The Bread Topic (2015-2016)

[Ann_T]

Double batch of bread handmixed Tuesday evening.  Both batches started with a biga.   Left in the fridge until this morning.   

 

Four baguettes and four smaller size boules.

 

Crumb 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I envy you.

[kayb]

Wanted a switch from my usual Cooks Illustrated white sandwich bread, so I tried Rose Levy Beranbaum's Classic Soft White Sandwich bread. Takes a full 24 hours (overnight ferment for the sponge, another 4-hour ferment with the flour/yeast/dry milk atop the sponge, 2 1/2 hour rise, fold, another 1-hour rise, loaves formed, another hour and a half rise in the pans. My kitchen was cold). Very, very good sandwich bread; since I work from home, it's relatively easy for me to work around its schedule. I like the "yeastier" taste, vs. the CI loaf. Very good rise, very soft and flexible; makes wonderful toast and grilled cheese sandwiches (my only usages so far).

[kbjesq]

8 hours ago, Ann_T said:

 

Crumb 

Would love to know the secret to getting my bread to have that type of crumb! I could eat a piece right now.  Great work. 

[Ann_T]

1 hour ago, kbjesq said:

Would love to know the secret to getting my bread to have that type of crumb! I could eat a piece right now.  Great work. 

 

Kbjesq,  I get asked that all the time.  I know that hydration and developing the gluten has a lot to do with it, but I also think that the flour I use (Canadian)  also contributes.   

[Smithy]

12 minutes ago, Ann_T said:

 

Kbjesq,  I get asked that all the time.  I know that hydration and developing the gluten has a lot to do with it, but I also think that the flour I use (Canadian)  also contributes.   

 

What can you tell us about this flour?  For instance, what's the protein content?

[Ann_T]

13 hours ago, Smithy said:

 

What can you tell us about this flour?  For instance, what's the protein content?

 

Smithy, I use Roger's Silver Star flour, unbleached 13.4%. 

[Smithy]

54 minutes ago, Ann_T said:

 

Smithy, I use Roger's Silver Star flour, unbleached 13.4%. 

 

I see what you mean about the difference.  I use King Arthur unbleached bread flour, but its protein content is stated as 12.7%. That 0.7% difference may not seem like much, but combined with technique and hydration differences it might be huge.

[lindag]

For basic baking, I.e., the 9", 8" and 9x13", sheet pans, and all my bread pans I've gone completely  over to Williams-Sonoma Gold Touch.  These are the pans that will perform perfectly (no sticking, perfect browning) and will last a lifetime.  And, they stay beautiful to look at.

BTW, I also have that 9" Pullman pan and it is really nice.  I don't bake bundt cakes.

[Anna N]

11 minutes ago, lindag said:

For basic baking, I.e., the 9", 8" and 9x13", sheet pans, and all my bread pans I've gone completely  over to Williams-Sonoma Gold Touch.  These are the pans that will perform perfectly (no sticking, perfect browning) and will last a lifetime.  And, they stay beautiful to look at.

BTW, I also have that 9" Pullman pan and it is really nice.  I don't bake bundt cakes.

Do you have a bread recipe that works in the 9 inch Pullman pan?

[palo]

I use this recipe ( HOME BAKED SANDWICH BREAD ) from their site which is for the 9 inch pan.

 

http://www.usapans.com/cgi-bin/recipes.cgi?Pullman+Loaf+Pan

 

I use a breadmaker on dough setting to do the mixing and kneading.

 

p

Edited January 24, 2016 by palo (log)

[lindag]

On 1/24/2016 at 3:34 PM, Anna N said:

Do you have a bread recipe that works in the 9 inch Pullman pan?

I highly recommend you have a look at the KAF website, lots of recipes for the smaller pan, I've used them and they work great. Here's is my favorite recipe that was scaled down especially for the Pan de Mie:

 

Potato Wheat Bread (for Pan de Mie pan)

 

Soft and moist from the addition of fresh potato, this 100% whole wheat bread rises tall, slices beautifully, and is a great keeper.

 

2/3 cup water
2/3 medium-small potato, about 3- ½ ounces
1/3 cup lukewarm milk
2 2/3 Tbs room-temperature butter
1 tsp salt
1 1/3 Tbs honey
2 1/3 cups King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 Tbs instant yeast

 

Peel the potato, and cut it into chunks. Combine it in a small saucepan with the water, which should just cover the potato (if you've cut it in small enough chunks).

 

Simmer the potato until it's soft. Remove the pan from the heat, and use a small food processor, blender, or hand beater to blend the potato/water into a smooth, chunk-free slurry. See "tips," below left.

 

Once the potato mixture has cooled to lukewarm, combine it with the remaining ingredients. Mix and knead them — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — to form a smooth, supple dough.

 

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise until puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, 60 to 90 minutes.

 

Lightly grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan.

 

Transfer the risen dough to a lightly greased work surface, shape it into a log, and fit it into the pan.

 

Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap (or, even better, a clear shower cap), and allow the dough to rise until its domed center is about 1" over the lip of the pan, about 60 to 90 minutes. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.

 

Remove the plastic, and put the bread into the oven. Bake the bread for 37 to 40 minutes, until it's golden-brown on top and tests done; a digital thermometer inserted into the center will register at least 190°F.

 

Remove the bread from the oven, and turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool completely. For a soft, flavorful crust, brush the loaf with melted butter while warm.

Tips
•If you don't want to prepare the potato as directed, simply add 3/4 to 1 cup water and 5 ounces (about 2/3 cup) unseasoned mashed potato to the dough. Use the lesser amount of water to start, then add more, if necessary, to make a smooth, supple dough.

 

 

 

 

[Anna N]

@lindag, @palo

 

 Thanks for the recipes.

[dscheidt]

On 1/23/2016 at 10:43 PM, kbjesq said:

Wow! Thank you. It just so happens that I have both of these ingredients on hand, so I will try this method for greasing my new bundt pan when it arrives. We have no food allergies, thankfully. Thank you very much for the suggestion & instructions.  

Lecithin is an ingredient in commercial pan sprays, and it does dramatically improve release.  I use Parway Tryson's Bak-klene, which I find far superior to stuff sold for home use.  I get it at GFS's cash-and-carry stores; any similar outlet will sell it, it's the best selling commercial product.   

I have a couple of the larger USA pan pullman pans.  They're great. 

 

I just served french toast made from the cinnamon bread I make in them for breakfast.  Here's the formula for that, it would scale to the small ones directly:

 

Measurements in grams, percent of total, baker's percentages:

 

    FLOUR    561.80    56.18%    100%
    WATER    252.81    25.28%    45%
    milk    84.27    8.43%    15%
    egg    28.09    2.81%    5%
    butter    28.09    2.81%    5%
    honey    28.09    2.81%    5%
    salt     11 g     1%    2%
    IDY     5        0.5%    1%

1000g total weight

 

For making cinnamon bread, add 1/2 T cardamon to flour.  (This formula makes an okay sandwhich bread, too.)

put liquids, softened butter, egg into bowl of mixer, whisk to combine.  Add dry ingredients, knead with dough hook in the usual fashion.  Transfer to oiled mixing bowl, cover, let rise to doubled.  Gently deflate, then roll out to about 3/8" thick, mist or brush with water, spread cinnamon sugar mix, roll up, put in greased (see spray recommendation above) pullman pan.  Allow to rise until 3/4 or so to top, bake 40ish minutes at 350ish.  

 

 

This post has been moved from the Please tell me about your baking pans topic.

 

[Fernwood]

24 minutes ago, dscheidt said:

Measurements in grams, percent of total, baker's percentages:

 

    FLOUR    561.80    56.18%    100%
    WATER    252.81    25.28%    45%
    milk    84.27    8.43%    15%
    egg    28.09    2.81%    5%
    butter    28.09    2.81%    5%
    money    28.09    2.81%    5%
    salt     11 g     1%    2%
    IDY     5        0.5%    1%

1000g total weight

I have recipes that give me the same feeling... 

[dscheidt]

1 minute ago, Fernwood said:

I have recipes that give me the same feeling... 

Honey!  Not cash!  Grr

 

[Franci]

Made  kabocha squash brioche, actually 2 brioches. I will cut them tomorrow

 

 

[Franci]

This was a not a great idea. 1. My children will not eat it...so I have yo eat it all myself .2.proofing and cooking and execution in general was good but too much squash made-as I should have thought-a little too dense. 3. Not enough salt, making it taste flat. I should eat it with savory stuff to counterbalance the sweetness. In summary: go regular next time! 

 

 

 

Edited January 25, 2016 by Franci (log)

[weinoo]

 

Banana bread, with dates, raisins, and cranberries.

[Franci]

Made hotdog buns for the kids. Thanks for the recipe Ann_T, very good! And thanks Cyalexa for the shaping technique 

 

 

 

 

[kbjesq]

On 1/25/2016 at 7:47 AM, Franci said:

This was a not a great idea. 1. My children will not eat it...so I have yo eat it all myself .2.proofing and cooking and execution in general was good but too much squash made-as I should have thought-a little too dense. 3. Not enough salt, making it taste flat. I should eat it with savory stuff to counterbalance the sweetness. In summary: go regular next time! 

 

 

 

 

It looks very good to me, I'd definitely eat it.  But if you're unhappy perhaps it could be repurposed as a sweet (or savory?) bread pudding, used to make stuffing/dressing, croutons or breadcrumbs? I always save my bread, even if it does not come out well, and for this reason I have a nice freezer full of assorted bread crumbs,. Basically this is my dumping ground for all of my bread failures! (Not to suggest that your bread was a failure, as stated above it looks rather delicious to me and I like the addition of some preserves or jam) 

[Franci]

Thanks, Hbjesq, half of it it's sliced in the freezer. The rest I'm eating a slice a day. The aging actually is turning to be beneficial, so I'm reevaluating it a bit but definitely next time I'll do a standard brioche so I'm not going to eat it all by myself!  

[shain]

Recent bakes:

 

Bread with oat bran porridge and many seeds (flax, sunflower, sesame), a bit of caraway and cinnamon. Chewy and crispy with incredible flavor.

 

 

Bread with roasted buckwheat, coriander seeds and a bit of aniseed. Notable buckwheat flavor with dense and soft crumb.

 

 

Bialys. Filled with butter fried onion (until deep brown) and poppy cheese, spiced with black pepper post bake. Some wholemeal flour and malt syrup in the dough.

The trick with those is to bake them slightly pale, let them chill, and then bake for 10 more minutes to crisp. Also, the filling has a very nice flavor complexity and savory-sweet taste.

 

 

Pre-bake:

 

 

 

Slightly older, and not baked, but rather made on a gas top:

Lachuch, made with a thin yeasted batter, spiced with ground fenugreek seeds (it has a savory-sweet aroma, somewhat like artificial maple syrup, but not sweet).

The batter is poured over a cold wide pan and then placed on medium heat until the batter mostly dried. then the pan is covered and left to finish baking on a weak flame. The pan is chilled under running water and repeat.

It's moist and soft, very lightly chewy and melts in your mouth. Great four soaking thick soup.

It was served with a brown lentil soup.

Edited January 29, 2016 by shain
Fixed pictures (log)

[paulpegg]

The world has lost the art of the Bialy. Thanks for the memories.

[shain]

44 minutes ago, paulpegg said:

The world has lost the art of the Bialy. Thanks for the memories.

Alas, I've never tasted a bialy other then my own, I make them based on my mother childhood memories and the combined knowledge of the world wide web