I'm new to this site and just baked the bread from Lesson 1. I kneeded it about 10-12 minutes and let it rise a total of about 3 hours (if you count all the rises together) and the bread came out only to about 2.5 inches at it's highest point. This just seems like it's not rising enough or something during baking. I'm wondering if I did something wrong or if that's the way it's supposed to be. Every time I bake bread it comes out about the same size, so it's either me or my loaf pan I guess. Those are the only things staying constant. My loaf pan I measured at about 9.25 x 5.25 x 2.5 inches if that helps any. Here are some pics to help so others can see what I'm talking about. I'm hoping I can resolve this so I can bake our bread for daily consumption.

I have an oatmeal raisin cookie recipe from a great uncle who has passed away, he worked at a bakery. Apparently these are some really great cookies, but the recipe is in pounds which are not a problem but it does not state how much vanilla and salt to use or the cooking time or temperature. I figure that someone has ran into this before and wondered if you could help.
Thank you

Uncle Bobs oatmeal raisin cookies
1 1/2 lb sugar
3/4 lb Lard
1/2 lb Raisins
1/2 lb Oats
1 1/4 lb Flour
2 Eggs
7/8 cup milk
3 Level tsp soda
Salt
Vanilla
Temperature

When I make French bread I like to shape some of the dough into rolls (petit gras batards) to use for Hoagies. They're very good, but there is one problem with them: When you bite into the sandwich, the filling tends to try and escape out the sides. I was thinking that a cavity in the rolls would provide space for the filling, and minimize this effect.

Does anyone have a suggestion as to an object I might put in the dough, before baking, so that when the object was removed from the baked roll after slicing it that there would be a cavity running almost the full length of the roll? I thought in terms of a ceramic rod, or a cylindrical stone, but couldn't come up with anything specific.

I have been baking bread for 30 years and have learned so much from everyone's posts on this site as well as all the "leads" to other places.

I switched to measuring the temperature of my WW breads and rolls to determine doneness (200 degrees) but I have noticed an alcohol smell if the bread has been in the bag after four days. There is no mold. I have wondered if some yeast is still active. The bread is very good and nicely browned. How high an internal temp could I go?

Normally when bread is several days old I toast it but the smell turns me off so I pitch it. I never had this problem before I started using the thermometer.

What do you think?

aline

Over Christmas I had a gay old time back home in WY collecting freshly fallen snow and leaving various casques of wet grains sitting around on the countertops to see if any "beasties" (as people seem to call them on TFL) would come to visit. I ended up having some success with some spelt-noodles which I left out with water and a bit of vinegar, and too with some organic irish oats that I left out, again with water and a T or so of standard $1-per-huge-container vinegar mixed in. I set one or two plasticwrapped bowls of flour-mixes (used organic AP once, I think, and then just switched to whole-wheat) on the heat-ducts at night to help the critters get the ball rolling, and also emplyed the heat from the pellet-stove in a similar manner. (I actually cooked two of my starters because I'd turned the heat up too high at one point. They were apparently both viable because they'd both risen before being somewhat solidified in place and turned into not quite "bread" by the heat. 'Shame really.)

I came back on the plane to Indy (I study here) with four jars, and after some feeding it was clear that TWO of them had made it (largely as a result of the type of lid each jar had been sealed with). After a bit of downtime, I got Rocketstarter (who survived in checked baggage somehow) forming a very nice head of foam using... of all things, OAT flour (it can triple in under a day if it's given the right amount of water and flour in one feeding) and Applestarter was able to follow once I learned it preferred some of the wheat-flour I have here.

I've since divided both and now have whole-wheat and rye versions of both, and have one spelt (a child of Rocket's) who's gradually gaining footing. I decided to try it because I actually took my starters into the winter farmer's market here on two occassions to ask a very knowledgable strictly-organic baker who appears there every week about strategy, feeding schedules, and how my starters were looking and smelling. He's been incredibly helpful in many ways but I won't go into too much detail. (The smell-part is not something I can really ask about online, somuch, and I'm still training my nose in this context, so that was definately one thing.) But, where to go from here? Ideally I'll ofcourse get really good at making sourdough pancakes, but I'm looking to get a favourite starter or three into the fridge so I can get a proper routine going, and get a consistent supply of real bread flowing. (It doesn't have to be sour, necessarily.)

On tap, I've got organic AP flour coming out of my ears, roughly two cups of rye left, roughly two cups of whole-wheat, and plenty of spelt. Also I have a ton of bulgur, and a ton of vital wheat gluten, and milk-powder, honey and turbanado... salt ofcourse... (While I'm at it, I've also got quinoa, millet, and amaranth which I could grind, but I know those can be more of a challenge to bake with, thus I'm leaving those till later.) SO, is there some way I can compare how the starters all behave during baking under similar conditions given what I have around? (more info just ask...) I've got a reasonable knead and stretch-and-fold down now, and now that I'm back home I've got an accurate digital scale, now I just need a reasonable recipe (or set of similar recipes) to use to compare what I have. (I may have just found a decent baking stone on craigslist. I've used one twice and both times it was like I'd died and gone to heaven, but I digress.) Any suggestions?

I am a civil war reenactor and recently purchased a wooden bread bowl at one of the events.  Am wondering what I need to do to make it "useable".....meaning that it is just the raw wood and seems to absorb whatever liquid is put in the bowl, i.e. water when I rinsed it out.  Should I rub oil on it?  I would like to use it but am a loss at what to do.  Thanks for your help.

OK, all you experienced people --

Why is there such a big difference between sourdough starters in old school, home cook cookbooks and starters in books and on sites for "prosumer" bakers (i.e. dang serious hobbyists)? In particular, why do the old school instructions for maintaining a starter most often recommend using (or discarding) at least one cup a week, and feeding once a week (or after use). (The starter's left out 24 hours after feeding, but then refrigerated.) The prosumer version is, as I understand it, to discard about a cup and do feedings every day? About one sourdough loaf a week would be just perfect for my needs, so I'm interested in methods that fit that schedule, and minimize waste.

Also, what's the advantage of a 100% hydration (i.e. measured by weight) versus a 166% hydration (i.e. measured by volume). Don't they both work?

Thanks for your help.

P. S. I'm in the midst of trying culturing wild yeast, but I'm going to see if it will work "old school" -- feeding and using/discarding (at least) one cup a week. (The old fashioned cook books always include directions to start with commercial yeast. I'm trying to see if the methods will maintain wild yeast, too.) The only discard I've done is getting rid of half on the third day during the initial growing process. So far, it seems to be going well -- a nice assortment of bubbles, a brief stinky period, but now mildly sour. (This may have something to do with this being August in California's Gold Country. Sourdough is "in the air" around here.)

I made Hamelman's Vermont Rye again the other day and it didn't really come out right.  After letting the levain sit for 15 hours, I made the final dough and threw it in the fridge for bulk fermentation overnight.  The next morning it had grown in size somewhat but was so soupy (somewhere between batter and dough) I couldn't handle it.  Furthermore, I had to add a ton of flour just to get it to the point where I could feel comfortable transferring it to a banneton.  I then retarded it for another 12 hours and baked it..  It came out alright, if a bit spongy.

Thoughts?

is it a bad idea to retard bulk fermentation?  Does this get in the way of the autolyse?

So I have 100 grams of starter, 100 grams of water, and 100 grams of flour on the top of my stove to ferment with every intention of baking some loaves tomorrow.  I want to make sure I'm clear on things, though, before I do anything.

I'm going with the 1-2-3 bread method.  My starter is 100% hydration.  It doubles in 12 hours.  If I make a loaf out of the preferment that I have going on with 100 grams more water and 200 grams more flour, will it work?  Should I instead think of it as a starter and add 600 grams of water and 900 grams of flour?

The last few bread recipes I have tried have been like a batter instead of dough, I have been using about a tablespoon of dough relaxer in them, same recipe, but I end up having to add another cup or so of flour and still batter like, what a mess, I have done this recipe before and it was okay, the bread doesn't taste so great either, more bird food. I need help here, I am doing this in my bread machine, my question is can it be the dough relaxer? I am measuring with a scale. I hope someone can help me here, thanks.

Karol