The Bread Topic (2016–)

Ann_T · February 2

Baked four sourdough baguettes yesterday morning. The dough had been in the fridge for three days.

Lopped off a piece of dough for Matt and he made himself a pizza for breakfast. It was out of the oven before 7:00.

Potato pizza with three cheeses. Mozzarella, with just a little cheddar and finished with fresh grated Parmesan.

He loves the sourdough crust for pizza.

I cut one of the baguettes to make a sandwich using leftover roast beef.

Taking it to work for lunch with leftover au jus for dipping.

rotuts · February 2

@Ann_T

your beef always looks outstanding.

but the pizza looks outstanding

what's on it ?

Ann_T · February 2

3 minutes ago, rotuts said:

@Ann_T

your beef always looks outstanding.

but the pizza looks outstanding

what's on it ?

Thanks @rotuts.

I started making this pizza when Matt was young and it was the most requested pizza by all his friends.

It is basically what I call a Greek Pizza.

Potatoes are fried or roasted, and seasoned with oregano, garlic and lemon.

Pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Now that he makes it for himself, he changes it up. Using rosemary, and often two or three cheeses.

PatrickT · February 2

Frozen sourdough two ways. This little experiment had its birth because I wanted to explore options for shipping sourdough to friends.

Recipe (Tartine) and process for both loaves:

450g bread flour
50g whole wheat flour
375g water
100g starter
10g salt
S&Fx3 with 30 min rests
CFx2 with 30 min rest
BF at 80F to 75% increase

At this point, the process for the two loaves diverged, as noted below.

For Loaf #1 (seeded):

Preshape and rest 30 min
Final shape and rest 30 min
CR 18 hrs
Par bake in preheated DO at 450F for 30 min covered (internal temp 197F); cool to RT
Freeze in heavy plastic bag 48 hrs
Thaw in proofer at 80F for 6.5 hrs (internal temp 74F)
Bake in preheated DO at 450F for 30 min covered; 5 min uncovered; cool to RT

For Loaf #2 (plain):

Final shape, place in plastic-lined banneton and freeze in heavy plastic bag 48 hrs
Thaw in proofer at 80F for 6.75 hrs (positive poke test)
Bake in preheated DO at 450F for 30 min covered; 10 min uncovered; cool to RT

Discussion:

I saw the par baked loaf method explained by Foodgeek and the frozen dough idea mentioned by Connie David Hedgepeth-Smith, a member of the Sourdough Geeks Facebook group.
Both loaves were delicious and had very good crust and crumb structure.
The crust of the par baked loaf was considerably more chewy than the frozen dough loaf - almost "tough."
The par baked loaf seemed to deflate a bit under its own weight while cooling. As a result (and doubtless due to the fact that the crust was essentially twice-baked), it had less overall oven spring than the frozen dough loaf.
The frozen dough loaf was a bit more challenging to score, as the dough was at RT prior to baking.
To answer the shipping question, the frozen loaf method would obviously be much simpler for a recipient to manage. Wildgrain is one company that specializes in shipping frozen, par baked bread and other baked goods. That said, I feel the frozen dough method yielded a slightly better loaf and could perhaps be final proofed and baked in a bread tin to simplify finishing.

Edited February 2 by PatrickT (log)

PatrickT · February 6

My obvious lack of aesthetics aside, I'm very happy with the results of this bake. This is Chocolate Coffee Sourdough by Sourdough Brandon. I added Cointreau soaked tart cherries and a teaspoon of vanilla extract to mine. The dough was beautiful to work with.

Edited February 6 by PatrickT (log)

Ann_T · February 6

@PatrickT, I bet that tastes wonderful.

I used leftover chocolate cranberry bread once to make a bread and butter pudding with a Creme Anglaise.

Ann_T · February 6

Sourdough Bagel Bake.

Fed my starter Sunday night and made a Levain with some of the discard.

Left both on the counter overnight to rise and Monday morning the starter went back into the fridge and the levain went into a dough for bagels.

After the last stretch and fold the dough went into the fridge until last night and was left on the counter.

Ready to start shaping at 3:30 AM.

Matt had toasted bagel cheese melts.

And Moe and I had toasted bagels with sliced tomatoes for breakfast.

Edited February 6 by Ann_T (log)

Ann_T · February 9

The problem with having a fridge more or less just for starters, preferments and doughs, is that you need to remember to date them.

The baguettes baked this morning were from a dough that had been in the fridge for at least 6 days and possibly more.

Left the dough out on the counter last night and baked six 18" baguettes this morning.

I really wasn't sure what to expect from this sourdough batch, but I worried for nothing. Flavour was wonderful.

PatrickT · February 9

This is Pane Siciliano from Maurizio Leo’s The Perfect Loaf website, made using 100% durum flour. I opted for baking the loaf in a bread tin and am very pleased with the way it turned out. I essentially used a “no knead” method: all I did was mix, proof, shape, refrigerate and bake.

Edited February 9 by PatrickT (log)

**Smithy** · February 10

On 2/9/2024 at 8:33 AM, Ann_T said:

The problem with having a fridge more or less just for starters, preferments and doughs, is that you need to remember to date them.

The baguettes baked this morning were from a dough that had been in the fridge for at least 6 days and possibly more.

Left the dough out on the counter last night and baked six 18" baguettes this morning.

I really wasn't sure what to expect from this sourdough batch, but I worried for nothing. Flavour was wonderful.

Would you say the flavor was different than usual? Deeper, more sour, no different? What about the handling or the rise time?

Ann_T · February 11

17 hours ago, Smithy said:

Would you say the flavor was different than usual? Deeper, more sour, no different? What about the handling or the rise time?

Smithy, it was definitely sour, but I wouldn't say it was noticeably different. Rising time was about the same, but the feel was

different. Dough wasn't slack, but it was softer and felt like a higher hydration dough. Was easy to shape though.

Today's bake.

Sourdough that had been in the fridge for 4 days.

Boule was baked in a dutch oven and

the Batard under the Spun Iron Cloche.

Sliced for breakfast.

Edited February 11 by Ann_T (log)

Ann_T · February 17

Today's bake.

Sourdough baguettes.

Dough was in the fridge since Thursday.

Baked early this morning.

**Shelby** · February 17

I need to start baking bread again. Or beg Ann to move in with me....

JoNorvelleWalker · February 20

Ann_T · February 20

@JoNorvelleWalker, I love your crusts. You always gets such lovely colour on your baguettes.

After Matt made his large pizza last night and I made a small one for Moe and I,

there was still about 800g of dough left so I baked 8 mini baguette rolls with the remaining dough.

JoNorvelleWalker · February 22

On 2/20/2024 at 1:19 PM, Ann_T said:

@JoNorvelleWalker, I love your crusts. You always gets such lovely colour on your baguettes.

I credit Anova.

Ann_T · February 27

Okay so, I had no idea how today's bake was going to look or taste like. The dough had been in the fridge since February 17th.

I did take it out on Saturday and cut off a 500g piece of dough for Matt and immediately put the remainder back into the fridge.

Matt made himself a pizza. I didn't see it but he said the crust was wonderful.

So I pulled the rest of the dough out of the fridge this morning and baked four baguettes this afternoon.

I've never used 9 day old dough before.

As soon as it was cool enough I sliced one of the baguettes.

Flavour is amazing. Moe had a couple of small slices with butter.

Not bad for a 9 day old dough started with a Pate Fermentee and 1g of yeast.

OlyveOyl · February 27

Irish Soda Bread, mostly white AP with some Odlums coarse whole meal flour. We like this with smoked salmon and also with thinly sliced pork loin, which is on the menu for tonight.

Tropicalsenior · March 3

For Sunday's meat filled buns I made something a little different today. I made a type of Stromboli but I followed an idea that I saw on the internet last week. They called it Cheeseburger Garbage Roll. It's like a cheeseburger wrapped up in a Stromboli roll.

I took their basic idea and added a few more of my own touches. The only change I would make to it when I make it again is to add more hamburger.

As you can see it doesn't have nearly as much filling as I would like. It has plenty of cheese because I really piled it on. I lined the layer of bread with American cheese and spread plenty of shredded cheddar in the middle.

My lunch for the day.

Edited March 3 by Tropicalsenior (log)

Tropicalsenior · March 4

I baked bread again today because the dough for the Stromboli loaf that I made yesterday didn't leave me any extra for bread for dinner this week. I made some little rolls and a small baguette. I'm anxious to use the baguette for chopped cheese sandwiches tomorrow night. That is, if I can find some hamburger in the freezer today.

Edited March 4 by Tropicalsenior (log)

Ann_T · March 7

Fed my starters yesterday and used 80g of discard into 500g of flour, 7g of salt and 1/2 g of yeast, at 68% hydration.

Just tossed the discard into a batch without making a levain or preferment.

Dough was left out on the counter for about 7 hours and then Matt divided it and took 500g of dough and left me the remainder.

I had intended to bake a loaf last night, but instead put the dough in the fridge around 4:00 and took it out at 1:00 AM this morning.

Baked on a steel under the spun iron cloche. This loaf was out of the oven by 9:00 AM.

I love looking at the gluten strands.

Sliced this morning and used to make French Bread.

Edited March 8 by Ann_T (log)

Ann_T · March 8

Fed my starter this morning and used some of the discard to make two Levains.

Both were 55g of discard, 55g of water and 142g of flour.

Had to add a little more water. Stretched and folded a few times and then placed in a container before I left for work.

Had more than tripled by the time I got home.

Put one in the fridge for another day, and I pulled the other out of the container and started another batch of dough.

Took a photo to show the strands of gluten.

Ann_T · March 14

I used one of the sourdough Levains made last Thursday morning and made a batch of dough Thursday night.

It was in the fridge until 4:00 AM this morning and then rested on the counter until 12:00 PM . So a 5 1/2 day old dough.

Baked three batards.

Two baked under the spun iron cloche and the larger one baked in a Romertopf clay baker.

Sliced for dinner.

Ann_T · March 18

I took pictures of this batch of dough for a FB friend that is having

problems with whatever she is doing. I fed my starters and spun off two new starters, one for her

and a friend of hers. I don't really know this person, but she lives in the same area and participates

on some of the local groups that I participate in.

I can't quite figure out what she is doing wrong.

She apparently is feeding the starter and using the discard to make a levain and even adding a

little bit of yeast to a 1000g of flour. She is using the stretch and fold method, but her dough isn't rising.

The starter should be strong enough without the addition of yeast, but I suggested that she proof her yeast

first, just to make sure it is active. Not something I do, because I know that my yeast is good.

She baked what looked like a beautiful loaf, and I expected to see at least two or three loaves, but

she only got one from the 1000g batch, and when she sliced it, it was very, very dense.

So I told her I would take photos of what my dough looks like over a few days.

I fed my sourdough starter Thursday night and made two levains, with 55g of discard in each of them.

Left the starter and the two levains on the counter overnight and in the morning, the starter went back into the fridge and I made two batches of dough

with the levains.

Both had 1000g of flour, plus the levain, 15g of salt, 1g of yeast (basically just a pinch) and 660g of water.