Seems the sourdough starter I made last month is a bit of a touchy customer. Since I use it quite a bit I’ve gotten used to just letting it sit out on the kitchen counter 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Yet now that it’s really warm I’ve had a bit of trouble. […]
READ ONIn the world of bread there are two main periods of dough rising. There’s the period right after the dough is mixed, which is usually just called “rising”, though some fancy-pants baking types call it “primary fermentation” or “bulk fermentation”. “Proofing” is the period of rising that happens after your dough is shaped into a […]
READ ONIf you’ve had a moment to look over the sourdough recipe from this week, you were probably struck by how much time this recipe takes. Up to 15 hours to ripen the dough in the refrigerator, plus another 6 or more in the shaping, proofing and baking stages. Such is the price that has to […]
READ ONThe wife has been asking for chocolate croissants for months now, and I’ve continually put her off. Well, I can do so no longer. But it’s not easy to find a good online recipe for chocolate croissants to link to. My favorite croissant dough recipe is from the contemporary classic Baking with Julia. I did […]
READ ONI finally finished Michael Pollan’s new book Omnivore’s Dilemma last night. I’m embarrassed to say it took me over a week. But then, given how much I enjoyed his previous book, The Botany of Desire, I didn’t want to rush things. Top-notch creative nonfiction is a rare and precious commodity, especially when the topic is […]
READ ONPecans are distinctively American nuts. Not only did they originate here, (somewhere in the central southern US), they’ve never really caught on anywhere else. It may be because the pecan isn’t all that distinctive as compared to the world’s other great nuts. It may be because it has a fantastically hard shell (the Algonquin word […]
READ ONJust about all it really takes to make peanut butter are peanuts, salt and a grinder. I myself remember when instant peanut butter-making machines were all the rage, back in the 70’s. Just an electric grinder with a hopper full of roasted peanuts on top was all they were. A gift shop in the suburb […]
READ ONPeanuts are members of that great family of agricultural gifts that the New World gave to the old (other notables include corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, beans, sunflowers, chocolate and tobacco). Call ‘em goobers, groundnuts, pinders or monkey nuts, they all bring a smile to your face. What is it about the peanut that it’s […]
READ ONBeing a good baker means being at least a little (or a lot) uptight. The vast, vast (did I say vast?) majority of baking errors are a direct result of bad measurement. Either via a lack of willingness, or a lack of proper tools. If it’s the former, you might as well just drop this […]
READ ONLast week’s biscuit crust disaster humbled me, so this week we’re returning to the tried and true in world of pizza…yeast. Careful attention to the recipe will reveal that I’ve cut down the proportions to fit a 10″ or 11″ springform or tart pan. The reason is simply that my big old standard 14″ Chicago […]
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