The Fresh Loaf

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Peach ferment bread

Pablo's picture
Pablo

Peach ferment bread

pureed 3 peaches with 1 1/2 t honey and 1 cup of water.  Let ferment for 4 days.  Add 200g flour let ferment an additional 6 hours, a bit more flour, a few more hours, then add 2t salt and 1 T cinnamon and enough flour to form a dough ~65 - 70% hydration?  Retard dough in 'fridge overnight ~16 hours.  Couple of stretch and folds ala Back Home Bakery.  Preshape, shape and let rise ~ 1hour in warm moist place.  Steam and bake 425 20 minutes - to 202F interior temp.

peach ferment

It's all white flour, the colour is from the peaches.  If I were to do it over I would add a bit more honey... I think.  Given that I opted for the cinnamon, I think it should be sweeter.  Also I just learned that the cinnamon may fight the yeast.  The oven spring was OK.  We just ate the first one and, toasted, with some apples and cheddar cheese it was pretty darn good.  These little loaves are such fun, you get to practice scoring and it's not unreasonable to eat an entire one between two people (234g each) and since they rise in oiled, floured cereal bowls, there's no hassle about shaping, like with baguettes or bâtards.

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

They look delicious! 

Mini O

Pablo's picture
Pablo

You egged me on with your talk of "yeast water".  

I'm tellin' ya, this is yeast MUD.  Two down, one to the neighbor and three to go.  They're growing on me.  

I've got one more yeast mud to try - I just puréed a tomato in a cup of water, let's see what develops...  target: Monday dinner.

:-∆aul

ehanner's picture
ehanner

Paul,

Just for the sake of unsuspecting new bakers that might think this is a good idea to try, put me in the column of those who don't think this a safe process.

Imagine smashing some raw fruit and letting it rot at room temperature with some honey for how long (4 days). Then spoon some of that rotting decayed glop on a nice piece of bread and warming it to 205F. That is substantially what you have done. The only difference is you mixed up the decaying fruit into the bread. Not all biological processes that produce gas are good. I'm not certain that all life would be killed at baking temperatures either.

I will say that you might be able to keep that activity alive by feeding it like any other sourdough starter until it is stable and smells good. Then after it is stable you could use it to raise bread.

Sorry to throw water on what I am sure is a exuberant expression of the discovery of biology. It's nice to see your passion but I wouldn't want anyone to get sick from following this thread.

Eric 

Pablo's picture
Pablo

I appreciate your concern Eric.  The yeast water lady has on her page "bake at your own risk".  I don't personally have a problem with it, obviously.  Here's some more info, if you or anyone else is interested:

http://www.fao.org/docrep/x0560e/x0560e05.htm

:-∆aul

ehanner's picture
ehanner

I just paid real money for a book that talks about fermenting foods of all kinds. Most of what I have read thus far is in that paper.

While I fully appreciate the benefits of fermenting, I also remember being one of 500 men struck with food poisoning in the service. The culprit was peach cobbler. I swear I haven't had a bite of that stuff since. That was the sickest I have ever been and it came out of the oven.

Eric 

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

we don't always smell or can taste a bad bacteria. Or when a good one has been invaded by a bad one so it is better to be on the side of caution. It is fun to understand the process and as a survival skill it's on my list but it does have its risks. I guess I get nervous with all the writing about giving baked yeast mud products to other people without giving them the warning that goes with it.

Mini O

Pablo's picture
Pablo

Mini O

Rest assured that I never give anyone anything without going on and on about what's in it. 

:-∆aul

Pablo's picture
Pablo

Hey Eric,

If I had had that experience with cobbler, peaches would not be in my house, fermented or otherwise.

Having been a "galley slave" in the navy I know from experience that that cobbler might have had a bumpy ride between the oven and your plate.  

:-∆aul

warmouth's picture
warmouth

  A fine job  on those    nice pic  

apprentice's picture
apprentice

hmmm I've got some Okanagan peaches in the freezer.

ackkkk! One quest at a time.

Your enthusiasm is contagious, Paul!