The Bread Topic (2016–)

[Katie Meadow]

A question about cornmeal use in bread: My husband is really into baking bread these days, which of course is a very good thing. But we had a stupid argument this morning. He's about to bake the Seeded Wheat Bread from the Della Fattoria book (we've eaten it from their bakery in Petaluma CA) and the recipe specifies "polenta."

 

Okay, I venture that at least half of you have had this discussion about polenta vs grits vs cornmeal vs corn flour and all the permutations in between. My take on polenta vs grits is that one is the Italian way of making corn meal mush and one is the southern US way. Although in my experience a greater percentage of polenta is sold finely ground and grits is often a coarse grind, that doesn't change the fact that it is all ground corn and can be white or yellow, fine or coarse, depending on your upbringing or your texture preferences.

 

I don't make polenta any more. I make grits, and I buy it stone-ground from Geechie Boy on Edisto Island and it is relatively coarse. I'm an addict. If I were making an Italian dish that suggested serving it on a puddle of polenta I would make my Geechie Boy grits and be a happy camper. If a recipe for cake included "fine grind polenta" I would grind up my Bob's cornmeal a bit and go with that. 

 

In well-stocked shops that sell a lot of Italian products you can find polenta in different grinds. When my husbands shops the bulk isle at Berkeley Bowl he finds just one product labeled "polenta" and he says it is coarser than Bob's medium grind corn meal. BB Probably simplifies to one grind for those who are less discriminating and who prefer to buy in bulk. They probably also sell various grinds of polenta in packages in a different isle. 

 

So the main question is this: if a recipe for bread says simply "polenta" what would you do? Personally I would decide for myself whether I liked my cornmeal medium or fine grind for any given loaf and I would use the Bob's medium ground cornmeal as is or grind it just a bit more if I wanted it finer.  But my husband seems stuck in a loop which does not involve taking MY WORD FOR IT. 

 

Andiesenji and many others can no doubt make quick work of this morass. Thanks in advance!

[shain]

On 3/29/2017 at 8:41 PM, Katie Meadow said:

So the main question is this: if a recipe for bread says simply "polenta" what would you do? Personally I would decide for myself whether I liked my cornmeal medium or fine grind

 

I don't think it makes any real difference in breads. It might be notable in white breads that suppose to be light and fine, but those rarely contains cornmeal anyway. Do make sure to measure by weight and not by volume.

 

 

Today's bake shows you the importance of proofing. This slightly weird looking challah bread is the result of me not being able to remove the dough from the fridge in time, therefore it had not enough time to relax, making rolling the dough strands harder, but even worse, leaving me with not enough time to let the bread proof before baking. It had 20 minutes, instead of the planned 60 to 80. I heated the oven to 190dC, and as you can see, the bread expended without being relaxed and stretched enough to contain it. This effect of under proofing is useful with breads which are scored and where a large ear is desired. However in challa, no scoring is made and the dough is forced to expend from the weak spots between the braids, resulting in this very specific look. The inner texture and flavor are still as good. I let it chill a little, then gave it s short second bake to warm and crisp just before serving. 
  

I also baked a raisin loaf and hamburger buns from the same dough, to be used in the near future.

Edited March 31, 2017 by shain (log)

[Ann_T]

On 28/03/2017 at 9:56 PM, Thanks for the Crepes said:

It has the shiny, airy crumb, like our own @Ann_T's, who I have come to think of as the queen of yeast breads and a crackly, crusty exterior.

 

Thanks @Thanks for the Crepes.

 

This dough was made on Tuesday and I finally baked it last night. 

 

 

Sliced this morning using my new bread knife hand crafted by a local artisan. 

 

[Soupcon]

It worked!!! Happy days. Here is my first ever bake with a sourdough starter I made from scratch. I also have never used a banneton before nor shaped freestanding loaves of bread. So many firsts today.

[ElsieD]

@Soupcon. Very nice.  My starter of a few posts ago never did start so I threw it out.  I have made a new one and we are on day 4 and it continues to bubble.  Hopefully I'll have something to show for it.

[liuzhou]

My first ever soda bread, Looking good. Smelling good. Still cooling on the rack.

 

Edited April 3, 2017 by liuzhou (log)

[Anna N]

@liuzhou

WOW.  That is an amazing looking loaf from somebody who only has a toaster oven.  

[liuzhou]

7 minutes ago, Anna N said:

@liuzhou

WOW.  That is an amazing looking loaf from somebody who only has a toaster oven.  

 

Sometimes I amaze myself! But usually, when I screw up!

This time went well. I've now eaten about ¼ of the the beast and am immensely satisfied.

[Ann_T]

Best reason for baking bread is 

 

Toast

 

[Soupcon]

Here is my second attempt at baking sourdough from my starter. I increased the hydration to over 70%. Not as good surface tension but much better crumb (I think) and certainly better flavour this time.

[Soupcon]

Since I am learning how to make whole wheat bread using yeast before I start making whole wheat bread using a sourdough starter, here is my first attempt at making whole wheat bread using a poolish. I cut down to a quarter of the amount of yeast called for in making the 2nd stage of the process as I like flavour over the taste of yeast. The dough is very light and yes took longer to prove because of the reduction in the yeast added.

Edited April 19, 2017 by Soupcon
syntax (log)

[ElsieD]

@Soupcon. Nice loaf you've got there!

[Soupcon]

10 hours ago, ElsieD said:

@Soupcon. Nice loaf you've got there!

Thank you.

[kayb]

First bread I've baked in forever. KAF potato bread. Recipe here. Because I felt like basic white bread.

[ElsieD]

I tried several times to get a starter going and finally, on my third try it looked like I had a live one.  I decided to try to make a small loaf just to see if I had need succeeded.  I used 290 grams of bread flour.  Everything proceeded according to plan until it was time to bake the loaf.  The dough stuck to my proofing basket and by the time I had gotten it unstuck it had deflated a bit.  I baked it anyway and it resulted in this loaf.    The flavour is good, obviously not as light and airy as it would have been had it released properly but I now have real starter which is what I wanted to prove (a little baker's humour there!).

 

i thought I had floured the basket really well, but obviously I did not.  Do any experienced bread makers have any tips so don't have this problem in the future?

Edited April 22, 2017 by ElsieD
Flour should read 290 grams, not 190 (log)

[Anna N]

8 hours ago, ElsieD said:

floured the basket really well, but obviously I did not.  Do any experienced bread makers have any tips so don't have this problem in the future?

 

This  is what I did and I had no difficulty with sticking at all.  Then I always dry it according to the manufacturer's direction which is to put it into the oven for one hour at no higher than 167°F ( I assume this strange temperature is a straight conversion from 75°C)

[ElsieD]

4 hours ago, Anna N said:

This  is what I did and I had no difficulty with sticking at all.  Then I always dry it according to the manufacturer's direction which is to put it into the oven for one hour at no higher than 167°F ( I assume this strange temperature is a straight conversion from 75°C)

 

Anna, thank you!  This was news to me.  I shall follow those instructions.

[Anna N]

6 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

 

Anna, thank you!  This was news to me.  I shall follow those instructions.

Let us know how it goes.  Took me ages to try mine for the first time because I absolutely knew things were going to stick to it and I would probably ruin it.  Didn't happen.

[ElsieD]

10 hours ago, Anna N said:

This  is what I did and I had no difficulty with sticking at all.  Then I always dry it according to the manufacturer's direction which is to put it into the oven for one hour at no higher than 167°F ( I assume this strange temperature is a straight conversion from 75°C)

 

I am heading not the kitchen now to do this.  I'm assuming I should dry it in the oven after I have misted and floured it as that will dry it?  And yes, I'll post the next time I proof a loaf in the treated banneton.

[Anna N]

53 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

 

I am heading not the kitchen now to do this.  I'm assuming I should dry it in the oven after I have misted and floured it as that will dry it?  And yes, I'll post the next time I proof a loaf in the treated banneton.

I would to be on the safe side as you don't want mildew in there but remember you do need to flour it well again before you use it. 

[ElsieD]

Yes, I will flour it well before I use it, maybe tomorrow.  I did dry it in the oven.  I did it at 170F as that is as low as my own goes and left it for an hour.  As I was busy doing something else, When the time was up I turned the oven off and left them in there for another 20 minutes or so.  Should be nice and dry.  I will try to remember to give them a spell in the oven from time to time.  Thanks again, Anna, you've been very helpful.

[ElsieD]

I made another little loaf today using 290 grams of flour.  (Previous post corrected from 190 to 290 grams.). The banneton stuck very slightly in two spots but not enough to affect anything.  Quite happy with this loaf.  I re-floured the banneton and it is back in the oven for an hour.

 

i took 60 grams of the starter that was to be discarded when I fed it and am freezing it.  How do I dry starter?  Do I just spread some out on parchment paper and leave it be?  Or am I better off freezing it in the amounts I am likely to use?  The last time I had a successful starter I neither froze nor dried any and my starter died, leaving me with none.  I want to make sure that doesn't happen again.

[Duvel]

Taught a bunch of local girls the basics of bread making on the weekend (at their request). Found out only after dinner and a significant amount of German wine that none of their apartments actually has an oven

Brezel, wholewheat-rye-spelt bread with filling of their choices (ranging from fried onions over walnut/date to Wakame), lean white bread (here in Epi form) and Flammkuchen. Combined with homemade Kümmelbauch, sous-vide roast beef and compound butters as well as some cheeses (store bought). Everybody went home happily and packed with their own loaf of bread and enough leftovers to feed a family.

 

[Anna N]

 

 

 The misshapen loaf that results when you lose your nerve tipping a dough-filled banneton into a screaming hot Dutch oven.  

[shain]

@Anna N That's a lovely looking loaf!