What are you baking the week of October 27, 2019?

[Mike Nolan]

My claim to fame at Microsoft is that I found a bug in the most commonly used program in history: Microsoft Solitaire. This was back in the Windows 3.1 era. I reported to someone I knew at Microsoft, he took it to the weekly 'bug report' team meeting, and got a huge round of applause.

It had been sort-of fixed in the Windows 5 beta release, but not in the master code library.

[BakerAunt]

Aaron--I measure my flour in the KAF approved way of spooning it into a cup and leveling it off. When the recipe bombed the second time I made it--the time I used KAF's metric weights, I thought it was due to using Bob's Red Mill spelt flour rather than KAF's more expensive spelt. Nope. I went back to volume and got the great result with BRM that I had gotten with KAF's spelt.

[Mike Nolan]

If 1 cup = 4.25 ounces, it should also equal about 120 grams.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Mike, neat bug story. I still love solitaire and it is the only computer game I play.

BA - I tend to do the scoop/level method because that is what my mom taught me. The few times I've used KAF weights instead of volumes, they felt light to me so maybe I'll go with the USDA to start as I convert my recipes

Thanks!

• This reply was modified 5 years ago by aaronatthedoublef.

[Mike Nolan]

The formulas on the BBGA website are all in baker's math format, so they're easy to size up or down as needed. (A lot of them default to 5-10 kg of dough per batch, which is a moderate sized batch for a commercial kitchen.)

The think the secret to making batards and baguettes is to have the right technique for pre-shaping, so that when you start to roll it out it naturally rolls into the desired shape. I also find that if you divide the dough, pre-shape it and let it rest for 10-15 minutes, the final shaping is easier and a lot more consistent. (A rest after dividing and pre-shaping is one of the 12 steps in Jeffrey Hamelman's book.) I find for baguettes and batards I want an oval pre-shape and for boules I want a round one.

When I took my pastry class at SFBI, one lunch break they were making baguettes in the production kitchen, and they invited me to roll out a few. I had hoped to take the weekend baguette class at SFBI but it was cancelled due to low registrations, so I jumped at the chance to roll out some baguettes.

I was pleased that mine came out very much like theirs, enough so that they went onto the rack for baking. Back when I was testing recipes for Peter Reinhart, I made several baguettes every day for about three weeks, so I probably had that technique down pat. When I make Vienna bread, my goal is a loaf that has uniformly sized slices for most of its length, except at the ends.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Thanks for the tips. The pre-shaping will probably help. I was also reading in "Secrets" and it says steam and brushing either with a cornstarch solution or water pre-baking help prevent blowouts so I'll try those too. I may not get to rye again next week depending on when my next first clear comes in. "Secrets" and the Rye Baker both say it use to be cheaper but it certainly is not any more.

I used to make baguettes at the bakery and the first night was challenging but after a dozen or so snakes I started to get the hang of it. We didn't make batards when I was there, sadly, only boules, baguettes, and loaf pan loaves.

[Mike Nolan]

I bought a 50 pound bag of clear flour from Stover & Company in the Pittsburgh area some months ago, it was around $18 for the bag, including tax. That's a bit more than AP, pastry or cake flour, but still a whole lot better than buying it in small bags.

But my older son current lives in the Pittsburgh area, so we usually drive there once or twice a year. Shipping would raise the cost substantially. There may be similar suppliers in your area, though.

BTW, Stover has the Callebaut ruby red callets, 2.5 kg is normally $60 but is currently on sale for $45. That I might be willing to pay shipping on, since we're not going to Pittsburgh for Christmas this year.

[Mike Nolan]

If you take a ball of dough that has rested after scaling, flatten it into a circle, tri-fold that together (top and bottom to the center) and then fold that again along the center and seal the top, you get a pretty good pre-shape for both batards and baguettes. I let that rest seam side down another 5-10 minutes, but that's optional.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Thanks for the batard tips!

First clear is funny. KAF has it at $8.95 for a 3 lb. bag and at NY Bakers it is the same for 5 lbs.

I just spoke to the wholesaler my chef friend recommended who sells to lots of NYC bakeries and he had never heard of it. They don't even have it in their catalogue and they are known for their flours.

I could drive up to KAF. It's a few hours drive if I cannot find it any place closer. NY Bakers is in CA.

[Mike Nolan]

It's probably about a 5-6 hour drive to the Pittsburgh area for you, then.

My former next door neighbor runs the local Sysco office, I had him check his flour suppliers for first clear flour, his flour sales reps had never heard of it either! They did some digging and found that Gold Medal makes it available in the northeast and, oddly enough, on the west coast, but not anywhere in between. He could get it, but would have to order a pallet, which is twenty 50-pound bags.

Stover doesn't always have it in stock, it took me 3 trips to Pittsburgh to be there when they had it available. The brand was Boxer flours, made by Bay State Milling, which are based in Massachusetts but they have an office in Clifton NJ.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Thanks. Looked up Baystate and they are in Quincy MA, closer than KAF but way more traffic-y as I would need to go through Boston traffic. I sent them a request for info and I'll see where they sell the flour.

[Mike Nolan]

For some reason I thought you were in New Jersey.

[BakerAunt]

I'm enjoying the bread discussion and making notes.

I baked my version of Whole Grain Pumpkin Bread (on Nebraska Kitchen site) on Friday afternoon. I used two 9x5 inch Nordic Ware loaf pans with pumpkin design. However, one pan has a darker finish than the other, and it overbaked—not badly, but since I hope to give one of the loaves as a gift, it will be the one we keep. The design did not come out particularly sharp on either, possibly because I had to use old-fashioned oats, as I am out of quick oats. I should have ground them a bit. The breads did release nicely from the pan, thanks to The Grease.

[Mike Nolan]

I won't get it baked this week, but I'm planning to do Jeffrey Hamelman's raisin water bread, from the 2nd edition of his book. I have the first edition, but the recipe (Swiss Farmerhouse Bread) was printed in the BBGA newsletter a few years ago and is also available online here. (It takes 5-7 days just to make the raisin water, which is the only yeast used.)

I haven't decided if I'm going to follow his recipe completely or maybe leave out the walnuts and fold in some cinnamon.

[RiversideLen]

Same old thing, lol, last night I made my sandwich buns topped with KAF's Everything Bagel Topping.

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