The Bread Topic (2016–)

[Franci]

On 5/5/2020 at 2:30 PM, Smithy said:

The discussion about crumpets finally inspired me to try making my own. It was a bit of an adventure. It's so long since I needed to sift anything that I couldn't remember where I stored my sifter.  The search had a side benefit: I found a food mill I'll need in a few days before I remembered where the sifter is kept.

 

For a bit more about the process, and for a link to the recipe I used (thanks to @Franci) see this post. Here's the finished result:

 

 

When I bite into a crumpet slathered with butter and said butter squirts me in the face, I figure I've gotten the holes right.  

 

 

@Smithy, they came out so well!!! 

[weinoo]

I wanted (and sorta needed) to bake this morning, so I put up some Forkish overnight white,  last night after dinner. My only massage of the og recipe was in subbing 15% white whole wheat flour for that amount of A/P.  The dough was so soft and slack this morning; dividing and shaping were a bit aggravating. I was able to get one boule shaped and into a parchment lined banneton, and I wanted the other to be my first attempt at a batard, but it would not cooperate.  And when a pain in the ass dough doesn't want to cooperate? I take a 1/4 sheet pan, some parchment and olive oil...

 

 

And it becomes focaccia. So for dough that was forcing me to use foul language (a lot!), I ended up with...

 

 

Edited May 9, 2020 by weinoo (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

11 minutes ago, weinoo said:

I wanted (and sorta needed) to bake this morning, so I put up some Forkish overnight white,  last night after dinner. My only massage of the og recipe was in subbing 15% white whole wheat flour for that amount of A/P.  The dough was so soft and slack this morning; dividing and shaping were a bit aggravating. I was able to get one boule shaped and into a parchment lined banneton, and I wanted the other to be my first attempt at a batard, but it would not cooperate.  And when a pain in the ass dough doesn't want to cooperate? I take a 1/4 sheet pan, some parchment and olive oil...

 

 

"pain in the ass"  I cannot un-see this.

 

[Kim Shook]

@weinoo - so, it was PITA dough?  Sorry, I couldn't resist.  

 

Some no-knead bread that I baked yesterday.  It was in the refrigerator for 3 days:

 

I was a little concerned because it didn’t seem to rise as high as the last batch, but the texture was good:

 

Can’t seem to get rid of the “rips” along the sides.

 

Anyone?  (I hate this picture.  It looks like a freaking anaconda).

[curls]

Another week, another loaf of bread. Switched from an 80% hydration recipe to a 72% hydration recipe. So much easier for me to work at the lower hydration level... hoping that with practice, I can return to the 80% recipe and not have such a struggle shaping the dough. No matter what, homemade bread is tasty! Half of the loaf went to my mom.

 

[weinoo]

I have the same issues with hydration and working the dough. 

 

But it always ends up tasting good!

[ElsieD]

In April I posted about the lid blowing off my 13" USA pain de mie pan.  After a bit of back and forth with them, they were going to send me a shipping label so I could ship the pan to them, they would fix the pan and return it.  As they did not mention who paid for the shipping I asked them that question.  I figured if I had to pay for the shipping costs I would not bother.  I got an answer back today.  They stated that FOR THEIR CANADIAN CUSTOMERS, CANADIANS HAVE TO PAY SHIPPING COSTS.  Gee, aren't we special!   However,they have decided to send me a new pan instead and I can keep the old one.  With what's going on, don't know when I will actually get it, but I have to say I'm pleased with their response.  The one I have is perfectly usable, without the lid.

[liamsaunt]

I baked sourdough for the first time yesterday.  It has cranberries and walnuts in it.

 

[ptw1953]

16 hours ago, ElsieD said:

In April I posted about the lid blowing off my 13" USA pain de mie pan.  After a bit of back and forth with them, they were going to send me a shipping label so I could ship the pan to them, they would fix the pan and return it.  As they did not mention who paid for the shipping I asked them that question.  I figured if I had to pay for the shipping costs I would not bother.  I got an answer back today.  They stated that FOR THEIR CANADIAN CUSTOMERS, CANADIANS HAVE TO PAY SHIPPING COSTS.  Gee, aren't we special!   However,they have decided to send me a new pan instead and I can keep the old one.  With what's going on, don't know when I will actually get it, but I have to say I'm pleased with their response.  The one I have is perfectly usable, without the lid.

 This is good news @ElsieD

[ptw1953]

My son texted me, saying that my grandsons were asking if Papa would make some bread for them. Emotional blackmail is bad, but surely works. My difficulty is that I have no T65 flour left, and only 3 kilos of '00' flour to work with (flour is still as scarce as hobby-horse sh*te here in Edinburgh's shops; and it's worse on-line).

 

I worked out the amounts of flour required for a pizza,  a boule and a pain de mie, then proceeded to bake. I am now bereft of flour, for the near future at least, having only enough left for feeding my sourdough starter for 2 weeks maximum. I do have an alert placed for some T65 and more '00', but do not know when the internet supplier will have both back in stock. My son took the photo of the boule crumb he is to photography, what jack the ripper was to walking the streets late at night.

 

C'est la vie...

 

 

 

 

Edited May 13, 2020 by ptw1953 (log)

[Ann_T]

@ptw1953, all your breads look great and that pizza crust is amazing. 

 

Today's bake.

I fed my starter last night and then tossed the discard into a 1000gs of flour, 760g of water and a finger pinch of yeast.

I didn't bother making a preferment (Biga) because I wanted to bake first thing in the morning. I wanted a slow overnight rise.

 

After I finished the last stretch and fold at 10PM I put the lid on the container and left the dough on the counter overnight. It had almost tripled by 5 AM.

Baked six baguettes and some baby buns.

This morning I made a 500g batch of dough at 80% that is destined for two pizzas tonight.  

[ptw1953]

3 minutes ago, Ann_T said:

@ptw1953, all your breads look great and that pizza crust is amazing. 

 

Today's bake.

I fed my starter last night and then tossed the discard into a 1000gs of flour, 760g of water and a finger pinch of yeast.

I didn't bother making a preferment (Biga) because I wanted to bake first thing in the morning. I wanted a slow overnight rise.

 

After I finished the last stretch and fold at 10PM I put the lid on the container and left the dough on the counter overnight. It had almost tripled by 5 AM.

Baked six baguettes and some baby buns.

This morning I made a 500g batch of dough at 80% that is destined for two pizzas tonight.  

 

Many thanks Ann; but in truth, a blind man could see that compared to your breads, mine are only ok. I don't know how you do it, but attempting to emulate is my continuing goal...

[ptw1953]

My kind neighbour lells me that she can smell when I am baking bread, as the extractor fan in my kitchen disperses the smell to her garden. Could I use this 1.5 kilo of plain flour (is that all-purpose flour in north america?) that she bought in Sainsburys? Toot sweet I accepted it, and she wouldn't accept any payment.

 

So, this is my breakfast for the forseeable future, and I have enough flour to make another 40 of these Scottish crumpets. Not the best I have ever made, but still a godsend from my kindly neighbour...

 

 

[Ann_T]

18 hours ago, ptw1953 said:

My kind neighbour lells me that she can smell when I am baking bread, as the extractor fan in my kitchen disperses the smell to her garden. Could I use this 1.5 kilo of plain flour (is that all-purpose flour in north america?) that she bought in Sainsburys? Toot sweet I accepted it, and she wouldn't accept any payment.

 

So, this is my breakfast for the forseeable future, and I have enough flour to make another 40 of these Scottish crumpets. Not the best I have ever made, but still a godsend from my kindly neighbour...

 

 

@ptw1953,  I would love to try these.  Would you please share the recipe.

 

[jimb0]

Sourdough sesame bagels. 
 

 

[weinoo]

Those are beauts, @jimb0!

[jimb0]

1 hour ago, weinoo said:

Those are beauts, @jimb0!

thanks, friend. I think I’ve finally cracked bagels. gonna make another batch this weekend, as most of these are going into quarantine care packages for neighbours / coworkers of my significant other. not quite traditional in either the New York or Montreal sense, and I didn’t have any malt or malt syrup to add. instead I went with sourdough and a long ferment to provide some of the enzymatic digestion, and added a bit of molasses both to the dough and in place of the malt syrup / honey in the water. perhaps I can start calling them London (ON)-style bagels?

[ElsieD]

33 minutes ago, jimb0 said:

thanks, friend. I think I’ve finally cracked bagels. gonna make another batch this weekend, as most of these are going into quarantine care packages for neighbours / coworkers of my significant other. not quite traditional in either the New York or Montreal sense, and I didn’t have any malt or malt syrup to add. instead I went with sourdough and a long ferment to provide some of the enzymatic digestion, and added a bit of molasses both to the dough and in place of the malt syrup / honey in the water. perhaps I can start calling them London (ON)-style bagels?

 

Since I'm originally from that part of Ontario (Woodstock) I'd say it's a fitting name.

[RWood]

So, using up sourdough starter ala King Arthur. Sourdough breakfast biscuits with sausage, and sourdough crackers with rosemary and oregano from our new herb pots. Biscuits were really good and easy, crunchy outside like we like. Used whole wheat flour for the crackers, and I rolled as thin as they would go. Good, very light texture. 

[ptw1953]

16 hours ago, Ann_T said:

@ptw1953,  I would love to try these.  Would you please share the recipe.

 

@Ann_T with pleasure.

 

To make circa 8 Scottish crumpets:

 

2 tablespoons of caster sugar (superfine in Canada/USA?)

1 large egg, at room temperature

170g of full cream milk

140g of plain flour (all-purpose flour in Canada/USA)

5g of fine salt

4.5g cream of tartar

2.5g bakig soda

 

In a large bowl, whisk the sugar and egg until thickened and pale in colour. Then stir in the milk.

Add the flour, salt, cream of tartar, and baking soda. Blend until a smooth batter. Then let sit for 5 minutes.

 

To cook the crumpets, I heat a 6" (bottom diameter) seasoned steel frying pan for 4 minutes on a medium-high heat on my induction hob. I then rub it with an oiled piece of kitchen roll. Then I ladle circa 40g of the batter into the frying pan and, using the base of the ladle, swirl the batter around unitil the base of the pan is fully covered. I cook for 1 minute, then turn over and cook for a further minute. remove to a wire rack, and repeat as necessary.

 

They are especiall delicious just warm, and slathered with butter and apricot jam...

 

Enjoy!

 

 

[Smithy]

What should one do if the bread dough absolutely, positively refuses to develop gluten strands? I was using a sourdough starter - well refreshed - from a local restaurant. The flour was a combination of (admittedly old) King Arthur Bread Flour and artisan Whole Wheat flour from Barrio Bread in Tucson. Does the age of flour affect more than taste?

 

After I allowed the mixed dough to loll about like some overprivileged child, with the occasional prodding and folding, I finally decided that hours had been enough time. I worked vital wheat gluten into the mix. I went about my business. Later, when I saw that dough continuing to be slack, I kneaded it and worked in more flour. Eventually, it went into a very hot Dutch oven that had preheated in the big kitchen oven.

 

 

The flavor is good. The texture would be better if I'd been more patient. (I DID punch out the big bubbles during the last kneading.)

 

My question still remains: if one's dough refuses to advance past the shaggy stage, despite hours of mixing and resting with good flour and a good scale and a recipe from a class, where should that person look for improvement?

[Ann_T]

@ptw1953, thanks for sharing.  Plan to make them this week on a day off. 

 

ETA:   @ptw1953,   I realized that I had lots of time this morning so I made them for Moe for breakfast.

I loved them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 17, 2020 by Ann_T (log)

[dtremit]

7 hours ago, Smithy said:

What should one do if the bread dough absolutely, positively refuses to develop gluten strands? I was using a sourdough starter - well refreshed - from a local restaurant. The flour was a combination of (admittedly old) King Arthur Bread Flour and artisan Whole Wheat flour from Barrio Bread in Tucson. Does the age of flour affect more than taste?

 

After I allowed the mixed dough to loll about like some overprivileged child, with the occasional prodding and folding, I finally decided that hours had been enough time. I worked vital wheat gluten into the mix. I went about my business. Later, when I saw that dough continuing to be slack, I kneaded it and worked in more flour. Eventually, it went into a very hot Dutch oven that had preheated in the big kitchen oven.

 

Is the artisan whole wheat flour particularly coarsely milled? Sometimes flour like that can make it really hard to develop gluten, especially if it's a high percentage of the loaf. One suggestion I've seen is to autolyse the bread flour and wheat flour separately, and then knead them together; that way the bread flour can form stronger gluten on its own. Haven't tried it, though.

I've also started doing a longer autolyse *before* adding the starter; that way I don't have to worry about having the bread overproof while I'm waiting for gluten to develop.

Edited May 17, 2020 by dtremit (log)

[weinoo]

@Smithy your bread looks pretty damn good to  me.

 

I made the simplest bread possible, from Nick Malgieri's How to Bake. Nick was my pastry and baking teacher during my time at Peter Kump's. Sometimes simple is good...

 

 

 

And sometimes simple is easy, which works for me.  Baked on the bread setting in the steam girl. You know what? It tastes pretty good!

[weinoo]

Like a madman, I continue to experiment. Friday night, I made a classic biga, even though various authors use different amounts of water and yeast for their classic bigas.. One of the first bread baking books I ever bought was written by the head baker at one of my favorite Italian restaurants in San Francisco. The book was published in 1993; by that point, I'd been going to Il Fornaio, and enjoying the breads, for years...

 

 

So using the biga, I attempted  a Peter Reinhart recipe from Crust and Crumb, Yeasted Multigrain Bread. As well as the recipe from The Il Fornaio Baking Book, Focaccia alla Genovese, a recipe I've used quite a number of times. Herewith, the results...

 

 

I overproofed the dough for the multigrain loaf, as I got sidetracked watching some music on Facebook. So it domed and sorta collapsed. But still...

 

 

It's really tasty. The multigrain I was able to piece together was coarse cornmeal, rolled oats, and a little rye.

 

And the focaccia? Well, it's actually one of my favorite styles of focaccia, and @Margaret Pilgrim will know it well, as it's similar to that Liguria Bakery style. Delicious.