Hello Jon, Your curry sounds delicious too. I decided to make a pumpkin curry to go along with the chicken one, we did enjoy them both. I made a yoghurt raita to and a pineapple coconut dish for sides along with Jasmine rice. I was really happy with how they all came together. I used to work with a girl who came from Ceylon, Paul and I had the most wonderful curies at my friend's mother's house, all served in beautiful ornate dishes and such a variety. I just found the directions for dark roasted curry powder that my friend gave me all those years back, so I made and used that in the pumpkin curry. It's quite coolish here today, compared to the heat we have had, so it is nice to think about some hot foods for a change. We have left overs, so no cooking this evening! Hope all is well your way Jon and that little Heather is sleeping peacefully and longer nowadays. Best wishes. Valerie From: blindcooks-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:blindcooks-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jon Rawlings Sent: Monday, 19 January 2015 2:17 PM To: blindcooks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [blindcooks] Re: breads books and baps That's ironic, Valerie; I made curry tonight as well, but mine was a sweet potato curry made with ginger, garlic, finely-chopped lemongrass, and yellow curry paste. I was supposed to use red curry paste, but I had actually run out and yellow was all I had. It was still delicious served with a bit of Jasmine rice. Robert: Valerie is right in that there is no substitute for fresh lemongrass. It is very long, like celery, but much more narrow around the middle. It is very chewy and hard to eat, so it is either minced very fine, or cut into large pieces that can be removed later. The name is very apropriate as the flavor is a grassy citrus aroma that is very unique among hervbs. It definitely does not dry or freeze well. Jon ----- Original Message ----- From: Valerie <mailto:rosetta@xxxxxxxxxxx> To: blindcooks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Sunday, January 18, 2015 2:16 PM Subject: [blindcooks] Re: breads books and baps Hello Susan, shall forward the curry recipe in a separate post, it is a new recipe, have not made it before. We like hot curries too, but my brother in law loves the explosively hot ones. After making his coffee, he puts the mug in the microwave to make the coffee hotter! Baps are sold all around the U.K and here we can buy them at specialty bakers. They are a soft flattish bun or roll, white, heavily dusted with flour and I know from a baker that once the rolls are risen, you press your thumb into the middle of each roll so that they bake kind of flattish. So soft and so good with all sorts of fillings. Our families favourite bread rolls. I'm still hunting for a recipe, if I find one before others, shall post it in. I'm positive you would love these too. Valerie From: blindcooks-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:blindcooks-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Susan Tabor Sent: Monday, 19 January 2015 7:59 AM To: blindcooks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [blindcooks] Re: breads books and baps Hi, Valerie! cCurry! Oh, I love curry, and Rob and I love hot food! Could you send along your hot curry recipe, please? Thanks in advance! Also, I think bread baps must be one of those things that has a different name in Australia than in America. Could you tell us more about them so we get a better idea of what to send you, please? Thanks much! Cheers, Susan From: blindcooks-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:blindcooks-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Valerie Sent: Sunday, January 18, 2015 3:11 PM To: blindcooks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [blindcooks] breads books and baps Hello Jon and all, I have always tried to use bread flour, it does give far better results and you would know all the reasons of why that is so. On the odd occasion, when I have run out of bakers flour, I went ahead with what you call all purpose, I wouldn't say the results were bad, just not that really good loaf you get when you use baker's flour. I meant to write about the 12 day bread dough, I made a rather wonderful loaf of bread on day four from that dough, slight tanginess to it and it rose beautifully However, I tried a pizza dough on day five and day seven and the results were not good, the pizza dough was just that, when baked it very doughy in texture. So my impressions of the 12 day bread dough, is that day four is maximum. Only my impressions, other's might find it O.K. The Bread Bible, I think there must be two books called the Bread Bible, I am sure I borrowed a book by this name from my son, who is an excellent bread baker, he grinds the wheat in a grinding machine and has his own sour dough culture. It's always a treat to eat pizza or bread from his kitchen oven I think the Bread Bible book he has is by Rose someone or other and that had excellent reviews from memory and some really amazing recipes. However, I do believe, in my jumble of cookbooks, I do have another bread bible book that was not so great. I'm not an expert on bread, but have made bread all my life, even as a child in our country oven wood stove, and still think they were the best breads I've tasted. no temp control there, my mum used to just wave her hand in the oven to know the right time and heat to bake. I hope you will share your bread baking recipes Charlene, the book sounds very interesting. My favourite bread book is the Italian Baker, just wondering what your favoutie books are Jon when it comes to bread recipes? I'm always interested to know what books are good I still haven't got to make the ciabatta recipe, we have been very busy, but hoping this week I get to do that. As you mentioned poolish and biga Jon, the recipe I think I will try does begin with biga. If my efforts turn out O.K, I'll post the recipe. At the moment I am making curry, my brother in law is coming to dinner tomorrow and I've made a chicken curry that is extra, extra hot. I think Paul and I, who do not enjoy the extremely hot curries will be dousing our serves with some cool side dishes or some yoghurt. By the way, does anyone have a recipe for Bread Baps, these we can buy from a great bread baker store, but I'd love to make them myself, but having trouble finding a recipe that seems good. Cheers. Valerie From: blindcooks-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:blindcooks-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jon Rawlings Sent: Monday, 19 January 2015 1:54 AM To: blindcooks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [blindcooks] Re: josey baker bread again Charlene: First of all; you're right - I should give the book you've found a chance to prove itself to me. My comments were brought about by my opinion of another bread book I actually bought some years ago called "The Bread Bible" which I found to be utterly worthless. The fact that the recipes in your book are calling for bread flour is very promising. With "The Bread Bible" the author does mention bread flour, but insists it can be switched out for all-purpose, depending on what the baker has on hand or is comfortable with. I honestly get the impression that while many of these supposedly-professional bakers use all different types of flours when making their own breads, they write books that center around all-purpose flour only because they think that's what the public wants. The fact that person works in the industry in a professional capasity is a good start, but is no guarantee their recipes are any good. Having said all that, I'm sorry I allowed my membership with Book Share to lapse. I just could not figure out what format to get my books or how to read the different formats, so I just let it go. The folks at Book Share were not at all helpful with this issue either, so I gave up. I do wish I could thumb through your book and see for myself if it really is as good as you make it sound. If it is, then I hope you are eventually able to create amazing bread from its pages. The process of making a thin dough or batter and letting it develop in flavor before making the rest of the recipe is called a pre-ferment. I do it when making French bread and baguettes, and it does indeed make for a wonderful flavor. A sourdough is, essentially, a pre-ferment that can be kept going for many many years, though the fact that it develops different types of bacteria that make it sour makes it much more complex and involved than a Poolish or a biga. Anyway, I look forward to reading about the attempts you will make following the recipes in this book you have found. My ultimate goal in bread baking is to create and maintain a first class sourdough starter that makes a bread with a strong, sour flavor like the bread I once enjoyed at a ranch I stayed at in my late teens. I already know I want it to be a rye starter, but I'm concerned about investing a lot of time and money into the project only to come out with less than steller results. I will do it one day though. Jon ----- Original Message ----- From: Charlene Ota <mailto:caota4@xxxxxxxxx> To: blindcooks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Saturday, January 17, 2015 8:59 PM Subject: [blindcooks] Re: josey baker bread again Hi, John, Actually, you might give a book a chance first, for one thing. Also, for most people, breadmaking is very intimidating and when someone writes a book about the process that is on one hand very basic and simple, and on the other hand, includes the science of breadmaking as part of the process and explains why parts of the process are very exacting, it might really open up the world to people as to how to make good bread. Actually, the book is very specific about flours, starting with the simplest bread using bread flour, water, yeast and salt and moving on gradually adding things but first getting the very basic breadmaking process down. The person who wrote the book is a bread baker. I haven't had a chance to read a lot of the book, but the first couple lessons made me think of you because this person is so specific about the process of making good bread and explains it in a very concise but fun kind of way so it most likely appeals to more than just the experienced bakers. As the book moves on, it gets into more varieties of breads and baking. The process is different than I've ever done before, but I am thinking about giving it a try because some of his process is done to help develop the flavor of the bread. The first lesson is the most basic bread there is, the second lesson uses a fermentation process first, and then mixes the loaf and rises it. The step by step details that this person uses are part of why I brought it to your attention thinking it might be something you'd find interesting because it isn't just for the unexperienced baker and the information in the book is far more detailed and informative than most bread recipes ever are. I mean, come on, if Alice Waters can write a review in support of it, it can't be some sort of fly-by-night stupid bread book! (smile!) From: blindcooks-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:blindcooks-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jon Rawlings Sent: Saturday, January 17, 2015 9:34 PM To: blindcooks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [blindcooks] Re: josey baker bread again Cgharlene: I hope you find the book to be worth the purchase price. But I am very suspicious of books on how to bake bread as I feel many of them are dumbed down a great deal. Many of these books call for using all-purpose flour in most or all of the recipes, which I find to be very suspect depending on what type of bread is being made. No matter what any book says, all-purpose and bread flours are not interchangeable without making some modifications, and even then, the resulting product is not quite the same. Even bread flour is not the same from brand to brand. Again, it depends on what you want to make. I have no problem using a.p. flour for making cinnamon rolls or a handful of other yeast items, but on the whole, I prefer bread flour for things like pizza crust, dinner rolls, baguettes, country French bread, and sandwich bread. I don't know whether this book you brought to our attention has any such recipes I would like, so this is a general opinion and not specific to the book. Jon ----- Original Message ----- From: Charlene Ota <mailto:caota4@xxxxxxxxx> To: blindcooks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Saturday, January 17, 2015 10:23 AM Subject: [blindcooks] josey baker bread again Well, just a follow-up, the preview copy on Bookshare isn't worth the time and trouble because it's only the first 14 pages which are about ingredients, nothing about the recipes or the meat of the book so to speak, so in order to check out the book you have to get the kindle edition unfortunately. Charlene _____ <http://www.avast.com/> Image removed by sender. 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