[aaronatthedoublef]

Thanks for all the tips on starters. Looks like I'll need a week at home and then I will be good to go after that.

[aaronatthedoublef]

On the last episode of the "Kids Baking Championship" a little girl said to a little boy "Now a cup of butter is four ounces, right?" And the boy said "yes." Needless to say, her blondies did not come out right and she ended up being sent home!

[aaronatthedoublef]

I cheated and looked up how to calculate the volume of a sphere.

[aaronatthedoublef]

They all look beautiful! Does the Old Milwaukee rye have Old Milwaukee? Does it even still exist?

I am envious of you folks.

I have a question about starters. If I make one a nd have it going and tend it on Mondday morning then leave it until Thursday night, will it be okay? What happens to your starters when you go on a trip? Mike, you go visit family in Pittsburgh so what happens to your starter then?

Thanks

[aaronatthedoublef]

Beware of text messages with package notifications. Looks like the scammers have already caught on!

• This reply was modified 5 years, 8 months ago by aaronatthedoublef.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 8 months ago by aaronatthedoublef.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Hi Mike. I have not used any recipes from Ginsberg. I have used recipes from George Greenstein Secrets of a Jewish Baker (which is really 90% bread) and Marcy Goldman's Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking which has been my go-to Jewish recipe book for about 20 years. After trying things from both I combined them and then modified it based on some advice from Ginsberg's blog. So I make a caraway rye with about %35-40 first clear and the rest bread flower. I use a starter which I remake every time as I don't really have a place to keep a sourdough starter that I keep going.

Ms. Goldman's recipes produce good results and are simpler and less fussy than many others. It was a great place for me to start learning when I was starting out on my own. She is Canadian and, sadly, is not very well known in the US.

I am also now traveling four days a week for work so I don't know if I could maintain a starter. I will need to train my kids. I am going to teach them to make pizza dough so they can make when I am on the road.

Both FedEx and UPS rely very heavily on USPS for moving many of their packages handling the last mile themselves. This is true too for Amazon although less true in places where they offer two hour delivery.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Hi CM. I am near North Haven. It's about 45 minutes. Thanks for the tip. The Sheep and Wool festival sound like a fun weekend activity!

[aaronatthedoublef]

Thanks CM! This is great.

I usually buy from Costco, which by me has Vermont/New Hampshire (down at my in-laws they have Canadian). If I don't buy from Costco I buy from Trader Joe's. I try very hard not to buy Canadian. BA, I may check out the VT Country Store.

Ironically, it's hard to find CT maple syrup even though I am in CT. I do not tend to see it at farmer's markets and the only farm near me that makes it is the Four H farm. May have to buy some from them next time they have a sale.

[aaronatthedoublef]

I went to the Dakin Farms website. I used to buy my syrup there and they had grade A and B. They no longer carry a grade B. They have grade A amber and grade A dark. Dark is what used to be grade B according to the folks on the chat line.

FYI, their syrup is great but pretty expensive. That's why I stopped buying it.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 8 months ago by aaronatthedoublef.

[aaronatthedoublef]

True! That's why it will work in biscuits and pancakes and such - because they have chemical leaveners.

Pie crust doesn't need to rise.

But it probably wouldn't work in puff pastry and choux.

Thanks

[aaronatthedoublef]

Just read PJ's blog and it was VERY useful. I will definitely let my butter go a little longer next time.

And apparently it will work in pie crusts. I'd wondered if laminated doughs would be okay.

And brown the butter reduces the water in it which probably explains why my shortbread dough was crumbly.

I wonder if I could short cut this by melting my butter first in the microwave and then putting it over heat.

Thanks again!

• This reply was modified 5 years, 8 months ago by aaronatthedoublef.

[aaronatthedoublef]

I wonder how many people confuse cold shrimp with raw shrimp. I used to wait tables and many thought the shrimp in the shrimp cocktail were raw. But they were cooked and then chilled.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Thanks BA! I always like reading PJ Hamel.

In things that are very simple without a lot of ingredients, brown butter is supposed to make a big difference. It was definitely noticeable in my shortbread. I might try it in biscuits or scones and maybe pie crust.

[aaronatthedoublef]

BA, baking soda and acid definitely add lift. Most kids first science experiment it mixing baking soda and vinegar and it's that same reaction in baking.

I just make one big batch of pancakes. They all are eaten. Sometimes I wonder if they are in my sons' mouths long enough for them to taste them.

Thanks

[aaronatthedoublef]

The snickerdoodle bread looks great! And it might be a good alternative to coffeecake as it has canola oil instead of butter!

BA, is the extra baking soda with buttermilk for lift or for acid taming? Buttermilk has more acid than milk and the lifting power of baking soda tends to dissipate quickly. In my pancakes it gives some rise for the first couple of batches and then appears gone.

[Author]

Posts