Question re Hearty Harvest Bread - what is a glug?

A glug is a measure of an amount you feel in your heart. The people who write up recipes make approximations all the time. They don't know the people that you want to make happy with your bread, or roast chicken or schnitzel.

A glug means you have to put something of yourself into it.

You are still having fun answering this question. I think I have had enough of them for the time being! You have made it very clear how much all you "experienced" bakers welcome a newcomer. You just love to tell people off and make fun of them. I was not thinking I was using any special "tone." Just asked a simple question. You all have such a haughty attitude yourselves, I hope you realize.

OMG! Hahaha!
I was on U TUBE watching how to SPROUT your own seeds in the "Easy Sprouter|" and the question of eliminating pathogins came up in the comments section...and one lady said she used one glug of food grade peroxide solution (to one gallon water) to rinse....so I GOOGLED "one glug measurement" and clicking and reading, clicking and reading eventually ended up here, and have been LOL for the last half hour!
Who would have thought >> Good clean fun and soooo entertaining!
Made my day! TY. :))

I'd like to round out -- and end -- this thread. A lot has been discussed, and we appreciate those who responded with kindness and civility. Tone is difficult online, and it might have been difficult to decipher in some cases here. The question has been answered fully, and I know I've learned a bunch. Hope you have, too!

Thanks everyone, for another learning experience. And now we can put it to sleep.

Hail to the 'glug'.. Its really refreshing to know that its a universally accepted term for a large sip..

we used that term in College in India , to describe how much coffee we wanted in our mugs. we'd take turns making it for the rest of the wing while doing all nighter study sessions Sip = 1/4 mug, Glug = 1/2 mug, cup = fill it up!

Good for you, all you self-righteous people. You are still doing it.

Mark Bittman uses glug. And I'm sure Alton Brown has on occasion. And maybe Nigella has, too. And Jamie Oliver - I can picture him pouring a glug of something. Probably Merrill and Amanda, too. Embrace the glug. Glug use is rampant and beautiful, as seen in all these different recipes: http://www.food52.com/recipe/glug?page=1&recipe_search=glug

OMG, wine out my nose! After, of course, I had glugged it in.

I've always assumed that a 'glug' is a really large 'sip!

I've always assumed that a 'glug' is a really large 'sip!

Save a glug for me. Or more.

You've been peeking through my kitchen windows, Bevi!

I wrote the best response ever and it got lost. So this is what I will say now in response to scb94025's assertion that she read Reinhardt's books: to paraphrase the Joan Cusack character in Working Girl -
"Sometimes, I prance around my apartment in my underwear. It don't make me Madonna, and it never will."

Look, you need to let this go. You are just planting your foot ever more deeply into your mouth -- in fact I think you have swallowed it. Your foot may be partially digested already. Your question was placed in the form of an attack, and in spite of this you were provided with answers in polite good humour from a number of people looking to help, including the person who wrote the recipe.

After getting the answer you proceeded to make yourself look like a "dummy" be being completely rude, condescending, and disrespectful. No one made you look bad. You have done this to yourself. I am trying to be as clear as possible because I don't have any reason at this point to think you are capable of owning your own mistake and offering a gracious apology.

So please just let it go. Your question has been answered numerous times. You are not coming off well. You don't look like a "dummy". You do look inept and humourless, self-righteous and rude.

Go bake some bread. 1-2 tablespoons. Be fearless and conquer your need for absolute accuracy. Sometimes it's nice to just ballpark it and not get so stressed out. It makes a nice sandwich.

Re: Glug
It's tough to follow these long skeins without the old indents we lost to a few ads at the top of the column. But I've learned that a glug is one of the least self-explanitory onomatopoeic measurements, and that we all like boulangere when she's being pedantic. Anybody wanna take on dollop?

The problem is not with the question, what a glug is, is a legitimate question, what got everyones hackles up is not the question itself and no one here would EVER put you down for asking a question like that. This group of cooks are helpful and considerate. What got everyone so upset are some of your comments like this: "And I never associated with people who spoke in such a manner. It sounds very "lower class" to me, now that you have explained what it is, and sounds like a person pouring alcohol down his/her throat."
That was uncalled for and downright mean. We are here on this site because we love to cook and we like hanging out with others who have the same interests and the purpose of hotline is to help our fellow cooks when we can. Again, your question is not the issue here, I hope you understand that.

It is not the question you asked that people are reacting to here, scb94025. It was the tone in which it was asked, the words that were used, the implication that a recipe writer who would write out a recipe in that way being less than professional and knowledgable, and your opinion of glug being a lower class way of speaking. THAT, I believe, is what we're responding to. This is an amazing community, and we tend to be very supportive of each other. We still question each other on our recipes all the time, and make additional technique or flavor recommendations. We share when we've had unplanned, and disappointing results. But we don't put the recipe developer down in the process.

I happen to have, and have read Peter Reinhardt's books, and have made my own starters for sourdough, etc., and I have not seen that he uses the term "glug" either. And when you know you get "newbies," why use a term that has never been used in a cookbook so that the newbie doesn't know what you mean? I really do appreciate all of your replies, but you are speaking from the position of knowing what a "glug" is, and that has you coming from a different, and knowing, point of view, rather than being totally puzzled. Since you know what it is, you prefer to make me look like a dummy. Just because I asked does not make me deserve all these put-downs. You don't seem to understand when a person says they have no concept of what the term means, means that they don't have a clue. Didn't you get that? Just because you may be more professional than I am does not mean you need to put me down because I asked for the meaning of a word. Thank you.

To glug, or not to glug; that is the question.

It's now official. It's a glug, no more, no less. :)

Wow. This is one amazing thread. I may well have to put "glug" in my next bread recipe, which will have volumetric measures only.

Well, I am a little late to this party, but I totally agree with ChezSuzanne and you all! PS - As I stated on this recipe’s page; “Hail to a Glug.” …Cheers to Happy Cooking!!

I always knew it, of course, but I'll say it here that you are one class act, boulangere. Yours is a very graceful, thoughtful response to a question that was phrased quite a bit less so. Don't get me wrong: any question within this community is welcomed; the thousands of questions here on hotline are proof of that. We have an deep bench of cooking / baking / food knowledge, and we share that knowledge openly and freely; and many of us have formed new friendships here. I have felt frustration at times when poised to start a recipe I'm excited about, only to find something I don't understand. We've all been there, I think. But no matter how bad my day, week, month, or year has been, I don't think I've ever asked a question in a demeaning fashion, suggested they were lower class, and never questioned their experience. For the record, although she doesn't mention it, boulangere trained under Peter Reinhart, one of the premier bakers in this country. Next time, before anonymously hammering out a question, take a breath, relax and just ask it. There are hundreds of people here who will be happy to help. I've made this wonderful bread several times now, and I hope you do give it a go. I think you'll really like it. Looking forward, as usual, to your next blog post b. I'm thinking about one as well.

scb94025, I needed to take some time to think about how best to respond to your question and accusations. First, for the record, let me state that I'm a schooled chef and baker. I certainly understand the importance of precise measurements and means of measurement. That said, I've also been teaching cooking and baking for several years. I feel inordinately fortunate that I've been exposed to a body of knowledge that I can share with others. Many of the students with whom I work are home cooks, some accomplished, some novices. I feel like the luckiest person alive in that I get to bring new concepts and foods and flavors to people in ways that make them accessible, in ways that people will have the confidence and sense of exploration to go home and reproduce for their families and enjoy the process. Over time, I've learned that in teaching a recipe or a concept, sometimes it's important to separate critical knowledge from that which is not as critical. Susan g above clearly understands this. That tends to be especially true in baking. For some reason, many people are intimidated by baking. They've often experienced failures or frustrations, or they believe that baking is so extremely precise that they just don't see it as something they can do. Those are my people. It's fantastic to work with people like that and see their fears start to ebb as their confidence grows. With regard to bread in particular, it has been immensely gratifying to read comments from food52-ers that they've taken up bread baking because of the way in which I wrote a recipe. It's not about me; it's about a person who now knows that she or he can accomplish something new and make great food for themselves and families and friends to boot. Everyone comes away happy. Well, almost everyone. You see, in a bread recipe, and especially a whole grain bread recipe, what is critical are the steps involved in mixing, kneading, and proofing. In order to get people to pay attention to that, I tend to lighten up in other areas. I want people to feel confident, not fearful. I have written (or "made up") recipes scaled in pounds and ounces and it never fails that people ask for conversion to cups and teaspoons. My objective is encourage people to bake by means that they already possess. Over the past few years, I've simply accepted that not everyone owns a scale, nor is interested in doing so. If I can encourage someone to bake at all, I consider that a very good thing for that person. There is no argument that measurements by weight are more accurate. I've simply learned that it is not always realistic to expect everyone to bake as I do at home or at work. As for the infamous "glug" of honey, I'm sorry you missed the informality, if you will, of it. For one thing, I don't view the implication of its quantity as rocket science. At the same time, honey is a bitch to measure. While you may prefer to scale it in grams, many will use a tablespoon and then wind up with it all over both hands. As softpunk above says, tilt the jar and call it a glug. For people who may not be experienced bakers, this is not an easy bread to make. A little more or less honey isn't going to affect the outcome nearly as much as paying attention to mixing, kneading, and proofing will. Of all baked goods, bread in particular needs to be watched for its consistency. People need to know that it may need a little more water or flour. How much? I take great pains to explain what to watch for so that they'll feel confident using their own judgement. As they used their own judgement as to how much honey constituted a "glug." If you had a question, all you needed do was ask it. On any recipe page, you can click on the author's name and be taken to that person's "home page." There, among other things is a button saying Send Me A Message! If you click on that, you'll get an email screen. Ask your question or make your comment, click Submit, and wait for an answer. Alternatively, you can do as you did and ask the question on the Hotline. After you and ChefOno have spent some time on food52, I hope you will have the opportunity to realize what a warm, intelligent, generous place it is. People can ask questions without fear of appearing ignorant, and they receive information freely given. As for how much alcohol I consume and how I consume it, and my station in life - my "class," in other words - well, none of that is any of your business. In the meantime, you've given me some excellent thoughts for a blog post, and for that I thank you.

Thank you, all you wonderful people for giving me so many answers! I really, really appreciate it! ;o) That clears it up for me. Sorry to have been a bother!

1 - 2 tablespoons (1/2 to 1 ounce)

Obviously I thought the Hearty Harvest Bread was a very attractive-looking recipe for me to make, but in order to make it, I needed to know what in the world a glug is so that I would know how much to put in. Sorry, but I had no idea, as I have never, ever seen the term before. I could not imagine what it could be. Sorry my brain works this way, but I work with exact terms of which I know the meaning. Maybe my imagination is missing, and has been missing my whole life, but that is what it is and I just hit a blank wall where I cannot proceed any farther without knowing what it means. Maybe my brain is just not as talented as some of yours is, but that is what happened when I saw that word. I needed a definition. That is all. I had absolutely no idea whatsoever. Some of you seemed to have a picture of what it could mean but I did not.

Even I, a strong proponent of precise measurements, occasionally use the term "pinch" when recording a recipe. But I wouldn't try to convert it to weight or volume because it depends upon the substance in question. For example, for me anyway, a pinch of kosher salt equates to roughly 1/8 tsp. whereas a pinch of table salt measures out closer to 1/16 tsp.

I think measuring spoons labeled "pinch" fall under the category of novelties / useless kitchen gadgets. But maybe there's some money to be made marketing one labeled "glug"?

The point I was trying to make is that if you attempt to follow a baking recipe that gives flour in units of volume, you're already at a distinct disadvantage in terms of accuracy. I think you are correct to question what the author meant by "glug" (and the author has answered). But even knowing that, you still don't have an accurate recipe. The best you can do is convert to weights, give it a try, and rely on your skills as a baker to make whatever adjustments are necessary.

Obviously, the author had an idea that appealed to you. I think you owe it to accept the recipe in the spirit in which it was offered instead of insulting him or her. Perhaps an addition to the recipe is in order here: 1 ea. Chill Pill.

You are taking this all far too seriously. I think you need to lighten up a little bit, or just go find another recipe in one of your 50-years worth of cookbooks. Just because you can't tilt a jar of honey to the side and let a glug slide out doesn't mean you need to call one of the best bakers on this site (so far as I can tell) "low class". I'm not going to assume that you lack common sense because you think that a glug might be a bucketful, so I'm not sure why you need to assume that someone is beneath you because they use a term you aren't familiar with, even though it's fairly commonly used. Now, go be serious and find a serious recipe that's more refined and in keeping with your higher sense of social standing. You'll be missing out though because this is a great loaf of bread, and while your co-workers approve of the end results, it doesn't sound like you have much fun when you bake or cook, and that's really too bad.

Greenstuff, Do you mean 1/16 of a TEAspoon? 1/16th of a teaspoon is what I have learned. Half of the 1/8 teaspoon size.

According to the Urban Dictionary, a glog is " a unit of measure for those cooks and bartenders who eschew graduated cylinders, analytical balances, etc." and equal to about 2 tablespoons. I'd guess it's in the recipe specifically to convey that the exact measure isn't too important, just as other recipes call for a "dash" or a "pinch" of salt. Though I do have a measuring spoon for a pinch. It claims to hold 0.312 ml, which would be about 1/16 of a tablespoon.

You can go by what YOU think a glug is, but since I have NEVER, EVER heard that word, it means nothing to me. For me, it has nothing to do with approximating if I never came across that word. (And I have heard a "pinch" described as about 1/16 of a teaspoon.) But a glug? How could I dream up a description if I never heard of it? Sorry, I am not talking about accuracy! I never heard of a glug so I don't know what it is!! There is no way to determine how "much" a glug is if you have never heard the word. It could be a pail full for all I know. I have hundreds and hundreds of cookbooks and have used them the 50 years of my adult life, and I have never seen that term used. I am an experienced cook and baker, and have never, ever come across that term, so it has nothing to do with accuracy. And I never associated with people who spoke in such a manner. It sounds very "lower class" to me, now that you have explained what it is, and sounds like a person pouring alcohol down his/her throat. Having a reputation of a great cook and baker with all my friends and co-workers, I cook and bake by exact measurements and have never "made up" a recipe, so I bake like a scientist measures, exactly, and that is why the recipes I make are always a success. I don't "throw things together" to find out the result. Ever. A "glug" has about as much accuracy as a "chunk." Stupid term altogether.

In reply to softpunk and ChefOno, I do not measure flour by volume - I use recipes that give me the measure in grams so I can put it on a scale to weigh the amount. KAF gives people a choice on which measures they want to go by when they print out a recipe, and for accuracy I always use the weight measures. Or I translate a written recipe into grams, especially for cakes. Serious cooks and bakers use grams when possible.

What difference does it make? I've made this bread a few times, and each time have used my own good judgement about what I think a glug is. The bread has always turned out great, even the last time when I accidentally forgot to add the egg.

I agree with ChefOno 100% -- a little more or a little less honey is going to have far less of an impact overall than an inaccurate measurement of flour.

I also think that a pinch is a totally legit measurement.

I agree, a "glug" is not an appropriate specification. But, if you think about it, is it any less accurate than measuring flour by volume?

Yes, a tablespoon will do just fine.

I have baked this wonderful bread several times, and 1 - 2 tablespoons would work well. I'm a fat cutter, so I'd go on the low side. Some ingredients need to be precise, others are flexible.

I think it may be a heavy tablespoon, to pour it out and hear a glug sound and stop.