Non-stick pans for baking

The one thing we all desire as bakers of cakes, breads and anything else we shove into the oven is that it won't stick.

Our forebears managed to use some really strange enclosures and not have the baked goods stick to that enclosure.

Somehow, in these recent times with greater cooking power (hotter ovens and all)  we suffer our baked goods sticking to the pans.


There are two main ways to side-step this problem.

[1] Quality baking paper.
The low-cost and discount stores sell 'baking paper' and 'grease proof paper'. It sort of kind of works. With a heap of oil it still only sort of kind of works. Forget it. Spend the other two dollars and buy a roll of paper that works and is kinder to your health.

[2] Oil and lots of it.
Use the cheap baking paper. See [1]. Expect at least 30 grams more fat per dish baked in this manner.


Do you want to know the biggest objection?

Here it is - for free - anyway. The biggest fail of low cost commercial non-stick cookware. Read it and weep.

Low-cost non-stick pans work for one or two uses only. The first time or two you use them they seem to be utterly awesome - nothing sticks! Perfect results. Cook again, once or twice and it's quite possible that you will experience some rather less pleasant results.

Use it more? The only thing more sticky than those cheap cooking pans is dog poo. Dog poo on a baby blanket. Cheap non-stick is not worth it.

Go buy some quality non-stick pans from a commercial store for chefs, cooks and other kitchen bitches paid by the hour. It will cost more initially, but you can be quite sure that you will deliver the top-grade result which you had in mind when you commenced that recipe for that special occasion.


Best of Luck!!


Cheers !!!

Tasty PIzza and Bread - from one batch!

Sorry for not having posted for so long.

Business has been busy and I've had a reasonably lengthy sickness, There's a nasty respiratory bug doing the rounds and I had the misfortune to catch it. I can only guess that I got it owing to advancing years and being in my office more often than not rather than around people.


Want a fast recipe for a pizza and a loaf of bread for the next morning? Here's how!


Make a standard bread dough (500 g cheap plain flour, 30 g gluten flour, 15 g sugar, 15 g salt (if you're sensitive to salt or prefer lower salt foods, use only 5 g - the high dose in this case is for flavour rather than as a preservative), two level tablespoons of yeast, two tablespoons of olive oil) but add two teaspoons of dried mixed Italian herbs (or similar) and three very finely minced or crushed cloves of garlic. Combine the dry ingredients and those listed above. Hydrate at around 60% (i.e. 300 mls) with 25 - 30C water. Knead manually or mechanically and move on...

After you've made the dough above, give it thirty minutes or so to rise. Pinch off one third and flatten and shape it onto a well oiled pizza tray.

Finely spread a tablespoon of herbed tomato paste and a tablespoon of bbq sauce (or HP sauce if you like). Top with cheese, salami, olives, anchovies and thinly sliced onion (white or red is best, but use what you have). Add whatever you like - it's pizza and there are no rules.

Preheat the oven to 220C fan forced, cook for eight minutes on the tray, pull it off the tray and give it eight minutes more just on the oven rack. Tasty, healthy pizza goodness. Enjoy!


And for the bread stage...

By now, your pizza is cooked and there's 2/3 of a bread batch of dough. Gently roll it into a shape you like, slash it with a pattern you like, throw it onto the oiled pizza tray and cook at 180C fan forced for eighteen minutes.


Result?


You get a lovely Mediterranean style pizza for dinner and now you have a small loaf of bread for breakfast, brunch or lunch. Sure, it will be strongly herb and garlic flavoured, and maybe a touch salty, but with some cheese and meat it will make an awesome and flavoursome meal for cheap.


Enjoy!