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...

Oh & thanx for demonstrating this bread in a loaf pan. What a beaut! I haven't been able to find anybody who made it in other than boule-variants.

Hi, I just learned about this whole Artisan Bread in 5 thang, right after discovering Michael Ruhlman's Ratio bread recipes. Just getting used to the idea of ratios & baker's percentage, making great half whole wheat/unbleached pizza dough, boules for the past week. Then slam, it's all turned on its (my) head by this other sourdoughy no-knead recipe. I love the no-knead idea for the speed & making fresh small batches of bread whenever I want to. Is there any way to reconcile this ABin5 recipe with baker's percentages/Ratio? Ratio & baker's % make sense to me. I'm one of those poor saps for whom things have to make sense. It gives me a certain comfort knowing how it all works. Any seasoned bakers have insights for this noob? Thank ye

Organic Cereal Bars Serves 12. These are similar to the Honey Nut Cheerios Bars, only better! I also made these with Envirokids' Koala Crisp Cereal, which is like organic Cocoa Krispies. :-) I used brown rice syrup, which has a lower glycemic index than corn syrup because it has some glucose that's absorbed quickly, followed by a much slower & sustained absorption of complex carbs. My kids tend to get hypoglycemic easily & this has enough protein, fat, & complex carb to keep their energy up & not give them a crash. They are very easy & something you can throw together the night before for a class snack or bake sale. You need a pot, a heat-safe spoon, a big bowl to mix in, & a ~9x13" pan. And I line my pan with unbleached parchment paper for ease of release. I have been freezing them after cutting so they can be popped right out for a quick fresh breakfast before or on the way to school. They thaw pretty fast at room temp but keep their shape. My kids love these as after-school snacks too! The recipe for the bars is based on one on Cooks.com, modified for ingredients & amounts. The recipe for the milk icing is modified for ingredients & amounts from recipe #38630 on Recipezaar.com. I think vegans would be perfectly happy without the milk icing, or maybe could make it with powdered soy milk & soy margarine (or a similar vegan alternative). I might experiment with less butter for an icing that sets up harder without refrigeration. Or maybe just a simple royal icing drizzled over the bars after cutting. I have not tried that. The bars alone are awesome anyway. Cereal Bars: 1 c organic brown rice syrup 1/2 c organic raw sugar (for bars) 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 c organic peanut butter 6 c organic plain oat "O"s cereal, OR 7 c organic cocoa rice crisps cereal (one 11.5 oz box) Milk Icing: 1/2 c organic raw sugar (for icing) 1/4 c organic butter 1/2 c natural powdered nonfat milk 1 tsp vanilla extract 1-2 TBSP hot tap water Heat the 3/4 c sugar, vanilla, salt, and syrup in a pot over medium heat until boiling and sugar is well combined, not crystalline. Remove from heat and stir the peanut butter in, stirring until it has melted in & the mixture is smooth but not too cool or becoming thicker. While the syrup mixture is heating, have the cereal ready in a large bowl. It may help to oil your hands with a little vegetable oil to help keep the cereal mixture from sticking to you. When the syrup mixture is smooth, pour it over the cereal in the bowl & quickly fold all the cereal until it is evenly coated (it will clump). Pack this firmly and evenly into a parchment-lined pan approximately 9 x 13 inches, making sure to get into the corners. Cool for 30 minutes. While the bars are cooling, cream together the butter & sugar reserved for the icing until smooth using a mixer. Add dry milk slowly to combine. Add water until easy to spread. Spread on the cooled cereal bars & refrigerate 15 minutes before cutting into about 12-16 bars. Keywords: Breakfast, Vegetarian, Snack, Brownies/Bars, Dessert, American, Easy, Healthy Choices ( RG2143 )

Organic Cereal Bars Serves 12. These are similar to the Honey Nut Cheerios Bars, only better! I also made these with Envirokids' Koala Crisp Cereal, which is like organic Cocoa Krispies. :-) I used brown rice syrup, which has a lower glycemic index than corn syrup because it has some glucose that's absorbed quickly, followed by a much slower & sustained absorption of complex carbs. My kids tend to get hypoglycemic easily & this has enough protein, fat, & complex carb to keep their energy up & not give them a crash. They are very easy & something you can throw together the night before for a class snack or bake sale. You need is a pot, a heat-safe spoon, a big bowl to mix in, & a ~9x13" pan. I like to line my pan with unbleached parchment paper for ease of release. I have been freezing them after cutting so they can be popped right out for a quick fresh breakfast before or on the way to school. They thaw pretty fast at room temp but keep their shape. These taste sooo dang good! The recipe for the bars is based on one on Cooks.com, modified for ingredients & amounts. The recipe for the milk icing is modified for ingredients & amounts from recipe #38630 on Recipezaar.com. I think vegans would be perfectly happy without the milk icing, or maybe could make it with powdered soy milk & soy margarine (or a similar vegan alternative). I have not tried that. The bars alone are awesome. organic brown rice syrup organic raw sugar (for bars) vanilla extract salt organic peanut butter organic plain oat "O"s cereal, OR organic cocoa rice crisps cereal organic raw sugar (for icing) organic butter natural powdered nonfat milk vanilla extract hot tap water Heat the 3/4 c sugar, vanilla, salt, and syrup in a pot over medium heat until boiling and sugar is well combined, not crystalline. Remove from heat and stir the peanut butter in, stirring until it has melted in & the mixture is smooth but not too cool or becoming thicker. While the syrup mixture is heating, have the cereal ready in a large bowl. It may help to oil your hands with a vegetable oil a little bit to help keep the cereal mixture from sticking to you. When the syrup mixture is smooth, pour it over the cereal in the bowl & quickly fold all the cereal until it is evenly coated (it will clump). Pack this firmly and evenly into a parchment-lined pan approximately 9 x 13 inches, making sure to get into the corners. Cool for 30 minutes. While the bars are cooling, cream together the butter & sugar reserved for the icing until smooth using a mixer. Add dry milk slowly to combine. Add water until easy to spread. Spread on the cooled cereal bars & refrigerate 15 minutes before cutting into about 12 bars. Keywords: Breakfast, Vegetarian, Snack, Brownies/Bars, Dessert, American, Easy, Healthy Choices ( RG2142 )