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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

"The Mail Truck is in the Driveway!"

If the kids tell me the mail truck is driving in, it means there is something too big for the mail box.  That usually means it's something fun...and lately, that means it's something I ordered from Amazon with my first 2 gift cards via Amazon Associates.                                                                                                        
It took awhile to use the first, as I pondered what to choose.  But after buying the French Bread pan, I knew what my next purchase would be, so ordered right away.                                                    
I've been fairly proud of myself for having the discipline to keep 2 batches of dough going in the refrigerator... One for weekly pizza crust, and one for artisan bread.  Any time we use either, I use a majority of what's in the bowl, but leave a portion behind and immediately stir up the next batch with it in the same bowl.  It's giving us a bit of a sourdough flavor to both doughs that we like.                                                                                                   
But this means 2 of our most useful bowls are unavailable for other tasks.  Also, I use plastic wrap as covers, which usually works out OK, but sometimes comes loose enough that the top of the dough gets dry.  (This is usually a bigger problem with faster rising doughs, and not so much with these slow-rise types, but it's still not the best answer.)                                                                                                                                
To solve these issues, my latest purchase was Cambro 6-quart plastic bread buckets.                                                                                       
They take less room in the fridge and free up the mixing bowls for other uses.  It is easy to see how much the dough is risen through the clear and marked sides.                                                                                         
One downside:  They are narrower and taller than the bowls I'm used to mixing in, so I felt a bit confined while mixing, and the top edge scratched my hands as I stirred.                                                                                                     
Solution:  I think I will still mix in the bowls, then transfer to the buckets for rising and storage.  










Previous related posts:
Pizza Crust....The 
continuing quest for the best
New Gadget: French 
Bread/Baguette Pan

2 comments:

  1. CoteheleMarch 15, 2011 at 9:49 AM

    Congrats you Amazon Associates is working out so well! The dough bowls are larger than I thought. Mixer bowls use a lot of fridge space, I agree. I tried a slow rise refrigerated dough last week. It is very convenient when there is not enough time in one day to bake. DH doesn't care for sourdough bread-I didn't realize the taste would sour a little. But then he only likes white bread, hehe.

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  2. RHome410March 15, 2011 at 10:28 AM

    I wouldn't call it income supplementation, but it is fun to be able to get a couple of new kitchen gadgets without robbing from the family budget.

    The little bit of dough carried over serves as a sort of starter, and over time of doing so over and over, it does get a bit of a sourdough taste. I don't think it's nearly as strong as a true starter would be, so your dh might not even notice. And it sure won't happen in a new batch used within a short time.

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