Bagels

Receptets alla ingredienser mäts i volym istället för vikt. Jag har tagit receptet från "The Breadbaker's Apprentice" av Peter Reinhart, en absolut suverän bok, och gjort några mindre anpassningar.

Degen förbereds i två steg, och sedan ska bagelserna formas, jäsa, kokas i vatten, och till sist bakas i ugnen. Många steg och mycket arbete, men det är värt besväret!

1. "sponge"

1 tsk torrjäst
1 liter vetemjöl special
650 ml ljummet vatten

Ta fram en riktigt stor skål. Blanda mjöl och jäst, och blanda in vattnet. Blanda inte för mycket, bara tills det har blivit en ganska jämn smet.
Täck skålen med plast och låt stå ett par timmar i rumstemperatur. Blandningen kommer bli väldigt bubblig, därför heter det "sponge".
Den är redo för nästa steg om den är circa dubbelt så stor, och kollapsar när man skakar skålen eller dunkar den mot bänken.

2. "dough"

0.5 tsk torrjäst
8.5 - 9 dl vetemjöl special, eventuellt blandat till hälften med finmalet fullkornsvetemjöl.
3 tsk salt
1.5 msk brödsirap (eller mörk sirap)
eventuellt socker, kanel, och russin. Eller annars stekt lök eller chilipeppar eller pressad vitlök, till exempel.

Blanda in jästen i samma skål. Tillsätt det mesta av mjölet, allt salt, och sirapen. Blanda ihop tills alltsammans bildar en stor klump, och lägg till resten av mjölet litet i taget för att få fram en stadig deg.

Lägg ut degen på bordet för att knåda. Den ska knådas i minst 10 minuter. Degen ska vara riktigt stadig - stadigare än deg till franskt bröd, men fortfarande smidig och len. Det får alltså inte finnas kvar något torrt mjöl, och man ska kunna dra i degen så att den formar en tunn hinna utan att degen rivs i bitar. Jag får det aldrig riktigt så fint, men för bagels är det bäst att ha lite för torr deg än för våt. En bra bagel är tuggig!

Om du vill ha någonting gott i bageln är det lämpligt att tillsätta detta under knådningen, när degen nästan är färdig. Jag delade degen i två bitar, blandade socker med kanel och russin, och vek in blandningen i den ena hälften för att få söta russin-bagels. Den andra hälften var utan fyllning.

Nu delar man degen i 16 lika bitar på ungefär 125-150 gram var. Det blir stora bagels, men stora bagels är goda och dessutom lättare att hantera än små bagels.

Rulla bitarna som om du gjorde bullar, lägg bullarna på en plåt under en våt handduk, och låt stå en halvtimme. Den tiden behövs för att låta glutenet slappna av och forma om, och för att jäsa lite.

3. Bagels!

Forma bagels genom att trycka ett hål genom mitten på bullarna med pekfinger och tumme, och sedan töja hålet så det blir lagom stort och det börjar likna en bagel. Hålet ska vara betydligt större än det önskade slutresultatet; hålet krymper med jäsning, kokning, och bakning. Jag tycker själv att en bagel med litet hål är godare, eftersom det är lättare att stapla upp pålägg utat att det trillar genom hålet. Även så brukar jag forma bagels där hålets diameter är 1.5 gånger större än diametern av degringens tvärsnitt.

Lägg bagelserna på en infettad bakplåt, och spreja eller pensla med olja så de inte torkar ut. Lägg plast över, och låt stå i rumstemperatur en halvtimme.

Om de har jäst lite (men märkbart), är de redo att ställas i kylskåpet.

4. Kyl

De ska ligga och mogna i kylskåpet minst 8 timmar, och upp till två dygn.

5. Koka

Mycket vatten
1 msk bikarbonat
Något gott att strö på, till exempel en blandning grovt havssalt och frasig lök, eller salt och linfrö, vallmofrö, och sesamfrö kanske.

Ta fram dina bagels från kylen.

Ta fram en stor gryta eller kastrull att koka vatten i. Den ska vara så bred som möjligt. Fyll med vatten och koka upp vattnet. När vattnet kokar, häll i en matsked bikarbonat. En stekspade eller slev med hål i kommer att vara nödvändigt för att fiska ut bagels från det kokande vattnet.

Ställ ugnen på 250 grader.

Förbered bakplåtar genom att strö grovt majsmjöl (polenta funkar jättebra) i ett lagom tjockt lager.

När allt är redo, lägg i så många bagels som får plats på ytan av grytan. Grytytan - ett underbart ord. De flyter! Koka en minut på en sida, vänd och koka en minut till. Efter två minuter i total, hämta ut bageln och lägg på bakplåten. Om du vill ha salt topping ska det strös på omedelbart så det klistrar fast. Söta toppings kommer senare.

Man bör först koka alla "normala" bagels innan man kokar bagels med socker och russin - annars blir resten av bagelserna lite halvsöta och ganska oaptitliga. Å andra sidan, om du har vitlök i dina "normala" bagels är det nog bäst att koka söta bagels i nytt vatten, annars får man nog smaka vitlök och kanel med russina... urk!

6. Baka

När en plåt är fylld kan den gå i ugnen. Baka i 250 grader för 5 minuter. Skruva ner värmen till 220 grader och baka 5 minuter till, eller tills du har fått rätt färg.

För russin bagels kan man smälta smör och blanda till mer socker och kanel. Pensla nybakade bagels med smöret och strö på eller doppa i sockerblandningen för att få en smarrig skorpa.

8. Låt svalna

De ska svalna i minst 15 minuter innan man får hugga i. Detta är främst för att insidan kan dega ihop om man försöker skära i en stekhet bagel, men de är nog för varma att tugga i alla fall, så det är nog bra att vänta ändå. De svalnar bäst på ett galler, så undersidan inte blir överstekt.

OBS! 

Man kan hoppa över steg 4: kylskåpet. Då får de jäsa på rumstemperatur. Det tar drygt 4 eller 5 timmar. Man går miste om lite smak och de verkar inte lika stadiga. Smaken förstår jag, men stadigheten är jag inte säker på. Det kanske bara beror på att de torkar ut lite i kylen, eller att stärkelsen börjar kristallisera lite i kylen så det börjar bli "gammalt" bröd även innan det bakas. Allt som är kalljäst får godare smak eftersom degen får mer tid på sig att utveckla smakämnen med hjälp av enzymer i mjölet och det som utsöndras av jästen.

Karma: It works, bitches!

Just a little bit ago, I posted about finding and returning a phone.

This week, it's our turn! We went out to play some badminton at the local sport center. Jessica handed me her ID card to hold on to. When we got home, it was nowhere to be found. Calling the sport center the next morning resulted in exactly zilch.

Crap!

The following day, Jessica got a phone call or SMS. Somebody had found her card in the snow and tracked her down. She lives out of town and is promptly sending it by mail. How nice is that?!?!

Karma? I don't honestly believe in a supernatural balancing force, but the truth is that the more good you do for the world, the larger the amount of goodness in the world, and the greater the chance some good will fall on you. Simple mathematics. If we model "goodness" as a Poisson distribution, or perhaps a Gaussian, we could even calculate the expected change in goodness in your own life for every X of goodness you add to the world. But that's a bit silly, because we all know "goodness" is fractal, right?

So, karma!

Kerbal Space Project: MPT-2-Minmus

Mün Probe Test phase Two: Mission to Minmus!

How exciting! I've never tried a Minmus mission before. 

The previous phase of the mission was so successful, mission control decided to send Lendin on to Minmus before returning home. One probe would land on the surface, and another would remain in orbit around the small and distant moon.

 First order of business: dropping a probe in Münar orbit so we even out the center-of-mass.

That was easy. Next, we plot a transfer to intercept Minmus. Escaping Mün influence is easy compared to Kerbin - the Mün is a comparative featherweight!

Executing the transfer burn.

That was surprisingly cheap. Leaving orbit around a moon requires a much smaller fuel (or, more precisely, delta-V) investment than leaving Kerbin.

Getting closer now. It's about time to see how Lendin is going to enter orbit around this odd-looking blue marble.

That will do it - if these maneuvers are executed properly, the craft will be in a neat circular orbit around Minmus.

About to begin - the surface does not look particularly smooth or inviting.

We will have to aim the probe at one of these flat areas. A mare of sorts, I suppose.

Undocking the probe, it is discovered that one of the rocket engines is missing! Oh well, that's why there are four of them - the one opposite the missing engine is disabled so the craft won't start spinning uncontrollably as soon as the throttle is opened.

Mental note: check that engines are bolted on before launch.



It took only a small amount of thrust to drop the orbit down. Two engines is more than sufficient - Minmus has very low gravity. Controlling the unbalanced probe was not too difficult here.






The descent is going smoothly here. The tiny RCS nozzles, which are most often employed for adjusting the orientation and for docking maneuvers, are powerful enough to slow the descent. This saves primary fuel, which is nice, but the main benefit is that they are extremely responsive.

A soft landing on the bright blue mare.

Deploying the science equipment. This probe could ostensibly explore more of this small moon. Nearly all the fuel and RCS fuel is left!







The final probe is released from the craft, in Minmus orbit.

Orienting towards Kerbin. There is so much fuel to spend, and Lendin is quite homesick after 3 days in space. This is going to be a straight shot without subtlety of any kind.






The second-to-last burn of the mission. Lendin is going to need to slow the ship down before re-entry to avoid breaking up in the atmosphere.








The Mün could have formed a fatal interruption, but the current trajectory brought the vessel safely past the devious satellite. This encounter was unplanned, and rather frightening!






Threading the needle here...

Home, sweet home. The main engines and fuel will remain safely in orbit, while the smaller ship detaches to bring the control module into the atmosphere.

The dropship ran out of fuel, and the control module has detached. Lendin would have preferred a dry landing, but the orbital speed was too great and the dropship overshot the intended landmass.






Parachute deployed!










A reasonably safe velocity for a water landing. Lendin is a true hero, having brought the extended MPT mission to a successful close!

Stephen Fry: What I Wish I'd Known When I Was 18

I have deep and profound respect for Stephen Fry. He embodies and expresses the three aspects of personality that I value the most: intelligence, humor, and kindness.

Here is a 30-minute talk he gave, about a wide range of things: http://vimeo.com/11414505.

In it, Stephen talks about a whole lot of things, but several points stand out to me (I'm paraphrasing):

1. People who give to others, be it time, money, knowledge, or any other thing, invariably earn more love and respect than those who do not.
2. Too many people, especially when interacting with others via the internet, are too self-centered and egotistical.
3. Don't set goals; life is a journey, not a destination.
4. Do what you love, or love what you do. Or both, if at all possible.

Suffice it to say, none of these points are particularly innovative and I'm sure you've heard each many times before, phrased in a variety of ways. I had written a lengthy bit about each of these points, but I think Stephen Fry says it better and I don't have anything to contribute that would actually add value. Observations about how his talking points relate to my own life are not particularly interesting, and I don't have the disposition to preach to my readers. I do hope you enjoy the video and find Fry at least as stimulating as I do.

Good deeds

Last Wednesday, I came across a mobile phone on an afternoon walk with my dog. It was lying face down in the middle of the snowy road, nearby my house. I picked it up, determined it was undamaged, and looked around. There's nobody else outside, so no indication to whom it may have belonged. The cover made it obvious that it was a pre-teen's phone, and I was sure the kid would be very distraught at the loss of an iPhone! I brought it in, consulted my wife, and wrote a note in bold lettering that an iPhone had been found, and whoever had lost it could call me to claim it.

Days went by, and we started wondering if the person who lost it had been visiting the area, so that perhaps they'd never see the sign. Perhaps I should go to an Apple store and have them charge the battery, so that we could try to find the owner more proactively?

The call finally came Sunday afternoon, a shy little boy asking if I had a phone with this cover, and if he could please have it back. I could do one better - he's practically a neighbor (two doors down), so I promised to come by and bring the phone as soon as I got home that evening.

I rang the doorbell, and the dad answered. His eyes popped when I showed him the phone, and he thanked me about two-thousand times before asking me where I'd found it. "The middle of the road, about two hours before the plows came through...". At this point, an Asian kid of about 11 or 12 peeked around a corner, eyes wide and mouth agape when he saw his phone and heard what I said.

That's all I needed to see! I gave him a wave, shook hands with the dad, wished them good night, and went home.

That will keep me going for a bit :)

It's good to keep your eyes peeled at all times - you never know what you might find!

Kerbal Space Project: Mün Probe Test

It would be pretty disappointing if the probes were unable to, say, descend to a landing on the Mün, or exploded during take-off, or didn't generate sufficient electricity to operate, or if the legs were too weak to support a landing, etc.

So, the complete probe stage was sliced down to just one section, mounted to a Mün transition rocket, and then launched. This is the story of the Mün Probe Test mission MPT-1 - the first mission building towards the interplanetary tour that is the ultimate goal of the Kerbal Space Project.

The rocket: One kerbanaut will pilot this beast. Four probes mounted radially to the hull. A bunch of rocket fuel and a triple-nuclear-engine setup to make the transfer from Kerbin orbit to the Mün.

Taking off from the Kerbal Space Port. All systems are nominal, although I had been hoping for more acceleration at this stage. Lendin is at the helm. Mental note: add boosters.

Separating the last of the so-called "asparagus stages." The remaining vehicle parts will travel away from Kerbin, while these four discarded tanks and engines will de-orbit and explode on the surface. In an empty spot of ocean or farm, I hope.

 There they go!

Here's the Hohmann transfer! No turning back now!









The burn took a good 8 minutes, which is a considerable portion of the orbit at the low altitude I was keeping!
Mental note: The full-sized vehicle is going to need considerably more thrust.

Reached the Mün and circularized the orbit. Easy as pie, and everything is peachy keen. Look at how much fuel there is left!

One probe decouples from the ship, and slowly drifts away.
Mental note: don't forget to activate ALL the engines next time.

It handles like a lopsided goose.
Mental note: Oh god, who built this thing?

For some bizarre reason, mission control decided it would be best to deploy the radio dish, comm antenna, and all the scientific gadgets before executing the landing. The probe now handles like a drunk lopsided goose.
Mental note: I have to land this thing?!?


There it is, solidly on the surface, and with more than 15% fuel to spare.

Scientific data is forthcoming!

Due to the unexpected success of this preliminary mission, it has been extended to include a landing on Minmus. It has also been determined that there is now an uneven number of probes mounted to the vessel, which may cause Lendin some difficulty executing the transfer burns. Therefore, a second probe will be released, and will remain in orbit.

Mental note: it would be nice to avoid this by having some probe-sized empty fuel tanks to shift the center-of-mass around.

Next up: MPT-2-Minmus!

Experimental Dessert

As I was waking up this morning, I was dreaming of breakfast.

Not an ordinary breakfast, but one more suitable for snoozable cloud-thoughts. I was lucky enough to catch the puffy dreamstuff in the process of returning from blessed nocturnal oblivion, and somehow hold on to it.

I watched it unfold as a rose in spring, and saw it took the shape of an egg.

Eggs are poetic in many ways, but in this instance, the egg consisted of exactly two things:

• Albumen
• Yolk

Neatly separated, they are dramatically different ingredients. How peculiar they spring from the same shell!

I've been into yolks recently. Ice-cream, mayonnaise, custard, "carbonara" sauce, the yolk is what provides that thick lascivious creaminess that makes these foods so irresistible. 

The albumen is very tame by comparison: practically flavorless, entirely colorless when raw, a ghastly white when cooked. Fat-free and lacking any physical or chemical affinity for "bad" food, it's the polar opposite of its shell-mate, the yolk. Except, that's not entirely true. When whipped thoroughly, it becomes a most enticing foam.

In my dream, the yolk was gently whisked into a bowl of fine sugar . In a pot on the stove, cream and sugar and pure Bourbon vanilla seeds were simmering. This was poured in a thin stream from a great height into the bowl with the now fully mixed sweet yolk, gently tempering the sensitive proteins. The liquid was returned to the stpvetop, and under constant stirring, its temperature was raised to 87C, at which point it had become a thick custard and poured into a ramekin.

The ramekin as placed in a snowbank to chill. Pure, white snow. White as clouds, or, as it happens, whipped egg whites.

The tongue abhors flavor vacuum, so in this waking dream, the egg whites were whipped with sugar and cinnamon, almost to the point at which the egg starts releasing moisture and losing volume. The foam will be stiff and shiny, and of exquisite color.

The whites (now orange) were gently spread on top of the cold custard in the ramekin, which was placed into an eagerly waiting oven.

An undefined span of time later, the ramekin emerged from the metal belly of the kitchen, with a perfectly crunchy cinnamon meringue on top of a delightfully smooth vanilla custard. One egg, two desserts, recombined.

At this point, I was awake enough to realize I was deceiving myself. Meringues need a long time (an hour, say) at a relatively low temperature (around 150C), and there's no way the ramekin and foam would insulate the custard sufficiently to keep it from cooking completely. On the other hand, perhaps that wouldn't be a disaster? Still, determining when the meringue would be finished would be a challenge in itself, sitting on a moist base! Other practical matters are easier to solve: a single yolk is too little to effectively cook into a custard, and a single egg white too meager to whip into a meringue; four or more servings at once would be easy to accomplish, divided into four little ramekins, although the process would lose a degree of its poetry.

In any case, I'll be trying out this recipe at some point. All I have to do is conceive of an occasion special enough for a sugar-fat-frenzy, but not so special that mucking it up with a burnt-egg-fiasco would cause domestic difficulties!