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Lyle's Golden Syrup
A question about this product...What exactly is it and what is it used for? Bread baking or sweets?Thanks,Janet | From Cane
Hi Janet,Both Lyle's Golden Syrup and Black Treacle are hugely popular in the UK and have been around over 100 years.Tate and Lyle are manufacturers of sugar from cane only. The other main sugar producer in the UK, Silver Spoon from British Sugar is made from beet.Golden Syrup is used in a variety of differ... |
A Side Benefit of Bread Baking: Homemade Croutons
A couple slices of a day-old, 7o+% hydration, Italian 00 flour loaf made for some great soup croutons. I may need to make soup more often when I have good bread about. To make the ones in the picture, I tossed the cubes of bread in olive oil and spices and then baked ... | Have you considered
that those lovely homemade bread crutons would make a great base for a savory bread pudding, which is basically an egg custard soaked into the dry bread, with crutons it might take a bit more custard and a longer soak, but I've seen some that are soaked overnight and baked in the morning for breakfa... |
Poilane-Recipes-Secrecy
I am wondering how a bakery like Poilane's manages to keep their recipes in confidence. I know that the basic ingredients are known but I believe that the specifics are not. Does anyone have experience with keeping recipes confidential when numerous employees have access to those recipes and t... | I had to sign an agreement
I had to sign an agreement that stated I would not use the recipes outside of work, or work with another bakery during the time of my employement at my past bakery. The outcome of doing so would result in the loss of my job and payment towards damages done to the companies reputation and so o... |
New windows = better bread
We've recently replaced the windows in our house (built in 1937) with brand new ones. We've also insulated, so now our house is considerably less drafty and cool. My loaves proof so much better! I'm amazed at how much better at baking I've become in only a week...This is going to be a goo... | Cool House-Cool slow Proofing
A few Months ago I received my home Folding Proofer from Brod and Taylor and it changed everything for me. I posted an evaluation of the product expressing my joy at being able to control my fermenting and proofing temperatures, for the first time. I didn't want to sound like I was shillin... |
Reusing water w/ barley malt syrup
Can water containing barley malt syrup that was used to boil bagels be allowed to cool, then moved to a gallon jug, refrigerated, and reused?
I make bagels about twice a month and it seems silly to dump the BMS water down the drain, presuming it doesn't lose any of its properties.
Tha... | I would think you could bottle it.
Rinse the clean jug with scalding water first and fill while hot with the still hot liquid. Cap and let the vacuum seal the jar. Home canning rules apply. Take care to prevent thermal shock under the jug while filling and cooling. Let slowly cool on a rack or trivet. Refrigerate? ... |
Vicarious Poilâne Visit
Just took a vicarious visit to Poilâne, courtesy of David Lebovitz, thought some of you might like to do the same. | Nice article. Thanks,
Jeff
Nice article. Thanks,Jeff |
Has anyone used the Bob Mills Malted Barley Flour?
From what I have been able to find out it's diastatic malted barley powder just under a different name, if you have used this product what were your results and how would you rate it? | re: Bob's Red Mill Malted Barley Flour
I have a 1# bag in my freezer. Sometimes I put around 0.1% (sometimes more, but sometimes even less) in loaves I'm making. It works great for me. I've experienced "too much", with everything from a little gummy residue on my slicing knife to whole loaves feeling like they should h... |
Need help with what these ingredients are! (from UK cookingbook)
Hey all!I have some UK friends and one of them gave me the baking book called "The Complete Cookies, Muffins & Cakes Cookbook" since I love to bake!However, when I'm reading the recipes, since I'm not born english speaking, there are some words/ingredient... | Hi there,Sugar:During the
Hi there,Sugar:During the processing of sugar there are many stages of refinement with white sugar being the most refind.Caster sugar is typically white and is of a fine grain like sand.Brown sugar is less refind hence why its brown in colour. I have only ever seen soft brown sugar tightly pac... |
The Sourdough Hotel
Haha !http://ca.news.yahoo.com/video/odd-22186925/stockholm-hotel-caters-to-sourdough-bread-fans-27282220.html | I wonder if they do dogs too?
This is a hoot. The lengths people will go to.Eric |
I recently picked up some dried malt extract is this the same
As diastatic barly malt powder or can it be used more or less in the same way?I recenly made some knotted rolls using Rienhart's version 1 for white sandwich bread and added the malt extract to it ( I couldn't remember how much malt to use per cup of flour s... | It's almost certainly non-diastatic
Explanations regarding the processes used to create diastic malt and non-diastatic malt are available on TFL: use the search engine. Bottom line: malt extracts, prepared for home brewing, are non-diastatic, as such, for baking its just a sweetener.David G |
Fermenting and Proofing Max temps…..why?
I just had someone ask me why he couldn't ferment his dough at a higher temp. since yeast cells can live up to 140° F.I haven't read anything about this but what I have read suggests that optimum fermenting temps. are around 77° F so I am guessing that if one goes above that and... | If the proofer is too warm
If the proofer is too warm you will get a lot of rise on the outside portion while the interior is still cool and not done much proofing.Gerhard |
Question for those in the know concerning diastatic malt powder
Is it worth using (does it really make that much of a difference in taste and texture?) and for those that do use it what types of bread to you bake using it? | Little difference in flavour...
...but a lot of difference in colour; in fact, that's really all I use for these days: to see what colour crust will result if I use Caramel Red No. 5, etc.It's generally used for retarded breads (or ones that undergo a long, slow fermentation).If used in large(-ish) quantities, then its... |
bread slicers?
Hi all. does anyone know of a manual slicer for whole loaves? | Hand Powered, Not Electric???
If you are asking about a manual, hand-powered, multi-blade bread slicer than I do not think one has ever been invented, or marketed..
The only manual, hand-powered, single-blade bread slicers that I am familiar with come as standard equipment on every human being on the planet..They are, ... |
bringing flour from Europa
Hi, my daughter from Switzerland will be comming in November. She will bring me some "Ruchmehl" . Does anybody know if there are any restrictions? Thanks for your imput. Barbara | US customs regulations
on this topic can be found here: https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/82/~/travelers-bringing-food-into-the-u.s.-for-personal-use. Seems like to be on the safe side, she will have to declare it, but she should be able to bring it in otherwise. I'd check to be sure, of course. :) |
web Hickup
Hi floyd I got 35 messages this am. Looks like a hick up from the web . Because I am on a air card traveling I did not look at them. Have a nice day Bobwww.siemann.us/motosat | There was, indeed, a hiccup
There was, indeed, a hiccup yesterday. I believe it has been fixed, and my apologies for the duplicate messages.-Floyd |
Brotformen24 question about flouring
Hello!I love my brotformen! I am wondering something, though. I find that my dough releases easily from the form even when I do not flour it. Is there some other function of flouring the form as it relates to how the dough proofs overnight? The flour is a bit annoying for two re... | I find that after I've used
I find that after I've used mine for some time and they have some leftover flour in the sticky parts, if the dough is not very high hydration I don't really need to add extra flour - but I do just in case anyway. Better safe than sorry. But if it works for you without extra flour, you don't ... |
Formatting change on this site
Today when I checked in here there was a change at the bottom of each post. A box containing 3 options that require checking....I used to automatically get emails notifying me when people posted comments on topics that I had commented on too.I am not sure that is happening automatically ... | No new formatting
The Subscribe section has been there for a long time. If you haven't been using it, don't worry about it.The scheduled job that sends out notifications is failing. I am trying to figure out why, but it is not a trivial thing to figure out. Hopefully I have it back in action later this evening.-Floyd |
Comedy Bread
I've been baking bread at home for 1omnths now with a variety of results and was quite suprised when I ended up with this!https://picasaweb.google.com/tonyinga/ComedyBread?authkey=Gv1sRgCP6e8r6Y2LD54gE#Not entirly sure what happened but think it might be a combination of timid scoring and the tray tipping ... | Stacked loaves
Tony, Tony, I am glad to see you have a sense of humor in your baking. Welcome to the site. I look forward to seeing more of your loaves.Eric |
He's throwing away my bread!
After an anxious month during which I failed to rent out my spare bedroom, I rented it to a young Saudi male, a graduate student at a local university. I had initially turned him down, but a friend convinced me to give it a try.She was wrong, I was right; I gave him notice three days later.... | Not about bread but about renting to students
When I rented my spare rooms to graduate students, I told them I needed to make a phone reference to their mothers. Those who didn't want their mothers to talk to me I didn't rent to. I had some weird ones but never a real problem. LOL |
A Beginner's Question!
I am back into baking bread after a 20 year break (kids!). I read the books and they talk about a fermentation step and a proofing step. Except for the shaping, is there really a difference. In both cases the dough is rising. Am I being too simplistic in the way I look at this? This is more ... | Except for the shaping
Well, that's the thing. Shaped or not. Bulk ferment or "proof"?The fermentation step is what gives bread its flavor (and also some of its structure) and it wants to be fairly long and slow. During this long, slow step the dough will relax quite a bit. You can see this yourself. Take a freshl... |
Malted Wheat Flakes
I recently purchased some malted wheat flakes to use in some of my enriched loaves.I am wondering if anybody has ever made their own by malting wheat berries and then running them through a flaker or if there is another way to make you own???? The purchased ones were pretty pricey....Thanks,Janet | Malting
Hi Janet,I think malting barley grain can be quite an involved and intricate process.At least if you want to use the malt for brewing. I've only ever used it prepared as crushed malted barley for brewing beer. I gather the degree of sprouting/germination is important, as is the pressure applied to crush the... |
Yum!! Asparagus season has started
I don't post about my bread, mainly because I don't have a camera and photos really make a post, and while Akiko and Lumos are wonderful exceptions, all those years in Japan have left me hesitant to step foward to talk about my bread. Today I just wanted to share my pleasure of eating... | Jealous!
Well Robyn, I am jealous. The first asparagus of the season is simply fantastic. I like it briefly blanched and refreshed in cold water to set the colour and then tossed in lemon olive oil, salt and black pepper then grilled briefly on a hot grill. Our asparagus bed will be three years old next year so we b... |
What's your favorite toaster?
I've had lousy luck with toasters. They either toast unevenly or even just stop working at all. An important issue is the slot size as I mostly make hand shaped loaves. Most toasters out there are scaled to grocery store pan loaves and anything a bit odd sized, long or wide just won't fit... | The Oven Or the broiler
I don't use a toaster ; I just bake in the oven or run under the broiler. I hate to lose counter space. Al |
Spell Check
Don't know if it is just my computer but as of 2 days ago my auto. spell check stopped operating on this site....anybody else run into this? Thanks,Janet | Check Browser Settings
Your spell-check isn't a component of your computer's operating system or programs, it's more likely your browser. |
religous beliefs
As someone that likes to brew Stout and to use it in my Bread baking i would like to ask any of my fellow TFLr'S that follow the Muslim faith whether the use of that brewed product in bread making would affect them being able to choose that to eat, remebering that all the alcohol will have been driven... | religon / alcohol
i have just noticed another thread on alcohol on the go at the moment and probaly could have posted this with that as it seems that i could well be relavantyozza |
Math Percentage Question Seeking Solution
Okay, when I began baking I didn't expect to have to remember my college algebra but little did I know what was awaiting me.Question:I have 150g of starter at 75% hydration.I want to know what the formula is that I can apply to determine the weight of the flour and the weight o... | Baker percentage
You can also use baker percentage to work this out.
Say, starter with 75% hydration would be
Flour 100%
water 75%
total 175%
You now want to work out the composition of 150g starter. Take 150 divide by 175 (baker percent) = 0.86
Take 0.86 multiply the flour percentage, which is 100. You have 0.86*100= ... |
Dough Mixing Trough
Does anyone know where you can buy a dough trough similar to the one in the video below? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihB6xRmvxiQ | Way cool!
That is way cool! I saw Hammalman using an antique one in one of his videos. I don't know of a vendor. If you're in Az. by chance, my nephew is a custom cabinet maker. He may be interested in your business? |
Monkey Bread Whine ;-)
I was about to shape a boule when I spilled some oil on the counter which made the boule too slippery to shape so I decided to cut it up into little balls and make monkey bread. It came out of the oven looking beautiful. I turned it out of the pan and it came right out without sticking like con... | Sugar?
Heidi, did you use cinnamon sugar? Sugar melts as it heats up and then acts like glue to keep the bread balls stuck together. Sugar, of course, is the glue that holds society together. This opinion brought to you by a pastry chef. |
how to hold then finish as though fresh baked
There was a posting here not too long ago about a way to partially bake bread, then store it for a day or two, then finish baking it, where the result looked and smelled just like it had been freshly completely baked. Now that I want to reference that post, I can't find it ... | Par baking
Was this it?http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/22843/freezing-dough#comment-163192 |
Dead Battery
I have come to depend on my Frieling 11 lb. scale so when I set up for My weekend baking & 90gr on the scale changed to low bat I said a bad word.I don't have a mechanical scale & my other scale is a 150 pounder for sausage making with a 2 ounce accuracy, no good for a 3K batch of Ciabatta. No problem I'll... | hi Charlie,
sorry about your
hi Charlie,sorry about your ordeal! Although you did make a very amusing read out of it :-)i suggest you ditch the scale just stick with the cow. When the electricity goes out and you can't cook at all, the cow will still be there to milk! |
Covered risotto
Years ago (about 16!) my wife and I visited a restaurant in Cinque Terra on the Ligurian coast of Italy. On our first night we randomly chose a restaurant, and we had the best pizza we had ever tasted. We visited a second time, and we ordered a covered risotto. When we got our food, we were presented... | great idea
wow, great idea! thanks for the inspiration!! |
western NC: Food Lion has KA flour @ $2.99 on their shelf.
I am in Brevard,nc. got me 60lb of KA flour! Have not seen it that low since ever! check it out at your local Food Lion! | Great!
I'm in Asheville, is it all kinds of KA? |
50% rye experiment
I'm in the process of learning about different flours and thought it would be edifying to see what comes out of the same basic 70% hydration formula.Some of you will remember my 100% first clear flour loaf last week. Yesterday I took the exact same formula (600g flour, 9g yeast, 12g salt, and 420g w... | unfair treatment and comparison of rye!
I don't think 50% rye can be blamed for the dense crumb and small loaf. The very low temp of the oven is to blame. Did you bake the good looking breads the same? |
Fermenting Containers that are not plastic
I am looking for containers that are cylindrical, transparent and GLASS so I can watch my dough as it ferments and can better judge when it has doubled in size.I have nice small glass canning jars that I use for my starter but have not been able to find glass jars large enoug... | Glass vs. Plastic; Recommendation & Suggested Supplier
I use Cambro 4 liter - 1 gallon plastic restaurant style food grade containers to refrigerate starter. They're translucent allowing the dough inside to be easily viewed and are marked volumetrically on one side for estimating fermentation volume. Though not as tran... |
Kneading Conference West coming in Sept. to Washington
I just ran across this and don't see it mentioned on TFL. For members in the Pacific Northwest, this should be worth the time. It's an offshoot of the Kneading Conferences that take place annually in New England.http://kneadingconferencewest.com/ | The Breadfarm is near this conference.
http://www.breadfarm.com/It's (5766 CAINS COURT, BOW, WA) about 10 miles from the conference (16650 State Route 536, Mount Vernon, WA 98273). |
Levain or Leaven
I know I have read the difference between 'levain' and 'leaven' but now I can't find where I read it and I can't remember what distinguishes one from the other - or if they are one and the same...So does anyone know the definitions of each of these words? If so, will you be so kind as to refresh my me... | Levain is the french term for
Levain is the french term for leaven, both which mean sourdough culture. |
Newbie to measuring by weight & using percentages finds another reason to do so
This may be obvious to everyone else but I was delighted at how easy it was this morning to add the last cup or so left in a bag of flour to a recipe because I just took the resulting weight of the flour and recalculated the salt, yeast, an... | Weight vs Volume
Once you get used to weighing baking ingredients, you will find you are weighing other things as well. For instance, I weigh the coffee beans for our morning coffee. It is easier than volumetric measures.Ford |
baking with non active sourdough starter?
baking with non active sourdough starter? what happens if i baked the bread when the starter isnt active, does it just not rise as much when baking? | Depends
The longer it has gone since the last feed the less you should use. You don't want a large percentage of unfed starter because the flavour will be off and the gluten will have degraded. It'll certainly leaven bread if given the right amount of time. However if it's been quite some time it makes sense to make su... |
using whey in bread dough?
I make my own yogurt, and strain some of it for Greek yogurt/labneh, so I end up with a lot of extra whey -- way more than I need for starting the next batch of yogurt, soaking beans, and making sauerkraut, which use up only a few tablespoons a week. It's got a lot of calcium in it as well as... | Limit the use of whey to 20% of liqiud
In the past, I subbed yogurt whey from homemade yogurt for 100% of the water. For most of the time, no prominent problem was observed. However, there was once where the dough failed to rise properly. For details, you may like to refer to this post: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node... |
Deleting Messages
Just wondering if there is a quick way to delete messages in our message 'boxes' or if they have to each be deleted individually?Anybody know a short cut? I loved to learn one!Thanks,Janet | Janet, check the box to the
Janet, check the box to the left of "Subject" at the top of your in box. This will automatically check all your individual messages. Now hit the delete button. That should get rid of all of them, at once.Syd |
seeking apprenticeship/work trade in MA
I have been travelling for the past few years and in that time I've become more and more intersted in bread, especially sourdough. Everything I learned is mostly from books and experimenting. I was lucky to have had the oppurtunity to bake underground for a local restaraunt and n... | Apprenticeship
Hello Ted,I have a Artisan bread/European bakery in Southern VT and posted here on The Fresh Loaf intent on finding an apprentice/partner opportunity. I am about 2 hours from Northampton. I would love to talk to you about a possible apprenticeship and/or work trade. I also have the possibility of a housi... |
Which scales? UK please
Hi there,my cheapy scales broke ages ago and it's time I bought some new ones... I did search TFL for previous threads on the subject but makes that got the most votes (OXO, My Weigh) are unavailable here in the UK (i did find a few My Weigh's on eBay, but at only 3 kg capacity and £40 it's not ... | For the accuracy and ease of
For the accuracy and ease of use, I just can't live without this. Unlike Salter's and other makers' scale readily available in UK market, Tanita's scales can deduct the weight into negative figures, not only adding up like others. I only hyperlinked Amazon UK site, but if you google it, you... |
Shelf Life
I am new to baking and have had some successes (I think anyway) with my breads, basic white loaf, wholemeal with some linseed and pumpkin seed loafs, also the cinnamon and oat meal loaf from this website, but I find that the bread does not keep for very long, and dries out , becoming stale and only really go... | Do you attempt at all to
Do you attempt at all to cover the loaves while consuming? Some ideas on what you are currently doing (even if just letting it sit on a bread board in the open air) will help us with your question...- Keith |
Can we test cinnamon's effects on yeast together?
I just read some comments in a TFL forum thread on bagels that talked about cinnamon causing dough not to rise properly. This struck me as odd since I was, coincidentally, just eating the last slices of some whole wheat bread into which I had thrown 2 tsp or so of cinn... | chinese cinnamon
I remember reading somewhere that chinese cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia) has a much higher concentration of coumarin than other cinnamon plants, causing the concern of various health agencies. |
what to do with bench flour? what can I use it for?
Hi, what does one do with accumulated bench flour? Considering the price of flour, could I use it to feed my starter or use it in another batch of dough? I use it very sparingly but there is always some left on the bench. Suggestions are greatly appreciated. Love this... | I reuse it as bench flour
I use a condiment shaker like this:to sprinkle bench flour for baking, so when I'm done, I use a brush/dustpan to collect what's left and just pour it back into the container. I use that brush/dustpan only for this application (lest I get it dirty with other stuff that ends up in the shaker). |
One loaf in the oven, the other still on the counter
Ok, so, let's get the brief intro out of the way: 41 year old dad & husband who started baking bread in May despite supposedly being on a low carb diet, been lurking around here picking up a lot of good info, and feeling a bit nervous of putting my question out ther... | In short, see if you can find
In short, see if you can find a cooler location somewhere in the house for the second loaf to proof. This has been working reasonably well for me lately. Actually quite well. My basement is about 12 - 15 degrees cooler than the kitchen right now, so actually, all the proofing is done ther... |
Given this forum is primarily for bread baking
Does anyone know of any similar sites only instead of the main focus being on bread but on pastry? | how about ...
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/forums/general-discussion-and-recipe-exchange/cookies-cakes-and-pastries |
Zweiback, or something else?
I've been making my basic wholewheat ciabatta for years; I can do it on autopilot. Yesterday, my autopilot failed when I was trying to proof bread AND do the laundry. I formed the bread into boules for the last rise and ... forgot about it. Hours later, after the laundry had been folded and... | there's always croutons,
there's always croutons, breadcrumbs, or "altus" :) |
Using a salt-based spice mix in bread
If a spice mix is chiefly salt and most of its weight is salt why not substitute it for salt -- maybe with a bit extra to account for the other components. I tried it today and it worked.When Bill walked by the rosemary bush this morning, he requested rosemary olive bread like we ... | Oh, what a wonderful idea.
Oh, what a wonderful idea. I have several jars of salt-based spices that I will never use to cook with again, but have not yet thrown out because I am essentially a cheapskate. *laugh* |
Searching for help
Hi, I'm Rob from the UK and I desparately need your help, sob. I have a few years of experience of making sourdough bread.In the last 6 weeks or so, I've been staying home because of Covid-19 and as a result I've been baking every day.It has been great fun and gone well, working with wetter and wette... | Temperature?
To me, it seems to have become noticeably warmer in the past week. You give timings for your stages. could it be that fermentation is progressing more quickly, so the loaf is overproofed? I'd also try adding the salt during the autolyse to slow things down. |
I do not want to use steam !
Some of my family members prefer a soft crust. To accomidate this need as well as the longevity of my oven's electronic system, can I just omit the steam treatment from a bread recipe? or will my final rise change drastically. | Omit the steam and worry
Omit the steam and worry not. Your bread will be different and still as great as ever.Jeff |
PASTEURIZATION OF WHOLE EGGS
A recent forum on Pasta Carbonara and raw eggs prompted me to submit this post. I make my own mayonaise and I use eggs that I have pastuerized in the shell. Any time I prepare a dish that uses eggs that remain uncooked, I use this method to kill any possible Salmonella enteritidis (Se). P... | Relax
Salmonella from raw eggs is extremely unlikely. It has been estimated that about one egg in 30,000 is a problem whereas 1 in 7 chickens is likely infected ( so always wash your chicken well). Also, most of the time, any infected egg will have the bacteria on its shell, not inside.Restaurants and other commercial ... |
Measuring by weight question...
Recently I got a digital scales to measure by weight my breads and pizzas, mostly. I was told this was a more accurate way to measure, flour, starter, water, etc. than by using cup measurements.
I'm getting the hang of it slowly, but was unsure how to proceed today when the recipe I was ... | Thank you for those links,
Thank you for those links, Luc. So maybe I sort of got it right by measuring the starter by fluid ounces. I'm trying to get the hang of putting all the bread ingredients in one stainless bowl and zeroing out the scales after each addition, but it's a learning process. Thankfully, bread is ver... |
Trial and error, or better living through chemistry
Day before yesterday, I made an exceptionally fluffy sesame semolina bread and now understand the meaning of "flaccid" dough. Today, I gained cognitive competency over the term "brick" by making a 100% rye loaf, perhaps more suited for ballast. Just thought I'd shar... | No No Heidi
You now have to find the proper topping for the dense and coveted dark rye, loaded with delicious rye flavor. Cream cheese, capers, salmon and a few pieces of onion. It's all in your perspective. Be sure to wrap the loaf in a tea towel for a day to let it stabilize before you appreciate its brickness Lol.Er... |
Preferments
I bake exclusively with whole grains that I mill myself and I have used Peter Reinhart's method of using 2 preferments when preparing my dough. (A soaker which is flour, water and a bit of salt. And a biga which is flour, water and a bit of yeast or a sour dough starter)I am branching out now trying formula... | A little experience with preferments
I don't really use whole grains alot, but I do know a little about preferments. Firmer preferments are going to bring more strength to bread and often produce a much meatier chew. The higher the hydration level the more chemical activity that is allowed to go on, which in turn can a... |
Italian village bets on 'best bread in the world' - newspaper article
article in Deutsche Welle published Jul 25 2011...In the Italian village of Ro Ferrarese, locally grown organic wheat and a traditional floating mill are coming together to make what some call the 'world's best bread.'...The small village of Ro Ferra... | Thanks for posting
Very interesting article - thanks for sharing it with us. Wish I could visit Italy and taste this bread.Ben |
Beware...
!!! BREAD IS DANGEROUS !!!
!!! BREAD IS DANGEROUS !!!
Research on bread indicates that:
1. More than 98 percent of convicted felons are bread users.
2. Fully HALF of all children who grow up in bread-consuming households score below average on standardized tests.
3. In the 18th century, when virtually all b... | Pretty funny stuff! Thanks
Pretty funny stuff! Thanks for that.
hell
“A woman should be ashamed to have poor bread, far more so, than to speak bad grammar, or to have a dress out of the fashion. |
amount of water used in steam ?
how much water should i use to create steam?and is less water make better steam than more?Thanks :) | How are you creating steam?
It depends on how you are creating it. There was a method described here not too long a go that used a loaf pan and several water-soaked towels.That works really well-I have used it often. Or just throw 1/4 c in the bottom of a preheated oven-but NOT if you have an oven glass door! Many memb... |
Excel 2003 - Simple Dough Scaling Spreadsheet
I have made a simple little 1 sheet spreadsheet to scale recipes easily. I have attached comments to certain cells in the spreadsheet to explain how it works. If anyone is interested, I saved it in Excel 2003 format. If you are interested in obtaining a copy of this spreads... | I'd like to try it
I am not to savvy on excel but I'd like to play with itthankstom jonkertb at ccrtc dot com |
How does egg effect to bread?
As I said in the subject, I want to know how will the bread be like if I add egg the dough.Any idea? Thanks! :) | It softens and enriches the dough
Try it sometime. It will affect the liquid amount you will need so just decrease that a bit. The loaf may rise a bit higher and be a little fluffier.If you use just the egg white,you can get the same effect but it may tend to dry out faster. The lecithin and fat in the yolk enrish and... |
Dutch Oven Smoke
I have baked about 60 loaves of bread so far and the 2 dutch ovens I have been using are in desperate need of re-seasoning. As anyone had any success seasoning their cast iron dutch ovens so they don't smoke and set off the fire alarm each time you use it?I am familiar with the different smoke points a... | I don’t oil the Dutch oven
so there is nothing to smoke. I bake the bread on a baking stone and place the Dutch oven upside down over the bread for the first 20 minutes. |
Need a Chicago style hot dog relish recipe
I can make killer buns (thanks to TFL) and buy the Vienna beef hot dogs but I cannot find a recipe for the relish to go on my dogs. I'm into making my own kraut and pickles but have never been able to find "the recipe" for this relish. I'm not even sure if the "real thing" is ... | Are you looking for the sweet one?
Are you looking for the sweet relish or the dill one? |
Warburton's Bread
I'm confused why most supermarket white sliced breads (in particular Warburtons') have slices that can only be torn in one direction; from the top of the loaf downwards. (Never width-ways). Can anyone explain this? The only explaination I can think of is that the bread is woven... :) | Tearing
Hi lizz 1155,Much of the explanation for this phenomenon comes from the intensive mixing process used to develop the dough to the maximum. The use of a number of additives which contribute in various ways to creating further strengthening of the dough is also key. Additionally, the divided dough pieces are ... |
Another bakery video - croissants and other pastries
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hhpxkGB1OyYCommercial baking to a rock and roll beat. | baker
Vincent has a lot of great videos on Youtube, I encourage you to check them out. He has one which shows him working a revolving oven with baguettes, he works at a pretty quick speed. |
A bakery in Goa and the history of bread in South Asia
Y'all might be interested in this article about bakeries in Goa (a small Indian state that was once a Portuguese colony).http://www.3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2011/06/the-pao-of-love-part-one.html#more | Thank you for the interesting link ;-)
Thank you for the interesting link, Felila. I enjoyed it, but wish part 2 had been posted, as well ;-)Ron |
Graduation speech
A friend sent me this poem. Enjoy!Graduation Speechby Charles W. PrattLike much that matters, baking bread is easyEnough, with good ingredients, a simple recipe: To water, sweetener, salt and yeastAdd flower, and mix. Oh, yes, there's Mystery,But who demands to understandWhen the dough is answering th... | that's funny
My high-school English teacher just sent me this because she knew about my baking. I think it's beautiful, but a little lacking in passion. Personally, when I take loaves out of the oven, I feel like God at the creation of the universe. The speaker here begins to understand that but doesn't go far enough i... |
David Lebovitz baguette dilemma
Most of us who make our own bread would tend to fall in and out of two camps - planning well and generally maintaining a pretty good production/consumption balance versus getting carried away testing or generally enjoying baking and letting that ratio get out of kilter.Reading David Leb... | Thanks, Robyn ;-)
Robyn, that was a fun read. Thanks for posting the link.Ron |
Bakeries worthwile visiting in LA and Sacramento
I will be visiting with familie in LA and Sacramento in July. I would like to visit a couple bakeries. Any suggestions? | Porto's Bakery
Porto's Bakery, their website: http://www.portosbakery.com/I've never tried their breads and pastries. Their meat stuffed potato balls are delicious. |
Bread baking challenge on a blog:
If anyone is interested, there is a Bread baking challenge going to start on the blog at the link below. It will be using the book Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads book, New Techniques, Extraordinary Flavor.http://somethingtosavor.blogspot.com/2011/05/wgb-challange.html | full link
http://somethingtosavor.blogspot.com/2011/05/wgb-challange.html |
Happy 50th "Chorleywood" Bread!
Couldn't help sharing this with everyone here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-13670278
"For the past 50 years, a British food stuff has spread across the world to Australia, South Africa, South America, Turkey and even to supermarket shelves in France. But is the long life, plastic w... | Cotton wool
Paul Barker's right! Sticks to the roof of your mouth.Revolting substance: I'd hate to have to be "treated" to eating such pap.Not a bad article, although there's a couple of inaccuracies I can see.Andy |
newbie question - why need to let dough rise twice?
Most of my recipes mention letting the bread rise, punching down, then letting it rise again....Is this a taste thing or a chemistry thing? | Improving the Outcome with Second Rise
The CO2 gases tend to congregate in their own little pockets rather than circulating throughout the dough. A degasing and second rise help to redistribute some of these gasses. It also helps to renew the yeast's activity by providing it contact with new food sources after it has... |
Grams versus Cups
Grams vs CupsJust about every conversion chart I see has different weights for a cup of flour. Understand that different types have different weights, but all-purpose shows anywhere from 120g/cup to 143/cup. Any ideas??? | And herein...
...lies the problem.The only way around this, when converting volume to weight, is to adjust by feel. So either find recipes that only use weight or expect discrepancies in which case you'll need to allow for adjustments and aim for what feels like a nice dough. |
Ancient Baking
"How did the ancient Egyptians feed thousands of workers at Giza?"This question is posed and somewhat answered in this rather fascinating article.Jeffhttp://www.aeraweb.org/lost-city-project/feeding-pyramid-workers/ | Thanks for pointing out the article
Yerffej, thanks for pointing out the article. I found it very interesting and even found a copy of Ed Wood's book to buy.ThanksRon |
Video - KAF wheat farmers
Here in NZ the longest running television programme is called Country Calender, it started in March 1966. When I saw these videos I wondered if such a programme has currency in the USA .... Anyway I am sure those who speak so well of KAF products here on TFL will enjoy this KAF video project, ... | Thank you for the link,
Thank you for the link, RobynI really enjoyed to watch the video. I wish you could buy King Arthur flour there.. Best wishes,Akiko |
Help wanted - Outdoor baking for the masses
Hi folksI’d appreciate your collective advice… I’m part of a group organising a walk ‘back into history’ over the Quantocks here in Somerset to celebrate 3.7 billion years of life on earth http://www.ancestorstrail.net/main.htmWe are expecting roughly 150 walkers to end up at... | Sounds like fun, at a glance
Sounds like fun, at a glance doing a home made dough thing on that scale in rustic conditions sounds really ambitious. I would be tempted to use purchased wrappers and then heat the wraps on a camp skillet til melty and delicious. That way they can practically be done to order. But that is ... |
Boule formation video??
I have been making rye boules but I need to work on forming the loaves. Is there a good video out there on boule formation? My rounds look good when placed in the bannetons but when they rise the bottoms seem to come apart which makes for mishappened loaves when baked. | See above
Click on "Videos" near the top of the home page. Pick the third one down for J Hamelman, tons of good info, shaping and more. If the bottom of the dough doesn't seal there's too much flour on the board or dough, use a spray bottle to moisten what will be the bottom of the boule.Jim |
Focacia Video
This Video, in the LA Times web site was fun, I was particularly tickled at her somewhat elaborate use of plastic wrap =P. She is making a delicious looking focacia bread, does call her sponge a sourdough starter but I got over it. | Focaccia link?
Got a Link????http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-masterclass-20110526,0,1188913.htmlstory |
Poolish is frugal
I've recently made the Struan (struan? no cap?) bread from one of Peter Reinhart's books and it was wonderful! Tender and tasty. It probably helped that I used a mixture of heavy whipping cream (leftover) and water for the liquid.There's just one drawback to the recipe: it calls 2 tablespoons of yeast... | Yeast by the pound
You're right and slow rising with less yeast results in more flavor. But at $10/pound, I find I don't stint when I want something to hurry along. That's what I paid for my current yeast. I see now that there's a source on Amazon selling 4 lbs for $14.07! |
US Bread Festivals
Know of bread festivals in your area or anywhere in US? Would appreciate dates and locations, websites if available. Thanks.
Sylvia | Summerloaf
The Portland Farmers Market has held a festival known as Summer Loaf every year. I've got pictures from last year.
I'm just looking at the schedule for 06 and it doesn't look like they are doing it this year. Sniff, sniff. :( |
WFO coop or bread club?
I am almost done building my WFO, and can see that for my uses it will not get to live to it's full potential. so I was thinking about trying to get together a coop or bread club to use the oven like the village ovens of olden times. Has anyone tried this and if so what worked and what didn't? H... | In what city are you located?
Hi Tara,That's a great idea. In what city are you and your wood-fired oven located? I am thinking, perhaps I'm connected with someone in your town, with whom I could connect you? In any case, it's worth a try. In addition to thefreshloaf.com, I have found that Twitter is a great way to net... |
WSJ article: Prof Kaplan/baguette
Enjoyed this article and thought other TFLers might too:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703992704576306713124407704.html | Good article.
That was a good read. Thank you for posting it. JSS |
Has anyone notice the change on the formatting tool bar in the blog post/forum post?
Hi All,
Has anyone notice the changes on the formatting tool bar? There used to be formatting buttons on top of the text box, for "bold", "italic", "link", etc. These buttons are now gone. The only formatting option can be done is HTM... | and I love the strike thru button!
You show me your buns, and I'll show you mine my pictures! The spelling checker still underlines flavour but I do that because I want a flavor that lasts. I still have bold, italic, and underline (didn't have the underline before with Apple & Safari in simple mode) I'm a happy camp... |
How to add links?
My forum options for new posts and comments seem to have changed very recently.
How do I do I now add a link to open in a new window?
Lance | code monkey-ing
Hello. Code-Monkey here.
Well, you have to know how to code html.
If you want to learn: see this: https://www.w3schools.com/html/html_links.asp
and then, when editing here on TFL, click "disable rich text" here on TFL while editing your post/comment to go into Html-edit mode, and hand-code it.
the thing... |
LaCloche question
I would like peoples' opinons on using a LaCloche baker. It is better to preheat it and then place the dough inside( does this deflate the dough) or should the dough be placed inside of the LaCloche and then directly into a preheated oven?Thank you. | Mixed Opinions
I've had success pre-heating top and bottom. Others don't pre-heat. Try both ways and see what you like. Remember to remove the lid for the last 5 to 10 mins of baking. I proof on parchment paper trimmed to the loaf, and use a peel for sliding the loaf onto the base. Jim |
What is "Slacking"?
I thought that I was pretty knowledgeable when it comes to bread baking, but I have recently heard the term "slacking" in regards to the process of baking. Is that another name for one of the steps in the process, or something different? Given the meaning, I would think it could refer to fermentatio... | "slack" instead of "slacking"?
I'm only familiar with it as the adjective "slack", meaning a dough that hasn't got much form, usually because of high hydration. A "slack" dough may have a tendency to spread out flat like a pancake (one TFLer uses the term "frisbee loaves":-). A "slack" dough "fights back" less if you k... |
Odd way to check bread
A friend tells me that his grandmother insisted that if in doubt of when her bread was all the way done she would remove it from its pan & touch the bottom to her nose. Her claim was when done there would be no more steam coming from the bottom & it wouldn't burn her nose. I said " Ernie that a n... | I hope she washed her nose first!
That is really a funny way to check bread but it actually does make some sense. The crust would be sealed when it is done and all the moisture should be contained. I dopn't think it would get a health inspector's approval, though! |
Downloading Pictures Problem Today
I am not able to downloading pictures here today. I am not sure if it has to do with my computer or the site.
Wondering if anyone else is experiencing any problems?
My computer is a macbook pro. I have downloaded successfully before. I am able to go through all of the steps excep... | Are they the right size?
Without any more information than you provided, I can only tell you that the max resolution for images on TFL is 800x600.
Billybob |
Summer baking/dough raising?
I know a lot of bakers take time off from baking in the summer because it's so hot but I refuse to eat store bought bread and will need to bake occasionally. This brings me to a question: If you bake during the hot months, how do you deal with raising your dough?
Our typical summer day is ... | Here are some things you can
Here are some things you can do to slow the process down under warm temperatures:
store all your flour in the freezer
use chilled water and add ice, if necessary
chill your equipment
use glass bowls instead of stainless steel ones: glass transfers the outside temperature at a much slower r... |
What to do with saltless baguettes?
FF | Oh Boy
You're makin' me hungry! I'll be over for lunch is 12:45 okay? :)
Very nice,
Jim |
Khalid's diagnosis spot on....from DMS to CBS
My children are teenagers. They know everything and I get dumber every day...
I knew I was dealing with DMS (Displaced Mother Syndrome) but hadn't a clue as to what else had taken over my life until I happened upon Khalid's term 'CBS' in a thread a few nights ago - actuall... | Does baking 3X per week
Does baking 3X per week qualify? :) |
Bernard Clayton Jr., 1916-2011
Details published at the New York Times | He leaves a legacy.
Bernard Clayton’s New Complete Book of Breads is one of the first bread books I bought, and it remains a favorite. He will be missed.
Michael |
Non-woven batard form?
This is probably going to sound completely odd, but our cabin has a tiny little water closet under the stairs and I need to find/make a very narrow lavatory sink (6" deep max front to back) to go in it. In order to wash hands, the sink only has to be the width of your hand, but it would help if i... | Bowl
I am not insensitive to your need. I've been to Alaska; is there not a place where you can find a bowl, glass, stainless steel, pottery, that would fit your need. An aluminum roasting pan might work. I am not sure where in the wilderness you are but can you not get to a town to buy one?
Ford |
Self rising flour
I came across 25 lbs of self rising flour from a friend, he did not have any use for it, was wondering before I possibly throw it out, are there any worthwhile recipes to make bread, I normally make a french or Italian bread.
thanks
Chet | If not for yeast breads, you
If not for yeast breads, you could always just "look up" some "other" recipes using sr flour to see if there are some you may like.
Got a feeling there won't be many yeast bread suggestions or recipes, but there are undoubtably some, out there, somewhere.
Instead of tossing it, it probably ... |
Begging for mature starter
Hello,Like countless others, I am baking and cooking more than ever. I have tried to make starter from scratch (and just got discouraged after the 2nd week), then attempted to revive an old starter donated 3 years ago.If anyone in the Cincinnati OH area would be so generous to share their sta... | facebook/nextdoor
If you're on Facebook or Nextdoor, you could ask there too. Good luck! |
Can I.... Clay pot question
Can I put a glass bread pan in a clay pot when I bake my bread? | I don't see why not.
If the clay is pre-heated, you might want to lay some toothpicks on the bottom to slow heat transfer to a cold glass dish and reduce the chance of heat stress on the spots that directly touch the hot clay. |
Help the people of Japan
Just a quick note to let folks know that Mercy Corps is collecting donations to help with the earthquake recovery in Japan. We will be passing donations straight through to our partner there, Peace Winds Japan, who are providing large shelters, emergency tents, water, food & blankets to quake ... | Thanks Floyd!
I looked for a fundraising page, but couldn't find it. TFLers have been so generous in the past, I hope the spirit continues. We all have plenty to be thankful for, even something so simple as a loaf of bread.
Betty |
Matzah reciepe
Passover is coming in about three weeks. I will have to put my bread baking on hold for a week. However if anyone has a recipe for matzah it would be appreciated.
Mike Robinson | Matzah
Wheat flour, water.Mix & quickly bake.Carl |
I think I got a good deal
I bought an oven/proofer combo from a closed blimpie sandwich franchise for 300 bucks. I'm still a few years away from having a place to plug this in but darn it a guy can dream can't he ? I looked up the Mfgr web site & wow they want huge piles of money for these things. I'm thinking of just ... | Compassion
How compassionate of her. But compassion means, "Deep awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relieve it." Maybe you need the compassion. A six foot oven? Wow! Go for it and open your own bakery.
Ford |
Bread Proofing Project
Hi!
I am working on a team of 8 people to develop a new, innovative product for a class assignment at Boston University. We have decided to develop a home bread proofer that can be sold commercially and we really need feedback from experienced home bakers and baking enthusiasts. The survey takes ... | Non-survey feedback
JLCorbin,
The conceptual design is shaped much like a breadbox, which is a problem. A proofer needs to have the maximum usable internal volume possible. That argues in favor of a rectangular box shape, rather than a rounded front that lops off a significant volume.
Some design considerations that ... |
bakesale for japan
Hello everyone,I just came across information on a bake sale fundraising effort for Japan:http://bakesaleforjapan.com/bake-sale-for-japan-april-2-2011
from breadsong | Thank you, breadsong,
for the info on the bake sale for Japan. I replied that, though I can't make it on the 2nd, I'd be happy to drop off some hearth loaves to someone to sell at the Marin Country Mart. Hope it can be arranged. |
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