The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

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Weizenbrot's picture
Weizenbrot

Rågkakor

This is a recent recipe posted by Stan Ginsberg on his The Rye Baker site. It's by far the easiest rye dough I've worked with—100% rye flour and hardly sticky at all. The recipe uses all instant yeast and comes together quickly.

It's worth a try when you don't have time for a sourdough-based rye bread.

the hadster's picture
the hadster

New Mockmill 100 - any body thinking of getting this? Feedback on grains from Breadtopia?

Hello:

I'm looking into grain mills and came across this offer on Breadtopia.  Size wise, this is correct for me.  Does anyone else use a Mockmill?

http://breadtopia.com/store/mockmill-100-grain-mill/

Does anyone buy grains from Breadtopia?  If so, what are your thoughts on the quality?

Thanks,

Hadster

restless baker's picture
restless baker

cornbread - first try - crack problem??!!!

hey friends , ok so here is my first try to make an awesome cornbread in oven . i mixed my dry and wet ingredients separately and then mixed them and used a machine to give them some good mix so there is no lumps in the batter . i baked it at 220 degree C for 25 min .

i used this recipe :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEErkOhSrj0

and my baking plate looks like this :

 

here is the top view ( i am not happy with cracks on the top )   : 

 

 

the back view ( looks decent ) :

side view ( i don't know if it looks right or not ) :

on the plate to serve :

ok , so in the end the i liked how it smelled , the texture looked correct , taste was corny and soft . but i wanted mine to look like exactly like the one in the video , more crispy , but instead i go those cracks , i don't like those cracks ? i said it again i wanted mine to be more crispy . so what are you bread lovers think ? any ideas ? suggestions ? 

thank you all 

nsaubes's picture
nsaubes

Dense crumb, poor ear and spring Development

Dear community:

I've been baking sourdough bread for a couple of month now. Although I've been improving on several aspects I'm still not satisfied with my loaves: 1) the crumb is too dense, I can't manage to get an airy crumb and, 2) I can't manage to get a nice ear and spring development, the surface of the bread stays smooth and flat...

I've been cold bulk fermenting and I also tried both cold bulk fermenting + cold final shape proofing.

Are those signs of overfermentation/proofing or underfermentation/proofing? Or is it because of other factors?

Thanks for your help!

Isand66's picture
Isand66

Durum Whole Wheat Mixed Cheese Porridge Bread

   Give me a good loaf of bread and some cheese and I'm good to go.  This bake kicks up a porridge bread with 2 different kinds of cheese.

I added some lemon zest to the porridge which gave the bread a nice subtle citrus flavor and it went great with the smoked Gruyere and Havarti cheeses I used in the main dough.

I also added some almond flour to the porridge for a little extra nutty flavor and some sesame seeds on the outside for some extra crunch.

All in all the crumb was nice and moist and the cheese ....not much more to say :).

Here are the Zip files for the above BreadStorm files.

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 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.  I used my proofer set at 83 degrees and it took about 4 hours.  You can use it immediately in the final dough or let it sit in your refrigerator overnight.

Porridge Directions

Add about 3/4's of the milk called for in the porridge to the dry ingredients in a small pot set to low and stir constantly until all the milk is absorbed.  Add the remainder of the milk  and keep stirring until you have a nice creamy and soft porridge.  Remove from the heat and let it come to room temperature before adding to the dough.  I put mine in the refrigerator and let it cool quicker.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours  and the water for about 1 minute.  Let the rough dough sit for about an hour or longer.  I actually left it for around 5 hours.  Next add the levain, and salt and mix on low for 2 minutes.     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.  Repeat the stretch and folds a total of 4 times.  After the second S & F add the porridge and incorporate into the dough.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.  (Since I used my proofer I only let the dough sit out for 1.5 hours before refrigerating).

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.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.

The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature and will only rise about 1/3 it's size at most.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 550 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.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 5 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for 35-50 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

taiwan_bake's picture
taiwan_bake

Converting granola recipe to Sugar-Free

Hello fellow Fresh-Loafers,

I like the following granola recipe, but want to make it sugar-free:

 - 4 Cups of Oats

 - 3 Cups of Seeds/Nuts

 - 1 Cup of Desiccated Coconut 

 - 1/2 Cup of Oil

 - 3/4 Cup of Honey or Maple Syrup

 - 1/2 Cup of Brown Sugar

 - 1-1/2 Teaspoon of Salt

Method: Combine Oil, Sugar, Salt and Honey/Maple Syrup in bowl and mix thoroughly. After mixing, add Coconut and continue mixing. Add Nuts and continue mixing. Add Oats and continue mixing. Mix thoroughly until is is moist throughout. Then put it in a wide, flat pan that is lined on the bottom with oven paper. Put it into a pre-heated 300F (150C) oven for 30~40 minutes. Take out and stir every 10 minutes.

-------

The recipe is delicious, crunchy, and creates big chunks that are great to eat. But it has 1/2 Cup of Sugar and 3/4 Cup of Honey or Maple Syrup, and I'd like to get rid of those and convert it to a sugar-free recipe. Afterward, I would get sweetness by adding dried or fresh fruit. 

Does anybody have any idea how to do this and still get a crunchy, nice result that sort of sticks together? 

Some online recipes suggest using egg whites, but I have little experience with that.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Tom in Taiwan

 

Beadman's picture
Beadman

Budget wood fired oven build!!

My goal is to build a functional wood fired oven using as many re purposed materials as possible. The oven should be able to bake 24 good sized loafs as I will be baking for a farmers market twice a week. I hope to quickly outgrow this oven and that is part of the reason that I want to build it cheap. I am working my way through the bread builders book and would love to build something using Alan Scott plans but simply don't have the time or the money at the moment. Instead what I am considering doing is using the retaining wall between the upper and lower terraces of my garden to give me a good working height. Then I will pour a slab and build a brick oven on the upper terrace. I am hoping that the whole thing will be able to expand and contract a little bit to avoid cracking. The purpose of this post is to find out what experiences, good or bad people have had with similar projects. For instance I was hoping to use the abundant local limestone to build the oven but my research has indicated that this would be prone to explosion! So any advice about potential pitfalls or any awesome money saving ideas would be greatly appreciated.. I'm hoping to build something that can get me through this coming winter and then maybe in the spring build something bigger and better. I'm in Central Texas so it won't be a cold winter but there should be a good freeze or two.

agres's picture
agres

Leningrad Rye

An old friend seeks loaves of "Leningrad Rye" such as she had in Leningrad circa 1955.  The loaves were cob shaped, dense, firm, very dark, and damp inside. And, fragrant! Oh, and loaves would start being sold about 4 hours after the truck load of flour arrived at the bakery.  (People would be in line for bread, and see the trucks arrive!)

My guess from economic history suggests 80% rye flour, 4% flax seed (meal?) 4% sunflower seed (meal?), and coarse whole wheat flour.  From her accounts of fragrance, I assume some caraway, and salt?  Things like coffee and cocoa were simply not available. Some brewers products such as dark (rye?) malt, hops, and yeast were available.  On the other hand, the Leningrad bakers had long traditions of being able to produce good bread even in the face of harsh adversity.   

Somehow her descriptions suggest sourdough, but is there any way to produce sourdough breads that fast?  How would you approach authentic 1955 Leningrad Rye Bread?  This is not urgent as we do make very good, dark rye breads, both yeast and sourdough. Rather this  a quest for the taste and smell of her childhood food.

Or, were the Leningrad loaves of 1955 simply so much better than the Leningrad loaves of 1945? (made with cottonseed meal, and worse), and not nearly as good as the famous sourdough Leningrad loaves of 1845? Or, perhaps standing in line for hours in the cold Leningrad winter made the bread seem better? Am I on a fool's quest?

 

 

nocrapman's picture
nocrapman

Artisan bread to Sandwich loaf

Hi folks,

I am new to baking. I have been getting my feet wet with Ken Forkish and Jim Lahey's books and their various breads.

The kids really want less crust and more square bread! I guess they are used to the grocery store offerings!

How do I take the skills learnt with the above books and make them more familiar loaves?

Any books, links or ideas are appreciated.

Thanks!

 

PK

tsb264's picture
tsb264

Mixed Nut Loaves and Lessons Learned

I bought an enormous amount of hazelnuts last week with the intention of doing a double batch of hazelnut and currant loaves over the weekend. Not long after the nuts went into the oven to toast up, I got a call from my brother, forgot to set the timer, we had a nice leisurely catch up and...well, you know how this story goes. While I do not recommend burning $18 worth of nuts, I do recommend creativity in troubleshooting and using what you have on hand. I made good use of what was lingering in my pantry--some walnuts, pistachios, and slivered almonds and I'm quite pleased with the results, although I wish each bite had just a bit more nut! Truth be told, I probably would not have even thought to incorporate pistachios into my loaf had I not put myself in a sort of bind. Once I did, I got really hung up on the idea of invoking some baklava flavors, so one loaf has quite a bit (~55 g) of local clover honey mixed in. I did notice that loaf did not get quite the same rise as my mixed nut and currant ones, but that can also be attributed to the fact that I used a bit less leaven and not necessarily the added weight or moisture of the honey? I'm not quite sure.

I'm traveling up to Vermont in two weeks and have requests for 2 savory loaves. I'm thinking of doing a sun dried tomato and parmesan loaf, which seems simple enough, but am also tampering with the idea of a spinach pesto loaf. Has anyone had good luck incorporating pestos into their Tartine-method sourdoughs? And, if so, could you point me in the direction of a good recipe? I'm more worried about oxidation than anything else. No one likes a swamp-colored loaf. 

Happy baking and Sunday to all! :)

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