Hi, i've mentioned before about experiencing some difficulties with baking bread in my new oven, particularly no knead doughs in pots. they always stick to the bottom, and i don't get the same oven spring i used in my previous smaller oven. both are electric with fan. but with the other i could only fit one pot at a time, and baking from cool oven got great results, even with pot breads and never had the problem of loaves sticking.

now, i could fit three pots easy if i wanted to in this oven (im not complaining bout that obviously, lol), but have never achieved results like in my old place.

im wandering if size is the issue?

does anybody have a similar experience? is it only possible to do a bake from a cool oven, if the oven is relatively small?

thanks in advance for any advice, happy baking :)

p.s., i mentioned on another thread recently of an experiment i've got going on, with two mixed up batches of no knead dough to be baked in pots tomorrow. im not sure whether i should rise not preheating the oven, or stick to preheating oven but not DO

When I first started baking I would follow recipe directions literally. Now that I have some experience under my belt I focus more on desired results rather than time or repetitions. Many bread recipes call for a specific number of stretch and folds. Sometimes I wonder if I should actually do more or less than the amount stated by the author. What characteristics should I be looking for in the dough that would tell me I need to do more or less than the amount stated in the recipe?

Thanks, Frank

After trying to bake with a sourdough starter for 2 months and making door-stoppers  this is my first edible attempt of Susan's simple sourdough boule. It was made with AP flour and no WWW flour(not available in India). I think I should have used a little less water because the dough seemed to spread horizontally more during bulk fermentation. My scoring will need practice.

The crust was crunchy and the crumb texture was a little dense. But it tasted very good. I would like to have suggestions from all of you to improve.

I must thank TFLers for the knowledge and experince that they share generously. Especially Khalid and Varda..A big thankyou.

Khalid: The S&F technique in a bowl illustrations really helped me.

Varda:Your suggestion of using a simple recipe headed me in the right direction.

Where might I purchase a dough hook for an old Hobart 20 qt mixer?   I'm preparing to marshall a group of volunteers with no little or no bread baking experience through the baking of 50-100 loaves of challah for a fund raiser.  I can use the 20 qt mixer but if it ever had a dough hook, it's since disappeared.  Does anyone know where new or used parts might be found.  Also, I cannot find a model number on the machine.  Does anyone know where it might be or from whom I might ask?

Hello Bakers,  I just found your site and am delighted to become part of your community.  My Mom taught me to bake at 9. She was considered the baker in her extended family.  Although her bread was very good, I've strived to improve my skills beyond the average home loaf to artisan-style European breads.  My studies have included Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book, Joe Ortiz' The Village Baker and, most recently, Tartine Bread.  I've had some good success with recipes from Village Baker, but my favorite bread has been turned out using the techniques and recipes from Chris Kimball's Cooks Illustrated.  Using the cast iron dutch oven has produced the crust I've been after.  I'm really looking forward to trying out the technique from Tartine Bread.

Now I'm trying to find the nearest source for freshly-milled flour.  Any suggestions would be helpful.

Ok so I have some questions about what actually is healthy to go into bread....

1. Bleached V unbleached I've read some threads in various forums from differenct sites as well as this one and my question is: nutritionally which flour is better or is there such a insignificant difference it doesnt really matter?

2. I am debating on using raw sugar AKA turbinado i believe is the other term... what benefits would this type of sugar give compared to normal white sugar?

3. I go to my local central market and see all sorts of different flours ranging from your typical bleached all purpose white flour to flour made from beans... what qualities do these odd flours have and how would they impact baking yeast breads?

4. What ideally if money was not an issue should I use to make my bread to have the healthiest outcome?

5. Is it possible to make bread without sugar in it for example to have no ingredients with the chemical name that have an "ose" at the end?

6. How is it possible to ship artisan bread? my brother lives in california i live in texas... how do i get it there still intact and able to eat?

Thank you in advance for any advice you have,

Breck Baker

Hello -

just wondering if anyone knows what kind of results I'd have if I put any sd starter in LilDice's ciabatta pizza recipe.  I love the recipe as far as consistency & speed but was hoping I might be able to get a SD flavor for my hubby.  It makes a beautiful pizza.  Thanks so much for any advice you could offer!

Margie

so ive been messing with a semolina recipe from the la brea bakery wich btw was not good at all the weights flour to water ratio was completely off so i decided to try and tweak the recipe to make a semolina loaf that actually has semolina and no white flour in it (used to lighten the crumb and texture) and ive been through at least a half dozen test batches and ended up with this although im still not completely happy with it i think its progress towards the direction im wanting to go

semolina

the flash from my camera is hiding the great yellow color in the bread but the crumb is a little too tight still it did make a beautifully soft moist bread which im happy with but i think the interior can be a little looser any ideas on how i can fix this problem the flavor is great also and here is the crumb pics any ideas or suggestion would be great

semolina crumb

it is a combination of duruhm and semolina flour i tried using more semolina than duruhm but i found it to be too gritty when eating it i think insted of using a white sd starter i might try making a sponge using duruhm there is a recipe in amy's bread bible that uses a duruhm sponge that works really well but one thing at a time ok thanks any feed back would be great the breads weigh about 1.25# each

I’m moving across the country and can’t take any of my baking ingredients with me. It seems a shame to throw them away, though.  So if anyone can come pick them up from Woodley Park today (Sunday) or tomorrow, you are welcome to any of it. It might be a good chance to experiment with some different flours and grains.  Most of the packages are open, but have about half left, and all are less than a year old.  Stuff I’m giving away includes:

* King Arthur Bread Flour            

* King Arthur 100% Organic whole wheat 

* King Arthur European Style Artisan Flour

* Arrowhead Mills Organic Enriched Unbleached  White Flour

* King Arthur Harvest Grains Blend (a mix of various whole grains and seeds)

* Arrowhead Mills Organinc Golden Flax 

* Organic brown rice (from San Francisco farmer’s market) 

* Wheat bran 

* Bobs’ Red Mill Baking powder (unopened) 

* KAF  Instant Yeast (frozen)

I also have a collection of spices that you are welcome to take from.

Let me know if you are interested and we can arrange the logistics.

--Rebecca

Ont acheté un nouveau fourneau REVENT 524. Le pain mauvais sort. Tout se couvre des fissures. Assist please. Have bought{purchased} the new furnace REVENT 524. Bad bread leaves. All becomes covered by cracks.