Canvas Dropcloth as a couche

"Couche are generally made of linen or other coarse material which the dough will not stick to and are left unwashed so as to let yeast and flour collect in them, aiding the proofing process. A banneton is used for round loaves, called boules, and a couche is typically used for longer loaves such as baguettes." ~ Wikipedia.org

I was in a bread baking class at a very reputable school when the fellow next to me mentioned: "Gee, I don't have any nice linen couche, I just use drop cloths."

Immediately the light bulb went on. I was never going to be able to get that fancy hotel to spring for expensive linen, but I could afford that piece of canvas that was on clearance at that big box hardware store.

So before you can use this piece of linen it must be washed. Even if it is never to be washed again, it is important that all the factory gunk be removed. The trick is to wash it in a washing machine twice. The first time with detergent and the second time without. The key to the second wash is that you are then trying to remove all the chemicals and schtuff from the detergent.

It may be a large and awkward, so if you are a perfectionist, you may trim the drop cloth with scissors and sew the ends to prevent fraying.

Ahh the humble bowtorch

Many years ago I learned about the usefulness of a blowtorch in a kitchen. It can light pilots or help to jump start those pesky clogged gas burners.

I have had one of these babies on my station for many years. I have waited in line for it in some cases where there was a few bakers making use of this versatile piece of equipment.

Here are some of the uses I can think of for the blowtorch:

1. Melt things from the side of the bowl of your mixer. (Including but not limited to- butter that was under-softened, buttercream that is too cold, cooked sugar stuck above the whipped)

2. Heat a spatula for smoothing cakes. If you heat your icing spatula it will nicely melt the buttercream and make a nice smooth finish.

3. Heat your knife for cutting items like cakes and cheesecakes. They will melt like, well, things made with butta.

4. Getting cheesecakes out of cake pans. I always bake cheesecakes in cake pans. Springforms always leak. When chilled, you may easily flip the pan upside down onto a cardboard round and use the torch to heat the bottom of the pan. Sometimes you need to knock it a little, but if you've lined it with parchment and lubed properly, it will be a dream.

5. Caramelizing the tops of desserts a la creme brulee

Safety Notes!

1. It is easy to catch things on fire inadvertently with a blowtorch! I once charred a shelf pretty well before I noticed that the torch was still running when I though it was off.

2. Please exercise caution using this tool around gas, like when lighting burners. Explosions are likely!

3. You can easily caramelize that sugar that you are trying to melt off the side of that bowl if you are too overzealous. That really screws up a beautiful meringue.

4. You can take the temper off of some other pastry props that may not be stainless steel.

A repurposed bakery case

So when it came time for us to look for a case for our bakery, we looked everywhere. Many of the cases we saw were old, scuffy, had broken glass, and were expensive. We were in the local architectural salvage store one day and the light bulb went on. Windows. We could build a case of windows. We could use shelves from the closet section of the Home Depot and an unfinished table. Jim had the smarts to order glass to protect the top. The price? Around $200!

This is the case being put together in our basement. We added the legs to the table once we got it to the shop. We also added casters to the legs so we could move it easily to clean.

Welcome to Pastry Props!

In the world of baking, things are calculated, precise, and accurate. It is how we get chocolate chip cookies to be either chewy or crunchy and how to make them come out the same way twice.

The flip side of the restaurant industry is improv. Don't have the right tool you need? You'd better find something quick or you're in trouble. Pastry especially. Ice cream melts, the creme brulee gets curdled in the oven, you get the picture.

There are few average folks out there that can afford new equipment for one task at hand. Some tools can be used for only one purpose. Well, there are many options out there for improv- and I'm gonna share those tricks I've picked up over the years, many of which can be purchased in a local hardware mega store, many of which I use every day in my bakery.

Feel free to send along your own inventions!

In the words of Keny Shopsin, "I love candy ass"