On Tue, 18 Sep 2007 23:20:37 GMT, "M. Halbrook"
wrote:

Boron Elgar wrote in
:

The bread in this picture was baked without the use of scales or
measuring devices. I am a big believer in getting to know which
ingredients, dough hydrations, fermentations and baking time, temp and
method will produce the loaves one seeks. Does it take practice? Of
course it does, and this is true whether or not one uses scales.

Yeah, I don't measure either, but for someone starting out, I think it's
best to measure to get a feel for how things work, and weight is the best
way to ensure consistancy. That's they only reason I weigh out the
ingredients for the pizza dough we make @ church now, is for consistancy.

Cooking for large groups falls into the commercial end of it, even if
there is no money involved.

As to temperature, King Arthur Flour has a document about how to guage the
temperatures and calculate the best temp for the water.

One of the nice things to do is watch a whole bunch of pros (either
advanced home bakers or "real" ones) baking. Each will have a
different technique, but there is still a lot to learn after seeing
them, and then reading books such as Reinhart's or similar will make
more sense.

I recommend these videos, using "bread" as a search term. Lots of fun
to watch. I recommend them to beginners or to seasoned bakers.

http://www.pbs.org/juliachild/video.html

Boron