Text 18896, 77 rader
Skriven 2007-08-11 22:44:06 av Joan Macdiarmid (1:18/200)
     Kommentar till en text av Jim Weller
Ärende: Bread tips
==================
 Hi, Jim,

 JM> Bread-baking failures was my middle name for the
 JM> last few months again, though I was ashamed to
 JM> admit it here until I figured it out. Jim W helped
 JM> me out the last time by suggesting I increase my
 JM> water or decrease the flour a bit in deep cold
 JM> winter because the heating systems dehydrate the
 JM> flour more than we realize. But that didn't help
 JM> this time and I ate several bricks as sort of
 JM> melba toasts. I finally looked closely at the
 JM> bag of flour I was using and noted it was several
 JM> years old!

 JW> That never happens here as we just keep one bag of each type and
 JW> don't replace it until after we've run out.

 Yeah, well.... I am "helped" in avoiding that hoarding
 tendency since Wegmans doesn't put flour on sale
 any more as far as I can detect, since they adopted
 their "everyday low prices" policy. Meaning prices for
 standards mostly stay at market rates except for a few
 items they know will bring people in, like milk and
 eggs, which are very competitively priced.

 I posted that because I am sure some others,
 like me, presume that certain packaged goods
 will last forever. The flour doesn't taste
 "off" to me yet (though maybe I am acclimated
 to "aged" tastes by now) but apparently it has
 lost some of its original qualities which were
 important for baking. I bet it would make OK
 cookies, since they rely on soda for rising.

 JW> Another tip: yeast love honey. They go
 JW> crazy and have little yeast orgies. Try
 JW> substituting honey for sugar to get a strong rise.

 Ha! I wouldn't dare, when using really fresh flour!
 Honestly, the last batch rose so fast it scared me
 that it might escape the bowl and try to take over
 the kitchen! Seriously, I might try a recipe already
 calling for honey, and optimized for it. To add it
 without adjusting for liquid volumes might cause me
 other problems. I am just glad I have solved the
 mystery of non-rising bread dough again, and now
 I can experiment with other flours and various
 additions without blaming them for my failures.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05

      Title: Spelt Bread for Bread Machines
 Categories: Breads
      Yield: 1 Loaf

      1 pk Active Dry Yeast
      1 c  Warm water
      2 T  Honey
      2 T  Hain(R) Vegetable oil
      1 t  Hain(R) Sea Salt
  3 1/2 c  Arrowhead Mills (R) Spelt
           -Flour

     Add ingredients to machine according to manufacturer's
  instructions. Bake on shortest cycle possible (NOT quick bread
  cycle). If loaf falls and craters during baking cycle, decrease water
  slightly next time.

  Recipe (and commercial specifications) from a bag of Arrowhead Mills
  Spelt Flour. Typed for you by Joan MacDiarmid.

MMMMM

 Joan MacDiarmid
___ Blue Wave/386 v2.30 [NR]
--- Telegard/2/QWK v3.09.g2-sp4/mL
 * Origin: Outpost BBS - bbs.outpostbbs.net - 770-489-1561 (1:18/200)