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Hippiekinkster -> RE: Cookies! (12/18/2010 12:07:23 AM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: RapierFugue
quote:
ORIGINAL: Hippiekinkster
WHY DON'T YOU PEOPLE STOP BUYING SHIT FROM CHINA??????
At a guess ... coz it's cheap? [;)]
I know all about Red Winter Wheat. I used to spend my summers on a farm in Ca. that grew the stuff (in the winter, obviously). You can grab a handful of the raw grain, chew it, and it's got so much gluten in it that it turns into a sort of wheaty chewing gum after a few minutes [;)]
The thing about French bread (and I'm sure yours is lovely) is that I've never found it to be as good as it is in CheeseEatingSurrenderMonkeyLand ... the only exception to this are the very dedicated guys who drive to France from London every day, pick up truckloads of the made dough, then drive it back in the dead of night (around now, in fact) so the local bakers around here can bake it in the morning.
But if you'd like to post a recipe I'd be a) grateful and b) only too happy to give it a go; I can't get red winter wheat but I can get Extra Strong Bread Flour, which I would suspect will have the gluten content, if not the same flavour.
I'm currently making more Focaccia than anything else; the smell of the fresh rosemary poked into the bread, and the olive oil, as it bakes, is divine [;)]
here's my best shot, Tovarich:
approx 6 cups flour
1 packet Red Star yeast (or your local equivalent)
approx 2 Tbs Himalayan sea salt
approx 1/4 cup honey + about 1 Tbs for growing the yeast in warm water (approx 105F)
enough gerolsteiner bottled water to make the dough (this is probably superstition on my part - the first time I made French bread, I used Gerolsteiner, and it was my best batch so far, so I stick with the Gerolsteiner.
I'm not inclined to convert to ISO/Metric right now. Normally I use metric, but I didn't for this.
I have a big rosemary bush out front, so I usually use some leaves chopped very finely, and also some good Parmagiano. There are all sorts of variations, though. I think maintaining a high humidity level in the oven is paramount.
Here's a brand of flour I like: http://www.bobsredmill.com/
You might have the same problem getting it as I do getting Haribo Troppi-Frutti Gummis.
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