The Bread Topic (2016–)

[Anna N]

34 minutes ago, quiet1 said:

This thread is rather inspiring me - does anyone know of any good low sodium bread recipes? My mom loves sandwiches but of course bread can be startlingly high in sodium.

 Most bread recipes are tolerant of a reduction in the salt called for.   If you leave out the salt altogether I think you'll find the bread insipid.  My preference for most ordinary sandwich bread is about 12 g of salt per 500 g of flour but I suspect you could reduce this to 5 or 6 g without doing any real harm.  Salt does more than just work as a flavour in yeast bread. It also controls the rate of activity of the yeast so I don't believe you can go too low before you affect the texture. I believe Tuscan bread is made without salt because it generally accompanies very salty meats etc.

[chromedome]

55 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Salt does more than just work as a flavour in yeast bread. It also controls the rate of activity of the yeast so I don't believe you can go too low before you affect the texture.

You can compensate for that by reducing the yeast a titch, or fermenting the dough at a lower temperature, or shortening the time you let it rise. Just play it by ear, basically, and be prepared to throw a batch or two into the compost if necessary (flour is cheap). 

 

[Anna N]

2 minutes ago, chromedome said:

You can compensate for that by reducing the yeast a titch, or fermenting the dough at a lower temperature, or shortening the time you let it rise. Just play it by ear, basically, and be prepared to throw a batch or two into the compost if necessary (flour is cheap). 

 

Yep.  But I'm not the one who wants to leave the salt out of their bread!  That would be @quiet1. 

[chromedome]

Yeah, I know...but you were the one who threw out the caution about reduced salt, so that's why I quoted you.

 

It's all good. 

[quiet1]

1 hour ago, Anna N said:

 Most bread recipes are tolerant of a reduction in the salt called for.   If you leave out the salt altogether I think you'll find the bread insipid.  My preference for most ordinary sandwich bread is about 12 g of salt per 500 g of flour but I suspect you could reduce this to 5 or 6 g without doing any real harm.  Salt does more than just work as a flavour in yeast bread. It also controls the rate of activity of the yeast so I don't believe you can go too low before you affect the texture. I believe Tuscan bread is made without salt because it generally accompanies very salty meats etc.

 

Yes, I've had bread with no salt back when I had a bread maker - left the salt out by accident. It was not good.

 

I'm just not sure how much I can reduce it, or other tricks (like reducing the yeast, as @chromedome suggests) to just bring the salt content down some so the bread isn't so full of sodium she can't have anything else with it.

 

She has found a commercial rye bread that is very low sodium for bread - maybe the rye helps?

[heidih]

Tuscan bread - no slt - meant to be eaten with other salted foods  http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-deal-with-tuscan-bre-126519

 

Like the unsalted rice in Asian cuisines

Edited January 7, 2017 by heidih (log)

[paulraphael]

1 hour ago, Anna N said:

 Most bread recipes are tolerant of a reduction in the salt called for.   If you leave out the salt altogether I think you'll find the bread insipid.  My preference for most ordinary sandwich bread is about 12 g of salt per 500 g of flour but I suspect you could reduce this to 5 or 6 g without doing any real harm.  Salt does more than just work as a flavour in yeast bread. It also controls the rate of activity of the yeast so I don't believe you can go too low before you affect the texture. I believe Tuscan bread is made without salt because it generally accompanies very salty meats etc.

 

I doubt you'd have to compensate for that reduction. 12g salt / 500g flour is on the high end of normal ... that's 2.4% salt. 5g salt would be 1%, which is low but not outrageously so. I think 1.5 to 2.5% are pretty typical. I haven't seen much change in gluten structure or yeast activity with salt in these ranges.

 

None of this looks to me like a ton of sodium. The real high-sodium bread is the salt-free stuff from Tuscany, because it's inedible until you pile prosciutto on top. 

 

Small variations in salt can make a bigger difference with sourdough; the wild yeasts are often quite sensitive to salt level. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

26 minutes ago, paulraphael said:

None of this looks to me like a ton of sodium. The real high-sodium bread is the salt-free stuff from Tuscany, because it's inedible until you pile prosciutto on top.  

 

I recall the time I inadvertently left the salt out of my baguettes.  It was an experience.

 

[paulraphael]

On 1/6/2017 at 8:35 PM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

I recall the time I inadvertently left the salt out of my baguettes.  It was an experience.

 

 

Several years ago I bought a boule from a bakery in Manhattan (one I'd bought from a few times before). There was something bizarrely wrong with it. The texture was strange, and it seemed to have no flavor whatsoever. It was like eating nothing. A friend of mine finally figured out that they'd left the salt out.

[Anna N]

 

 I went into panic mode this morning when I realized that I was eating the very last slice of bread in the house for breakfast.   This is another iteration of Paul Hollywood's British bloomer.  This time I let the Thermomix do all the work. I should have turned the oven down 25° as I did last time but did I consult my notes?  I think the answer is obvious. But I think the bread will still be fine even if it is a little over baked.  

[Anna N]

Hmm. Was certain I posted about my attempts to find my perfect bread but I am not seeing it so I'm going to assume I only imagined posting it. Anyway to cut a long story very short I tried again today and think I might have nailed it. 

 

It's a very dark, soft bread with lots of texture from the addition of pumpkin and sunflower seeds.  The photos are of the same bread with the second photograph more clearly shows the real colour.  

 

My next refinement will be a larger loaf incorporating some whole grains. 

[Shelby]

White bread

 

[Anna N]

Honest, Shelby,   I am not trying to compete.   I am trying to develop some breads that suit my taste.   This is a multi grain bread that contains zero whole-wheat flour. I don't know what it is but I don't like whole wheat in any amount.  Not supermarket whole wheat, not Loonsong organic Red Fife, not another organic I have on hand. NO WHOLE WHEAT in my bread, thank you.  Anxious to see the crumb but it's too hot.

 

Edited January 15, 2017 by Anna N (log)

[Shelby]

7 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Honest, Shelby,   I am not trying to compete.   I am trying to develop some breads that suit my taste.   This is a multi grain bread that contains zero whole-wheat flour. I don't know what it is but I don't like whole wheat in any amount.  Not supermarket whole wheat, not Loonsong organic Red Fife, not another organic I have on hand. NO WHOLE WHEAT in my bread, thank you.  Anxious to see the crumb but it's too hot.

 

 

LOL!

 

Anna, trust me, you win hands down.  I am not patient enough to test recipes like you do.  Your bread is gorgeous.  I love the split down the top.

[JohnT]

I have not posted anything in this thread for ages (not that I actually bake much bread). Anyway, I had an order for 8 seed loaf breads, so baked 10 - 2 are for the house!

Hot out the oven

 

Cooled and sliced - had some for lunch with cream cheese. Tastes good, even if I say so myself!

[cakewalk]

@JohnT, that looks like a nice looking loaf, I like the texture. Interesting that it remained mostly flat, it looks like a Pullman loaf even though you didn't use a lid! 

[JohnT]

@cakewalk, it is really what I would call a seed health loaf. It contains brown bread flour, nutty wheat, just a touch of yeast (4g per loaf), honey and then sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and flax/linseed. It also has a couple grams salt, sunflower oil and water. And I top it off with a sprinkle of crushed wheat. It is more a type of quick bread as the dough is mixed up and placed directly into the pans, where it goes through only a single rising before being shoved into a 180°C oven. I do not know if nutty wheat flour is available in N. America or Europe, just like they have different flours unobtainable here. If you want the recipe, I can post it and you can play around with it. I am sure you could use brown bread flour and a mixture of wholewheat and extra bran to try and replicate the flour content. I have made the bread since the 70's and only recently was asked by one of my retail outlets to bake it for their clients. It is something not made by the mass bakers.

[cakewalk]

I've never heard of brown bread flour. Regular bread flour is higher protein than regular white flour. Is brown bread flour different than regular whole wheat flour? Nutty wheat flour is also a new one, but I just read something that said it is regular flour (presumably white?) with 20% wheat bran added to it. But I'd be interested in knowing your proportions and then I could play around with different flours. Thank you.

Edited January 16, 2017 by cakewalk
spelling (log)

[JohnT]

Here you go. I will take a photograph of the brown bread and nutty wheat flour and post them on the forum later when I have a bit of a gap in my day.

 

SEED HEALTH LOAF
(Makes 1 loaf in a 5 x 9 tin)

 

Ingredients:
225g nutty wheat
210g brown bread flour
30ml wheat germ (optional)
5ml salt
5g instant yeast
30ml sunflower seeds
15ml sesame seeds
about 375ml lukewarm water
15ml honey or golden syrup
15ml sunflower oil

 

Method:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients together.
2. Add the wet ingredients and mix well.
3. Pour into a greased loaf tin, cover and let rise until doubled in size.
4. Bake in a preheated 180°C oven for 40 to 45 minuted. Cool on a wire rack.

 

Edited to add: I have done a bit a phoning around to the manufacturers and found the following:

In South Africa "Brown Bread Flour" is what is also known as "wholewheat flour"

"Nutty Wheat flour" is white bread flour with 20% bran added.

And, as I have always known, your AP flour is known here as "Cake Flour"

 

HTH

Edited January 17, 2017 by JohnT
Clarity on named flours (log)

[cakewalk]

Well, it is currently in the loaf pan rising (I hope). Will keep you posted. Thank you!

 

BTW -- to reference another thread, I think this bread will be perfect for peanut butter and banana sandwiches. (Among other things.)

[cakewalk]

Just out of the oven. Have to go out now, so I won't be cutting into it until later. Looks and smells good, and certainly couldn't be easier to put together. More later.

[cakewalk]

This is very nice bread. I think it would be great with a hearty soup, which I now feel compelled to make. Or some cheeses. The two slices in the photo went down quite well smeared with a bit of buttah. It comes together very easily, the whole process takes less than three hours, and it's good. Many thanks for sharing the recipe.

[ElainaA]

I haven't been baking very much, other than the basic no-knead Ci bread that is our staple. But yesterday I made cinnamon swirl bread - also from Ci. Interestingly, the recipe in the cook book is not the one I use - this is from their "Holiday Baking" special magazine from 2-3 years ago. The recipes are similar but the shaping is very different. I like this one.

'

I used both golden and black raisins - that explains the yellow areas. 

[cakewalk]

@ElainaA How is the shaping done? It looks somewhat like a brioche nanterre. Very nice looking bread.

[Ann_T]

Just out of the oven and singing.

 

Dough was hand-mixed this morning and refrigerated until later afternoon. 

Baked tonight.