I just wanted to pass along some information that I thought would be helpful for all of you in regards to food planning and preparation. I have purchased a large amount of flour (for short term storage) and plan to buy about 1000lbs. of wheat berries (for long term storage) to make my own flour from and to also use for sprouting.

In regards to making bread, I kept anguishing over the problem of what to do when the little Fleishman's yeast packets ran out and/or go bad (they don't have a very long shelf life). Through my research I came across a book from the library which covers in depth the process of making bread from scratch without the use of packaged yeast. For those of you who are master bakers you may already know how. The book is titled BREAD ALONE by Daniel Leader & Judith Blahnik. It is a wonderful source for making traditional country breads. I bought a copy from Bookstop book store. Most books on baking breads do not cover making bread with natural yeast. There are different techniques of making natural yeast, such as from fermented grapes and fermented sour dough. The different techniques produce different types of breads.

Along the same lines, a cookbook on baking flatbreads is also worth having a copy of. There are types of flatbreads from all around the world which include pitas and tortillas. These usually are unrisen and make with out yeast. Many are pan cooked rather than baked.

If any one has any experience or knowledge of this or other types of food preparation that would be helpful...please submit. This would include any kitchen tools that are needed as well. What we all need to know or need to ask, no matter how basic, we may not even know to ask!

To borrow from M. Stewarts format, these new threads could be referred to as... Bread Baking:101 ... etc.

Texas Terri

-- Terri Symington (TJSYM@AOL.com), October 02, 1998

Answers

Another good reference book to have is: STOCKING UP lll by Carol Hupping and the staff of the Rodale Food Center. It is very comprehensive and covers all methods of preserving and storage of all food types, including dairy and nuts,seeds grains and sprouts.

Speaking of dairy...ask the grocery manager of local grocery store to order from his/her supplier powdered eggs...for baking,scrambling. etc. The ones I buy are called "Scramblettes" and are made by Deb El Foods. A three ounce can for about $3.59 is equivalent to 10 eggs. (skewer #9406343825)

I have been talking to some of the purchasing managers about y2k to enlighten them as to how they could plan their purchases around what the consumers will be needing. I also suggested they help with the date coding information on the products to make them easier to decode. I could see a few lights coming on...one manager was extremely interested and even wanted me to keep in touch to exchange information. Every little bit helps...and the stores are a major vital link to our communities and neighbors.

Texas Terri

-- Terri Symington (TJSYM@AOL.com), October 02, 1998.

I still think anything that requires more than three ingredients is "cooking" and should be avoided at all costs.

And one of those three ingredients is the pot.

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), October 02, 1998.

Aw, but Robert...you could make an awful lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches...if you knew how to make bread!

Texas Terri

-- Terri Symington (TJSYM@AOL.com), October 02, 1998.

Hi Terri,

Great info, the question of how to make yeast comes up on most of the forums. Another type of bread you might like to try is Irish soda bread. Just plug in those three words (with the ANDs of course) to your favorite search engine and scores of recipe sites will pop up. The versions range from fairly plain to very fancy with dried fruit, nuts and frosting, all raised mainly by means of baking soda. I understand this type of bread is very similar to hoe cake.

Regards,

Aitch

-- Aitch (jimp7@mindspring.com), October 02, 1998.

We have the book you mention (Bread Alone). My husband has been baking with sourdough as a hobby for a long time. He learned by the trial and error method, and created a few remarkable disasters along the way! :-) But now we enjoy the most wonderful pancakes and waffles, etc....It was all worth the effort! I don't cook with it, so I can't give directions, but I see him tending that starter like it is a pet! He says that if it gets any pink or black spots in it, it must be thrown out.

We have collected quite a few books on sourdough. Check out World Sourdoughs From Antiquity by Ed Wood. you can get it at www.amazonbooks.com Our old edition has an order page in the back for sourdough cultures. Don't know if it is in the new edition, as our copy was published in 1989. Hope this helps.

-- Suzanne Hansen (Suzannel@webtv.net), October 02, 1998.

Go to Sam's Club and buy 10 pound bags of Katzun's Complete Pancake mix. Just add water. $ 3.99 per bag. Get 20 bags and store in cool dry place in Zip lock. Will keep good for at least 18 months and contains everything needed. 10 pound bag will make 240 bread like pancakes on your coleman camp stove griddle. Use for sandwiches or with syrup. One gallon syrup for 4.99 will keep for over three years. easy

-- Don Allen (Don29681@aol.com), October 02, 1998.

Are you sure about the 18 month shelf life for pancake mix. I am planning to buy a bunch, but want to wait till the last minute (ofcourse we don't know when that is). Some mix boxes have sell by dates in the mid-99 range. I figure there good for a few months after that.

-- Bill (bill@microsoft.com), October 03, 1998.

Terri - "Making the Best of Basics - Family Preparedness Handbook" by James Talmadge Stevens (ISBN # 1-882723-25-2) has a lot of good info on Basic Sourdough Cooking and Baking and also info on tortillas and other "Fleischman-free" baking. Good stuff!

-- Melissa (financed@forbin.com), October 05, 1998.