Author Topic: 4:30 A.M. Pastries out..  (Read 1565 times)

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Offline RuralNc

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4:30 A.M. Pastries out..
« on: February 25, 2023, 03:33:43 AM »
So, its 4:30 in the morning. Last of the Pastries are out of the oven. Got their first coating of powdered sugar. Once they cool down, they will get a couple more coats. Cant have enough.

Anyhow, I often wonder, when does morning start? I started the coffee pot at 3:00, mostly because im a coffee drinking fool. But at around 11 PM I was drinking Ice Tea. So, again, where is the defining line, when does morning start?

Back to your regularly scheduled program..

Offline Eupher

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Re: 4:30 A.M. Pastries out..
« Reply #1 on: February 25, 2023, 06:15:35 AM »
I'm an early bird too, though lately I've been sleeping in till 5 AM. I don't get the coffee going until Mrs. E gets up, which is usually around 7 AM.

I have one large cup of coffee per day. That's it. Sometimes some iced tea and even more rarely hot tea, but generally nothing but water after 6 PM.

That reminds me. I need to bake another loaf of bread. This is out of the America's Test Kitchen cookbook of 2020, I think:

"Almost No-Knead Bread" (this recipe is doubled from the original)

720 g bread flour
1.5 cups water
0.5 cups beer
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp yeast
2 tbsp vinegar

Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the liquid ingredients, mixing well. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place (I use our oven with the oven light on) for at least 8 hours up to 18 hours.

Uncover and turn out on a generously-floured board. The dough will be sticky. Shape into a loaf-sized mass or a round with minimal kneading. Place the loaf on parchment paper sprayed with vegetable spray. If you prefer a loaf versus a round (we do), place inside a loaf pan which, in turn, is placed inside a suitably-sized dutch oven. Otherwise, put the round loaf on parchment paper inside a dutch oven. Cover the loaf with plastic wrap and put back in the oven with the oven light on. Proof for 2 hours.

Remove the plastic wrap. Cover the dutch oven and bake at 425 deg. for about 40 min. Do NOT pre-heat the oven -- if you do, you'll burn the bread. After 40 min., remove the cover and bake another 20-25 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 105-110 deg.

Place on a wire rack to cool.

This bread is easy to make, but it yields a crusty loaf, especially when warm.
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Offline freedumb2003b

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Re: 4:30 A.M. Pastries out..
« Reply #2 on: February 25, 2023, 08:54:01 AM »
So, its 4:30 in the morning. Last of the Pastries are out of the oven. Got their first coating of powdered sugar. Once they cool down, they will get a couple more coats. Cant have enough.

Anyhow, I often wonder, when does morning start? I started the coffee pot at 3:00, mostly because im a coffee drinking fool. But at around 11 PM I was drinking Ice Tea. So, again, where is the defining line, when does morning start?

Back to your regularly scheduled program..

graveyard shift in a donut shop?
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Offline ABC-2

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Re: 4:30 A.M. Pastries out..
« Reply #3 on: February 25, 2023, 09:54:04 AM »
So, its 4:30 in the morning. Last of the Pastries are out of the oven. Got their first coating of powdered sugar. Once they cool down, they will get a couple more coats. Cant have enough.

Anyhow, I often wonder, when does morning start? I started the coffee pot at 3:00, mostly because im a coffee drinking fool. But at around 11 PM I was drinking Ice Tea. So, again, where is the defining line, when does morning start?

Back to your regularly scheduled program..


Quote
So, again, where is the defining line, when does morning start?

It should start whenever you on your own, or your pre-set alarm clock wakes you up! 

My  2 cents worth anyway!   :-)

~ ABC
Please pray for our country in these turbulent times ...
It really is the best in the world & I can't stand the thought of losing it.

Freedom, Truth, and the USA!!! 
~ American By Choice (aka ABC-2)

Offline ABC-2

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Re: 4:30 A.M. Pastries out..
« Reply #4 on: February 25, 2023, 10:09:05 AM »
Should also add, depending on your age as a male ...
 
And you get up a few inconvenient times to "piddle"  :-) in the night against your will.

Then of course, you had better rely on your alarm as well when needed, just in case!  :lmao:

 ~ ABC
Please pray for our country in these turbulent times ...
It really is the best in the world & I can't stand the thought of losing it.

Freedom, Truth, and the USA!!! 
~ American By Choice (aka ABC-2)

Offline RuralNc

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Re: 4:30 A.M. Pastries out..
« Reply #5 on: February 25, 2023, 12:43:33 PM »
I'm an early bird too, though lately I've been sleeping in till 5 AM. I don't get the coffee going until Mrs. E gets up, which is usually around 7 AM.

I have one large cup of coffee per day. That's it. Sometimes some iced tea and even more rarely hot tea, but generally nothing but water after 6 PM.

That reminds me. I need to bake another loaf of bread. This is out of the America's Test Kitchen cookbook of 2020, I think:


Have you tried:

https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/no-knead-crusty-white-bread-recipe

Pretty solid recipe. If you wait the full 7 days it has that Sourdough Twang. But, you have to be careful about it picking up other smells in your fridge. You almost have to have a dedicated Fridge for dough.

Offline RuralNc

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Re: 4:30 A.M. Pastries out..
« Reply #6 on: February 25, 2023, 12:44:47 PM »
graveyard shift in a donut shop?

Bakery. I run a small Bakery Business.

Offline RuralNc

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Re: 4:30 A.M. Pastries out..
« Reply #7 on: February 25, 2023, 12:46:42 PM »
Should also add, depending on your age as a male ...
 
And you get up a few inconvenient times to "piddle"  :-) in the night against your will.

Then of course, you had better rely on your alarm as well when needed, just in case!  :lmao:

 ~ ABC

It should start whenever you on your own, or your pre-set alarm clock wakes you up! 

My  2 cents worth anyway!   :-)

~ ABC

Seems reasonable enough.

I use to suffer from insomnia. So being in and out of bed, numerous times, and a crazy sleep schedule to boot.

Offline Texacon

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Re: 4:30 A.M. Pastries out..
« Reply #8 on: February 25, 2023, 02:53:18 PM »
There is a real problem for some of us early risers. I stay in a hotel 3 nights a week. I get up around 4, but sometimes 3:30.

The hotel doesn’t start serving breakfast until 6. The donut shop only had a few thing out from the day before. The breakfast taco place I go to (which is awesome!) opens at 4:30.

There is a Mexican restaurant that opens at 4 and there is always Waffle House. Both of these are decent options, but it is really tough to get a good breakfast when you get up so early.

I’m usually at my office between 4:30 and 5:15. I don’t really need to be there until 7. I just figured since I can’t sleep and I’m not at home, I may as well work.

KC
  Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day.  Set a man on fire and he will be warm for the rest of his life.

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Offline Texacon

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Re: 4:30 A.M. Pastries out..
« Reply #9 on: February 25, 2023, 02:54:25 PM »
Having said that, I WISH there was a place open where I could get fresh pastries at 4:30. I’d bea regular!

KC
  Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day.  Set a man on fire and he will be warm for the rest of his life.

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Offline Eupher

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Re: 4:30 A.M. Pastries out..
« Reply #10 on: February 25, 2023, 05:46:39 PM »
Have you tried:

https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/no-knead-crusty-white-bread-recipe

Pretty solid recipe. If you wait the full 7 days it has that Sourdough Twang. But, you have to be careful about it picking up other smells in your fridge. You almost have to have a dedicated Fridge for dough.

Interesting, and thanks! Will check this out. I like their explanation about using AP flour instead of bread flour. We'll try both flavors in due course. I also like the fact you can get 3 loaves out of this recipe.
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Mouthpiece data provided on request.

Offline RuralNc

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Re: 4:30 A.M. Pastries out..
« Reply #11 on: February 25, 2023, 06:38:38 PM »
Interesting, and thanks! Will check this out. I like their explanation about using AP flour instead of bread flour. We'll try both flavors in due course. I also like the fact you can get 3 loaves out of this recipe.

That recipe is pretty flexible. Its been a couple years since I tried it. Be forewarned though. It is a somewhat sticky dough. If you dont have a dough scraper and a banneton basket, you might want to splurge a little. You can order from Amazon.

Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery is generally who is responsible for bring that recipe/style back to the main stream. Its an old fashioned technique thats only real requirement is time. And time is what builds flavor. And theres no shortcut for that.

Back when I was playing around in the recipe, I tried a couple variations. I switched out some of the white flour (about 20%) with, wheat and or rye. I also made Olive Bread by mixing in some Kalamatas. Its good stuff. Just rinse the olives because of the salt.

Offline RuralNc

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Re: 4:30 A.M. Pastries out..
« Reply #12 on: February 25, 2023, 06:39:45 PM »
There is a real problem for some of us early risers. I stay in a hotel 3 nights a week. I get up around 4, but sometimes 3:30.

The hotel doesn’t start serving breakfast until 6. The donut shop only had a few thing out from the day before. The breakfast taco place I go to (which is awesome!) opens at 4:30.

There is a Mexican restaurant that opens at 4 and there is always Waffle House. Both of these are decent options, but it is really tough to get a good breakfast when you get up so early.

I’m usually at my office between 4:30 and 5:15. I don’t really need to be there until 7. I just figured since I can’t sleep and I’m not at home, I may as well work.

KC

Nothing worse the Hotel life. I couldnt handle that..  :p

Offline RuralNc

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Re: 4:30 A.M. Pastries out..
« Reply #13 on: February 26, 2023, 01:21:47 PM »
Interesting, and thanks! Will check this out. I like their explanation about using AP flour instead of bread flour. We'll try both flavors in due course. I also like the fact you can get 3 loaves out of this recipe.

Eupher.. I got thinking about it, and I had to check the math, that recipe will give you 3 loaves of around 537 grams each. If you want to test the waters, I modified it, using Bakers math. You will need a set of scales though. This will give you 1 loaf of bread around 535 grams. This will save you some ingredients just in case you dont like the recipe itself. The loaf produced is on the small side, but for taste testing purposes, it will do just fine. In the Bakery thats called, a snack.  :-)

Flour - 300 grams
Water - 225 grams
Salt - 6 grams
Yeast - 4.5 grams (1 rounded tsp. is close enough)
Follow all other directions as indicated in the original recipe.

Offline Drafe Hoblin

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Re: 4:30 A.M. Pastries out..
« Reply #14 on: February 26, 2023, 09:52:52 PM »
I actually had this conversation when I worked the night-shift at Calphalon.  It was agreed that morning officially starts at 3:45.

Offline ABC-2

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Re: 4:30 A.M. Pastries out..
« Reply #15 on: February 27, 2023, 09:34:13 AM »
I actually had this conversation when I worked the night-shift at Calphalon.  It was agreed that morning officially starts at 3:45.

Oh Mercy!  3:45?  :

Even the birds are still asleep in their nests at that hour, are they not?   :-)

~ ABC

Please pray for our country in these turbulent times ...
It really is the best in the world & I can't stand the thought of losing it.

Freedom, Truth, and the USA!!! 
~ American By Choice (aka ABC-2)

Offline RuralNc

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Re: 4:30 A.M. Pastries out..
« Reply #16 on: February 27, 2023, 11:15:09 AM »
I actually had this conversation when I worked the night-shift at Calphalon.  It was agreed that morning officially starts at 3:45.

Seems reasonable enough. Its got to start at some point. By then Bars are closed, and early businesses are gearing up for the morning rush.

Offline RuralNc

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Re: 4:30 A.M. Pastries out..
« Reply #17 on: February 27, 2023, 11:16:40 AM »
Oh Mercy!  3:45?  :

Even the birds are still asleep in their nests at that hour, are they not?   :-)

~ ABC

Around these parts, at that hour the Coyotes are at work. 

Offline Eupher

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Re: 4:30 A.M. Pastries out..
« Reply #18 on: February 27, 2023, 02:06:58 PM »
Eupher.. I got thinking about it, and I had to check the math, that recipe will give you 3 loaves of around 537 grams each. If you want to test the waters, I modified it, using Bakers math. You will need a set of scales though. This will give you 1 loaf of bread around 535 grams. This will save you some ingredients just in case you dont like the recipe itself. The loaf produced is on the small side, but for taste testing purposes, it will do just fine. In the Bakery thats called, a snack.  :-)

Flour - 300 grams
Water - 225 grams
Salt - 6 grams
Yeast - 4.5 grams (1 rounded tsp. is close enough)
Follow all other directions as indicated in the original recipe.

I appreciate the extra effort, NC, but we're not opposed to going the full route the first time out. We're confident in the accuracy of the recipe and it'll be interesting to see how the 1 cup of hot water in the pan works. The ATK recipe we've been using does not call for the steam bath routine and the KA recipe eliminates the beer and the vinegar.

The recipe acknowledges that using a dutch oven (which we will) works wonderfully for sourdough and we're certainly looking forward to letting the dough sit for up to 7 days to gauge the sourdough flavor -- another reason to go the full route.

The only thing that was slowing us down was having a 6 qt. container. Our largest was 4.6 qts., but I took care of that problem today with a trip to Wally World. Needed some yeast too. I also ordered a dough whisk and two rectangular banneton baskets from Amazon. We favor rectangular loaves rather than round loaves.

The only thing that puzzles me is using the dutch oven in combination with the 1 cup of hot water in a bottom pan (essentially creating a steam bath inside the oven and probably an artisan, crusty loaf like Italian or French bread). If the loaf is inside the dutch oven with the lid on it, how does the steam bath work?  :shrug:

ETA: We use a scale in measuring flour. Alton Brown convinced us of that.  :cheersmate:
Adams E2 Euphonium, built in 2017
Boosey & Co. Imperial Euphonium, built in 1941
Edwards B454 bass trombone, built 2012
Bach Stradivarius 42OG tenor trombone, built 1992
Kanstul 33-T BBb tuba, built 2011
Fender Precision Bass Guitar, built ?
Mouthpiece data provided on request.

Offline freedumb2003b

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Re: 4:30 A.M. Pastries out..
« Reply #19 on: February 27, 2023, 07:40:02 PM »
Bakery. I run a small Bakery Business.

Close :)
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Offline RuralNc

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Re: 4:30 A.M. Pastries out..
« Reply #20 on: February 27, 2023, 07:50:10 PM »
I appreciate the extra effort, NC, but we're not opposed to going the full route the first time out. We're confident in the accuracy of the recipe and it'll be interesting to see how the 1 cup of hot water in the pan works. The ATK recipe we've been using does not call for the steam bath routine and the KA recipe eliminates the beer and the vinegar.

The recipe acknowledges that using a dutch oven (which we will) works wonderfully for sourdough and we're certainly looking forward to letting the dough sit for up to 7 days to gauge the sourdough flavor -- another reason to go the full route.

The only thing that was slowing us down was having a 6 qt. container. Our largest was 4.6 qts., but I took care of that problem today with a trip to Wally World. Needed some yeast too. I also ordered a dough whisk and two rectangular banneton baskets from Amazon. We favor rectangular loaves rather than round loaves.

The only thing that puzzles me is using the dutch oven in combination with the 1 cup of hot water in a bottom pan (essentially creating a steam bath inside the oven and probably an artisan, crusty loaf like Italian or French bread). If the loaf is inside the dutch oven with the lid on it, how does the steam bath work?  :shrug:

ETA: We use a scale in measuring flour. Alton Brown convinced us of that.  :cheersmate:

Yep, I agree. Round loaves (Boules) are, well, kinda weird. I prefer Oval (Batard) myself. I have a whole stack of Bannetons. I think their 10x6x4. Its a good size. 700 to 750 grams is a pretty good dough weight for that size of basket.

Your suspicion about the Dutch Oven AND steam is correct. When using a D.O., no steam is needed, as the bread has enough moisture to steam itself. Although, I know some folks who will spritz the loaf, or maybe toss in 1 single ice cube. But its really not needed. If on the other hand, you are baking directly on a pizza stone, or a sheet pan, then yes, you want a pan to create steam in the bottom of the pan.

My home oven is a Bosch 800 series duel fuel. It holds steam like no ones business. If I want to bake some hearth/artisan loaves in it, I use pizza stones. I put one on each shelf. On the bottom of the stove, I have an old cast iron pan. It stays in their permanently. Also the stove has hidden elements, so no problems there.

I preheat the oven for about an hour, to make sure the stones are well heated. When ready, I turn the bread out onto a pizza peel thats been coated with Semolina, but Cornmeal is just fine. Slash the bread, then launch the bread right onto the hot stones, then quickly pour about 1/2 cup of boiling water into the iron pan. Shut the door fast.

On the other hand, my commercial oven doesnt hold steam worth a hoot. You MUST use dutch ovens with it. It will hold 12 Lodge Combo Cookers, if you want a real workout. I have 8, and thats more then I care for.  :-)