Aember

Here they are!

I did it! I did it! It's the perfect flavor and just the right texture! Soft, fluffy, perfect, just like I remember. I'm GIDDY! I'll post pics later...Gotta chow!

I didn't do the pre-dough starter, though. I figure I'll get the right flavor via the usual HBin5 method. Oh man, there's nothing like Miami Cuban bread hot from the oven, spread with butter or olive oil, & a hot cup of cafe con leche.

Hi folks! I'm wondering if anyone has done the ABin5 thing with a Cuban bread recipe? I'm jonesing for a Miami style Cuban: soft, slightly fluffy crumb with good holes like the ones in these photos; crust is a bit underbaked, very thin, just barely beginning to golden (so as to get further color when you hot-press it for a Cuban sandwich!). The most promising recipe I've found is here, using vegetable shortening & unbleached flour: http://www.tasteofcuba.com/pancubano.html. Right now, I'm trying the master HBin5 recipe, adding the 4 TBSP shortening in this recipe. I'm going to give it a go tomorrow & see how it turns out. Sure would be nice to know if anyone else has tried this, though. I'll post results. Thanks!

I think the above concepts sound very promising. Too many me-too cook-like-me shows.

But I don't get tired of Tony. I'm such a fangrrl.

"Non-NYers, I find, very often misinterpret it & don't like it." As an ex-NYer, I get that, too. Sometimes it gets too much for me. I'll be there in April. We'll see how long it takes for it to piss me off. 5 minutes off the plane, prob'ly...

IndyRob & Doodad, re: Obsession episode, I concur with your take. Interesting deviation from the usual show & I enjoyed it for what it was--a novel side trip with some snark. Tony takes himself about as seriously as any other New Yorker & talks the NY "faux bravado" game. I get it. Non-NYers, I find, very often misinterpret it & don't like it. As for the bloggers, they said what they said. Ain't Tony's fault he asked the question or that they answered it. This line of posts is kind of obsessive about Obsession, ain't it? I think the idea of a side-kick/foil to Tony is a good one. I'm sure he'd rather not just talk to himself all the time anyway.

What a perfectly gorgeous loaf! I'll try your technique. Thinking jmahl's part whole wheat recipe + 2-3 TBSP gluten flour won't need a loaf pan, but then, it's such a cool excuse to find a new loaf pan, don't you think?

Have made 2 pizzas with jmahl's dough recipe (+ 2 TBSP gluten flour) after about 10 days in the fridge. They are the BEST pizza crusts I've ever made. Exactly what I was looking for! Very close to a NY pizza crust once I got the hang of rolling it out to about 1/8-1/4" thickness. I roll it out after 30-40 min rise, top it, then bake straight away. The whole thing from rise to baking happens on a square of parchment. Different toppings, but I like roasted veggies, mozzarella, olive oil, coarse salt & pepper best. Maybe a few herbs. The crust bubbles beautifully, not too much, nice chewy sort of texture, lots of flavor. WOW. I am floored. [Aside-I got a cast iron pizza stone & it's phenomenal. I bake the most wonderful cream biscuits on it. I just leave the thing in the bottom of the stove all the time oiled. Seems to stabilize the temp in the oven & I don't have to heat as high when baking directly on it. How'd I live without one??? :wub: ]

OK, went for 60 min rise, baked on cast iron pan in 450F. I transferred the loaf risen on parchment to it. Forgot to slash it. After 30 min, a beautiful brown crust, not too thick, rose about 60%. Let cool overnight on the counter & this morning sliced into it. Crumb is perfect, moisture is perfect, taste is a bit sour-doughey. Success! thanks!

Hey, anyone bake in a convection oven? How do you adjust your temp & baking time?

Oh yes, I forgot to mention that I also added 2 TBSP vital wheat gluten to the mix. I'm hoping that makes my rise time shorter for this 25% whole wheat loaf. I'm rising a small boule right now straight from the fridge, hoping I only have to go the 40-45 min. I figured out why my rise took so long. I forgot to heat the water. In fact, it was fairly cold. DUH!

Made my first batch using Jmahl's recipe above without caraway seeds, using instant yeast. Took overnight for it to rise as ABin5 describes but it looks just right. Popped it in the fridge just now...Wish me luck.

Thanks, seems the yeast is relatively flexible when looking at other boards & reading on in Ratio. Thanks for the %/ratio breakdown. I dove right in & mixed up my first batch a while ago, we shall see. Won't touch it til tomorrow, then it'll be pizza night. So now do I replace some flour & water when I pull out some dough or wait until the whole thing is finished & make more? Waiting on my ABin5 from Amazon.com...