This weekend's bread giggle
Okay, so it was more like a guffaw.
I taught a class Saturday that focused on a variant of Pain l'Ancienne (about 9% whole wheat subbed in for some of the white flour) and a yeasted version of a Pain de Campagne. One thing that I stress for my students, most of whom are not accustomed to measuring with scales instead of cups and spoons, is to not stress about being a few grams high or low on major components like flour or water. Yeast and salt are another matter, obviously.
So, I notice that one student is being verrrrry careful to get the exact measurements mentioned in the formulae. Being the helpful instructor that I am, I said "It's okay if you are off by a couple of grams here or there. This is bread, after all, not chemistry." To which she replied "Well, I am a chemist so I'm used to being very precise in the lab."
All I could do was laugh. What are the odds that I would make that quip to that particular person?
Paul
I know how she feels, Paul. I’m constant reaching into the bowl to pull out that extra gram or so. Even Though I know it is ridiculous {;-) .
We people are a strange lot... And the world is filled with innumerable variations.
Dan
but I know that I'm probably going to have to make small adjustments anyway, so why should I sweat over putting 352g of flour in the bowl instead of the 350g required by the formula? One of the things I've learned from a career in engineering, plus years of home baking, is that "close enough" works just as well as "perfect" and costs a whole lot less.
Agree that we are, indeed, a strange lot.
Paul
BUT for the obsessed, “good enough” is never good enough. Can you believe those whack jobs? Thank God, that’s not me. Hehehe.
Danny
I agree, the odds would not have been in your favour. love it!
Leslie
Reminds me of the joke I heard in Alaska about the marriage prospects for most women: "The odds are good but the goods are odd."
Paul
I will admit to being very exact sometimes, but not always...
Leslie
measures to the exact gram? Oh boy! I need to chill then. The only thing I might not fuss over is water. Everything else is measured to the exact gram. ?
Again. Deep breath, slow exhalation. Good. That's it. Feel the relaxation. As you center, repeat your mantra: "Five grams is close enough. Five grams is close enough." And remember to give yourself an occasional small reward, like being right on the dot for salt or yeast measurements. Keep the big picture in mind, though. Five grams is close enough.
Peace out.
Paul
Yes, that’s it. I can feel it. A warm sensation is meandering down through my body like a bubbling brook. Yes, yes, yes...
Thanks, Paul. I’ve been converted. Where should I send your fee? LOL
Wished we lived closer, I love to attend your class.
Maybe some day soon the whole gang can teleport to a common location to meet. Wouldn’t that be special?
Dan
Oh I am so glad it is not just me! I also learned it the hard way to put flour first and then add water. BECAUSE it is much harder, if you get it wrong and then try to fish the odd gram on top of what is floating in the water.... now I do water first but weigh the flour on it's own.... Kat
That means putting the water in the bowl first, then the yeast. Wait a couple of minutes for the yeast to absorb water, then I add the flour.
Short take: Either way works. Just have fun while you bake.
Paul
Paul,
Will do and important to have a 'giggle' whilst doing it to...
Kat
Lose the scale!! Just kidding. I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum though. I scoop most of my flour by the ~half cup using a plastic measuring cup with a broken handle. It just stays in whichever bag of flour got scooped last. Getting the dough to the desired consistency takes a little bit of feel when incorporating the last bits of flour, but that seems like less of a chore to me than measuring and gives me a feeling like I figured it out myself a little bit instead of number crunching from a recipe.
Am chemist. Can confirm.
When I realized I could measure by grams on my cheap, imprecise kitchen scale I may have teared up a little bit. I *loved* calculating the densities of my ingredients (using recipes in the US) from imperial measurements, and it's exciting for me when I get it spot on to my calculations.