Baking bread
A reader recently asked you a question about the bread she bakes. She said that she gets a large pocket under the top crust, and that when she cuts the bread, the crust falls apart. Well, I used to have that problem. As far as I know, it is because the crust gets hard, and steam can’t escape the baking loaf. There is a very simple solution for this — take a skewer or very small knitting needle, or even a toothpick, and poke holes all over the top of the dough. This will allow the steam to escape. It is called docking, and it works.
Barb Mundorff
North Royalton, Ohio
I’ve learned a new trick, Barb. Thank you and thanks for sharing. — Jackie
Controlling bamboo
I have a question concerning bamboo. The kind that I have is the running bamboo (it is currently 25 ft tall and 1 inch in diameter). I at first planted it in dense shade and it did nothing for 15 years and then silly me planted it in full sun, well as the saying goes first year it will sleep, the second creep and the third year leap well it went crazy leaping. This is a bad time to ask how do I contain it other that digging 3 ft ditches and then putting a thick plastic barrier in the ground such as plastic wall board? Also I was reading that I can use green bamboo in my garden as fencing.
Michelle
Fresno, Ohio
Well, as you’ve found out, bamboo can get kind of invasive if unconfined. You can either ditch down two feet and use a plastic barrier extending a couple of inches above ground also for best containment. Otherwise, you can keep the surrounding area mowed frequently to keep all sprouting bamboo shoots from developing. Yes, you can certainly use bamboo as a beautiful and sturdy fence as well as poles for pole beans and the like. But be sure it is dead bamboo or you may have bamboo sprouting right in your garden and running amok. — Jackie
