The Bread Topic (2016–)

[PatrickT]

3 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

I know that my method and my recipe would make true sourdough Bakers throw up their hands in horror but it works for me.

 

Looks lovely to me! 😃

[Tropicalsenior]

7 minutes ago, PatrickT said:

 

Looks lovely to me! 😃

Thank you. I really did try to imitate the bread that you and @Ann_T make but I found that I just don't have the patience and when I did come up with something close I realized it just wasn't what I wanted. I could write a book about my journey to get the result that I posted but I'm happy with it and the flavor is just what I want.

[PatrickT]

12 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

Thank you. I really did try to imitate the bread that you and @Ann_T make but I found that I just don't have the patience and when I did come up with something close I realized it just wasn't what I wanted. I could write a book about my journey to get the result that I posted but I'm happy with it and the flavor is just what I want.

 

Totally agree with you. I've baked several breads now that I won't bake again - because I just didn't like them. Enjoyment is the whole reason behind this wonderful hobby. That said, I do enjoy trying all sorts of new recipes and methods in the hopes of finding more new favorites.

 

Would love to hear more about your sourdough journey - and your recipe for the loaf above, if you're willing to share.

 

And by the way, isn't that a new avatar image for you? Love it! Orchid, yes?

[Ann_T]

1 hour ago, Tropicalsenior said:

Well, this is my sourdough bake from yesterday. I know that my method and my recipe would make true sourdough Bakers throw up their hands in horror but it works for me. I am going more for texture and taste and after much trial and error I have finally reached exactly what I want. A sandwich loaf that has a soft interior and baguettes that have a soft interior and a chewy not hard crust. The shaping leaves something to be desired and I still have to work on that but the taste is definitely just what I want.

 

I think your loaves look perfect. I love a rustic look and it looks like you have achieved the crumb that you are looking for.

I bet it makes great toast. 

 

[Tropicalsenior]

14 minutes ago, Ann_T said:

I bet it makes great toast

Thank you, that's what I like best about it.

If I don't watch myself I could eat the whole loaf.

[Ann_T]

5 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

Thank you, that's what I like best about it.

If I don't watch myself I could eat the whole loaf.

Instead of a Rabbit  you have a Scotty dog.

[Tropicalsenior]

1 hour ago, PatrickT said:

Enjoyment is the whole reason behind this wonderful hobby

For me, it is a little more than a hobby. The bread here is so bad that if I want any good bread I have to make it myself.

 

1 hour ago, PatrickT said:

Would love to hear more about your sourdough journey

I've been toying with the idea of starting a topic about my journey. Even though I'm afraid it will put me up for ridicule. What started me on the whole thing was the plea from @TdeV for bread with a Sourdough taste. I would like to hear more about why she can't keep a starter alive. Some months back I made a sourdough starter that seems to have a great flavor finally but doesn't have enough strength for bread rise. That plus the fact that I don't have enough patience for long fermentation. Add that to the fact that sometimes my kitchen is 90° at 8:00 in the morning. Sourdough doesn't play well in the heat.

 

1 hour ago, PatrickT said:

Orchid, yes?

Yes it is. It's the National Orchid of Costa Rica, La Guardia.

[PatrickT]

11 minutes ago, Ann_T said:

Instead of a Rabbit  you have a Scotty dog.

 

🤣

[Tropicalsenior]

13 minutes ago, Ann_T said:

Instead of a Rabbit  you have a Scotty dog.

Maybe I can sell it on eBay. I looked at the upper right corner and kind of thought it was Maine. Made me think of @rotuts.

 

Or is he in Massachusetts?

Edited June 13, 2023 by Tropicalsenior (log)

[Tropicalsenior]

Just a footnote to something that I wrote about up thread. When I told my grandson about the bakery in the International District, he told me that he had found one even better. It is the Mee Sum in Pike Place Market. If you ever go to Seattle, the Pike Place Market is definitely a place to visit for good food.

Michael was 2 months old the first time that we took him there. It's about 10 blocks from where he works now so he goes there a couple times of week for lunch. Believe it or not, there are vendors there that still remember him as a toddler,

[rotuts]

@Tropicalsenior 

 

that certainly looks like my state :

 

 

some one just chewed off ' the Cape ' 

 

first .  hope it was tasty.

[Tropicalsenior]

1 minute ago, rotuts said:

the Cape

I think it fell off in the toaster.

[heidih]

2 hours ago, Tropicalsenior said:

Thank you. I really did try to imitate the bread that you and @Ann_T make but I found that I just don't have the patience and when I did come up with something close I realized it just wasn't what I wanted. I could write a book about my journey to get the result that I posted but I'm happy with it and the flavor is just what I want.

I think your journey would be welcome especially for folks afraid of what seems method complexity in bread baking.  In the end taste matters. I've done  tradional breads starting in my teens. But last few years I've come to enjoy a no-knead white whole wheat not done even to Leahy's method. Just onto parchment and baked after an overnight rise/ferment in a cool place. I enjoy it, and with some of my physical limitations - what I enjoy.

[lindag]

3 hours ago, Ann_T said:

Instead of a Rabbit  you have a Scotty dog.

YOU have a vivid imagination.

[Tropicalsenior]

Today's sourdough bake. I'm getting there.

[Tropicalsenior]

I did a double bake today. It wasn't really by choice. I decided to make curry beef buns for my Sunday meat bun recipe and when I made the dough (exactly as I always do) and set it to rise it just felt dead. Sure enough, 20 minutes later when I checked it it hadn't started to rise at all. So I threw it back in the mixer with fresh yeast (don't know what happened with the first yeast because it tested fine) and made another batch of dough.

I made eight meat buns and a small loaf of bread with the second batch of dough.

I made cinnamon rolls and a loaf of bread with the first batch and just let them take their own sweet time to rise. It did take them a long time but they turned out pretty well.

As @Ann_T said, it's pretty hard to screw up bread. You just have to have patience.

 

[Ann_T]

 

Today's bake.  Had dough left from yesterday's batch after baking two pizzas.

Shaped and put into the fridge for an overnight rise.  Left on the counter for 90 minutes early this morning and 

baked under the spun iron cloche for 20 minutes and another 5 minutes uncovered. 

[Tropicalsenior]

About 4 months ago I decided to start my own sourdough starter with just water and flour. It took about 3 weeks of babying the darn thing but after reading everything I could get my hands on and lots of trial and error I finally got a viable starter. I've been using the main one that I saved for quite a few weeks now and although it's not terribly strong I've been happy with the taste that I've been getting.

As an example of how indestructible a starter can be, I had saved a tiny little jar of it because, well to be truthful I don't know why I saved it but yesterday I found it tucked in the back of the fridge. The layer of hooch on the top had dried into a hard, dark layer. There was no mold just a hard layer on top. Just out of curiosity I wanted to see if it could be revived.

I left it out of the refrigerator until this morning, scraped the dark layer off and fed it. Sure enough, within 5 hours I had a nice bubbly, good smelling concoction. I don't usually name my starters but I might call this one Lazarus.

[lindag]

Try adding a little rye flour to you next feeding, that should pep it up.

[PatrickT]

2 hours ago, Tropicalsenior said:

I don't usually name my starters but I might call this one Lazarus.

🤣

[PatrickT]

This morning’s bake - one loaf for us and one for my wife’s 84-year old cousin. 😃 Oat porridge sourdough with caramelized honey and brown butter. Recipe from Matthew Duffy. I used coil folds exclusively for these loaves and have to say that I’m definitely a fan. Seems a much gentler way to build strength in the dough.

 

I’m also a huge fan of that oat bran topping! Love the look, texture and crunch it adds to the crust. 

 

 

Edited June 22, 2023 by PatrickT
Added crumb shot. (log)

[Ann_T]

Thanks @PatrickT.  I watched his video.  The flavour of this bread sounds amazing.   Big fan of brown butter.  

 

Bagel day.

Made mostly small bagels, some with just poppy seeds and some with both poppy seeds and sesame seeds.

Tonight's dinner will be Bagels with smoked salmon and cream cheese.

[PatrickT]

Glad you enjoyed the video. Based on what you said, I think you’d really enjoy that loaf. 
 

Gorgeous bagels!! They are definitely on my list @Ann_T - but I’ve always shied away from them because they seem very challenging. How difficult would you say they really are?

[Ann_T]

8 minutes ago, PatrickT said:

How difficult would you say they really are?

 I would say not difficult at all.

I've been making this recipe since 1981.  

It is on the blog a number of times including a sourdough version.   This is a pictorial I made back in 2009 when I started the blog.

https://thibeaultstable.com/2009/07/07/pictorial-how-to-make-bagels/

[PatrickT]

1 hour ago, Ann_T said:

 I would say not difficult at all.

I've been making this recipe since 1981.  

It is on the blog a number of times including a sourdough version.   This is a pictorial I made back in 2009 when I started the blog.

https://thibeaultstable.com/2009/07/07/pictorial-how-to-make-bagels/

Thank you for this! I’ll give it a try. 😃