Mike Nolan

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  • in reply to: Scoring bread #28868
    Mike Nolan
    Keymaster

      I've tried several lames, the one I like best is a holder for a double-edge razor blade that I got at SFBI, but most of the time I wind up using a 7 inch knife.

      I've been tempted to buy a surgeon's bistoury, but I really think the problem isn't the blade, it's the dough. Some days it slices beautifully, other days with the same dough recipe it is like slicing peanut butter, it stick to everything.

      I'm going to try a different way of proofing my doughs, I bought a plastic storage box that fits over my 3/4 sheet pans, that way I don't have to cover them with plastic wrap and I can use some hot water to raise the humidity, a bit more like a professional proofing cabinet.

      in reply to: What are you Cooking the Week of February 28, 2021? #28866
      Mike Nolan
      Keymaster

        Tonight's pizza was really good with a thin but crisp crust. I put some ham on half of it, it was good but probably not something I'd do very often.

        in reply to: Scoring bread #28865
        Mike Nolan
        Keymaster

          I haven't done any of the BBGA online courses yet, they're a suggested fee of $125, and I think that's a bit steep for less than a half-day of online training, especially since I'm a hands-on learning person. But if Debra Wink does her sourdough class online, I'd probably take that one. (I was scheduled to go to Texas for her two day seminar on sourdough when Covid started cancelling everything.)

          in reply to: What are you Cooking the Week of February 28, 2021? #28864
          Mike Nolan
          Keymaster

            I'm planning to rebuild a rye starter again, I may try using that on my Roman/semolina crust with an overnight retarded ferment.

            in reply to: Scoring bread #28854
            Mike Nolan
            Keymaster

              Chatham is also running a course in April on using stencils and dyes to decorate breads. I'm thinking of taking that one, too.

              I saw an example of a bread that was shaped as a boule and then scissors were used to cut a fancy pattern in it, probably beyond my limited artistic skills, though.

              in reply to: Challah Artistry #28853
              Mike Nolan
              Keymaster

                No eggs in his dough recipe, but it does have sunflower oil and he uses an egg yolk wash.

                There are some vegan challah recipes out there, and one site claims it is OK to use either egg or olive oil, so I guess it is possible to make challah without egg.

                I may have to make a small batch of his dough just to see how it feels and what it tastes like. I usually use the challah recipe in BBA, and it is pretty eggy. One thing I've noticed when trying to braid it is that the strands will start to puff up again right after they're rolled out, so by the time you have 8 of them done you've got to de-gas them all.

                in reply to: What are you Baking the Week of February 21, 2021? #28845
                Mike Nolan
                Keymaster

                  I started a batch of pizza dough tonight, Sunday will be Pizza Day.

                  in reply to: What are you Baking the Week of February 21, 2021? #28844
                  Mike Nolan
                  Keymaster

                    I wasn't patient enough with my rye bread and got blowouts along the length of both loaves. Doesn't ruin the taste, though.

                    We're in the middle of a thunderstorm, believe it or not!

                    in reply to: Challah Artistry #28836
                    Mike Nolan
                    Keymaster

                      Interestingly enough, his Challah dough recipe, which you can get if you subscribe to his site, doesn't have any egg in it, though he does use an egg yolk wash. It does have sugar and sunflower oil in it.

                      One of the items on his Instagram page is a braided loaf that looks like it must be made from a dozen or more strands. (He doesn't say how many, though he does ask for guesses, so maybe he'll post the right answer some time.)

                      in reply to: What are you Cooking the Week of February 21, 2021 #28835
                      Mike Nolan
                      Keymaster

                        We are having ham on rye bread and potatoes au gratin.

                        in reply to: What are you Baking the Week of February 21, 2021? #28832
                        Mike Nolan
                        Keymaster

                          I'm making the BBA marbled rye bread, though I did use 9 ounces of medium rye per batch instead of 6 ounces of white rye, reducing the white/clear flour by 3 ounces.

                          in reply to: What are you Cooking the Week of February 21, 2021 #28817
                          Mike Nolan
                          Keymaster

                            Lodge may make a cast iron pan that fits in your Breville.

                            in reply to: What are you Cooking the Week of February 21, 2021 #28813
                            Mike Nolan
                            Keymaster

                              Leftovers here, I had some minor dental work this afternoon, so mac and cheese is probably all I'm up for anyway.

                              in reply to: What are you Cooking the Week of February 21, 2021 #28806
                              Mike Nolan
                              Keymaster

                                We kept it simple today, macaroni and cheese. My wife added Havarti cheese to hers, I added some left over ground beef and mushroom soup to mine.

                                in reply to: What are you Cooking the Week of February 14, 2021? #28803
                                Mike Nolan
                                Keymaster

                                  I was able to find the kringle recipe on the Food Network site, but it wasn't coming up on their recipes index. I think they've cleared out a lot of the older recipes from their index.

                                Viewing 15 posts - 3,646 through 3,660 (of 7,717 total)