The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Great dough cleanup tip.

GregS's picture
GregS

Great dough cleanup tip.

I'd like to offer a nifty dough cleanup tool. After embedding dough in the scrubber side of ever so many sponges, I ran across this idea on one of the blogs I frequent. Ingenious and totally free. Made from materials most of us have around.

Thanks to Cool Tools for permission to post:

http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/004744.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CoolTools+%28Cool+Tools%29

 

berryblondeboys's picture
berryblondeboys

That's pretty cool! What I do to help with the bulk of it, is to let it dry and then use my dough cutter to scrape up the majority of it. I'm left with very little residue then. Of couse, can do that on wood surfaces. And now I can use onion bags to get the rest of it! Cool!

Jean-Paul's picture
Jean-Paul

i'm with you there! i use hot oapy water and the cheap plastic rolled-up scrubby sponge (just like a rolled onion sack) to clean my dough... works perfectly so you don't ruin an expensive regular sponge. and you can throw the scrubby into the dishwasher when you're done and the detergent cleans it up perfectly. i also use glass bowls verses metal/plastic and that makes a HUGE difference!

Chuck's picture
Chuck

I've found that much of my flour/dough cleanup problem, which was significant when I tried to use hot soapy water, is a whole lot easier if I use cool water. I just happened to stumble on this by turning the wrong faucet (sure it's not at all expected, common sense suggests just the opposite). The water need not be so cold it's painful to my hands, it just needs to be "cool". Cleanup of sticky bits of dough off bowls and utensils and counter and sink works much better and quicker this way.

(And sponges don't get so gunked up with bits of dough as they do otherwise  ...but still enough that using something like parts of onion bags or an old scrubber is still a good idea.)

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

There are many entries.  One in particular:

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/2769/clean

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

My onion bag net works great cleaning up the guts and slime off pumpkin seeds!  My net is still a bag, open at one end and the mesh small enough that the seeds don't slip through.  First I separated the plump seeds and put them into the onion bag.   By holding the end shut and running under water using a rubbing action, they were clean and shiny in no time flat.  Then I poured them into a hot pan to roast.

Mini

ehanner's picture
ehanner

The above tips on using scrubby sponges or onion sacks are great for normal dough clean up jobs. However if you have an over mixed or fermented dough that has "gone to rags" as they say, you have the mother of all cleaning jobs. This stuff is the most sticky and uncooperative substance known to baking.

The magic agent that will solve the issue is white vinegar. Just pour a little on your scrubby and hands and be amazed. I'm told Heinz makes a 7% solution that works even better but all I have found in our stores is 5%.

Eric

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

If you want to make 5% stronger?  Mix with a little table salt but wear gloves to protect your hands.  Do not use on marble or limestone surfaces.   :)

Janknitz's picture
Janknitz

btw, i hope everyone's using food-grade dishwashing soaps and detergents on your baking utensils and surfaces--none of those high chemical formulations that could go into the food you ingest. otherwise, vinegar is indeed the way to go (this, according to my baking instructor who warned us of the hazards of using detergents and strong bleaches during clean-ups). just a reminder to make sure everyone stays safe!

I once saw a suggestion to use liquid fabric softener to soften dried on dough and clean it up.  EWWWW!!!!!  Who wants to be ingesting that residue???  Stick to water, vinegar, and good old elbow grease.

My mother used to buy yards of nylon netting from the fabric store, pleat it, and sew it into pot scrubbers that were sold at craft bazaars for fund raisers for her congregational sisterhood.  Those were great scrubbers, and we'd use them until they fell apart, then we didn't feel bad about discarding them.  Hmm, maybe I'll make a bunch from the onion bags.  By scrunching them up and sewing them, you have something that fits well in the hand for scrubbing.