I am referring to the recipe from "Artisan Breads Everyday". I mixed up the dough (1/3 of the recipe) last night and made them into2oz rolls tonight, ended up with hocky bucks. I let them proof for 70 minutes after taking out from the fridge and dividing (the book specified 1.5 to 2 hours) and I think they were already way overproofed. Just curious whether any of you who have tried the recipe had the same experience? Did you proof as long as the book suggests? Maybe my rolls are small so they come to room temperature faster? Also the dough grew a lot in the fridge, did it over fermentate too? I am pretty sure that my dough was developed enough... Maybe I should reduce the yeast?

I am trying again soon, would love to hear some suggestions and first hand experiences. Thanks!

If my bread has more of a homemade muffin texture than bread texture, does that mean I'm not developing the gluten enough? I'm using freshly ground grains and overnight refrigeration. It also passes the window pane test. I never see many, if any, holes. I'm at 65% hydration; if I go any more it doesn't hold it's shape. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

SUSAN'S SIMPLE SOURDOUGH CHALLENGE - TAKE TWO

On October 4th, ehanner's blog presented Susan's Simple Small Sourdough Challenge. Eric's challenge was simple - make Susan's bread and report back. My first attempt at Susan's bread was posted to Susan's Simple Sourdough Challenge - Take One on November 7, 2009. I was so enthralled with her bread I made it a second time a few days later.

Susan's basic recipe and method can be found on her blog post of April 17, 2008. I would also recommend you check out Susan's Blog for variations and lots of great photos of her bread.

The ingredients are straightforward: sourdough starter, unbleached bread flour (either regular or high gluten), whole grain flour, water and salt. Dough hydration is 70%.

What really makes this bread special is her method (minimal kneading and periodic stretch-and-folds, a long bulk fermentation and, after shaping, an overnight proof in the refrigerator). The only change I made to her method was to add a one hour autolyse at the very beginning (combine all the flour and water, roughly mix and let rest, covered, at room temperature, for one hour). After the autolyse, the starter and salt were mixed in and from that point I followed her instructions.

The dough can be shaped as a boule or a batard. Susan usually shapes it as a boule and covers the dough with a heat-proof metal bowl for the first 15 minutes of the bake. (If shaped as a batard, she suggests using the lid of a turkey roaster). Covered baking eliminates the need to steam the oven and results in great oven spring.

For this trial, I used my 100% hydration sourdough starter, unbleached bread flour, rye flour (home milled), ordinary tap water and sea salt. I shaped the dough as a batard (I prefer this shape) and used the bottom of an enameled metal turkey roaster as the cover.

This is a wonderful bread. A nice sourdough flavor, open crumb, crispy crust. Here are photos...

Kneaded Dough Ready for Bulk Ferment

Risen Dough Ready to be Baked.

On the Peel (a cookie sheet) and Slashed

Cooling After the Bake

Crumb (photo is a little blurry - sorry!)

Hello, I've recently been bitten by the baguette bug (perhaps after lurking and reading about the many amazing baguette posts on TFL) and have been trying to make something that's a cross between the Anis Bouabsa baguette and David's San Joaquin bread. But for some reason my loaves always come out flat, with only a tiny bit of oven spring (sometimes).

the strange thing is that I've used my starter in pain au levain breads and it works just fine. and i've made the Bouabsa baguettes without any starter which also worked fine. It seems to have something to do with combining the sourdough starter. anyways, this is the fifth time this week i've tried some variation on the recipe to try to figure out what the issue is. this is the latest formula i've been using, to get a 65% hydration dough:

500g AP flour

50g WW flour

300g water

150g starter (pretty wet, at probably 169% hydragion?)

1/4 tsp instant yeast

10g salt

autolysed for 20 minutes, then did 30 folds in the bowl three times in an hour or so. then refrigerated for about 18 hours. then prehaped and proofed as described in many baguette instructions.

one thing i can think of is that i'm using a pretty wet starter, and for some reason i had put in quite a bit of it. this is somewhat of an arbitrary amount and i'm going to reduce it next time to see if it helps.

another thing is that i decided to do another stretch and fold before the preshaping because the dough looked so slack after the cold rise. could this have "flattened" the loaf? my dough usually doesn't rise much in the fridge at all, and only a little after preshape and proofing.

on all the flat loaves i've made, i've noticed quite a number of holes on the bottom. what might cause these holes?

very holey bottom:

and here's to show how flat the loaf was:

there were a good number of holes of various sizes in the crumb, but it's on the dense side. but at least it's edible and the taste is quite good actually.

for the next batch i'm going to try reducing the amount of starter i'm adding to about 11% of the flour weight, and i'm going to resist the urge to stretch and fold the dough after the cold rise to see if it would make any difference. i would love to hear thoughts from other baguette makers on what i might be doing wrong. Thanks in advance!

will

hi,

i think this kind of bread is my favorite for burgers and pulled pork sandwiches and i would like to learn to make these. anyone know?

thanks!

My bread is coming out too damp.

Thanks to my son's interest in making bread (he's 4).  I've started baking with him and have been pleased enough with the result to want to keep doing it.  Our first attempts turned out good but lacked the big crunchy crust that I love.  So I found this technique on YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx0HXr-C_wQ

It's very basic: 3c flour, 1.5 c water, Yeast, 1.5tsp salt.  Let it sit for 12 hours, form into loaf and cook in a dutch oven.  500F  30 min cover on 20 min cover off

I've done it twice and have been thrilled with the color and big crunchy crust but both times the center ended up cooked and edible but damp and slightly doughy.

Any advice on how to fix this?  Less water?  Longer Cook Time?  I can't go hotter, my oven only goes up to 500F.

Hi i love baking and recently come across a dilemma, one of my favorite breads is traditional pumpernickel, but i cant a find a true recipe does any one have an idea were i can find one?

Hi!

I am a Newbie when baking artisan baguettes. Next month, my wife and I are going to a weekend course (Intro to Baguettes for Home Bakers) at Suas' SFBI and are really excited.  

We need help in deciding whether or not to get a professionally assembled couch for $$$ or to build one ourselves.  We presently have a Fermament baking stone that's about 12' x 16 1/2".  My concern is that the typical large 'Insert Pans' extend about 1" plus on each end.

Question: Will the steam stay in the inverted Insert Pan sufficiently well to get the job done?  Or will the steam leak out?

Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciate.

        Neil C in Denver, CO

So many people here have been happy with this ciabatta recipe that I had to try it.  I am definitely a happy customer.  It was quick and incredibly flavorful, easily competing with ciabattas that I have made in the past that had to be started the day before.  The only thing that I would change is that I would add a small amount olive oil to the dough next time just because I am partial to ciabattas with more of an olive oil flavor.  The recipe is here:

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/2984/jasons-quick-coccodrillo-ciabatta-bread

One word of advice about transferring the dough to your parchment at the end: Do whatever it takes to make the dough not stick to your fingers.  Wet them or oil and flour them.  I found that if I could get the dough to slide off of my fingers during the transfer the loaves would be nicely stretched but not mangled and mixed in with the dry flour on the outside (no dry flour pockets in the finished loaves).

One more thing:  I mixed everything by hand, beginning with a 20 min autolyse (flour and water).  After I mixed in the yeast and salt I dumped it out on the counter and stretched and folded as best I could for about five minutes.  I then put it back in the bowl and did three stretch and folds in the bowl at 20 minute intervals.  I got a windowpane by the last one.

Proofing loaves.

Finished Product.  I tripled the recipe and there were four more loaves in the oven at this point.

A bit of a bubble, but part of the ciabatta charm in my opinion!

Summer

Howdy all,

I've recently been given the wonderful opportunity to experiment with a local farmer's recent wheat harvest.  He just started growing wheat, and doesn't bake much himself, so he's looking for some practical feedback.

He gave me ten pounds each of hard red spring wheat, hard white spring wheat and soft red winter wheat.

I've got some ideas of my own, but curious what yall might think

Also, I've never used fresh milled flour before; anything to keep in mind (keeping it cold, lack of enzymes, etc.)

thanks,

Gerard