Alright, now that it's 8pm, it's time to get officially going! Welcome to the November meeting of Eden Cooks! It's cooler and cooler, so baking makes more and more sense---I'm excited to finally get to share a really fun baking recipe with you!

There are lots of secrets to perfect pastries. Some of the tips I'll share with you focus on taste---others focus on texture.

Think of all the baked goods you know of---in your mind, compare a Bear Claw with a croissant with a baking powder biscuit. Now think of bread---sandwich bread that comes pre-sliced, baguettes, ciabatta, a crispy pizza crust.

Most of the difference in the texture of these breads is a result of the protein content of the flour. (Of course, there are other differences based on yeast amounts, and rise times, and bake style and temperature, and what liquids you use, and whether you add fats.) But, just for the basics, consider the protein content. The more tough or toothsome a bread is, generally, the more protein is left in the grain when they grind it (or the more existed naturally---some cultivars of wheat have more protein than others).

Strong and chewy pizza crusts and baguettes with an open crumb are made with high-protein bread flour. (Usually somewhere around 12% protein by weight.) Soft tender pastries are made with flour whose protein is about 8% by weight. All purpose flour, the easiest kind to find in your grocery store, is about 10%.
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Well, basically. Depending on the type of flour---rye is super low in gluten (there is still some, enough to trigger allergies for celiac-sprue sufferers), but has a bunch of gliandin which is another kind of protein. It responds differently... but in our hemisphere people very rarely bake with rye so you can gloss over it

... until I become evil and teach sourdough rye one of these months... *evil laugh* less

Well, basically. Depending on the type of flour---rye is super low in gluten (there is still some, enough to trigger allergies for celiac-sprue sufferers), but has a bunch of gliandin which is another kind of protein. It responds differently... but in our hemisphere people very rarely bake with rye so you can gloss over it

... until I become evil and teach sourdough rye one of these months... *evil laugh* less

I had the most ridiculous bad luck with the post office trying to get some pastry flour mailed to me. So instead I used a grandmother-style trick to boost the starch in my "flour" without increasing the protein content---I boiled and crushed up two tiny little potatoes and added them the my dough. It works out pretty well, and it's a good trick to have handy when your grocery store doesn't carry pastry flour.

Also,

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I had the most ridiculous bad luck with the post office trying to get some pastry flour mailed to me. So instead I used a grandmother-style trick to boost the starch in my "flour" without increasing the protein content---I boiled and crushed up two tiny little potatoes and added them the my dough. It works out pretty well, and it's a good trick to have handy when your grocery store doesn't carry pastry flour.

Also,

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Smack in the geographical middle (excluding AK an HI). So I think my store-brand sugar is from western MN/ North Dakota.

Actually, that kidn of ties in... I've been wondering how often you guys make a special shopping trip in order to cook something, and how often you just adapt your recipe to fit what you have in the house? less