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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: HEAVEN: Dishy: the 2011 recipe thread.
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Lyda*Rose
Ship's broken porthole
# 4544
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Posted
This may seem a rather picky-picky question but here goes.
I just watched the first episode of the new season of "Worst Cook in America". Among the things Chef Ann Burrell tried to stuff into her contestants' poor, culinarily empty brains was the idea that veggies should be diced to a pretty exact size so that the pieces would cook to equal doneness in a saute or whatever. Also it makes the dice look pretty and gourmet-like.
I have little trouble if I put my mind to it to very evenly dice things like carrots, bell peppers, celery, or potatoes. But onions flummox me. They come somewhat pre-diced as it were with all the layers, so some parts come out very tiny and some come out chunky. How do you foodies manage? Or do you just say, "Screw it- it's close enough for government work"?
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"Dear God, whose name I do not know - thank you for my life. I forgot how BIG... thank you. Thank you for my life." ~from Joe Vs the Volcano
Posts: 21377 | From: CA | Registered: May 2003
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Welease Woderwick
Sister Incubus Nightmare
# 10424
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Posted
I'm a great believer in "Screw it, it's close enough!"
eta: I think a little variety in the crunchiness is a bonus.
[ 03. January 2011, 06:51: Message edited by: Welease Woderwick ]
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I give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.
Fancy a break in South India?
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Posts: 48139 | From: 1st on the right, straight on 'til morning | Registered: Sep 2005
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Suze
Ship's Barmaid
# 5639
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Posted
I was taught by my chefy dad to do it like this. Cut the onion in half, lay one half flat on the chopping board, cut two or three horizontal cuts into the onion dpeending on size, then make cuts down the way from the curved (uncut) onion to the flat base (you should end up with a criss cross cut of onion if you look at it end on) then chop the way you usually would across the length of the onion and you should end up with something properly diced.
I don't know that I've explained terribly well but it does work for me.
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' You stay here and I'll go look for God, that won't be hard cos I know where he's not, and I will bring him back with me , then he'll listen , then he'll see' Richard Shindell
Posts: 2603 | From: where the angels sleep | Registered: Mar 2004
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Firenze
Ordinary decent pagan
# 619
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Posted
I would concur with the halving method. Two or three top-to-bottom cuts initially if you want what the recipe usually describes as 'roughly chopped', 6 or 7 for finely diced.
Alternatively, no cuts, but very fine slices to give strands of onion. Particularly if you are crisping them to be scattered over something.
Posts: 17302 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Jun 2001
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Welease Woderwick
Sister Incubus Nightmare
# 10424
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
...Alternatively, no cuts, but very fine slices to give strands of onion. Particularly if you are crisping them to be scattered over something.
Stop!
You're making me hungry and I am trying to forego supper tonight.
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I give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.
Fancy a break in South India?
Accessible Homestay Guesthouse in Central Kerala, contact me for details
What part of Matt. 7:1 don't you understand?
Posts: 48139 | From: 1st on the right, straight on 'til morning | Registered: Sep 2005
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Lyda*Rose
Ship's broken porthole
# 4544
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Posted
Thanks for the insights. I will see what I can do with them. I fear my onions will continue to be "roughly" chopped or diced. I'll just have to avoid feeding Food Network bigwigs. ![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
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"Dear God, whose name I do not know - thank you for my life. I forgot how BIG... thank you. Thank you for my life." ~from Joe Vs the Volcano
Posts: 21377 | From: CA | Registered: May 2003
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Firenze
Ordinary decent pagan
# 619
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Welease Woderwick:
Stop!
You're making me hungry and I am trying to forego supper tonight.
Really? We're having Lamb Dopiaza with Sambhara and Naan.
Posts: 17302 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Jun 2001
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Piglet
Islander
# 11803
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Posted
Never mind, LC - someone's bound to be along shortly with a pork recipe ... ![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
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I may not be on an island any more, but I'm still an islander.
alto n a soprano who can read music
Posts: 20272 | From: Fredericton, NB, on a rather larger piece of rock | Registered: Sep 2006
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Gee D
Shipmate
# 13815
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Posted
Crisply fried onion slices are delicious with both sauted lamb's fry (liver in the US), and pork spare ribs cooked over charcoals. That should please you both.
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Not every Anglican in Sydney is Sydney Anglican
Posts: 7028 | From: Warrawee NSW Australia | Registered: Jun 2008
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Ariston
Insane Unicorn
# 10894
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Gee D:
Crisply fried onion slices are delicious with both sauted lamb's fry (liver in the US), and pork spare ribs cooked over charcoals. That should please you both.
Um, I'm glad you clarified what "lamb's fry" means for you—because in some states, that term refers to a very, very different part of (of all things) a calf.
Or, to be more precise, a newly-minted steer.
And yes, I have eaten them—there's a reason they're also known as "Rocky Mountain oysters." It's kind of odd knowing that the animal they came from is probably still alive, giving higher-pitched moos . . .
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“Therefore, let it be explained that nowhere are the proprieties quite so strictly enforced as in men’s colleges that invite young women guests, especially over-night visitors in the fraternity houses.” Emily Post, 1937.
Posts: 6849 | From: The People's Republic of Balcones | Registered: Jan 2006
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BessLane
Shipmate
# 15176
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Posted
Bull fries, lamb fries, pig fries, and rooster fries. All quite tasty once you get past what they actually are. OTOH, it does make me wonder a bit about French fries
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It's all on me and I won't tell it.
formerly BessHiggs
Posts: 1388 | From: Yorkville, TN | Registered: Sep 2009
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Gee D
Shipmate
# 13815
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Posted
We have ever only eaten bull's balls once, in a good hotel restaurant in Lugarno. Probably 1 between the 2 of us. Rather crunchy, but stil tender, not at all chewy, they were cooked in a tomato and black olive sauce. They were served with either rice or polenta, from memory, green salad to follow. The dish went well with a Barolo.
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Not every Anglican in Sydney is Sydney Anglican
Posts: 7028 | From: Warrawee NSW Australia | Registered: Jun 2008
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Keren-Happuch
Ship's Eyeshadow
# 9818
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Posted
OK, so to change the subject entirely...
I want to make chocolate sponge cake in loaf tins to turn into a steam train cake for KGlet1's birthday. My questions are a) will this work, b) will I need to change the quantities and cooking times? ![[Help]](graemlins/help.gif) Most of the recipes I've found for chocolate loaf cake have baking powder in, which I can't stand.
Are there any cake makers on the Ship?
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Travesty, treachery, betrayal!
EXCESS - The Art of Treason
Nea Fox
Posts: 2407 | From: A Fine City | Registered: Jul 2005
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Firenze
Ordinary decent pagan
# 619
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Posted
My baking expertise is pretty finite, but I can't think of any sponge cake that doesn't require a raising agent.
Would it rock KGlet's world if you used commercially sourced (possibly mini) swiss rolls? Few of them, smarties or biscuits (depending on scale) for the wheels, chocolate flake for the stack, bit of creative icing...
I'd eat it.
Posts: 17302 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Jun 2001
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Keren-Happuch
Ship's Eyeshadow
# 9818
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Posted
I'm fully intending to have party ring wheels, chocolate fingers for tracks etc. It's just creating the actual cake that's bothering me at the moment. I know it'll need a raising agent, but SR flour will have to do - my Mum (who'll be there too) and I can taste baking powder a mile off. ![[Frown]](frown.gif)
ETA KGlet would definitely eat it with a swiss roll base, but I want to make the cake myself.
[ 07. January 2011, 22:13: Message edited by: Keren-Happuch ]
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Travesty, treachery, betrayal!
EXCESS - The Art of Treason
Nea Fox
Posts: 2407 | From: A Fine City | Registered: Jul 2005
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jlg
What is this place?
Why am I here?
# 98
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Posted
Instead of making a single bread-dimension loaf, use the loaf pans (borrow if you don't have enough) to make a number of normal depth but rectangular layers and build up the train from those.
Since the thickness will be normal, you won't have to worry about a soggy middle. Being small rectangles, they'll probably bake in less time than a normal 9-inch round.
Layers will also allow you to cut one of them into pieces to make the cab and a smokestack.
I have to admit that I am puzzled by your aversion to baking powder, since the self-rising (SR) flour you refer to is simply regular flour with the baking powder (and usually a bit of salt) already added to it.
ETA: Of course, using layers will mean a LOT more icing or whatever to paste all these pieces together. Not that I expect the children will object.
[ 07. January 2011, 23:05: Message edited by: jlg ]
Posts: 17391 | From: Just a Town, New Hampshire, USA | Registered: May 2001
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Lothlorien
Ship's Grandma
# 4927
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Posted
I have a baking tray for friands which has small rectangular moulds in it, about the size of a Thomas and friends carriage from toy shop. Would that sort of thing be a possibility?
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Posts: 9745 | From: girt by sea | Registered: Aug 2003
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Cottontail
Shipmate
# 12234
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Posted
You can make a totally flourless chocolate cake by following the recipe for the sponge part of a chocolate roulade. You could bake it in the usual baking tray, then cut it into rectangles and assemble. A recipe here. (You could use milk or white chocolate to make it a little less strong for a child.)
I've hunted through my recipe books, and also come up with this one, a 'sacher' recipe, which uses plain flour and no baking powder. The 'raising agent' here (as with the roulade) is whipped egg whites. Caveat: I haven't tried this, so can't say how it turns out!
quote:
1 cup (4oz) plain flour
1/2 cup (2oz) cocoa powder
1/4 cup (3oz) apricot jam
1 cup (8oz) caster sugar
4oz butter
4 eggs, separated
Preheat oven to 180C/Gas 4. Grease an 8 inch round cake tin and line base and sides with baking parchment.
Combine jam, sugar, and butter in small pan, and stir over a low heat until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
Sift flour and cocoa into a bowl. Make a well in the centre. Stir in the butter mixture until well combined. Add the egg yolks and mix well.
Whisk egg whites until soft peaks form. Using a metal spoon, add one spoonful of the egg whites to the cake mixture, and beat in well. (This loosens the mixture.) Then add the rest of the egg whites, and fold in gently.
Bake for 50 minutes or until skewer comes out clean. Leave cake in tin for 15 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool.
As to your other questions, I have occasionally baked round cakes in a loaf tin, and it works okay without adjusting any quantities. A cake designed for an 8-inch cake tin should fit fine into a 2lb loaf tin. However, you might want to reduce the oven temperature by about 20C, and give the whole thing about 10 minutes longer. If it seems to be browning too much on the top, cover it with baking parchment and let it bake a few minutes longer. A skewer is your friend! The end result is likely to be heavier and denser than a classic sponge cake - more like a loaf, in fact - but then again, a cake without raising agents will be anyway!
But frankly, I think your best bet would be once again just to bake it in a flat baking tray (remember to line the base!), and then assemble. To assemble without icing, brush on more of the warm apricot jam. You should also use the jam to glaze any cut surfaces before icing the whole thing, to stop crumbs going everywhere.
Good luck!
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"I don't think you ought to read so much theology," said Lord Peter. "It has a brutalizing influence."
Posts: 2377 | From: Scotland | Registered: Jan 2007
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infinite_monkey
Shipmate
# 11333
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Posted
Having spent Christmas with my brother the Food Snob, I've made the New Year's switch to fancy flour (versus the 79 cents a pound bulk stuff).
King Arthur has a brownie recipe on it that claims to be the world's best--knocked it out yesterday and, wow.
Brownie Recipe
I'm posting it now so we can all get this well out of our systems before Lent.
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His light was lifted just above the Law,
And now we have to live with what we did with what we saw.
--Dar Williams, And a God Descended
Obligatory Blog Flog: www.otherteacher.wordpress.com
Posts: 1423 | From: left coast united states | Registered: Apr 2006
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St. Gwladys
Shipmate
# 14504
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Posted
What is Dutch process cocoa?
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"I say - are you a matelot?"
"Careful what you say sir, we're on board ship here"
From "New York Girls", Steeleye Span, Commoners Crown (Voiced by Peter Sellers)
Posts: 3333 | From: Rhymney Valley, South Wales | Registered: Jan 2009
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John Holding
Coffee and Cognac
# 158
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by infinite_monkey:
Having spent Christmas with my brother the Food Snob, I've made the New Year's switch to fancy flour (versus the 79 cents a pound bulk stuff).
I'm curious -- what makes "fancy flour" fancy, and why is it better than unbleached flour bought (if necessary) from a bulk or health food store?
John
Posts: 5929 | From: Ottawa, Canada | Registered: May 2001
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Ariel
Shipmate
# 58
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Posted
Chicken burgers
Take and chop some garlic, some fresh chopped coriander OR oregano, mix with lemon juice, a little olive oil, some tomato paste, mustard, salt and pepper and marinate some skinless, boneless chicken pieces in it.
When you feel it's been marinated for long enough, put all this into a food processor and blend - not too smooth, unless that's how you like it. Add some breadcrumbs after blending is done. Adjust seasoning as necessary and form into balls - add more breadcrumbs if the consistency is too liquid - then flatten for patties or burgers. Cook under the grill until done.
Serve with chips/fries/pan-fried potatoes, tomatoes and lettuce, and aioli or hummus, or even just a dollop of mustard.
[ 08. January 2011, 19:14: Message edited by: Ariel ]
Posts: 25445 | Registered: May 2001
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Firenze
Ordinary decent pagan
# 619
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Posted
Devised as a way of using up bacon scraps, but so successful it may go into my Impress People At Dinner Parties reportoire.
Ready-made puff pastry
Bacon
Onions
Sour cream/creme fraiche
Grated cheese
Pepper, nutmeg.
White wine
Thinly slice the onions and leave to marinade for at least an hour in a slosh of white wine. Put them in a lidded saucepan with some butter/oil and cook for about half an hour until they are thoroughly softened.
Roll out the puff pastry to fit whatever oven tray or dish you are using and blind bake for about 15 minutes.
Mix the softened onions with 3 or 4 tbsps of the cream/creme, and a good sprinkling of nutmeg and black pepper. Spoon over the part-baked pastry. Top with the diced bacon and a sprinkling of grated cheese.
Bake the whole thing for about 20 mins at 220C.
It is quite extraordinarily yummy. A light rose goes very well.
Posts: 17302 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Jun 2001
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Moo
Ship's tough old bird
# 107
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by St. Gwladys:
What is Dutch process cocoa?
Natural cocoa is acid. Dutch process cocoa has been treated to make it pH neutral.
Moo
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Kerygmania host
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See you later, alligator.
Posts: 20365 | From: Alleghany Mountains of Virginia | Registered: May 2001
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Gee D
Shipmate
# 13815
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Posted
quote:
What is Dutch process cocoa?
The one with the unpronounceable name on the box.
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Not every Anglican in Sydney is Sydney Anglican
Posts: 7028 | From: Warrawee NSW Australia | Registered: Jun 2008
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Keren-Happuch
Ship's Eyeshadow
# 9818
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by jlg:
Instead of making a single bread-dimension loaf, use the loaf pans (borrow if you don't have enough) to make a number of normal depth but rectangular layers and build up the train from those.
[...]
I have to admit that I am puzzled by your aversion to baking powder, since the self-rising (SR) flour you refer to is simply regular flour with the baking powder (and usually a bit of salt) already added to it.
ETA: Of course, using layers will mean a LOT more icing or whatever to paste all these pieces together. Not that I expect the children will object.
Sounds like a good idea - either that or Cottontail's one of making it flat in a swiss roll tray. I don't quite understand the baking powder thing either, but the quantity in self raising flour seems not to be a problem, it's when the recipe then adds extra that we notice it.
![[Confused]](confused.gif)
And I'm sure the kids won't mind lots of extra icing! ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
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Travesty, treachery, betrayal!
EXCESS - The Art of Treason
Nea Fox
Posts: 2407 | From: A Fine City | Registered: Jul 2005
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infinite_monkey
Shipmate
# 11333
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by John Holding:
quote:
Originally posted by infinite_monkey:
Having spent Christmas with my brother the Food Snob, I've made the New Year's switch to fancy flour (versus the 79 cents a pound bulk stuff).
I'm curious -- what makes "fancy flour" fancy, and why is it better than unbleached flour bought (if necessary) from a bulk or health food store?
John
It's possible that "fancy" isn't the best or most helpful term, but what I understand about flour is that it's a question of hard vs. soft wheat and the protein content in the blend you have. Brother the Food Snob swears that he notices a very distinct difference when he's forced to use anything other than King Arthur flour, and it made me realize that I have never even thought about where my flour comes from--I historically just grab however much I need from the bulk bin at whatever market I'm at.
So far, the main thing I'm noticing about Fancy Flour is that it has a truly ass-kicking brownie recipe printed on the back of the bag, but I do suspect it makes a larger difference--in the same way that Barilla pasta just tastes better than the generic American brand despite identical ingredient lists, simply because the Barilla folks have figured out exactly what kind of semolina to use.
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His light was lifted just above the Law,
And now we have to live with what we did with what we saw.
--Dar Williams, And a God Descended
Obligatory Blog Flog: www.otherteacher.wordpress.com
Posts: 1423 | From: left coast united states | Registered: Apr 2006
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Welease Woderwick
Sister Incubus Nightmare
# 10424
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Posted
We've noticed a difference here since we stopped buying wholewheat flour and instead buy the wheat, dry it in the sun on the roof and then take it down the lane to the mill and have it custom ground - it should be the same as the stuff bought in the bag but it is loads yummier!
We do the same with buying red chillies to make chilli powder.
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I give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.
Fancy a break in South India?
Accessible Homestay Guesthouse in Central Kerala, contact me for details
What part of Matt. 7:1 don't you understand?
Posts: 48139 | From: 1st on the right, straight on 'til morning | Registered: Sep 2005
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jlg
What is this place?
Why am I here?
# 98
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Keren-Happuch:
quote:
Originally posted by jlg:
I have to admit that I am puzzled by your aversion to baking powder, since the self-rising (SR) flour you refer to is simply regular flour with the baking powder (and usually a bit of salt) already added to it.
I don't quite understand the baking powder thing either, but the quantity in self raising flour seems not to be a problem, it's when the recipe then adds extra that we notice it.
Well, of course, because you have doubled the amount! If using self-rising flour, you should simply omit the recipe's request for baking powder and salt, since your flour already includes these ingredients.
You'll also get better results, since too much leavening usually causes baked goods to explode and then collapse before they are done.
Posts: 17391 | From: Just a Town, New Hampshire, USA | Registered: May 2001
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geroff
Shipmate
# 3882
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Posted
There is always the no bake train cake which is probably slightly heretical on the recipe thread.
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"The first principle in science is to invent something nice to look at and then decide what it can do." Rowland Emett 1906-1990
Posts: 1172 | From: Montgomeryshire, Wales | Registered: Jan 2003
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ErinBear
Shipmate
# 13173
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Posted
I have a question about whole nutmeg. A friend asked me what I wanted for Christmas. One thing I've wanted to try for awhile is the use of freshly ground nutmeg - I've never done this, so I asked her about possibly getting some whole nutmegs. Here you can get them in the store in small packages of a few (6?). Instead, she ordered a package online of a whole pound! Now I have maybe 150? I don't know. More than a lifetime supply I suspect. Wow!
Anyway, now that they're here, questions of nutmeg use and care have arisen. She says that once they've been ground (opened, if you will) they lose their flavor and should be used again. I had not heard this and in fact that sounds quite wasteful. Can anyone elaborate on this? I thought they could still be used.
I have some nutmeg recipes and uses and would be happy to hear more. Now that I have a bizillion nutmegs here. LOL. Last night I made a spiced mashed sweet potato recipe, with nutmeg as a component - first use of the nutmeg and it did make a difference!
Thanks, ErinBear
Posts: 2441 | From: California, USA | Registered: Nov 2007
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Roseofsharon
Shipmate
# 9657
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Posted
All spices lose flavour once ground, but not as quickly as implied by your friend. As you have whole nutmegs that shouldn't be a problem if you only grind as much as you need each time.
Maybe the exposed surface will lose some flavour once some has been ground away, but by the time you have half a teaspoon newly ground there will be enough of the unexposed spice mixed with it not to notice.
I love nutmeg.
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Posts: 3060 | From: Sussex By The Sea | Registered: Jun 2005
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Piglet
Islander
# 11803
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Posted
I agree with Roseofsharon; whole nutmegs will keep for ages in a jar or sealed container, and you only need to grate what you want. You can get nutmeg graters which have a little compartment for storing the whole (or partial) nutmeg. They probably won't accommodate 150 of them though ...
Apparently in Days Of Yore gentlemen had little graters that fitted on a watch-fob chain, and ground their own nutmeg on to food, probably to disguise signs of iffiness.
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I may not be on an island any more, but I'm still an islander.
alto n a soprano who can read music
Posts: 20272 | From: Fredericton, NB, on a rather larger piece of rock | Registered: Sep 2006
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infinite_monkey
Shipmate
# 11333
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Posted
If you keep a partially used nutmeg closed up in a completely dry container, I reckon you could keep it for at least as long as you'd keep the same amount of ground stuff (I go about six months before switching out.) Moisture makes them go off pretty quick, and the oils do start breaking down when you grate them, but you're still miles ahead of folks who only use the powder.
Fundamentally, most of the "power" of nutmeg (indeed, most spices) is in the smell anyway, not the taste. If it still smells like nutmeg, it'll work.
[ 10. January 2011, 03:49: Message edited by: infinite_monkey ]
--------------------
His light was lifted just above the Law,
And now we have to live with what we did with what we saw.
--Dar Williams, And a God Descended
Obligatory Blog Flog: www.otherteacher.wordpress.com
Posts: 1423 | From: left coast united states | Registered: Apr 2006
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ErinBear
Shipmate
# 13173
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Posted
Many thanks, everyone, for the nutmeg support! It was along the lines that I was thinking. I feel so much better now! ![[Yipee]](graemlins/spin.gif)
Thanks again, all.
Blessings,
ErinBear
Posts: 2441 | From: California, USA | Registered: Nov 2007
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Welease Woderwick
Sister Incubus Nightmare
# 10424
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Posted
Yes, keep them dry and they will last for ages. If you pack them in a jar or something make a little cloth bag to hold a spoonful or two of dry rice and put that in as well and it will absorb any moisture and keep the nuts dry.
We are hoping one of our little nutmeg trees we planted a few years ago might actually fruit this year. HWMBO uses the fruit to make a rather yummy pickle.
--------------------
I give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.
Fancy a break in South India?
Accessible Homestay Guesthouse in Central Kerala, contact me for details
What part of Matt. 7:1 don't you understand?
Posts: 48139 | From: 1st on the right, straight on 'til morning | Registered: Sep 2005
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Angel Wrestler
Ship's Hipster
# 13673
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Posted
First Little Angel enjoys baking and is trying her hand at yeast bread. I've had this happen before, when I've made bread leavened by yeast - the yeast isn't exactly dead, but it seems wimpy and the bread doesn't rise too well (and the yeast never gets nice and foamy). That happened to her loaf today (she's still waiting, hoping it will rise - but I'm not a baker and I don't know what to tell her)
My question is: when the yeast is not past its expiration date and acts wimpy like that, should you try again with a fresh packet of yeast?
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The fact that no one understands you does not make you an artist.
(unknown)
Posts: 2767 | From: half-way up the ladder | Registered: May 2008
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jlg
What is this place?
Why am I here?
# 98
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Posted
Yes. Learning to bake yeast bread is a matter of practicing until you get your hands and eyes calibrated for these things.
You can also kill/fail-to-activate the yeast if the warm liquid you dissolve it in is too hot or too cold. It takes some practice (and at the beginning, perhaps double-checking with a thermometer) until your finger/hands get calibrated.
This is why many recipes suggest that you 'proof' your yeast (mix it in a bowl with the proper temperature of water and a tiny bit of sugar), and give it five or ten minutes. If it doesn't get all nice and bubbly, you haven't wasted a bunch of flour and other ingredients, not to mention your time and effort, only to discover the yeast isn't capable of making the bread rise.
Remember, too, that bread dough that rises even part way can still be baked. Unless it's a total brick, extra-dense bread can still taste good!
Posts: 17391 | From: Just a Town, New Hampshire, USA | Registered: May 2001
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Angel Wrestler
Ship's Hipster
# 13673
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Posted
Thanks, jlg. I learned that when I made some wheat bread in my bread machine. I've long lost the instructions to it (and never could get it to program quite right, anyhow) and it never rose the 2nd time. But it was still quite good chunked off with butter, next to some homemade vegetable soup!
I'll let Angel #1 know.
She dissolved the yeast, but no sugar in the water. Maybe that was the problem?
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The fact that no one understands you does not make you an artist.
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Posts: 2767 | From: half-way up the ladder | Registered: May 2008
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Gee D
Shipmate
# 13815
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Posted
And using dried yeast is easier than fresh. Just remember to use only half the quantity of fresh. A normal loaf will rise easily on a 7 g sachet of dried yeast, even without going through the proving step. If it's winter where you are, be careful to leave the dough to prove in a draught-free position, as a sudden chill can stop the rising. Be very careful not to put the bowl in too warm a position also - it's not a bad idea to ignore all the old advice about putting it into the same cupboard as the hot water heater.
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Not every Anglican in Sydney is Sydney Anglican
Posts: 7028 | From: Warrawee NSW Australia | Registered: Jun 2008
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LutheranChik
Shipmate
# 9826
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Posted
Even though some cookbooks claim that regular yeast is as good as rapid-rise yeast in bread machines, I've found that yeast especially formulated for bread machines is best.
It's also important to keep the yeast away from the liquid and the salt in the bread machine pan, especially if you've got the machine on a timer. The usual instructions are to place the fats, liquid and salt in the pan first; then the blended dry ingredients; then make a shallow well in the dry ingredients and add the yeast.
Sometimes, though, you just get a bad batch of yeast. It happens, with conventional and bread machine yeast alike. So I guess Grandma was right about proofing one's yeast first to see if it has enough "oomph."
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Posts: 6462 | From: rural Michigan, USA | Registered: Jul 2005
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Siegfried
Ship's ferret
# 29
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Posted
A few responses, all in a single post for brevity:
- Rather than getting a nutmegger (and I do have an old one from my great grandfather's general store), I'd recommend getting a microplane grater. Works great for nutmeg, but also for zesting citrus and grating hard cheese and chocolate. A multi-tasker! (Yeah, I watch Alton Brown!)
- Why use self-rising flour at all? All-purpose (not sure if it's called something different in the UK) is generally more useful, as you can use it for all baking, as well as other applications (thickening and so forth).
- By Fancy Flour, are we talking bread vs. all purpose? Bread flour contains more protein and therefore is better for bread, where you want a higher gluten content. Then there's cake flour, which is softer and gives you a nice texture for cakes. Personally, I use all-purpose for all baking except breads.
[ 11. January 2011, 12:29: Message edited by: Siegfried ]
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Siegfried
Life is just a bowl of cherries!
Posts: 5592 | From: Tallahassee, FL USA | Registered: May 2001
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Moo
Ship's tough old bird
# 107
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Posted
I have learned that yeast deteriorates when exposed to air. This means not just the air in the room, but also the air inside the jar. It took me a long time to figure this out. I would buy a jar of dried yeast, and by the time it was less than half full, the yeast would have lost some of its strength, even though the sell-by date was a month later.
Moo
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Posts: 20365 | From: Alleghany Mountains of Virginia | Registered: May 2001
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TubaMirum
Shipmate
# 8282
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Posted
I keep yeast in the freezer. Don't know if this is a good idea or not, but only one package ever has seemed dead, and it was past its sell-by date. I always proof now, too - at least in part because some recipes call for "instant yeast" but I have "active dry yeast," which needs activation anyway, it seems. I messed up a few recipes early on before I realized this.
(I think "fancy flour" is, like, cool, groovy, flour. Like (in the US) the King Arthur brand rather than Pillsbury. Perhaps it's a higher grade of wheat? I have no idea why KA is cooler than other kinds. "Fancy flour" = "more expensive flour," in my experience. It does taste good, but I only get it when it's on sale.)
[ 11. January 2011, 14:59: Message edited by: TubaMirum ]
Posts: 4719 | From: Right Coast USA | Registered: Aug 2004
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Tubbs
Miss Congeniality
# 440
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Siegfried:
A few responses, all in a single post for brevity:
- Rather than getting a nutmegger (and I do have an old one from my great grandfather's general store), I'd recommend getting a microplane grater. Works great for nutmeg, but also for zesting citrus and grating hard cheese and chocolate. A multi-tasker! (Yeah, I watch Alton Brown!)
- Why use self-rising flour at all? All-purpose (not sure if it's called something different in the UK) is generally more useful, as you can use it for all baking, as well as other applications (thickening and so forth).
- By Fancy Flour, are we talking bread vs. all purpose? Bread flour contains more protein and therefore is better for bread, where you want a higher gluten content. Then there's cake flour, which is softer and gives you a nice texture for cakes. Personally, I use all-purpose for all baking except breads.
All purpose flour is called plain flour in the UK.
Tubbs
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"It's better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than open it up and remove all doubt" - Dennis Thatcher. My blog. Decide for yourself which I am
Posts: 12701 | From: Someplace strange | Registered: Jun 2001
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Siegfried
Ship's ferret
# 29
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by TubaMirum:
(I think "fancy flour" is, like, cool, groovy, flour. Like (in the US) the King Arthur brand rather than Pillsbury. Perhaps it's a higher grade of wheat? I have no idea why KA is cooler than other kinds. "Fancy flour" = "more expensive flour," in my experience. It does taste good, but I only get it when it's on sale.)
King Arthur is unbleached as a rule. They also have a good reputation for consistent high quality. I started using it a year or two back after seeing it recommended on a number of baking sites.
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Siegfried
Life is just a bowl of cherries!
Posts: 5592 | From: Tallahassee, FL USA | Registered: May 2001
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