I spend so much time fooling around tuning my personal formulas trying to get the perfect loaf that, every now and then I enjoy baking a loaf of something another person I respect describes as a best ever batch. It's great when it turns out perfect and everybody loves the results. Floyds Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal loaf that makes 3 nice size loaves is one that hit the bulls eye and Mike Avery's Carrot Pineapple Muffins is another in that catagory. These are worth trying.

The Carrot Muffins can be found on Mikes Sourdough Home site. The icing makes this!
http://www.sourdoughhome.com/carrotpineapplecake.html 

And the Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal loaf is in the left column, here.
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/recipes/cinnamonraisinoatmealbread

Sorry the muffin image is pretty lame. I meant to cut a few open and show the crumb but alas, I'll have to be quicker next time! Around here it's "He who hesitates is lost".

Raisins

Carrot Pineapple

Anyone hear of Malsovit bread? Is anyone have Malsovit bread recipe to share?

I have bought some cute, mini fluted metal tins for brioche and wanted to know if any of you had a good recipe for mini breakfast brioche. I could only find recipes for big ones. My mini tins (I have 16) are 1 inch tall, 3 inches wide across the top and 1 1/2 inches across the bottom. They are not non-stick (or even stainless as I noticed spots when I left them to air dry) If you respond, can you also tell me what you would use to grease for this recipe and, I assume that I place the tins on a cookie sheet?

Thank you so much for your help,

B.

I just spoke with a woman today who had come back from Germany.  She said she had enjoyed Laugensbrot there, which to me, basically sounds like a pretzel in bread shape.  Anyone have any more info or a recipe?

SOL

I'm beginning to think my yeast is on steroids...

Given my hectic schedule, what with work and home and hubby and 3 kids going at least 4 different places, I have often stowed dough in the fridge to buy some time...as well as develop the flavors.  However, I've noticed a pattern that I haven't seen discussed on the forums yet:

If I put the dough in the fridge before first fermentation (knead it and fridge it), I get very little rise in the fridge.  But if any rise has happened at room temp and then I fridge it, either during first fermentation or proofing, I get overdevelopment...by the time the dough has come to room temp again, it's huge and I might as well degas ( the action, not the artist!) and shape from scratch, otherwise it's impossible to slash and I get almost no oven rise.

Doesn't matter if it's yeast, or yeast-starter combo.  I do the combo because my starter, altho bubbly and tasty, has never really risen...and I seldom have the extended stretches of time to let a straight starter do it's thing...but this will be another posting.

So...is it my fridge? (Which has been having it's quirks now, as well!) I store the dough on the bottom shelf--it's a bottom-freezer version--which is coolest.

Am I using too much yeast/starter?  If straight dough, yeast is typically 2 tsp for a 1 1/2 to 2 lb loaf; if yeast-starter, I use 1 tsp yeast and about 25-30% starter for the same size loaf (about 4-5 c flour).  I am basing the starter percents on The Metropolitan Bakery Book (Metro. is a Philly-based artisan bakery) which suggested using 30-40% starter for max flavor and keeping quality.  And since I had a bathtub full of the stuff...

Are there other issues I should be aware of? 

Should I work on my organizational skills, developing a schedule for proofing, retarding, etc?  In my earlier life, I was scheduled rigidly, but having been knocked around by life and being married to Mr. Spontaneity, I've lost that ability ;-).  The thought of reverting to a schedule makes me cringe, but if I have to for the sake of good bread...!   

Windi 

I'm having a problem with my sough dough loafs splitting length wise during baking. I bake them at 400 degrees with a pan of water on the bottom rack. After 10 minutes I recoat them with corn starch/water, rotate them and continue baking for 25 minutes.

They split during the second baking. Can someone help me solve this problem?

toglenn

I think this is a question for Floyd, but maybe someone else can answer.

I thought I'd responded to the thread about sourcing flour and grains in the Boston area yesterday, but noticed today that my response had disappeared.

Did I do something wrong by giving a specific business name and phone #? I don't have any financial connection to the distributor I mentioned, I just know they deliver to the Boston area, so thought it might be useful to the person making the query.

On the other hand, I may well have pushed a wrong button... that happens more often than I want to admit. The post did appear at the top of the column at the time, but with me at the keyboard, who knows...

Thanks,

edh

Hi.

I find that when I slash risen pan bread (in a bread tin), the bread deflates somewhat and I don't the "ear to ear" grin.

Is this common?

Is it because the bread tins are cold when they go into the oven (as opposed to putting dough directly on the hot hearth (baking stone)?

Should I slash at some point while the loaves are proving (or wait a bit a after slashing to make sure the dough is on the rise before putting it in the oven)?

I'll try the last  suggestion, but do you have any thoughts/ideas?

Is there such a thing?  I remember reading that all flour will whiten if let sit over a period of time, something the commercial millers would not do because they have to get it out to the consumer too quickly.  I have never seen stone-ground white flour anywhere.  Might it be labelled "organic"?

Hi all,

I feel like a dope having to ask this, but could someone tell me how to navigate the KA site? Specifically, I can't seem to find any mention of flour or grains being available in any amounts over 5#. I'd just like to be able to compare prices as I'm considering buying 50# each of Sir Lancelot flour and whole red spring wheat berries. I can get them from my co-op for $.90/# for the flour and $.74/# for the wheat. That adds up to a pretty hefty investment from my point of view, and if KA offers them for substantially less, I'd love to take advantage of their free shipping offer!

Thanks,

edh