...this is an awesome site with a wealth of knowledge and, at first glance, some very clearheaded and helpful people.
I feel a bit like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wp3m1vg06Q
...Lucy in the chocolate factory, trying to make sense of the overwhelming body of skills and knowledge.
Patience, man.
Scott.
Hello everyone!
It's great to be back in the world of bread. We're just back from an eight month trip taking our boat down the US coast to the Bahamas. Sorry to say I only had a chance to bake bread once as the weather was the worst in 15 years and most of our time was spent either sitting out a storm or finding a place to anchor before the next front came through.
We're back home for the summer and it's a delight to be able to get back to baking bread. Can't wait to catch up on what's been happening on TFL and to check out how the handbook is coming along.
I am participating in the Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge and I have 2 breads left to go. I got sidetreacked by these amazing biscotti!
http://saltandserenity.com/2010/06/17/white-chocolate-cranberry-coconut-biscotti/
I am a newbie trying to follow Eckhardt and Butts' recipe for pain au levain. In step 1 you create a sourdough starter. In step 2 the starter is used to create a sponge. In step 3 the sponge is used to create a dough. The recipe suggests that you set aside a cup of the dough for future breads. However, I am not clear whether, for the new bread, this leftover cup is the starter for the sponge (step 1) or the sponge for the dough (step 2). Also, do you use it all or do you use the amount that is indicated for the starter (or for the sponge).
I am trying to follow a recipe (Eckhardt & Butts' pain au levain) that call for proccessing the ingredients "in the dough cycle" but my Zo mini has 2 dough cycles. One rests, kneads and proofs. The whole process takes almost 2 hours. Then there is another dough cycle that just kneads. Which one should I use?
Hello!
I was wondering if anyone has made a yeasted Bara Brith loaf and is willing to share the recipe, knowledge, just send me a loaf I can call my own. :)
I found a recipe in "The World Encyclopedia of Bread and Bread Making" by Christine Ingram & Jennie Shapter, but it calls for fresh yeast which I can't get. I *could* substitute dried yeast I suppose, but I'm really looking for a recipe that someone has tried and succeeded at- I have enough of my own failures. :D
I urgently need some advice on my sourdough bread! I have baked a white sourdough but the crumb's holes are very inconsistent. As you can see from the photo's, there are a few large holes and the majority are small, uniform holes. The crust is very chewy, which is fine but the crumb is fairly stiff. Here are the details of my recipe:
For any one in the Tampa Bay area. The wheat Montana bulk order is coming up soon. Check at http://www.haleysilo.com/ and http://www.mannamakers.com/
Tonight's dinner was homemade pizza. I put my regular dough recipe away in favor of trying an overnight, slow-fermented pizza dough. We ended up with a pizza dough that was crispy on the bottom, chewy and pillowy up top, but so unbelievably bland. This was even more surprising considering the long, cold ferentation (24 hours in the fridge). The recipe is as follows:
20 oz KAF Bread flour
~ 2 cups water
4 t active dry yeast
2 T olive oil
3.5 t salt
