Sourdough Starter Update

I understand that many of you have been waiting with bated breath to find out how my sourdough starter is holding up, so I figured that I would provide a quick update for you. This is also a way of saying that I had nothing at all to write about, so I will just bore you with details that you probably could care less about. Now, since I published my article on How to Make Sourdough Starter (yup, shameless self-promotion), I have had the opportunity to bake over 20 loaves of bread and I am happy to report that the bread is continuing to turn out great and the starter is still chugging along nicely.

Since I have gotten more comfortable with the starter, I have started to experiment a little with what I add to the bread. I have begun to add some granulated garlic to my french breads and at some point, I would like to add sun-dried tomatoes. I have also experimented with using wheat flour. This flour kneads differently than the white flour so, if you decide to use it, please be sure to watch carefully as you add it, because one minute it may look too moist and then BAM, you've added too much.

If you have your own starter, don't be afraid to experiment with it. The worst thing that can happen, is that the bread won't rise and you end-up with flat-bread (great for dipping in soups). Remember, don't skimp on the proofing times (yes, I've done that, too).

One thing though, my bread is very dense and I was wondering if anyone out there would know how I can get more air-holes in my bread (making it nice and fluffy)? Would substituting shortening for the olive oil make a difference? If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.

Sorry for this strange article, but I have been totally slammed this week and have had very little time to devote to writing.

Removing Dead Links from Your Site

How did I spend my Sunday? Well,with the Vikings vs. 49er's game playing in the background (how did you like the end?), I spent the day removing dead links from my site. Personally, I really find it irritating to go to a link and discover it doesn't work. So, in order prevent my visitors from experiencing this same frustration, I like to go in every few weeks and check my site for dead links and clean them out.

I went in today and was amazed to find about 20 links that did not work. Most were from bloggers who left comments on my site and have since left the blogging world. Now, since Blogger does not allow us to edit our comments, I end up going in and copying the original comment and then republishing it with the following comment: "Edited to remove dead link. Original comment posted on: (I give date and time)." When it happens to be a broken link, I go in and do the same thing, but this time I post it using the corrected URL. Today, I not only had to fix and remove links in the comments, but also in some of my articles. I went in and removed the link, then republished the post.

How do I find these dead links? Well, I use a free link checker I found through my Profit Lance course (yes, I broke down and took the course a year or so ago). Even though it's free, it does a very good job of going through EVERY single link on your site. When you find one that is broken or dead, just highlight the link and right-click on properties. It will then tell you where you can find the link on your site.

If you run into any problems trying to remove the little guys, just let me know and I'll do my best to help you.

Xenu Link Checker

Chocolate Stout Cake

image courtesy of... Bon Appétit

This is a cake I made for a birthday party at my wife's work. I thought it was rather strange to add stout to a cake, but I must say that it got rave reviews at her work. I found this recipe in Bon Appétit magazine. If you wish to see the original recipe, please click on the link to Bon Appétit below the picture.


What you need

Cake

• 2 nine-inch diameter cake pans


• Parchment paper


• Off-set spatula


• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate


• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour


• 2 tsp. baking powder


• ½ tsp baking soda


• ½ tsp salt


• 14 Tbsp (1 ¾ sticks) of salted butter, room temperature


• 1 ¼ cups, plus 3 Tbsp of sugar


• 3 large eggs, separated


• ¾ cup chocolate stout (recommended , if you can find it), regular stout, or porter


• 2/3 cup freshly brewed, strong coffee

Frosting

• 1-pound bittersweet chocolate (54% to 64% cacao), chopped


• 2-cups heavy whipping cream


• 1 tsp instant espresso powder

Putting it together

1. First, get everything together that you will need, because you are going to be very busy over the next 30 minutes, or so


2. Separate the eggs and keep them in the refrigerator until needed


3. Butter and flour both cake pans


4. Line bottom of cake pans with parchment paper


5. Butter and flour the parchment paper


6. Set oven rack to middle of oven and pre-heat oven to 350°


7. Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl


8. Place the bowl over a gently simmering water bath, stirring until melted (be sure to keep the chocolate warm)


9. In a smaller bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt


10. Using a whisk mix the dry ingredients well, then set aside


11. In larger bowl, place the butter and 1 ¼ cups of sugar until it becomes fluffy and becomes pale yellow in color (be sure not to skimp on this part, it should take anywhere from 2-4 minutes)


12. Beat in the egg yokes, one at a time. Beat well after each addition


13. Beat in the melted chocolate


14. Ditto the stout and then the coffee


15. Put the mixer on the lowest setting and add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture in two increments. Mix only until the flour is just incorporated. You do not want to over-mix at this point


16. Using clean, dry beaters, beat egg whites and the 3 Tbsp of sugar, until you get stiff peaks


17. Fold the stiff egg whites into the cake mixture, 1/3 at a time


18. Pour the batter into the cake pans


19. Place in oven and time for 30 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean


20. When the cakes are done, place on cooling racks for 20 minutes


21. After 30 minutes, take the rear of a knife and score the sides of each cake


22. Invert the cakes onto the cooling racks, remove the pans and the parchment


23. Allow to cool fully

When you have a minute...

The frosting

1. While your cake is baking, we can get started on the frosting. Don't worry, this part is much easier


2. Chop the chocolate and place in a heat-proof bowl


3. Pour the heavy cream in a sauce pan


4. Add the espresso powder


5. Over medium-high heat, bring to a simmer, stirring constantly


6. Pour the cream mixture over the chopped chocolate and let sit for 1 minute


7. After one minute, whisk the chocolate until fully melted


8. cover and let cool in the refrigerator until it is of spreadable consistency (about 2 hours), stir occasionally

Frosting the cake

1. When the cake is cool and the frosting is ready, using a serrated knife, slice the rounded (top) portions of your cakes, so that they are flat


2. Place one cake cut-side down on your platter/plate




• Tip: to keep your platter clean, take some parchment and cut into strips. Place the strips under the edges of your cake. You will need about three pieces of parchment to make sure the entire platter is covered. When you are done frosting, just gently pull the parchment away and marvel at your clean plate


3. Dump about a cup of the frosting on the cake and spread evenly over the top. You will want roughly about a ¼ inch (6-7mm) thick layer of frosting


4. Place the second cake, cut-side down on top of the first


5. Spread the remaining frosting evenly over the top and sides of the cake


6. Cover with a cake dome and store in the refrigerator




• If you are like most of us and don't have a cake dome, just take a very large Tupperware-type bowl and place the cake on the lid (I use a bit of Velcro on the bottom of the platter and on the lid to attach the two; it also keeps the cake from banging around during transport). Then place the bowl over the cake and seal


7. Before serving, let the cake come to room temperature

I hope you enjoy it!