Recent Posts

1

On The Road / Re: 'War on Motorist'

« Last post by drossall on Today at 10:29:35 pm »

But isn't a useful consultation aimed at finding out what people think, as opposed to finding people who think like you do? If so, I thought the Civil Service might have the role of helping a consultation to do that?

2

Audax / Re: Grimpeurs du Sud

« Last post by GdS on Today at 10:25:41 pm »

a few places still left on D2DR, Down 2 Downs Reversed. I'm running the hot dog stand solo and need at least 2 hours to get to Star Hill and assemble the Argos gazebo then prepare lunch (athough having bought it hopefully it won't be needed and can go back!)

https://www.audax.uk/event-details/11100-d2dr

3

Food & Drink / Re: The Bread Thread

« Last post by Feanor on Today at 10:22:02 pm »

Second attempt today.

Schedule: Mixed the dough at noon yesterday, overnight ferment in the fridge till 8 this morning.
Timings here are not critical, the bulk ferment can be anything from 12 to 48 hours!
Tip into the baking tin, proof for 3 hours then bake at 11, out of oven by 11:20, ready for lunch at 12.

Used greaseproof parchment to great effect.

Cut the parchment so it sits in the bottom, and also folds up the sides.
Lightly Olive Oil the tray, insert parchment.
The oil will cling the parchment to the bottom and sides of the tin.

Oil the inside of the parchment a bit more heavily than you think is reasonable.
You don't want so much oil that the entire outside is deep-fried to a depth of an inch like a deep-fried pizza; so it's a bit of a balance.
I'd say a 'generous coating' over the bottom and sides, coating all the parchment.

Coup the dough in, gently prodding it towards the corners. Don't over-prod, an 80% hydrated dough will find it's own way. Let it proof for whatever. 3 hours in my case.
The dough will take up some of this oil.

Allow to cool for as long as possible before attempting to release it.
It released perfectly, and was not in the slightest 'deep fried'; there was a crispy skin less than 1mm thick, I'd say. It was just what I was wanting.

I've also stopped using Fan mode on the oven for bread.
Fan mode can reduce temperature gradients top-to-bottom, but can produce massive temperature gradients back-to-front.
In my oven, fan mode uses an element at the back, wrapped around the fan. This causes a blast of hot air from back to front.
The temperature gradient this causes is very noticeable. I have to turn things around mid-way through cooking, because the back is much hotter than the front.
My oven has a mode for non-fan top-and-bottom elements, and I find this much moar betterer.
(For sourdoughs in the Dutch Oven, it doesn't matter: the thermal mass of the Dutch Oven evens it all out.)

4

Rides and Touring / Re: Have you been out today?

« Last post by GdS on Today at 10:15:53 pm »

After a day of sitting around indoors, due to the pissing rain, cooking and eating, I took advantage of a gap in the rain to nip out this evening.

Roads very wet, my ditches runneth over.  Got wet feet pedalling through a small flood near Southwater.  Some time later, I'm whizzing down a lane and get overtaken by one of those trucks with a cage on the back, the sort that tree surgeons use. I pay it no heed. A few hundred metres on, he's stopped in the middle of the road, hazards on. In front of him is a swath of the River Arun, which normally crosses the road by going under a bridge but today was going over the road, covering quite a lot and quite deep.

I thought the driver was just weighing up his options, as was I (There's a bridleway a short way back, but I didn't fancy it much) . No, he'd seen me and was waiting. We put the bike in the cage and proceeded gingerly to the other side. What a Top Bloke.

That warmed my heart  did you mean the Adur or was it another lane?

Warmed my feet too! Definitely the Arun, as I was going down Kerves Lane.

always better than going up! I avoided it on my ECE to Maresfield last Friday

5

Caption It / Caption it #2086

« Last post by meddyg on Today at 10:11:49 pm »

...Local boy wins fifth term as Russian President !

6

The Pub / Re: A random thread for weatherish things that don't warrant a thread of their own.

« Last post by Cudzoziemiec on Today at 10:08:45 pm »

Very mild this evening. Almost like May.

7

Rides and Touring / Re: Have you been out today?

« Last post by Tim Hall on Today at 10:01:04 pm »

After a day of sitting around indoors, due to the pissing rain, cooking and eating, I took advantage of a gap in the rain to nip out this evening.

Roads very wet, my ditches runneth over.  Got wet feet pedalling through a small flood near Southwater.  Some time later, I'm whizzing down a lane and get overtaken by one of those trucks with a cage on the back, the sort that tree surgeons use. I pay it no heed. A few hundred metres on, he's stopped in the middle of the road, hazards on. In front of him is a swath of the River Arun, which normally crosses the road by going under a bridge but today was going over the road, covering quite a lot and quite deep.

I thought the driver was just weighing up his options, as was I (There's a bridleway a short way back, but I didn't fancy it much) . No, he'd seen me and was waiting. We put the bike in the cage and proceeded gingerly to the other side. What a Top Bloke.

That warmed my heart  did you mean the Adur or was it another lane?

Warmed my feet too! Definitely the Arun, as I was going down Kerves Lane.

8

OT Gallery / Re: Interesting or unusual planes?

« Last post by PaulF on Today at 09:59:26 pm »

Wow! Although I’ve seen closer passes on a display - look for the 1987 Cranwell Graduation flypast. I wasn’t on parade but exercising on the fields behind and saw them pull up to avoid hitting the College

9

The Sporting Life / Re: Liverpool

« Last post by Peter on Today at 09:51:46 pm »

Sure, but it's severely muted because of the ownership.  What the murderers' takeover has done is make me not care when Newcastle lose but I admit I still smile when they win.  They were "my" team before they were the Saudis' - but I'm still ashamed of myself.

10

Rides and Touring / Re: Have you been out today?

« Last post by GdS on Today at 09:49:11 pm »

After a day of sitting around indoors, due to the pissing rain, cooking and eating, I took advantage of a gap in the rain to nip out this evening.

Roads very wet, my ditches runneth over.  Got wet feet pedalling through a small flood near Southwater.  Some time later, I'm whizzing down a lane and get overtaken by one of those trucks with a cage on the back, the sort that tree surgeons use. I pay it no heed. A few hundred metres on, he's stopped in the middle of the road, hazards on. In front of him is a swath of the River Arun, which normally crosses the road by going under a bridge but today was going over the road, covering quite a lot and quite deep.

I thought the driver was just weighing up his options, as was I (There's a bridleway a short way back, but I didn't fancy it much) . No, he'd seen me and was waiting. We put the bike in the cage and proceeded gingerly to the other side. What a Top Bloke.

That warmed my heart  did you mean the Adur or was it another lane?