I think that's true of all the tilt-head models. I assume there's some kind of adjustment mechanism for the bowl-lift models as well.
I assume if you have one of the bowl-scraper beaters (I do not), the dime is likely to move a lot more, so you probably need to set the height using the regular beater.
I measured my rye starter with my pH meter the other day, it came in around 4.7, as I recall, I think 4.0 is the target. I may measure it again the next time I feed it. (The meter works well, but cleaning it afterwards is a bit of work.)
Oh... Well, I just stirred it in. Then I fed it about an hour later.
Next time I'll pour it off. But after reading here and on the BBGA forums that I want my pH to be acidic, I can see why alcohol should be poured off. Maybe if it happens again I'll save it (there wasn't very much) and see if someone will measure it for me.
Thanks
In starter terminology, that liquid is called 'hooch' and is is considered a good thing, but it is a sign that your starter needs to be fed. Most people recommend pouring it off before feeding. Hooch has alcohol in it, but I don't know what proof it is, and I'm not aware of anything you can do with it, if your brewing friends used a refractometer, you could try measuring the amount of alcohol in it. (I'm tempted to order one for testing vinegars.)
My new rye starter is doing very well, I feed it in the evening and by morning it has generally doubled. Neither this rye starter nor the previous one ever generated any hooch, though.
If I've told you all this before, my apologies. When we lived outside of Los Angeles we were less than half an hour from huge fruit and vegetable farms. But all the produce in the store was crap. The stuff in stores was trucked to warehouses in Texas where it was packaged and distributed all over the country. Labor and space were way less expensive. We found farmers' markets and the produce there was from the same farms but was so much better and sometimes, less expensive. When they were in season we would buy huge flats of beautiful strawberries for less than we pay for a quart here. And they wouldn't sell us less than a flat despite the fact that there were only two of us.
A chef friend started going to the docks to pick up seafood because even though he was buying local fish it was being sent offshore to be processed and then shipped back to the US.
So your maple sugar may have come from the VT (who knows) and shipped south because there is a lot of sugar processing that happens there... I've seen imported pineapples and coconuts in Hawaii because it was way less expensive to grow them some place else where land and water are not at a premium.
Thanks BA. The recipe would be great!
This morning it sort of looked as if my starter had separated and had a small pool of liquid on top so I stirred it and it began to bubble again (our kitchen is around 63 most nights). I then fed it and I think I'll try and use it tomorrow.
There are a bunch of recipes I want to try. I am not sure how my family will react.
I have a starter that gets refrigerated. I wake it up by letting it sit out on the counter, where it begins to develop bubbles throughout, then I stir it and use it, then feed it. So, it's not unusual that yours is more active when warmer.
Most directions for starters say to feed the starter, and when it gets bubbly, stir and use. I've always assumed with those starters that they then need to be fed again. I've done some of the KAF recipes that use a bit of starter to get a sponge going, and those seem to work best when my starter has been fed and has had time to get active--bubbling and rising up. (See Jeffery's Rye bread recipe.)
You could start by making a sponge with a cup of the sourdough and some water and flour and letting it sit and get bubbly for about 8 hours before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.
In terms of amount of flour, it depends on how thick your starter is. Mine tends to be "thick liquidy" if that makes any sense. I've found that I need to add about 1/4 cup of flour per cup of starter to KAF recipes.
I usually put a bit of yeast into my sourdoughs, but I've been thinking of trying a straight sourdough and seeing what happens.
If you want, Aaron, I can post the long loaf sourdough recipe that I use. I put it in one of those pans that has the holes in it (has space for two but I usually make one). It comes from Sunset magazine, sometime in the 1980s. It includes a sponge--for sourer flavor--or not for milder.
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This reply was modified 6 years ago by
BakerAunt.
Here's a link to a video of the dime test:
dime test video
My understanding of how KAF operates, from friends who are employee-owners, is that just as KAF works with a small number of farmers who grow the grains, the farmers ship to a small number of mills. After the grains are processed and packaged at the mill, they are shipped to several distribution centers. From there, they fulfill customer orders. The issues are complex, and change from week to week (even day to day) and can differ depending on the distribution center. At the KAF store in Norwich, most of the administrative staff is working from home; however I learned the other day that some of them are now helping man the phone lines, to answer the questions of folks who have never before done any baking. Also, we can call the retail phone number, not the ordering number, to order and pay, and then pick up our order curbside in a couple hours. So far, the local stock of items has been very good; they've been out of a few things, but only for a few days at at time. We are not hearing that "this item is back ordered until June whatever". The shelves in our local stores, however, are pretty much empty of KAF flours, SAF yeast, etc, just like everywhere else.
I went to the Bob's Red Mill site last Wednesday, saw some items were in stock (but limited to two each) and placed an order for 2 bags of whole wheat flour, 2 bags of wheat germ, and 2 bags of steel-cut oats. They seem to have a flat rate of $9.99. They are limiting order to two of each. I don't know if that includes cases, so I did not do any of those. According to the UPS tracker, the order will arrive tomorrow.
I've yet to hear from KAF on the order I placed on April 13, which I only placed because I had Bakers Bucks expiring, and I could not get an answer from KAF on whether that expiration date could be extended. The website showed all three items in stock. I'll give it another week to see if I hear about shipping, then I may need to call.
We did our Tuesday grocery run today. I saw a bag of unbleached Gold Medal flour--and they rarely carry unbleached. Even though it was $4.99, I bought it; with our Tuesday Senior 10% discount, that at least makes the price a bit better, but I could kick myself for only buying one bag at $2.99 when we last went to Kroger on March 13. I noticed that the local grocery seems to be running low on some items, so I went ahead and bought more canola and grapeseed oil.
Meat shortages are supposed to be coming due to the closure of meat packing plants where there were major outbreaks among workers. The one in Logansport is among them.
We had to re-schedule our dog's veterinary appointment, as the vets are taking turns coming to the clinic, and we wanted to get the vet we've been seeing; she is good with herding dogs, as she has some of her own. The vet practice has been sending staff members out to the car to get the animal, but that won't work with our girl, who won't even let my husband take her for a walk without me, and we've had her almost six years. And she is terrified of the vet clinic. Last time we went, she hid under our chairs in the exam room, and the vet was initially puzzled that there was no dog present, perhaps not realizing that 40 lbs. of cattle dog could do that. If the vet agrees, I'll wear a mask and go into a back room with her so that she can get her yearly exam and shots. Otherwise, we will have to postpone it.
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This reply was modified 6 years ago by BakerAunt.
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This reply was modified 6 years ago by BakerAunt.
When I started this thread in 2018, I called myself a fledgling pizza baker. I am still a fledgling in that I've made the KAF Now or Later pizza crust only 4 times, and one of their other recipes once. We like the Now or Later crust, and it must be the semolina in it. Today, I made a cheese pizza (mozzarella, romano, and parm-reggiano. It tasted delicious, but what I liked most was that it wasn't a big deal making it in my small kitchen. I've finally figured out a technique for shaping the dough on parchment (thank you, BakerAunt), baking it, adding ingredients, than baking again. And, where to put pan out of the oven and where to place the pizza for cutting. That's quite an accomplishment, given I didn't think I'd ever make pizza again after the first try.
My pizzas never look as great as Aaron's, but for a fledgling, I'm satisfied. So thanks to all who have posted here for your help with my questions. I may come back with other questions, but I know I'll receive expert responses. And, yes, I'm glad I persevered and didn't give up after my first attempt. The learning curve is an amazing truth.
Note: The Barley Whole Wheat bread (uses cottage cheese) is a delicious soft sandwich bread. I remember why I like this recipe so much.
I decided to experiment with my pizza dough recipe on Sunday by using the Zo to do the kneading. I doubled the dark rye flour and reduced the AP flour. I cut the salt to 1/2 tsp. and the yeast to 1/4 tsp. Once the dough came together, I drizzled in the tablespoon of olive oil. As it kneaded, I decided it needed more moisture and added 1 tsp. of water. The dough rose for two hours. It was easy to fit into the sheet pan. An hour later, I topped it with cooked ground turkey, a variety of halved, cherry tomatoes, sliced large mushrooms, pre-grated low-fat mozzarella, and some coarsely grated Parmesan. I baked for 17 minutes at 450F. I really like the crust which is lighter than when I make it using the mixer. From now on I will use the bread machine’s dough cycle for my thick-crust sourdough pizza.
It requires finding a sawmill that specializes in hardwoods. There aren't as many of them as there used to be. And as someone else noted, a single tree might not be worth the trip.
I'd start by looking for stores that sell walnut wood (but not chain stores) or checking woodworking sites.
Here's one site that came up when I searched for 'buying walnut trees', but they say they're specifically looking for people with acres of trees to sell:
buying walnut trees
I remember years ago when our neighbor wanted to get rid of his walnut tree he had two companies bidding for the wood.
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This reply was modified 6 years ago by
Mike Nolan.
True or false: When a lettuce like buttercrunch (bibb) lettuce flowers, it is no longer edible.
[See the full post at: Daily Quiz for April 26, 2020]
The table wasn't appearing until I clicked on the top.
1 packet of yeast (7 grams) in a pound of flour is about 1.5%. I'm seeing a lot of recent recipes that are more like 1% yeast (based on flour weight.)
And I'm not clear if they're talking about active dry yeast or instant dry yeast, which are two different products (though with a number of similarities these days.)
