Wheat Wrote WHAT?!Whatever Is On My Mind – Links for things I use: InMySmall Kitchen to EnjoyTheMaking |
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No affiliate links in this entry.
Note: Sample Loaves were egg-washed to enhance appearance
Frugal Friday: Keeping My Blood Pressure lower.
This post may contain Affiliate links, see full disclosure note
Links in my entries usually open in a new tab.
in 2025 BJ’s “shipping” was unable to delivery correctly more than a dozen times which by the way is EVERY single order I was dumb enough to have shipped.
In 2025 Instacart correctly delivery – on time and usually in the first 10 minutes of the 2-hour window in 47 of 47 deliveries.
Yesterday, instead of spending useless time trying to get BJ’s and/or FedEx Ground to accept responsibility for misdelivered urgently needed items I did the math.
There are FIVE “bulk” items I buy every month from BJ’s.
for years we have maintained a separate Same Day Delivery account.
TWO of the five are no longer available thru Same Day Delivery “in this area” . And no, free shipping is not free if the product never reaches you and you are forced to find it elsewhere at a higher price.
So I did the math. Instacart for the win, again. I use Instacart for several reasons.
Now added to those reasons is keeping my blood pressure lower. Given the competition, at this time (Jan-2026) the monthly cost to use Instcart for my BJ needs is approximately $5-$10 per month.
– that means for $60 annually I am not aggravated by having to deal with repeated mis-delivery (for the records, BJ’s/FedEx-Redidential have not properly delivered any order in the past 18 months)
That means I can pay Instacart an additional $10-$120 and NOT use BJ’s delivery services.
And yes, I do keep track of what we use and buy whenever possible locally when on sale so that takes care of another dozen products I might have purchased from BJ’s
In 2025 it cost me an additional $150 in “lost” misdelivery that no one accepts responsibility for and would have been more except for kind folks who saw the package and brought it to our door. Full disclosure – after one other missing shipment that was valued at more than $100, they agreed to refund the $55 – and yes, we supplied images of their supposed delivery.
Looking 2025, IF I had used Instacart instead of BJ’s either shipping or same day delivery, the TOTAL added cost would have been $111 to Instacart instead of $100. Yeah for $11 – less than $1 a month, this delivery dependent person will not be renewing any delivery, Same day or shipping, thru BJ’s.
Rant over, at least for now.
update: 2026-Jan-29
plans to add my photos when time allows.
TIPLET: Question: My machine shows size choices of 500g i 750g i 1000g
how do I know which size to choose fro recipes choices of 1 lb, 1.5 lb, and 2 lb.
RULE OF THUMB:
keep in mind that the amount of flour that best suits a particular size is a range,
Use the machine size selection closest tot he amount suggested in your recipe of choice.
I.E. 750 grams is approximately 1.65 lbs.
Recommended Bread Making References
No Fuss Bread Machine Cook Book. The
Anderson, Michelle
(Paperback copyright 2016)
See page 227 for conversion start points
https://amzn.to/4pGp8uk
–
Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook, The
Hensperger, Beth (Paperback copyright 2000)
See page 18 for conversion start points
https://amzn.to/3NOfys7
Ultimate Bread Machine Cookbook for Beginners, The
Brooks, Stewart (Kindle copyright 2004)
https://amzn.to/3NNnIAZ
Convert not necessary – All recipes contain Imperial & Metric
Rewrite in progress. Thank you for your patience.
Goldilocks Notes: This tiplet applies to ALL home bread machines.
– If your dough is too wet, it will often result in a “collapsed” (concave) Top Often with spots of raw or wet dough.
Short Explanation: too much liquid creates larger weak steam pockets during the baking process. When as the bread cools and the steam evaporated, the top is no longer supported and so collapses.
The other issue with over hydration is spots or gobs raw uncooked dough throughout. Sometimes simple longer bake times can solve the problem.
– If your dough is too dry, it will often result in failure to rise, crumbly messes, and in a best case scenario, something that may be possible to use for croutons, or bread crumbs. Worst case scenario: brick suitable for door stops.
– In the third image, “Just Right – Almost
” The hydration looks good, but the sides have not been “scraped” down or back into the dough. This may/often result in “white flour” spots on your bread. Not the end of the world, but easily avoided.
-Yes, sometimes you do have to open the top. The trick to opening is to (a) open as early in the process as possible, and since the touch touch test is best done just after the first (rather brief) Mix & Rest – easily solved.
-The second trick is to CLOSE the lid if your are doing something that takes longer, like removing a paddle, or adding a flavoring swirl. The lid should only be open long enough to remove or replace the pan.
-When the paddle is removed, to compensate for the possible loss of heat, I do leave it in the machine on the warm cycle longer than usual.
Your choice, Too Wet-Collapses, Too Dry-Doorstops, or Cut Me A Slice, causes it’s “just right”
Image courtesy of the Secura manual for MBF-016.
Needs to be combined with: Bread Dense or Dry or Just Right
https://wheatcarr.com/2025/01/20/bread-too-dense/
Note I have no affiliation of any type other than Butterfly Meadow is on my personal “worth considering” list.
