boulak

"Maggie Glezer's new book "A Blessing of Bread," described as the many traditions of Jewish bread baking around the world is really good. The recipes seem very well researched and tested. They are written in volumetric, lbs. and ozs., and metric measurements. I would add that recipes are not the only (actually not even the main) reason to by books on bread making. It's a welcome addition to my library. "Bread and Viennese Bread and Pastry" by the Lenotre School is very respectable. "Swiss Baking" another volume in the Richemont School series is an excellent book designed for students and professionals, yet accessible to the home baker. "The Ballymaloe Bread Book" by Tim Allen is a cool little book for a different slant on traditional breads. An advanced book with excellent information is "The Student's Handbook Of Breadmaking and Flour Confectionery" by W. Fance. This is an English study and offers yet another mind set and excellent technical data. For historical perspective, "Six Thousand Years of Bread" by H.E. Jacob and "The History of Bread" by Bernard Dupaigne are indespensible. "Art of Viennoiserie and Festival of Tarts" by Bellouet is very good if you're into laminated doughs, brioche, etc. "Baking --The Art and Science -- A Practical Handbook for the Baking Industry" by Claus Schunemann and Gunter Treu is a professional book with outstanding information, diagrams, etc. to aid in the understanding of the German method of processing bread. "Boulangerie: The Craft and Culture of Baking in France" by Paul Ramballi, "Bread of Three Rivers" by Sarah M. Taber, and "Paris: Boulangerie; Patisserie" by Linda Dannenberg are good reads. The latter also includes recipes. To respectfully disagree with Jackal10, I think that "The Bread Book" by Thom Leonard is relevant for anyone who loves bread, whether professionally or at home. The book takes the reader through the process from the field to the table with a sublte reverence that some books seem to go overboard with. The science and the methodology are accurate and easiy understood. This is one of the books that was at the forefront of the artisan movement in the USA. I am not going to disparage any books here, but some of the books mentioned in the thread are written to be best sellers and to cash in on a public enamored of bread, not written to promote an understanding of good bread. I don't own them, but if they promote an awareness and appreciation of bread, I guess that I am thankful for that. That said, there are many books in the thread that I respect and refer to constantly. Seth G, I too tip my hat to you for starting this thread and for your in depth descriptions.

LKL Chu and Bux, Thank you so much for your replies. Armed with all of the recommendations above and others as well as Cherchez le Pain, my excitement is increasing daily. I was actually able to spend half a day in the back of Maison Kayser during a visit to Europain. It was a remarkable experience. In addition to his bread, I am also fond of his Viennoiserie. Again, thanks so much to you both as well as Redsugar and nightscotsman for taking the time to share this information.

Unfortunately, I have seen it more than once. Baking soda has a rotting or weakening effect on gluten which is part of the reason cookies spread. The Carbon dioxide gas given off as well as tenderizing ingredients assist in the spread, or leavening in quickbreads/cakes. In cakes, soda used in the absence of an acid can turn a product greenish and give a metallic taste. I am not exactly certain (but you can bet I will research tonight after work) why soda (usually in excess) can cause a brownish or pumpkin bread like looking product. One of my first jobs used teaspoons and Tablespoons for chemicals even though we weighed everything else. Some one (not me, I promise) used Tb. one day instead of tsp. on a sour cream coffee cake leavened with soda (sour cream being the acid) -- It looked like pumpkin bread and had a metallic and soapy taste. In the recipe that CanadianBakin' posted, an acid (lemon juice) is present, but the recipe calls for Baking Powder. Quite often when there is an acid in a recipe with BP, some soda may be added to adjust the pH. I know that if a cake was baked twice, and one time it was good and one time it was not, that a third, closely monitored bake is in order. Based on experience and studies, I thinking that it is definitely something to do with pH. CanadianBakin': Do you have the time to conduct some controlled experiments with the variables mentioned above? Yours for a more yellow pound cake.

If you accidentally used baking soda instead of baking powder, the cake would turn brown. Is it possible this could have happened? Make the cake again...........

I clicked onto the website but could not find the pound cake recipe, so I am just guessing or wondering out loud.....does the cake have chemical leavening? I have seen products that were made using the wrong leavener or made with a scaling error that caused catastrophic repercussions, specifically using too much baking soda or powder or mistakenly using one of them in place of the other. I have seen a greenish tint and a brownish orange tint due to this Just thinking out loud.................I myself prefer pound cake with no chemical leavening, but I know it's out there.

Is the crust crisp? It is possible for breads, especially those not based on preferments, to have more flavor in the crust than in the crumb. A roll would give you a greater crust to crumb ratio. I am just guessing as I am not familiar with the batard. I have read the thread with a discussion of Broa and looked it up in my library, but do not have enough experience with it to make specific comments. There are many causes for a light to tan crust color which could include a low oven temperature, a lean dough, no use of steam, overproofing, formulation, etc. I would love to know more about the bread so that I could discuss it more intelligently. BTW Polack, my eGullet name is a disparaging word that patissiers use to refer to boulangers, so it seems as if I've already sold something.

The Italian Baker by Carol Field is a great source of traditional foods.

Hi Sobaicecream, Wow,this thread is really fermenting now. Jackal is exactly right about steam and venting. Monitor your baking times as Jackal suggests. The factors that influence baking time are the type of oven (and the capacity to which it has been loaded) and the size and moisture content (or richness in some cases)of the loaf. It sounds like you are dialing it in which is truly baking nirvana. I wonder, are you keeping a journal? This is one of the most helpful tools for dialing it in and continually improving your bread. Polak, I have never made Portugese batard, but am familiar with what everyone calls Portugese Sweet Bread. Is this what you are talking about? If it is, it probably sweetened and enriched and baked at a lower temperature. Is the crust color light, albino, tan, white?

After reading the last two posts, I would like to offer a few suggestions. To McDuff: it is possible to make respectable bread in a rack oven -- not great or world class bread, but some that is very good and very respectable. Jackal is right, for the desired characteristic thin, crispy crust of artisanal breads, steam is necessary immediately after the bread is placed in the oven. Depending on how much bread is in your oven, twenty seconds could be too much. Too much steam can close the cuts made while scoring and penalize crumb quality and volume as a result. Any steam after that is redundant. Are you venting the oven during the latter stages of the bake? That would help evacuate the steam that you have injected into the oven as well as the steam driven off from the bread during the bake. That should promote crust crispiness When the color is good -- and I mean good -- try leaving it in the oven for up to five minutes with the door cracked. That will assist in the final stages of baking without burning the crust. That might help your gummy situation, Sobaicecream. Wet doughs can require a long finish with the vent open and the door cracked. Proper cooling is critical after removing the bread from the oven, if you are baking in a rack oven, you are probably baking on pans. Even if they are perforated, try removing them to cooling racks, so that the moisture can continue to escape. Leave them well ventilated with plenty of room all around them. Another issue to examine about cuts not opening is that your breads might possibly be overproofed. It's difficult to say without seeing it or knowing more, but that is common of overproofed breads. Are they collapsing or even slightly deflating when you score them? If they are, try baking them sooner. If you are not getting good crust color, that could be another indication that your loaves are overproofed.

I saw a French movie (subtitled) a few years ago that examined scavenging. As I recall they examined three people closely. One group went into the fields after harvests, but the others were divers/scavengers. I believe the movie is called "The Gleaners" -- I am not sure if this is the title or the translation of the title. The movie is really interesting and compelling. I wonder if the person in the article who eats sweet rolls goes to the free clinic, and the physician tells him to stay away from so much rich food.

It's not exaclty pumpkin, but an acorn squash foccacia is awesome. Toss the thin sliced squash with a little olive oil and sprinkle with a little (or a lot) sugar. Distribute it on top of the foccacia. After baking, remove from the oven, give a light brush of olive oil and sprinkle with fleur de sel and the squash seeds that have been reserved and toasted. Raw seeds placed on the foccacia before the bake tend to burn.

So true and said so well. Fear is a negative motivator. Sharing is the ultimate motivation.

Wow! Thanks Redsugar and Nightscotman! Two great answers. Much appreciated. I will be taking tons of photos and would like to post some. The trip is around Thanksgiving, so I'll let you know how it goes.

I am planning a weeklong trip to Paris to seek out boulangeries of the highest quality. This is for baguettes, levain, vienoisserie, etc. Undoubtedly I will visit a few pastry shops, but this trip is about traditional, artisinal bread. Of course I have plans to visit Ganachaud, Maison Keyser, and Poilane and I am using "Cherchez Le Pain" as my primary resource, but I am seeking personal input from the eGullet membership. My goal is to visit no less than 50 bread bakeries. I have been to the ones mentioned above, and they definitely merit many more visits, but I want to see and taste more. Again, this pertains to Paris only. Thank you.

Most of the time, tap water is OK. It is more critical at the initiation of the cycle than later on. If it ain't broke..................

Maybe Hunter is a bit fried himself now, but his persona (and his writing) though a bit dated, were at one time quite relevant. Hunter's "essays" may have become pointless ramblings, but isn't that what the 60's were about? If AB did all the drugs he claims to have done, how could he possibly have such vivid recollections? Seems like a fantasy (or hallucination) to me. I would say though, that he can cook like a bandit. BTW, I like your writing, Suzanne.

Yeah, he writes like a bandit because he is one. He stole Hunter S. Thompsons's persona.

To add to jackal10's comments: If using bottled water, do not use distilled, it is devoid of mineral content. You can use tap water if you get it from the tap and leave it on the counter overnight or for 24 hours just to be safe-- the chlorine will dissipate, but the valuable minerals will remain. If you use ogranic rye flour as 5% to 50% of the total flour(organic as well) for the very beginning, it will be more active more quickly (but not too quickly) due to the abundant yeasts and amylase enzymes in rye flour. As you make subsequent feedings with bread flour, the rye will be dilluted each time until it disappears. If your starter gets sluggish, you can awaken it by using 5% rye for a feeding or two. If your starter has been in the refrigerator for a while, remove it and feed a few times before actually baking with it in order to bring it back to full power.

I purchased silicone pans in Austria, but have pretty much written them off. I was quite disappointed in the color and the texture of the crust. Mine, like yours, looked quite nice otherwise, but lacked the defining characteristics of traditional canneles. At least the molds were not expensive.

For a crunchy crust, try venting the oven once the color on the bread is set and then finishing the bread in the oven with the door cracked. This should aid in driving the water out of the bread and render a crispy crust. There is so much water in Ciabatta that the baking time can be considerable. What temperature is the oven? Is it a forced air oven? What kind of climate do you live in? What is the humidity and/or storage conditions of the bread once it is baked? It can be difficult to maintain the integrity of lean dough breads for more than a day. A lot of Ciabatta recipes are folded every 45 minutes for three turns and then divided after one hour for a bulk fermentation of 3 hr. and 15 min. No pre-shape is necessary, and the final proof is 50 - 60 minutes.

What's mamma gonna do ?

Michel Roux's sauce book has a recipe for mango coulis with saffron, not that a recipe is needed with that description. It's quite nice and versatile as well.

Another formula for the "baker's grease" that I learned a long time ago is 3parts shortening, 2 parts flour, 1 part oil incorporated slowly after the flour and shortening have been beaten with a paddle attachment. I am looking forward to comparing yours as it is a little easier to mix. The 3-2-1 works beautifully, but in the interest of convenience........

A few thoughts in no particular order: Your photos show the dough on a stainless table. Stainless is notoriously cold and could lower your dough temperature and stall out the dough. For the primary fermentation, you could try proofing in a rectangular plastic container not on the stainless table. This would maintain the temperature and give the dough some gentle organization. It is not the amount of protein in flour that is critical, but the quality of the protein. Doughs more hydrated are more difficult to handle but produce a more open crumb; it is easy to make a good looking loaf with less hydration, but the taste and flavor are typically penalized as a result. A formula in favor with many bakers contains 67% hydration, no more that 1.1% yeast, and around 1.8% salt. With a short mix, a two hour bulk fermentation - including a stretch and fold after one hour, an intermediate proof of 20 - 30 minutes and a final proof of 45 - 50 minutes, they are achieving excellent results. It's difficult to say for sure, but the photos of the dough make it look like a stretch and fold would be of great help, as would pre-shaping which I haven't notice mentioned in the discussion. Retarding doughs in the refrigerator can be a useful technique, but be aware of the buildup of acidity which may alter the flavor (better for some tastes, worse for others). If you can cool your bread quickly (not in the oven, but on the same racks out of the oven), you will enjoy a more crispy crust and a less gummy crumb. A stretch and fold is more of an aid to primary (bulk) fermentation than it is an interruption. The benefits far outweigh any disadvantages. Looking at the photos of the baguettes after they have been scored, a couple of things come to mind that may help. It looks as if you are using a knife -- get a lame. Score the bread with your arm, hand, and lame almost parallel to the loaf and cut slighlty under the surface creating a slight lip which will result in beautiful grigne. I think it is great that you are going to so much effort for your bread. The journey to good bread is truly rewarding. Hope this helps without being too long-winded or smarty-pantsish. I just wanted to share.

I have made some nice jellies from the poaching liquid. After two or three poaches, the flavor is really nice. I like the flavor of the jelly better when less wine has been used