The Bread Topic (2016–)

[Ann_T]

12 minutes ago, PatrickT said:

WOW Patrick!!!!  Every bake is perfect.

 

And I love the crust on your pizza.   It is my favourite dough for pizza. 

 

[PatrickT]

@Ann_T Thank you so much! Still in search of your elusive crumb, but the pizza crust puffed up nicely - and hopefully today’s boule will be more open. 
 

Happy Holidays to you and yours. 😃

[rotuts]

@PatrickT 

 

your loaf :

 

as good as it gets .

 

there are several other Bakers Here

 

that are very very very very close.

 

Soooooo close

 

id have to Taste Them All !

 

 

 

Edited December 25, 2022 by rotuts (log)

[PatrickT]

Thank you for those incredible words! Really means a lot. 💛

 

And I would happily join you in that taste test challenge! 😂

 

Happy Holidays!

[PatrickT]

Crumb is good - but not great. Crust is thin and crunchy. Taste and smell both offer a mild tang. Very tasty overall! Decent effort, here - but that open crumb continues to elude! 🤔 

[rotuts]

@PatrickT 

 

open crumb like that is for butter

 

soft , not melted

 

when no one is looking.

[PatrickT]

1 hour ago, rotuts said:

when no one is looking.

Definitely! 😂

[JoNorvelleWalker]

 

 

68.6 hydration.

 

[PatrickT]

9 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

68.6 hydration.

 

That crumb is perfection! 😍

[PatrickT]

Just had a thought and wanted to see what others think. I know you should not store bread in the refrigerator, as it stales about 6x faster. What I did wonder, however, is whether or not it might be beneficial to use the refrigerator to quickly cool and dehumidify the bread immediately after baking - say, for 1 hour. After that, remove it and store it as you normally would. 
 

Thoughts? Has anyone tried this?

[Cyberider]

1 hour ago, PatrickT said:

Just had a thought and wanted to see what others think. I know you should not store bread in the refrigerator, as it stales about 6x faster. What I did wonder, however, is whether or not it might be beneficial to use the refrigerator to quickly cool and dehumidify the bread immediately after baking - say, for 1 hour. After that, remove it and store it as you normally would. 
 

Thoughts? Has anyone tried this?

Interesting idea but I've never tried it.  At this stage in life, I can't eat enough bread to store it anywhere other than the freezer.  I'd still be interested if you or anyone else tried it and noticed any positive results.

[PatrickT]

12 minutes ago, Cyberider said:

Interesting idea but I've never tried it.  At this stage in life, I can't eat enough bread to store it anywhere other than the freezer.  I'd still be interested if you or anyone else tried it and noticed any positive results.

Thank you! I’ll give it a try with one of my next loaves and report back. Appreciate your thoughts!

[PatrickT]

OK - I keep wanting to see what the upper break point is for @Ann_T’s process. This one is close but honestly, it still turned out pretty respectably- all things considered. Here are the details:

 

- This is the Rustico recipe from Maurizio Leo’s new cookbook, The Perfect Loaf. 

- Dough was mixed, followed by 4 S&Fs, then refrigerated for 112.5hrs. While in the fridge at 36F, the dough rose nearly 50%. 
- Removed dough from fridge and allowed it to come to room temperature- about 1 hr. During that time, the dough rose to just over 50%.

- Dough was shaped, placed in a banneton and refrigerated for 3hrs, then baked straight from the fridge. 
 

It’s clearly over-proofed, but honestly, I’m rather flabbergasted that the loaf and crumb look as good as they do. Wow. 
 

 

[Ann_T]

20 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

@JoNorvelleWalker, look at the shine on your crumb. Nice.

@PatrickT, your loaves are consistently great.   I haven't figured out yet what the breaking point is either.   I think the longest I've left in the fridge

is 5 days for 120 hours and then another 8 on the counter to warm up and rise, and then proof. 

 

 

I fed my two starters today.  One with organic rye and the white with my regular bread flour.    I hadn't fed in a few weeks but still more

than doubled in 6 hours. 

 

Also started three 500g batches of dough.  Two with 1g of yeast and one with 1g of yeast in 50g of discard starter. 

All three went immediately into the fridge after the last stretch and fold. 

Edited December 28, 2022 by Ann_T (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

2 hours ago, Ann_T said:

@JoNorvelleWalker, look at the shine on your crumb. Nice. 

 

Thank you, @Ann_T.  I only wish I could achieve such a good result every time the way you do with your loaves.

 

[PatrickT]

7 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Thank you, @Ann_T.  I only wish I could achieve such a good result every time the way you do with your loaves.

Ditto! 😃

[Ann_T]

Matt took the sourdough batch out of the fridge this morning around 4:00 AM. He wanted to make pizza around noon.

So the dough was in the fridge for just  19 or 20 hours and was left on the counter until noon.   

 

I wasn't home at the time so he divided the dough, taking a larger piece for his pizza and he shaped a long baguette with the remaining dough.

 

I sliced half the baguette in half and then split it lengthwise. 

 

 

Moe requested hot dogs for dinner.  And since we didn't have lunch I made him an early dinner. 

 

The  crumb. 

 

 

Before going out this morning I baked a Home style White loaf. 

Destined for turkey sandwiches. 

I made the mistake of starting it in the CSO on the Bread steam setting.  Was only in for about five minutes before it rose

high enough for the loaf to touch the burners.   Removed it before too much damage was done.  Finished in the big oven.

Edited December 28, 2022 by Ann_T (log)

[DianaB]

My sourdough has really enjoyed the last few days!  Came down to the mix pictured this morning after mixing 150g sourdough; 150g flour and 150g water.

 

Usually grows nicely but never before at this rate!  Looks like more bread making this afternoon….  

[PatrickT]

13 hours ago, Ann_T said:

Before going out this morning I baked a Home style White loaf.

 

Gorgeous looking loaf @Ann_T

[Ann_T]

1 hour ago, PatrickT said:

 

Gorgeous looking loaf @Ann_T

Thanks Patrick.

 

Sliced this morning for breakfast.

 

 

[PatrickT]

12 minutes ago, Ann_T said:

Sliced this morning for breakfast.

Lovely crumb - and the height of that is splendid!

[Ann_T]

@PatrickT if you look closely you can also see a little shine on the crumb.   I wasn't expecting that.

[PatrickT]

The gluten-free Quick Crusty Boule recipe from Aran Goyoaga Bakes Simple. Made from ingredients many of which I have never even heard of. 😂 I made this for some guests we’re having for dinner tonight. She is gluten-free and he is vegetarian. The main dish is a delicious artichoke Parmesan lasagna with olives and sun-dried tomatoes (made with gluten-free lasagna noodles, of course). Very anxious to sample this bread. 
 

EDIT: This was really delicious, I must say. Very dense, but the crumb was so wonderfully soft and the crust was amazingly crunchy. Total bake time was 1.5 hrs at 450F, which seemed insanely long to me at that temp - but I trusted her recipe and it was indeed spot on. Amazing. I would make this again anytime! Crumb shot added below. 
 

 

Edited December 30, 2022 by PatrickT (log)

[MaryIsobel]

On 12/20/2022 at 6:24 AM, PatrickT said:

This morning’s sourdough bake. 70% Central Milling Organic Old World Bread Flour, 15% King Arthur Organic Whole Wheat, and 15% Flourist Organic Whole Rye. The dough was 70% hydration, 10% inoculation and 3% salt. Followed @Ann_T’s process. This loaf had 44 hrs of initial CR, a total of 11 hrs on the counter, another overnight CR for 7 hrs, then baked straight from the fridge. 
 

EDIT: Crumb shots added. This is a wonderfully chewy, substantial, flavorful loaf - with a bit more tang than my usual sourdough loaves. I’m assuming part of that is attributable to the 30% whole grain flours?

 

 

Looks absolutely perfect to me. How I would love a slice or two right now.

[Ann_T]

16 hours ago, PatrickT said:

EDIT: This was really delicious, I must say. Very dense, but the crumb was so wonderfully soft and the crust was amazingly crunchy. Total bake time was 1.5 hrs at 450F, which seemed insanely long to me at that temp - but I trusted her recipe and it was indeed spot on. Amazing. I would make this again anytime! Crumb shot added below. 

 I bet your guest was thrilled with a gluten free bread that looked and tasted wonderful.   I think they are hard to come by.

 

Just out of the oven.

Dough in the fridge for a 60 hour cold fermentation. Left on the counter for 8 hours overnight and shaped and baked this morning.