Thu. Jul 16th, 2026

Mike Nolan

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Viewing 15 posts - 2,011 through 2,025 (of 8,019 total)
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  • in reply to: What are you Baking the Week of April 16, 2023? #39092
    Mike Nolan
    Keymaster

      I also made semolina bread today.

      in reply to: What are you Baking the Week of April 16, 2023? #39087
      Mike Nolan
      Keymaster

        You may already be doing this, but I'd divide the dough into the amount needed for 4 loaves ahead of the retarded bulk rise, then you can have dough being shaped, rising and baking at the same time, assuming you've got sufficient space. (A small portable rack, like a speed rack, might help, if I launch my subscription bread service, that'll be on my shopping list, I'll just put it in another room on non-baking days. The trick will be to not fill it up with other stuff.)

        in reply to: When a Stand Mixer Has That Burning Smell #39085
        Mike Nolan
        Keymaster

          I've always figured if our 50 year old Hobart-built KA 4.5 quart mixer ever dies (it keeps making grinding/clunking noises) and is judged unrepairable, I'd probably buy another 4.5 quart KA for egg whites, batters and the pasta attachments and something like the Ankarsrum for bread. Where I'd put both of them is a separate issue, might require a counter reorg that I've been putting off for too long anyway

          If I got serious about setting up a subscription bread service, I might want a mixer capable of doing 10-12 pounds of bread dough at a time, and that might be something other than the Ankarsrum.

          in reply to: What are you Baking the Week of April 16, 2023? #39084
          Mike Nolan
          Keymaster

            I use peanut butter in mouse traps as well. They also like chocolate.

            in reply to: What are you Baking the Week of April 16, 2023? #39079
            Mike Nolan
            Keymaster

              I've never heard of using peanut butter to chase away gophers, I wonder if it really works, and why.

              in reply to: What are you Cooking the Week of April 16, 2023? #39076
              Mike Nolan
              Keymaster

                I hope he ate well, Joan.

                This is the first night all week I haven't had a work crisis hit around suppertime, so I finally got my T-bone steak on the grill, though it was a little cold out there, high 40's. I paired that with a baked potato and some sauteed mushrooms.

                in reply to: What are you Baking the Week of April 16, 2023? #39075
                Mike Nolan
                Keymaster

                  I need to make peanut butter cookies tonight

                  in reply to: What are you Baking the Week of April 16, 2023? #39070
                  Mike Nolan
                  Keymaster

                    Although gluten development is not an important part of cookie structure, salt does produce stronger gluten bonds.

                    Also, salt makes something sweet taste sweeter.

                    in reply to: When a Stand Mixer Has That Burning Smell #39066
                    Mike Nolan
                    Keymaster

                      Haven't actually used it, but I've seen several positive references:

                      https://www.mrmixer.store/

                      in reply to: What are you Baking the Week of April 16, 2023? #39062
                      Mike Nolan
                      Keymaster

                        Salt and baking soda, though both have sodium, have very different impacts on both the taste and structure of baked goods, so they're not interchangeable.

                        in reply to: A Different Kind of Pizza Experience #39045
                        Mike Nolan
                        Keymaster

                          Aside from the olives, the filling is basically a piperade (peppers, onions and tomatoes), which make for a good pizza.

                          The last few things I made using sweet peppers bothered Diane's stomach, so I haven't made anything with them lately.

                          in reply to: Two interesting posts on Starter #39043
                          Mike Nolan
                          Keymaster

                            Retired as King Arthur's head baker, Jeffrey Hamelman made a post on the BGGA forums the other day that seems to suggest he keeps a starter that weighs only 15 grams in between feedings and I think he feeds it every day. I wonder if he refrigerates it at all? I'll have to ask him.

                            He build it up a bit ahead of baking, I think, but keeping a starter that small would minimize the waste of throwing out half the starter when it is fed.

                            in reply to: Two interesting posts on Starter #39041
                            Mike Nolan
                            Keymaster

                              The Tartine books are interesting in that he uses very small amounts of starter in most of his recipes, and he prefers what he calls an immature starter, making a levain that has maybe 3-5% starter in it that is used for baking within a day

                              in reply to: Two interesting posts on Starter #39040
                              Mike Nolan
                              Keymaster

                                An article came up on my phone the other day with a headline about people are using too many probiotics and why that's a problem. I didn't read it, but I have read other articles suggesting this trend might be overdone.

                                But by the time the scientists can conduct and publish multi-year time studies on the impact of a heavily probiotic diet (assuming they can get funding for one), the foodies will likely have moved on to something else.

                                in reply to: A Different Kind of Pizza Experience #39039
                                Mike Nolan
                                Keymaster

                                  The more breads I make from the Ginsberg book, the further away they are getting from store-bought rye breads, which I suspect are often no more than 20-30% rye flour. I think we actually prefer the lighter ones over the 75-100% rye flour breads, which are dense and heavy, even when sliced thin, often quite sour, and rather strong tasting.

                                  The Westphalian rye that I made a few weeks back smelled really interesting when baking but was too strong tasting for us. I haven't written that one up yet, because I'm not sure if I consider it a successful interpretation of the recipe, and I'm really not up for doing it a second time yet, either.

                                  I use a ratio of 40% rye to 60% wheat flour when I make Reinhart's marbled rye bread, the original recipe calls for 30/70 (Bread Baker's Apprentice), I also double the caraway.

                                Viewing 15 posts - 2,011 through 2,025 (of 8,019 total)