Oh that's good to know
I didn't want to think that gormless twat was right about anything.
(Bazongaloid, Fri 10 Sep 2010, 12:33, 1 reply, 16 years ago)

You'll probably find your breadmaker came with a measuring jug, just use that.

( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Fri 10 Sep 2010, 12:36, Reply)

It did indeed
but Blaireau said that it wasn't accurate enough and made his loaves sloppy. Personally I think it was more because he was permanently sozzled while trying to use it.
(Bazongaloid, Fri 10 Sep 2010, 12:38, Reply)

You need to make sure the water's at the right temperature (probably 20°C)
or the volume reading won't correspond to the correct quantity of water. It's the mass of water which is important, but because it's a liquid it's more convenient to measure it in terms of volume.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Fri 10 Sep 2010, 12:42, Reply)

The volume difference between water at 10 degrees and 20 degrees when you're talking about about 50ml
is totally insignificant. And you know it.
(Bazongaloid, Fri 10 Sep 2010, 12:45, Reply)

SCIENCE REBEL!

(PenguinOfDeath is Scottish, and most likely angry, Fri 10 Sep 2010, 12:48, Reply)

Yup!
This is the case.

But a kitchen scale is pretty inaccurate too, usually with a resolution of only 5g. So if you need say 25ml of water, you can easily get an error of 20%. A measuring spoon will beat that hands down.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Fri 10 Sep 2010, 12:49, Reply)

Sorry, but for dough, it's the volume that matters not the mass.
It's effectively a colloid suspension of flour in water, so it's the size not the number of molecules that affect the consistency, which is what affects how the loaf cooks

/feels science dirty.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Fri 10 Sep 2010, 12:51, Reply)

The volume of the flour, maybe
but not the water.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Fri 10 Sep 2010, 12:53, Reply)

Yep, the water. It's the number of particles of flour
in the overall volume that gives you the consistency.

/Edit, strictly it's a effect of the release of starch which generates partial non-newtonian behaviour in the dough under kneading, so strictly it's a relationship between the amount of starch present in volumetric space. Water molecules have limited impact on the whole thing except to contribute "shape" through H-bonding, it's the branched long C-chains of starch "catching" on each other like little bits of velcro that give you the dough.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Fri 10 Sep 2010, 12:55, Reply)

But the volume of water
is a small fraction of the volume of the dough. It's hardly a colloidal suspension in the usual sense.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Fri 10 Sep 2010, 12:57, Reply)

True
but the number of water molecules is irrelevant, only the "space" they create for the dough to occupy. See edit above. This is also getting far too serious ;)
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Fri 10 Sep 2010, 13:02, Reply)

Ah, so you're talking surface sites and hydrogen bonding then
Much clearer now!
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Fri 10 Sep 2010, 13:05, Reply)

no it's not ... ;)

( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Fri 10 Sep 2010, 13:57, Reply)

Thanks Grandpa

( TGB checking Off Topic is still shit at, Fri 10 Sep 2010, 12:54, Reply)

*gives sloppy toothless kiss*

( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Fri 10 Sep 2010, 13:00, Reply)