Even though Mr Nut's bread making adventures have been curtailed, he still tries increase his bread making knowledge.
In the Cook's Illustrated magazine for May-June 2011 there was an interesting short article titled "Gauging When Bread is Done". Mr Nut has always depended on the internal temperature of a loaf of bread to determine when the bread was done. "A properly baked loaf should register a temperature between 195 and 210 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, depending upon the type of bread". But that is not the whole story, The Cook's Illustrated people did the following: They "placed temperature probes in the center of two loaves of rustic Italian bread and monitored them as they baked. Halfway into the baking time, the internal temperature of the loaves had already passed 200 degrees, and they reached the optimal 210 degrees a full 15 minutes before the end of the recommended baking time. (They) removed one loaf from the oven when it approached 210 degrees and left the other in the oven for the recommended baking time. (The temperature of the longer-baked loaf never rose above 210, because the moisture it contains, even when fully baked, prevents it from going past the boiling point of water, or 212 degrees.) The differences between the two loaves were dramatic: The loaf removed early had a pale, soft crust and a gummy interior, while the loaf that baked the full hour had a nicely browned, crisp crust and a perfectly baked crumb".
The lesson: "Internal temperature is less useful than appearance as a sign of a well-baked loaf." Take the temperature of your bread, but stick to the recommended baking time and make sure the crust has achieved the appropriate color before removing the loaf from the oven".
OK, Mr Nut will keep the above in mind when creating recipes. Now let get back to the adventure from yesterday.
Grilling Lamb Chops, another new experience:
Our lamb chop were two inches thick. First olive oil was rubbed into the chops and then salt and pepper was sprinkled on the chops and then they were placed in a zip-lock bag and left to marinate for a while (perhaps 30 minutes).
Here was step one browning (2 minutes per side) over the hotter part of the grill with the cover down.
Browning side two.
Lastly, on a low fire, cover with foil and grill for about six minutes for medium (130℉) with the grill covered.
A little broccoli, Mr Nut's Potato Salad (see yesterday's blog for recipe) and perfect (pink in the center) lamb chops was our meal.
Mr Nut was having fun as the sous chef.
À bientôt,
Mr Nut
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