Share a recipe or food thought - General Discussion.

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#2228260 30-Apr-2019 22:10

Kiwifruta: Could someone tell me what difference a little flour makes when activating the yeast? I haven't come across a recipe that does this before, apart making poolishes etc.

Maybe this Wikipedia article helps explain:

A pre-ferment and a longer fermentation in the bread-making process have several benefits: there is more time for yeast, enzyme and, if sourdough, bacterial actions on the starch and proteins in the dough; this in turn improves the keeping time of the baked bread, and it creates greater complexities of flavor. Though pre-ferments have declined in popularity as direct additions of yeast in bread recipes have streamlined the process on a commercial level, pre-ferments of various forms are widely used in artisanal bread recipes and formulas.

I'm going to hazard a guess that page on wiki is incomplete. As yeast produces the enzyme amylase, which breaks down starch in the flour, so apart from sourdough pre-ferment, using it in a standard pre-ferment probably gives the dough a head-start in amylase level in the dough.

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#2228327 1-May-2019 08:20

Thanks @Fred99. So in the case of the hot cross bun recipe that I posted, would you say this kick starts the break down of the starches when the yeast mixture is added to the bulk of the ingredients?

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#2228356 1-May-2019 09:27

Kiwifruta: Thanks @Fred99. So in the case of the hot cross bun recipe that I posted, would you say this kick starts the break down of the starches when the yeast mixture is added to the bulk of the ingredients?

I'm not a baker, but I guess so. It makes sense I think, also that it would change the flavour profile as sugars would be formed. I also wonder if that's why I prefer "artisan" breads to commercial bread - it simply tastes better.

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#2229015 1-May-2019 21:33

Fred99:
Kiwifruta: Thanks @Fred99. So in the case of the hot cross bun recipe that I posted, would you say this kick starts the break down of the starches when the yeast mixture is added to the bulk of the ingredients?

I'm not a baker, but I guess so. It makes sense I think, also that it would change the flavour profile as sugars would be formed. I also wonder if that's why I prefer "artisan" breads to commercial bread - it simply tastes better.

When I bake bread at home, unless I’m making a sweet bread or in a rush, I make the bread without sugar. Like you I find the flavour so much better.

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#2229132 2-May-2019 08:13

@kiwifruta Does the above recipe reflect your doubling and quadrupling of the sultanas and mixed spice?

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#2229201 2-May-2019 09:42

networkn:

@kiwifruta Does the above recipe reflect your doubling and quadrupling of the sultanas and mixed spice?

Yes it does.

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#2229205 2-May-2019 09:45

Cheers the kids and I are going to have a crack this weekend.

I am not much (or actually at all) a baker, but this recipe seems pretty straight forward. I don't like the inprecision of the kneeding, as I never really know when enough is enough or too much...

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#2229208 2-May-2019 09:48

networkn:

Cheers the kids and I are going to have a crack this weekend.

I am not much (or actually at all) a baker, but this recipe seems pretty straight forward. I don't like the inprecision of the kneeding, as I never really know when enough is enough or too much...

Surprisingly I don't do much kneading with this recipe, unlike when I bake bread.

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#2229211 2-May-2019 09:51

Kiwifruta:

networkn:

Cheers the kids and I are going to have a crack this weekend.

I am not much (or actually at all) a baker, but this recipe seems pretty straight forward. I don't like the inprecision of the kneeding, as I never really know when enough is enough or too much...

Surprisingly I don't do much kneading with this recipe, unlike when I bake bread.

Like, roughly how many minutes?

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#2229227 2-May-2019 09:59

networkn:

Kiwifruta:

networkn:

Cheers the kids and I are going to have a crack this weekend.

I am not much (or actually at all) a baker, but this recipe seems pretty straight forward. I don't like the inprecision of the kneeding, as I never really know when enough is enough or too much...

Surprisingly I don't do much kneading with this recipe, unlike when I bake bread.

Like, roughly how many minutes?

I guess 5 mins? Basically until it forms a nice dough.

I do find I need to bake it a bit longer that what the recipe says.

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#2229228 2-May-2019 10:04

Kiwifruta:

I guess 5 mins? Basically until it forms a nice dough.

I do find I need to bake it a bit longer that what the recipe says.

How much longer? How do I determine when it's "done"?

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#2229237 2-May-2019 10:25

networkn:
Kiwifruta:

I guess 5 mins? Basically until it forms a nice dough.

I do find I need to bake it a bit longer that what the recipe says.

How much longer? How do I determine when it's "done"?

When it smells great and the buns bounce back when you push down on them a little with your finger.
Last time was about 25 mins. Cut in to one and see what it looks like. If it’s under done put them back.
I skip the gelatine in the glaze and increase the water and sugar. Better to make more than you need than not enough.

Remember after you take them out of the oven they will still bake some more, give them some rest time. Much easier said than done!

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#2229298 2-May-2019 11:15

Kiwifruta: Here is the hot cross bun recipe I use. It is the same recipe that won the blue ribbon award in Sydney 7 years ago, except I double the sultanas and quadruple the spices. My niece works for Volaré in Hamilton, which won the award for the best hot cross buns in the country in 2016. We tried both buns at Easter, and I (and my family) felt this recipe (with my alterations) held up to and potentially surpassed the Volaré buns. Adding some mixed citrus peel wouldn’t hurt too. I usually don't bother with the cross, but the glaze is a must! Ingredients 1 tsp dried yeast 1/4 cup sugar 4 cups plain flour 1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk 1 tsp salt 2 tsp mixed spice 2 tsp cinnamon 60g butter 1 egg 1 cup sultanas 1/2 cup plain flour, extra 1/3 cup water 1 tbsp sugar, extra 1 tbsp hot water 1 tsp gelatine Method 1. Lightly grease 18x28cm lamington tin. 2. Cream yeast with 1 teaspoon each of the sugar and flour, add milk and mix well. Cover and stand in warm place 10 to 15 minutes or until mixture is frothy. 3.Sift sugar, flour, salt and spices, rub in butter, add egg, sultanas and yeast mixture, and knead lightly to ensure ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Place dough in lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and clean cloth and stand in a warm place 40 minutes or until dough doubles in bulk. 4. Punch dough down, turn out onto floured surface and knead well until smooth and elastic. Cut into 3 equal pieces then cut each piece into 5, making 15 buns in all. Knead each into a round shape. 5. Preheat oven to 220C. Put buns on tin and stand in warm place 10 to 15 minutes or until they reach top edge of tin. 6. Make paste by mixing 1/2 cup extra plain flour and 1/3 cup water, fill piping bag and pipe a cross on each bun. 7. Bake 10 to 15 minutes. 8. Remove from oven and immediately brush with glaze made from heating extra sugar, hot water and gelatine in a saucepan and simmering for 1 minute. 9. Cool buns on a wire rack. A photo of the finished product can be found here This is write up about Volaré's buns. Enjoy!

Thanks for sharing, might give it a crack. I've always struggled to bake bread that isn't dense or flat, so keen to give new recipes a try.

I wasn't sure about the second instruction though: "Cream yeast with 1 teaspoon each of the sugar and flour, add milk and mix well. Cover and stand in warm place 10 to 15 minutes or until mixture is frothy." In baking, I always understood "creaming" to refer to beating butter and sugar together until it's light and fluffy. Do you need to beat the yeast with the sugar and flour and milk, or are you just mixing these together and letting the yeast prove?

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#2229334 2-May-2019 11:48

Lizard1977:
Kiwifruta: Here is the hot cross bun recipe I use. It is the same recipe that won the blue ribbon award in Sydney 7 years ago, except I double the sultanas and quadruple the spices. My niece works for Volaré in Hamilton, which won the award for the best hot cross buns in the country in 2016. We tried both buns at Easter, and I (and my family) felt this recipe (with my alterations) held up to and potentially surpassed the Volaré buns. Adding some mixed citrus peel wouldn’t hurt too. I usually don't bother with the cross, but the glaze is a must! Ingredients 1 tsp dried yeast 1/4 cup sugar 4 cups plain flour 1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk 1 tsp salt 2 tsp mixed spice 2 tsp cinnamon 60g butter 1 egg 1 cup sultanas 1/2 cup plain flour, extra 1/3 cup water 1 tbsp sugar, extra 1 tbsp hot water 1 tsp gelatine Method 1. Lightly grease 18x28cm lamington tin. 2. Cream yeast with 1 teaspoon each of the sugar and flour, add milk and mix well. Cover and stand in warm place 10 to 15 minutes or until mixture is frothy. 3.Sift sugar, flour, salt and spices, rub in butter, add egg, sultanas and yeast mixture, and knead lightly to ensure ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Place dough in lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and clean cloth and stand in a warm place 40 minutes or until dough doubles in bulk. 4. Punch dough down, turn out onto floured surface and knead well until smooth and elastic. Cut into 3 equal pieces then cut each piece into 5, making 15 buns in all. Knead each into a round shape. 5. Preheat oven to 220C. Put buns on tin and stand in warm place 10 to 15 minutes or until they reach top edge of tin. 6. Make paste by mixing 1/2 cup extra plain flour and 1/3 cup water, fill piping bag and pipe a cross on each bun. 7. Bake 10 to 15 minutes. 8. Remove from oven and immediately brush with glaze made from heating extra sugar, hot water and gelatine in a saucepan and simmering for 1 minute. 9. Cool buns on a wire rack. A photo of the finished product can be found here This is write up about Volaré's buns. Enjoy!

Thanks for sharing, might give it a crack. I've always struggled to bake bread that isn't dense or flat, so keen to give new recipes a try.

I wasn't sure about the second instruction though: "Cream yeast with 1 teaspoon each of the sugar and flour, add milk and mix well. Cover and stand in warm place 10 to 15 minutes or until mixture is frothy." In baking, I always understood "creaming" to refer to beating butter and sugar together until it's light and fluffy. Do you need to beat the yeast with the sugar and flour and milk, or are you just mixing these together and letting the yeast prove?

I just mix it with a teaspoon

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#2229782 2-May-2019 21:59

Anyone have a recommendation where in Auckland I can get super fresh not stupidly expensive sashimi ? Ideally with more than the usual salmon and tuna?

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