The Pie's The Limit

[Suzanne]

Finally read through this whole thread -- all of you guys are a hoot! AND full of really interesting information. Please, please, Panini, don't ever go away for long!

Smoking the flour, huh? Why not? Sounds to me like it could work. No crazier than cold-smoking butter with walnut shells. Maybe if you do a really strong smoke on a small amount, then mix it (sorry, Panini) with unsmoked -- 'cause how can you smoke a lot (pounds and pounds = big volume) at once? Depends on your smoker, of course, I'm just wondering about the degree of penetration unless you can stir the flour from time to time.

Which properties of the flour might change? Moisture content, probably. Kind of like roasting cornmeal -- say, maybe I'll try smoked cornmeal, for a quickbread (that's more my speed than all the heavy-duty stuff you all do). Oooh, you've inspired me again! Love you all.

[Athenaeus]

I copy from the book of Deipnosophists

Athenaeus, Deipnosophists, Boox VII 695b, LOEB Classical Library, translation Charles Burton Gullic

Athenaeus : "You were saying Deimochares about the habit of smoking the flour in the of colonies of Magna Grecia*. Would you like to inform us on this practice. Is it tradition or a ritual habit" ?
Deimochares : " Not all the colonies, Athenaeus, only in Kolofon, according to Dioscourides they smoke the flour before they bake their bread"
Athenaeus: " And how the famous doctor ( Dioscourides) explains this strange habit" ?
Deimochares : "He doesn't. He just list this habit with other ones of the people of Kolofon"
Athenaeus" Why" ?
Deimochares: " Probably, to prove that the people of Kolofon were strange people indeed "

* Magna Craecia was the group of Greek colonies on the island of Sicily-Italy



I don't know if smoking the flour is an easy task.
My loaves that are baked in a traditional brick oven, have this slight taste of smoke, especially if I have used wood of olive tree in combination with pine tree to fire up the oven.
Before you ask, I have made the experiments already.
The logo for woods are 1 piece of pine tree : 2 of olive

[m brown]

go figure, I am Sicilian!

[shroomgirl]

cold smoking cooked grain that is then added to dough.....
smoking flour.....if you've got a wood fueled oven how would smoking the flour change the flavor vs. baking dough vs finished product....?????Curious minds wanna know.

[panini]

Athenaeus,
Those people from Kolofon were strange people, and their black cookware? what's that all about?

[Athenaeus]

I didn't understand the question Panini, unless this is a kind of question that the original Athenaeus is posing...

[thebighat]

Sorry kids...no smoking in the bakeshop.

[Kimmie]

My my, what have we here! This is one of the best threads in a while! Talk about opening Pandora's box! Way to go Isa...and thanks KyleW for the heads-up!

[Isa]

So nice to see you online Kimmie. You should definitely visit more often.