Isand66's blog

After returning from my annual pilgrimage to North Carolina and finding my kitchen devoid of fresh bread I got busy milling some fresh flour.

I wanted to use a beer in this bake and decided that fresh spelt and Kamut would go great with the Pale Ale I had in stock.  Of course some caramelized onions would also go well with this combination and some Greek Yogurt and honey rounded out the flavor profile.

I added some smoked sesame seeds and garlic sesame seeds to the top and baked it boldly.

The flavor is nutty and bursting with sweetness from the onions and honey.  The crumb is moderate and not as open as I expected but ideal for sandwiches.

I am definitely going to bake this one again.

Download the BreadStorm File Here.

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 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.  I usually do this the night before.  Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours,  cracked wheat, Greek Yogurt and 400 grams of the Ale together in your mixer or by hand until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute.  Let it rest in your work bowl covered for 60 minutes or longer.  I actually left it for around 2.5 hours.  Next add the salt, starter (cut into about 7-8 pieces), honey, and balance of the Ale, and mix on low for 5 minutes.  Add the caramelized onions and mix until incorporated.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.  (If you have a proofer you can set it to 80 degrees and follow above steps but you should be finished in 1 hour to 1.5 hours).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.   Place your dough into your proofing basket(s) and cover with a moist tea towel or plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray.  The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 550 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 before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 445 degrees.  Bake for 25-35 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 210 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

I made these to bring to my Brother-in-laws for Thanks Giving while visiting North Carolina as usual.  I adapted my formula for Potato SD Pretzel rolls and adjusted the water to compensate for the removal of the potatoes.

I used KAF bread flour mixed with KAF medium rye flour.  I also added some maple syrup.

I stuffed each roll with a couple of pieces of extra sharp white cheddar we bought during our last trip to Vermont and sprinkled some on top along with pretzel salt.

The final result was as good as it looks.  The taste of the cheese along with the distinct pretzel flavor was a perfect accompaniment to all the usual Thanksgiving treats.

T

  After the nice and hearty apple cider walnut rye bread I baked I needed something a little lighter.  This bake with durum, spelt, cream cheese and baby purple potatoes that I roasted the night before was just the ticket.  The cream cheese and potatoes really made for a nice soft and moist crumb.

You can see the pretty purple bits of potato sticking out of the crumb and the nice nutty flavors of the spelt and durum really make this one worth baking again.

The dough was quite sticky from the addition of the potatoes and cream cheese.  I did not add the water content of either into the formula below but in reality the added almost 230 grams of water would take the hydration up way over 70%.

Formula

Download the BreadStorm File Here

.

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 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.

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

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours and water together in your mixer or by hand until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute.  Let it rest in your work bowl covered for 20-30 minutes.  Next add the salt, starter (cut into about 7-8 pieces), ricotta cheese and olive oil and mix on low for 6 minutes.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.  (If you have a proofer you can set it to 80 degrees and follow above steps but you should be finished in 1 hour to 1.5 hours).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.   Place your dough into your proofing basket(s) and cover with a moist tea towel or plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray.  The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 550 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 before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for 25-35 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

       This is a great fall bread made with apple cider, rye flour and lots of walnuts.  If you don't like walnuts you can certainly leave them out or cut  down on the amount used which was quite a bit.

I really like the combination of flavors in this one.  I ended up with a little more of a bold bake than I would have liked but it tastes great.

Download the BreadStorm File Here.

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 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.  I usually do this the night before.  Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours,  and the apple cider together in your mixer or by hand until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute.  Let it rest in your work bowl covered for 60 minutes or longer.  Next add the salt, starter (cut into about 7-8 pieces), and balsamic vinegar along with the eggs, and mix on low for 6 minutes.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  At this point you can flatten the dough out slightly and incorporate the walnuts.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.  (If you have a proofer you can set it to 80 degrees and follow above steps but you should be finished in 1 hour to 1.5 hours).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.   Place your dough into your proofing basket(s) and cover with a moist tea towel or plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray.  The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 550 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 before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for 25-35 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 210 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

           I wanted to bake a nice soft and flavorful bread but one with some healthy grains as well.  In went a soaker left for 24 hours in hot water comprised of grits, rolled oats and barley flakes.  I also added some left-over mashed potatoes and some grilled onions.

The flour was mostly fresh milled Kamut and Spelt with some KAF Bread Flour as well.

I used a cat and pumpkin cookie cutter to add some Halloween spirits to the boule, and while it could have used some seeds or cocoa to really make it cool, it still came out respectable.

The crumb was moist and open and bursting with flavor.  The soaker added a nice nutty flavor and the onions were melt in your mouth delicious along with the odd chunk of potato.  This one is worth making again.

Download the BreadStorm File Here.

Soaker Directions

Mix all of the dry ingredients together and add the boiling hot water.  Cover and let sit overnight or up to 24 hours at room temperature.

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 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.  I usually do this the night before.  Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours,  and 400 grams of the water together in your mixer or by hand until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute.  Let it rest in your work bowl covered for 60 minutes.   Next add the salt, starter (cut into about 7-8 pieces), potatoes, onions and balance of the water, and mix on low for 6 minutes.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.  (If you have a proofer you can set it to 80 degrees and follow above steps but you should be finished in 1 hour to 1.5 hours).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.   Place your dough into your proofing basket(s) and cover with a moist tea towel or plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray.  The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 550 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 before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for 25-35 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 210 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

    This is another version of the Pain au levain I made a few weeks ago but I changed up the flours using some spelt and high gluten flour.  I made 1 batard with about half of the dough and 2 baguettes with the remainder.

I didn't include any photos of the baguettes this time since they are still a work in progress and even though it's almost Halloween I didn't want to scare everyone.  The crumb and taste was perfect but my scoring and the color was not pretty.

The batard came out great with a nice crumb for sandwiches and toast.  You can taste the nutty addition of the spelt flour in the final bread and it really added a nice additional layer of flavor.

Download the BreadStorm File Here.

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 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.  I usually do this the night before.  Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours,  and 400 grams of the water together in your mixer or by hand until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute.  Let it rest in your work bowl covered for 60 minutes or longer.  I actually left it for around 2.5 hours.  Next add the salt, starter (cut into about 7-8 pieces), and balance of the water, and mix on low for 6 minutes.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.  (If you have a proofer you can set it to 80 degrees and follow above steps but you should be finished in 1 hour to 1.5 hours).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.   Place your dough into your proofing basket(s) and cover with a moist tea towel or plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray.  The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 550 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 before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for 25-35 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 210 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

I had never used squash in my bread baking before and didn't know how it would effect the end result.  I only used a small amount of leftover roasted butternut squash that I mashed up with a spoon before adding to the final dough.

I have to say it really added a nice nutty and slightly sweet flavor coupled with the maple syrup I added.  The freshly milled WW flour and Spelt which were both sifted once along with the other additions turned out a moist and flavorful bread.  I brought one of the loaves into my office today and everyone told me they loved it.

This is one that is worth trying for sure.

Formula

Download the BreadStorm File Here.

Levain Directions Build 1

Mix the Levain ingredients together for build 1 for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.

Levain Directions Build 2

Add the remaining flour and water and mix until incorporated.  Let it sit at room temperature until doubled.  Use in the main dough right away or refrigerate overnight.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours and water together in your mixer or by hand until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute.  Let it rest in your work bowl covered for 1-2 hours.  Next add the salt, starter (cut into about 7-8 pieces), squash (mashed up) and maple syrup and mix on low for 6 minutes.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.  (If you have a proofer you can set it to 80 degrees and follow above steps but you should be finished in 1.5 hours).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.   Place your dough into your proofing basket(s) and cover with a moist tea towel or plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray.  The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 550 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 before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for 25-35 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

It's been a while since my last baguette bake and I've always admired the beauties coming out of fellow TFL baker Alfanso's oven.

I decided to give his formula adapted from master baker Jeffrey Hamelman a go.  I only changed up a few things by using KAF French style flour instead of bread flour and I also used fresh whole wheat I milled myself.  The other things I changed were using a bulk ferment of the dough overnight in the refrigerator and also using my mixer on low for a nice 6 minute ride around the bowl.  I then did stretch and folds at 3 intervals over a 2 hour period before putting it in the refrigerator to sleep until the next evening.  I followed my normal procedure of letting the dough rest in my proofer set at 79 degrees for 1 hour.  I then pre-shaped into rounds, let them rest for 15 minutes, finished shaping and let them rest in a couche for about an hour before baking.

My shaping didn't come out all that bad.  Could still use a bit of practice so I guess I need to make baguettes more often :0.

The taste was fantastic with a nice sour tang and a nutty flavor from the whole wheat and small percentage of rye.  I couldn't be more happy with the crumb on this one as it was as open as you can ask for without going overboard.

I will definitely be making this one again and probably changing up some of the flour combinations in the future as well.

Thanks Alfanso for your inspiration and advice.

  I had not made English Muffins in quite some time, so I opened up a recipe from the last time I baked them and modified it with what I had on hand.  I ran out of Greek Yogurt so I substituted some Buttermilk and probably added a little bit too much in the process.  The dough was a little wetter than it should have been, but in the end the flavor was amazing.  The addition of the freshly ground Spelt and Durum flours along with the onions and cheese made this one of my favorite English Muffin bakes to date.

I used the biggest cutter I had and once these bad boys hit the cooker they puffed up like nobodies business!  I ended up with some Super Sized muffins, but boy are they tasty.  Perfect with some butter or cream cheese or as a bun for a cheese burger.

The addition of the buttermilk just served to make the flavor of these even better and highly recommend you give these a try.

FORMULA

You can download the BreadStorm formula here:

Directions

Mix flour, starter, water, buttermilk, onions and yogurt in your mixing bowl and mix for 1-2 minutes to combine.

Cover the bowl and let it sit out at room temperature overnight or for at least 9-10 hours.

The next morning add the rest of the ingredients and mix for a minute.  Knead the dough either with your mixer or by hand for around 4 minutes, adding additional flour if necessary.  Next roll out the dough to about 3/4" thickness on your work surface.  You will have to put some bench flour on the work surface to prevent the dough from sticking.  Using  4" biscuit cutter or can, cut the muffins out and place on a pan lined with parchment paper dusted with corn meal or semolina flour.  You should end up with 10-12 muffins.  If necessary you can combine the scraps and roll out again but you may need to let it rest before rolling.

Cover the muffins with a clean misted or floured towel and let rest for 1 hour at room temperature.

Heat your griddle or heavy skillet to medium or around 350 degrees  and when ready to cook spray some cooking spray on the cooking surface before placing the English Muffins in the pan.

Cover the pan to create some steam and let cook for around 5 minutes or until the bottoms are nice and brown.  Flip and cook another 5 minutes and remove to a baking rack to cool.

Lexi and Max--waiting for their English Muffins

This is a nice moist and flavorful rye perfect for a pastrami or corned beef sandwich.

The addition of the Greek Yogurt and potatoes really made this very moist and the combination of rye flour and First Clear made this extra tasty.

Here's some bonus shots from Pizza Night last week made with  Caputo 00 flour with a small % of whole wheat and yeast as well as some fresh Parmesan cheese mixed into the dough.

Formula

Download the BreadStorm File Here.

Levain Directions

Stage 1

Mix all the Levain ingredients for build one together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.

Stage 2

Add the ingredients for build 2 to the Stage 1 starter and stir until fully incorporated.  Let it sit at room temperature until doubled and either use immediately or put in the refrigerator until the next day.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the dehydrated onions into the beer and let it re-hydrate for 5-10 minutes.  Next mix the beer and yogurt with the  flours together in your mixer or by hand until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute.  Let it rest in your work bowl covered for up to an hour.  Next add the salt, starter (cut into about 7-8 pieces), and potatoes and mix on low for 5 minutes.  Add the caraway seeds if using and mix until incorporated.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.  (If you have a proofer you can set it to 80 degrees and follow above steps but you should be finished in 1 hour to 1.5 hours).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.   Place your dough into your proofing basket(s) and cover with a moist tea towel or plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray.  The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 550 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 before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 500 degrees and after another 3 minutes lower it to 450 degrees.  Bake for 25-35 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 210 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.