(sorry if this posts twice - but first attempt didn't seem to work)
On Mar 12, 1:22 pm, "TG" <sourdough...@virgin . net > wrote:
> On 10 Mar, 19:35, "atty" <a...@area3 . net > wrote:
>
> > Sorry, but I find it hard to take that sole purpose of kneading/mixing
> > is to add heat ...
>
> Where did you get that from? I didn't say that at all.
SORRY
first of all before reading on - so as not to get me wrong - I agree
'no knead' and very minimal knead work - and I could show you gallery
of pics of my bread to prove the same AND I am great fan of your
kneading method, played that video * tinyurl . com /yozhbh when you
first posted it over and over and frame by frame till I understood it
and then practised myself till I can do it nearly as well as you.
Thanks!
> > or alternately bakers
> > do it either for amusement or by mistake. ... Why
> > would generations of bakers spend time, energy and expense kneading if
> > they could as easily add heat by adding hotter water and/or extra
> > rising time?
>
> I think I already answered that. But I'll have a go again.
> 1. Tradition, old habits die hard. 'That's the way I was shown, it
> works and I never had the time or inclination to try something else.'
>
> 2. You can now put that dough aside for a few hours or so and get on
> with something else.
>
> 3. Tighter does look more uniform for undiscerning customers who just
> want bread that holds sandwich fillings well when sliced. Believe it
> or not many people are only interested in appearance.
I agree totally, partly depends on cultural differences in how bread
is used, spread with butter and jam doesn't suit large holes, wiping
up and collecting sauce from a plate is reverse
However my current interest or rather query (and I know it doesn't
interest many) is why and how time and a very small amount of kneading
can be substituted for 20 minutes kneading. As you suggest some
practice is just tradition without foundation would have thought you
might also be interested not only to observe some practice is
nonsense, but also find out why.
Some I think succinct 'scientific' description of what mechanical
kneading does at * w w w .calstatela.edu/faculty/hsingh2/MY%20Pubs/2001%20review%20J%20cereal%20Science%20%20Review.pdf
especially interesting as coming from scientists other than the
typical biochemists and microbiologists
quote here for those who can't be bothered to wade through but are
still interested
"Shear and tensile forces imparted by mixing or sheeting cause
discrete masses of gluten to coalesce and form a continuous network
throughout the dough. During development, the dough acquires
viscoelastic properties which become optimum at peak consistency. If
only gliadin is present in admixture with starch, a viscous liquid is
formed with no elastic strength and no significant development stage.
When only glutenin is mixed a rubbery material is formed which is
difficult to develop, at least at normal mixing intensities" (from
section on dough development)
so - how are these effects of mechanical mixing more or less
duplicated by * tinyurl . com /yozhbh?
If mechanical gluten development is duplicated by leaving for a given
time same (flour & temperature & hydration & mixing & time) lump of
dough which has a) no yeast or b) no yeast with an alternate non-
yeast leavener as c) with a sourdough culture THEN end of story, I am
barking up a tree
if however this is not the case, I think its clear something in the
sourdough cultures activity is taking the place in gluten development
of mechanical kneading. I suspect it is something to do with micro
movements in the dough engendered by the sourdough culture that are
facilitating the breaking and re-formation of glutenin links (BTW the
Katherine Hilley business with tyrosine versus disulphide links in
glutenin bonds is by no means proved or accepted though may point to
something else very interesting but I haven't managed to get a copy of
her complete paper yet)
consider two fairly unrelated things
1) gluten development apparently can be achieved by ultrasound, cf
page 9 of the above quoted paper. Seems to me this reinforces my
hypothesis that micro-movement could achieve gluten development
2) baker's yeast in diploid mode (check
* en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Budding_yeast_Lifecycle.png) the
change from a 'yeast form' to a 'filamentous growth form' seems mostly
to be made in response to starvation of Nitrogen. Apparently typical
sourdough culture Lacto bacilli do produce and also make available
Nitrogen so one might hypothesise move yeast in reverse direction from
filamentous to 'yeast form'. When in haploid mode (which would
typically be when yeast was in starved and inhospitable conditions)
however the trigger for switch to filamentous, invasive growth is
apparently sensitive to alcohol levels cf. * intl.molbiolcell.org/cgi/content/full/11/1/183
and again for those time starved but interested a visual
* intl.molbiolcell.org/content/vol11/issue1/images/large/mk0101074001.jpeg
here MTA is yeast colony in diploid phase and MTA a/alpha in haploid.
High alcohol levels and starvation rations I would associate with a
stored starter and the end of dough maturation so this is when I would
expect yeast to be both in prevalent haploid phase and possibly
switched to filamentous/invasive growth
If anyone doubts the ability of yeast to move (and therefore create
movement in its surroundings) read up on actin * en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actin
which is essential to the movement of human muscle and also vital in
determining re polarization of cells and filamentous growth in yeasts
* w w w .molbiolcell.org/cgi/content/full/9/7/1873
finally can I observe that 'old hands' on this mailing lists seem
great at jumping in and advising newbies to sourdough, but less open
to new ideas and enquiries themselves, seemingly jumping to conclusion
other authors with some experience or knowledge are in an antagonistic
and contradictory mode to themselves when benefit of doubt might
reveal otherwise (and I am not blameless, its common in email dialogue
after all)
tomorrow morning hopefully I will try to start said 'no knead' with no
leavener v. alternate leavener v. sourdough doughs for comparison of
gluten development
yours
Andy Forbes