Hello,

does anyone know if there are any bread machines with pans that are not non-stick, such as stainless steel?

Thanks!

Hi all

I am a baking newbie relatively, and just got a baking stone. I read instructions about not using soap etc. I want to bake regular bread and naan. When I baked bread before, i would just put the loaf pans in the oven and some hot water in another pan for steaming. Now with a baking stone, is steaming required? what about the loaf pans? Do I let the final rise of teh dough, be in the pan as before and put the pan on a baking stone? Would it take the same time as before?

Also if anyone has a good recipe/tips for naan, please tell me. i've never tried it before.

thanks

King Arthur is having another free shipping offer for $60+ purchase thur Dec. 13...

Sylvia

I have the Electrolux Magic Mill and am in need of a food processor.  Has anyone tried the food processor attachments for it? I've been looking through the attachment list and can't for the life of me figure out what is used for what both in terms of what the individual shredding disks are used for but also how one would go about making something that needs to be more puréed than shredded: hummus or nut butter, for instance.  With a traditional food processor, I'd use the blade attachment, but with this I'm not sure.

Does anyone have these? Can you comment on how useful they are?

Thanks,

Jonathan

Argh . . . Monday morning is not the time for me to knead bread with my hands -- rheumatoid arthritis. What does one do when the hands get stiff? I'm trying to make a sourdough multigrain bread this morning by hand, I love Hamelman's recipes, but the amount or big batch of dough is just too much for me. I usually halve his recipes but my eagerness got ahead of me today and I tried the whole thing! Well, I did a bit by machine and a bit by hand but didn't get it all kneaded well. I am folding an extra time as it rises even though it seems heavy (wait, . . . just folded a third time and it is lightening up some.) 

I've learned that for my 'rheumatism' when kneading to . . . #1 use less amounts of whole wheat and grains, #2 try later in the day when there is less ache and stiffness, #3  make looser dough, #4 get the room warm, #5 try more by machine (though, I do find kneading comforting), and #6 experiment more with the S+F methods. More topics on TFL lately are doing the stretch-and-fold or the french fold which I've been doing but sometimes just the mixing by hand is difficult. And I'm not "fond" of the no-knead recipes, I don't like the simpler tastes of them. I want the depth of whole wheat taste and gluten development. 

The weather is colder this morning too so that is a factor. And can you believe it, it is lightly snowing this morning, in Tennessee!      Anet

I need to buy a peel for transfering bread loaves on/off of a hot baking stone.  Any suggestions or opinions on wood versus aluminum?  Thanks!

Floyd, I just noticed the link to the TFL Amazon Storefront. I don't know if it was there before or if it's part of the upgrade.

Anyway, what I'm wondering is: does the site get a benefit if we make purchases that way? I'd like to know, because if it helps you, I will make all of my Amazon baking book purchases through the link. And I'm sure others here will want to do the same.

Phyl

So ... I got my long awaited Bosh Universal Plus.  I am so happy to assign the second hand Kitchen Aid to cookies and quick breads and make loaves and loaves of challah in my gigantic Bosch.  Thursday is my day to bake for my Friday "customers", but since I just got the Bosch I decided I would do a test run earlier this week.  I made 4 loaves of plain challah and they were wonderful.  I learned from others that unlike the food processor or the Kitchen Aid, it is best with the Bosch to add liquid first and then add the flour one scoop at a time.  SO last night I measured out my 5 pounds of flour, a cup of sugar and all the other ingredients that I need to make my first massive batch of dough (I had to do one pound at a time in the food processor and KA) so that I can hit the ground running this morning while I get the kids off to school.  First thing this morning I get my liquids in, I add my flour, sugar, salt, and vanilla but find that I need less flour than I thought, I figured that it must be the wonderful mixer doing its magic.  Anyway, I set the machine to speed three for ten minutes and start to get the kids up and ready.  My seven year old asks if there is time for eggs for breakfast.  EGGS!  I forgot to add the EGGS!  You can not have egg challah without egg! - No wonder the dough was so dry!  ARG!  Well of course in a panic I start adding eggs which of course just makes a yellow sloshy mess in the mixer AND all over the counter which is where it is all going since I have the lid off - throw some flour in on top as if that is going to fix anything.  It was as if I had flushed my wedding ring down the toilet and then just started flushing everything I own down with it -I was in such a panic that here I am adding 6 eggs to an already mixed dough! 

Well having already learned the hard way that flour can be replaced, but my time can not - I centered myself, tossed the entire mess into the trash and just started again.  I now have 6 lovely challahs cooling on the rack and a whole mess of rolls to give as samples.  I have to buy more flour as I only buy 10 pounds at a time, but I am happy that I was able to brush myself off and start fresh.

So the long and the short of it is that I LOVE my new Bosch - I just need to remember that it is only a mixer - I am still the baker.

Sharon

www.thebraidedloaf.com

Hi, Betty:

Here's some information on the Squeezo.

http://www.homesteadhelpers.com/get_item_sqd_deluxe-squeezo-strainer.htm

Now, I have to say, mine is older than dirt and not nearly so fancy (or expensive.) I use it for tomato sauce and apple sauce, but have also used it for pumpkin in the past. It does a great job, but it's messy, expecially for one person to use. Seems there is always something dripping or splattering somewhere. On the other hand, if you want a lot of sauce, it beats putting it through a ricer or sieve.

To make either tomato or apple sauce, we cut the fruit into quarters or eighths. If tomatoes, remore the stem area. Then heat to boiling and let cool enough to handle. In the case of apples, cook until softened. Run through the Squeezo and peels and seeds are removed. For applesauce that is all that is needed -- you can hot water bath can from that point. For tomato sauce, simmering to reduce the water content is necessary, which is why we drain off a bunch of the liquid first, right after they are cooked and before squeezing. I have also frozen some of this juice for soup; it works great.

It's a great invention and mine has paid for itself over and over, down the years. I have never used it for preserves, but they say you can. Itwould probably work fine with grapes.

Mary

Disclaimer: I have no business or financial relationship with, or interest in, Linens-n-Things.

My wife and I saw an ad for the Linens-n-Things store closing sale and stopped in to see what they had.  The store nearest us was already pretty picked over, but there were still some really good buys (40%-70% off) on the items that were still on hand.  We saw cookware, cutlery, KA mixers and other kitchen items, mostly with 40% markdowns.  Linens were nearly gone.

So, if there is a store near you that is closing down, you might want to hustle over there to see if any of the items on your wish list are available and priced attractively.

Paul