My students, like most others who don’t have much experience making bread, often hold themselves back from learning and doing. Though I understand being nervous trying something new for the first time and being afraid of making mistakes, overcoming that fear is paramount to understanding the processes of bread making. Also, if we didn’t make mistakes,… Continue reading Butterflies and jitters
Heat rises releasing steam. Steam pushes, lifts, and separates elastic strands of carefully constructed layers upon layers of dough. This is the payoff for patience and repetitive rolling and folding of dough: light, airy, flaky layers of melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness. All of this is thanks to a process called lamination. Lamination is a process wherein fat… Continue reading Roll, fold, repeat
Baking is a science. You’ve probably heard that before, but what does it really mean? The science (and math) fundamentals of baking have to do with the process and the interaction of the ingredients used. When I teach my students, I focus on the steps to make bread and the functionality of bread ingredients. Once… Continue reading Science of Mixing
Congratulations! You have a sourdough starter (otherwise known as a sourdough culture) and have been diligent about taking care of it. The fruits of your labor are rewarded as your starter is thriving. Now what? It would be a waste to continually feed your culture and watch as carbon dioxide bubbles make it grow. You need… Continue reading Cultured Pancakes
It has been almost a month since I introduced you all and my students to Jane Dough and Jeffrey. It has been quite the learning experience for both myself and my students in a lot of ways. Today’s post is an update about how both starters are doing and some lessons learned along the way. … Continue reading The Perils of Jane Dough and Jeffrey
Recently I had the opportunity to take a class and assist Jeffrey Hamelman of King Arthur Flour. We used and discussed using sourdough starters in baking. I was already teaching it to my students so the timing was serendipitous. Jeffrey was kind enough to share a part of his starter with the participants. He brought the… Continue reading Meet Jane Dough and Jeffrey
“Bread is the biggest alchemy of all.”—Michael Pollan, Cooked: Air Episode Alchemy. A power or process that changes or transforms something in a mysterious or impressive way (from m-w.com). The process of making bread has a transformative property not many other foods can claim. You create with your hands to nourish people. It is a… Continue reading A Common Bread
Kneading English 