The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.
lief's picture
lief

Here is the second recipe I've made from Amy's Bread, and my first pumpernickel ever! After having been burned by modifying the methods for the 100% spelt bread recipe (mine ended up VERY sour) in the same book and not knowing what to expect from pumpernickel flour I stayed very close to the original recipe. However, when I put together the final dough, it was absolutely nothing like the description! There is some sort of disconnect here and I'm not sure what it is. The recipe describes a dough that may need to have water added to it a tablespoon at a time if it is too difficult to knead. It describes a dough that should be very easy to handle when it comes time to shape it. My dough was very, very wet and although manageable I would not describe it as easy to handle. I thought that perhaps I measured something wrong, but the final dough weight was in the ballpark of what I expected it to it be after all ingredients were accounted for. My suspicion is that the course pumpernickel flour should have been put in a soaker the night before, as prescribed for the sunflower pumpernickel bread in BBA. My inclination was to make a soaker but I did not because it was not in the recipe as written and I was trying to stay close to the recipe.

These concerns aside, the bread tastes great! The recipe contains a good portion of sunflower seeds and it really seems to go well with the pumpernickel flour. It has a smooth and nutty flavor (duh!) with a pleasingly chewy crumb and a very crunchy crust. I felt like it would have been great with some butter, but I never actually ate it that way... instead preferring to eat the slices plain but lightly toasted. The crunchy crust was undoubtedly helped along because I brushed one loaf with oil and the other with melted butter because I could not fit both loaf pans under my foil pan. This was the suggestion given in Amy's Bread to achieve even coloration if insufficient steam was causing white streaks on your breads. It certainly worked to get a nice even color on top of the loaves, and I did enjoy the crunch imparted on the crust, but at the same time it made the bread a little "oily" like it had been lightly fried or something like that. I'm not sure I'm so keen on that, so I may not use that technique in the future. Perhaps I'll try an egg wash instead?

Also, the loaves were a bit flat because I over proofed them. It's been quite some time since I've made bread with commercial yeast, and being accustomed to sourdough time tables I wasn't keeping a proper eye on the dough. Before I knew it, they were ready for the oven... but it wasn't even pre-heated yet!! Oh well... the taste was still very nice and that is what is important. My next pumpernickel bread will be from BBA so I can compare the two recipes.

 

metropical's picture

uh oh - over-hydrated dough

August 15, 2010 - 12:49pm -- metropical
Forums: 

what to do?

I used my starter that had grayed a bit.  I've done this before with no problem.

I stirred in the grey liquid (it didn't smell any more off then usual).

But the starter never "woke" up even after 3 feeds.  

I started the dough using the usual proportions and I have a very wet dough that will in no way hold a "slicing" loaf shape.

It is currently in autolyse.  Any suggestions to fix, or just go ahead as normal?

 

restever99's picture

Salt Lake City Sourdough

August 15, 2010 - 12:16pm -- restever99

Hello all,

It has been a while since I posted.  I get moved around the country a lot.  With all that moving comes transporting my starters, always a pain, but worth it because of the new flavors I get in each place I end up.  This is my first batch since moving to Salt Lake City and I want to show it off.  Comments and critique are always welcomed.  Happy kneading!

turosdolci's picture
turosdolci

Cherry crumble tart is easy to make and yet it has a wow factor.

 

http://turosdolci.wordpress.com/2010/08/15/cherry-crumble-tart-a-tart-with-a-wow-factor”/

 

 

 

louie brown's picture
louie brown

I am interested in improving my roll shaping skills. This is a very basic sourdough formula of about 67% hydration, bulk fermented for about 3 and a quarter hours in a warm city kitchen, then shaped and proofed for about another hour and a quarter, baked with steam.

 

I tried some fendus, which, while they had the right shape, were rather bloated for my taste. I prefer the slimmer shape, with a nice point for rolls. I think this will require a wider "hinge" and a narrower body.

 

I also tried a shape I believe I saw here, although I am not sure. A dowel is pressed into the side of a round roll and a flap is rolled. This flap is then pulled over the top of the roll, making a lovely effect. If this sounds familiar to anyone, I'd appreciate some guidance.

 

The rolls shown, in a "teardrop" shape, are, as far as I can tell, an original idea, cut to a point with a bench knife from a round shape that has been lengthened a little. People seem to have fun eating them.

 

Additional discussion about rolls, especially shaping, would be welcomed.

 

I'm including an additional crumb shot of the batard just because I like the picture.

 

 

 

 

teketeke's picture

Japanese sandwich bread

August 15, 2010 - 3:17am -- teketeke
Forums: 

Update:  3/1/2011

I haven't been satisfied with my old version sandwich bread because I smell strong yeast in the bread and the loaf was dry quickly. I have been working on my recipe to improve.  This sandwich loaf is my favorite.  I hope you will like it too.

 

 

Japanese sandwich bread

写真 

 

 

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