Re: Kneading bread Reply #25 – June 08, 2014, 01:01:30 pm Yahoo Message Number: 146817Using either Bob's Red Mill or King Arthur Flour has proven to be a better choice for bread for me. Looking at the price of a five-pound bag compared to the regular brands is daunting, but in use, the differential is minuscule. If you are a Walmart shopper, the price there is considerably less than the major supermarket chains, although it is frequently on sale at the chains.Bulk yeast, kept in the freezer, is a good choice as well. The tiny packets are hideously expensive. If you can find a pound (or 2#) package, it is really inexpensive per use. It has happily resided in my freezer for several YEARS without any difficulty. The overnight rise bread requires only a quarter teaspoon of yeast, but a regular batch takes about 2-1/4 teaspoons, thus a small packet would make nine loaves using the overnight method.My local grocery formerly carried two-pound vacuum-packed bags of yeast, but hasn't for the last couple of years. My supply finally ran out, so I ordered it by mail with a bunch of other goodies. Even paying for postage, the cost is still negligible compared to the packets, if you are using one packet for each loaf.As for kneading in the sink . . . I do a lot of things at that level because it is so much easier on my tired ol' arms. For kneading bread, something fairly flat and thin is needed. One of the larger, heavier "chopping block" nylon/plastics that will roll up did the trick for me. I put it down into the sink, and then a tea towel covered in flour to do the actual kneading on. At home I use a marble slab (12 x 18), but I don't think that would fit into the sink. Containing the flying flour in the sink is a big plus. I've actually done it out on the picnic table, too, but all of these workarounds were eliminated by carrying the bread machine. Since I don't bake the bread in the bread machine, I suspect that the electrical draw is fairly small compared to something that requires heat for baking, so probably could be done when boondocking.We all make accommodations to have our favorite things along, and the bread machine is definitely on that list for us. Purchased bread is not at all acceptable, to say nothing of the ridiculous prices for the almost-good-enough artisan breads. We find the preservatives used in purchased bread to have a peculiar taste and smell, therefore the Zojirushi has a place in our hearts and under the dinette seat. In use, I just usually put it outside, plugged into the pedestal and on either the picnic table or a small table that we routinely carry around. Five minutes of attention at the beginning, no mess, and a bit of shaping and baking, and we have a four-serving pizza (usually a dinner and a lunch), six sandwich buns, and a big focaccia (or cinnamon bread) that we eat either plain or toasted up into breadsticks.You will probably be aghast to hear that I also carry around a small Crock-Pot (six cups) and a small rice cooker (three cups)! Both items are worth their weight in gold for easy preparation of meals because they require almost no attention after initial insertion of contents. I use the rice cooker every day for our cereal, and usually four or five times a week to make other items, like "baked" potatoes, or meat loaf! Right now, it is making polenta! ;->Virtual hugs,Judie http://dorrieanne.wordpress.com
Re: Kneading bread Reply #26 – June 08, 2014, 02:16:35 pm Yahoo Message Number: 146819"We all make accommodations to have our favorite things along..."Very true. Being fond of boondocking, at first I used to rule out any electrical cooking appliance, since they are almost without exception major power hogs.Then I started using a pint-sized bread machine (West Bend's "Just For Dinner" model, now out of production), and found that its sped-up 45-minute cycle used only about a hundred watt-hours, or eight amp-hours at 12 V, to produce a loaf of bread. I could afford that, even when running on battery/inverter power.But as Judie pointed out, bread machine loaves have little or no crust--they seem rather characterless to me. Using the bread machine's "dough cycle" to do the mixing and kneading, and then baking in the propane oven, solved that problem. But then I discovered the no-knead bread method, and the bread machine no longer served a purpose. Little as it was, it still took up a sizable portion of my counter space. So into the storage room it went, and now i make bread with "hand tools" only.On the other hand, I break my own "no cooking appliances" rule regularly by using my microwave oven and Toastation toaster oven on inverter power. The key is that neither of these items needs to be run for more than a couple of minutes, so although they draw a hundred amps (at 12 VDC) while in use, they're not doing it for very long, so the total power drain is acceptable.The same goes for my 400 W stick blender--it draws 35 amps at 12 V, but it's only used for a minute or two.The bottom line is that since everything in RVing involves compromise, you have to weigh your alternatives and decide what's most important to you. Being able to use a bread machine, Crock-Pot or electric waffle iron is nice, but do you want to be forced to camp in places with electrical hookups in order to do so?Or are you willing to spend what it takes to double or triple your battery bank, add several hundred watts of solar panels, and install a 2,000 W whole-house inverter in order to be free from that campground umbilical?Perhaps you could get by with handmade bread, a thermal cooker instead of a Crock-Pot, or a stovetop waffle iron. Each choice has its pluses and minuses.By the way, for more information on your rig's electrical system, you may find this Eureka article useful.Andy BairdTravels with Andy
Re: Kitchen Knives Reply #27 – June 08, 2014, 05:46:52 pm Yahoo Message Number: 146825Thank you for your expert advice. You saved me from buying stuff I didn't need. The 2 knives I ordered arrived and quality of the Victorinox looks very good. So good I ordered 2 additional knives from them. Now I can donate my other set and start using the good stuff. Beef Stew here I come!Bob
Re: Kneading bread Reply #28 – June 08, 2014, 06:42:55 pm Yahoo Message Number: 146827Well, I am working hard to manage my weight, so the last thing I knead is bread...Sorry - I just HAD to do it!I wonder if I could sign someone else's name? I guess not...Ken F in OR
Re: Kneading bread Reply #29 – June 08, 2014, 07:07:17 pm Yahoo Message Number: 146828Very good, Ken! But have you accounted for the fact that we need exercise, and kneading bread dough provides this much needed part of lifewithalazydazerv? Hey, you started it! Regards, Kathy L.
Re: Kitchen Knives Reply #30 – June 08, 2014, 07:15:51 pm Yahoo Message Number: 146829Henckels and Wusthof are our selection. Costly but wonderful! Probably find on Google.Bob in Florida SE 5
Kitchen Knives Reply #31 – June 08, 2014, 07:30:29 pm Yahoo Message Number: 146830Complete set, top of the line, Harbor Freight. Set me back $9.99. Imported. Metal blades. Tom on Whidbey Island WAQuote QuoteHenckels and Wusthof are our selection. Costly but wonderful! Probably find on Google.Bob in Florida SE 5
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Topic: Kitchen Knives (Read 8 times)
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