You could, but I wouldn't stress too much about it. If by chance too much of one ingredient is added one can always add more water to dilute the compost tea before using. IMO, better to err on the side of not using as much as recommended, one can always spray more often if results are not as expected. Another thing I always keep in mind is that when using organic gardening techniques, more is not always better. We deal with what is called the "powerful little", in that a small application can bring about big results. We can always add more, but it can be very tricky to remove something once applied (especially when foliar spraying)... Blutranes

cynic- We should all be able to make a great loaf of bread using flour, water, salt and yeast, but the commercial bakers have all kinds of things they add, and then along came the Automatic Bread Maker and we couldn't make a loaf unless we loaded the Bread Machine with gluten, dough enhancers, flavor enhancers, dough relaxers, etc...... There are a number of dough enhancers (dough developers or dough conditioners) used commercially that can also be used at home. They tend to fall in these categories - mold inhibitors, antistaling agents and dough improvers. You can find recipes on-line for homemade dough enhancers that include a number of ingredients and might save money over commercial "dough enhancer" products. Here's one example: How to make Homemade Dough Enhancer: 1 cup wheat gluten 2 tablespoons lecithin granules 1 teaspoon ascorbic acid crystals 2 tablespoons powdered pectin 2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk 1 teaspoon powdered ginger Mix together and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For 100% whole grain breads, use 3 tablespoons per loaf. Add to your recipe along with the flour. \-Vitamin C (aka ascorbic acid) aids in better gluten development, especially if there is any wheat germ/whole wheat flour in the recipe. There is a substance in wheat germ (glutathione) that breaks the gluten bonds \- and as a result we get those squatty loaves of 100% whole wheat bread. When you add vitamin C it repairs the gluten and counteracts the negative effects of Glutathione. Add 1/8 t. ascorbic acid powder per loaf if there is wheat germ or whole wheat flour (which contains wheat germ) in a recipe. Ascorbic acid promotes yeast growth and helps yeast work longer and faster. It also helps produce the acidic atmosphere in which yeast grows best. Don't add ascorbic acid to naturally\-leavened breads (aka sourdough) because it is naturally acidic. You'll notice ascorbic acid is often an ingredient in yeast products. \-Egg yolk \- for antistaling and better gluten development \-1/4 t. ground fenugreek, rosemary, ginger, or cinnamon for enhanced yeast activity and better keeping qualities \-If you plan on freezing the bread use honey instead of sugar in the recipe. \-Add raisin juice or raisin pulp to a recipe to extend the shelf\-life of bread. \-My personal favorite trio \- chia seeds (or chia seed gel), agave nectar and coconut oil. Chia seeds or chia seed gel will help maintain the moisture in the crumb and keep it from migrating from the crumb to the crust. Coconut oil will help prevent mold and slow staling. Agave nectar, due to it's high content of monosaccharides has a high osmotic pressure. This characteristic in this sweetener helps to inhibit the growth of microorganisms (mold). Agave nectar increases the water retention properties. \-Salt \- use a quality high\-mineral sea salt. Minerals \= better gluten development. Yeast needs minerals and certain amino acids. \-Bean Flour \- French flour is fortified with 2% fava bean flour and it is supposed to improve dough performance and enhance flavor, nutrition and yeast growth. Chickpea flour is another add\-in choice. \-Barley Malt Syrup, Malt, Diastatic Malt Powder \- adds enzymes to supply sugars for better yeast growth. It also improves the nutrition, texture and keeping quality. Too much will make the bread gummy, dense and either too sweet or bitter. \-Lecithin \- Which is naturally occurring in egg yolks, but is yet one more add\-in that helps bread remain soft and moist because it slows down oxidation. \-Vital Wheat Gluten \- If you use a large percentage of low\-gluten or gluten\-free flour in a recipe, it can benefit from additional gluten. The problem using vital wheat gluten is that too much will cause the bread to be tough. It can also take much longer to develop the gluten if there is a high percentage in the dough. \-Mashed potatoes, potato flakes, potato water \- Acts as a dough enhancer and adds moistness. When it comes to refrigerating bread dough \- or choosing a refrigerator dough recipe \- mashed potatoes (or other pureed vegetable) is important because it preserves moisture in the dough in the dry climate of the refrigerator. Adding cooked rice to a recipe will do the same thing. And that's just a partial list..... \-Grainlady

Quick 'N' Easy Garden Pickles Servings: Ingredients 8 cups sliced unpeeled cucumbers 2 cups sliced onions 1 cup julienne red bell pepper 1 tablespoon salt 2 cups granulated sugar 1 1/2 cups Heinz® White Vinegar 2 teaspoons celery seed 2 teaspoons mustard seed Directions In a large bowl, combine cucumbers, onions and red pepper. Sprinkle with salt and mix well. Let stand one hour. Drain. In a medium bowl, combine sugar, vinegar, celery seed and mustard seed; stir until sugar is dissolved. Place cucumber mixture in nonmetallic container. Pour vinegar mixture over cucumbers. Cover and chill for at least 24 hours to blend flavors. Makes about 8 cups. Note: pickles will keep in refrigerator up to six weeks. Chilling enhances the flavor and texture.

That blog from Kind Arthur Flour was really fascinating reading. Pretty technical but I like to know why something does or does not work. For example, I did not know that reducing the sugar in a recipe makes it less moist. I saved some of the links to hopefully save me from failures when altering a recipe. Cloudy Christine, I did not know that cakes with oil have more sugar! My favorite banana bread recipe from Cook's Illustrated uses melted butter. That also makes 2 loaves like this one; I should compare the sugar content in that one (sure enough, only ¾ c of sugar! But with 3 bananas, I don’t know how much sugar comes from those ). That tastes sweet but not as sweet as this zucchini bread recipe. For my purposes quickbreads are add-ons to breakfast. “Elevenses” to hold me til lunch (I am self employed and if busy often won’t break for lunch until 2 pm). Or something to have with afternoon tea. Lascatz, that Brazilian recipe looks interesting. Looks rather like a pound cake. Sleevendog, I would love that non-sweet recipe if you get the chance! I decided to start a new thread about the carrot quick bread. Banana bread ingredients from Cook's Illustrated 2 C unbleached all purpose flour ¾ C sugar ¾ tsp baking soda ½ tsp salt 1 C chopped walnuts (toasted if you have time) 3 very ripe bananas, mashed well ¼ C plain yogurt (buttermilk or sour milk works also, as above) 2 large eggs, slightly beaten 6 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled 1 tsp vanilla