Questions about mixing ingredients
These may be pretty stupid questions but I'd like it confirmed by those who know better then I about mixing ingredients.
My philosophy is to always use the KISS principal whenever possible. So, let's begin.
I have this English Muffin Bread recipe that calls for the following ingredients:
1/2 cup warm water, 90° to 100° F
7/8 cup warm milk, 90° to 100° F
1/4 tsp baking soda dissolved in 1 tbsp warm water
I always try to simplify any recipe but do understand that some things can't be done or simplified, as such but I don't understand why the following can't be done.
Now come the questions. I'm assuming that the above liquid content totals 1 1/2 cups, so why can't I add the 1/2 cup water to the 1 cup milk then heat them both up together then remove the one Tablespoon to dissolve the baking soda in?
Will baking soda in watered down milk not mix together for some odd reason or cause some adverse chemical reaction?
The recipe calls for the water and the milk to be added at the same time but the baking soda mixture is added later, after the first raise.
Thanks,
Rick
Hi Rick,
If you remove a tablespoon of the liquid, you are reducing the hydration. Not sure to what percentage since volume measurements are listed.
I recall reading on another thread that the baking soda adds to the holes in the crumb, so I'm guessing that adding it at the beginning of the mix may defeat the purpose of the chemical reaction.
Holy cow! The holes are fantastic! Unfortunately, the salt content along with the baking soda ruined it but the crumb was perfect.
It was far too salty to eat much of.
Linda, I think you missed my point. I haven't removed any liquid from the recipe, I'm just changing the mixture a bit and wanted to know what effect it would have on the baking soda.
Thanks,
Rick
Yes, I did misread it, Rick - which is why I prefer weight measurements. How much salt did the recipe call for?
Hi Linda,
I plan on posting the whole recipe with pix and everything but first I need my first post answered before I ruin another loaf of bread. LOL
(You won't believe the crumb this recipe produces. It's fantastic!)
Thanks,
Rick
I don't see any reason not to mix the water and the milk right away if that seems simpler to you.
I suggest though you either use weight measures or be careful of your math. According to my calculation 1/2 cup + 7/8 cup + 1 tablespoon is not quite 1-1/2 cups ...it's a tablespoon shy.
Salt in particular likes to be weighed. When you measure salt by volume it can make a big difference how fine the granules are; a volume measure of table salt and the same volume measure of pretzel salt can be very different. (Also allow for the kind of salt. If a recipe calls for sea salt and you use table salt instead, it will probably turn out too salty, as the flavor of the sea salt isn't so "strong".)
(If you have a main digital scale -with for example a resolution of 1 gram and a maximum of 5000 grams- I suggest you get a second small digital scale just for things like salt with a finer resolution of 0.1 gram [and a typical maximum of 100 grams].)
Baking powder too.
Your Q made me curious so I took a little of my low fat UHT milk, thinned it and added soda. Nothing happened that I could see with my eyes, no monsters, explosions or curds. One thing to think about is that soda, being a salt will affect protein bonds in the dough. So if it is added to all the watered milk, it may bond those proteins tighter together before they have a chance to mix with the gluten and other proteins in the flour. Could make a difference in crumb and rise. But if only one tablespoon is mixed with the soda, may not make such a big difference.
Mini
Thanks guys.
Next post/thread will be the 'blog' about this here English Muffin Bread recipe I'm playing with.
See ya later in that thread...
Rick