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Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2013 19:12:59 GMT
You did better than you thought you would with the tortillas didn't you?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2013 20:59:37 GMT
Nope. As predicted, I chickened out.  Actually, I got fiddling around downstairs with the aquaponics and forgot until it was too late, and then I remembered there was a game on the tube too, so that was the end of that. I'm still not quite outta the ones I bought though so there's no panic. I am waiting for the yeast to rise so I can make bread and try out a pre-made pizza crust though as we speak. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2019 14:43:27 GMT
Well, since it's pouring rain outside and I'm on my last loaf of bread, I decided this would be a good time to bake some bread. Something I stumbled across a few years ago is a technique called tangzhong, and I thought I might mention it here in case there are home bakers here that might like to give it a whirl. Here's a decent link summing it up - blog.kingarthurflour.com/2018/03/26/introduction-to-tangzhong/I'm honestly quite surprised that something so simple was never really popularized until the late 1900s. I'm a bit of a slacker no less, (3 parts cold water to 1 part flour, mix well, turn heat on low and whisk occasionally until thickened, remove from heat and let cool until not uncomfortable to hold hand on pot, make bread using usual recipe adjusting for flour and water in roux) but even still the benefits are very obvious.The only real downside is that it adds a notable amount of time (waiting for roux to cool) to an already fairly time consuming task
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2019 3:16:21 GMT
This recipe works well with King Arthur wheat flour. Its a quick recipe that was given to me by an Alzheimer's patient I care for privately (passed some years back). She owned major farms within three counties, one of which she was living on when I was in her employ. I found head stones in their family grave dating back to before the revolution. There were large pecan trees on the long walk to get to the top of that hill, and she would tell me stories of her childhood, and her loved ones laid to rest. I have a pecan pie recipe she gave me someplace. Just found this one scribbled on a piece of a cereal box. What an amazing woman; out of her mind but carried a wealth of memories. She said she used this all the time, depending on what she had in her fridge.
2 1/2 cups hot water
1/2 cup melted butter
1/3 cup honey
2 packages of dry yeast
(mix alone with some of that water first)
mix all these ingredients well
2 cups of wheat flour
mix it all together again
add two beaten eggs and mix once again
slowly add 3 1/2 cups of flour, more or less
mix and knead as much as necessary
butter and flour your loaf pans and shape in pans
let rise in the pans in a warm quiet place
no need to knead again, just let them double
Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until done
*I turn my oven on real low to get it warm then turn it off, and let them rise in there.
When it gets cold I turn it on for a bit again.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2019 14:27:41 GMT
I think I might have mentioned someplace around this site that I'm getting to be a bit of a lazy old fart... I bought one of those Bosch Universal Plus mixers, coming on a couple years ago now, and I sure like what it does for me. No amount of human effort can compete with how well it mixes and kneads my dough in around 15-20 minutes, and that's with my dilly-dallying included.
For openers, using the same principle as hou, I turn my oven on to 200 and let it warm up. Also I find that extra humidity is valuable when bread making so found a big cookie sheet which was assigned to live out it's life in the bottom of my oven. (even wiggled it beneath the element) Whenever I'm doing bread related things it gets a cup or so of water dumped into it.
I usually bake 3 big loaves at a time and 2 get frozen once baked. I begin with the water roux thing as mentioned. 1 cup of flour stirred into 3 cups of water, then warmed gently until a semi-transparent gluey paste is made. Now I turn the oven off as it's good and warm. I remove the pot from heat and let it cool til not uncomfortable to hold my hand on it. Then, into the mixer it goes. Next comes 4 tbsp of sugar, 4 tbsp of powder milk, a good tbsp of quick rising yeast, and 3 cups of flour. Turn mixer on for a minute or so to get a thick batter then let it rest for maybe 10 minutes to get the yeast kick-started.
Following the rest period, I turn the mixer back on and add 4 more cups flour, 4 eggs, and an ounce of lemon juice. (yeast likes acidic environment) I let it mix for 5 or 6 minutes (adjusting with minimal water for the desired consistency) then add a good tbsp of salt and 4 tbsp of butter and continue mixing for another minute or 2. (the salt and butter both inhibit the yeast somewhat, so are added and mixed in after everything else is in it's happy place)
I find time to grease pans along the way (I use bacon grease or butter, as they work best by far IMO) and now divide the dough into 3 loaves (or whatever their destined fate may be - buns, breadsticks, ooey-gooey cinnamon buns, etc. All of which need different handling/times) shape, place in pans, brush tops with olive oil, and put into warm oven to rise for generally about 25-30 minutes.
Finally, I gently remove the pans and kick the oven up to 350F, then carefully replace the pans and bake for 30 minutes +/-
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2019 3:53:45 GMT
I have a Kitchen Aid right on the counter gathering dust. I Look at it and say to myself its easier to mix everything by hand. For house warming gifts I received all these useless gadgets. I don't use the Keurig, I grind my beans with an old manual, and I make Greek coffee. I don't use an electric mixer, I whisk, I don't like the microwave, or the dish washer. My mothers hand crank pasta machine still works. I can decorate a cake pretty well too with all em' fancy roses.
Im a minimalistic nut case that cooks very well. I wish I would get lazy, but its against my grain.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2019 20:18:55 GMT
Yeah, I guess I shoulda added "by my standards" as I'm likely still fairly physically active for this day and age. Like you, my dishwasher is just wasted cupboard space too. Worn out whisk, and an old electric egg beater that you could count on your fingers the number of times I've used it. My blender sees more use during a heatwave than any other time. (I can't crush ice nearly that well by hand, and the finer the better when one needs a margarita to combat the heat) I use my nuker quite a lot though, as when I cook stuff up I generally make enough to freeze a few portions for those days I'm too busy, or just don't feel like the trouble.
Now, to stay on topic, I stumbled across something a while ago that is definitely on my to do/try list. -
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2019 22:14:34 GMT
If I had any yeast left I would try that recipe. I usually boil mine for three to five minutes on each side with salt in the water, and bake them for three to five minutes on each side. I like em' to take a good toast without getting dry. It really depends on the altitude and humidity how much time you use.
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Post by Stumour on Jun 10, 2019 23:03:35 GMT
Grey, what you're basically doing is a sour dough starter with roux.... keep some by n feed it with a little more flour.... get in there, ya big ole yeti
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Post by grey areas on Jun 10, 2019 23:16:18 GMT
Actually, I have a starter culture for sourdough that I've been looking forward to cultivating for nearly a year now. I want a good week of warm weather (not < 10 degrees Celsius, not even over night) to start. I like the idea of healthier/tastier wild yeast cultures, as well as the tendency of being far more mold resistant. It's a "san francisco sourdough" starter kit. I'll likely fire that up within the next few weeks. ... and yeah, I'm also quite fond of the idea of not having to keep buying (nor ever running out, especially at opportune times) of yeast anymore. I'll even dehydrate a few spare starter packets for any oopsies, or even to share.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2019 2:14:59 GMT
I like the idea myself, but after a few weeks mine seems to always go bad here in the south. I constantly have to make new starters. I don't know if its the weather here or what. If I keep it in the fridge it doesn't ferment well, and makes for very heavy bread. Therefore its store bought cause I just cant seem to get it right here in NC.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2019 13:43:08 GMT
Well, today begins the sourdough experiment. It sounds like losing one's culture, as you sound to have had problems with hou , isn't terribly uncommon. It is rather easy to safeguard against though by the sounds of things. Apparently just spreading a few tablespoons of your starter on some parchment, or even saran wrap in a pinch but it takes longer, then drying the material out completely and tucking it away for a rainy day ensure that you can always get back your culture. Many sites give directions for that very procedure. I plan to make several backups that way once I get the ball rolling. The samples can also easily be shared that way as well. I will let you know how things are proceeding periodically.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2019 12:57:37 GMT
So, it's day 4 of the sourdough project and so far everything looks good. I went to 2 jars (2 separate kicks at the cat ya might say) after the first day. Extra product removed when feeding the culture has been getting used up in stuff like pancakes and flatbread etc. It's undeniably a noticeable signature flavor. I wanna try it in some of the normal bread I bake too since I just cut into the last loaf thereof and I'll need bread before the sourdough culture will quite be ready. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2019 13:27:53 GMT
Well I had a starter on the counter and the cats found that one. I used some pineapple juice, and it was doing ok it seemed. Then it happened~ the loud CRASH onto the floor. Good thing you have two :) I officially give up, and will BUY dry yeast yet once again.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2019 23:26:43 GMT
After 6 days now and an almost ripe culture, I'm not too sure the extra time and effort for genuine sourdough is really justified. I baked a couple loafs yesterday, (not quite fully mature yet, but already healthy and very active) and while it is definitely real nice texture and all that, just using plain bread for a sandwich certainly left no doubt where the name "sourdough" came from. It was almost like a hint of vinegar had been added. Toast was great, as was a grilled cheese sandwich, but plain peanut butter and jam was noticeably tangy. I'll hafta give it a week or two to see how it holds up, maybe even evolves a tad more, then decide if the end product merits the extra time and effort.
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Actually, I got fiddling around downstairs with the aquaponics and forgot until it was too late, and then I remembered there was a game on the tube too, so that was the end of that. I'm still not quite outta the ones I bought though so there's no panic. I am waiting for the yeast to rise so I can make bread and try out a pre-made pizza crust though as we speak.
