Emery in the house for the 4th
Sent from my iPhone
A piece of cake
my mother used to send all five of us out to play when she baked. when the bread was thisclose to coming out of the oven, she'd call us into the house, along with whoever else we had playing with us. we'd crowd around the table, where she'd already placed a dish of butter, and watch her slice the bread, slide it onto a plate, and place the plate in the middle of the table. hot fresh bread with melted butter. uummm. when that first loaf was gone, we were done, no matter how much we begged to move onto the next.A piece of cake
June 9, 2010 4:15 AMThe science of cake. Also, the science of breadmaking, and the science of cheesemaking.
posted by jonnyploy (5 comments total) 6 users marked this as a favorite
I love cheesemaking (though only my feta, ricotta, and mozzarella have turned out very well so far) because I love the combination of art and science and microbes involved. I love that cheese has a pH requirement.I also love that it comes in both "instant gratification" and "the best things come to those who wait" forms.
posted by custardfairy at 4:57 AM on June 9Do you remember an Inn, Miranda?
Do you remember an Inn?
And the tedding and the shredding
Of the straw for a bedding,
And the fleas that tease in the High Pyrenees,
And the cheese that smelled of goat fart?
posted by pracowity at 5:15 AM on June 9When people are mystified by baking (and then mystified when they substitute an ingredient, or baking powder for baking soda, and things don't turn out right), it's often because they don't know the chemistry behind it. Learn what each of the ingredients does, and you can learn to substitute and create. Baking is chemistry -- accuracy and precision ensure consistent, delicious results.So happy to see these links. I wish this was taught in grade-school science.
posted by fiercecupcake at 5:36 AM on June 9Lean over the bowl and take a good sniff. You can smell the earthy, metallic odour of flour and water with a slightly sour note from the alcohol produced by the yeast and a sweet smell from the sugars released by enzymes in the flour.
once in a while she'd couple bread baking day with red (pasta) sauce making day, and she'd reserve some of the bread dough & red sauce for pizza. on pizza day, she let us know we could each invite ONE friend. she'd use the huge rectangular baking sheet and most often made two (maybe more?) pizzas with whatever toppings we had around the house or in the garden.
it doesn't get much better than that.
posted by msconduct at 6:11 AM on June 9
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