Notes from the Lab 3 (Baking) and Working on Pizza Perfection (Part 2, More Dough)
Confession: I only wanted to make my own bread because I wanted to create better pictures for my blog. Don’t get me wrong, I have always thought that bakers were really cool. They got up early and made bread, bagels, pastries and a bunch of yummy things we all love to eat. It also seemed easy, you take flour, yeast, water and mix it in bowl. Then, you take the dough, throw it in the oven and you have bread. Bakers are still very cool and very smart, but take it from me, baking ain’t easy (Nod to Ice T). Unlike cooking where one can freestyle with the ingredients and still make great tasting food. With baking, precision and attention to detail is important. So here are my suggestions for people who want to bake well:
Buy a digital scale that measures in grams and ounces: Using the measuring cups that you find at most stores measure in volume and the cups vary in size. This leads to often inaccurate measurements and could mess up your dough.
Embrace science, learn the metric system, and measure by weight: Professional bakers measure by weight and figuring out percentages is easier using Base 10 (metric/grams) vs Base 16 (US/ounces).
Study and practice: So much about baking is instinct and experience. Even though the recipe calls for x, look at your dough. How does it feel and smell? Does it need more flour?
Taking what I have learned above, I have decided to revise my pizza dough recipe. My adjustments were adding additional water, kneading a little longer, and using the paddle attachment to mix before using the dough hook.
Pizza Dough
Ingredients:
800 grams “00″ flour
504 grams warm water (63% hydration)
8 grams yeast (1%)
8 grams sugar (1%)
8 grams kosher salt (1%)
Application
Combine yeast, water and sugar at let it sit for about 15 minutes (or foamy).
In a Kitchen Aid mixer, combine the flour and salt. While using the paddle attachment, slowly add the yeast, water, and sugar mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix until the dry and wet ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Using the dough hook, mix the dough until it forms a ball and knead for about 5-10 minutes after. This recipe creates five (8 oz) 227 gram, dough balls plus a 114 gram (4 oz) dough ball.
I have been using this recipe for about a month and my dough has been consistently good. Next step in the process is to create a unique flavor to the dough. Maybe different flours or a preferment? Any ideas?
Making Gravlax
One of the things I was thankful for this Thanksgiving was the four days I had free to experiment with food. While I was shopping for supplies, I came across a sale on Wild Alaskan sockeye salmon at Metropolitan Market in Tacoma. Since I have been in a Jewish Deli state of mind lately, why not make my own gravlax for the bagels and cream cheese? It is so quick and easy to make!
Ingredients:
2 lbs Wild Alaskan salmon fillet (No, farmed salmon is a NOT a good substitute)
1 cup Kosher Salt
1 cup organic sugar
1 bunch dill (about 3 oz)
Application:
In a medium sized bowl, mix the salt and sugar together and set aside. Place plastic wrap on the bottom of a baking pan or dish, making sure that there is enough plastic wrap to cover the salmon a couple times. Lay the salmon, skin side down on the plastic wrap and cover the salmon with the dill. Completely cover the salmon and dill with the salt/sugar mixture and tightly cover the salmon with the plastic wrap. Set a plate on top of the plastic wrap to help remove the moisture from the salmon and accelerate the curing process. Refrigerate for 24-48 hours, depending on the thickness of the salmon. After the salmon has cured, remove the salmon from the plastic wrap. At this point, rinse off the salt and dill from the salmon and dry it off with a paper towel. My favorite way to eat gravlax is to slice it thinly and serve it with bagels, red onions and cream cheese.
