The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Most bookmarked

ngolovin's picture
ngolovin

First time starter troubles

I tried my first starter this week.  I used Peter Reinhart's Seed Culture recipe in The Bread Baker's Apprentice (seep p.229).  After 3 days, following the feeding directions exactly (even weighing out the water), my starter has not shown the slightest life, and a gray-ish surface has formed.  There is no evidence of any growth, even when I let the 3rd day sit an extra night, as the instructions say.  I used a disposable plastic container (Glad brand).  I will try again (probably a different recipe), but I am looking for opinion on what sort of issues might cause an unsuccessful attempt like this and advice on what are the pitfalls in starting a culture.  Thank you to all, in advance, for any input and help.

SourdoughRules's picture
SourdoughRules

Intimidation of a Beginner

I've read this website and blog for years.  Over those years I've tried lots of different breads from lots of books.  I haven't made a truly serious study of it.  I'm not baking multiple loaves a week, nor am I going through formal training to become a baker.  However I do have lots of books and recipes that I've tried repeatedly.  The first bread I ever made was a focaccia bread from a recipe I found in a USENET posting way back in the early days of the internet.  It was all I could find at the time.  Throughout college I used that plus the recipe for french baguette from Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking."  In recent years I've added lots of bread books to my collection, and lots of trial and error.  I have the "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day" and the follow-on book.  I have a book on ancient bread making.  I have the Tartin bread book.  I'm at the stage where I want to start trying to do things more seriously.  However I'm also at the stage where I can sort of wing it and have pretty good results.

Throughout the years I always had a facination for sourdough breads.  When I moved to my current location I was lucky enough to have a neighbor who has been feeding the same starter for over 35 years.  He gave me a sample of it and it is the basis for all of the sourdough cooking that I do.  It is a very vigorous starter that I keep in the fridge and feed 1 cup of water and 1 cup of unbleached King Arthur All Purpose flour every 1-2 weeks.  It has served me well and I look forward to continuing with it.

Like many others I will be posting recipes and pictures of the results of those recipes.  Some will be from the standard sources.  Others, like my first entry, will be the results of my experimentation.  I don't always follow the rules as much as I should, but as long as the results are good (or at least good enough) then I guess I shouldn't complain.  It is just a bit intimidating to make posts of such amateur results when there are so many amazing posts of delicious and beautiful breads by other members.  We all start somewhere I suppose, and this is where I'm starting the sharing of my bread adventures online.

 

Hank

Szanter5339's picture
Szanter5339

Sütésre várva.Creatív Bread

Szanter5339's picture
Szanter5339

Creatíve Bread

JoeVa's picture
JoeVa

Pizza - 470

Dal titolo - 470°C la temperatura del forno il fase di riscaldamento.

From the title - 470°C (880°F) the oven preheating temperature.

Lavoro ancora sugli impasti, anzi l'Impasto, quello Napoletano, sofficissimo e leggero. Apparentemente semplice ma in pratica molto difficile.

Still working on the dough, I mean the Dough, Napoleta, soft and light. Apparently simple but in practice very difficult. An explanation to understand: this pizza dough, once baked (very fast, 60 seconds) is soft (not crackly) and should melt easily in your mouth, very light toping, each ball is about 240-250g each and the final pizza size 28-30 cm, so it's thin and when cutted the slice doesn't hold its own weight and you have to "fold" it.

Qui qualche pizza infornata domenica a mezzodì. Ho usato due impasti:

  1. Tecnica del freddo, +60h a 4°C, farina medio/forte - Mulino Marino - Tipo 00 Soffiata - ~W300
  2. Lavorazione napoletana (almeno ci provo), 14h a 20°C - puntata 9h - appretto 5h, farina media - Molino Vigevano - Tipo 0 Costiera Oro - ~W260

Here some pizza baked this sunday at midday:

  1. Cold proof technique, +60h at 4°C, medium/strong flour - Mulino Marino - Type 00 Soffiata - ~W300
  2. Neapolitan dough (... just trying to), 14h at 20°C - 9h bulk - 5h poof, medium flour - Molino Vigevano - Type 0 Costiera Oro - ~W260

Ecco qualche foto delle pizze che ho sfornato con questi impasti. Nell'ordine: fiamma giusta, troppa fiamma, poca fiamma.

Here some photos of the pizza baked with these dough. Flame OK, too much flame, weak flame.

OK

Troppa - Too much

Poca - Weak

Poi c'è quella per la sorella, metà margherita, metà marinara e quella con la rucola.

Then one for the sister, half margherita, half marinara and the last with rocket.

Ed il pergolato appena finito ... che fatica e manca ancora il supporto per il forno e la canna fumaria!

And the pergola to cover the oven, just finished ... what a effort, and I still have to place the oven support and the flue!

Salilah's picture
Salilah

World Bread Day - another variation on Jan Hedh's Lemon bread

I baked this yesterday - but we ate it today, so I hope that counts!

Another version of Jan Hedh's Lemon bread, with less lemon and added lemon thyme

Ingredients:
100g 100% white starter
180g durum flour
180g white strong flour
50g rye
130g water
100g cider
25g EVOO
8g salt
zest of half a lemon (would use more in future)
leaves from 6-8 sprigs lemon thyme (would use more in future)

Method:
Mix starter, flours, water, cider and autolyse 30m or so.  Add EVOO, salt, lemon zest, herbs - thorough mix
Several S&F roughly 30min intervals for 3 hours (you can tell I was improvising - poor records!)
Refridgeration overnight, then warmed up for around 30m then pre-shaped then shaped to batard
(warning: not sure if it was the EVOO but it was a pain to shape - wouldn't seal the seam!)
3 hours I think to proof in banneton, then 15mins under SS bowl at 240 then around 25-30m at 200

Good bread flavour; not very big holes but quite a soft crumb with quite thick crust.  Nice taste but would add more lemon & herbs next time!

and the crumb:

cheers - and Happy World Bread Day!
(buckwheat batard on the way - sadly no beechnuts as the birds beat me to it!)

S

Szanter5339's picture
Szanter5339

Blade pattern on the bread. Creatíve Bread 5 Potato bread

potato bread

Potato juice 350ml Cooking
2 tablespoons of mashed potatoes
20 g flour BL55
5dkg rye
Spelt flour 5dkg
50dkg flour BL80
3 tablespoons oil
1evőkanál vinegar
1evőkanál sugar
3kávéskanál salt
2dkg yeast
+20 Dékány yeast

Preparation of yeast:
140ml water
15 g flour
1 tablespoon oil
½ teaspoon salt
  teaspoon of sugar
1-2 g of yeast

 

 

Burgonyás kenyér

 350ml Burgonyafőző lé

2 evőkanál tört burgonya

20 dkg liszt BL55

5dkg rozsliszt

5dkg tönkölybúza liszt

50dkg liszt BL80

3 evőkanál olaj

1evőkanál ecet

1evőkanál cukor

3kávéskanál só

2dkg élesztő

+20 dekányi kovász

 

Kovász készítése:
140ml víz
15 dkg liszt
1 evőkanál olaj
½ kávéskanál só
 kávéskanál cukor
1-2 dkg élesztő

Szanter5339's picture
Szanter5339

Bread 1

700 ml of water
6 tablespoons of oil
2 tablespoons vinegar (20%)
6 teaspoons of salt
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1kg flour 60dkg BL 55
40 gram of yeast
In yeast +

Preparation of yeast, 1-2 days before cooking.

yeast:
140 ml of water
15 BL 55 flour
1 tablespoon oil
½ teaspoon salt
20 gram of yeast700  ml víz6 evőkanál olaj2 evőkanál ecet (20%)6 kávéskanál só2 evőkanál porcukor1kg 60dkg BL 55 liszt40 gram  élesztő+ a kovászKovász készítése, sütés előtt 1-2 nappal.Kovász:140 ml víz15 BL 55 liszt1 evőkanál olaj½  kávéskanál só20 gram élesztő

 

Szanter5339's picture
Szanter5339

Virág kosár. Flower basket cake

CandiceW's picture
CandiceW

Fresh yeast question..

Years ago working in restaurants I was able to use fresh yeast quite often.

I was able to get a hold of some fresh yeast recently, but have a question as I have not used in SO long.

I do remember rise/proof times being less with FRESH vs DRY yeast.. Is that right?

I even looked over a few of my old recipes and proof time's were 20 mins for first rise and only 10 mins second rise vs with dry yeast 1 hour/1 hour.

 

I am asking because I made some bread and where as the crumb and bread was GREAT, you could tell it was over proofed. I did 1 hour first rise/50 mins second rise(they were rolls) I did noticed they were looked nicely proofed but were starting to flatten a little that is why I turned oven on to preheat about 40 mins into proofing.. But by the time the oven was ready they were just over proofed.

 

Thanks!

Pages