Pinking Shears?!

I always liked pinking shears. The zig zagging of the fabric cut, both practical and decorative. Even the name is quaint. I have always wondered why they were called pinking shears haven't you?
One explanation is that they were named after Dianthus, commonly known as "pinks" the original little pink carnation flowers that are so hardy they can even survive in MY garden lol. The petals have a saw-tooth or zig-zag edge as you can see:

What i didn't realise is that there are different types of pinking shears. I don't mean the fancy variety of shears that scrap-bookers use on paper, but the way that the blades sit.
The first pair I owned I picked up at a garage sale for $2. Not very sharp. The second pair I bought at auction. Only I didn't know I was buying them. Just one of the little serendipidies of life. A little cupboard I bought and paid a few dollars for, had once been used as a sewing cabinet and unbeknownst to me when I bid on it, it contained treasures from it's former life. I will share more of them another day as there are so many little treasures. Amongst them were these pinking shears which have a flat blade instead of a blade where the teeth sit at right angles to the blade. Below is a picture of both pairs. On the left are the flat bladed pinking shears, the $2 pair with the angled teeth, on the right. In between them is a little scrap with the edges cut. You can see the flat bladed shears make a shallower cut.

 You can see the blade differences a bit better here in the second pic.

I can imagine it would be easy to either sharpen the flat pair, or, remove the flat blades, which are actually separate from the main blade and replace them. there is a small pin and you can see which the hole in the blade sits over to hold it in place. Unlike some modern pairs, both have a bolt which can be undone.
Some people say pinking shears can't be sharpened, but I have read that a skilled sharpener can do it. It pays to have one you can trust not to ruin them though. Otherwise, two other tips to hone the edge, is to cut through extremely fine grit sandpaper or even kitchen foil.
I feel a bit weird talking about pinking shears like someone would care, lol. I also have a very long and heavy pair of dressmakers  shears which once belonged to my Mother-in-law. I enjoy using old and vintage pieces. I wonder about the hands that have held them and the things they have helped to create.

Do you have a special pair of scissors or a hand tool that you treasure?

bread tip #2

Last bread tip I talked about a long knead time which does two things. First, it stretches the gluten and second it raises the dough temperature.Friction of course produces heat.
Another tip I learned recently was the benefit of three rises. I know you are probably already thinking about how much MORE time it would add to the process but it isn't so hard and the benefits particularly for whole grain breads, are worth it. I would love to share the youtube clip that I saw recently but just a few days later it had disappeared.
Here's  how it went.

First, put your slightly above body temperature water in your mixing bowl.
Second, add your eggs. Yes, egg in ordinary bread. I'll talk about this some more shortly. the eggs will bring the water temp down a little.
Third, add your yeast, a little veg oil and sugar but NOT salt.
Fourth add HALF your flour and begin mixing. Mix until combined. It should be the consistency of a thick batter.
Leave the batter to rise and bubble, about 20mins.
Now add the rest of the flour and salt and continue as usual.

Now why does this make a difference? There are a few good no knead "artisan" bread books around that give instructions to make a wet dough and leave it in the fridge, taking out enough for a loaf each day as you need it. The reason this works is what works in the method above. Moisture can develop the gluten in the dough. By letting half your flour "soak" in a wetter environment, it will help develop the gluten more than kneading in a drier environment alone.
In the youtube clip the presenter said that many people expect home ground wheat bread to have the texture and weight of a brick. She guaranteed her bread rose beautifully and was light and soft as white bread.
I had fairly good success with whole grain bread or so I thought.
I tried this method and Wow! it did make a huge difference on a 99% whole wheat bread. It was just as she said.
I had been keeping my basic dough, very basic, using flour, water, sugar and salt. I definitely didn't want to use "bread improver" which contain soy and a host of other things. I knew that the improver add lecithin. adding egg to your dough, adds lecithin naturally, plus of course making it even more nutritious. Having hens at home, adding egg is no imposition as they are always on hand. It will help make the loaf softer and softer for longer for a great sandwich loaf.
So next time you are making bread dough, give this a go. A wet first rise, followed by a long knead and you will find the dough will either rise faster or will give a great rise despite a shorter second and third rise. Once formed my rolls and loaves are lucky to get 10mins to rest before baking.

Here is one of the loaves I made yesterday. There is a dark mark on the side which is about where the dough started before rising/baking.

In other news, I did manage to list the new clippies last Tuesday in my Crafty Mamas marketplace store.

Tomorrow looks like a great day for sewing. I hope to have something crafty to share!

Thankyou for dropping by and tolerating my bread obsession :)

My new favourite music artist! Mindy Gledhill

Today I discovered a new music artist and just had to buy every song she has recorded. Don't you love it when you find something that strikes all the notes inside of you and lifts you up and makes the world seem like a better place? lol Well I did today. A little bit quirky, gorgeous singable tunes and lyrics, and maybe not everyone's cup of tea but I had to share.
After reading a little about Mindy Gledhill, I can see she is a girl after my own heart. She loves thrift shopping, wearing vintage dresses and collecting old musical instruments including an old pump organ. I just happen to have one of those too and love a bit of Op shopping therapy.
Isn't the album cover beautiful?

Here is a review excerpt:

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April Meeker, designer of Second Sister Jewelry, says of "Anchor," its "like looking up at speckled light shimmering through swaying branches. I think my heart actually leaves my chest and flutters around the room when I hear Mindy sing." read the review

If you go to her home page there is a free download from her latest album "Anchor". You can download the albums cheaper from the store on her homepage or listen to music  clips on youtube or samples in the itunes store where it is also available.

Here is one of my favourite songs, which happens to be "Anchor". We had a lot of fun this afternoon playing this over and over while I waltzed around the floor with Pearl, Michael and Jericho in turn.




And one last endorsement, while looking for reviews Google popped up with Sandi Henderson's Portobello Pixie blog and guess who is on top of her playlist? And a post all about her love for Mindy lol and a giveaway I missed a month ago :(

Last but not least, this is technically Tuesday's post. I STARTED it on Tuesday. I really must blog earlier in the day. lol