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Post by Powerthirteen on May 1, 2017 15:41:48 GMT -5
I have made bread four times in five days. Nothing fancy just experimenting with the variables in the same white bread recipe, pursuing something that can make good sandwiches. It's fun. Is there any particular recipe you're using? Have you tried the no knead method? Is everyone here sick of hearing me endorse the no knead method? I've done a lot of no-knead bread over the years. I'm only moderately interested in that kind of "artisan" bread (very open crumb, chewy crust) and am more interested in sandwich loaves. My standard recipe is: Combine 19 oz of bread flour and 1.5 cups 115-degree water til shaggy. Let stand ~30 minutes. Add 1.5 tsp instant yeast and then 1 tsp kosher salt. Knead with dough hook 8 minutes, knead by hand a couple of times, ferment 90 minutes, shape, prove 90 minutes, bake 25 minutes at 425. Eat. |
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Post by pairesta on May 1, 2017 15:48:08 GMT -5
Is there any particular recipe you're using? Have you tried the no knead method? Is everyone here sick of hearing me endorse the no knead method? I've done a lot of no-knead bread over the years. I'm only moderately interested in that kind of "artisan" bread (very open crumb, chewy crust) and am more interested in sandwich loaves. My standard recipe is: Combine 19 oz of bread flour and 1.5 cups 115-degree water til shaggy. Let stand ~30 minutes. Add 1.5 tsp instant yeast and then 1 tsp salt. Knead with dough hook 8 minutes, knead by hand a couple of times, ferment 90 minutes, shape, prove 90 minutes, bake 25 minutes at 425. Eat. Look at you, going by weight and shit! Definitely creeping into your mind if you're getting wired that way. Falling on the "cook" side of the baker vs. cook spectrum I still only operate in volume measures. Also I'm the opposite: I'm more into the whole freeform loaf thing. I always feel sheepish going to loaf pan bread, like I had to do with that whole grain bread I mentioned on the previous page. |
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Post by LazBro on May 1, 2017 15:53:19 GMT -5
I've done a lot of no-knead bread over the years. I'm only moderately interested in that kind of "artisan" bread (very open crumb, chewy crust) and am more interested in sandwich loaves. My standard recipe is: Combine 19 oz of bread flour and 1.5 cups 115-degree water til shaggy. Let stand ~30 minutes. Add 1.5 tsp instant yeast and then 1 tsp salt. Knead with dough hook 8 minutes, knead by hand a couple of times, ferment 90 minutes, shape, prove 90 minutes, bake 25 minutes at 425. Eat. Look at you, going by weight and shit! Definitely creeping into your mind if you're getting wired that way. Falling on the "cook" side of the baker vs. cook spectrum I still only operate in volume measures. Also I'm the opposite: I'm more into the whole freeform loaf thing. I always feel sheepish going to loaf pan bread, like I had to do with that whole grain bread I mentioned on the previous page. I only had to put together one recipe by weight to know that it's the only way I ever want to operate. Oh how I wish more American recipes were given in grams or ounces. It's just so much easier. *Place bowl on digital scale *Tear *Pour in first ingredient until you hit desired weight *Tear *Pour in second ingredient until you hit desired weight *Tear No measuring cups or spoons to clean. More accurate measures. |
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Post by pairesta on May 1, 2017 15:54:49 GMT -5
Look at you, going by weight and shit! Definitely creeping into your mind if you're getting wired that way. Falling on the "cook" side of the baker vs. cook spectrum I still only operate in volume measures. Also I'm the opposite: I'm more into the whole freeform loaf thing. I always feel sheepish going to loaf pan bread, like I had to do with that whole grain bread I mentioned on the previous page. I only had to put together one recipe by weight to know that it's the only way I ever want to operate. Oh how I wish more American recipes were give in grams or ounces. It's just so much easier. *Place bowl on digital scale *Tear *Pour in first ingredient until you hit desired weight *Tear *Pour in second ingredient until you hit desired weight *Tear No measuring cups or spoons to clean. More accurate measures. Bah! More dishes, I say! MORE! |
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Post by Powerthirteen on May 1, 2017 16:00:40 GMT -5
I only had to put together one recipe by weight to know that it's the only way I ever want to operate. Oh how I wish more American recipes were give in grams or ounces. It's just so much easier. *Place bowl on digital scale *Tear *Pour in first ingredient until you hit desired weight *Tear *Pour in second ingredient until you hit desired weight *Tear No measuring cups or spoons to clean. More accurate measures. Bah! More dishes, I say! MORE! That's how I feel about saving work by doing a no-knead recipe. More kneading, I say! MORE! |
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Bread
Aug 19, 2018 8:54:24 GMT -5
Post by pairesta on Aug 19, 2018 8:54:24 GMT -5
What would cause a loaf of bread to come out tough? I baked some really bad bread a few weeks ago: the loaves spread more than they rose, so they were flat, and the crusts were incredibly difficult to get through. Like, you're sore cutting a few slices for the family afterwards. I just finished them off, thank god, but am curious how they came out that way. I can't really think of anything I did too differently except that I think I put whole wheat in with the sponge the night before to let it break down more?
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Post by ๐ cahusserole ๐ on Nov 15, 2018 1:10:37 GMT -5
We were talking about bread in the Shoutbox so I thought I'd share some links here.  I made this bread tonight and it's really nice: www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/italian-sesame-bread-recipeMy notes: I omitted whatever Easy-Roll Dough Improver is. I used plain ol' AP flour and had to add about 2-3 extra tablespoons. I rounded the table salt measure because I like salt. If I made this again, I'd make two loaves, as the braid I formed barely fit on my biggest sheet pan. 3 tablespoons is a lot of sesame seeds. I've made it as one boule and it's difficult to get a consistent bake through the loaf. It's nicer (and fits better in a toaster) as two slipper-shaped loaves. I like the discontinued instructions, where you start it in a cold ovenโhowever, I did burn it the first time I made it. My loaves turn out much darker and rustic-looking than the photo here, which imo looks pretty boring. I'm guessing that's how it looks when you don't do step 7, which used to be marked as optional.
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Post by Celebith on Mar 6, 2019 0:30:38 GMT -5
I had some bananas that were starting to go, so I decided to make some bread. I used this recipe from Allrecipes, because they were at the top of google search hits and that usually leads to decent enough results. I topped it with some chopped pecans, which came out well - the pecans were toasted, instead of staying soft like they might if I mixed them in. Not very sweet.  |
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Post by ๐ cahusserole ๐ on Dec 22, 2019 1:03:07 GMT -5
As 2019 winds down, I would like to take this opportunity to say that I have kept my sourdough starter alive for a whole year! And I have figured out a pretty reliable bread recipe that my family likes. I'm very happy about this.
I am attempting a panettone for the holidays, using the Sullivan Street Bakery recipe:
The dough is 24 hours into its first rise, and... uh, it's slow going.
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Post by Hachiman on Dec 22, 2019 20:27:39 GMT -5
As 2019 winds down, I would like to take this opportunity to say that I have kept my sourdough starter alive for a whole year! And I have figured out a pretty reliable bread recipe that my family likes. I'm very happy about this.
I am attempting a panettone for the holidays, using the Sullivan Street Bakery recipe:
The dough is 24 hours into its first rise, and... uh, it's slow going.
Sourdough Starter is on my list of New Years resolutions. I've had some in the past, but I can never keep it going during summer and then I never have time to start it again. |
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Bread
Dec 23, 2019 10:17:06 GMT -5
Post by Crash Test Dumbass on Dec 23, 2019 10:17:06 GMT -5
As 2019 winds down, I would like to take this opportunity to say that I have kept my sourdough starter alive for a whole year! And I have figured out a pretty reliable bread recipe that my family likes. I'm very happy about this.
I am attempting a panettone for the holidays, using the Sullivan Street Bakery recipe:
The dough is 24 hours into its first rise, and... uh, it's slow going.
Sourdough Starter is on my list of New Years resolutions. I've had some in the past, but I can never keep it going during summer and then I never have time to start it again. I usually keep mine in the fridge and take it out on weekends to feed it and make crepes. I also have some backup in the freezer and some even more backup dried in a jar. |
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Post by Pastafarian on Feb 11, 2020 20:55:56 GMT -5
My first no knead bread turned out pretty well. Then I tried to do it with sourdough starter and twice in a row I get pancake batter instead of dough after screwing around with it for over 24 hours. I tried both volume and weight measurements and the damned thing is too wet! (thought the second version was slightly less so, not enough to be able to actuallu form it into a ball) The first one I dumped out into compost, the second one I couldn't bear to throw out again so I poured/dumped it onto a piece of parchment paper, heated up my dutch oven, and lowered it in there. My guess is I'm just wasting more time on this thing.
How can it be so easy for all the people in the comments and so hard for me?
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Post by songstarliner on Feb 11, 2020 21:16:48 GMT -5
My first no knead bread turned out pretty well. Then I tried to do it with sourdough starter and twice in a row I get pancake batter instead of dough after screwing around with it for over 24 hours. I tried both volume and weight measurements and the damned thing is too wet! (thought the second version was slightly less so, not enough to be able to actuallu form it into a ball) The first one I dumped out into compost, the second one I couldn't bear to throw out again so I poured/dumped it onto a piece of parchment paper, heated up my dutch oven, and lowered it in there. My guess is I'm just wasting more time on this thing. How can it be so easy for all the people in the comments and so hard for me? Deep breaths, babe. No matter where the mistake is, the fundamental reason for wet dough is *too much water*. I know they say it's important to measure as accurately as possible when baking, but sometimes you have to roll with it (no pun intended). If your dough is too wet, knead in some flour until it comes together (not a no-knead solution, but still); if your starter is too wet for your dough, use *much less starter* and let the thing rise in the fridge overnight. Seems like that recipe isn't meant to be used with what I assume is a wet sourdough starter. Either that or your scale needs a new battery ...
Sorry if my solutions aren't no knead/quick fixes! Keep making bread, it's important.
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Post by Pastafarian on Feb 12, 2020 20:11:32 GMT -5
My first no knead bread turned out pretty well. Then I tried to do it with sourdough starter and twice in a row I get pancake batter instead of dough after screwing around with it for over 24 hours. I tried both volume and weight measurements and the damned thing is too wet! (thought the second version was slightly less so, not enough to be able to actuallu form it into a ball) The first one I dumped out into compost, the second one I couldn't bear to throw out again so I poured/dumped it onto a piece of parchment paper, heated up my dutch oven, and lowered it in there. My guess is I'm just wasting more time on this thing. How can it be so easy for all the people in the comments and so hard for me? Deep breaths, babe. No matter where the mistake is, the fundamental reason for wet dough is *too much water*. I know they say it's important to measure as accurately as possible when baking, but sometimes you have to roll with it (no pun intended). If your dough is too wet, knead in some flour until it comes together (not a no-knead solution, but still); if your starter is too wet for your dough, use *much less starter* and let the thing rise in the fridge overnight. Seems like that recipe isn't meant to be used with what I assume is a wet sourdough starter. Either that or your scale needs a new battery ...
Sorry if my solutions aren't no knead/quick fixes! Keep making bread, it's important.
Appreciated! I have never made a starter before so not sure if mine is the right level of wet, or overly so. but at the end of the day I think i needed more flour less water or both. (or possibly less starter). The one I poured into the dutch oven looked decent on the outside when I finished baking it, but as I kinda suspected, was gummy/underdone inside. On the plus side, it's nice and tangy! So I'll tweak again and see how it goes. I may try a non-no-knead recipe too, I was just drawn to those because they seemed so easy and turned out so gorgeous. To be continued.... |
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Post by Pastafarian on Mar 15, 2020 14:23:59 GMT -5
My first no knead bread turned out pretty well. Then I tried to do it with sourdough starter and twice in a row I get pancake batter instead of dough after screwing around with it for over 24 hours. I tried both volume and weight measurements and the damned thing is too wet! (thought the second version was slightly less so, not enough to be able to actuallu form it into a ball) The first one I dumped out into compost, the second one I couldn't bear to throw out again so I poured/dumped it onto a piece of parchment paper, heated up my dutch oven, and lowered it in there. My guess is I'm just wasting more time on this thing. How can it be so easy for all the people in the comments and so hard for me? Deep breaths, babe. No matter where the mistake is, the fundamental reason for wet dough is *too much water*. I know they say it's important to measure as accurately as possible when baking, but sometimes you have to roll with it (no pun intended). If your dough is too wet, knead in some flour until it comes together (not a no-knead solution, but still); if your starter is too wet for your dough, use *much less starter* and let the thing rise in the fridge overnight. Seems like that recipe isn't meant to be used with what I assume is a wet sourdough starter. Either that or your scale needs a new battery ...
Sorry if my solutions aren't no knead/quick fixes! Keep making bread, it's important.
Persistence paid off. Made a loaf four days ago that was perfect. Well pretty good anyway, and much better than my previous attempts. Texture was right, flavour was right, density wasn't out of whack. Made the second one today, and I think it might even be better than the first. I hate to get cocky, but I think I might be on to something!   I do wish it had a bit more "lift" it seems a little flat, but the taste isn't impacted so I'm not too concerned. |
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Post by Pastafarian on Mar 17, 2020 10:47:26 GMT -5
The anxiety baking continues. This one a chocolate chip banana bread. Used greek yogurt in the mix so it's very moist.  |
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Post by pairesta on Mar 26, 2020 7:00:27 GMT -5
Yep, there's been a lot of anxiety baking in our house also. Probably unwise, given that flour is one of the things being hoarded right now. But my wife and I are basically alternating days where either I make some kind of bread or she's making a cake or cookies. "We're gonna all look like the people in Wall-E!" She remarked as we hunkered down with a fresh batch of whoopie pies.
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Post by sarapen on Mar 27, 2020 9:00:54 GMT -5
I've been using the bread maker more but I'm getting increasingly annoyed at the misshapen part of the bread where the kneading blade goes. I think I'll try making some no knead bread in the Dutch oven this weekend. The first no knead bread recipe that shows up on Google is one from the New York Times and it looks fairly easy so we'll see how it goes.
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Post by Crash Test Dumbass on Mar 27, 2020 13:52:03 GMT -5
Semolina sourdough. I put cornmeal down to help release the bread from the pans, but put it down too soon, and the bread plooped around the cornmeal and stuck to the pans anyway.  |
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Post by pairesta on Mar 28, 2020 8:17:46 GMT -5
If the worst part for you of the no-knead recipe is negotiating getting the bread into the 500 degree cooking vessel, I've found that you can get very good results just baking the bread on a sturdy pizza stone, as long as you have a shitload of steam in the oven. My setup is the baking stone on the upper rack, set in the middle of the oven. Two notches below that I put an old cast iron pan I don't use much, and just let it heat with the oven for an hour beforehand. Then right after I put the bread in (just flour a baking peel very well, put the shaped dough on that and let it do its final rise while the oven preheats), I dump a cup full of ice cubes into that preheated pan and that's more than enough steam to get a nice chocolate brown, shattering crust.
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Post by sarapen on Mar 28, 2020 9:12:55 GMT -5
If the worst part for you of the no-knead recipe is negotiating getting the bread into the 500 degree cooking vessel, I've found that you can get very good results just baking the bread on a sturdy pizza stone, as long as you have a shitload of steam in the oven. My setup is the baking stone on the upper rack, set in the middle of the oven. Two notches below that I put an old cast iron pan I don't use much, and just let it heat with the oven for an hour beforehand. Then right after I put the bread in (just flour a baking peel very well, put the shaped dough on that and let it do its final rise while the oven preheats), I dump a cup full of ice cubes into that preheated pan and that's more than enough steam to get a nice chocolate brown, shattering crust. A baking peel? What am I, a pizzeria? Seriously, that's entirely too specialized a tool for my normal baking needs. But thanks, I'll keep in mind the steaming thing when I get around to doing this. |
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Post by songstarliner on Mar 28, 2020 16:25:11 GMT -5
If the worst part for you of the no-knead recipe is negotiating getting the bread into the 500 degree cooking vessel, I've found that you can get very good results just baking the bread on a sturdy pizza stone, as long as you have a shitload of steam in the oven. My setup is the baking stone on the upper rack, set in the middle of the oven. Two notches below that I put an old cast iron pan I don't use much, and just let it heat with the oven for an hour beforehand. Then right after I put the bread in (just flour a baking peel very well, put the shaped dough on that and let it do its final rise while the oven preheats), I dump a cup full of ice cubes into that preheated pan and that's more than enough steam to get a nice chocolate brown, shattering crust. A baking peel? What am I, a pizzeria? Seriously, that's entirely too specialized a tool for my normal baking needs. But thanks, I'll keep in mind the steaming thing when I get around to doing this. You can use an upside-down baking sheet. Personally I would wait until the last minute to transfer the loaf to your well-floured, upside-down baking sheet, because dough that sticks instead of slides is the WORST. |
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Post by The Stuffingtacular She-Hulk on Mar 29, 2020 14:56:42 GMT -5
Realized I finally have the time and energy to devote to it, so I began a sourdough starter today! It's currently living on top of the fridge, and I await the moment I can post a photo of my first loaf. I do love making bread.
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Post by GumTurkeyles on Mar 31, 2020 11:11:48 GMT -5
If the worst part for you of the no-knead recipe is negotiating getting the bread into the 500 degree cooking vessel, I've found that you can get very good results just baking the bread on a sturdy pizza stone, as long as you have a shitload of steam in the oven. My setup is the baking stone on the upper rack, set in the middle of the oven. Two notches below that I put an old cast iron pan I don't use much, and just let it heat with the oven for an hour beforehand. Then right after I put the bread in (just flour a baking peel very well, put the shaped dough on that and let it do its final rise while the oven preheats), I dump a cup full of ice cubes into that preheated pan and that's more than enough steam to get a nice chocolate brown, shattering crust. I usually do the no-knead method, but I tried a regluar kneaded version on sunday evening/monday morning. I don't have a proofing vessel, so I used a bowl with flour-dusted towel. I was able to pick that up (while earing oven mits) and place that into the dutch oven without messing anything up. The only part I had issue with was making nice looking slices, as none of my knives are freshly sharpened. |
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Post by Pastafarian on Mar 31, 2020 11:37:53 GMT -5
If the worst part for you of the no-knead recipe is negotiating getting the bread into the 500 degree cooking vessel, I've found that you can get very good results just baking the bread on a sturdy pizza stone, as long as you have a shitload of steam in the oven. My setup is the baking stone on the upper rack, set in the middle of the oven. Two notches below that I put an old cast iron pan I don't use much, and just let it heat with the oven for an hour beforehand. Then right after I put the bread in (just flour a baking peel very well, put the shaped dough on that and let it do its final rise while the oven preheats), I dump a cup full of ice cubes into that preheated pan and that's more than enough steam to get a nice chocolate brown, shattering crust. A baking peel? What am I, a pizzeria? Seriously, that's entirely too specialized a tool for my normal baking needs. But thanks, I'll keep in mind the steaming thing when I get around to doing this. You can also forgo pre-heating the vessel in the oven and just put it in cold with the dough. I've done it both ways, and haven't seen an appreciable difference. Though I'm very curious to try this cast iron pan and ice cube technique! |
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Post by Pastafarian on Mar 31, 2020 11:40:53 GMT -5
Having had a couple of successful loafs now I'm going to go ahead and tinker presumably so I can get back to failing. Have gone from my go to white sourdough recipe to a version with half whole wheat flour, We'll see how it goes. I added some ww flour to my starter as well and it behaved a bit differently so I don't suspect the end result will act exactly the same. Currently have it doing the bulk fermentation thing and hoping it will double in size and look bubbly.
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Post by Pastafarian on Apr 2, 2020 9:15:31 GMT -5
My two steps forward one step back with making bread continues. Having finished my bag of bread flour and not wanting to go out for more (which would probably be sold out anyway) I decided to use the bag of all purpose we have in the pantry. I figured "it can't be that different, anyway it's for *all* purposes! Probably should have sought out a recipe specifically calling for AP flour instead of just using the recipe that's been working for me so far with the bread flour.
Turns out, they don't act exactly the same.
And we begin again.
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Bread
Apr 2, 2020 9:52:11 GMT -5
Post by sarapen on Apr 2, 2020 9:52:11 GMT -5
My two steps forward one step back with making bread continues. Having finished my bag of bread flour and not wanting to go out for more (which would probably be sold out anyway) I decided to use the bag of all purpose we have in the pantry. I figured "it can't be that different, anyway it's for *all* purposes! Probably should have sought out a recipe specifically calling for AP flour instead of just using the recipe that's been working for me so far with the bread flour. Turns out, they don't act exactly the same. And we begin again. Out of curiosity, what specifically happened? |
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Post by Pastafarian on Apr 2, 2020 10:58:42 GMT -5
My two steps forward one step back with making bread continues. Having finished my bag of bread flour and not wanting to go out for more (which would probably be sold out anyway) I decided to use the bag of all purpose we have in the pantry. I figured "it can't be that different, anyway it's for *all* purposes! Probably should have sought out a recipe specifically calling for AP flour instead of just using the recipe that's been working for me so far with the bread flour. Turns out, they don't act exactly the same. And we begin again. Out of curiosity, what specifically happened? After the bulk ferment is was very wet/runny, had no structure to it so no way to form into a ball/loaf. Upon further investigation it sounds like AP flour can have significantly less protein than bread flour which can lead to a lack of structure. Of course there are recipes that use AP flour, but they must compensate in other ways for having less protein. (I assume). The other factor I didn't mention was I attempted to add a small amount of whole wheat flour to the mix so it wasn't all white. This may have exacerbated the problem or maybe not, another lesson I learned was not to change more than one thing at a time. I have found a recipe that calls specifically for AP so gonna see how that goes. |
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Post by Powerthirteen on Apr 2, 2020 16:54:56 GMT -5
I bollocksed up a cinnamon swirl bread (first proof too long, then left it in the fridge over night but didn't leave it out to warm up long enough before baking it) so I have turned right around and made a second iteration of the same recipe.
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