I fail at food

[pecunium]

Well, not really.

I am making a "chili-soup" (beans, tomatoes, vegetable stock, spices),and some bread to go with it.

Because I'm working with whole wheat I need some gluten. Because I'm in the south I need more gluten. Because this is a simple bread, I'm winging it (water, flour, salt, yeast). Because this isn't my kitchen, I'm really winging it.

I miss my breakmaking board. I really miss my bench scraper. I was making a ciabatta style bread. So I was planning on a floopy dough. Factor the softer wheat (which is differently absorbent), and the higher ambient humidity (so the flour is less willing to take on water; which I forgot) and the dough was really floopy.

It wasn't that bad, really. Heck, it looked more like ciabatta than it usually does. Fire up the oven (wish I had my water pan). Do the last shaping and realise... my father doesn't have a half-sheet baking sheet. Crap.

I've reshaped it, and it's rising a bit more. It won't be a slipper.

It will be a loaf of bread. I will eat soup with it.

Comments

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

And "because I'm in the south I need more gluten" means what?

K. [Mill Citizen]

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Ah... sorry.

Wheat varies in protein content because of growing conditions. Cooler/drier climes have more protein. Wetter/warmer climes have less. The lower the protien, the less the gluten and the weaker the web which makes up the crumb.

It's why the Irish make soda bread, and the US South makes bisuits. Both areas grow a fairly soft wheat. It's why some recipes will name a brand (Red Star is very common for Southern US recipes, because at it's hardest it's still fairly soft).

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

And it's still the case that American flour has regional variations?

K.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Yes, and no. Regional brands are softer/harder because they use the local wheats.

National brands (such as Pillsbury, Gold Medal) will be closer to "average", but incline the mill run to the preference/trendline of the region.

National brands aimed at "serious" bakers (King Arthur) don't care. They make a given run for the label, and don't vary it.

In Calif. I get either King Arthur, or some of the local (whch is about the same) and then soften, as needed, with Swann's Cake Flour.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

For us, Pillsbury and Gold Medal *are* the local brands, so I see my source of confusion.

K.

[harimad.livejournal.com]

As the man said, even the national brands vary somewhat by region, because they cater to local preferences. Unfortunately you can't tell by the nutrition label because the unit size is too small to show the variation.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

But what she said is also true. The "baseline" from which those two brands trend is her region. You can tell from the label, because the protein per serving will let you work out the percentage, thought it may require some conversions.

[youraugustine.livejournal.com]

(so the flour is less willing to take on water; which I forgot)

! Is that why all my perfect-for-the-frozen-North recipes required adjusting when I moved down to the Wet Coast? It seemed so counterintuitive to me!

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Depends on the recipe, and just what the problem was, but yes, probably.

There are seasonal variations, most places. San Luis Obispo has less of that than many places (well, the west coast, below SF, has less. The seasonal variation in both relative, and absolute, humidity is largely the same, year round; at least as far as flour is concerned).

[bifemmefatale.livejournal.com]

Your test post from dreamwidth showed up on LJ with comments disabled.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Yeah.... I've fixed it already. Workflow issues. I should have realised the settings would be the same too. I think I can game the system, by having different default settings at the two accounts.

Still working on the kinks.

[harimad.livejournal.com]

Adjustments such as these are high cooking art, in my book.

Now, off to find out why my milk+yogurt isn't yogurt yet.