I decided to incorporate a few informative posts in the resting period between recipes on my blog. I haven’t fully conjured up all my ideas as to what I’ll talk about when I’m not talking about a particular recipe, but for now, enjoy the experimentation and feel free to offer your own advice.
This “segment,” if you will, offers a little breakdown of specific materials/equipment I find immensely helpful when prepping a dough. If you don’t have the time/money/energy to buy these materials, your own two hands are always your best tool (unless you don’t have hands, in which case I suggest being an eater of bread rather than a baker… we all have our gifts).
This time I’m showcasing the bench scraper. Ah, yes, this delightful little tool, which looks like something you’d buy from a hardware store, is truly a gift from God in the realm of struggling with sticky dough. Fact: you will struggle with sticky dough from time to time. And though sprinkling more flour on a countertop suffices as a remedy for this ugly mess, the extra flour sometimes toughens the final product, and you risk losing that coveted softness of the bread you’re baking.
I’d been dreaming of a bench scraper for a time while I fought with gooey messes on my counter — and boy, did I fight. I managed to substitute the function of a bench scraper with metal pancake turners and other oddball kitchen items, but nothing was as sweet as the day when I received a bench scraper as a gift and so effortlessly scraped renegade dough from the counter. How glorious! So long, wasted dough; goodbye, sticky mess! I’d like to shake the hand of the individual who so ingeniously created this heavenly tool.
My bench scraper has made public appearances in past recipes (flaky lemon poppyseed scones, anyone?) and will continue to play the starring role as needed in the future. My scraper, from Food Network, is made of one piece of metal and includes a nifty little ruler along the bottom edge. It’s a lovely little device for any bread baker.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Stephanie,
I’m enjoying your blog immensely. Another use for the bench scraper is during prep work with things other than dough. Wonderful for picking up diced vegetables, fruit, meat, etc. Also I use it to break down ground meats right in the pan while browning and chopping whole peeled tomatoes in the saute pan while cooking. Many use for this great tool.
Good luck and best regards,
Dick
Thanks for the comment, Dick! I’ll keep those multiple uses in mind for when I am (or Elliott is
) cooking!