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Farm Kitchen:  so frustrated with high altitude cooking  |
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prairie_princess
True Blue Farmgirl
613 Posts
Elizabeth
Carpenter
WY
USA
613 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 11 2010 : 11:23:35 AM
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I just want to cry sometimes! I feel like I should have figured this out by now...
my neighbor gave me a high altitude tip book and i've tried many of the tips. but it feels like it's hit or miss on every occasion....
sometimes things come out perfect, other times a horrible failure! especially with non-yeast breads. i make amish friendship bread... last time i added shredded zucchini and raisins, split the batter into 3 bread pans so it was less than half full and they came out perfect. i did the same thing this time and the middle just wouldn't cook! i did at frozen strawberries, so i wonder if there was too much moisture when it cooked... but i've use frozen cranberries before and they always come out perfect!
i switched to pyrex bread pans from non-stick type because the non-stick coating kept chipping off. i cook them longer like you're supposed to do... and for the most part it works. but i'm finding even when i'm baking my regular white yeast bread, the middle just doesn't want to cook all the way. and then the outside is very brown!
i've tried different racks in the oven... added an extra egg...
i'm just so frustrated!
"Only two things that money can't buy, that's true love and homegrown tomatoes."
- Guy Clark
"The man who has planted a garden feels he has done something for the good of the world."
- Charles Dudley Warner |
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Sheep Mom 2
True Blue Farmgirl
1534 Posts
Sheri
Elk
WA
USA
1534 Posts |
Posted - Mar 11 2010 : 1:05:52 PM
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I don't know what your elevation is but I grew up in Tahoe (right between 6,000 to 7,000 ft). I always added a little more yeast than the recipe called for and raised them a bit longer than I would here at this elevation, and then compensated with a little longer baking time. Frozen strawberries make a ton of juice whereas cranberries little or nothing. I'd say the strawberries were the issue on that one. Do you rotate your pans in the oven? Have you checked your oven temp with an oven thermometer? Pay attention to the weather....my friend lives in Nevada in the high desert and if the barometer is taking a big dip in either direction breads won't bake. Hope that helps.
Blessings, Sheri
"Work is Love made visible" -Kahlil Gibran |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Mar 11 2010 : 5:20:00 PM
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The weather makes a huge difference for sure. And I agree with Sheri about the strawberries...I have made that mistake before in muffins. It took me awhile to get used to high altitude baking too (we are at 5,500) but I am used to it mostly now after nearly 8 years. Good luck!
Jenny in Utah
Proud Farmgirl sister #24
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
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prairie_princess
True Blue Farmgirl
613 Posts
Elizabeth
Carpenter
WY
USA
613 Posts |
Posted - Mar 12 2010 : 2:24:44 PM
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i think we are around 5,800... i do rotate my pans in the oven, i do have a thermometer. and it is funny how well things will turn out during some weather or atmospheric pressure! but i can't always wait until the weather is right to bake... :( i think the strawberries did affect the bread this time.
"Only two things that money can't buy, that's true love and homegrown tomatoes."
- Guy Clark
"The man who has planted a garden feels he has done something for the good of the world."
- Charles Dudley Warner |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Mar 12 2010 : 4:57:49 PM
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I have had the opposite problem. When I follow recipes in MJF or here on the site that Western girls put out there, many time they flop. I did not fare so well with the sourdough bread either, even though I had a great time trying, and followed the recipe to a T. Even the MJF bread pouches I purchase do not come out right. I figured I was at too low of an altitude here in Florida. Good luck on your recipes!!! You will get the hang of it, I am sure.
Farmgirl Sister # 31
www.blueskyjeannie.blogspot.com
Psalm 51: 10-13 |
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prairie_princess
True Blue Farmgirl
613 Posts
Elizabeth
Carpenter
WY
USA
613 Posts |
Posted - Mar 16 2010 : 5:22:03 PM
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wow, cooking really is an art, then... i never thought of having problems cooking at low altitude, too... i don't remember having problems when i lived in Hawaii. So, basically, depending on the recipe, if you live at any extreme altitude, you'll have to adjust something. i suppose i'll have to crack down and learn the science involved with cooking!
"Only two things that money can't buy, that's true love and homegrown tomatoes."
- Guy Clark
"The man who has planted a garden feels he has done something for the good of the world."
- Charles Dudley Warner |
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grace gerber
True Blue Farmgirl
2804 Posts
grace
larkspur
colorado
USA
2804 Posts |
Posted - Mar 17 2010 : 5:13:00 PM
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I have lived in Colorado at high altitude all my life and still have to watch out when trying new recipes. Flours also have a big effect in high altitude. When adding wet fruits or veggies to a batter I found you have to make the batter a bit drier because the moisture will really effect the outcome. I also in the last 10 minutes place a bit of foil over the bread so it does not burn but will cook that center. If you have chickens they sure love when I am trying a new recipe - so does the Great Pry's. I think sometimes they are willing it to fail.. Good luck and just know we are all juggling in thin air
Grace Gerber
Larkspur Funny Farm and Fiber Art Studio
Where the spirits are high and the fiber is deep
http://www.larkspurfunnyfarm.etsy.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.blogspot.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.artfire.com
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Roxy7
True Blue Farmgirl
1083 Posts
Robin
Denver
CO
USA
1083 Posts |
Posted - Mar 18 2010 : 9:43:13 PM
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| Have you checked your oven to make sure its the same temp? when some ovens go out they jump temps all over the place. You can buy a thermometer to check that. I have never had a problem baking at our altitude. I sometimes forget to adjust for altitude and is still turns out. Whats your elev? |
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Farm Kitchen: so frustrated with high altitude cooking |
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so frustrated with high altitude cooking
