Flour-A treatise from the Artisan
Prelude: Attempting to describe the difference between flour in Italy and the United States presents a number of challenges because there is no single source of definitive explanation and definitions. What follows is a review of literature and included information excerpted from a variety of Italian and English language texts.
http://home.earthlink.net/~ggda/Flours_One.htm
Norma
Pizzas
Preferment for Lehmann Dough Pizzas
Crust of Pizza
Rim of Preferment Lehmann Formula
Sicilian Pizza
Sicilian Pizza with Preferment for Lehmann Dough
At my mom's home getting ready to bake in her gas oven
click on picture to go to post
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Technical Articles from Bread Lines including articles from Didier Rosada ..A very good article to read about making dough and all that goes into making dough!
This article is about Mixing and Techniques- Part 1 by Didier Rosada.
http://www.bbga.org/bread
The entire article is at this link by Didier Rosada. Mixing and Techiniques-Part I excerpted from Breadlines 2002 Volume 10 Issue 3
http://www.bbga.org/files//bbga.19.2.techarticle.pdf
Norma
http://www.bbga.org/bread
The entire article is at this link by Didier Rosada. Mixing and Techiniques-Part I excerpted from Breadlines 2002 Volume 10 Issue 3
http://www.bbga.org/files//bbga.19.2.techarticle.pdf
Norma
Interesting part in this article by Didier Rosada at the end of the article about BM Harvest King/Better for Bread flour
Didier Rosada made an initial suggestion of which brands of flours to use. Then, in 1998, General Mills released Harvest King flour, a competitively-priced, winter-wheat, unbleached, unbromoted enriched flour. Most flours on the market were formulated for rough factory machine-handling, but Harvest King was intended to respond best to artisanal baking and hand molding. It is now the bakery's main flour. The bakery uses five different flours each week, all coming in 50 lb bags: 70 bags of Harvest King white bread flour, 10 bags or organic bread flour, 2 bags of medium rye, 2 bags of dark rye, and 2 bags whole wheat. That makes 4300 lbs per week.
http://home.earthlink.net/~ggda/Flours_One.htm
Norma
http://home.earthlink.net/~ggda/Flours_One.htm
Norma
Explore the life of a Sourdough: by Didier Rosada
For a long time , this method of baking remained mysterious to bakers. With the evolution of baking science and microbiology in particular, this natural fermentation process has become more understood. Whether you use scratch methods, bases or frozen dough, a clear understanding of the science and production steps in the sourdough process is essential to create variety, quality and consistency in your artisan bread line.
The sourdough process consists of three parts-starting a culture of microorganisms, cultivating them to increase their quantity, and using the resulting levain to ferment the final dough. After using the levain, the baker perpetuates the culture by adding more flour and water to maintain its activity.
Rest of article from Didier Rosada.
http://www.bakerconnection.com/artisanbaker/article_02.htm
Norma
The sourdough process consists of three parts-starting a culture of microorganisms, cultivating them to increase their quantity, and using the resulting levain to ferment the final dough. After using the levain, the baker perpetuates the culture by adding more flour and water to maintain its activity.
Rest of article from Didier Rosada.
http://www.bakerconnection.com/artisanbaker/article_02.htm
Norma
Friday, September 16, 2011
Flour combination sweetens whole grain bread by: Didier Rosada
Flour combination sweetens whole grain bread by: Didier Rosada
No refined white flour is used in this formula. This maintains the integrity of the whole kernel of wheat, which is naturally rich in fibers, minerals and vitamins. In addition, to improve the nutritional value, the formula incorporates a soaker made with seeds rich in minerals and fiber, including flax seeds (loaded with Omega-3 fatty acids), sunflower seeds, rolled oats and sesame seed. You can use other seeds, as long as you maintain the correct ratio of seeds-to-dough weight. Otherwise, the bread can be too dense, not have enough volume or have an unpleasant crust.
No refined white flour is used in this formula. This maintains the integrity of the whole kernel of wheat, which is naturally rich in fibers, minerals and vitamins. In addition, to improve the nutritional value, the formula incorporates a soaker made with seeds rich in minerals and fiber, including flax seeds (loaded with Omega-3 fatty acids), sunflower seeds, rolled oats and sesame seed. You can use other seeds, as long as you maintain the correct ratio of seeds-to-dough weight. Otherwise, the bread can be too dense, not have enough volume or have an unpleasant crust.
Norma
The Joys of owing a small pizza business...Lol 9/16/2011
There are joys and times I am happy I own a very small pizza business. I like to learn about different styles of pizzas and experiment to see what kind of results I can achieve. I also get to talk to nice customers and learn from other people that make different kinds of pizza.
This last week and some other weeks, when there are problems with something at market, are one of the times when I really wonder about owning your own small business. Since I am own a small pizza business most of the work needs to be done by myself. There can be a problems sometimes, because I am not the best carpenter or fixer-upper. I can do some work by myself, but it is always a challenge. Last week from all the raining and storms, my deck oven vent was really leaking. The leaking managed to go onto the floor tiles and then a lot of them loosened up. Tuesday was a nightmare in trying to avoid tripping over the loose tiles. I knew I had to do something about the loose tiles. I went shopping to get some more tiles like I had laid before, but there weren't any like those tiles, so I had to try and get something that matched somewhat. Then it was off to get that sticky stuff that holds the tiles in place. I pulled up and scraped the tiles that were loose yesterday and today, did manage to get the new tiles laid today. What a sticky mess, but at least I won't be tripping over loose tiles anymore. The market manager got his maintenance men to start fixing my ceiling and where the water was coming in at the deck oven vent. At least I didn't have to tackle that. This was only one problems that happens when you own a small business and have to do things yourself. lol The small train that crosses the tracks at market was going by on my way to market today.
Norma
This last week and some other weeks, when there are problems with something at market, are one of the times when I really wonder about owning your own small business. Since I am own a small pizza business most of the work needs to be done by myself. There can be a problems sometimes, because I am not the best carpenter or fixer-upper. I can do some work by myself, but it is always a challenge. Last week from all the raining and storms, my deck oven vent was really leaking. The leaking managed to go onto the floor tiles and then a lot of them loosened up. Tuesday was a nightmare in trying to avoid tripping over the loose tiles. I knew I had to do something about the loose tiles. I went shopping to get some more tiles like I had laid before, but there weren't any like those tiles, so I had to try and get something that matched somewhat. Then it was off to get that sticky stuff that holds the tiles in place. I pulled up and scraped the tiles that were loose yesterday and today, did manage to get the new tiles laid today. What a sticky mess, but at least I won't be tripping over loose tiles anymore. The market manager got his maintenance men to start fixing my ceiling and where the water was coming in at the deck oven vent. At least I didn't have to tackle that. This was only one problems that happens when you own a small business and have to do things yourself. lol The small train that crosses the tracks at market was going by on my way to market today.
Norma
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Bakes with preferment Lehmann doughs..Regular NY style, Greek Pizzas, and cheesy breadsticks... 9/13/2011
This post is just to compare my bakes last week with the commingled doughs, and also comparing some of my Greek Style pizzas made last week with different amounts of manteca added to the steel pan. This post is also to compare the bread sticks I had made from the commingled dough last week at Reply
I haven’t really compared my bake times for a long while since I had played around with using different temperatures in the deck oven. I did time a lot of regular pizzas made with the preferment Lehmann dough yesterday. The bake temperatures were running between 500-525 degrees F. My bake times on all the pies that I did time were between 4 ½ minutes to 5 minutes. I wouldn’t think the pies would bake that fast with the lower temperatures, but they do. I also didn’t take any videos of Steve cutting the regular preferment Lehmann pizzas, but all of them do have a crunch when cut. Maybe next week, if I remember, I will take a few videos of the preferment Lehmann pizzas being cut. It now makes me wonder what temperatures other pizza operators are running their deck oven at and what are their bake times.
For the first Greek style pizza made, the steel pan was oiled with 2 tablespoons manteca. As can be seen, there was a lot of oil left in the pan after the bake. For the other Greek style pizza, made later in the evening for a customer that wanted a whole Greek style pizza, I only used 1 tablespoon of manteca to grease the steel pan. There still was manteca left in the pan after the bake. I don’t know if my steel pans are becoming more seasoned or what, but it doesn’t seem like I need as much manteca to grease the pans. The bottoms still have a nice crunch either way. The only problem I now might have is the Mexican store where I purchased the Mexican manteca was flooded in the storms we had last week. When I went past the Mexican store recently, the store is empty, and I am not sure if they had insurance. or if they are going to open again.
For the cheesy breadsticks I did open the dough balls up by hand this week. I had been rolling the dough with my rolling pin for awhile. I don’t know what other members think, but I think I do like the cheesy breadsticks better, when they are opened by hand.
Norma
I haven’t really compared my bake times for a long while since I had played around with using different temperatures in the deck oven. I did time a lot of regular pizzas made with the preferment Lehmann dough yesterday. The bake temperatures were running between 500-525 degrees F. My bake times on all the pies that I did time were between 4 ½ minutes to 5 minutes. I wouldn’t think the pies would bake that fast with the lower temperatures, but they do. I also didn’t take any videos of Steve cutting the regular preferment Lehmann pizzas, but all of them do have a crunch when cut. Maybe next week, if I remember, I will take a few videos of the preferment Lehmann pizzas being cut. It now makes me wonder what temperatures other pizza operators are running their deck oven at and what are their bake times.
For the first Greek style pizza made, the steel pan was oiled with 2 tablespoons manteca. As can be seen, there was a lot of oil left in the pan after the bake. For the other Greek style pizza, made later in the evening for a customer that wanted a whole Greek style pizza, I only used 1 tablespoon of manteca to grease the steel pan. There still was manteca left in the pan after the bake. I don’t know if my steel pans are becoming more seasoned or what, but it doesn’t seem like I need as much manteca to grease the pans. The bottoms still have a nice crunch either way. The only problem I now might have is the Mexican store where I purchased the Mexican manteca was flooded in the storms we had last week. When I went past the Mexican store recently, the store is empty, and I am not sure if they had insurance. or if they are going to open again.
For the cheesy breadsticks I did open the dough balls up by hand this week. I had been rolling the dough with my rolling pin for awhile. I don’t know what other members think, but I think I do like the cheesy breadsticks better, when they are opened by hand.
Norma
Mack's pizza attempt again....9/13/2011
I guess I took Jiminy Crickets advice for the cheese when making the attempt at the Mack’s clone yesterday.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOZzNOkcEgM Jiminy always says, “Always let your conscience be your guide”. I guess it was the blue fairy that influenced Jiminy Cricket to think that way.
Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket were sure interested in the Mack’s clone yesterday, since I was getting a big block of mild white cheddar to try.
Steve and I measured out the ingredients we used to dress the pie. We used .728 lb. sauce, (Walmart tomato paste) with .5114 lb. added water, 1 teaspoon of sugar, ½ teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, and ½ teaspoon of dried basil. The amount of sauce we really used on the Mack’s attempt pizza was 12 ½ oz. of sauce.
Steve and I made the pizza at about 5:00 pm yesterday. I did get the big block of mild white cheddar later in the afternoon, from my distributor. If anyone is interested in what the white cheddar block looked like, these are some pictures on how the box looked that the mild white cheddar was received in, and how big the block of mild white cheddar was. Steve and I both tasted the mild white cheddar before it was baked on the Mack’s attempt, and it tasted very good.
The Mack’s attempt when cut, did crack when cut, but I didn’t take a video of the pie being cut. If anyone cares to take a stab if this mild white cheddar might be the white cheddar Mack’s uses, they can guess.
Jeff and Mark (theboys) brought me some Nasturtium edible flowers yesterday. http://www.herbalgardens.com/archives/articles-archive/nasturtiums.html
They sure would have been interesting to try on the Mack’s pizza or another pizza, but I didn’t use them, but they are pictured in some of the photos. I did taste some of the Nastursium edible flowers and they had a very nice different taste. The Nasturtium had jewel tone colors and a nice peppery taste. I would think they would be a nice topping for a pizza, salad, or great used in other food products.
Norma
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOZzNOkcEgM Jiminy always says, “Always let your conscience be your guide”. I guess it was the blue fairy that influenced Jiminy Cricket to think that way.
Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket were sure interested in the Mack’s clone yesterday, since I was getting a big block of mild white cheddar to try.
Steve and I measured out the ingredients we used to dress the pie. We used .728 lb. sauce, (Walmart tomato paste) with .5114 lb. added water, 1 teaspoon of sugar, ½ teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, and ½ teaspoon of dried basil. The amount of sauce we really used on the Mack’s attempt pizza was 12 ½ oz. of sauce.
Steve and I made the pizza at about 5:00 pm yesterday. I did get the big block of mild white cheddar later in the afternoon, from my distributor. If anyone is interested in what the white cheddar block looked like, these are some pictures on how the box looked that the mild white cheddar was received in, and how big the block of mild white cheddar was. Steve and I both tasted the mild white cheddar before it was baked on the Mack’s attempt, and it tasted very good.
The Mack’s attempt when cut, did crack when cut, but I didn’t take a video of the pie being cut. If anyone cares to take a stab if this mild white cheddar might be the white cheddar Mack’s uses, they can guess.
Jeff and Mark (theboys) brought me some Nasturtium edible flowers yesterday. http://www.herbalgardens.com/archives/articles-archive/nasturtiums.html
They sure would have been interesting to try on the Mack’s pizza or another pizza, but I didn’t use them, but they are pictured in some of the photos. I did taste some of the Nastursium edible flowers and they had a very nice different taste. The Nasturtium had jewel tone colors and a nice peppery taste. I would think they would be a nice topping for a pizza, salad, or great used in other food products.
Norma
Attempt at a Luigi's pizza from Luigi's Pizzeria San Diego, California 9/13/2011
Formula I used for the Luigi's pizza attempt http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,14928.msg152799.html#msg152799
The attempt for a Luigi’s pizza today went okay. Steve and I made the pie about 3:40 pm yesterday. The dough ball sat beside my deck oven for 2 hrs. to warm-up. The temperature beside my deck oven was 92 degree F. The dough ball was easy to open to 18”, but I didn’t toss it. Since I never tasted a pie at Luigi’s pizzeria, I am not sure if this pie was anything like Luigi’s pie or not. I added fresh basil to my regular tomato sauce. My regular tomato sauce (Stanislaus Saporito Super Heavy Pizza Sauce with basil) has all the other ingredients added, except the fresh basil, but I don’t know if the amount of added ingredients to my regular tomato sauce are in line with Luigi’s sauce. Steve and I used ¾ lb. of blended mozzarellas as the cheeses for the 18“ pizza. This pie took 5 minutes to bake at about 525 degrees F, in my deck oven.
This is a video of Steve cutting the pie. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQN3Yr-1wA4
Norma
The attempt for a Luigi’s pizza today went okay. Steve and I made the pie about 3:40 pm yesterday. The dough ball sat beside my deck oven for 2 hrs. to warm-up. The temperature beside my deck oven was 92 degree F. The dough ball was easy to open to 18”, but I didn’t toss it. Since I never tasted a pie at Luigi’s pizzeria, I am not sure if this pie was anything like Luigi’s pie or not. I added fresh basil to my regular tomato sauce. My regular tomato sauce (Stanislaus Saporito Super Heavy Pizza Sauce with basil) has all the other ingredients added, except the fresh basil, but I don’t know if the amount of added ingredients to my regular tomato sauce are in line with Luigi’s sauce. Steve and I used ¾ lb. of blended mozzarellas as the cheeses for the 18“ pizza. This pie took 5 minutes to bake at about 525 degrees F, in my deck oven.
This is a video of Steve cutting the pie. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQN3Yr-1wA4
Norma
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