Your Craving Is My Command The Wild and Wacky World of chefmike Rt 2 Box 395 Appomattox, Virginia 24522 email: wwwchefmike@chef.net Greetings to all, thanks for the feedback, questions and recipes. This special edition of the newsletter is going to cover one of my major weakness'...breads and baking. I enjoy baking but sometimes the logic behind the science has a tendency to totally evade me. I am going to attempt to answer as many questions as possible, I am somewhat knowledgeable on some of the subjects, but also have attained information from other culinarians and some of my favorite cookbooks. Chef's Library Although the market is flooded with zillions of cookbooks there are three that I rely on when I have questions. I prefer to invent my own recipes instead of follow someone else's, except in baking, because baking is such an exact science. An extra 1/4 cup of this, or 1 teaspoon less of that can change the total aspect of your finished product. Sometimes this can make the difference between being delicious or tasting like dirty marbles. My three books of choice LaRousse's Gastrominique, new and old versions-- I enjoy this book the most, LaRousse and the subsequent translators have touched on just about anything you could ask. The downfall's to this book is that it deals with primarily the Mother Cuisine and does not offer much for answering scientific questions. But taking into consideration that the book was originally written over a hundred years ago, in a different language, I find this book extremely valuable and  definitely irreplaceable. Cookwise by Shirley O. Corriher-- A  tie for my favorite book. Ms. Corriher is a true culinarian and  scientist. In her book, she explains the chemistry and science of food. She mixes humor with her teachings and makes it so even the most common can understand the science and reason behind her methods. I always leave this book laying around and will just pick up the book on a whim and flip to any given page and learn something. Definite necessity in any cook's library. The New Professional Chef- A wealth of information, a textbook from the Culinary Institute of America. It covers a large variety of subjects and is very informative. I do not use this book for recipes but use it as a reference guide for common knowledge, or certain methods of preparation of a dish. other recommended cookbooks The Joy of Cooking The Escoffier Cookbook What is yeast and how does it work? Maybe you guys need  to ask me a harder question...jeez... Yeast is a chlorophyll-free, one celled plant (fungus) that lives and feeds off of sugars. Alpha amylase, an enzyme, breaks damaged starch molecules in flour to produce the simple sugars necessary for the yeast to live. As the dough rises, it eats the sugars around it, gives off carbon dioxide and ethyl alcohol and grows. As long as the yeast can get oxygen from the dough it keeps on multiplying by dividing. One divides into two, then those two divide and make four, so on and so forth. Eventually a clump of cells replace the individual yeast cells. When you punch down the dough, you break up these clumps of cells and distribute them in the flour thus giving them fresh food ( sugars ) allowing them to produce more carbon dioxide and to multiply by division. A lot of work for them little fellas. I hope this answered your question, I could write a zillion pages on yeast and history, but I hope I basically answered your question. What is the best method for punching down dough? The reason you punch down the dough other than what I stated in the previous question , is that you are actually turning the dough inside out. A certain amount of heat occurred during the fermentation process with the dough. Usually what I do, to ascertain that the warmer dough comes to the outside and the cooler outer part of the dough is inside. I lightly oil my hand and punch the dough down in the center, forcing a well to the bottom of my bowl. Then I take one side of the ball from underneath and fold it into the center of the well and do the same with the adjacent side. Then I dump the dough upside down on my cutting board or work surface and divide and shape as the recipe specifies. Choosing a flour The questions are not getting any easier... The total amount of protein in a flour makes the difference for baking bread. A high percentage of protein is necessary for the best quality breads. 14 grams per cup is a good quality for bread flour. Unfortunately, the FDA has changed a lot of things in labeling therefore making it difficult for the consumer to determine the amount of protein in a flour. Under the new FDA regulations in labeling, the companies have a 1/2 gram leeway on the 1/4 cup. So a flour labeled 3 grams per 1/4 cup could mean that there is anywhere from 10 to 12 grams of protein per cup. 9 grams per cup is good for cake flour, 14 is good for breads. There are no regulations to support a flour labeled as bread flour must have at least 12-14 grams of protein, etc. Sometimes you may contact the producer of the product and find out the percentage of protein in the flour. Then again, you are just taking someone's word for it, not a dependable resource. I have a trick for testing protein, if you email or write I will be more than happy to share it. Another downfall for checking protein on labels is that it does not pertain to rye, oat, or  rice flour, because the proteins are not directly connected with the gluten, nor does it pertain to wheat flour because it  includes the protein in the wheat germ. This is one of many reasons to combine a good white flour with the other grained flours for baking breads. OK, enough science you're making my brain housing group go gaa-gaa, goo-goo On to the food... I have been looking for a hard roll recipe like the breads served throughout Europe, that stay fresh all day even though they are left out all day. I can understand your sentiment about finding a hard roll recipe that you are looking to duplicate. I am going through the same thing with a roll that I had from some Amish Bakery in NJ several months ago. There is a recipe for a perfect brioche that I use that is pretty close to what you are looking for, although I am sure it is not the same thing. I cannot remember where I got this recipe from, but I have been using it for a few years and it is really good. This is a pretty lengthy recipe so bear with me... 3/4c warm water (115 degrees) 1/4 c sugar plus 1 teaspoon 1 T active dry yeast ( 1  1/3 pkg.'s) 4 1/4 c bread flour 1 pound softened butter 5 large egg yolks 4 large egg whites 1 3/4 t salt water non-stick spray 1 egg beaten for glaze 1) Stir together the warm water, yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in a small metal bowl. Allow to sit for 2 minutes until the yeast begins to foam. ( this will tell you them guys are doing their job and they aren't dead in that lil' package) 2) Add 4 tablespoons of sugar, the flour and the softened butter in a heavy duty mixing bowl and mix with the paddle attachment until the butter and flour are completely incorporated. Add the egg yolks, and mix for 30 seconds. Then add the egg whites, the yeast mixture, and salt andd mix just long enough to combine. The dough should not form a ball, it should be icky, wet and sticky...Add a few drops of water if necessary. 3) Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes and then place in the refrigerator for an additional 45 minutes. ***There are many reasons for this step, not that I remember what they are, but I do know that it is easier to work with the dough once it has been chilled because the butter doesn't spew all over the place and escape from your dough. 4) Spray a 4x12x2 3/4 inch pan with the non-stick spray.. Remember that the dough must be cold before you punch it down. Punch down the dough and divide into 10 equal pieces shaping in a 3-4 inch cylinder ( about the width of the pan) Line the pan with the dough portions, allowing them to touch one another. Brush the tops with the beaten egg  and allow to rise until the dough rises above the pan (1 1/2 to 2 hours- depending on how cold the dough was) About a half hour before your dough is finished rising, preheat your oven to 450. About 5 minutes before the dough is ready, place a shallow pan with boiling water in the bottom of your oven, or bottom shelf if using an electric oven, and turn down your oven to 375. When the dough is completely risen, brush with some more of the egg wash and place in your oven. If you own a baking stone, put the stone in the oven when you first start to preheat your oven, and bake the bread on the stone. Bake for 50 minutes... The loaves get a deep brown because of the egg white and the sugar content in the dough. To make sure your dough is done you can put an instant read thermometer in the center of the dough in the center of the pan and the temp should read right around 200 degrees. Mixing  the butter directly with the flour coats the gluten proteins, therefore protecting the gluten and making a dough that is not that heavy in gluten. The dough is more like a batter and makes for a very tender bread. Remember the chilling process, it is an integral part for making this bread successful ( trust me, I learned that one the hard  way, being the little impatient boy that I am...) Amish Yeast Rolls This recipe was sent to me from Carol, St Joseph, Mo. 6 c flour for bread- additional 1c for kneading 2 packages of yeast 1/2 - 3/4 c sugar 1/4 tsp salt Wet ingredients 1/2 lb butter 1c sour cream 1/2 - 1c milk Melt butter, do not overcook, you want to be able to stick your finger in it without screaming profanities because the butter was hot. ( There is something about hot fat and skin that is not agreeable with some people...) Mis wet and dry ingredients and knead about 10-15 mins. Put in warm place(80-90 degrees) Put dough on floured board and punch down. Shape the dough into the desired shapes and let rise another 20 minutes or until doubled. Brush the tops with melted butter and bake 20 minutes at 350. Makes around 2 dozen. ***chefmike notes- Thanks Carol...I found that most of the hardroll recipes were pretty close to this yeast roll recipe. I did not write down my variables when I used this for hard rolls, but I  do remember the methods. I brought the milk to 110 degrees. I added my seasons to the sour cream and mixed smooth before my addition. I used roasted garlic, dehydrated onion, basil and parmesean cheese on one that was pretty awesome.  I placed a water bath with boiling water on the bottom rack of my oven. If you have a gas oven you can place this water bath on the bottom of your oven. And I also brushed the tops of the rolls with egg wash instead of butter. Hope this helps satisfy some hardroll cravings. I also made another one that was really good that was sent in by Michele from Louisiana that is going to be published in the next newsletter. It is just too long to put in this edition Cheesecakes by Chef Roy Chef Roy, a mentor of mine since the beginning of my career ( I used to be his dishwasher, and eventually was one of his chef's)  taught me how to make cheesecakes. I am not going to give away my recipe because I sell them locally, but I will give you his...without his permission of course...ha-ha  I am just glad that he is on the mailing list. 3 lb cream cheese 1c sugar zest and juice of 1 lemon 4 eggs 1t vanilla Crust 1c graham cracker crumbs 1/2 c sugar 1/4 lb butter Make crust and line a spring form pan on the bottom with the crust. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes and allow to cool. Make filling. Put all ingredients minus the eggs in a mixer and mix well. After your product is smooth add 1 egg at a time, after breaking the egg into a small dish...( I have a not so funny story about egg shells and cheesecakes...don't I Chef?...he was unhappy with me...) allow the egg to incorporate totally into the mixture before making the next addition. When all the eggs have been incorporated in the mixture,  place the filling in the spring form pan and smoothen the top. Put a water bath on the middle shelf of your oven , making sure the water bath pan is at least 1 inch larger than your spring form at the sides. Cook for 1 hour at 375 and then turn down you  temperature and cook at 325. chefroy/chefmike notes--Continuously shut off your mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl. DO NOT CRACK EGGS DIRECTLY INTO THE BATTER ( hee-hee) Soften your cream cheese to room temperature before beginning Have fun with the recipe, and like I said and will keep on saying, use your imagination with it. I originally was going to give away on  how to make any  kind of flavored cheesecake, but that is a Roy secret and he probably wouldn't appreciate me giving it away. Am glad he is in Michigan and I am in Virginia.  Love ya back Chef... Well, thanks to everyone for being a part of the wild and wacky world of chefmike. I hope you enjoyed the newsletter, I really had a lot of fun writing this one, even though some questions really bogged up the brain housing group. For those that had written the heavier scientific questions that I did not address, I will address them induvidually by the end of the month. Not a lot of time on my hands for the time being Other Tidbits For those that are local to Appomattox, I reduced my work schedule to allow me to start on personal cooking and more, including private cooking classes for individuals or groups. If interested, or want to find out about what kind of wackychef things I have going on give me a call and I'd be more than happy to fill you in. There will be an ad in the paper starting next week. My business line is 444-6908, this is a local call from Appomattox. I have it designed that we can work with any budget. If you belong to a non- profit or a not-for -profit organization and I can volunteer my services to your organization please feel free to drop me a line or give me a call.I am always available to help those that are less fortunate than I am. Thanks for all the prayers for Jamie's welfare, I think they're working. I set up an 888 voicemail/fax line, the voicemail/faxes go directly to my email, I check my mail 4 or 5 times a day. 1-888-392-4832 at the prompt punch in 804-444-6908- A lot of numbers I know, but a pretty cool contraption. You can just leave a message or press * at the beep and send the fax. Peace to all chefmike