Comments on: New bread book, again with DVD

By: Dougal

Dougal — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 08:26:34 +0000

Meryl, as I said above the DVD for Crust concentrates on more complex and longer recipes, for sourdough breads and brioche. The Dough DVD has basic instructions and I would definitely recommend Dough for a beginner, much more than Crust which would be a bit daunting.

By: Meryl

Meryl — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 01:25:58 +0000

Hi, I was hoping since you have both of Bertinet's books, you could indicate the differences in the DVD's.

Thanks in advance, Meryl

By: Dougal

Dougal — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 23:38:49 +0000

Dude, if you’re going to vomit on doughnut nine and then come back for the tenth, I’m going to borrow a DV camera and make you a YouTube star! ;-)

By: Nick

Nick — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 23:12:15 +0000

Crap. Took me a while to spot the follow up.

Yes. I totally can.

But I can also bring a friend if required, thus alleviating you of the need to watch me vomit all over your kitchen floor around doughnut 9.

By: Dougal

Dougal — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 11:26:36 +0000

Yeah, you say that Nick, you say that … but can you really handle it? Or are you all talk and no stomach?

By: Nick

Nick — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 23:14:28 +0000

I can handle ten (TEN!) doughnuts. Bring it on! I don’t know about this crème patissière business, though…

By: Lawrence

Lawrence — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:53:11 +0000

As far as syringes go, I found them rather messy (I got Rory to acquire some from engineering stores) although you can measure out your portions of crème patissière exactly. For the second batch I got a piping bag and just piped stuff in until the doughnuts noticeably expanded in size :).

Also, the quantity of crème patissière the recipe in the back of Dough makes is overly ample for 30 doughnuts. I found 1 1/2 times enough for 60 (or equivalently, 3/4 is enough for 30). This is unless you just want some left over to eat on its own: this is entirely justified.

By: Helen

Helen — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:28:31 +0000

only seven, between four? Blimey. Perhaps you are just preparing nick for the awful truth. Or giving him a subtle hint that if he doesn't bring a friend he'll get ten! a whole TEN doughnuts.

I've even acquired syringes for D to fill the damned things with. So we'll just have to get cooking!

By: Lawrence

Lawrence — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 18:55:56 +0000

Thermometers are for the weak! I have made the doughnuts 4 times, each time without recourse to a thermometer for the oil temperature. The doughnut, when placed gently in the oil should sizzle and float immediately (puffing up quite a bit) rather than sinking and coming to the top. As he says, this takes about 15 mins of oil heating.

Be warned, 30 doughnuts seems like a lot: however it's only 7 each between 4. You will want more.

One word of warning about Crust: I feel that the recipe for sourdough asks for too much water: I find the bread works best with 580 -- 600 mls, rather than the 650 he specifies.

The bagels are also good.

By: Dougal

Dougal — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:52:10 +0000

Huzzah!