Hi!

Are there any TFL bakers with experience with retarded bulk fermentation at temperatures greater than a typical refrigerator's.  I have a separate basement area where temperatures range from 58 to 60 degrees. 

My confusion stems from the many baguette recipes that call for primary (bulk) fermentation times in the 2 to 3 hour range.  At the same time, when discussing fermentation in general, most writers call for the longest possible fermentation times in order to maximize flavor.  Logically, I have a problem believing that it can be both, assuming that flavor is my primary objective.  

Back in 2002, I had the pleasure of touring the great French boulanger Lionel Poilâne's Belgravia shop in London.  All their baking was done in a sub-basement two levels beneath the shop.  Basement temperatures a constant 55 degrees.  Unfortunately, as I was just getting into baguette baking at that time, I did not ask question about fermentation times.

QUESTIONS:

• At lower temperatures, e.g. 58 - 60 degrees, when would you turn and fold. 
• After the dough has doubled, has anyone frozen the dough, and with what results.
• Would proofing at these low temperatures improve upon the loaf's flavor.
• Etc.

Any thoughts and suggestions are much appreciated.

Best to all, and a very Happy Thanksgiving,  Neil

Well, I did it.... went to the New York Baker's website and bought fresh compressed yeast

I've always wanted to try it, it's impossible to find where I live. Now, of course, I will have more yeast than I can dream of using  during the 2 months it's supposed to last

can I use it in ANY recipe that calls for yeast?  and is it really going to lose much of its power after 60 days? 

Since reading about Calvin Trillin's search of the Lower East Side for a pumpernickel bagel from his past that was knobby and not boiled, I've been looking for such a recipe. In fact I'm difficultly finding any authentic recipe. I have Peter Reinhard's from Whole Grain Breads but it's not quite what I'm looking for.

Norm, if you're reading this maybe you know what I'm talking about.

My standard white bread for making one of my stuffings is no longer available (the bakery has closed).  I have also used Pepperidge Farm white bread, but that's not sold around here anymore either.  Does anyone have a white bread recipe, not too light or airy, or  dense or chewy, that would be a good substitute?  I'm might try Reinhart's Buttermilk White Bread from the BBA and his White Sandwich Bread from Crust & Crumb.  I haven't made a white sandwich loaf before.  Any other ideas?  I'm looking for a good flavorful "farmhouse" white loaf with good structure, but soft. Pepperidge Farm texture, but better flavor.

For years I've bought Shiloh Farm's Sprouted 7 Grain Bread, but at over $7 a loaf, I would like to make my own verison...can anyone give me any suggestions; recipe, ingredents, etc. Thanks, fl

hi can someone please direct me to a good panetone recipe. thanks!

Hi Fresh Loaf Forum,

I'm looking for advice to help me with my efforts to make a low gluten bagel.

I have a wheat gluten allergy, but some low gluten wheat flour does not cause problems (semolina and durum are examples, I think, as I can eat spaghetti pasta).  A few years ago, I found that Bageltime Bagels did not cause an allergy reaction.  So far, my thinking is that it was because they used Bleached Enriched Flour when making them.  So, when Bageltime Bagels was bought out by Fleisher's Bagels, and discontinued the Bageltime Bagel, I thought:  why not try to reproduce that bagel myself?

Well, it didn't take long for me to discover that there are many ingredients used in the mass production process for bagel making that are not easy to find for the home baker.  Still, I have persisted in trying to make a low gluten bagel.  As a short summary, I followed the recipe and procedures of John D. Lee's version of bagels, with my own ingredient preferences-and got some acceptable bagels, but not the puffy on the inside kind.

Here's my key insight, and my question:  On my latest effort, I made the mistake of using barley malt syrup (because I had used malt powder-from King Arthur Flour-and it did not affect me).  On a positive note, the bagels puffed up in an excellent way in the oven, and the texture was just lite crunchy on the outside and nice airy "bounce" on the inside.  Unfortunately, the barley malt syrup has gluten in ways that causes allergies for me.  The question:  is there an enzyme or some other kind of conditioner or ingredient I can substitute for the barley malt syrup effect, so I can get that same puff and bounce?  Here's what I'm using for ingredients now:

4 cups Pillsbury All Purpose Flour
1 1/4-1 1/2 cups warm water
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
1 1/2 tbs. barley malt syrup (has to be replaced)
½ tbs. molasses
1 tbs. canola oil
2/3 tsp. ginger
and 2tbs. malt powder in the simmering water when I boil the bagels before baking

I hope that someone can assist me in my quest.  It's true, there are gluten free bagels recipes on the Internet, and I could go that route.  But first, I'd like to know if the low gluten route could work.

With Kind Regards,

Stefan

For this weeks bread I decided to try the method of Anis Bouabsa that I read about here.  I held back enough of the dough to make a pizza for tonight's supper and made six rolls out of the rest.  One of the rolls I "frosted" with the rice paste right before I put them in the oven.

The recipe I used for the topping called for oil.  In retrospect I realize that the rolls I had eaten at a restaurant must not have had the oil.  The topping greatly retarded the baking and oven rise, I did not slash the topped roll. I cooked the topped roll a good fifteen minutes after I took the rest out.  I will give an update when we cut it open and eat it but I'm fairly sure it is going to be hockey puck like.

I will start another post on the plain Bouabsa rolls when I cut one. 

This is my latest bread -- Pane Siciliano from BBA. It was fun to make the S shaped loaves and it is delicious with a moist tender crumb and a rich flavor. It is 40% durum flour, hence the creamy yellow color. I put it in the oven early this morning and we just had it for our late Sunday breakfast with eggs and cocoa. The two of us ate half a loaf and I could go on eating slice after slice. I LOVE GOOD BREAD!

I made it almost just like the recipe. Just for fun, I pinched off a little piece of my (recently fed) stiff dough starter and added it to the pate fermente. So that had almost 2 days rest in the fridge. Then the shaped loaves had an evening and night long ferment in the fridge. Wonderful flavor. I think they might have risen a little fatter than they should with the extra yeasties.

This maes a great bread for breakfast or dinner. I think it would be fun to make it in little S shaped rolls too. A loaf would probably make about 6 rolls. I had fun making this and I'm eager to make it again and serve it for breakfast during the holidays. Two of our children will be coming with their families in Dec. and I'm making a list of all the breads I want to show off while they are here. Wish they could stay a month. We will have a lot of bread to go through.

Catherine

Hello...I am a new sourdough baker and this is also the first time I have used a long rise method. I put the dough in the oven with the light on at 3:30 pm. I took it out at 6:30 a.m. and it had certaily doubled in height but a crust had formed. I wasn't sure if I should peel off the crust before punching down and kneading again. I decided not to peel it off and just kneaded it all together and it is now on its 2nd rise so we'll see what becomes if this loaf..ha ha! Did the crust form because of the light in the oven? Thanks for any help for this newbie!