The Bread Topic (2016–)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Tonight's loaves:

 

 

The boule stuck to the peel.

 

[blue_dolphin]

On 6/25/2019 at 7:38 PM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

@Okanagancook what was the flour weight of your recipe?  I ask because I have trouble mixing bread on low because the dough hook doesn't properly grab the dough.

 

@JoNorvelleWalker, what is the flour weight of your usual bake of a baguette + boule?

I'd like to find a volume I can bake regularly and the kilo-size batches some folks make are too much for me. Your bakes look perfect.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

20 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

@JoNorvelleWalker, what is the flour weight of your usual bake of a baguette + boule?

I'd like to find a volume I can bake regularly and the kilo-size batches some folks make are too much for me. Your bakes look perfect.

 

The flour weight is 600 g, usually 68 percent hydration.  Tonight I reserved 200 g of finished dough for pizza, so take that into account.

 

[Duvel]

65% Wheat, 30% spelt and 5% whole grain rye. 70% hydration, overnight fermentation, baked in preheated cast iron for 15 min at 250 oC, then “naked” 30 min at 200 oC. That’s pretty much the best formula I’ve come up with yet and will be our standard bread from now on ...

 

 

[ptw1953]

Boule made to go with wild garlic soup on Saturday. Had 2 slices toasted with poached eggs and hollandaise for brunch on Sunday. Using the remaining slices tonight for brushetta with chargrilled tomato skewers and wild garlic pesto.

Taste/texture wise, I have never made a better loaf of bread. Now, I have to remember how I made it, for I consumed a lot of wine whilst baking it...

[dtremit]

Finally back to baking sourdough bread after a few months -- my KitchenAid finally died, and as I dithered about what to about it, I neglected my starter in the back of the fridge. These are the first loaves from my new setup -- an older Bosch Universal from eBay and a starter from the lovely Elmendorf Baking in Cambridge.

 

These were made with what has been my standard recipe -- about half whole grain flour (~45% whole wheat, 5% rye) and half bread flour, and 68% hydration. Folded some seeds, nuts, and grains into the smaller loaf for some variety.

 

Still would like a more open crumb, but I'm getting much better oven spring now, great flavor, and the crumb is quite pleasant. I do wish I'd left these in a bit longer to get some more color; I was afraid of burning the bottom, but I had more margin than I realized.

[Ann_T]

14 hours ago, ElsieD said:

I have a question about refrigerating bigas and poolish.  I am making focaccia tomorrow and prepared my poolish tonight  and it is in the fridge overnight .  I have also made bread using biga which stayed on the counter overnight, not in the fridge.  Why are they sometimes refrigerated and sometimes not?

I leave the biga/poolish/Levain, perferments out over night, but once it is added to the batch of dough, if I am not baking same day the dough goes into the fridge.  I've never left a finished dough out overnight or all day for a bulk fermentation.  

[Pooya Khodadadi]

2 hours ago, dtremit said:

Finally back to baking sourdough bread after a few months -- my KitchenAid finally died, and as I dithered about what to about it, I neglected my starter in the back of the fridge. These are the first loaves from my new setup -- an older Bosch Universal from eBay and a starter from the lovely Elmendorf Baking in Cambridge.

 

These were made with what has been my standard recipe -- about half whole grain flour (~45% whole wheat, 5% rye) and half bread flour, and 68% hydration. Folded some seeds, nuts, and grains into the smaller loaf for some variety.

 

Still would like a more open crumb, but I'm getting much better oven spring now, great flavor, and the crumb is quite pleasant. I do wish I'd left these in a bit longer to get some more color; I was afraid of burning the bottom, but I had more margin than I realized.

 

 

 

 

That looks amazing.  

[Ann_T]

Tonight's bake.
Hand-mixed a 1000g flour batch at 75% hydration this morning and baked tonight.

 

12 small baguettes.

Sliced while still warm.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

 

I wasn't sure bread was going to happen.  I fell on the stairs with my laundry basket and the day went down from there.

 

[curls]

7 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

I wasn't sure bread was going to happen.  I fell on the stairs with my laundry basket and the day went down from there.

 

The bread looks good. Jo, I hope your okay and that today will be much better.

[kayb]

Ouch. Do take care. I find I do not recover from those indignities the way I once did.

 

[Ann_T]

@JoNorvelleWalker, how you are not suffering today from yesterday's fall.  Your bread looks just as good as it always does.  Your bakes are always so consistent.  

 

I fell yesterday in the grocery store.  Slipped on a cherry someone had dropped on the floor.   I don't bounce as well as I used too.

[ElsieD]

10 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

I wasn't sure bread was going to happen.  I fell on the stairs with my laundry basket and the day went down from there.

 

 

I hope you are okay today.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Thanks, everyone.  Landing on a garbage bag helped break my fall.

 

Bread was good.

 

[Ann_T]

Today's bake.

Mixed up a biga last night before bed and added it to a batch of rye dough this morning.

Baked this afternoon. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

13 hours ago, Ann_T said:

@JoNorvelleWalker, how you are not suffering today from yesterday's fall.  Your bread looks just as good as it always does.  Your bakes are always so consistent.  

 

I fell yesterday in the grocery store.  Slipped on a cherry someone had dropped on the floor.   I don't bounce as well as I used too.

 

I hope at least the store offered some small kindness towards you.  I couldn't fault anyone but myself.

 

 

[Ann_T]

21 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I hope at least the store offered some small kindness towards you.  I couldn't fault anyone but myself.

@JoNorvelleWalker,  I got up as quick as I could so no one saw me.  I did mention it to the first employee I saw so that she could clean up the cherry and the skid marks.  

 

Made two 500g flour batches of sourdough on Saturday.  One batch went into Sunday's pizzas and I pulled the second one out late this morning

and baked this afternoon.

 

Four small sourdough baguettes. Each one was started in the CSO on a stone, Bread setting and after 10 minutes moved to the stone in the Oster for another 10 minutes. 

Cuts the total baking time of four loaves down by half and I still get the benefit of the steam. 

Edited July 11, 2019 by Ann_T (log)

[andiesenji]

Bread loaf based loosely on pane Francese.  

Sponge made at 7:00 p.m. yesterday.  I was up at 5 this morning to add liquid to the sponge (decided to use milk instead of water).

2 3/4 cups bread flour 1 cup white whole wheat.

I used a bread machine on the dough cycle to do all the mixing and kneading and rising.

Turned it out on bench photo #1, shape of the bread machine pan, and did stretching and folding and flattening and rolling to create structure.

Shaped it into a log, used egg wash and applied sesame seeds and straight into the oven - forgot to slash the top.  

This does not require a rise after shaping because there is a LOT of oven spring.

 

Edited July 14, 2019 by andiesenji
Forgot to add the photo of the crumb. (log)

[andiesenji]

I could have made two smaller loaves or 2 large loaves in 9 x 5 loaf pans or a baguette and a boule. However I wanted large slices for sandwiches so made it this way.  I probably kneaded in another 1/4 cup of bread flour while working the dough.

I have to confess that I don't always measure exactly because I have been baking bread for so long that I go by "feel" and "adjust" recipes on the fly so to speak.

I substituted milk for the water because I wanted a nice crust but not a super hard crust and using milk give me exactly the type and thickness of crust I want and also bread made with milk does not stale as rapidly.  

Edited July 14, 2019 by andiesenji (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

 

Tired.

 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Not sure this is allowed on this thread, but this no-knead loaf was devoured by several generations.   

[DesertTinker]

48 minutes ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

Not sure this is allowed on this thread, but this no-knead loaf was devoured by several generations.   

It’s a lovely loaf!

[andiesenji]

I set another sponge last evening at six.  I got up this morning at 4 a.m.  by 4:30 I had the sponge, liquid, flour and yeast in the big bread machine (3 pound) on the dough cycle. 

This time I used half bread flour, half rye MEAL - and let the machine torture it for about 20 minutes then turned it off and let it rest and rise for 40 minutes (rye usually needs a bit more rise)

then reset the machine, added the salt (bread salt) and 4 tablespoons of caraway seeds.

I let the machine work it for two kneading cycles then turned it off and left it to rise for an hour - less time because it is very warm in the house as my swamp cooler is not working.

This time I cut the dough in half - one half into the fridge. I shaped half into a long loaf, let it rise for 30 minutes (I had something else I needed to do)  brushed the top with half and half and into 375 oven for 35 minutes.  This time I remembered to slash the top.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

On 7/13/2019 at 8:28 PM, andiesenji said:

I could have made two smaller loaves or 2 large loaves in 9 x 5 loaf pans or a baguette and a boule. However I wanted large slices for sandwiches so made it this way.  I probably kneaded in another 1/4 cup of bread flour while working the dough.

I have to confess that I don't always measure exactly because I have been baking bread for so long that I go by "feel" and "adjust" recipes on the fly so to speak.

I substituted milk for the water because I wanted a nice crust but not a super hard crust and using milk give me exactly the type and thickness of crust I want and also bread made with milk does not stale as rapidly.  

 

When making bread, it's my sense that measurements, even metric, are suggestions only since humidity plays such a roll in the process.    You always have to go by "feel".