I made the Reinhart 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich bread (the first one in the book, I'm pretty sure) and it came out flat like a Ciabatta.  I tried to make a Batard, per the instructions, and it just didn't come out.  The dough lacked the strength to hold its shape for very long so it flattened out while proofing.

I used a Kitchenaid dough hook to do the mixing.  I am thinking that the dough needed to be stretched and folded somewhere in the process, maybe, to build up strength in the dough.  Anyone had any experience with this and know where I might be going wrong?

I'll post a picture of the pancake tonight. :)

Has anyone ever made anything like the Pretzel-thins at Trader Joes or the old snack, Mr. Phipp's Pretzel chips? I love dipping them in salsa, but I feel like I should be able to make it at home.

I've tried making them by using a preztel recipe and rolling out the dough, but they still puffed up enough that they weren't crunchy. I've also tried a lavash cracker (a la Reinhart) and then put it in a baking soda solution prior to baking, but the results were less than satisfactory.

I'm planning on doing a bit more of a rigorous experiment to make these, but I thought I would ask the collective wisdom of TFL before I got too far along. I'm thinking that my next attempt will use baking soda rather than yeast. Thanks all!

I have been working with the Cook's Magazine "Almost No Knead" recipe, which seems pretty slick to me. Trouble is, after baking the recipe a number of times, I feel there is an either/or issue resolving hydration vs rise and shape stability. I do my second rise on a parchment sheet lowered into a bowl (boule?) shaped like the rounded loaf I hope for. When the second rise is complete, I remove the parchment sling, slash the loaf, then lower it into the 6 quart dutch oven for baking. The loaf is about an inch less in diameter than the pot.

Now for the tragic outcome: The loaf subsides into something like a very thick Frisbee. It springs pretty well and the interior is uniformly holey. Tastes great. But.... I'd like a nice upstanding loaf that is a good deal rounder. I don't want a basketball, but should I reduce the hydration to make a stiffer dough? Is there just something inherent in the no knead regieme that makes a more slack dough? Anyone have strategies for "stiffening the spine" of my boules without giving up their nice moist chewiness?

Thanks for your ideas.

I did not see a post about this so I thought I would start one. Namely what to do with your bread when it doesn't come out right. Using the strictly technical and professional term, a brick. This would have to be something beyond bread crumbs. Something you would deposit into your compost pile or trash. I'll start off with three ideas of my own. But hopefully we'll get much more and better ideas from the rest of you.

1. Make bread pudding.

2. Make pancakes.

3. Make Pappa al Pomodoro.

The first two recipes are sweet and require that the brick be cut up and soaked in milk (or water if you wish) before being used in the corresponding recipe. Pappa al Pomodoro is a famous Tuscan soup that is incredibly delicious. And is a savory recipe. Here the bread would need to be cut up and soaked in water before use.

Rudy

Hope someone has the anwser for me.  I have trouble with the second rise for my bread when the humidity is high.  Usually, the bread seems "flat".  It taste fine, but there is not enought height.  Are you supposed to use cooler water?  If so, what should the temperature be?

Rachael