The Bread Topic (2014 –2015)

[Shelby]

I've long envied all of you that get your white bread to rise so beautifully in the pan.  The bread looks so pretty and "domed" and perfect.  My bread NEVER rises like that.  It might get a half inch to an inch above the pan but that's it.  My mom and I were lamenting about  this yesterday and she never gets a good rise either.  Anyway, I was out of white bread and decided to experiment.  Anna kindly pointed me towards a King Arthur Flour video that shows how she folds her dough.  I also read a blog where the person uses a smaller bread pan than I do.  That was her tip to getting a nice big top on the bread.  I used the King Arthur Flour white bread recipe.  

 

I usually use the rear pan which is 9 1/2" x 6".  This time I used the front pan which is 9" x 5".

 

 

I didn't take pictures of the rise...I forgot because I was so amazed at how big it got lol.  Here is the finished product:

 

 

 

LOL it was HUGE.  I checked on it half way through and was DYING laughing.    Tiny little bottom due to the pan.  HUGE top.

 

 

 

It could have used a couple more minutes in the oven, but it was the best bread I've ever made.  Next time I'm going to use my bigger pan with the folding method.  

 

 

 

[Smithy]

Shelby, congratulations - and thanks for the laughs! That bread loaf reminds me of the hypercranial "advanced" aliens from any number of old sci-fi flicks. :-)

[Shelby]

Shelby, congratulations - and thanks for the laughs! That bread loaf reminds me of the hypercranial "advanced" aliens from any number of old sci-fi flicks. :-)

That is exactly what we thought!  We're calling it alien bread.

[cyalexa]

Shelby, once cut that bread was lovely. However, I must say that it looked like a tumor before cutting. Thanks for sharing. BTW, when I don't get good oven spring it is usually due to over proofing. 

[ElsieD]

Toutons. No, I had never heard of them either until this month, when I spent a couple of weeks in Newfoundland. They are typically served with molasses and often with baked beans. I ate mine with butter and bakeapple jam.

[rotuts]

Shelby

 

this pan looks very similar to some my mother had a zillion years ago :

 

 

i might sill have then.  I do have 4 old fashioned pyrex glass loaf pans w glass lids w glass 'knobs' on the top.

 

Im also very pleased your Friends are enjoying a  nice warm nap on their Blanket

 

probably dreaming of "sardines on Fresh Toast ----- hold the Toast and Double the Sardines, please "

 

[Shelby]

Shelby

 

this pan looks very similar to some my mother had a zillion years ago :

 

pan.jpg

 

i might sill have then.  I do have 4 old fashioned pyrex glass loaf pans w glass lids w glass 'knobs' on the top.

 

Im also very pleased your Friends are enjoying a  nice warm nap on their Blanket

 

probably dreaming of "sardines on Fresh Toast ----- hold the Toast and Double the Sardines, please "

 

Cats.jpg

 

It probably is the same as your mom's.  I think I got this from my grammy.  Lightweight, but sturdy.

 

My Boys do enjoy their spot on the counter...they get fed bits of cheese and meat from time to time so they rarely leave their perch when I'm in the kitchen

[Anna N]

Not in the least exciting to anyone except my number two son who will be taking it home with him. This is Walter Sand's favorite sandwich bread from the King Arthur site. I mixed the dough in the Zoji but baked the bread in the oven. Seems to me to be the best of both worlds on a busy day.

[kayb]

Well, Shelby, it must be alien bread week. Mine blooped up a bit too much, as well; I think I mis-measured and made a bit too much dough, as I've split this recipe between these two pans before with good resuts.

 

It's the Cook's Illustrated New Best Recipes sandwich bread. Best sandwich bread I've tried. One loaf was destined for a church bazaar -- we shall have to see how it looks when I get it out of the pan.

 

 

[Anna N]

By no means perfect but this is the recipe that I am prepared to play with. It is from Barbara Bakes website (Overnight English muffins) and calls for buttermilk powder. I rushed both the bulk ferment and suspect I did not do sufficient initial mixing. I also put the rounds on parchment paper rather than a greased sheet pan as the instructions suggested. I suspect all of these deviations from the recipes were detrimental. Tonight I will mixup another batch of dough and see if I can be a little more careful in following the recipe.

[Anna N]

So I mixed up the dough last night and as you can see it's very lively this morning. Rolled it out. Cut out the muffins with an upside bowl. Let them rise for about an hour and had an amazing breakfast.

[rotuts]

very interesting.

 

how warm is your kitchen ?

 

how many might you bake at one time in the BVXL ?

 

based on your view of the Optimum Size ?

 

of course, some of us would toast them in the CSB.

 

just saying.

Edited August 28, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[Anna N]

very interesting.

 

how warm is your kitchen ?

 

how many might you bake at one time in the BVXL ?

 

based on your view of the Optimum Size ?

 

of course, some of us would toast them in the CSB.

 

just saying.

My kitchen was 22°C this morning but it varies.

These are not baked but cooked on a griddle. Even toasted in the Breville XL they were good!

[rotuts]

even more interesting.

[kayb]

Made some foccacia for a church bazaar; two loaves brushed with basil olive oil and studded with roasted cherry tomatoes, which promptly fell off and which I promptly ate, and two brushed with garlic oil and topped with onions. This was significant oven spring week; not sure what all is going on with that.

 

 

Had some brioche dough languishing in the fridge from a few days ago, so I decided to use it up as savory breakfast rolls. Rolled it out to about 11 x 13, topped it with butter, some bacon jam, and some grated smoked gouda cheese; rolled it up and sliced it.

 

Good breakfast rolls with some honey!

 

 

 

 

[Jmahl]

This morning's bread. Basic white with whole grain cereal crumbs added. An experiment.

[Smithy]

I'm feeling very pleased with myself.  Between Peter Reinharts' Craftsy class on Artisan Bread and bethesdabaker's lessons on sourdough bread, I had grand fun yesterday.

 

 

Enriched white yeasted bread with egg wash; rosemary olive oil sourdough (my developing formula) rolls and loaf.  The loaf got an egg wash late in the baking cycle when I realized I had the oven too low, which accounts for the pale color of the sourdough rolls.  It helped with the color but using an appropriate temperature would have been best.  

 

We had Polish sausage on buns last night; tonight it will be burgers.

[Anna N]

Wonderful, Smithy. That Craftsy course was brilliant but they have so gone downhill since then except for one or two.

[cyalexa]

I can only make ugly rye bread. Looked better once cut. Tasted good. 

[Smithy]

It looks like that bread has a good structure for sandwiches, cyalexa. Are you using light rye flour? Sourdough or yeast? There's a marble rye next on my list of lessons.

[Thanks for the Crepes]

I can only make ugly rye bread. Looked better once cut. Tasted good. 

 

Your lovingly handmade bread looks very appealing to me, cylexa.

 

That little brown, crispy triangle sticking up in the center where it popped at the slash due to great oven spring looks like cook's treat to me. :-)

 

Are those carroway seeds I spy in the photo? To me, they just make a rye bread.

 

I love marble rye, too, Smithy; it's so pretty when sliced. I hope you will favor us with some photos, unless there is a prohibition on that, as I understand there are in some classes. 

[Smithy]

 

I love marble rye, too, Smithy; it's so pretty when sliced. I hope you will favor us with some photos, unless there is a prohibition on that, as I understand there are in some classes.

Nope, no prohibitions, but I may not bother with the initial flops. ;-)

[cyalexa]

It looks like that bread has a good structure for sandwiches, cyalexa. Are you using light rye flour? Sourdough or yeast? There's a marble rye next on my list of lessons.

 

Thanks, yes, it is good sandwich bread. I use Bob's Red Mill dark organic because that is what I keep on hand. That loaf is made with conventional yeast. I've made sourdough rye a couple times but didn't like the flavor as much for bacon and tomato or ham and swiss sandwiches. A marble rye would be fun. Good luck and I hope to also learn from your lessons!

[cyalexa]

 

That little brown, crispy triangle sticking up in the center where it popped at the slash due to great oven spring looks like cook's treat to me. :-)

 

Are those carroway seeds I spy in the photo? To me, they just make a rye bread.

 

 

 

 

 It was all I could do to not break that off that ear and eat it! There are 4 tsp caraway seeds in the bread which contains 120g rye flour and 540g bread flour (sorry to those who dislike the combination of weight and volume but it's what I do in this recipe). I don't bother putting seeds on the outside because it seems wasteful.

[Anna N]

Two small loaves of Isis' Portuguese bread made in the Thermomix. I had forgotten how fast and easy this is. I believe if you Google it you should find the recipe.