[aaronatthedoublef]

Mike - I just checked my KAB bags and they do not tell the thickness. They are thicker than samples I've received from other places so I would guess they are closer to 1 m. Thanks for the tip.

BA - I used to wrap bread in plastic wrap first but I don't anymore. I do that with cakes and scones but not bread.

I put desiccant packs in my bread bags to absorb some of the moisture.
I also save twist ties to close the bags.

[aaronatthedoublef]

I don't think Uno's actually used it. I think it was one pizza maker trashing talking another. The restaurateurs I know around here are major, major trash talkers. They make the worst NBA players look like grade school kids.

But, when someone needs help they are the first people there pitching in.

I need to try grilled pizza sometime before the cold arrives.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Thanks. I'll check out International Plastics.

Am I the only one who re-uses bread bags? I use turkey-size roasting bags to raise dough, especially in the final proof and I've used those over and over.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Thanks Mike and BA. I need an alternative source for bags other than KAB. Clear bags is okay but I couldn't find regular, plastic bread bags like I buy from KAB.

BA - why aren't regular, plastic bread bags reusable? I do it. My mom did it with the bread she bought from the grocery store. Not sure why you need a special bag to reuse it.

[aaronatthedoublef]

I tried something new last night. I thought we were having seven for pizza so I pulled biscuit dough out of the freezer to use as a crust. I pressed it out into a quarter sheet, sauce, and TJ's mozzarella. It was tasty. Violet likes it better than the yeast crust. It is so much easier but much worse in food contents. My yeast crust is lean with about 60% whole grains.

I oiled the quarter sheet (I could have used WAY less) then finished it on the stone. I should have put it onto the stone sooner. I will not make this a weekly offering but I told Kate I need to try some new things. I think next week I'll try ciabatta crust.

The idea came from three places, first, I thought we would have more people so I needed emergency crust! As it turned out we only had three people. Next, I have used pie crust for pizza by accident before I began labeling things in the freezer. Finally, many years ago, someone started a rumor that Uno's - the original before it became the big chain - used Pop 'n Fresh biscuit dough for its crusts.

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[aaronatthedoublef]

I made potato rolls. I'd started with the KAF recipe but it seemed to stiff so this time I upped the hydration to 70% and I'm very happy with the outcome. I may brush the top with egg wash next time to give them some more color.

I was going to make challah but we were out of eggs and by the time I went to the store I'd lost the momentum. I may make it out of cycle. I usually prep it Thursday night or Friday morning. I'm still adjusting to the morning schedule after school started. I make the breakfasts and lunches and get our kids on the bus.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Mike,

I second Joan! You inspired me and I've signed up for the BBGA laminated dough class.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Puff Pastry Party at Mike's!

[aaronatthedoublef]

Choco, challah is complicated for a couple reasons that may not mean anything to anyone who is not Jewish or making it for Jewish friends and boiled, concentrated cider may actually be a help here. Too much juice in bread and, according to the laws of Kosher, it is no longer bread but cake. I've talked to a few people about whether or not this includes all the liquids - honey, oil, eggs, and water/juice (my cider), or if it is just the water to juice ratio. And no one has ever given me a straight answer on this. And a straight answer probably doesn't exist. We are a people who cannot decide if legumes are kosher for Passover or not (and that is a completely different set of rules layered on top of the everyday rules).

From your writing it sounds as if like brown butter and baked sugar the boiling changes the flavor and it is more than just concentrating it. I've found some recipes that will make smaller batches so I may try that but they are labor intensive and take three hours of watching and stirring so I'll have to block that out. Or I can just buy some.

Thanks

[aaronatthedoublef]

Choco, making maple syrup is NOT easy. Now your family are masters at it but I've tried it a couple of times with mixed success.

But, even if I use the boiled cider (purchased or making my own) I'll have to add more water to make up for the water I've taken out of the cider so I might as well just use the regular stuff and find one I like. WF used to have a brand I really like but it has disappeared.

I made mini layer cakes - chocolate cake with coconut buttercream I made a sheet cake and used a round cutter to cut the layers. I should have frozen the layer and done a crumb coat but I lacked the freezer space. I made cake balls with the leftover cake and frosting. Apparently they needed to be rolled in frosting too!

We went to see my son's XC team run and my other son's singing group had an impromptu party so I made a bunch of oatmeal raisin cookies.

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[aaronatthedoublef]

Len - that looks FANTASTIC!

Mike, BA,

I have not tried apple cider vinegar or boiled apple cider. We have vinegar so I can try that but I want things a little more stable and consistent before I start changing things up. I reluctant to start using an ingredient I can only buy from KAB and mostly only mail order so I'll probably just stick with straight cider.

We do have cider mills here. Many are seasonal but we're in apple season now so they should be opening. The bigger ones have cider all year. CT cider production went way down when we passed a law that the farms couldn't use apples from the ground. If I had to guess I would suspect that those places lose a lot of crop to little kids picking and dropping apples.

There are probably five or six farm stands within a few miles of my house. I've been volunteering at a local kitchen and I pass at least two on the way there (it's a five mile drive).

I need to find one I like and then buy a bunch and freeze it.

[aaronatthedoublef]

I've never seen piperade before. It seems like, as Choco says, it would be good any place you used tomato sauce. When we make our own we also try to sneak in some spinach just to get some into our kids.

Peppers and onions (usually sweet sometimes hot) are pretty common here with Italian sausage. Fry the all together. Standard fare outside Fenway before a Red Sox game. Tomatoes would be good addition to that.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Mike,

I really wish you'd figure that out as I have watched that brief scene many times and the only thing I can get is they start with three strands and fold them in half to get six. I've pinged Wise Sons, which is the deli where they filmed this, a couple times. Maybe I'll have to see if they'll let me come out to San Francisco and learn it!

BA - what are malted wheat flakes? What do they do for flavor?

[aaronatthedoublef]

Made more challah yesterday. We were going to friends for a party and we needed a hostess gift. My braid was better than last time but still not where I want it. I am trying to do a four braid from the middle out. I don't remember where I saw the middle out braid technique but I like it because it tends to keep the middle of the challah plump. But it was for three strand not four. So I need to practice this some more. I did not take any pictures unfortunately.

The husband kept smelling the bread then telling everyone else to smell it. I think the apple cider adds a lot to it even if it's in the background. I need a better apple cider though. This one is good but not as good as the local stuff the store used to have.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Thanks for the pie dough Mike.

My impression was that whole meat like steak could spend a little longer in the danger zone than ground meat. I know at Shake Shack they make the burgers in the morning and keep them by the grill in a refrigerator until they cook them. So they come from cold right to cooking.

I let steaks warm up some but I've never let it sit at room temp for four or five hours. And we would have advised customers against it at WF. We always offered to pack things in ice, too as did the cashiers and baggers.

I've seen several chefs say that a could chef can cook a steak to well done without leaving it burned to a cinder. I've never seen it done and my family likes medium rare so I aim for that (and I usually get medium).

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