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Submitted by hanseata on January 22, 2012 - 8:45am

Fair Baking - My Equal Opportunity Pledge!


Like some teachers have their "pets", I have some favorite baking books that I always turn to when I'm looking for new recipes. These books have old envelopes, supermarket receipts, movie tickets, and other odd papers stuck between pages as markers,  my own volume/weight conversions (or corrections), and lots of scribbled comments. And, they are also graded with stars, enthusiastic exclamation marks, or a scathing: "Not that great!"

Then there are The Others, bought or received as presents, that, for some reasons, never captured my attention, either because they have no attractive photos to inspire me, their design is too dull, their write-up too boring (yes, I am that shallow!), or I just forgot all about them. They end up in a dark corner of my bookshelf, forsaken and forlorn, probably hiding treasures that no one will ever know in the Anderson house - and NOBODY CARES!

This shameful negligence has to come to an end - these books are people, too! They, too, deserve a chance to be looked at, taken seriously, and, maybe, supply the next candidate for Karin's Bread Hall of Fame.

So my New Year's Resolution is this Equal Opportunity Pledge -  fair treatment of all my baking books, every one shall have a chance, no more "pet baking", but equal opportunity for all those disadvantaged recipe collections, that never saw the light of my kitchen! (This pledge includes, also, recipes from websites or blogs, that I really liked when I saw them - and promptly forgot.)

LIST OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITY BREADS (with links to the posts):

  • Richard Ploner: Malzbrot - Tyrolean Rye Malt Rolls ("Brot aus Südtirol") DONE!
  • Daniel Leader: French Walnut Bread - Pain au Levain Complet aux Noix ("LocalBreads") DONE!
  • Saatenbrot - German Many Seed Bread ("Die besten Rezepte aus der Allgemeinen Bäckerzeitung") DONE! 
  • Jeffrey Hamelman: Country Bread ("Bread") DONE!
  • Andrew Whitley: Arkatena Bread ("Bread Matters") DONE! 
  • Bill Middeke: Beer Rye Bread ("Baking with the St. Paul Bread Club") DONE! (but needs more work)
  • Müslibrötchen - German Muesli Rolls ("Brot & Kleingebäck") DONE! (but needs more work)
  • Peter Reinhart: Croissants ("Artisan Bread Every Day")
  • Melissa Amador: Mexican Conchas (allrecipes.com)
  • Dan Lepard: Alehouse Rolls ("The Guardian")
  • Bäckerei Hesse: Herzbube Walnuss - Knight of Hearts Walnut ("Brot - So backen unsere besten Bäcker")
  • Susan Tenney: Spelt Hempseed Bread ("Wild Yeast Blog")
  • Bernd Armbrust: Camembert-Trauben-Brot - Camembert Grape Bread ("Brot")
  • Jan Hedh: Cosa Nostra Bread ("Swedish Breads & Pastry")
  • Gérard Rubaud: Pain au Levain (David/dmsnyder's blog/TFL)
  • Bauernbrot - Farmers' Loaf ("Brotrezepte aus ländlichen Backstuben")
  • Cornelia Zingerling: Mandel-Vollkorn-Brot ("Brot backen")
  • Niels Schöner: Pain au Levain de Sarrasin ("Notes From a Floury German Kitchen")
  • Danny Klecko: Manna Bread ("Last American Baker" Blog)
  • Vollkorntoastbrot mit Leinsamen - Whole Grain Toast Bread with Flaxseed ("Brot backen - Köstliche Rezepte aus der guten alten Zeit")
  • E. and J. Wood: Cranberry-Nut Sourdough ("Classic Sourdoughs")
  • Jerusalem Artichoke Bread ("Essen & Trinken" magazine) (if I can get them)
  • Ayla Agar: Turkish Simit ("Classic Turkish Cooking") (this is a different version of Simit than the one I posted already).
  • Ute-Marion Wilkesmann: Allerweltsbrötchen - Ordinary Rolls ("Brötchen statt Brot")
  • Chad Robertson: Basic Country Bread with Sesame ("Tartine")
  • Rose Levy Beranbaum: Golden Semolina Torpedo - Altamura ("The Bread Bible")
  • Richard Bertinet: Breton Bread ("Crust")
  • J. Alford and N. Duguid: Ethiopian Spice Bread ("Flatbreads & Flavors")
  • R. Topp and A. Riffert: Heilkräuterbrot - Healing Herb Bread ("Vollkornbäckerei zu Hause")
  • Andy's White Levain with Seeds (ananda's blog/TFL)
  • Martin Pöt Stoldt: Buttermilch-Weizenvollkorn-Kastenbrot - Buttermilk Wheat Sandwich Loaf ("Der Sauerteig - das unbekannte Wesen")
  • Floyd Mann: Rustic Bread ("The Fresh Loaf Pocket Book of Bread")

So far, so good. There will be more.....

Malzbrot - Tyrolean Rye Malt Rolls - they went straight into my Bread Hall of Fame!

 

 

 

 

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Submitted by Mebake on January 22, 2012 - 11:02am.

That is why I alternately

That is why I alternately bake out of the 3 bread books I own, may because I like variety, or because I seek to learn more recipes and skills.

That is very thoughtful of you, Karin, to reach out and consider giving deserted books a chance.

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Submitted by Janetcook on January 22, 2012 - 4:29pm.

Karin, I will be eagerly

Karin,

I will be eagerly waiting for the recipe for the breads pictured.  They look great and I just made up a fresh batch of malt!

Truth be told, I will be waiting for all of the recipes and your comments on them!  Glad you are only posting one at a time or my 'to bake' binder would surely explode :-0

Take Care,

Janet

 

Submitted by Postal Grunt on January 22, 2012 - 10:06pm.

There's nothing fair about your breads!

They have all looked excellent to me. Keep sharing those recipes, please.

Jim

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Submitted by hanseata on January 23, 2012 - 8:13am.

Fair chance

Khalid, I also had to justify my buying all those books - and always looking for new ones.

Karin

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Submitted by hanseata on January 23, 2012 - 8:16am.

Thanks, Janet and Jim

I appreciate your interest - I will post the first Equal Opportunity Bread today.

Happy baking,

Karin

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Submitted by Janetcook on January 23, 2012 - 2:48pm.

Karin, What 'room' will you

Karin,

What 'room' will you post it in?

Janet

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Submitted by Juergen Krauss on January 23, 2012 - 3:36pm.

This is a mouthwatering list

Karin, it is a sad thing, but with the huge number of books out there most of the bread recipes will have to wait for their recognition ...

Great of you to pull some of them into the spotlight.

Good Work!

Juergen

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Submitted by hanseata on January 23, 2012 - 5:07pm.

Equal Opportunity Baking posts

Janet, I will update the list above with the links, and will, also, post them in my "Brot & Bread" blog (http://hanseata.blogspot.com/).

Jürgen, I always regret that a lot of those baking books are never translated. I also have some older ones, probably out of print, where you can easily adapt recipes to more modern techniques.

Here is the link to the wonderful Malt Rye Rolls: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/26969/malzbrot-tyrolean-malt-rye-rolls-sesame-and-pumpkin-seeds

Happy Baking,

Karin

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Submitted by ananda on January 25, 2012 - 1:39am.

company

I'm happy to be in such a great company of bakers Karin!

You are going to be very busy, for sure

Happy Baking!

Andy

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Submitted by hanseata on January 25, 2012 - 9:23am.

Thanks, Andy,

you are a dear!

I just pulled the third EO Bread out of the oven, this time a bread from a professional German bakers' magazine. (It had to be scaled down from 21 loaves), a medium rye/whole wheat sourdough "Saatenbrot" - Many Seed Bread, with sesame, flax and hemp seeds. It looks very nice, but still warm, and I have to curb my impatience and wait until it has cooled down.

Karin

Submitted by rolls on January 31, 2012 - 5:49pm.

wonderful idea! i always feel

wonderful idea! i always feel that guilt wen i look at my cookbook collection, as well as the wonderful recipes you come across as special but then forget. my to-bake list is soooo long lol, and this site only makes it longer! bread baking has made me neglect other forms of baking lol sometimes i'll bake a cake and think to myself, well that was fast and easy (no waiting for the yeast to do its thing). wen i want to bake sweet treats, i forget the simple cakes cookies or brownies, lol and go straight cinnamon rolls and sweet buns :)

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Submitted by hanseata on January 31, 2012 - 6:49pm.

You are right,

I collected too many recipes that I really, REALLY want to try - and then forgot all about them! - and keep on buying baking books - and then putting them on my crowded shelf - and never get to look at them, always finding something new and interesting.

Making such a pledge to yourself, and taking one recipe from every baking book you own, is a good way to get to know all of them. I threw in some recipes from TFL and other blogs for fun, and the list will, most likely, even get longer.

Just made the paté fermentée for Hamelman's Country Bread, let's see how that turns out.

Karin

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Submitted by highmtnpam on February 1, 2012 - 3:29pm.

Just the opposite

Karin, I did just the opposite.  I consigned my old cookbooks out of the kitchen and to the dead shelf upstairs and and left the newer cookbooks with "weight" measurements in the "baking" bookshelf.  I saved the much loved recipes from my old cookbooks but tossed those recipes that I have always meant to make but never have. (I was astounded at the amount of paper I threw away).  I determined to only bake new recipes from my new cookbooks.  It was sad saying goodbye to books like "Baking with Julia",  but there are so many new books (Michael Suas, for example) that have a great deal of extra information that answer many questions that I  have.   I also love the books by Ciril Hitz thzt come with DVDs.  I also cruely tossed a couple of  cookboks that  seem to have a plethora of errata in their recipes.  Then I made a list of recipes that always turn out for me (NO new baguette recipes) and that we always eat or give away,  those that are favorites on The Fresh Loaf, and a blank list that I will fill in as I go.   A brand new start for Pam!!!  One of the first on my new list is the Matzbrot Rolls.  Thanks for the recipe, Karin, and good luck with your list.!

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Submitted by hanseata on February 1, 2012 - 3:51pm.

Weeding out cookbooks

Pam, if I hadn't weeded out those cookbooks that I hardly, or ever, used, selling them to a special cookbook store, my bookshelves really would have caved in! These books that I included in the Equal Opportunity list, are basically more or less new, with the exemption of some old, often used ones. For example, I didn't include Peter Reinhart's BBA or WGB, because I did almost all of the breads - except for some flatbreads that don't tempt me, and the croissants (that are in my list).

I also like the challenge of converting old recipes with interesting ingredients to newer techniques - with good results.

Karin

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Submitted by highmtnpam on February 1, 2012 - 4:55pm.

Oh Karin

The Guilt, the guilt....you make me feel so much better.  And, how we enjoy you converting those recipes for us!!!  Pam

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Submitted by hanseata on February 2, 2012 - 7:23am.

Oh, Pam,

We all have to live with our sins.... I just remember (with a very bad conscience) why I didn't put a recipe from Bertinet's "Crust" on my list. All that sensual handling and fondling of the dough, I'm afraid I can't deal with it again - and to see the reproachful, sad eyes of my poor husband.... It was then, when I first slapped the dough of a Pain au Levain on our kitchen counter, that my husband got the idea of my having "The Other Man"!

Happy baking,

Karin

 

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Submitted by highmtnpam on February 3, 2012 - 11:05am.

I've been married 46 years

When my husbandand retired I had to learn to restrain myself from fondling the dough. No Bertinet in our house.  (Frankly, I think he just ignores me when I am in that phase of bread production. Thank goodness) !  Pam

Submitted by dabrownman on February 18, 2012 - 12:44pm.

I feel sort of

naked in a 'bookish' way with my one bread book the 1973 edition of B. Clayton's "The Complete Book of Bread" that turned out not to very complete it seems -  many years later in hind sight.   I am very jealous and your post, hanseata, doesn't help one little bit either :-)  Now I have to find an envious green bread - with seeds  - and I know Clayton won't be any help in that regard! 

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Submitted by hanseata on March 20, 2012 - 5:36am.

Green Bread

St. Patrick's Day gone by - did you come up with an (envy-)green bread, yet, Dabrownman? I wonder whether you can make one, without dying the dough, maybe with that mysterious green pea flour that Breadsong used for her Clover Leaf Breads.

Right now I'm a bit stuck in my Fair Baking efforts - the three last breads all didn't satisfy me (too sweet, too much overpowering spice, too dry), and need some tweaking, I have to revisit them, when I'm back from my trip to Germany.

Looking forward to see your green bread :)

Karin

 

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Submitted by hanseata on April 16, 2012 - 10:10am.

Links

Thanks, Janet, for passing on Varda's information how to embed a link in your text more elegantly. Works like a charm, and looks much less cluttered.

Karin

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