Search the Community

Interior: Soft, rolled like a baguette, slightly sweet bread....it was white inside so i don't think it had eggs....maybe milk , maybe potatoes to enrichened Exterior: No crust what so ever. I was thinking portuguese bread but not sure..... Thanks

I recently did a small study on thawing bread. Since you cannot use a plastic bag when thawing it (Crust gets real bad), some kind of "breathing" material must be used, meaning dehydration. So, how much water is lost during thawing ? Here are the results. (Total weight loss over approximately 12 hours.) Plastic: 0% (start weight 149g, end weight 149g) Paper: 1.9% (start weight 104g, end weight 102g) Cloth: 4.9% (start weight 122, g end weight 116g) Other details; the bread was baked with a 65% hydration, baked into round loaves and cut in halves. Three halves have been used in this "experiment". This means that all loaves have a “cut”, and is not totally surrounded by crust. This probably has an effect on the total result, but the comparisons should be valid. I conclude with the cloth/fabric giving the overall best results, but at a higher dehydration cost. (I like crispy crusts!) I guess the overall best approach would have been to put half baked loaves in the freezer ? Any other thoughs on preserving bread ? (Complete details of my "experiment" can be found on my homepage/food blog. Go by clicking here

Just baked a loaf of focaccia using white leaven at 100% hydration. Did not do a good job at dimpling the top before baking though. Adjusted the contrast just a little to give a better cross-section of the bread. Happy Baking... Don

So a friend of mine just gave me an Amish Friendship bread. The instructions state to "mash the bag" for 6 days and bake with it on the seventh. It gets "refreshed" on the 7th day. This contradicts everything I have ever read about caring for a starter but apparently people have been passing this around for a while. The "starter" has no real character, and my guess, no real leavening power. But I'll play with it and pass it on as requested. I wanted to know if any one out there has been given this before and what there experience has been? I can't wait to see! Shane

Hidden away in the Bread volume of the Time-Life Good Cook series is a truly spectacular Irish Cream Soda Bread. Unfortunately, while overseas, I've left behind a good portion of my library in New York. This is one of those breads that I love making for special dinners. Anyone happen to have a copy of the book who could post or e-mail me the recipe? Gracias in advance!

Over the last few days, after completing a starter I'm happy with, I've been experimenting with sourdough baking. I guess I make a lot of the beginner mistakes, before finding a routine that works. Inspired by this excellent forum, and this thread in particular ; http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=27634 I'm making another atempt, all will document it here and hope for some feedback. In the mean time, I can tell you all about what went from at my last atempt, finished about 60 minutes ago. - To counter the "pancake effect" on wet dough (mine was at 70%), I've read that it can be smart to throw in a glass or so of water on a cast iron pan or something to provide steam and better heat transfer during the first few minutes. This is said to help developing the crust. Since I don't have room for pizza baking stone, cast iron pan AND bread in my electric oven, I used my turbo fan for a couple of minutes instead..... BIG Mistake !! :-) After 20 minutes I had to take it out of the oven. It was turning black and burnt! The botton, resting on the pizza stone, was turning into black carbon. And the top were also turning darker and darker. 40 minutes, and It would have been a black heap of coal :-) Anyway.. I ended up with a bread that looks real good, a bit on the "over finished" side, but with an apealing a nice and airy crumb. Taste wise however... This is a disaster! The crust tastes burned, and the crumb is not baked 100%, so it "swells" in your mouth when you eat it. My guess is that all this is the turbo-fan's fault. I swear to never to that again .-) Edit: After posting, I noticed that there Was a Q/A Thread fro the tutorial, with posts from 2006. Admins, feel free to move my post at will .-)

Had some unused baker's yeast so used it to bake a loaf of raisin white bread... Just tried baking this recipe I found and it turn out ok and tasted good... Happy Baking Don

This is my second attempt in as many days to make this bread. The recipe calls for the proofed and punched down dough to be rolled into a 6x14inch rectangle, brushed with melted butter, sprinkled with raisins, then with brown sugar, then with cinnamon sugar and finally rolled like a jelly roll. Yesterday I rolled it from the 14 inch edge and it looked pretty much the same as the one from today (photo is from today!). The raisin swirl was mostly centered and the raisins simply fell out when the loaf was cut. Today I rolled it from the 6 inch edge, squished it down firmly on every roll, but the result is about the same! The raisins are all gathered in one swirl and there is a big hole where the raisins are. GRRRRRRRRRRRRR! I am sure someone here can tell me the big mistake I am making! I doubt that the recipe would help anyone to help me but it's from "Secrets of a Jewish Baker" and I have had great success with other breads in this book. This is bugging so much that I have started another batch of dough in hopes that someone will throw me a life jacket.

Came across some artisan bread flour that says malted on the packaging. What is the difference between the artisan and the regular bread flour? and what does the malt do? Can I use it as a regular bread flour?

I decided to make the Portuguese Sweet Bread recipe from BBA and followed the directions (although I did convert from active dry yeast to instant -- don't worry, I didn't do a direct substitution). I made the starter and after about 70 minutes it looked quite lovely. I've made starters before (usually poolishes) and I can definitely tell an active starter. At that point I creamed the butter, shortening, dry milk, sugar, and salt until everything looked uniform (I used my KitchenAid for this). I then added the eggs, oil extracts, the starter, and all of the flour called for in the recipe. I measured out the water and had it at the ready. I then started the KA on low with the dough hook, but the air today is so humid that not only did I not have to add any of the reserved water, I actually had to add about 1/4 cup more flour for the dough to come together into a soft ball. I then needed on speed 2 on my KA for 11 minutes (BBA called for between 10-12 using a stand mixer). The dough felt quite soft and there was definite gluten development. I then left it in my workbowl and covered it with plastic. It is now two hours later and not one sign of rise has happened. I know the yeast was active in the starter when I added it. I understand that rich doughs with lots of sugar and fat take longer to form gluten. Could the 11 minutes on the stand mixer have been too much? Any thoughts? BTW, the ambient air temperature is around 80 deg with about 86 percent relative humidity. All ingredients were room temperature before being added to the bowl. Thanks!

I just finished a test batch of gingerbread cupcakes with lemon frosting. I used a mix and canned frosting - I do this a lot when I am just testing combinations, it goes together quickly and even if it isn't what I want to end up with exactly, it does give me an idea of if it will work or not. Anyway - I really like the combination of the gingerbread and the lemon buttercream. I don't really have a wonderful go-to recipe for gingerbread and would like to know your recommendations. I like the Cooks Illustrated baking book for many things - had anyone tried their gingerbread? Also - I have made basic buttercream - how do I make it a lemon buttercream. I am planning on topping with a little X made of candied ginger and candied lemon peel (I do know how to do that )

This weekend I am going to attempt for the second time to make this bread and I will post my results. I didn't get very far this past weekend because the dough just didn't rise. I don't know if it was the weather (very hot here at the moment) or the yeast or the flour, but I did change something from the original recipe. It calls for regular flour and 00 flour. I do not have a source for 00 flour. I tried using bread flour and AP flour. What is the benefit of using 00 flour? I know it is great for pasta, but what are the benefits for bread? I should explain that it only calls for about 1/4 of a cup of 00. Also, this dough is a very wet dough. It suppose to be a very airy dough. It calls for five, 30-minute risings. I am worried that the yeast is going to die on me with that many rising, since it petered out on the first rise.

Now that I've started honing my brioche skills, I'm wondering what other dessert uses it can be put to. Obviously, there's bread pudding and french toast, but what else can be done with it?

I suck at math. Even worse, I suck more at story problems. Here is a story problem maybe someone can help me solve. Question: Based on 100lb of white flour with an 11.7 protein level, how much additional gluten do I need to add to raise the flour 1 point to 12.7? Would the answer be 10%? I'm not sure.

I'm looking for airy ciabatta and nice hardy crusts.

Hey whats going on? My Buddy is opening his dream place next monday and im the sous chef. For our steak sandwich at lunch we were thinking a nice flat bread would go nice with it. We also want it to be able to double and be served with our hummus app. at night. What i need is a simple, but versatile flat bread recipe that dosent use a pre-ferement or a biga or anthing. Any recipes would be greatly appreciated thanks tons!!!

OK, I hope someone knows what I'm talking about, but either way, here goes. My girlfriend and I go to Mitsuwa in Edgewater a lot. They used to have fresh melon bread at the bakery there. However, it's been almost a year since they seemed to stop carrying it. I faintly recall seeing on Food Network that there was a place that did Hokkaido-style cream puffs, and that's probably as good a place as any to start looking. Does anyone know where this place is? Failing that, does anyone know a place in the city where we can get melon bread? A brief explanation: melon bread is basically cake dough that's baked, then filled with custard that's flavored with melon extract. The whole shabang is coated with cookie dough and cooked until it's a little crunchy on the outside. It's totally delicious and part of Japanese pop cuisine that nobody really finds out about until you watch too much anime like me.

Having no local Arabic bakery, I have long hoped to learn to make good khoubz at home. Every time I try, however, my bread is too stiff and tough. I have been successfully making other breads using The Bread Baker's Apprentice, and now wonder if my bread woule benefit from an overnight ferment in the refrigerator. FoodMan (and anyone) can you help me?

I'd really like to start making bread. But really only easy bread. I don't mind yeasted bread, but too many confusing steps in order for the bread just to turn out "okay" is not my dream. I just want to my yum yum yummy bread every friday. Yep, every friday a new bread. I promise I'll learn to post pictures if you'll share your best tasty bread recipes. thanks. I'll work up to Bread Bakers Apprentice soemtime.

My father-in-law is currently on a practically salt-free diet due to a recent stroke. I would like to bake some bread, and have a recipe for Tuscan bread I can make, but I began to wonder, does salt serve a purpose in bread, other than as a flavor enhancer?

So, I don't own the Zuni Cafe cookbook -- gonna roast an air-dried Giaconne chicken (from the latest D'Artagnan freezer sale!) for guests this evening and would love to add the bread salad. Could someone with the cookbook consider transcribing and PMing it to me? Or, PM me and I'll give you my fax number if a photocopy is faster... Really appreciate it!

I have been trying to find something like Levit ($$) to increase shelf life, lift etc. I haven't used any enhancers during 30 years of bread baking, however, except for ascorbic acid. Does anyone have an opinion? Thanks, Woods

<img src="http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/1159716896/gallery_29805_1195_4296.jpg" hspace="8" align="left">by Kendra Bailey Morris An exclusive excerpt from White Trash Gatherings: From-scratch Cooking for Down-home Entertaining (Ten Speed Press, 2006). As often as my Granny Boohler entertained, it came as no surprise when one afternoon she sat me down with two, big sweet iced teas to tell me the story of our family’s greatest claim to culinary fame -- the time she cooked a full-on beans and cornbread dinner for her most prominent dinner guest, our very own "West Virginian of the Twentieth Century," U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd. Back in the early to mid-1970s, both my Granny and Grandpa were rather active in local politics. As a nurse at the local hospital, Granny was often involved in issues related to health care and education. One of her biggest concerns, and a legitimate one at that, was the quality of health care (or, rather, lack thereof ) that families living in more rural areas of the state were receiving. For many, a trip to the doctor for a check-up could result in literally hours of travel. Like others involved in the cause, Granny believed that implementing rural medical outreach programs, including bringing in more doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel to the hills, was desperately needed. And there was one very important person who happened to agree with her -- Senator Robert Byrd. Not ones to pass up a chance to politicize, Granny and Grandpa attended a meeting at the local church where Senator Byrd was speaking on issues related to improving health care. When the meeting was over, they went up to wish him well, and then straight outta the blue asked the Senator to join them for dinner. It may seem shocking that they didn’t think twice about asking him over, but that’s how country people do it. It's not about how famous you are, it’s about how hungry you are. Now, the Senator is a well-known beans and cornbread lover. Like many West Virginians during the depression, he was raised in a small coal town, coincidentally not far from where my grandfather and great-grandfather worked as miners. His story is one of achieving great success in the face of considerable odds, and although Senator Byrd may reside in Washington, his heart still rests in a little house up the holler. And apparently, so does his stomach. It seems that the older we get, the more we want to go back to that one meal that tastes like home. For mountain folk, it’s the beans and cornbread meal. Pinto beans simmered all day with a slug of fatback served alongside a big wedge of savory cornbread. Throw in a little chow chow (our version of relish), some chopped green onions, and a dollop of ketchup and you’ve true peasant food at its finest. When Granny went to work in her little kitchen on that snowy afternoon, she knew exactly what the Senator wanted to eat, and she was a true master at making it. Just the day before she had whipped up a big pot of brown beans, so she set to work on some cornbread (we call it “grit bread”) baked in a cast iron skillet. To go alongside, apples from her backyard were gathered from the root cellar, sliced, and fried up in leftover bacon grease. It wasn’t long before Senator Byrd and his entourage arrived, took off their snow-dusted coats, and sat down to table brimming with West Virginia specialties. After Grandpa gave the blessing (he always did this, as head of the household), the group began to eat, but not before Senator Byrd said his quick prayer of thanks. And then, like any proper country boy, he stuck his napkin into his shirt before spooning one single bite of beans into his mouth. They ate and ate, and talked about family, growing up in the coalfields, local politics, and God. Sweet tea was poured in abundance, and seconds were served more than once. Granny proudly watched it all happen, knowing deep in her heart that she was always built to cook for kings and queens. After all, the Senator exclaimed more than once that he hadn’t had cooking this good since he ate at Lady Bird’s. After dessert, the Senator mentioned that he had a national televised speaking engagement later that evening and would they mind if he rested a while before taking off, especially after eating all that good food. So again, like a true West Virginia hostess, Granny didn’t think twice. She escorted the Senator to the basement rec room that Grandpa built himself, fluffed him a pillow, and draped a warm blanket over his shoulders. In a matter of moments, he was on his back fast asleep, with his black sock-clad feet barely poking out from under the blanket. To Granny, he was just another hardworking man from the coalfields, who, in this particular repose, seemed more like the young man who spent time working as a meat cutter and who loved to play the fiddle than a big city politician who was twice elected President pro tempore, making him third in line for the presidency of the United States. She leaned over to cover his feet and let out a short giggle when she saw that one of his socks had a hole in it the size of a quarter. After an hour or so, the Senator awakened, fully refreshed. Granny and Grandpa said their farewells, and as the Senator put on his coat, Granny straightened his tie. It was then she saw it -- a big bean stain right on the top part of his polka-dot tie. "Mr. Senator,” she said. "I’m afraid you’re going to have to take off your tie. Seems you’ve got a bit of a spot on it." The Senator looked down to see the offensive stain and quickly removed his tie. "Don’t think I can go on television with this old thing!" he joked as he removed it and handed it over to Granny. "Here. Let me," Grandpa said, as he took off his own tie and handed it to the Senator. "It would be an honor if you wore mine." And with that, the Senator said his thanks, put on his new tie, and left to greet his public. Later that evening, as my Granny and Grandpa reminisced about how good her beans were and how funny it was that their Senator had holes in his socks, they turned on the television to watch his public address. There he was, a standing proud West Virginian, bathed in lights and fanfare that only politics can bring, and wearing my grandpa’s tie. In that moment, the lines that separate poverty from excess, backwoods from Park Avenue, and insignificant coal towns from a parking spot at the U.S. Capitol were blurred, if only for one snowy day. <div align="center">* * * * *</div> The Senator’s Brown Beans and Fatback This bean recipe is truly fit for kings and queens. Serve it up with a wedge of cornbread, homemade chow chow, and minced sweet onions for a taste of true peasant food. Just make sure to remove your tie before diggin’ in since this dish makes for messy eatin’. But beware, brown beans and fatback can be addictive, and as of yet, there is no known cure except more brown beans and fatback. 1 (16-ounce) package dried pinto beans 1 medium to large slug of salt fatback, or 1 to 2 meaty pork ribs 1 1/2 quarts water Salt and pepper Put your beans and water in a cooking pot on medium heat. Next, stick your fatback in a microwavable coffee cup and cover with water. Microwave on high for 30 seconds or so, then turn the fat over and do the same for another 30 seconds. Pour the fatback and broth into the cooking beans. Once the beans begin to lightly boil at medium heat, lower the temperature to low and cook for 2 hours, or until they’re soft like you like ‘em. <div align="center">* * * * *</div> K.G.’s Country Grit Bread Grit bread is similar to cornbread, but it’s made with pure stone-ground grits, giving it a unique texture unlike any you’ve ever tasted. This bread is dense, moist, and not at all sweet on the inside while golden and crusty on the outside. 1 cup plain white stone-ground cornmeal (not instant) 3/4 cup yellow self-rising cornbread mix 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/3 teaspoon baking soda 3 to 4 tablespoons sausage, bacon, country ham, or pork chop drippings 1/4 cup plain white stone-ground grits 3/4 cup water 1 egg 1 cup buttermilk Preheat your oven to 475 degrees. Sift up your white cornmeal, yellow self-rising cornbread mix, sugar, salt, and baking soda into a big mixing bowl. Put your fat drippings in a cast iron cornbread pan (or muffin or cornstick pan) and warm them on the stove. When your drippings are melted, tilt your pan so the sides and bottom are well greased. Mix up your grits and water in a bowl and cook in your microwave on high for 3 minutes. Stop and stir and then microwave again on high for 3 minutes and set aside. The grits will be about half done, but that’s okay. Whisk your egg in a bowl. Then add your egg with your buttermilk to the dry ingredients. Stir until the batter is well-mixed but still a bit on the firm and dry side. Now add the extra pan drippings and your grits. Mix all of the ingredients well with a large spoon. (If grits and water have cooled, reheat for 30 seconds before adding.) Your batter shouldn’t be too dry or too wet, but somewhere in between. Pour batter into your cornbread pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. (Cornsticks take slightly less time.) Your Grit Bread is done when a nice golden brown crust has formed. Now, all you need to do is get a big slab of butter and dig in! Cooking Tip: Leftover grit bread makes mouthwatering fried cornbread. For fried bread, slice cornbread into pie-shaped wedges and then slice each into 2 half wedges, each with a soft side and a crusty side. Next, heat your griddle or fry pan to medium-hot and drop in a small piece of butter. Place one of your half wedges (soft side down) on the sizzling hot butter. Do the same for your remaining half wedges. Cook until a golden brown. Finally, lower your heat to warm and turn all the half wedges over. Allow the other side to heat thoroughly and eat ‘em while they’re hot. <div align="center">* * * * *</div> Jeb Magruder’s Chow Chow 2 cups chopped sweet red peppers 2 cups chopped sweet green peppers 4 cups chopped cabbage 2 cups chopped sweet onions 2 hot peppers, chopped 5 cucumbers, chopped 4 cups chopped cored green tomatoes 3 tablespoons pickling salt 4 tablespoons mustard seed 2 tablespoons celery seed 1 cup sugar 2 cups vinegar Chop up your vegetables into little cubes, but not too fine or the mixture will be mushy. Sprinkle with pickling salt; cover and refrigerate overnight. Lightly rinse your veggies and drain ‘em well. Put the remaining ingredients in a large pot, and bring to a boil. Add the vegetable mixture and cook for about 10 minutes. Pack into sterilized canning jars, leaving about 1/2 inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles. Wipe jar rims and seal at once according to canning manufacturer’s directions. This recipe makes about 8 pints. Excerpted, with kind permission of the author and Ten Speed Press, from White Trash Gatherings: From-scratch Cooking for Down-home Entertaining (Ten Speed Press, 2006). Buy it here. Kendra Bailey Morris (aka kendrabail) spent hours in the kitchen as a young girl learning West Virginia mountain cooking from her grandmother and mother. She is now a writer, private chef, and cooking instructor in Richmond, Virginia.

help.... It has been cold and rainy lately and I have been craving soups, stews, braised dishes, etc and what better to accompany these than a nice hunk of warm garlic bread. Just how hard can garlic bread be?? but when I just try and toss it together it just doesn't turn out right. I think part of the problem is I am not really sure what I am looking for, I'll just know it when I find it. How does everyone make theirs??

Ok, so I have a pretty extensive background in artisan bread baking. I'm a blissful bread baker who enjoys the zen I feel with my doughs and the satisfaction I get from kneading, proofing and baking the old fashioned way. I'm a real purist and have always been taught that good bread baking depends on judgement, patience and experience more than anything else. I answer baking questions on a volunteer basis at AllExperts.com. I get ALL SORTS of inquiries, from complete novices to other pros. I just recently got a question from a lady who makes her whole wheat bread on a food processor and was wondering why, after kneading the bread on her food processor for only 60 seconds using the metal blade, her breads always had this giant tunnel in the upper third of the loaf. My experience told me it was probably very underkneaded and the underdeveloped dough did not create the webby matrix in which to trap the yeast gases and instead created the giant tunnel because no webby matrix existed. That's my best guess anyway. She then replied that she had this book called, "Bread in Half the Time", and it was about using food processors, bread machines, and microwaves (MICROWAVES???) to make bread from start to finish in under 90 minutes. I'm a purist, but I'm not going to close my mind to new ideas and technology. Once I get that mindset, I might as well quit the biz, you know? So, my question is, has anybody tried this stuff? Does anyone have the book? What are your opinions about using food processors and bread machines as opposed to the hand method? Do you really get a GREAT loaf, or is it just ok? And regarding the use of the microwave to proof bread....how is that done? That's a concept I have a hard time getting my mind around!!!! Your input please?