Hittenstiehl's Meanderings

[Lily&Me]

How did your bread turn out, Hittenstiehl?

I’ve been hoping to hear about those seasonings, which sounded wonderful.

Made me wonder if you could add some Parmesan cheese to the dough.

Maggie

[Hittenstiehl]

Maggie, the bread was delicious.

The crust was very nice and crisp. The bread was thick, and dense but very good. I think I would try to make it a little more airy next time. I don't even know if those descriptors are accurate and how one makes it more airy.

Having grown up in Germany I'm find of artisinal varieties of bread and pretty much like all of them.

You could smell the Italian seasoning and garlic more than you could actually taste it. I think a nice parmesan would be very good in there.

I ordered a bread for beginners from Amazon. I saw that Jim Lahey had a book on there also. I may get that in the future.

I think sometime soon I will get a FoodSaver of some sort. As I think you have mentioned before, putting a slice away into the freezer makes it enjoyable to pull out in the future. Bread is one of those things that freezes so well.

I often cook way too much for two people and although we like leftovers I would like to be able to portion things into the bags and put them in the freezer. Then maybe take them on camping trips with us and just drop a frozen bag into some warm water as a means of having a Ready-to-Eat meal without much prep.

[Lily&Me]

Glad it came out well.

I have found that some days the loaf needs more time to rise than others, and I have let my dough rise on the counter as long as three hours if that’s what it takes for it to double in size.

I think it depends some on what I have added to it, but don’t be afraid to experiment with your rise time, and be sure your DO is good and hot before you put it in.

Early in my bread baking days, I would put a piece of tape on my bowl at the level of twice the size when I set dough to rise, to teach myself when it had risen to double.

The dough should also feel very soft and airy to touch when it has risen enough.

I had not thought of adding cheese, until I read that you added Italian seasoning and garlic powder.

I slice my bread up the day after I bake it, and put it in a freezer ziplock.

It keeps well like that for a couple of weeks, with me pulling out a slice at a time for the toaster oven...generally for breakfast.

I’ve never put it in the vacuum sealer bags, but that’s a thought.

Maggie

[Landshark]

Originally Posted by Hittenstiehl

Thanks Viv,

Chuck Wagon Supply in Juliaetta Idaho. Small private company but an absolutely excellent product. Heavy-duty well-made folds up flat transports easily but it is a little bit heavy. Low enough to the ground that you're not wrenching your shoulder lifting the Dutch ovens but high enough that you're not kneeling on the ground.

You got it here in Idaho?? Well, I never... I'll have to Google them--no idea where Juliaetta is. I'll start the research right away.

Thanks very much, Hittenstiehl!

Vivian

[Hittenstiehl]

Neighbor's peach tree is in full bounty. Peach cobbler in almond pastry in lodge pan. Cooling!

[OTRA15]

Nice peach cobbler!

Originally Posted by Cerberus

You got it here in Idaho?? Well, I never... I'll have to Google them--no idea where Juliaetta is. I'll start the research right away.

Thanks very much, Hittenstiehl!

Vivian

Nice line-up.

https://chuckwagonsupply.com/catalog.html

Peter

[Hittenstiehl]

Bought two bread books recently.

Aside from various fresh dinner rolls, I didn't start baking bread till we started trailer camping and taking the Dutch ovens with us.

I have had various success (while camping) with Maggie's posted bread recipe over the years. Some good, some ok and one total flop.

After reading both of these books I have a greater appreciation for the interactions of the various ingredients.

Driving thru freezing temps with rising bread dough bouncing around in the trailer. Baking in the rain and not letting it properly cool are less than ideal scenarios.

Going to keep working on it though even though it doesn't come as natural to me as cooking. Baking requires some semblance of measurements and process. Then there's also those subtle differences between tsp and tbl, baking soda and baking powder, cornmeal and cornstarch.

This would fall under a Covid plus. A renewed interest in doing for oneself when the bread you enjoy is not on the shelf.

[Foiled Again]

Hit, you are right about needing to follow recipes much more faithfully when baking than when cooking either meat or vegetable recipes. Word of warning for the future: CANDY recipes are actually formulas! Vary from them and get ready to throw a whole batch out. You have to have a lot of experience and patience and tolerate a lot of sometimes expensive mistakes. You can sometimes get away with substituting one kind of nut for another or vanilla extract for lemon extract, etc. But confectioner's sugar for regular sugar is usually horrible and is NOT a cup for cup.thing. Try it in coffee or tea, but have some place handy to spit just in case.

Another tip for novice cooks - by weight recipes are much safer for new cooks. I barely remember not knowing the dozen or so "rules for measuring"
Pack down brown sugar
Just level off white sugar
Sift confectioners sugar first - avoid lumps
Always sift flour before measuring, and fill the cup gently (still good if it has been in the Airstream over 500 miles of bumpy road or in high humidity. The original reason was weevils - ptooie!)
By weight is accurate without all that twaddle.
And watch out for British cookbooks - "add 2 pounds of sponge" means sponge cake or pound cake.... you KNOW it can't be a sea sponge but.. And pudding is made from suet (rendered beef fat) then set on fire with rum. Figs don't redeem it IMHO.

[Hittenstiehl]

You are so right Paula.

I remember my first time making nut brittle. The recipe cautioned me to stir constantly and watch the thermometer closely.

Well after stirring "forever" with almost no movement on the thermometer I walked away for a quick moment.

That was the moment the temperature rose exponentially and the baking powder or soda burned and the pot of brittle was badly scorched and ruint!

[Lily&Me]

That peach cobbler looks yummy, Hittenstiehl!

Peaches and almond, oh my.

Yeast breads just require understanding of the basics, and then practice.

You’ll get there.

Maggie

[Hittenstiehl]

Each trip starts a different way. Some of them start like this.

Can't complain at least we saw it before we fully got on the freeway. Checked them at home but it was hidden up under the wheel well.

10 years old and lots of sitting, Yes that's way beyond what an average tire in Arizona lasts. Time for some new ones.

As usual discount tire took good care of us. as was just mentioned on another thread those 15 tires are getting harder and harder to come by time to upgrade soon.

[Foiled Again]

Lucky you caught it before it failed completely. Whew. What replacement brand did you choose? Be a bit wary of 16 inch tires. That extra 1/2 inch radius might cause the tire to hit the wheel well. New axles or a lift kit might be considered to gain more clearance. I got caught by a snowstorm and ice buildup damaged mine. Slapped something like the black gunk in the infomercials on them which may be good enough til the pandemic eases and we get a decent vaccine.

[Hittenstiehl]

We got a Goodyear rated to 87 mph (faster than we go with our vintage) Yep when we upgrade we'll watch for that clearance in the wheel well. 16 inch tires just give you so many more options to choose from.

[Hittenstiehl]

All better now. Cool temps and shade trees.

[Hittenstiehl]

Had to take the long way home due to road closure but got a nice stop at a picturesque spot.

[azflycaster]

Originally Posted by Hittenstiehl

Had to take the long way home due to road closure but got a nice stop at a picturesque spot.Attachment 379481Attachment 379482

Is that Roosevelt Lake? What was shut down?

[Hittenstiehl]

Yes Rich that is Roosevelt lake. 87 southbound is shut down due to a tractor trailer rollover and fire. (No death) From south of the 188 to several miles down the road they were turning everybody around. We saw it just in time and got pulled over to the right hand side with the big truckers and we're thinking of waiting it out. They said the big rig had been burning several hours and they estimated 8 to 10 hours still. So we decided to turn around with everybody else and went over Roosevelt, Miami.

[Hittenstiehl]

Arizona seasons can be a little bit backwards. Our pomegranates are in full bloom and the tree is hanging heavy. Don't mind sharing with the birds and the squirrels a little bit But one little bit of that fruit for ourselves.

It's easy to see what pomegranate juice is so expensive.

Trees, harvesting, washed & cleaned ready to juice. Several hours later three mere pint bottles full of juice and lots of clean up.

Delish!

[Lily&Me]

Wow!

Pomegranate trees!

I did not know these grew in the US, and envy you your access.

They are indeed a labor-intensive fruit, but so worth it.

Maggiw

[rmkrum]

We have multiple citrus, guava, avocado, and pomegranate trees plus a few other Asian fruits whose names escape me at the moment thriving in our yard in Southern California.