DUPLICATE MAYBE: PUBLISHED 2017-02-23

Trying Ars Pistorica's sure-fire way of creating a Lb. san franciscensis-based sourdough starter. My first attempt was not so sure fire, although it had a lot of promise.

So as a friend of mine recently asked me to help him with a starter for his restaurant, I thought I might try this method, as it seems faster than others.

It does however depend on some measure of temperature control. So what you'll probably need:

1. Insulated container. Maybe a large insulated cooler. I'm trying my CrockPot instead.
2. Gentle heat source. I'm using a heating pad this time.
3. Good instant-read thermometer. I trust my Thermapen more than my Polder.
4. Quart or gallon-sized ziploc plastic bags. It should be easiest to submerge the mixture this way.
5. Whole grain rye flour and whole grain wheat flour. For this, I went to my local health-food store today and bought 1lb of organic rye berries, and 1lb of organic hard red winter wheat. I plan to lightly grind them in my spice grinder and/or blender to break up the berries into a somewhat coarse flour. Later I used King Arthur Whole Wheat flour as my substrate.

I'm reposting the original formula, with temps in Fahrenheit because I live in the US.


Initial Build  (start: 4/16/2013, 8:00a)
20 g flour, rye, whole-grain
240 g water, 77F (25ºC)

Combine ingredients in a large Ziploc bag and seal, removing all excess air. Fill a large, plastic container (such as a cooler) with water that is 98.6F (37 ºC), ensuring the temperature is exact. Drop the bag into the water, placing something heavy atop it to prevent it from floating. Place the container’s lid on, and let the bag sit for 18 – 24h. Check the water’s temperature often, adding more hot water as needed to maintain a constant 98.6F (37 ºC). (From mariana_aga's blog, a range of 95-104F (35-40C) is recommended for this stage).

My notes: ground 20g of organic rye berries, fed 240g of water, into small Ziploc, which went into 98.6F water in a 4-cup glass measuring cup, on top of a heating pad set to "high", in my oven with the oven light on. I expect this will produce the same level of fizz as the first attempt will.

Refreshment #1 (start: )
100 g flour, wheat, whole-grain

Refreshment #2 (start: )
100 g flour, wheat, whole-grain
45 g water
30 g starter, from refreshment #1

Combine all three ingredients in a bowl, and then mix thoroughly until a homogenous texture is achieved. Let ferment for 24h at 68F - 86F (20 - 30ºC).
Final dough temperature 86F (30 ºC).


Refreshment #3 (start: )
50 g flour, wheat, whole-grain
32.5 g water
4.125 g starter, from refreshment #2 (or the last refreshment)

Combine all three ingredients in a bowl, and then mix thoroughly until a homogenous texture is achieved. Let ferment for 24h at 68F - 86F (20 - 30ºC) in an air-tight, plastic container.
Final dough temperature 86F (30ºC), if day's high temperature is below 84.2F (29ºC), and 68F (20ºC) if day's high-temperature is above 86F (30ºC).


Refreshment #4 (start: 4/14 6:30pm) 
Same quantities as Refreshment #3

Refreshment #5 (start: 4/15 6:00pm) 
Same quantities as Refreshment #3

My notes: I fed with a little bit of whole grain fresh rye today, to see if it would help actually get some leavening going. After 12 hours, still nothing visible: no puffiness, no nothing. Room temp is about 72F today. Gotta say that I'm disappointed in the process so far, especially considering the life that the starter showed in the first 48 hours. I'm going to keep the same batch going but I will try again. 

Refined way of building sourdough - attempt #1 (and #2)

Ars Pistorica writes in his blog about a sure-fire way of creating a Lb. san franciscensis-based sourdough starter. Another write-up from the process can be found here.

So as a friend of mine recently asked me to help him with a starter for his restaurant, I thought I might try this method, as it seems faster than others.

It does however depend on some measure of temperature control. So what you'll probably need:

1. Insulated container. Maybe a large insulated cooler. I'm trying my CrockPot instead.
2. Gentle heat source. You can just keep adding hot water to your cooler, but then keep in mind that it's unclear how long it will be able to maintain that temperature. A fishtank thermometer might work, but their thermostats are generally too cool (most don't go above 90F (32C)). I'm trying a cheap CrockPot. I also bought a heating pad, but generally didn't find it warm enough, nor being able to control the temperature with a lot of accuracy.
3. Good instant-read thermometer. I trust my Thermapen more than my Polder.
4. Quart-sized ziploc plastic bags. It should be easiest to submerge the mixture this way.
5. Whole grain rye flour and whole grain wheat flour. For this, I went to my local health-food store today and bought 1lb of organic rye berries, and 1lb of organic hard red winter wheat. I plan to lightly grind them in my spice grinder and/or blender to break up the berries into a somewhat coarse flour. Later I used King Arthur Whole Wheat flour as my substrate.

I'm reposting the original formula, with temps in Fahrenheit because I live in the US.


Initial Build  (start: 4/10/2013, 8:30pm)
20 g flour, rye, whole-grain
240 g water, 77F (25ºC)

Combine ingredients in a large Ziploc bag and seal, removing all excess air. Fill a large, plastic container (such as a cooler) with water that is 98.6F (37 ºC), ensuring the temperature is exact. Drop the bag into the water, placing something heavy atop it to prevent it from floating. Place the container’s lid on, and let the bag sit for 18 – 24h. Check the water’s temperature often, adding more hot water as needed to maintain a constant 98.6F (37 ºC). (From mariana_aga's blog, a range of 95-104F (35-40C) is recommended for this stage).

My notes: used my CrockPot. Added my 98.6F water and then turned it on HIGH for about 10 min while monitoring the temp every 5 minutes or so until the temp stabilized. It ran a little hot initially, to 100-104F. Generally it was reading around 100F. After 1 hour, it was still reading 100F, so I added some ice water until the temp was 98.6F. Covered the glass top of the crock pot with 2 or 3 towels to keep the heat in (you could probably use foil to help with this too. It didn't keep the temperature that stable, although it kept it above 85F. After 12 hours (8am this morning), it was fizzy/bubbly, like in Mariana_aga's photos, with some foam developing on top.

Refreshment #1. (start: 4/11/2013, 6:00pm)
100 g flour, wheat, whole-grain

Remove the Ziploc bag from the water and add all of the whole-wheat flour. Seal, once again removing all excess air. Lay the bag on a flat surface, and, using your palms, squish the bag back and forth in order to create a homogenous liquid. Place back into the plastic container, adding enough hot water to reach 89.6F (32ºC). As before, check the water’s temperature often, adding more hot water as needed to maintain a constant 89.6F (32ºC). Allow to sit for 18 – 24h.

My notes: at refreshment, definitely smelled vomit-like and rotten, as mariana_aga suggested. Still some foam on top, but now water looked tan and murky, with no obvious effervescence. Ground up 100g of organic hard red winter wheat flour in my spice grinder/coffee mill, squished it around, and back into the CrockPot water bath, with adjusted temp around 89F. I remove the CrockPot ceramic water bowl from its heating container, and instead placed it in my oven, on top of a CVS heating pad set to High and the oven light on. I checked back after  about 2 hours, and the temp was slightly too high (between 100-105F), so I adjusted it downward. After about 12 hours, it was producing a lot of gas (really inflating the ziploc bag), which I deflated slightly to help it sink instead of float. Still a pronounced vomit smell, perhaps slightly more acidic. Temp was about 92F when I checked it this morning, so I added water to get the temp down and let it cool. One of the things I've found most difficult about this method in general is good temperature control. Takes a good bit of time and experimentation to find out what works best. A Brød & Taylor proofer would probably take a lot of the guesswork out of the process.

Refreshment #2 (start: 4/12 7:00pm)
100 g flour, wheat, whole-grain
45 g water
30 g starter, from refreshment #1

Combine all three ingredients in a bowl, and then mix thoroughly until a homogenous texture is achieved. Let ferment for 24h at 68F - 86F (20 - 30ºC).
Final dough temperature 86F (30 ºC).

My notes: still smelled somewhat vomit-y and gagworthy, although much less so. Starting to detect smells of acid and some creaminess; I can't say like stinky cheese, because although I enjoy pungent cheese (like Stilton, etc) I have never smelled cheese as rotten-acid-like as this. Anways, I ground up 100g of my hard red winter wheat in my spice grinder, and kneaded it together. Based on the dilution, after being mixed in it didn't smell offensive at all. Just for kicks, I saved an additional 30g of the refreshment #1 starter, and mixed it in with 45g water and 100g of 50/50 King Arthur whole wheat and Bob's Red Mill unbleached all purpose flour. (I keep a jar of this 50/50 mix for feeding my Tartine style starter). Both went back in the oven with the oven light on, which is in the low 80s, to ferment for 24 hours.


Refreshment #3 (start: 4/13 6:00pm)
50 g flour, wheat, whole-grain
32.5 g water
4.125 g starter, from refreshment #2 (or the last refreshment)

Combine all three ingredients in a bowl, and then mix thoroughly until a homogenous texture is achieved. Let ferment for 24h at 68F - 86F (20 - 30ºC) in an air-tight, plastic container.
Final dough temperature 86F (30ºC), if day's high temperature is below 84.2F (29ºC), and 68F (20ºC) if day's high-temperature is above 86F (30ºC).

My notes: weird smell is almost all gone. Doesn't appear to be any visible leavening.

Refreshment #4 (start: 4/14 6:30pm) 
Same quantities as Refreshment #3


My notes: weird smell basically gone. Smells clean, perhaps yogurt-like. Tasted a little piece at time of refreshment, was pretty sour-tasting, i.e., tart and acidic. Doesn't appear to be any visible leavening. I mixed up 10g of starter with 100g of flour and 100g of water, to see if I could get strong leavening. After 4 hours, there was no action on this mixture, nor 8 nor 16. For the promise that was shown in the first day or two of developing this starter, there is not much action. Room temp is 74F today.

Refreshment #5 (start: 4/15 6:00pm) 
Same quantities as Refreshment #3

My notes: I fed with a little bit of whole grain fresh rye today, to see if it would help actually get some leavening going. After 12 hours, still nothing visible: no puffiness, no nothing. Room temp is about 72F today. Gotta say that I'm disappointed in the process so far, especially considering the life that the starter showed in the first 48 hours. I'm going to keep the same batch going but I will try again. 

Refreshment #6  (start: 4/16 7:00pm) 

My notes: Not much change since refresh #5 (not a lot of visible fermentation activity, no puffiness, still gloopy), so I only threw out about 1/2 of the starter and then fed it again about 50/50. I decided to stash my refreshment #6 in the oven along with the starter #2...yes, early this morning I started my 2nd attempt with this starter method, to work out the kinks. Instead of the crockpot, I used my CVS heating pad, my oven with the light on, and a smaller quart-sized ziploc. With 4 cups of 98.6F water, on top of the heating pad in the oven it held very stable heat between 98-100F.

Refreshment #7  (start: 4/17 6:30pm)

My notes: Finally saw some leavening in the starter! Not a lot, but definitely presence of gas bubbles. Hooray! However this process has been far from "easy". Might as well go with Debra Wink's process, which I've been successful with, in about the same amount of time. On the upside, this new starter is certainly the most sour one I've ever produced, you can taste the sharpness of the acetic acid, but there's some lactic creaminess as well. I think once I'm finally able to bake with it should have good flavor.

Starter #2 went through the same usual bubbly fizziness (lots of visual activity), but it was not nearly as vomit-smelling as #1. Interesting. I fed it with refreshment #1.

Refreshment #8  (start: 4/18 7pm)

My notes: can't say the starter doubled but clearly some leavening going on. So I took about 20g, mixed it with 100g of white flour and 100g of water, and set it in the oven with the other starters (nice warm 85F+) to ferment and see what happens.

Starter #2 was fed with Refreshment #2. Again, this one doesn't smell quite as vomity/pungent as the previous version, which either means it's not working or it's working as expected. Tastes sour kinda like  Starter #1, I doubt I could tell the difference between the two. No visual leavening of it yet though. I feed this one in the mornings before I go to work.


Refreshment #9  (start: 4/19 7pm)

My notes: 


Starter #2 seems stuck as usual. Just a goopy mess. No leavening visible. Smells fine, taste is sour with a bit of that vomity quality. Fed it refreshment #3. The 100g I mixed up had close to tripled (but no more) in 12 hours or so. That's hardly speedy by any means.

Does your sourdough starter actually need pineapple juice?

In 2009, Debra Wink has posted on The Fresh Loaf (my favorite bread-related forum) about her research into the microflora in developing sourdough starter cultures. The suggestion to use pineapple juice (or other high-acid fruit juice) to create more suitably acidic environment to eliminate the early stinky phases of starter development.

Recently, other bakers have suggested that there is no need for acidification to help get a sourdough starter going. Instead, a process using whole grain flours, careful temperature control and an somewhat anerobic environment are purported to help get a starter going in a short period of time.

So what is the role of pineapple juice, or other acids, in combating the "stink" that sometimes develops in a sourdough culture?

I can only share my own (limited) experience: I had a starter that I had neglected for several months in my fridge. It had some sentimental value, as it was developed close to 5 years ago. A month or two ago, I took it out, saved 1-2 tbsp and started to feed it 1-2x per day at room temperature. Even after about 5 days, it still stank in not a pretty way. It was not an "acetone" or "nail polish" stink (which I've had, mostly related to alcoholic fermentation); it was not a pleasantly cheesy "parmesan" stink either (which I've seen in some young starters); it smelled a bit of sweaty feet, somewhere between vinegar, sulfur, and something slighty sharp, almost rotten.

My best guess was that as Debra has suggested, Leuconostoc or other stink-producing bacteria had taken a hold of my culture. So I did what Debra suggested: fed my starter with fruit juice. In my case, I fed it with the juice of a fresh squeezed lemon, and the King Arthur all-purpose wheat flour I usually feed it. I did this only twice. The starter smelled a bit "lemony" for for those 2 days, and then I returned to feeding flour and water as usual. However, after those two days, the nasty "stink" was indeed gone, and has stayed gone for weeks. (I am feeding it more regularly now, maybe weekly, but it still hangs out in the fridge most of the time).

In fact I think both Debra's and Ars Pistorica's methods will work effectively. To me, aspects of both methods are complimentary and do not contradict one another. So if you boil them both down, what are the key elements?

1. Use whole grain flour to start a starter. (I think there is little disagreement that lactic acid bacteria live on most whole grain, and at least one study that backs this up.)
2. Keep it warm but away from light: you want to keep your new starter between 86-98F (30-37C). Light will kill yeast. 
3. Be patient. It will take at least 4 days to get a starter going, under optimum conditions. In less than optimum conditions, it can take 10 days. In addition, many believe that it can take 10 days or more for the overall "flavor" of the starter to improve. 

Dough hydration for beginning bakers

It seems like I respond to these questions too often on TFL.

Lots of beginning bakers (especially those fooling around with sourdough or natural levains) often start with recipes that give sourdough amounts by volume. For example:

To feed your starter, take 1/4c of starter and feed it 1c flour and 1c water.

The issue that I have with this is that using this starter (a very liquid starter) is this: while easy to remember the proportions for feeding, it's much harder to tell when the sourdough starter is fully ripe and ready to use.

Just so we're clear: feeding 1c flour and 1c water does not make a 100% hydration starter. Starter hydration percentage always represents the ratio of flour to water by weight, not volume.

• 1c of white flour weighs typically around 125g, but can weigh 120-140g, depending on how you measure. 
• 1c of water weighs around 236g

This means that a starter fed equal volumes will result in a ~188% hydration starter! (236g water/125g flour)

So what's the problem with this? Here's a very common sourdough recipe that I was investigating:


1 cup active starter (fed using 1c flour and 1c water)
3.5 cups flour
1 cup water
1 tsp salt


Let's translate this common recipe to a weight-based formula:

1/2c flour + 1/2c water = 62.5g + 118g = 180.5g
3.5c flour @ 125g/cup = 437.5g
1c water = 236g
1 tsp salt = 7g

So how does this help? What does this tell us?

First, let's total the flour in the recipe (62.5 + 437.5 = 500g) and water (118+236 = 354g)
354 / 500 = .708, or 70.8% hydration, which is slightly on the high side for a sourdough bread, which tends to get wetter and floppier the longer it ages.

Second, we are using 180.5 / 437.5 = 41% of the final flour in the recipe in starter, which is somewhat high, especially with a liquid starter...this means it will probably ferment really fast, perhaps more quickly than desired for a sourdough, which like all doughs, will develop deeper flavor during longer fermentations.

BTW, if you want to calculate dough hydration easily, Joshua Cronemeyer's online calculator is one of the easiest.

2012 Turkey

Once again, B will have to work tomorrow, which is a bummer.

However, that's not going to stop me from starting a turkey tonight. Insane deals, I bought a 19lb frozen bird from Ralph's for about $12, which I will roast off tonight.

Following my 2010 turkey recipe, I anticipate roasting time of about 3 hours.

Here are some changes from last year:

1. Rosemary and 1/2 onion in cavity, no lemon
2. No butter on outside of skin, only under skin; dry outside well and salt liberally
3. Less butter under skin (only about 4 tbsp)
4. Roast @ 500F for 30 min
5. At about 25min of roasting, added 1c chicken stock and 1c white wine (Pinot Gris)
6. Roast @ 350F for about 3 hours

Results to come...

Abbott's bitters revisited

12/25/11:

My lady got my Parson's "Bitters" book for Christmas, and it has reawakened an interest/hunger to work on some bitters recipes.

"Abbott's Bitters" haven't been made for a long time, but Robert Hess @ DrinkBoy had posted a formula for a reasonable facsimile of Abbott's Bitters.

Here's the formula paraphrased.

4 tbsp gentian root
4 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into quarter-sized disks
4 tbsp cardamom, whole
4 tbsp cassia
4 tbsp whole cloves
10 cups (2.36L, a little more than 3 750mL bottles) vodka or Everclear (grain alcohol)
1 cup sugar
1 cup boiling water

In 5 separate containers (preferably glass), mix one of each herb with 2 cups alcohol. These will form the "tinctures".
Let steep for 10 days, shaking once per day.
Strain each tincture through coffee filter paper, discard the solids, rinse with clean hot water, and return tincture to its container. (It will help to label them to keep track!)
Make caramel sugar syrum: heat sugar in pan until it melts and turns light brown (be careful, don't let it burn or turn too brown, it will continue to cook off-heat).
 Remove from heat, and slowly stir in 1 cup of boiling water. Switch to a whisk to dissolve, and return to heat to dissolve, if necessary.
Next combine the following parts (start with teaspoon or 1/2 teaspoon measures):

1 part gentian tincture
1 part ginger tincture
6 parts cardamom tincture
8 parts cassia tincture
4 parts clove tincture
5 parts caramel sugar syrup

Combine in a bottle with dash top. Enjoy in your favorite cocktail!

Turkey Pot Pie #2

12/4/11: Building off the #1 version from 2009...

Filling

• 2 tbsp turkey fat (or butter)* (see info at start)
• 3/4 c. frozen boiler onions, defrosted, or 1 small onion, minced
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, diced
• 3 tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed (about same size as carrots, celery and boiler onions)
• 1 1/2 c. cubed cooked turkey
• 2 tbsp turkey fat (or butter)
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 c. milk & 2c. turkey/chicken stock (or use half-and-half)
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 3/4c. frozen green peas, defrosted

Preheat oven to 425F.

Add butter to skillet. Cook onion, carrot, celery + spices together for about 2 minutes over high heat. Add potatoes, and cook for 10 minutes. (You are basically "par-cooking" here; remember, the thing is going to bake in the oven!)

In separate pot, make roux from turkey fat + flour, cook for 1 min. Add milk, cook till thickened. Stir turkey and cream sauce into vegetables, and heat for 2 minutes. Mixture should be like a cream of mushroom/clam chowder thickness. If too thick, add more milk/cream; if too thin, let it cook down a few minutes. NOW ADD GREEN PEAS.

Let cool to room temp.

Roll out crust, put in pie pan OR into little ramekins.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, reduce heat, then cook at 350 for 20 more minutes (about 35 minutes total).

Let cool for 10 min, then serve.

Pastry Crust (makes single shell/top crust only)

• 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) crisco/shortening/lard, chilled
• 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) butter, chilled
• 6 ounces (approximately 1 cup) all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling dough
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/4 cup ice water, in spritz bottle
• Approximately 32 ounces of dried beans, for blind baking

Place butter and lard in freezer for 30 minutes. When ready to use, remove and cut both into small pieces.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and salt by pulsing 3 to 4 times.
Add butter and pulse 5 to 6 times until texture looks mealy.
Add lard and pulse another 3 to 4 times. Remove lid of food processor and spritz surface of mixture thoroughly with water.
Replace lid and pulse 5 times. Add more water and pulse again until mixture holds together when squeezed.
Place mixture in large zip-top bag, squeeze together until it forms a ball, and then press into a rounded disk and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

(Results? I seem to recall that this was tasty, now that I'm posting this on 11/21/2012...)

2011 holiday stuffing/dressing

Take two on our own version of B's family stuffing

Makes one 9x13" dish, enough for 12-15 servings, plus one small 6x9 dish.

Prep time: about 1.5 hours

2 bags of Pepperidge Farms Herb Seasoned Stuffing (Note: From the PF web site, looks like 1 bag is 14oz, so 28oz total! We only had Mrs. Cubbinsons, which comes in two 6oz bags per box, so 4 bags/2 boxesm 24oz)

3 medium apples, any kind of RED apple (I used Gala and Fuji this year), peeled cored and rough chopped

2 medium yellow onion, chopped

6 large stalks celery, with leaves, chopped

1 lb of large white mushrooms, rough chopped, about 12-15 count, stems removed (I used 50/50 mix of white and cremini)

1 lb Jimmy Dean Pork Sausage

3 eggs

2 sticks of salted butter

2 tbsp dried basil

2 tbsp dried parsley

2 tbsp fresh rosemary

1 tbsp fresh thyme

2 tbsp fresh parsley

1 tbsp fresh sage

1 tbsp black pepper

2 cans chicken broth (24-28 oz total) (I used part of 1 box of chicken broth, measured out exactly 28oz)

1 tbsp Bell's Seasoning + 1/2 tsp for sprinkling on top

1/4-1/2c extra stock or water

NO SALT! (stock, stuffing mix and butter has salt already, Jackie doesn't add salt)

Instructions

1. Pulse stuffing mix until small dice, like breadcrumb. Set aside in large bowl.
2. In batches, grind celery, apple, onion, and mushroom in the food processor until uniform. (This year, I ground celery and onion, mushroom + some stock, apples + some stock). Remove to separate bowl.
3. Add both cans of broth and eggs to food processor. Add all fresh and dried spices except Bell's. Pulse some more. Add to breadcrumb bowl.
4. In a large skillet, melt 1 stick of butter and brown the sausage in it. At end of cooking, add remaining 1 stick of butter.
5. Pour entire butter/sausage mixture over stuffing.
6. Knead, squeezing thru your fingers to make sure there are no lumps and mixture is uniform and even, 3-5 minutes. (2011: I didn't need to add ANY water, after using the chicken stock)
7. Add Bell's seasoning, "until it smells right". I think 1 tbsp is good.
8. (Let it rest at least 30 minutes. Fry up a small piece in a skillet, taste, and adjust seasoning. This year it tasted very good! Good salt balance, nice flavors)
9. Should look as wet as a meatloaf. Add the extra stock or water if necessary to keep it soft.
10. Pour into 9x13 pyrex baking pan. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 tsp of Bell Seasoning over the top.
11. Cover with plastic wrap and foil, and refrigerate overnight.
12. The next day, preheat oven to 425F.
13. Bake at 425F for 1-1.25hr, and broil for 3 minutes. (Most everything is cooked except the egg, so shouldn't take too long).

RESULTS:

• We'll see tomorrow, updates then...

weight-volume translation

Because of a recent baking post I read, I've been thinking about this some more.

According to a weight-to-volume converter I found online:

• 1kg of wheat flour translates to ~ 1.686L of volume
• 1kg of water translates to 1L of volume

So, thinking out loud & inspired by a related post, I'm guessing the water weight-volume conversion will serve as a good tool for rough estimation. How about this:

• Line a basket/container with a plastic bag
• Fill it full of water up to where you think the size of your doughball will be.
• Weigh the bag of water & write the number down (this becomes NumberA)
• Now place the bag back in the container, and fill the bag up to the top of the container
• Weigh the bag of water & write the number down (this becomes NumberB)

I'm guessing the optimum dough weight for a measured volume will be at least NumberA and Number B. The volume that develops will depend on the dough density and bread style (sourdoughs/hearth breads will weigh more than lean doughs/fluffy white breads).

Loaf sizes

Some standard dough ball sizes that I use when I bake:

Personal pizza, CPK size: 175-200g

14" pizza, thin crust, NYC style: 450g

14" pizza, medium "american" crust (PapaJohn) style: 525-575g

16" pizza, thin crust, NYC style: 600g

16" pizza, medium "american" crust (PapaJohn) style: 650-675g

Regular free-form loaf (boule) of sourdough: 1000g

Small free-form loaf (boule): 750g

"Standard" lean loaf-pan loaf (9.25" x5.25"x2.75"): 800g

Burger & hot dog buns: 92g

Small soft dinner roll: 48g

6"/7" hoagie/sandwich roll: 113g

12" hoagie/sandwich roll: 227g

Demi-baguette, Cheesecake Factory size: 250g

Large pretzel: 155g

Pita: 105g

Cuban bread loaf: 400g

Raisin Bagel: 96g

Bread and loss

Not sadness...not weight loss (really).

How much weight does a glob of dough lose while baking? Estimates are around 7-10%.

Example: a 12" sub sandwich loaf is around 6oz baked.

To calculate:

d - .10d = f

d(1 - .10) = f

d(.9) = f

d = 6oz / .9 = 6.67oz of dough pre-baked to get 6oz baked loaf.

Where d = dough weight in g, and f = final weight in g

Leidenheimer po-boy bread

Listened to a podcast with Sandy Whann, a descendent (and now owner) of Leidenheimer bakery in New Orleans, which provides french bread loaves for po-boys.

Based on my recent trip to NOLA, my recollections of the po-boy bread, and some research online, here's what I've gleaned about the Leidenheimer recipe:

1. Uses a sponge process, which is incorporated into the straight dough
2. Use a proprietary time/temperature/humidity proof
3. Produces a light, flaky, crisp crust, "one that crinkles as it cools into a distinctive 'alligator skin' pattern". Should shatter into small dust or flakes when bitten into.
4. Crumb is cotton-candy like, spongy but dry, fluffy but small-holed (not wispy), very mild, neutral flavor.
5. Crust color is very light golden, if not whitish.

Ingredients from their nutritional info:

• Flour
• Water
• Yeast (2% or less)
• Soybean oil (2% or less)
• Salt (2% or less)
• Sugar (2% or less)
• Wheat Gluten (2% or less)
• Dough conditioners and yeast foods (which I won't include in my finished product) (2% or less)

Based on the texture of the crumb, I think it's safe to say it's not a high-hydration dough, I'm guessing no higher than about 65%, but probably closer to 60%. It's also likely a pretty lean dough.

Here's some info on the dough conditioners & yeast foods that Leidenheimer is using in their French bread (with approximate figures I gathered from the very helpful Lallemand web site):

• Calcium propionate - preservative/mold inhibitor, use level 0.2%, probably added to finished dough (not sponge)
• Ammonium sulfate - yeast nutrient, nitrogen source, use level 0.04%
• Calcium sulfate - pH regulator, raises pH, use level 0.1 - 0.6%

If they are boosting pH, it may mean the water they use is too soft, which suggests (not surprisingly) that water quality is key to consistent product.

Just got back from NOLA; beignets

Got back from NOLA yesterday, what an incredible 4-day splurge of eating. So many good restaurants we ate at:

• Day/Night 1: Cochon for huge dinner feast
• Day/Night 2: Cafe du Monde for breakfast, Central Grocery for muffaletta, Luke for oysters and other happy hour eats, Tracey's on Magazine for catfish poboy and fried pickles dinner, Coquette for drinks, Napoleon House for Pimms Cups, Yo Mama for late-nite peanut butter and bacon hamburgers (insanely good)
• Day/Night 3: swamp tour in morning, August for lunch, Luke for oyster happy hour, Le Foret for dinner
• Day 4: Commander's Palace for excellent jazz brunch, and a pretty good roast-beef po-boy for dinner

I have never eaten so well for so many consecutive days and meals, Got home not too long ago from easter lunch with family, and downloading photos from the trip...got to thinking about beignets!

The Cafe Du Monde box lists the following ingredients in this order, so it's probably an indication by weight

1. enriched wheat flour
2. milk (powder)
3. buttermilk (powder)
4. salt
5. sugar
6. leavening (baking powder, baking soda, and/or yeast)
7. natural and artificial flavoring.

Some thoughts about them:

1. They were not very sweet by themselves, sweetness all came from insane amounts of powdered sugar
2. Almost a little custardy inside, very big holes, like highly hydrated dough. Reminded me of churro interior in terms of dampness and texture
3. Of course very tender!

Some things I observed in person, and confirmed from a YouTube video, the CDM web site, and other online sources:

1. They use Big Chief hotel and restaurant (H&R) flour for the dough (I saw big bags on pallets right outside the restaurant, and I took a photo). This is a bleached, bromated, unenriched white all-purpose flour, between 11.6-12.4% protein, according to the specs, and is milled in Texas for Koerner Co.
2. The dough is sheeted and cut into squares by machine, then thrown right into oil to fry, for about 4 minutes. Unknown temp, although the CDM dry mix instructions say 370F.
3. They use cottonseed oil to fry their dough.
4. The dough should be soft, almost biscuity soft, and should be only very lightly mixed, so as not to form gluten.

I found a few recipes, this beignet recipe looks the most promising, because it doesn't use yeast. I don't think the CDM recipe (nor their model) require rise time, so use of yeast for rising is out of the question.

Anyway, the trip left me inspired, and wanting to cook more N'Awlins food, and go back to visit soon for sure!

blue cheese 4 & wings

Made chicken wings tonight, used the Beacon-style fry method: 350 for 2 min, rest for 15 minutes, then 375 for 7 minutes.

Did the blue cheese dip like #3. The recipe below has not been made, but it's been modified as followed for next time:

• reduced garlic to 1/2 clove; it can be a little pungent
• reduced parsley to 1/4 tsp, and I grind it with my fingers to make it a powder
• add a little salt and pepper

Blue Cheese #4 (TBD)

3 tbsp mayo

3 tbsp plain nonfat yogurt

1/2 clove garlic, minced & ground with salt using knife blade

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp dried parsley

4 tbsp crumbled blue cheese

Mix with fork to really mash those blue cheese nuggets.

Chicken alfredo pizza

Finally, making a pizza tonight that I made for my lady sometime in late 2003 or early 2004, which I made with leftover garlic roasted chicken, which she really liked, but I never made for her again. I had actually made it while was away in wine school, and she hasn't let me live it down :) So here we go!

Alfredo Pizza Sauce

4 tbsp butter

1-2 tbsp garlic

1 c. heavy cream

1/4 c. milk

3/4 c. parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 c. diced mixed white melting cheese (such as 50/50 mozzarella + monterey jack)

1/2 tsp onion powder

1 pinch thyme

1 tiny pinch nutmeg

Salt and black pepper to taste

In small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and a bit of black pepper, and cook for 30 seconds. Add heavy cream and milk all at once. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat t low, add cheese all at once, and whisk continually. Add onion powder, thyme, and nutmeg. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Pizza toppings: diced cheese, alfredo sauce, cooked shredded or diced chicken, chopped garlic, black pepper, minced parsley

Hopefully she'll like it!

Common cooking weights for baking

Some weight estimates for future baking...

(another nice chart, too bad it's in ounces!
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipe/master-weight-chart.html) 

Water: 1 cup = 236g

White flour: 1 cup = typical 125g, but can range from 120g and 140g, depending on flour scooping/sifting method and humidity.

Yeast: approx 2.25tsp = 7.1g, so 1 tsp = approx 3.156g

Salt: this runs the gamut, depending on salt type.

Table Salt: 1 tsp of Morton's Iodized Table Salt = 6.86g average
Lowest: 6.1g
Highest: 8.1g

Kosher Salt: 1 tsp of Morton's Coarse Kosher Salt = 4.766g average
Lowest: 4.2g
Highest: 5.2g

Baking Powder: 1 tsp of Clabber Girl baking powder = 4.167g
(rule of thumb: 1 tsp per 1 cup of flour)

White Sugar: 1 cup = 200.14g, 1 tbsp = 12.5g

Brown Sugar: 1 cup = 195g, 1 tbsp = 12.2g

Shortening: 1 cup = 205.5g

Butter: 1 tbsp = 14g, 1 stick = 1/4 lb (113g) 

sloppy giuseppe

I made timpano this weekend for a food-themed party, turned out will, will post the recipe shortly.

My lady bought more ground meat than was necessary, so I had a big batch of leftover ground meat sauce, made up of beef, turkey, and italian sausage. I also had some piquillo peppers left over from a chorizo pizza that I made on Friday night. Got me to thinking...

So, without further adieu, my "Sloppy Guiseppe", based on a sloppy joes recipe on allrecipes.com

Sloppy Guiseppes

1 lb leftover cooked ground meat
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper (or whatever pepper you have)
1 carrot, finely grated
1/2 tsp fresh minced garlic
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
3/4 cup ketchup
3 tsp brown sugar
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a medium skillet over medium heat, saute the onion, pepper, carrot and garlic.
2. Add meat, then add all remaining ingredients, bring to boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Serve on nice rolls.

coquille st. jacques, aka scallops

Everywhere we went in France, when we ate scallops, they all had this little bitty orange "tail" on them. Tasted fine and meaty just like a scallop. I never see them here in California.

Watching an America's Test Kitchen episode about scallops and they were interviewing some New England fisherman lady who was demonstrating how to shuck scallops.

I was dismayed to see her demonstrate (and say) that in the US, they throw the coral (a.k.a. scallop roe) away. Damn. What a waste. From what I recall, it's just as tasty as the scallop meat.

Dave Lieberman's Cauliflower Soup

Made this a week or two ago. A very simple dinner, with good fresh bread, delicious. Consider adding a bit of fresh cream for extra richness, but perfectly good as-is.

Cauliflower Soup and Parmesan Crisps

Courtesy of Dave Lieberman and Food Network

Ingredients

Soup:

1 head cauliflower

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 quart low-sodium chicken stock

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Crisps:

1 cup shredded Parmesan

Chopped chives, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove the leaves and thick core from the cauliflower, coarsely chop, and reserve. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Cook until softened, but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the cauliflower and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the cauliflower is very soft and falling apart, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and, using a hand held immersion blender, puree the soup, or puree in small batches in a blender and return it to the pot. Add the Parmesan and stir until smooth. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Meanwhile, make the Parmesan crisps:

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spread the shredded cheese over the foil in 1 even thin layer. Bake about 10 minutes until golden brown and crisps. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes. Break sheet of crisp cheese into large pieces and garnish each soup bowl with a couple shards and a pinch of fresh chives.

DDD carnitas

This is my abstraction of a Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (DDD) recipe that I saw for carnitas in 2009. The recipe comes from Guy Fieri's visit to Los Taquitos Mexican Food Grill, in Phoenix, AZ, where the Ochoa family makes traditional Mexican cuisine.

Los Taquitos Carnitas

One Pork shoulder, bone-in, probably 6-8lbs.

2 cinnamon sticks

1 head garlic, with top sliced off

1-2 cups condensed milk

1-2 cups cola

1 tbsp salt

Water (to almost cover)

1. Trim a little fat off the top of the pork shoulder, but leave some on for flavor.
2. Slice the pork a bit, but leave bone in
3. In a large pot, place pork, 2 cinnamon sticks, garlic, condensed milk, cola, salt, and water to almost cover.
4. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer, simmer 2 hours in covered pot.
5. Remove meat and shred.

Once shredded, you can throw it on the grill with some oil to get crisp. Make tacos or burrito, with some pico de gallo.