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aznsailorboi

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Posts posted by aznsailorboi

    First Time Bread Baker

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    I'd guess the dough was too dry or it was overworked.

    i think it would be the first suggestion ...coz I wasnt sure how much flour to use on the bench, coz everybody says a handful but it wasnt enough to get it from sticking on the kneading suface.

    i know its not the latter coz i barely touched the dough after the first kneading. all i did after the first fermentation process was do 1 stretch and fold method, then rest the dough then another 1 F&S method then shaped( which is basically another S&F method on the two halves) then baked. so there was minimal dough handling. oh and I didnt use a machine, i hand mixed the dough, and according to most people who posted ...i can't overwork the dough by hand, coz id be tired long before i overwork it hahhahhaa :laugh:

    First Time Bread Baker

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    it tastes good, it looks good, the only criteria it didnt quite fill is the big holes on the cross section cut of the bread,,,,,i might have moved the bread once while it was proofing or something, i dunno what happened, the bread isnt dense at all, but definitely not airy either.

    Lychee, yang energy and nosebleeds

    in China: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    same here, I dont get sick off lychees. Brings back childhood memories now from the Philippines, we have fresh lychees almost year round, and my dad would buy them by the case, those big red plastic rectangular baskets. and we'd eat them like M&Ms spittin the seeds out one after another. but i dont remember being sick at all, and we usually do this splurge in the summer when the humidity is high and very HOT.

    Avenues Restaurant To Get 2004 F&W Best New Chef

    in The Heartland: Dining

    Posted

    hi guys, had dinner at Avenues with my SO this past saturday, and we were both very impressed by food, service, ambience, and pretty much everything. We had the Chef's palate sans the wine pairing since I had to drive and he just doesnt drink alcohol :smile:

    the food was fantastic I can say that all but one were very well executed in presentation and in flavor....I have to rule out the stone crab risotto :sad: wish it had more citrus zing to it, then it would've been perfect for my palate, it was a little too crabby flavored for me.

    the service was great, we were very well attended to, my glass of sparkling water was never empty, and very articulate about details ie. she almost poured me regular non carbonated water, then when she was about to she halted and said she was just kidding ( she's just so likeable ) and then went back to get the bubbly kind. everyone was so warm and welcoming.

    I'd definitely go back for another nice dinner at Avenues, compliments to ChefGEB>>YOU ROCK!!!

    "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" by Reinhart

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    I went through the same analysis in my head, but I was also saying to my self if the yeast is dry but active, all it really needs is to get rehydrated and it will start being active again from its dormant state. so what I did was I met the idea halfway, instead of using room temp water. I used warm water. like at 100-104*F and the instruction usually calls to mix all the dry ingredients first then add the liquid. This time I left the yeast sprinkled on one corner of the bowl on top of the flour(i made a little dent in the flour to put the yeast, then I add the liquid directly to it, it dissolves at a reaonable pace, but you will still have a little bit of the undissolved grains, but in the end they get incorporated either ways. so i went did that, and my bread still turned out ok, considering the fact that after mixing the dough, i let it retard in the fridge for almost a day, then the next day i turned the dough again and still didnt have time to bake it, so another day in the fridge, then finally i did, although after shaping I had to let it proof for about 2 hrs, figured 1 hr to warm up to room temp, and the next hour is to produce enough CO2 pockets for the rise. the bread (ciabatta) turned out well. that was my first succesful bread.

    First Time Bread Baker

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    ok guys!!!! here's the report, pictures will follow later this afternoon when i get home!

    I CAN BAKE NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :cool: this bread was heaven to my eyes when it came out of my oven, boy all I can say was WOW :wub: ...haha thats all that came out of my mouth, so proven the fact that I can bake bread, I will continue to perfect it, although I didnt go step by step as how the BBA instructed me to do so, but the bread turned very nice!!! nice golden brown color, I love the flour streaks( for a minute I thought I've been doing this for years), it made my condo smell like a boulangerie :raz: I had to do it one at a time, as I didnt get a chance to get quarry tiles, so I had to make do with my 12 inch pizza stone,hehe it works :smile: and I also used my wooden chopping board as the peel.

    I feel very fulfilled after baking those bread last night, oh and I was so tempted to split the bread, to see the inside cross section, but I didnt....well I didnt coz I fell asleep :hmmm:

    I brought the bread to work today as well, and it was a hit. everyone here now dont think im a bogus anymore, hahahaha *basta*ds* lol

    First Time Bread Baker

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    those were nice loaves, and i can totally see the "glistening effect" on the cross section of the dough being transluscent, as described in BBA as a basis for a well baked bread, so the letter fold is the traditional form of ciabatta? but BBA stated it was a slipper shape....whats a slipper shape? :unsure:

    First Time Bread Baker

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    Thanks for your input Devlin. I do agree with your perspective on bread making as an equal balance of science and art. The last couple of times I tried bread making, I did the artisan’s approach, but it didn’t work too well for me, so now I want to try the scientist’s approach which is what I’m currently working on, I know eventually it will meet in the middle, as I need the proof that the breads need an exact amount of ingredients in proportion with all the other factors involved, at the same time I need the artisan’s skill to knead, shape and bake the bread. But so far I’m doing good with what I started yesterday. :cool:

    The poolish is doing good in the fridge, and its gonna be ready to be processed as bread tonight. I will take photos of it once I’m done, then tomorrow I’m headed to Oil & Vinegar to get a nice vial of Greek olive oil, and a vial of authentic aged balsamic vinegar. I like Greek olive oil better than Italian olive oil, anybody agrees or disagrees? I want to hear your inputs on this one as well. The Greek manufactured olive oils seems fresher tasting than Italian made ones. The Gk ones have a more fruity overtone to it, perfect for bread dipping, as you can taste the freshness of both the bread and oil., the Itl ones are very unpredictable, I assume because of its popularity in its apparent reputation as being the “best” the stocks in the stores aren’t rotated as much, and some would taste rancid, and most of the time that’s my only complaint with IOO. But still it ruins the experience of bread dipping!!!!!! :angry:

    Ooh another question before I finish my post, when I was reading the procedures for ciabatta, there’s really not a lot of kneading involved, the only kneading part that I saw was when the poolish and the dry ingredients were being incorporated, and then the two stretch and fold methods, one after the degassing stage and the second one is before shaping. Am I getting this right? And can some one post a picture of what a ciabatta bread looks like after its been baked, the book didn’t have a picture…and the Italian restaurants don’t usually bring them whole. :hmmm:

    First Time Bread Baker

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    the ciabatta recipe calls for 22.75 ounces of poolish, and I weighed the amt yield from the poolish recipe stated in the beginning pages, and its close enough, maybe about 15-20 grams over 22.75oz but I would still weigh the poolish when I mix both parts just to make sure....

    you guys are probably wondering why im sounding like a rocket scientist when I was explaining my method. its coz I want to make sure that I'm not just relying on luck, and want to prove to myself that its an exact science, well almost since the adlib of dusting of flour etc. and +/- of liquid as per moisture in the air. but if i have a control of temp and atmospheric moisture then i would, actually i can but i dont think they want me to use the laminar flow hoods to knead bread. hahahahaha but y'all know what i mean. anyways im off to the baking supply store, and im off from work now ( all i did today was fuss about my bread bwahahahahah :laugh: and all my subordinates think im crazy.....while they watched dvd all day ) but anyways, i need to get some semolina flour, i think im actually going to bake it tonight. im crossing my fingers. well see y'all tonight here i will be back later.

    First Time Bread Baker

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    I had to transfer my poolish into a bigger bowl before I set it in the fridge. I think the gluten strands are forming well, I was expecting a thick pancake batter but when I tipped the bowl over to the bigger bowl, it all went down like a semi solid glob, the sides of the bowl is almost clean too, so I'm assuming thats a good sign.

    another question, I was reading a thread here before and they mentioned VITAL WHEAT GLUTEN FLOUR, so I saw it in the grocery store, and I picked it up too. what is this for? what recipe do I use it?

    and I just got done measuring my ingredients, let me give my measured amounts:

    Poolish

    11.25 oz=319.218 grams unbleached bread flour

    00.05 oz=1.418 grams dry active yeast *this is the 50%

    12 fl oz =354.6 mls water

    ( I used warm water no steam, but fairly warm, i figured i need the warm temp to activate the dry active yeast, but i guess if i used instant yeast i would've used room temp water. oh btw the original recipe asked for 00.03 oz of instant yeast, that would be 33% and 00.09 oz if using wild yeast for 100%)

    this is for the bread as per ciabatta instructions:

    13.50 oz= 383.061 grams unbleached bread flour

    00.26 oz= 7.309 grams dry active yeast

    00.44 oz= 12.485 grams salt*

    3-6 fl oz= 88.65mls-177.30mls of water, milk*, buttermilk* or oil*

    (I used iodized salt, the book said it didn't matter which one to use. but I used this kind because I was thinking about how well the grains of sea salt would dissolve in the dough, versus using fine salt which gets dissolved as soon as the flour gets hydrated. the types of liquid to use for added hydration like milk, buttermilk and oil, the author said to add more flour if using these, coz it will make the dough softer than if it was pure lean(only with water). I think I will start with 1.5 oz water and 1.5 oz oil just to balance it out....anybody can shout out their opinion about this, as I have no clue if im doing the right thing or its a disaster in the making.) :sad:

    First Time Bread Baker

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    hi guys im back on this thread........wow been gone for a while and was putting off my bread baking experience. anyways, i'm at work right now, and I just realized the other day that i have access to a digital, pharmaceutical grade scale, which i totally forgot. and i have a few new laboratory materials that i can definitely use for the exact measurement of things such as graduated cylinders and the like which im taking home by the way hehehe since we have ALOT. but yeah i just got done making the Poolish pre-ferment an hour and a half ago, so it should be ready to be refrigerated in 2 more hours.

    i also used dry active yeast, which i think is perfectly alive. i see the poolish bubbling so, i think it is alive. i did the necessary adjustments for substitution. the 100% for wild yeast 40-50%for dry active and 33%for instant. so i used 50% just to make sure i get maximum participation of the yeast :hmmm: so far so good. id be doing my measurements for the main bread ingredients after lunch, i'd just bring some more bowls in to work when i go home for lunch here in a few to put in my pre measured flour, yeast and salt, since i cant take home the scale( i wish they had two then id take it home as well hehhehe). oh btw im attempting the ciabatta bread according to BBA recipe. I most likely wont be able to bake the bread till tomorrow night, but if i can tonight i will. Peter Reinhart suggested keeping the Poolish in the fridge overnight for the flavor to develop.

    i got much of the stuff down to an exact science. the only thing i dont understand is during the kneading part after the first 30 minute proofing. the book states the liberal use of flour on hands and dusting on the bread, how do i know how much flour to use for dusting and all of the above? do i set aside some flour from the total amount of flour used in the recipe? or this is just extra flour to be added to the pre measured items. PLEASEEEE RESPOND SOOON!!!! I'd be waiting for y'alls response. THANKS

    Onion Confit

    in Cooking

    Posted · Edited by aznsailorboi (log)

    Hi guys, it took me just about over 4 and a half hours of work time to read through 18 pages of this.....and I must admit, i gotta try this for my next party which is coming up pretty soon on the 4th of March. gave me lots of ideas to match this baby with. I have to get me a crock pot first, since that seems like the most reasonable way of cooking it. I can play videogames while it cooks down to a nice gooey mess...as pictures have suggested. :laugh:

    First Time Bread Baker

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    In addition to this  :biggrin:

    gallery_16410_2294_32444.jpg

    I also have in my electric oven (otherwise known as "my damned toy oven") a baking stone from The Baker's Catalogue/King Arthur's Flour. I put it in my oven four years ago and have never taken it out. It's wonderful.

    Jeffrey Hamelman's Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Methods is a fabulous resource as well.

    Last year at Alan Scott's bread oven conference, Monica Spiller, a chemist and bread baker, demonstrated her whole wheat barm bread that was a real revelation to us all, a beautifully light, sweet, airy bread, wholly whole wheat. I've got the formula for it somewhere, have never tried it because the instructions were at some point somewhat confusing, even after I emailed for clarification. I'll try to find it and put it up here to see if anybody can help me out with it and maybe we could all give it a shot.

    [edited to add link]

    cools I'm excited to see that recipe....errr formula whatever u wanna call it. hehe i cant wait to go home....uhhhh im at work right now...I'm actually thinking of bringing my ingredients here and start the dough. but my only problem will be the temp...its a little warm here i work in the pharmacy and we keep it warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer( i dunno the logic behind this, i guess to make u sick quicker then u go call in sick the next day, hehehe :laugh: ) so right now its at 80 degrees, im afraid I'd proof my dough too quick. We even have an industrial electric mixer (2) but we dont use it for food its for mixing creams and such which i love to do, coz its almost like cooking or baking.

    First Time Bread Baker

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    awesome thanks for the many responses to this thread. I've done my readings too, and this weekend would be bake weekend.....ok maybe just one day but still eheheheh. I have all my ingredients and materials, I'm gonna go to home depot and see if they have resonably sized quarry tiles available. I have a baking stone, its for pizza though but I think I can still use it for bread baking purposes, but its not big enough. I will need a loaf pan as well so i'll visit my baking supply store later. can't wait to do this...I might get tempted enough I'd start later hehehe.

    First Time Bread Baker

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    Thanks for the recipe Kyle, I'm definitely gonna try it. Although after reading BBA book, I was looking at your recipe and they were in cups, teaspoons, Tablespoons, etc. got me all thinking deeply into it....about the weight and percentages of each lol.....see that book is evil...in a good way. :wink: but for your particular recipe I will just go by your measurements, since you've already mastered this bread and I dont have a doubt that this bread will be a success.

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