A Plea for Compassion
It is Election Day and Joe Biden is looking to push Donald Trump out of office. I’m not about to preach my political beliefs. I guess this is more of just a plea for compassion.
Today is November 3rd, 2020.
It is Election Day and Joe Biden is looking to push Donald Trump out of office. I’m not about to preach my political beliefs, though I do have strong opinions on this stuff. I’m not asking for your opinion and i’m not going to spew about the importance of voting either. I guess this is more of a plea for compassion. Like I said, I have my beliefs about who I think is better suited to represent our country and i’m even willing to respectfully debate my beliefs in a face to face setting for the sake of broadening my own perspective on the matter. When a winner is inevitably announced, I beg that we simply treat each other with respect and lead our lives with compassion and empathy. Let’s not turn to finger pointing or name calling. Accept our new reality and move on with our lives. Losers make excuses for their shortcomings. Winners turn their shortcomings into strengths and build with the limited tools they have. Truth is: there really is no 100% right answer coming from either major party and an entire nation of people are shouting their “personal truths” out into the world, a little louder each time in order to drown out all the folks around them trying to do the same. See the problem?
Take a deep breath. We all have something we can learn from one another. A CEO of a major business has something to learn from the janitor and vice versa, so. just . listen….
Let’s come together. Let’s lead with compassion.Let's embrace diversity.
Let’s practice empathy.
Let’s remember what it means to be proud to be an American.
Working with Yeast Doughs - What to Look For
As someone that bakes bagels for a living, I’ve learned a thing or two about what you need to look for in a healthy yeast dough. Here are a few pointers and things to look out for when working with a yeast dough.
Hey Friends,
As someone that bakes bagels for a living, I’ve learned a thing or two about what you need to look for in a healthy yeast dough. After all, yeast is a living organism and you need to treat it as such! Here are a few pointers and things to look out for when working with a yeast dough.
#1) Use Instant Yeast, for your baking endeavors. It’s easy to work with, has a relatively long shelf life, and you don’t need to worry about keeping it alive. Besides, even most professional kitchens and bakeries use instant yeast for their dough.
#2) When hydrating the flour with water remember that cold water will slow down yeast activity ultimately giving the dough more time to develop its flavors. This also means it will take longer for your dough to rise and be ready to work with, however. Warm water will speed up the yeast activity meaning that it will rise much faster, but at the compromise of flavor.
#3) Oil is often called a “Shortener”. This is because when added to a flour that contains gluten, the oil will cause the gluten strands to shorten, making the dough less stretchy, which could ultimately affect the oven spring of your finished product. This could also be a desirable characteristic, depending on what type of final product you’re trying to make.
#4) Besides sweetening the dough, the presence of added sugar speeds up yeast activity and allows the dough to proof more quickly. Be careful of adding too much sugar, however. If the dough rises too quickly the gluten strands won’t have time to strengthen. This means as soon as you try to pick up the dough or work with it at all, it’ll deflate very quickly and most likely be sticky and hard to work with. Also be mindful of the affects of white vs. brown sugar. Brown sugar causes the end product to have a more firm and darker crumb.
#5) Salt is necessary in order to give the dough flavor. Be weary when mixing the salt with your other dry ingredients, though. Salt prohibits the development of yeast in the dough. To be safe, add salt to one side of your bowl and yeast to the other side of your bowl before adding your wet ingredients. This allows the yeast a chance to get hydrated by the dough before the salt comes into contact with it.
#6) Mixing the dough allows the gluten strains to strengthen and develop. In most dough applications, the dough is properly mixed when you can poke it with your finger and the exterior of the dough bounces back from the indentation left by your finger. Dough is slightly tacky but easily comes off fingers.
#7) A little baking soda when dissolved in water, can be brushed on to most dough products just before they are about to be baked to give your dough a “pretzel effect”.
#8) Baking with dough can be very challenging for cooks of any level. The moisture in the air can affect the way flour fills your measuring cups. When baking, it’s important to measure ingredients by weight. Using a scale will ensure consistent results and a better finished product!
I hope these tips helped you overcome whatever baking challenges your facing! If this blog didn’t answer your baking questions, reach out to us on chefjpexperience.com and we’d be happy to do our best to steer you right.
Keep spreading love, good people!
Best,
Chef Jake