), as the figs should be sweet enough. BTW, have you thought about making fig flaugnarde? (it's quite amazing)

Here in Israel and Palestain region it is called sillan (sea-lan). The combination of dates and tahini is a classic one. Some suggestions: On toasted bread with whole seed tahinni. Whole roasted eggplant, split in half and drizzled with plenty of tahini sauce (raw tahinin, water, lemon juice, garlic, salt) and some date syrup, parsley and paprika. Salad with bulgur, cucumber, tomato, onion. Sauced with lemon, olive oil, raw tahinni and date syrup. Marinade for chicken, with date syrup, cumin, paprika and pepper. In cakes, works well with nuts. For grilled vegtables, with lemon and olive oil. With vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt. On anything with bananas (banana pudding, smoothie, banana bread) On pancakes, with chopped toasted nuts.

Zaatar is not only the spice blend, but also the name of the plant that used in it. It's close to oregano and majoran but has some thyme aroma as well. A mix of the three (or even only one of them) will do justice for the spice blend. I like a ratio of 1 cups dried zaatar, 1/4 cup well toasted seassame, 1/3 cup fresh sumac, salt to taste. The dried herbs flavor stays strong for a long time, but the sumac loses it's sharpness and fruitiness. There are endless variations. An unusual one that I like a lot uses some dry dill in addition to the rest.