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Unmarked buckets of KA sir lancelot and special patent - How to tell?

JWK1's picture
JWK1

Unmarked buckets of KA sir lancelot and special patent - How to tell?

I got some fantastic deals on KASL and KASP (bread flour) last spring in 50 lb. sacks.  I promptly put them in my 6 gallon food storage buckets.  As usual, I didn't bake much this summer and used the amounts in my small containers I keep in my cupboard when I did the occasional loaf.

So today I go to make pizza for the first time since spring.  My cupboard container with the KASL is a bit low.  I go in the pantry to refill out of the 6 gallon buckets.  Uh, oh.  I never labelled them.  I've never done this before.

The question is obvious.  Does anyone have any idea how I can determine which buckets are sir lancelot and which are special patent?  50 lbs. do not quite fit in a 6 gallon bucket, so there are four buckets.  Unbelievable.  This may be the dumbest thing I've ever done.  Well, with baking anyway...

Any ideas?

idaveindy's picture
idaveindy

Both of these assume SL, with higher protein, needs a higher hydration than bread flour.

1. Assuming you use only SL, and no bread flour for pizza...

Pick one bucket, open it. Make a batch of pizza dough with it, using your SL pizza dough formula. Assuming your formula goes by actual numbers, and you don't hydrate it solely by feel "on the fly" (which is what I do too often.)

If the SL pizza dough formula's hydration % works, and feels right in that sample, then that bucket is SL.

If the dough feels too wet, that bucket is bread flour.

--

2. assuming you use a mix of SL and bread in your pizza dough, or...  if you don't have a strict by-the-numbers formula:

open two buckets, take 100 grams from each, combine each with 60 g water, to make two doughs. The wetter dough will be the bread flour.

If the two doughs feel identical, they are the same flour, but which?  In that case, you'll have to open a third bucket to compare it to be first two.

Hope this helps.

 

Rock's picture
Rock

You could try a shade tree mechanic version of a Farinograph. Two small batches, equal weights of each flour and water (if you've been working dough by hand for a long time, you might be able to tell at that point from the resistance) put each dough batch in identical volume containers. Put an identical weight on each dough in the container and time which weight drops down first. That's the weakest falling rate and the lowest protein content. That's all I've got. Good luck!

Dave

Nickisafoodie's picture
Nickisafoodie

and is used for artisan breads, and makes great pizza., my go to flour for both.  SL is 14.2% with the higher protein mostly for NY style pizza with a firm crust and crisp crunch.  SP is a tad more tender on a pizza.  if you try a test bake for rolls, bread or pizza, the difference should be noticeable.

ciabatta's picture
ciabatta

Take a small amount (50g) of each do about 60% hydration

the one that seems drier is likely SL.

Knead both until gluten is well developed. Rinse the doughs in small bowls of water. The starch will rinse away leaving a gluten ball behind. SL will leave more gluten behind. 

I happen to have some KASL flour here. It feels gritty and has less finer dust than my 12% bread flour. but I don’t have KASP for comparison. 

 

james

JWK1's picture
JWK1

Thanks, everyone.  I'll try the small amounts with 60% hydration and knead by hand.  Let's see what happens.  I hope I can tell the difference that way.

idaveindy's picture
idaveindy

When ya get time, please share your pizza dough formula.

I'm curious about pizza dough formulas that use high(er) protein flour and ones that use durum flour.

Thx.

JWK1's picture
JWK1

My pizza dough recipe is very simple.  KASL flour, 80% hydration,  just shy of 2% salt (I go about 1.7%) and the usual 1% IDY.

Using a technique I read about on a pizza making forum (posted by commercial pizza maker), I mix only enough to incorporate all the ingredients.  Rise until you think it's enough (very bubbly for me), then I use a soft spatula to gently plop it out of the bowl onto parchment paper on my pizza peel.  Spread with oiled and/or wet hands.  Top as desired.  Start oven at 500 with pizza stone in.  I wait 40 minutes.  Pop it in.  I do 10 minutes.  That works for me with my toppings and thickness of my crust.  YMMV, of course.

A noticeably different type of crust from the most typical home pizza crust recipes.

idaveindy's picture
idaveindy

what style, or how thick is the crust?  Or, better yet, what's the weight of dough and what diameter do you stretch it to?

also, to be clear, the dough sits on the peel, topped, for the 40 minutes of oven pre-heat?

JWK1's picture
JWK1

I don't know what style it would be considered.  Not NY, it's too thick.  I fluctuate between using 10, 11, and 12 oz for the dough for a single.  My wife likes it thick, I don't.  I like it best when I use 10 oz.  I use 11 oz when the kids are home.  I always stretch it to the same diameter, 14 inches.  When I use 10 oz of flour, my dough weighs 18 oz., no?  Yes, the completed pizza sits on the parchment paper on the peel for the 40 minutes of oven pre-heat.  HTH.