The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

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alfanso's picture
alfanso

Chubby little Hamelman "boats".

Based on a YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl4Hfi8ma1c I saw a day or two ago, these little beauties are made with the Hamelman Vermont SD formula.  Scaled at 250g each, just a guess from the visual cues of the video, they were a snap to shape and to score.  It seems that this bakery is in Seoul S Korea.

As is often the case with the VT SDs the low hydration prevents open crumb regardless of the wonderful oven spring these exhibit.

 

 And a screen capture from the video
Elle_'s picture
Elle_

Sprouted Whole Wheat bread with 100% sprouted flour

Hello! Newbie here! 

I am new to baking with sprouted flours. I purchased Peter Reinhart’s book Bread Revolution, and have been enjoying “the read”, but struggle with getting my sprouted whole wheat dough to a windowpane stage. The gluten development seems inferior to regular wheat flour, and the crumb is more like a quick bread than a yeast bread. ☹️

In his book, Peter say’s a poolish is not needed, but I went ahead and made a sprouted whole wheat loaf using poolish. The structure of the dough was much more satisfying and it finally reached a windowpane stage and turned out better than  my previous try’s. I am using 100% sprouted flours. 

I would love to know your success story getting a chewy yeast bread using sprouted whole wheat flour. 

xweki's picture
xweki

Simple and quick cake to bake

Hello everyone! While I am quite good at cooking, I am not great at baking cakes, but I have been wanting to try baking something for a long time. Do you have any suggestions for a simple, quick cake that I could bake with my friend for the weekend? I will be glad for any advices.

JonJ's picture
JonJ

Hummus and Miso Sourdough

When it comes to omelette fillings the combination of miso paste and hummus is complementary and comforting, although I suspect I'm the only one who tries something like that with their eggs. And, it is true that miso, and hummus, when spread on hot buttered toast are simply delicious. So, my thinking was that together they could make for a great combination in a bread, even if it is difficult to imagine!

The recipe is a combination of Benny's miso bread (which used 10% miso) and Txfarmer's hummus sourdough. Txfarmer used quite a lot of hummus - 265g per 340g of bread flour, and she also, quite importantly used home made hummus. Although I do make my own, for convenience sake I bought tub of hummus which unfortunately only gave me 187g of hummus (so I used less than txfarmer), and halfway through I was worried that using a commercial hummus wasn't so smart as the sorbic acid in it might negatively affect the sourdough culture, but it seems to have been okay. For miso, I used this lovely "marumu inaka" red/brown miso.

The final dough had 340g bread flour, 187g hummus, 34g miso paste, 152g water (plus an extra 30g water added later as bassinage), 100g levain, 7g salt and 10g vital wheat gluten (as "insurance"). I didn't reduce the salt, as Benny also didn't, but he also didn't add hummus, and my final bread was fairly salty. I'd say to reduce or even leave out the salt if you're going to try this bread. The final dough was mixed for 5 minutes on the dough hook followed by 30 slap and folds. My notes say it 'bounced' when I tried to slap and fold, so was not really as stretchable as a regular dough. As stated above, I did add an extra 30g of water 30 minutes after that too, and once again it didn't handle as it normally does, my notes also say that the dough was slow to get a good gluten stretch, and it is these unusual dough characteristics that should have kept me alert to the moisture in the dough.

I messed up the baking! Because the dough felt fairly robust and not slumpy in the banneton I assumed it would bake the same as a normal loaf and this wasn't the case. I baked it side by side with a regular sourdough and that was a mistake - my habit is to turn the loaves when I remove the steam trays after 20 minutes and this bread was still very wet and loose and should not have been turned, and this turn seemed to knock it into a strange and wonky shape. Perhaps I should also have given a few small scores rather than the single 'ear' type score as well to contain some slumping. It did get an extra 15 minutes in the oven with the door cracked open afterwards, but certainly this bread should have been baked more carefully, as one does with a wet slumpy dough, and requires at least a full hour of low and slow baking with foil tenting.


This bread was super delicious. As the main ingredients were generously used, with ample hummus and miso, the flavours really came through and shone. It made for a lovely savoury breakfast bread, and since we had a friend visiting who was appreciative, it was cut a little too early, and a little too hot. And was superb with melting butter on it. And, finally, gone within an hour.

Peternumnums's picture
Peternumnums

Milling flours at home

Hey everybody.

Ive been looking online for how to's, so I can mill my own different kinds of french flours for different uses. 

I would like to mill my own T65 flour but info is limited. 

Can anyone recommend a book or provide some advice on how to mill the  different types of French flours?

Any information would be appreciated. 

Peter

 

Benito's picture
Benito

Sour Cherry Rhubarb Sourdough Buns

Close friends of our send us rhubarb every spring so I wanted to make something to bring them when we were visiting last weekend.  I came up with a sweet bun with a sour cherry and rhubarb filling along with a lemon icing.  They turned out quite well.

Filling (this wasn’t enough, make another 50%)

2 cups/216 g chopped rhubarb, fresh or frozen, in 1-inch pieces

171 g or 6 oz. fresh or frozen sweet cherries, pitted

½ cup/81 g granulated sugar

1 to 2 tsp. lemon juice

¼ tsp almond extract 

Pinch salt

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

 

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the rhubarb, cherries, granulated sugar, almond extract, lemon juice, and the salt, then simmer, stirring often, until the cherries have broken down and the jam is thick enough to coat a wooden spoon, 20 to 30 minutes.

 

2. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the ½  tsp. vanilla, and allow to cool to room temperature. Taste the jam. If it is a little flat, you can add more lemon juice, ½ tsp. at a time, to brighten the flavor.

 

 

Icing.

Lemon juice 1 tbsp (adjust to get the thickness of the icing as you wish)

 

¼ tsp vanilla
¾  cup (90g) confectioners’ sugar

 

Instructions

Levain

Mix the levain ingredients in a jar or pyrex container with space for at least 300% growth. 

Press down with your knuckles or silicone spatula to create a uniform surface and to push out air.

At a temperature of 76ºF, it typically takes up to 10-12 hours for this sweet stiff levain to be at peak.  For my starter I typically see 3-3.5 times increase in size at peak.  The levain will smell sweet with only a mild tang.

 

Tangzhong 

In a sauce pan set on medium heat, stir the milk and flour until blended. Then cook for several minutes until well thickened, stirring regularly with a spoon or heat-resistant spatula. Let cool in the pan or, for faster results, in a new bowl.  Theoretically it should reach 65ºC (149ºF) but I don’t find I need to measure the temperature as the tangzhong gelatinizes at this temperature.  You can prepare this the night before and refrigerate it, ensure that it is covered to prevent it from drying out.

 

If you plan on using a stand mixer to mix this dough, set up a Bain Marie and use your stand mixer’s bowl to prepare the tangzhong.

 

Dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the milk (consider holding back 10 g of milk and adding later if this is the first time you’re making this), egg, tangzhong, salt, sugar and levain.  Mix and then break up the levain into many smaller pieces.  Next add the flours.  I like to use my spatula to mix until there aren’t many dry areas.  Allow the flour to hydrate (fermentolyse) for 20-30 minutes.  Mix on low speed and then medium speed until moderate gluten development this may take 5-10 mins.  You may want to scrape the sides of the bowl during the first 5 minutes of mixing.  Next add room temperature butter one pat at a time.  The dough may come apart, be patient, continue to mix until it comes together before adding in more butter.  Once all the butter has been added and incorporated increase the speed gradually to medium. Mix at medium speed until the gluten is well developed, approximately 10 mins.  You will want to check gluten development by windowpane during this time and stop mixing when you get a good windowpane.  You should be able to pull a good windowpane, not quite as good as a white flour because the bran will interrupt the windowpane somewhat.  Next add the zest of two oranges, that way they do not interfere with the gluten development. Mix until they are well incorporated in the dough.

 

On the counter, shape the dough into a tight ball, cover in the bowl and ferment for 2-4 hours at 82ºF.  There will be some rise visible at this stage.

 

Optional cold retard overnight or just 1.5 hours to chill the dough for easier shaping.

 

Prepare your pan by greasing it or line with parchment paper.  

 

This dough is very soft. Act quickly to roll, spread the filling, and cut before the dough warms and softens further. If it begins to soften, place it in the fridge to firm.

Remove your bulk fermentation container from the fridge, lightly flour your work surface in a large rectangle shape, and the top of the dough in the bowl. Then, gently scrape out the dough to the center of your floured rectangle. Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour, and using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a 15″ x 15″ square or larger rectangle.

 

Brush melted butter on rolled dough.  Then spread warmed sour cherry rhubarb jam onto the dough, then sprinkle flour on top.  The flour will help absorb any water drawn out of the dough by the sugar in the yuzu tea.

 

Starting at one of the long sides of the rectangle in front of you, begin rolling up the dough as you move across. Be sure to tightly roll the dough by gently tugging on the dough as you roll.

Once finished rolling up the dough, divide it into nine 1 1/2″ pieces using a sharp knife. Transfer the pieces to the prepared baking pan and cover with a large, reusable bag, place in a warm spot.  I use my proofing box set to 82°F.  Final proof may take 3-6 hours, be patient and wait until the dough passes the finger poke test.  Using my aliquot jar the dough should reach a total rise of 120-130%.

 

Be sure to start preheating your oven about 30 minutes before you feel the rolls will be fully proofed. For me, the final warm proof time was about 3 hours at 77°F (25°C).

 

Bake

Preheat your oven, with a rack in the middle, to 400°F (200°C). After the warm proof, uncover your dough and gently press the tops of a few rolls.  The fully proofed rolls will look very soft. The texture of the dough will be almost like a whipped mousse. Be sure to give them extra time in warm proof if necessary. If the dough needs more time to proof, cover the pan and give the dough another 15 to 30 minutes at a warm temperature and check again.

Once your oven is preheated, remove your pan from its bag, slide it into the oven, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes rotating partway through.

 

The rolls are finished baking when the tops are well-colored and the internal temperature is around 195°F (90°C). Remove the rolls from the oven and let the rolls cool for 5 to 10 minutes in the pan.

 

Once fully cooled drizzle the icing onto the rolls.

 

 

These are best the day they're made, and certainly fresh from the oven, but can be reheated in a warm oven a day or two after.

 

My index of bakes.

Martadella's picture
Martadella

Danish style whole grain bread

Soaker:

1 cup Bob's Red Mill 7 grain cereal

1 cup coarsely ground rye berries 

½ cup whole grain coarse corn meal 

2 cups raw unsalted pumpkin seeds

½ cup golden flaxseed 

Lukewarm water to cover the seeds and grains

1 heaped tablespoon of rye starter

Mix everything together,  add more water if necessary, cover and let stand overnight in a place that's not too cold

Dough:

2 cups of wholegrain rye flour 

2 cups of wholegrain wheat flour 

2 ½ cups water 

2 heaped tablespoons of rye starter

Mix together,  cover, place in lukewarm place (oven with the lightbulb on) and ket ferment overnight 

In the morning mix the dough and the soaker together, add 3½ teaspoons if salt, 4 tablespoons molasses or dark syrup, adjust amount  of water (I like this dough to be really loose, but it's not necessary) 

Let the dough rest for 30‐45 minutes in the bowl. Then spoon it into prepared pan or pans. I used two IKEA aluminum loaf pans for this amount of dough. Brush surface with water. Let proof until the dough reaches the edge of the pan and shows some broken bubbles on the surface. Bake 10 minutes at 490, then 20 at 475, 30 at 390. Take out of the form, put back in the oven, lower the temp to 365 and bake additional 15 minutes or until done

Recipe adapted from the True North Kitchen website

https://true-north-kitchen.com/easy-overnight-danish-rye-rugbrod/

 

Isand66's picture
Isand66

Spelt Cherry Pecan Walnut Sourdough

Walnuts and pecans are my two favorite nuts and what's not to like about cherries? This one has all of my favorites in one bread except for cheese (I'm baking a bacon cheese bread as I type this :)).

I also added some fresh milled Spelt flour and high extraction whole wheat (Rouge de Bordeaux) freshly milled as well along with some KAF Artisan Bread flour. A small amount of purple sweet potatoes roasted and mashed was also added. You could also use mashed regular potatoes as the potatoes just add a little extra softness and help the bread stay fresh longer.

I milled the whole wheat in my MockMill200, sifted with a #30 sieve, re-milled and then sifted with a #40. For the Spelt I find it necessary to only sift once and re-mill at the finest setting.

This bread was chock full of flavor with all the nuts and cherries and made an amazing grilled cheese sandwich. I also enjoyed it toasted with some cheese or butter.

Formula

Levain Directions 

Mix all the levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.

Let it sit at room temperature for around 6-7 hours or until the starter has almost doubled. I used my proofer set at 76 degrees so it took around 5 hours for me. Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

 Main Dough Procedure

Soak the cherries in water for about an hour or more if you are using dried cherries. Strain them well before adding to the main dough. If you are using fresh cherries make sure to hold back even more water in the main dough and adjust as needed.

Mix the flour and liquids (leave about 50 -70 grams to add after the first mix), together in your mixer or by hand until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute.  Let it rest in your work bowl covered for 20-30 minutes.  After 30 minutes or so  add the salt, starter (cut into about 7-8 pieces), mashed potatoes and remaining water as needed and mix on low for 5 minutes.  Note: If you are using the Ankarsrum mixer like I do, add your water to the bowl first then add in the starter and flours.  After your autolyse add in the salt and potatoes, and remaining water and mix on low to medium low for 15-20 minutes.

After the dough is fully mixed you can either add the nuts and cherries to the mixer until it is incorporated or take the dough and spray some cooking spray on your work surface. Spread the dough out into a rectangle and laminate the dough with the add ins.

Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 1.5 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours or if using a proofer set at 80 degrees for one hour.  Remove the dough and shape as desired and cover with a moist tea towel or plastic wrap Sprayed with cooking spray and let rise at room temperature for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.  (I use my proofer set at 80 F and it takes about 1 hour to 1.5 hours).

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 500 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for around 35 minutes or until the breads are nice and brown and have an internal temperature around 200-210 F. 

Take the bread(s) out of the oven when done and let them cool on a bakers rack for as long as you can resist. 

 

fredsbread's picture
fredsbread

High Extraction Brioche Buns

Pork shoulder was on sale last week, so my wife decided she wanted pulled pork sandwiches for dinner and it was up to me to make the buns this past Sunday. I mostly followed Maurizio's brioche hamburger bun recipe, but instead of a blend of whole wheat and white flour I used 100% freshly milled 85% extraction hard red wheat (which I'm obsessed with the past couple of weeks since I bought a new sieve).

The dough didn't rise as much in the bulk ferment as I would have expected, but I was on a strict schedule to get to church, so I put it in the fridge as directed anyway. I had to let it proof longer, but it worked out as the pork also took much longer to cook than I planned and dinner was late.

The Roadside Pie King's picture
The Roadside Pi...

Today's bake

Very nice early morning bake off. Now the part I hate merchandising.

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