Steep drop in world wheat crop forecast
 

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/386fb65e-e...0779fd2ac.html

Might be a good time to load up before prices start rising again.

Re: Steep drop in world wheat crop forecast
 

Thank you for the tip--been thinking about those superpails lately.

What's the best source for superpails?

I was trying to just by the golden wheat that the home bread makers say is primo for making bread, but I'm having trouble finding much out there besides red and hard white.

Re: Steep drop in world wheat crop forecast
 

http://www.wheatmontana.com/store/pr...roducts_id=171

and you can get a 5lb bag of already ground flour if you want to try it first.

http://www.wheatmontana.com/store/pr...roducts_id=111

Re: Steep drop in world wheat crop forecast
 

I'm just wondering. What is the benefit of a pail instead of just buying bulk wheat in a sack? Has the pail been evacuated of oxygen for storage? The price seems kind of steep and that is before shipping is figured in.

Re: Steep drop in world wheat crop forecast
 

I get sacks and dump them in buckets. Then I fill up with CO2. Noted that the buckets pull a seal. Been doing it that way for a while, and have noticed no ill affects to the grain.
BOY does fresh flour taste good. I could live on waffles.

Re: Steep drop in world wheat crop forecast
 

Thank you for your kindness and information, master Andy.

I look forward to trying their Prairie Gold with my no-knead cast-iron dutch oven bread.

I baked it in the electric oven regularly. My last couple attempts were inside the wood stove as SquirrelBait suggested was a possibility. Both attempts perfectly edible, but with room for improvement. I wish the last owners of the house had installed one of the larger Dutchwest woodstoves!

Re: Steep drop in world wheat crop forecast
 

You have to check with the seller for how the pail was packaged. Normally grain sold in "superpails" is packed in mylar with O2 absorbers, so you get the grain, plus the bucket and you don't need to mess with the packaging.

Re: Steep drop in world wheat crop forecast
 

That wouldn't be too bad then, the work is done for you. The dutch oven bread you referenced sounds rather tasty. I'd like to know more about it.

Re: Steep drop in world wheat crop forecast
 

Would love to have your recipe as well, if you care to share it!

Re: Steep drop in world wheat crop forecast
 

ME TOO! Please, do tell!

Re: Steep drop in world wheat crop forecast
 

Me 3....give it up, Ralleia....

Re: Steep drop in world wheat crop forecast
 

Sorry guys--I went to bed!

It's a European-style crusty bread. Photo is from http://wednesdaychef.typepad.com/the...heys_nokn.html
http://wednesdaychef.typepad.com/pho...ed/bread_3.jpg
----------------------------------------------------
Recipe: No-Knead Bread
Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery
Time: About 1� hours plus 14 to 20 hours� rising
3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
� teaspoon instant yeast
1� teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.
1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.
Yield: One 1�-pound loaf.

Re: Steep drop in world wheat crop forecast
 

Thanks. Sure looks good.

Re: Steep drop in world wheat crop forecast
 

The no-knead bread recipe is GREAT. It turns out most excellent in my electric oven baked dutch oven. The only hassle I've had is related to:

"Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours."

Maybe in a perfect world, the dough won't stick to the towel. In my corner of the universe,however, I end up using my King Arthur Flour plastic scraping tool to try & remove the sticky wet dough from the cloth.

I cheat & use an oil/cornmeal coated bowl for the final rise.

I baked some rye bread this afternoon, using a modified King Arthur recipe & home ground rye & whole wheat flour. Just had a slice. Nice caraway seed flavor, but not as dark a color as the "store bought" rye breads. Might need more unsweetened cocoa for color.

Thinking about making "shrimp & grits" for dinner tonight. See:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/b...ipe/index.html

Re: Steep drop in world wheat crop forecast
 

I use a really low-pile "towel"--more like a heavy cloth actually--and plenty of flour. I've only had it stick one time, when I skimped on the flour...into the wash we go!

Do you do your rye bread in the dutch oven as well? If so, I would be very much interested in your technique and recipe!

Re: Steep drop in world wheat crop forecast
 

The only time I tried the towel approach, I used what I thought was plenty of flour, and ended up with a gooey mess. No more. Lubed glass/ceramic bowls for me!

I did my first batch of rye bread tonight, and used girly-man steel bread pans rather than a MANLY dutch oven. The bread turned out with a great flavor, but a bit light in color. Here's the recipe (based on the King Arthur Flour 20th Anniversary Cookbook, p. 144):

1 cup warm water
1 cup unflavored yogurt
1/4 cup unsulphured molasses (yes, molasses in January!)
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
2 Tbsp butter, softened
1 Tbsp salt
2 tsp soy lecithin (granular) (I add this to help shelf life & softness)
2 cup medium-coarse ground rye flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp caraway seed
2 Tbsp minced dried onions (could EASILY use 3-4 Tbsp)
1.5 cups all purpose flour


To warm water/yogurt mix, add molasses & dissolve. Add yeast, mix, wait 10 minutes to let it "work."

Add butter, salt, lecithin. Mix a minute or so. Add rye & whole wheat flour, mix ~2 minutes. Scrape mixer down, add all purpose flour. Mix 2-3 minutes, scrape down as needed. Once ingredients pull together, mix another ~5 minutes.

Dump contents of mixer into oiled/greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap. Stick in warm oven (~80 F) for ~60 minutes until doubled in size.

Knock dough down, split into 2 bread pans, cover with plastic wrap. Put back in warm oven for 30-45 minutes until doubled.

Remove plastic wrap, put bread pans & dough in cold oven (~80 F). Turn oven to 400 F for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, set oven to 350 F. Bake 25-30 minutes.

Yum yum yum!

If you wanted to do the dutch oven approach, I'd be inclined to do the second rise in an oiled bowl, then dump the dough in a dutch oven preheated to 425-450 F. Bake ~20 minutes with lid on, followed by ~20 minutes with lid removed.