The Fresh Loaf

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trailrunner's blog

trailrunner's picture
trailrunner

I finally got around to purchasing a container of food grade lye . I had tried to find info on lye baths for bagels but there is very little out there and the percent of lye to water that was used seemed way off. I am glad that I pursued this and have some data that I hope will help others. I purchased the lye on Amazon  here . Will likely last me a good long while. I used 5 grams in 1 gallon of filtered tap water. This is approx. 12-12.5 % alkalinity. Baking soda is only 9 if fully saturated  so can't get the water where I wanted it to optimize the crust . I will  use a bit more next time and get it up to the full 14% that is possible if fully saturated. . I am VERY pleased with how these came out. I added the lye to the cold water and brought it to a boil. Just to be on the safe side ( my husband is a chemist and insisted) I wore goggles and had some vinegar in a dish off to the side to neutralize any splash on the skin. I had no problems. 

I bathed the bagels for 10 seconds on a side...lifted out and drained, replaced on the sheet pan dusted with semolina where they had retarded. I baked them as always in 400 degree oven approx 22 min. rotated pans at the 1/2. Formula I use is here. I used whey instead of water as I had a lot from my kefir cheese making. I also used half white and half rye starter. 

The crust is amazing. So crisp. Beautiful blisters and a nice glow to the crust. Perfect chewy crumb. Lovely fragrance. Any residue of lye is  hydrolyzed by the proteins in the bagel dough and is neutralized so you don't need to worry about rinsing the bagels after dipping. 

Here are some pics. 

note the difference in the boiled vs unboiled bagels:  photo IMG_6519_zps3c764110.jpg  photo IMG_6520_zps315e4861.jpg baked :  photo IMG_6522_zps1c08d5f1.jpg crumb ( small flaw from rolling/shaping )  photo IMG_6524_zpsc6a35858.jpg  photo IMG_6523_zps94d31ff3.jpg  photo IMG_6526_zps5b596f3d.jpg

trailrunner's picture
trailrunner

I had several of these ordered so couldn't cut them. I made one more for our cookout tonight. Wonderful family dinner by the pool. The Challah was so tender and slightly sweet with the addition of some extra honey and the golden raisins. 

before glaze:  photo IMG_6511_zpsf324e590.jpg glazed with a mixture of egg yolk/honey/1/2and 1/2:  photo IMG_6512_zpsbe1d2ece.jpg just out of the oven:  photo IMG_6513_zps4fdf911c.jpg crumb:  photo IMG_6514_zpsb7ad0975.jpg

trailrunner's picture
trailrunner

David said he had not tried this so I decided to give it a shot. I do it with every SD I bake. I  remove from baskets and bake right from refrigerator. It worked fantastically well !  I did 4 loaves as a test one day and then the other 12 the next. I mixed the formula in batches of 4 loaves in my KA for one minute to moisten the flour and transferred  them one batch  on top of the other to  my 13 qt bowl to autolyse. I then did "in the bowl" s and f for 3 turns...this is 6 kilo of dough !  ( I am 5'2" and 115 # :) )  Did 2 s and f on the board. To facilitate  handling I changed the formula by 100grams of water/per 4- 500 gram loaves. Such a tiny amount of water per loaf but a huge difference in handling. 

Only thing I lack is a crumb shot...hope I can get my son to take a pic as these ALL went to him . Here are some pics to show the process. I preheated the oven on convection at 500 with a shallow pan of lava rocks under the steel plate for 45 min. Loaded 4 loaves on a thin baking sheet and poured in the boiling water to make steam. Have finally got the water figured out so that it is all gone about 9-10 min into bake...I also mist a couple times from a sprayer. I leave the oven at 500 for those first 12 min to make up for any drop in temp. As it happens the oven drops 6 degrees and that is it. Consistently....the steel really holds the temp and also starting with boiling water at 212 into a 500 degree oven doesn't cause as much thermal loss. But LOTS of steam !!  I then lower to 460 and finish the bake..internal temp is 210-212. 

The loaves sang and cracked like crazy...love the cracks on the crust. The bottoms are gorgeous from the steel...the thin pan makes no difference to the hot steel . OK..enough talk...here are the pics.

s&f in 13 qt bowl x3 q 30 min.-  photo IMG_6498_zps25473a6f.jpg ready for 1st s&f on board:  photo IMG_6499_zpsb1970232.jpg after 2 s&f's on lightly floured board:  photo IMG_6501_zps158223f6.jpg shaped and ready to rise 1 1/4 hrs before retard:  photo IMG_6504_zps972228a6.jpg puffed up nicely ! :  photo IMG_6494_zpscde4e6e2.jpg whoa...no room in the fridge !  photo IMG_6506_zps8cbc3e43.jpg slashed and ready to go :  photo IMG_6495_zps96af63ba.jpg nice :  photo IMG_6502_zpsbf68ae1b.jpg  photo IMG_6503_zps95a75c9f.jpg tried 2 different slashes...keep it simple :)  photo IMG_6509_zps5214495d.jpg bagging and ready for delivery !:  photo IMG_6510_zps6b4a1218.jpg Home ovens are for home baking...even with great convection and a pan of rocks there is nothing that will replace the wonders of a steam injection commercial oven. I think I already knew that LOL ! I sure enjoyed the process. This was the second time in 2 weeks that I have done 16 loaves of SJSD for my son. I learned a LOT !! Will I keep doing it ??? Hm...probably not....only for special occasions. But I sure am grateful that I had David's formula to work from and so many tips from TFL on steaming with a pan of rocks..I have read every post I could find on steaming . Things that were way easier than I thought they would be....s&f in bowl of 6 kilo dough and on the board...piece of cake !! Shaping...by the time I had finished I had really improved my technique..I can look at each loaf and tell you which was the 1st I did and which was the last. Steaming once I got used to the initial BLAST ! So there you have it...for what it is worth. c

trailrunner's picture
trailrunner

Have been baking up a storm for 2 days. All is preordered so no guess work as to what to prepare. Orders have grown like crazy ! I have converted my sunroom that is adjacent to my kitchen into a kitchen annex. Added a large maple table that I already had and a bookcase from the used furniture store to hold supplies. So far it is working out great. Here is some of the bounty. My husband is making his pasta also for sale by order. 

 

 

sourdoughs...Norwich and SJSD, Challahs , Oatmeal bread and rolls, bagels, dinner rolls and cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing.  photo IMG_6487_zpsf8c1f895.jpg new storage:  photo IMG_6488_zpsd5811fe0.jpg dinner rolls:  photo IMG_6489_zps41d27137.jpg Challah:  photo IMG_6490_zps4ee66288.jpg more Challah:  photo IMG_6492_zps97cbfb4d.jpg pasta:  photo IMG_6485_zps25794e75.jpg cinnamon rolls:  photo IMG_6491_zps6b9ebc0b.jpg 16 loaves of SJSD !  photo IMG_6481_zps78e4d495.jpg where is the dishwasher ????? he is fired !  photo IMG_6483_zps98848207.jpg

trailrunner's picture
trailrunner

In my other post I showed the lasagna that I made from sourdough pasta. My husband is the pasta maker and I turn it into dinner...so it is a joint effort. It makes the most remarkably tender and flavorful pasta. I use what ever white starter I have  . Mine is usually at 100% hydration. One very nice thing about the SD pasta is its keeping quality in the fridge after you let it dry on the counter. It will last easily for a week if you wrap it well. We make extra and then dry on the counter on cloth towels and then store in fridge to be eaten with various toppings. Do cut to desired shape though before you dry it. 

286 g  "00" flour ( if you only have AP that works also) or use 1/2 and 1/2 semolina-AP 

3 large eggs

1T EVOO

1/4 c starter 

4g  kosher salt

this made 17 1/2 oz pasta. Depending on starter hydration you made need a few drops of water but you don't want the dough too wet. Should just hold together. R puts the flour on the cutting board and stirs all the liquid into a well in the center. He then uses our pasta machine to knead and roll it out and to cut the spaghetti..he cuts the lasagna by hand. Next time he makes it ...which will be this week as we have company coming I will get more detailed pics..the ones I had are  in a different computer iphoto that is with my daughter who is out of town. c,

Here are some pics : 

 photo IMG_3816.jpg  photo IMG_3818.jpg

trailrunner's picture
trailrunner

I had enough orders this week so I have some crumb shots and some not as most was going toward orders. I made my usual 100 % sourdough bagels from Wild Yeast blog but I used whey from my kefir for all of the liquid including feeding the staters..I use 1/2 rye starter and 1/2 white staters for the formula. They were all spoken for but the fragrance and shape are lovely so I have high hopes for the reviews on texture and flavor . I also had more orders for the Oatmeal Bread. I made 2 5 oz rolls from the extra dough...Grand son and his Momma and Papa ate those with peach jam we made this afternoon !   Made 8 Challah seeded buns and 2 Challah braids, a huge batch of peanut butter granola and 3 semolina sourdough boules. I ran out of semolina so added a touch of spelt. They turned out beautifully...baked in my DO's. That's it...oh and I made a small pan of lasagna from the last of my husbands sourdough pasta. We have always made our own pasta dough but have just lately started using starter for the lasagna. It gives a wonderful texture and lightness to the whole dish.  

oatmeal loaves and 5 oz oatmeal buns, Challah and Challah seeded rolls:  photo IMG_6433_zps27274c97.jpg semolina crumb:  photo IMG_6430_zps64c46a80.jpg big ears ! :  photo IMG_5923.jpg retarding in the "all fridge" boules and bagels:  photo IMG_6411_zps9c69a85b.jpg boiling bagels:  photo IMG_6419_zpsf65c486e.jpg baked and ready to go :  photo IMG_6424_zps7686fcfe.jpg granola :  photo IMG_6425_zps8f6f327b.jpg lasgana:  photo IMG_6432_zps52eb0798.jpg

trailrunner's picture
trailrunner

I keep noting the folks on here that are milling their own flour from whole grains. I have never tried it and would like to get my feet wet. What did you buy ? Do you like it or do you have misgivings and think you would prefer another one ? A general overview and  review would be great and help me make a selection. Any tips and advice would be much appreciated. 

As an additional piece  of info where do you get the grains you mill ?  Online or local ? Thanks in advance. c

trailrunner's picture
trailrunner

This is a straight dough. Old recipe..regular cup/tsp measures. Sometimes the tried and true is the best. I did wet the shaped dough and pressed the top into the oatmeal,read about it here on TFL ..worked like a charm !  The bread is for a customer so no pic of crumb. 

Here is the dough just before going in the oven. c

 photo IMG_6402_zpsa3b14e8f.jpg

trailrunner's picture
trailrunner

It is hard to keep up on the forum lately. So many innovative techniques being used . I decided to combine several things that I have wanted to try . So far noone else has done this particular set of combinations so hopefully it will be informative. First I made a sourdough focaccia. I used my kefir whey for all of the liquid. I added some sun dried tomatoes and topped with dried orgeano and New Orleans olive salad from our favorite place Central Grocery. It was wonderful. The crust top and bottom was crisp and browned...oweing in part to the black steel pan . We had it with Conchiglie tutto Giardino..and ate in the garden too . The only thing I will change next time is increase the liquid to perhaps get a more open crumb. 200 g starter 590 g "00" flour 300 g kefir whey or water ( I will add more next time) 10 g salt mix,autolyse 30 min. Knead gently 5 min. Fold q 30 min x 2 hrs . add in 50 g sundried tomatoes coarsley chopped. Press into greased 15x10 pan. Let rise 3 hrs. brush with olive oil and top as desired. I used 100g olive salad drained and dried oregano. Bake at 450 for 30 min  photo IMG_6245_zpsb277eb1f.jpg  photo IMG_6246_zpsb269393e.jpg  photo IMG_6247_zps59f8b2bd.jpg  photo IMG_6248_zps0e1d2bca.jpg garden May 15th 2013 photo IMG_6264_zps23ad3243.jpg Next I started with Ian's tang zhong roll formula and changed it up some. I used 1/2 white and 1/2 rye starter. I used all "00" flour for the white flour. I subbed semolina for the rye. When I made the tang I used 20g durum and 30g white with 250 g whey/potato water. I cooked the potatoes in the whey and then drained and cooled and added. I didn't add any onions so the rolls could be used in more ways. 426g starter 417 g "00" flour 50g spelt 50g semolina 16 g salt 150 g 2% milk 25 g olive oil cook tang zhong using 20g semolina, 30g "00" and 250 g whey potato water 125 g mashed potatoes cooked in whey I autolyse flours, milk, tang zhong, starter and olive oil. Let it all set for about an hour. I then added the salt and the potatoes. I followed Ian's advice on mixer times. Beat the heck out of it like a ciabatta ! It is a very soft dough. Did the s and f's for about a half dozen on a lightly floured counter. Brushed off any extra flour but it makes it come together much better , I think. Rest covered 1 hr and then into fridge overnight. Take out next AM and shape while cold. I never shape at room temp. Much easier when cold . Now only need to rise for 1 1/2 hr and then bake. Great oven spring ! Wonderful crust...I brushed with beaten egg white and topped with roasted sesame seeds. I will use only egg white from now on. Much nicer crust and tastes better too. I spray water into oven a couple times and find that is plenty of steam . Preheated at 500 and lowered to 460 baked for 20 min to 210 degrees. The crumb is more open and the texture is soft...but...they are more like bread...chewier and the crumb is cool tasting. I can't say that I am as fond of theses rolls as I am the other ones. tz,potato and whey potato water photo IMG_6269_zpsdd4e3527.jpg close up tz etc... photo IMG_6270_zps20cdc0b9.jpg tang whey pot. rolls photo IMG_6271_zps3d63d233.jpg crumb twp rolls photo IMG_6273_zpsb98fd922.jpg sourdough buns. These the the ones I have made before that Ian also posted. I made them this time with all whey and I also only used my kefir cheese. I doubled the recipe. I used 1/2 rye and 1/2 white starter. Otherwise I used the same method as above. Autolyse...mix with the salt. s and f's and then in the fridge...shape cold and rise 1 1/2 hrs. Bake with a couple mists. Brushed with egg white and sesame seeds. SUPERIOR ..these are like fine pastry. Amazing. even better than the last time I made them. The whey makes them smell and taste like they are full of butter :) But they aren't..only 100 grams for 2 doz rolls. kefir cheese and whey photo IMG_6258_zps6f738a00.jpg kc and w photo IMG_6259_zps3a30829d.jpg kc and w photo IMG_6260_zps5e5c74c1.jpg kc and w photo IMG_6261_zpsc5fd1b2a.jpg note the finer texture: crumb kc and w photo IMG_6262_zps97ddc2eb.jpg yum..lunch by the pool ! sandwich kc and w photo IMG_6263_zps8dfc1d52.jpg  photo IMG_6265_zps56cb13fe.jpg clematis and jasmine  photo IMG_6266_zpsf7ca84bc.jpg more jasmine and roses...the fragrance is amazing !  photo IMG_6267_zpsdd3857d2.jpg more jasmine :  photo IMG_6268_zpsc9910285.jpg

trailrunner's picture
trailrunner

Wowzer....today at church a member brought a huge bag of extra grapes . Hmm...I had a 1/2 batch of semolina pizza dough at home just waiting for something creative to happen. Voila !  This is SO yum !! I can't  even describe how good it is. I used raw sugar and EVOO on top and sprinkled with Herbs de Provence...lots of lavender. Whoa...we have devoured a 1/2 loaf !  Made Conchiglie con Salsiccia e Peperoni as well. Grated parmagiano reggiano ..what a Sunday night feast.  Will share recipes if you are interested...will have to wait till tomorrow :)  Vino also very nice...

 

 

 photo IMG_6203_zpsaa9c84da.jpg  photo IMG_6204_zps046a6244.jpg  photo IMG_6205_zps0d1f4779.jpg  photo IMG_6206_zps5c50f62e.jpg  photo IMG_6207_zps82d487c2.jpg

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