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The test for the virtual pizza party went well, so I've asked Aaron to post a link everyone can use on Saturday at 6:30 PM CT.
If your computer doesn't have a camera or you have bandwidth issues, you can always join us audio-only. That should even work for many cell phones.
Don't worry if the computer doesn't reach the kitchen, set it up so we can see you and your finished pizzas on the table.
As we cut further into the chocolate chip challah, we're finding that the center is a little underdone, so if you make it, keep the size reasonable; a long loaf is OK, a fat one could have the same problem. Any time you bake with chocolate, you're always dealing with having the dough done without scorching the chocolate.
I like the taste of this bread with just a touch of cinnamon in the dough, I'm thinking I may try to convert this recipe into a cinnamon-raisin version.
We seldom bother to frost a crazy cake/cake-in-a-pan, angel food cake is another one that really doesn't need frosting. A white or yellow cake is pretty dull without frosting.
Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake really needs the frosting, it is an integral part of the experience. I think I finally managed to make one with too much frosting on it, for a long time I wasn't sure that was even possible.
I ordered the mold I linked to upthread, and it is actually about 4 inches long (I updated the earlier post), which makes it much easier to use for making your own chocolate batons for pain au chocolat. Next time I create a pot of tempered chocolate, I'll make some of these.
I think the downtown farmer's market on Saturdays here is planning to open either this weekend or next. The Sunday one that is a lot closer to us (and has free parking) is still talking about opening in early June.
The recipe I've been playing around with lately uses both some starter and a small amount of commercial yeast. I may try a 100% sourdough bread next time.
What I've been doing is creating what Chad Robertson calls an 'immature starter' by taking a very small amount of my rye starter and inoculating enough wheat flour and water to do the recipe, then letting it sit overnight, by which time it is quite active.
His method, with a non-refrigerated starter, tends to favor lactic acid producing bacteria over acetic acid producing bacteria, which will tend to dominate in a cooler environment. I think it makes for a less sour tasting bread but still with the benefits of a sourdough.
Deb is a microbiologist by training and put her training into practical use in her own kitchen. I think Reinhart's BBA book goes into some length about how the pineapple juice method was developed via posts on the original KAF Baking Circle.
I've had some interesting email discussions with her, and was sorely disappointed when her sourdough class was cancelled in March. She posts periodically on the BBGA forum. I've suggested she should do a book, but I can tell you from direct observation that writing a book is a LOT of work.
The marinade at Chick-Fil-A has garlic in it, which is why we stopped going there.
Gotta have some easier ones from time to time. 🙂
I've tried turning it around and flipping it upside down on a 3-strand braid, if you're careful there's not much difference. The key is to use the same amount of tension throughout, otherwise the dough stretches and your inner links are a lot fatter than the ends.
The oven light will produce a warm environment for proofing dough, prop the door open a little if it is too warm. My small oven has a 'proof' cycle, all it does is turn on the light, though, and the temperature gets to about 105, which I think is a bit too warm for most doughs. The bigger oven doesn't get as warm, it gets to the mid 80's.
I like proofing dough at a temperature between 70 and 74.
I've got a seed starter heating pad, I've used it under a cooling rack a couple of times.
I've got an online class tonight (HTML5 and CSS), let's shoot for tomorrow.
If you make the chocolate chip challah, it has really LONG rise times, I should probably have given it at least another hour in final proof. I made it with SAF Gold yeast. The recipe calls for ADY that is proofed, but I don't currently have any. James Beard's Monkey Bread recipe was one recipe where I found proofed ADY really outperformed IDY, though I never tried it with SAF Gold, because I didn't have any at the time.
The challah is very tasty, I cut the amount of cinnamon in the dough overall and added it, plus a little more, to the 3rd strand so that I had one dark chocolate strand, one strand heavy on chocolate chips, and one strand with extra cinnamon.
I need to make some practice dough to practice a six-strand braid, I've watched a number of videos, they make it look easy. (I'm still not sure if the method in 'Deli Man' is the same as the classic 6 strand braid, even though Jeffrey Hamelman says it is.)
At just over 57% hydration, that's a low hydration dough. I've been playing with a recipe that is 70% hydration, and it is challenging.
Let's get through the virtual pizza party on Saturday first. 🙂
Here's a picture of the chocolate chip challah, you can see where one of the strands basically got pulled apart by the one underneath it expanding.
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