HOW TO SCALD MILK
Heat the milk over direct heat or in a double boiler just until tiny bubbles form around the edges. HOW TO RAISE BREAD DOUGH The best time of year to get yeast bread dough to rise beautifully is in the summertime in an 85-degree kitchen! But the most appealing time to bake bread is in the middle of the winter when the kitchen is cold and everybody is shivering. However, even in the winter you can find toasty warm places for raising bread dough. Here are some ideas:
HOW TO COVER THE DOUGH FOR RISING In the summer when bread dough rises quickly, I often cover the dough with a towel to allow air circulation around the dough and to minimize overheating. When the air is cooler, and when I want to minimize the loss of moisture from the top of the dough (in the winter the air is cooler and more dry), I cover the dough with plastic wrap. These are not hard and fast rules. If I want to eliminate having to wash towels, I use plastic wrap. If I want to conserve plastic wrap, I use towels. HOW TO TELL WHEN BREAD IS BAKED ENOUGH The classic method is to tap the loaf with your finger; if it sounds hollow, the bread is done. This doesn't work when bread is very dense or has a soft crust. My favorite method is to insert a wooden skewer into the center of the loaf. When it comes back easily and is dry, the bread is done. If the bread has browned and looks done, but does not test done, cover it with foil so it will not burn on the outside and continue baking. Bread that browns too quickly might indicate that your oven is baking a bit too hot. Reduce the temperature 2,5 to 50 degrees to finish baking. ABOUT YEASTS My favorite is active dry yeast. I buy it in bulk, but it is the same yeast I could buy in packages at the grocery store. I have tested these recipes also with the rapid-action yeasts or "quick-rise" yeasts, which are a completely different strain of yeast from the old-fashioned active dry. The recipes work fine. They may rise a little more quickly, maybe 10 or 15 minutes faster. Just check the dough a little earlier if you use rapid-action yeast. It's best to dissolve yeast in water between 105°? and ii5°F. It is easiest to dissolve the yeast in water, although some seasoned cooks dissolve it in warm milk. The temperature is critical because yeast is a living organism. Using liquid that is too cold is like pouring ice water on your houseplants. It stunts their growth. If you use water hotter than 115°F, you partially kill or stunt the growth of the yeast. Yeast makes bread rise because it produces carbon dioxide (just as a plant does) which rises and gets trapped in the meshwork of the flour and water mixture. Yeast that comes in moist cakes works well, too. It is a little more sensitive to high temperatures and should be dissolved in liquid no more than no°F. The only reason I don't use it more is that it isn't as easy to find in today's grocery store. When I do find it, I have to be sure to use it up before it gets moldy in the refrigerator. However, if you prefer cake yeast, you know all these problems, and it can be readily substituted for dry yeast in all the recipes in this book. One small cake of yeast is equal to i package of active dry yeast. You will notice that I prefer to use the method of dissolving yeast first in liquid, then adding the remaining ingredients, rather than mixing dry yeast with a portion of the dry ingredients and then adding hot liquid. I do this because each time I make a yeast dough I want to check out the yeast action. Even when there is no sugar added to the yeast and water mixture, you can actually see the yeast beginning to work. It makes a little foam that starts to move around in the bowl. When I notice that action, I know my yeast is alive. ABOUT DEEP-FAT FRYING The classic Scandinavian fat for frying has always been lard. Many holiday pastries are deep fried because of the natural cycle. In the early part of December or late in the fall, the butchering took place on the Scandinavian farm. Every part of the animal was used. The hams were smoked and the bits and pieces of meat were made into cold cuts and sausages and other delicacies. The fat was rendered, clarified, and used as shortening and, because there was a lot of it, for deep frying of holiday pastries. Many people today don't care for the taste of lard and prefer to use vegetable fats. I often use corn oil or safflower oil, or any other high-quality fat available in the market. If it is handled carefully, and you do not overheat it, the fat can be strained and kept refrigerated so it can be used more than once. Check out our best chex mix recipe
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If you haven’t yet tried Boston Butt with a BBQ honey sauce, then here is your chance to enjoy its ultimate delight with this inspiring recipe. you can practically keep the hotness of the marinade as per your own liking.
Serves: 3 Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 4hrs. 30 minutes Ingredients:
Instructions:
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