isand66's blog

 I love making and eating English Muffins.  They are so versatile and freeze well.  I usually keep 4-5 out and freeze the rest and toast them as needed.

This is similar to the last batch I made, but this time I used Rye instead of Spelt and I added some roasted potatoes.

I was very happy with the final result.  They were a little wet and I had to use a lot of bench flour, so next time cutting back on the water slightly wouldn't hurt.

The crumb was perfect for English Muffins and they toast up real nice with a smear of cream cheese :).

FORMULA

You can download the BreadStorm formula here:

Directions

Mix flour, starter, water, 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.

     Sometimes you feel like a nut....sometimes you don't.....Well I always love nuts; especially pecans!

For this bake I ground some fresh pecans in my mini food processor and added that to the levain with some AP and freshly milled whole wheat.  The idea was to get some extra pecan flavor into this bake and I think it worked.

Cranberries go great with pecans and also complimented the mix of freshly ground spelt, rye and whole wheat.  I added a little honey to give it a touch of sweetness.

The end result was one of my favorites.  The crumb was open and moist and the pecans and cranberries tasted fantastic.

My only issue with this bake was that I used a new banneton and the dough stuck a little which caused a little bit of an issue with the final shape.  This bake was also very hydrated coming in at 93% but the fresh grains soaked it up and the bread had some nice oven lift.

All in-all this one is worth trying.

Download the BreadStorm File http://bunfiles.breadstorm.com/bunfiles/LQY4X9/BVU82G/.

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.

If you have never made a bread with cream cheese yet, I urge you to give it a try.  The cream cheese really turns out a moist and creamy crumb.

The addition to the smashed potatoes with the durum and Kamut flours resulted in a moist, flavorful bread with a moderately open crumb.  This one is perfect for grilled bread, panninis, and simply with some olive oil or butter.

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 8-12 hours or until the starter is nice and bubbly.

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

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours, cracked wheat and 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 up to several hours.  Next add the salt, starter (cut into about 7-8 pieces), olive oil, potatoes, and cream cheese and mix on low for 4 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.  I used some smoked bamboo sesame seeds and garlic sesame seeds on the bottom of the basked.  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 made this bread last weekend after my return from my business trip to Germany.  I wanted to try changing up my method for mixing the porridge bread a bit to see if I could get a better result.  Since I'm home today enjoying the blizzard that's hitting the east coast I finally had some time to post.

For this bake I added some toasted almond flour and fresh corn to rolled oats and barley flakes for the porridge.  I used a mixture of several whole grain flours which were all freshly milled.

I usually use my mixer for around 5 to 6 minutes on low and add the porridge in with the starter while mixing.  This time I only mixed the flour and starter for around 2 minutes and then stretched and folded in a bowl at 20 minute intervals for a total of 4 times.  After the second S & F I added in the porridge ingredients.

I'm not sure if this method worked any better than my normal method but either way the end result was a super moist and tasty bread.  The toasted almonds really added a wonderful nutty flavor combined with the other fresh flours.

The crumb was moderately open and moist.  The corn added a nice added flavor element as well.

Here are the Zip files for the above BreadStorm files.

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 used my proofer set at 83 degrees and it took about 4 hours.  You can use it immediately in the final dough or let it sit in your refrigerator overnight.

Porridge Directions

Add about 3/4's of the milk called for in the porridge to the dry ingredients in a small pot set to low and stir constantly until all the milk is absorbed.  Add the remainder of the milk  and keep stirring until you have a nice creamy and soft porridge.  Remove from the heat and let it come to room temperature before adding to the dough.  I put mine in the refrigerator and let it cool quicker.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours  and the water for about 1 minute.  Let the rough dough sit for about an hour or longer.  I actually left it for around 5 hours.  Next add the levain, and salt and mix on low for 2 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.  Repeat the stretch and folds a total of 4 times.  After the second S & F add the porridge and incorporate into the dough.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.  (Since I used my proofer I only let the dough sit out for 1.5 hours before refrigerating).

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.

The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature and will only rise about 1/3 it's size at most.  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 5 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for 35-50 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.

Here are some photos from my trip if you are interested.  There is so much to do you could easily stay a month and still not see half of the sites.  We were in Frankfurt, Munich and Nuremberg.

Some vendors at the Munich train station. Some big ass breads!

German Cannolis!

Cheese and sausages!

One of the best things I have ever eaten! Hand made pasta with shaved truffles in a cream sauce! There's probably $50 worth of truffles alone in this dish. After this I had one of the best roasted fish. Who would think you have to go to Germany to have an amazing Italian meal!

Some sight seeing in Nuremberg. Beautiful city.

More Nuremberg.

Famous Beer Garden in Munich

Pancake Noodle Soup in beef broth

Lunch at the beer hall! Some pork with onions and scalloped potatoes.

Downtown Munich

My summer home :). One of many castles you can visit in Munich.

I asked my wife to buy me a few bannetons for Hanuka and she bought me enough to start a bakery :).

The first one I used was a square shape.  I at first was going to use the square one and a batard shape but after dividing the dough realized I needed to use all of it to fill the square version.  After combining the two dough's together I probably degassed them a little too much which resulted in a tighter crumb than expected.

I ran out of milk so I used heavy cream in the porridge and added a little maple syrup to sweeten it up a bit.

The porridge combined with the roasted leeks really made this one taste exceptional.  You can taste the extra sweetness from the maple syrup and the cream just added to the softness and moisture level of the crumb.

Here are the Zip files for the above BreadStorm files.

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 used my proofer set at 83 degrees and it took about 4 hours.  You can use it immediately in the final dough or let it sit in your refrigerator overnight.

Porridge Directions

Add about 3/4's of the heavy cream called for in the porridge to the dry ingredients in a small pot set to low and stir constantly until all the cream is absorbed.  Add the remainder of the cream along with the maple syrup and keep stirring until you have a nice creamy and soft porridge.  Remove from the heat and let it come to room temperature before adding to the dough.  I put mine in the refrigerator and let it cool quicker.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours  and the water for about 1 minute.  Let the rough dough sit for about 20 minutes to an hour.  Next add the levain, cooled porridge, and salt and mix on low for 5 minutes.    Next, add the roasted leeks and mix for 1 minute until incorporated.  You should end up with a cohesive dough that is slightly tacky but  manageable.  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.  (Since I used my proofer I only let the dough sit out for 1.5 hours before refrigerating).

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.

The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature and will only rise about 1/3 it's size at most.  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 5 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for 35-50 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.

   I hope everyone is having a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukah.

For Christmas Eve at our good friends I made some German style pretzel rolls which are always a big hit and went perfectly with the Saurerbraten that was served for dinner.  I also made some potato pancakes to bring as well which everyone seemed to like.

I also made a Porridge Rye with beer to bring to our friends for Christmas day.  They usually serve ham as the main course so this rye goes perfect.  Unfortunately our friends were struck with the stomach virus that's been going around and we ended up making our own ham at home yesterday.

The starter with the onions really is very pungent,  but when everything comes together this one is moist and tasty and worth the effort.

Note to self:  Don't bake bread in your Weber Charcoal Grill when it's 25 degrees outside!

In any case, I just couldn't wait any longer to join the fun and bake my "NO OVEN" challenge bread.  Of course over this past weekend it was raining and snowing so I had to wait until Monday.  I was working from home for the day prepping for my colonoscopy the next day.  Well, it's so much fun not being able to eat anything except broth and Jello for a day and a half, especially when ones wife has baked 500 Christmas cookies.  The smell of the baked/smoked bread was almost enough to drive me over the edge :0.

I used my Weber charcoal grill and added some Hickory wood chunks to get a nice smokey flavor and it really came through.  I set the 2 charcoal baskets on each side of the kettle so I could bake the bread on indirect heat.  The only issue I had was the parchment paper caught fire from the wood chunks flaming more than anticipated and burned the bottom of the loaves slightly.

I used an aluminum pan on the bottom of the grill and dumped in 1 1/2 cups of hot water to generate some steam.  I think in hindsight it could have used more steam and it would have helped if it wasn't so cold outside since I was only able to get the grill up to 425 degrees briefly.  Usually I can easily get it to over 500 degrees.

All in all, when I was finally able to try a piece this afternoon after my procedure, the taste was amazing.  The smokey flavor is incredible and even the slightly charred bottom is not bad :).  The onion really shines in this one and the cream cheese really created a soft moist crumb.

The crumb could have been more open but I think my timing was off a little since I was working while trying to bake this as well and probably should have gotten it in the barbecue earlier.

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,  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, cream cheese 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.

As I mentioned above I used my Weber charcoal kettle grill but you can also bake in your oven as well.

I had some Chocolate Coffee flavored Malted Wheat left-over from a rye bake from last year and it was just crying out to be used in a porridge style bread.  Throw in some cream cheese and shaved Parmesan cheese (not that grated powder stuff that tastes like saw dust) and mix with some freshly ground Spelt and Whole Wheat and a few other goodies and what's not to like?

I do have to say I'm loving my Mockmill which is the perfect attachment for any KitchenAid mixer.  It give you plenty of control over your milling and is simple to use.  I have a Nutramill as well but ever since I received this to test out I have not used it at all.  With the Nutramill I had a lot of trouble milling course enough to sift out any of the bran but with the Mockmill it's easy.

I have to say, this bake turned out better than I expected.  The flavor of the Chocolate Malt was strong but not overpowering and the cream cheese really gave this a nice soft crumb which was moist just like you expect from a porridge style bread.  All in all, this one was a keeper.  I gave one of the loaves to a co-worker for a Christmas present and she really liked it.

Here are the Zip files for the above BreadStorm files.

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 used my proofer set at 83 degrees and it took about 4 hours.  You can use it immediately in the final dough or let it sit in your refrigerator overnight.

Porridge Directions

Add about 3/4's of the milk called for in the porridge to the dry ingredients in a small pot set to low and stir constantly until all the milk is absorbed.  Add the remainder of the milk and keep stirring until you have a nice creamy and soft porridge.    Remove from the heat and let it come to room temperature before adding to the dough.  I put mine in the refrigerator and let it cool quicker.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours  and the water for about 1 minute.  Let the rough dough sit for about 20 minutes to an hour.  Next add the levain, cooled porridge, cream cheese and salt and mix on low for 5 minutes.    Lastly, add the Parmesan and mix for a minute until incorporated.  You should end up with a cohesive dough that is slightly tacky but  manageable.  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.  (Since I used my proofer I only let the dough sit out for 1.5 hours before refrigerating).

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.

The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature and will only rise about 1/3 it's size at most.  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 5 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for 35-50 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.

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