The Fresh Loaf

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

I think I lost the ability to turn out great bread.

April 1, 2024 - 2:23pm -- Unofornaio

Hey all this is my first post here and I am hoping to get some guidance. I apologize in advance for the length but I wanted to get as much detail in as possible. Years ago I had a tiny wood fired bread operation that was doing great till a very messy divorce and all the joy that comes with it. It ultimately had to be closed down and I move away from food for several years. 

louisemmcandrews's picture

Starter with fresh milled rye wheat berries

April 1, 2024 - 12:24pm -- louisemmcandrews

Greetings,  I have been baking sourdough for several years and recently had to make a starter because mine died.  That said,  I milled fresh rye and mixed it with filtered water.  Everyday, i get hooch, and maybe a few bubbles.  Should I not use the whole rye?  Is it feeding too quickly with the full grain?  It used to be so easy to make up my barm.  Help please. 

Anonymous baker's picture

Howdy from Texas!

March 31, 2024 - 5:54pm -- Anonymous baker (not verified)

Been making my own bread for so many years I don't remember when I started!  I strictly eat organic, and over the past 15 years "organic" has become industrialized so now I'm making all breads (and most other things) myself.  Starting to seek out heirloom varieties of anything I can find, and I support family farms and ranches whenever possible.

Isand66's picture
Isand66

 

Grilling season is upon on us!  The weather is finally feeling like spring so some tasty rolls are in order for burgers and other tasty sandwiches.

I made a sweet levain by adding some dark maple syrup (the real stuff only of course) to some KAF bread flour and my stiff starter.

For the main dough some fresh milled Rouge De Bordeaux whole wheat was sifted and milled twice along with some fresh milled spelt which was  sifted  once and milled twice.  Some  more KAF bread flour rounded out the flour mix.

More dark maple syrup was also added along with some rolled oats and cottage cheese.  The total hydration of the dough takes the 81% water content of the cottage cheese and 33% water content of  the maple syrup.  The dough was nicely hydrated and very silky after fully mixing.

I have to say, these turned out amazing.  I added some grated Vermont Cheddar cheese to some rolls and some black sesame seeds and toasted onions as well.  Forget those tasteless supermarket rolls and make a batch of these for your next cookout!

Formula

Levain Directions

Mix all the levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 5-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.  I usually do this the night before.

Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flour with about 90% of the water holding some back for after the autolyze for about a minute.  Let the dough autolyze for up to an hour.  After an hour add the salt, cottage cheese, maple syrup and additional water as needed.  If using an Ankarsrum mix on medium low for 15 – 20 minutes until you have a well developed dough.  If using another mixer you can mix as needed until you have a well developed dough.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.   After a total of 1.45 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours. (Note: I use my proofer set at 80 F, so if you are leaving the dough out at room temperature you may want to let it proof for longer.  The goal is not to have the dough double but maybe rise about 1/3 at most and it will do the rest in the refrigerator.

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1 hour.  Remove the dough and shape into rolls around 135-145 grams each for nice size burger buns.  Cover the rolls with a moist tea towel or plastic wrap Sprayed with cooking spray and let rise for 1 1/2 at around 80 degrees.  The rolls should be nice and puffy and increase in size about 30-40%

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right  you are ready to put them in the oven, apply an egg wash if desired and add any toppings you desire. Next add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 425 degrees.  Bake for 25 minutes or until the rolls are nice and brown.

Take the rolls out of the oven when done and let them cool on a bakers rack for as long as you can resist.

Farci's picture
Farci

Hello folks - I just moved from UK to Spain along with my trust Panasonic SDD255 breadmaker.

I would appreciate guidance to sourcing flour, yeast and baking enhancer as substitutes for the brands I was familiar with in UK to bake for my household and friends. 

I live in the Malaga area so I am looking for any specialist outlets as well as online sources. My Spanish is not yet fluent although I can read/translate

Many thanks

ninar's picture

Help with big batches of enriched dough (cinnamon rolls),

March 30, 2024 - 4:21pm -- ninar
Forums: 

Hi, 

 

I recently started selling cinnamon rolls and other pastries.  I've scaled up my recipe and with that, there have been some unforeseen challenges.  If I do anything beyond a double batch of my cinnamon roll dough, the dough will NOT relax when it comes time to roll it out.  It's not let it warm up or hang out type of situation-- its a crazy springy dough.  

dlassiter's picture

need to knead?

March 30, 2024 - 2:29pm -- dlassiter
Forums: 

I have a relative coming to stay who is gluten-intolerant. Sigh. So, OK, I'll make some bread with some gluten-free flour substitute. Never used the stuff before. Got some chickpea flour. Looks and tastes like regular flour. But it occurs to me that with regular flour, we knead specifically to strengthen the gluten. Do I need to knead this stuff, as it has no gluten to strengthen?

 

The Roadside Pie King's picture
The Roadside Pi...

As a special bonus of putting up with my nonsense, I present Nanny's (my Mom's) secret formula for her iconic special occasions or Sunday dinner

"Crepe Style Manicotti"

Enjoy the step by step simple instructions.

1. The crepes.

2. The sauce

3. The Filling

4. Assembly

5. Bake.

 

 

 

 

 

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