Making things go further

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JenL Mar 2020 11:36am, 22 Mar 2020 27,868 posts	0 JenL Ooh, it's been a while since I started a thread. I had almost forgotten how. Bear with me while I remind myself how this goes. As some people might recall about me, I'm a great believer in "cook your own" where possible even under normal circumstances. These are far from normal circumstances, of course. This morning, I've been making rolls, which I don't do very often because Mr L has a fondness for cotton-woolly shop-bought ones. At the moment, it doesn't make sense for him to go and add to the craziness of the shops, however, besides which they are probably in short supply - we have no idea because nobody is going out, so that's a guess. I usually have a couple of bags of bread flour in the cupboard: at the moment I have one and about a third of one. I also have a couple of bags of standard plain flour. Flour seems to be scarce in the shops, even online, at the moment, so my solution today has been to mix the strong plain (bread) flour with the ordinary plain in the hope our stock will last out until we can get some more. I'm also being more careful with the yeast, so I currently have a 500g flour mix on the rise with the help of half a 7g sachet of dried yeast. It won't rise as much as usual, obviously, but it should be fine. Will report back. For info: I added a half teaspoon of sugar to the flour and used slightly warmer water than usual to mix the dough in the hope of encouraging the yeast. An additional bonus has been being able to get the rapidily-getting-tried-of-confinement teenager (yes - Smallest is almost 16) involved and pushing breadmaking as a vital life-skill. If anyone wants to add their thoughts, hints/tips, etc to the thread, you're welcome. This is a time for sharing, not selfishness, and that, to me, means sharing our lack of knowledge./expertise as much as our information and skill. The thread doesn't have to be all about food: I'm sure there are lots of things we'll all have to try to eke out (when did anyone last use the word "eke" on this site...or anywhere?). I'm not a naturally social animal, which could turn out to be a positive, though I suspect it won't guarantee any greater safety against this new virus. This is my attempt at pulling together, rather than telling anyone what they should be doing. So join me if you wish, and look after yourselves and those you live with. I'm hating this but trying to make the best of it.
Fizz :-) Mar 2020 1:12pm, 22 Mar 2020 3,608 posts	0 Fizz :-) We’re having shepherd’s pie for dinner. I’m going to try roasting the potato peeling into crisps while the oven’s on. I’ll report back.
JenL Mar 2020 1:40pm, 22 Mar 2020 27,870 posts	0 JenL The rolls rose remarkably well, so perhaps making extra sure the dough was draught-free while proving and then putting them into a slightly higher oven (220'C) for 5 mins before turning it down to 190'C for another 10 mins. I found that making the rolls much broader and flatter than usual prevented them baking into a tennis ball shape and allowed a fried egg (Mr L's filling of choice) or a large spoonful of scrambled egg (mine and my son's) to sit comfortably. FYI: I made the dough with about 20g melted butter, which I think helped the texture as well as adding flavour. And of course the same mixture would make a large loaf or 2 smaller ones but would obviously have to be in the oven at the lower temperature for longer.
Dvorak Mar 2020 1:49pm, 22 Mar 2020 19,290 posts	0 Dvorak Yeast multiplies. A lot. So a bit more time should give you the same yeast load. Talking of yeast, I've just started off a home-brew cider kit. I'm hoping to eke out any shop-bought booze supplies a bit longer
Derby Tup Mar 2020 2:14pm, 22 Mar 2020 38,879 posts	0 Derby Tup Wife's down from two sugars to one in coffee. Double win because she is making cake with the saved sugar
GimmeMedals Mar 2020 4:15pm, 22 Mar 2020 16,524 posts	0 GimmeMedals We've just done a complete stock take of our fridge, freeze and store cupboards. It's surprising how much we have and quite a variety of things, so, apart from fresh veg, we are going to try and avoid buying anything for a month and just use up what we have in creative ways. Edamame bean and tinned prune pizza anyone?
McGoohan Mar 2020 4:17pm, 22 Mar 2020 44,082 posts	0 McGoohan Liebling went through a period of edamame bean purchasing. I can't remember what for, but IIRC they are almost completely without flavour.
GimmeMedals Mar 2020 4:18pm, 22 Mar 2020 16,525 posts	0 GimmeMedals That was my experience too, McG, which is why a pack ended up in the freezer and has been there for some time.
JenL Mar 2020 4:38pm, 22 Mar 2020 27,871 posts	0 JenL I once bought an edamame bean salad by accident as part of a lunch deal. It wasn't too bad, though I agree the beans are a bit (a BIG bit) bland, so perhaps the answer is to make a sharpish dressing (oil & vinegar; lemon juice) and/or add some stronger flavours like onion and garlic. It might also work with a creamier dressing (Caesar or something yoghurty), chopped apple and cucumber and other crunchy things if you have them.
GimmeMedals Mar 2020 7:46pm, 27 Mar 2020 16,543 posts	0 GimmeMedals I've found a recipe with tuna, spring onions and the same vinegar/oil dressing you suggested, JenL. You are so good at this!