Social Distancing Log

[soc_puppet]

April 9th, I did an hour-long Pokémon drive; dunno if my parents did anything special.

I also baked four more loaves of bread, using up the last of my instant yeast. Dad's planned to go to a bulk grocery store tomorrow (er, today), and I put instant yeast on the list, but I'm not particularly expecting him to bring back much (or any). I should try and get up on time to let him know that. Either way, I'll be switching up whatever bread recipe I use for the future; the "pan bread" recipe from work is delicious, but 1Tb per loaf is definitely a bit much.

Comments

[redrikki]

I didn't have any instant yeast, so I grew my own using air. Seriously, I just mixed some water and flour in a container, let it sit open for a bit, then covered it and left it on the counter. Within 2 days it was alive and bubbling away. If your dad can't find you any dry, you should try that.

I've never made yeast bread before in my life but I plan on trying it with my home made stuff tomorrow. Should be fun...or disastrous. Whatever.

[soc_puppet]

That thing you're talking about is called a "sour"! Using a large amount of it is what gives sourdough its tang, and its name. It's one of the oldest forms of leavening (thing that allows bread to rise), if not the oldest. It's definitely a possibility, but I don't know if I want to go to the trouble of keeping one 😅 On the other hand, if I understand correctly and it can be used in a 1-to-1 substitution for instant dry yeast (as opposed to as a whole starter), then I might just go for it; I wouldn't need nearly as much for that than I would if I wanted to regularly make large batches of sourdough.

Gimme a shout if you have any problems or need any tips! I don't know everything, or even remember all that I learned when I was going through baking school, but I am a professional in the industry and am happy to give it my best shot!

[redrikki]

You went to baking school? How cool is that! I haven't tried my bread yet, but I'll let you know when I do it tomorrow.

[soc_puppet]

Yup! I had a (mostly) great time, too 😃

I'll be looking forward to it!

[redrikki]

Well, the sour smelled a bit vinegar-y, but I used it anyway. I made Cuban bread based off the recipe from the New York Times Cookbook. It rose a bit, I think, sitting an hour in hot water in the sink, but not in the oven. The end result was dense and rather chewy. The flavor and smell were good, though.