The Bread Topic (2016–)

[Ann_T]

@PatrickT, I love the look of your rye porridge bread.   Years ago I made one of James Beard's recipes for an Oatmeal bread. 

 

On 2/4/2023 at 12:14 PM, Duvel said:

Nice ! Would you share your rye to wheat ratio ?

The rye was 30%.

 

Baked another loaf this morning.   

Started it yesterday afternoon and then shaped and proofed in the fridge overnight.

 

[PatrickT]

1 hour ago, Ann_T said:

@PatrickT, I love the look of your rye porridge bread.   Years ago I made one of James Beard's recipes for an Oatmeal bread. 

 

@Ann_T Thank you! Just made smoked gouda grilled cheese and raw onion sandwiches with this loaf for lunch and oh. my. word. - amazing!

 

Your rye loaf looks fantastic! That crust and crumb are perfection.

[Ann_T]

9 minutes ago, PatrickT said:

 

@Ann_T Thank you! Just made smoked gouda grilled cheese and raw onion sandwiches with this loaf for lunch and oh. my. word. - amazing!

Matt would have loved your sandwich. He couldn't wait until the rye cooled so that he could make a grilled cheese sandwich for breakfast.   

 

I have three batches of dough on the go this morning.   Two are a combination of sourdough discard and a little yeast.  One batch is now in the fridge for pizza tomorrow and the other is a 1000g

batch and I've left it out and will bake it later day.  And your mention of oatmeal reminded me of that James Beard recipe so I started  that too.  It is not a rustic bread. More like a white bread but

with oatmeal added. Using the stretch and fold method and will bake in loaf pans.   

[Ann_T]

I spent all day baking.

And I still have one batch of dough in the fridge destined for pizza tomorrow. 

1000g batch netted a Boule and six small baguettes.

 

Made  two loaves of James Beard's Oatmeal bread. 

[PatrickT]

32 minutes ago, Ann_T said:

Made  two loaves of James Beard's Oatmeal bread. 

Any chance you have a link or a source for that recipe @Ann_T?

 

You were quite the busy bee today! 🐝 

[Ann_T]

11 hours ago, PatrickT said:

Any chance you have a link or a source for that recipe @Ann_T?

I had forgot all about this recipe until you made a dough with "porridge". 

 

This one isn't a rustic loaf. More like a soft sandwich loaf. 

I think the last time I made it was back in 2006 three years before the blog.

Just added it now.  You can find it here:

https://thibeaultstable.com/2023/02/07/oatmeal-bread/

 

EDITED:  Sliced this morning. 

Moe wanted the crust buttered for an early morning snack. 

 Texture is much like the homestyle white bread I make, but with a really nice flavour from the addition of 

the oatmeal.  Will make a nice sandwich bread. 

 

Edited February 8, 2023 by Ann_T (log)

[Ann_T]

I think baking is an addiction.

 

Started three 500g batches of dough last night. Each with 2g of yeast. 15g of salt and 63% hydration.

Last stretch and folds finished at 8:00 PM and left on the counter until this morning at 4:00 AM.

This is my favourite method.

I've tried the proofing overnight in the fridge but don't care for it as much as I do the overnight fermentation on the counter.

Baked two large boules and four baguettes.

 

Boules came out of the oven first.

 

Most of this batch is being gifted.  The two boules are going to work with me for Josh and Kristin.

And one of the baguettes Matt is taking to a friend.

And I'm sure at least one of the baguettes will get eaten today.

That just leaves two for the freezer. 

[lindag]

14 minutes ago, Ann_T said:

I think baking is an addiction.

 

Started three 500g batches of dough last night. Each with 2g of yeast. 15g of salt and 63% hydration.

Last stretch and folds finished at 8:00 PM and left on the counter until this morning at 4:00 AM.

This is my favourite method.

I've tried the proofing overnight in the fridge but don't care for it as much as I do the overnight fermentation on the counter.

Baked two large boules and four baguettes.

 

Boules came out of the oven first.

 

Most of this batch is being gifted.  The two boules are going to work with me for Josh and Kristin.

And one of the baguettes Matt is taking to a friend.

And I'm sure at least one of the baguettes will get eaten today.

That just leaves two for the freezer. 

I don't understand how to do the hydration math.  So how much water did you add to get 63%?  Anf how did you mix it?  Mixer, FP?  How much flour?

 

Edited February 9, 2023 by lindag (log)

[Ann_T]

23 hours ago, lindag said:

I don't understand how to do the hydration math.  So how much water did you add to get 63%?  Anf how did you mix it?  Mixer, FP?  How much flour?

Think of 63% in 1000 g batch which would be 630g of water or half that for a 500g batch would be 315g.

 

I shared the hydration chart that I made and @Smithy share it here:

Edited to add:  @lindag, sorry, I missed your second question.  I did it all by hand using the autolyze stretch and fold method. 

 https://thibeaultstable.com/2022/12/17/my-favourite-bread-method/

Edited February 10, 2023 by Ann_T (log)

[PatrickT]

1 hour ago, Ann_T said:

 

I think baking is an addiction.

 

So right! 😂

 

1 hour ago, Ann_T said:

I've tried the proofing overnight in the fridge but don't care for it as much as I do the overnight fermentation on the counter.

Thank you for reporting back on this. I was just going to ask you about it. Did you happen to notice any perceptible differences in your crust, crumb, or oven spring?

[Ann_T]

42 minutes ago, PatrickT said:

Thank you for reporting back on this. I was just going to ask you about it. Did you happen to notice any perceptible differences in your crust, crumb, or oven spring?

Not sure, but this batch did have a big oven spring.  And the second one even slightly more.  Probably because it had proofed 20 minutes longer than the first.

I started both under the Netherton Spun Iron Cloche so one had to wait the extra 20 minutes. 

Sliced one of the baguettes.  Happy with the crumb and the shine.

 

Edited February 9, 2023 by Ann_T (log)

[PatrickT]

Baked a sourdough version of The Stay at Home Chef's Rustic Garlic Parmesan Herb Bread and am very pleased with the result. I omitted the sugar, olive oil and butter and subbed Herbs de Provence for the rosemary, basil and oregano. I also roasted a head of garlic in olive oil and a dash of sea salt and used that in place of the minced garlic. I made this for a soup luncheon with friends today and it was really a hit. Smelled SO good during mixing and baking! Great flavor, very soft crumb and a thin, crackly crust. This would make a killer bread to use for grilled cheese sandwiches!

 

 

[Tropicalsenior]

On 2/9/2023 at 5:01 PM, PatrickT said:

sourdough version of The Stay at Home Chef's Rustic Garlic Parmesan Herb Bread

Thank you, Patrick. Great recipe. I baked two loaves yesterday and they are delicious. I used a little less yeast and put in my discard from my starter.

I'm looking forward to using it for meatloaf sandwiches today.

[PatrickT]

39 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

Thank you, Patrick. Great recipe. I baked two loaves yesterday and they are delicious. I used a little less yeast and put in my discard from my starter.

I'm looking forward to using it for meatloaf sandwiches today.

Beautiful! So glad you tried this and enjoyed it. I think it’s a great recipe too. It was a smashing success at our luncheon. 😃

[PatrickT]

This is Quarkbrot by Jeffery Hamelman (Bread, 2nd and 3rd eds.). I'll add final bake pics to this post tomorrow. A baking friend made this loaf last week and absolutely raved about it.

 

The recipe is made with quark cheese (think the consistency of ricotta with the tang of Greek yogurt), an overnight rye sponge and an overnight soaker of cracked rye berries (what Hamelman calls "rye chops"). The base hydration of the recipe is only 48%. Even with the additional water present in the soaker and in the quark, I had to increase the base hydration to 60% for my flour mix (I used Sam's Club Bread and Pizza flour and Bob's Red Mill Dark Rye flour). After 10 minutes of mixing in the Ank, the dough was gorgeous.

 

I did a series of 3 stretches and folds to further strengthen the dough, each followed by a 30 minute rest. Bulk fermentation was 90 minutes at 69F (~50% increase). After final shaping, I allowed the dough to counter proof in the banneton for 30 minutes at 69F. I then wrapped the banneton in a plastic bag and placed it in the fridge for an overnight cold retard. I'll bake it first thing in the morning.

 

Added pics of the final loaf and crumb below. Apart from my scoring experiment gone awry, the crust is wonderfully crisp and the crumb is tight, uniform and soft. The quark cheese imparts a wonderful tang to the bread. This is an especially amazing loaf for the toaster - and I have no doubt it will make some amazing grilled cheese sandwiches. Give this one a try! If you can't find quark cheese, Hamelman recommends creme fraiche, fromage blanc (a French cultured cheese similar to sour cream), or yogurt. I will definitely bake this one again.

 

 

Edited February 14, 2023 by PatrickT
Added loaf and crumb pics (log)

[Ann_T]

@PatrickT, you make the most interesting beautiful loaves.  

 

I need to branch out.  But to be honest, I think I'm boring because I mostly like the plain baguettes.  

I only make sourdough because I love being able to use my own starter plus both Moe and Matt like sourdough. 

 

Today's bake. Just out of the oven.

 

Started yesterday with 800g of bread flour and 200g of organic Spelt, 80g of discard, 2g of yeast, 30g of salt and 630g of water.

Leftout until 4:30 AM this morning, shaped and baked.

One baked under the spun iron cloche and

the other in a Dutch Oven.

[PatrickT]

6 hours ago, Ann_T said:

@PatrickT, you make the most interesting beautiful loaves.  

 

I need to branch out.  But to be honest, I think I'm boring because I mostly like the plain baguettes. 

 

@Ann_T - you are far too kind... but thank you. Every time I look at your bakes - like these! - I always say to myself "If only I could consistently produce loaves that look like that!" 😂 

 

Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours! Keep up the inspiring bakes. 🍞

[Ann_T]

3 hours ago, PatrickT said:

@Ann_T - you are far too kind... but thank you. Every time I look at your bakes - like these! - I always say to myself "If only I could consistently produce loaves that look like that!" 😂 

 

Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours! Keep up the inspiring bakes. 🍞

Thanks Patrick.  Happy Valentine's Day to you as well. 

 

I've only ever used  Amy Scherber's (Amy's Bread) instructions for making my sourdough starter but I have never actually used any of 

her recipes. So today I decided that I would make her Country Sourdough. 

 

 It starts with a Levain so I fed my White Starter again and used 2 oz of the discard to make the Levain. 

The Levain is suppose to double in size in 8 hours. So I figured I wouldn't get around to making the dough until tomorrow morning. 

 

But both the  starter and the Levain had doubled in 5 hours so I am making the dough tonight and will leave it out

on the counter for an early morning bake. 

 

Edited February 15, 2023 by Ann_T (log)

[PatrickT]

1 hour ago, Ann_T said:

But both the  starter and the Levain had doubled in 5 hours

Just for comparison purposes, how warm is the spot where your levain and starter are sitting? And how much did you feed your starter (amount of residual starter in the pot and amount of fresh flour/water)? Thanks in advance!

[Ann_T]

8 hours ago, PatrickT said:

Just for comparison purposes, how warm is the spot where your levain and starter are sitting? And how much did you feed your starter (amount of residual starter in the pot and amount of fresh flour/water)? Thanks in advance!

The formula from Amy's Bread  recipe for feeding and maintaining is to weigh out 6 ounces of the starter and feed with equal parts flour and water (3 ounces of flour  and 3 ounces of bottled water).   

 

After my rye starter was established I spun off a white starter and I maintain both.   After they at least double they go into the fridge until I feed them again. 

The discard can be used to make a preferment like a biga or levain, or more often than not, I just toss 50 to 80g of discard into a batch of dough.  

 

Last night's dough was started with a Levain using 2 ounces of white starter, 2 ounces of warm water, 5 ounces of bread flour and 1/4 tsp of salt.

Kneaded until smooth and covered and left to rise until doubled.

 

This is the only starter I've ever used.   In the past I've neglected it for months at a time and with just two feedings it bounces

right back. The two  I am using now, I started new February 3rd, 2019 so it is now four years old. 

 

Temperature in the house is between 20 to 22°C.

 

Amy's Bread Sourdough Starter

Edited February 15, 2023 by Ann_T (log)

[PatrickT]

1 hour ago, Ann_T said:

The formula from Amy's Bread  recipe is to weigh out 6 ounces of the starter and feed with equal parts flour and water (3 ounces of flour  and 3 ounces of bottled water).   

 

After my rye starter was established I spun off a white starter and I maintain both.   After they at least double they go into the fridge until I feed them again. 

The discard can be used to make a preferment like a biga or levain, or more often than not, I just toss 50 to 80g of discard into a batch of dough.  

 

Last night's dough was started with a Levain using 2 ounces of white starter, 2 ounces of warm water, 5 ounces of bread flour and 1/4 tsp of salt.

Kneaded until smooth and covered and left to rise until doubled.

 

This is the only starter I've ever used.   In the past I've neglected it for months at a time and with just two feedings it bounces

right back. The two  I am using now, I started new February 3rd, 2019 so it is now four years old. 

 

Temperature in the house is between 20 to 22°C.

 

Amy's Bread Sourdough Starter

 

So helpful - thank you! 

[Maison Rustique]

I got a starter from a friend (who started it from scratch and named it Kevin the Levain). That friend passed away last year. I've had this going for over 2 years now. (Just an aside, I named mine Hemingway because Kevin's son also rises.)  I began getting sick about 3 weeks ago and after a week, realized that I was sicker than I thought. I wound up in the hospital having emergency gall bladder removal. When I got home a few days ago, I spotted Hemingway on the counter and my heart sank. I took a look and sure enough it was brown and smelly. I was still not well enough to deal with it, but next day, I looked again and realized it was too far gone. Thankfully, I had put some discard in the fridge. I took it out, fed it and it is happily working again. Whew! I need to write up some instructions in case I am incapacitated again!!

[Ann_T]

@Maison Rustique, do you leave your starter out on the counter or do you keep it in the fridge until you

are ready to feed it again?

[AlaMoi]

(long story . . . cryptic version . . . ) 

my grandmother would make buckwheat pancakes for the grandkids over holiday gatherings = 5 children+their kids . . .

 

recently had a "gathering of cousins" (aka the grandkids) so I made a buckwheat starter for "the breakfast party" buckwheat pancakes - vs. the yeast option(s).  with homemade butter and (the 'as it was then . . ')  blackstrap molasses on offer, real maple syrup for the less inclined....

multiple requests for 'another stack' were registered . . .

 

creating your own starter is amazing simple - flour and water plus 8 days and you're good to go.

I must admit I was a little leery, but it was simple, and turned out super great.

 

can post the directions if anyone wants . . .

[Maison Rustique]

54 minutes ago, Ann_T said:

@Maison Rustique, do you leave your starter out on the counter or do you keep it in the fridge until you

are ready to feed it again?

Ann, I leave it on the counter.