abunaloaf's blog

Whenever I make bread I leave some in the fridge for frying.  Sometime over the past several months I forgot it and it started to bubble and smell a bit sour...I added it to my bread and  now I always leave some of my bread as a starter for the next batch....And the bread is amazing fried in a cast iron pan with a bit of butter, and split and more added.  I actually use Becel...good as butter.  I like to think this type of sourdough with yeast added to every new batch has the same health benefits as regular sourdough which I gave up on.

For the fried bread I just make it into small circles, flatten with my fingers, and cook turning them once in awhile until nicely browned.  Serve hot with marjarine, and jam if you wish.

This has different names around the world.  I have known them as fried bread, flummies (Labrador), panitsiak (Inuit), toutons (Newfoundland) and stove cakes (my mother).  And I think they resemble a fried bread I tasted from the East Indian culture.  I was thinking I wanted to learn how to make it, but if I flatten the fried bread enough, it works.

I have recently tried sourdough, and was really encouraged when on the second day I had bubbles.  My old earthenware crock was previously used to make saurkraut.  I put in one cup of strong bread flour, one cup of spelt and 2 1/2 cups of tepid tap water, covered it with a glass plate and left it to find yeast.

The starter smelled more yeasty and less sour after a week.  Instead of discarding starter when feeding I used it, but I have yet to get a loaf I am satisfied with.  I know how to make bread, so that is not an issue.  I have made the exact same bread weekly for many years,  But I have also learned a lot since I have become interested in trying variations.  Thanks for this site.

I let the dough rise twice before putting it in pans and it takes forever.  So two days ago I put my dough in the fridge overnight and put it into pans in the morning....The dough had some condensation and a bit of drying as well.  After all day in a proofing oven it was still having a hard time rising.  I sprayed it periodically with oil so it wouldn't dry out.  It turned brown after baking, even though I used mostly white flour. The end result was a flattish heavy loaf that tastes good, but I would like it to be lighter. That way I could put the saw back in the garage.  I think I will start adding a teaspoon of yeast so I get the taste without all the waiting. 

When doing research about how to go about doing this I noticed that some people start their sourdough with real yeast.  Is this a bad thing?

I have made plain white, whole wheat, or a blend of both for many years, and recently tried some in a mixer instead of hand kneading.  It turned out much like baker's bread (storebought).  I think though, it was from overcooking and not the electric mixer.  I am trying it again today to see how it goes.  If I knead it myself it is only for a short time because of health reasons....my dough, if not made in the mixer, has a lot of water, and bakes soft, delicate and wonderfully home made.

The dough I make is also used to make cinnamon rolls, and fried bread.  Bread fried in a pan and split, served with butter and or jam is nice on its own or with a meal.

I would like to express my gratitude for this site and the interesting reading about the various topics.  For instance, I am learning new terminology.  I have always referred to proofing as rising; my new oven has a proof setting...and I never knew before now what a banneton is.

I have also sucessfully made ciabatta.  Occasionally exotic breads (my experiments) have ended up in my garden looking much like bricks.....but that is ok...I will continue trying as it is fun and sometimes satisfying to have a new to me finished product I can be proud of.

Best Regards,

Abunaloaf

I am looking for a dough hook and whisk for a 10 quart Hobart.  Does anyone know where I could find those parts?  Hobart no longer makes that size machine or parts.  I am wondering if the 12 quart attachment (dough hook) would fit.  If it can fit on the machine I can have it cut to fit.  I can live without the whisk as I need the machine to knead bread which I now do by hand.  I have a 6 quart Kitchen Aid which is suitable for small batches of dough.