Blogs

I’m enjoying making Fougasse for dinner parties.  I wanted to try different flavours in the Fougasse than I have already made to chose to try pecorino cheese, oregano and black pepper.  Overall I was really pleased with this bake, but I let the baking get away from me and it got even darker than I usually like.  Fortunately brushing EVOO on the crust right before serving really helped avoid the crust being too crispy.

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Levain Overnight

12 hours warm room temperature 74-76°F. 

In large bowl add the water and the levain then dissolve.  Then add salt and olive oil, then whole wheat flour and mix, finally add bread flour. After 10 mins of autolyse, slap and fold to develop the dough moderately.  Towards the end of mixing add the grated Pecorino cheese, oregano and black pepper through stretch and folds in the bowl.  Finally give the dough a bench letterfold and place into the bowl.

At 30 min intervals give the dough coil folds.  After the third set give the dough 1 hour 30 mins rest.

Allow the dough to rise to about 40-50% then shape.

To remove the dough from the bowl drizzle olive oil onto and around the edges of the dough.  Then gently spread the olive oil over the surface and around the sides.  In the bowl flip the dough to oil the bottom of the dough.

Transfer the dough to a parchment lined tray, smooth side up and gently stretch the dough out into a rough triangle.  Rest for 10 mins then cut the dough.  Make 2 or 3 short vertical cuts from the base of the triangle to the top, leaving space between the cuts. While cutting, use your other hand to gently spread the dough with your fingers to encourage it to open and prevent it from sticking back together. After cutting, spread the sides of the triangle outward to widen the cuts even further. Next, make diagonal cuts from the center cuts outward toward the sides of the triangle, while spreading the sides outward so the cuts open wide.  Place into a large plastic bag and close.  Allow to proof for 1 and a half to 2 hours.  30 mins prior to the end of proof pre-heat the oven to 450°F.  (Changes for the second time - cutting soon after stretching)

The dough should pass the finger poke test when ready to bake.  Prior to baking brush the dough with more olive oil and top with more grated pecorino cheese to your liking. 

Bake at 450°F for 25-30 mins on the lowest rack rotating partway through.

After baking brush with olive oil and you can add herbs to your olive oil to add more flavour if you wish.

Cool on a rack.

Best eaten the day of bake. Reheat a minute or two under the broiler.

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My index of bakes.

We had another dinner party last night so I wanted to bake another pie for dessert and wanted something different from those I had bake before.  Pineapples aren’t that common a filling flavour for pies so decided to try this one.  I have to say it was delicious, I reduced the sugar from the original recipe especially the meringue which I also prepared as a Swiss meringue instead of the French meringue in the original recipe since I find them a bit more stable.

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Filling 

One 20-ounce can crushed pineapple (do not drain)

1 cup sour cream

¾ cup sugar (I reduced to a bit under ¾ cup)

¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed

1/2 tsp kosher salt

2 egg yolks

Meringue 

3 egg whites, at room temperature

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (reduced to just under ¼ cup)

Ritz Cracker Crust

• 5 ounces round buttery crackers (such as Ritz) (about 40 crackers), crushed.  (Original not enough increased to 175 g)
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar (reduce greatly to 1 tbsp)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (reduce to ½ tsp)
• 1/2 cup (4 oz.) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Crush the crackers finely, but not to dust. You can use a food processor or your hands. Add the salt and sugar, then knead in the butter until the crumbs hold together like dough. Press into an 9-inch pie pan. Freeze for 30 minutes, then bake for 20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.   

To make the filling: In a large saucepan, combine the pineapple with its syrup, the sour cream, sugar, flour, lemon juice, and salt. Cook over medium heat until the mixture begins to bubble, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more. In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Continue to whisk vigorously while adding a few splashes of the hot pineapple mixture into the bowl to temper the eggs. Dump everything back into the pan, and cook for 2 minutes longer, stirring constantly.

Pour the filling into the pie shell and set aside.

Make the Swiss meringue.

With gently simmering water, the meringue should cook fairly fast. If you find the temperature climbing too slowly, simply crank up the heat.

Fill a 3-quart pot with 1½-inches of water and place over medium-low heat, with a ring of crumpled foil set in the middle to act as a booster seat. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine egg whites, sugar, salt, cream of tartar, and rose water or vanilla bean (if using). Place over steamy water, stirring and scraping constantly with a flexible spatula until thin, foamy, and 175°F on a digital thermometer, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip on high until glossy, thick, and quadrupled in volume, about 5 minutes. Use immediately.

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My index of bakes.

I am loving the newest grain from Barton Springs Mill called Stardust. It’s a hard white winter wheat variety grown in Oklahoma with a slightly malty and mild wheat flavor. I used some a few weeks ago in a bake and wanted to try upping the amount in the bake.

I ended up using 69% of the total flour with Stardust which I milled using my my Mockmill 200. I sifted and milled twice with a #30 sieve, and then sifted with a #40.

I also wanted to try making Polenta using fresh milled Oaxacan Green corn which is a Heirloom variety. There is nothing like fresh milled corn with its earthy and nutty flavor. My polenta ended up more like a corn flour scald since I didn’t adjust my mill course enough. It still smelled and tasted great after adding some butter and grated Vermont Extra Sharp cheddar. I used milk to make the polenta instead of water to give it some extra creaminess. I added 300 grams of milk to 150 grams of ground corn along with the butter and cheese. I ended up extra polenta as it didn’t absorb all of the liquid. This also along with the potatoes added a lot of extra hydration to the dough which made this one a lot higher than the 79% on the formula. If I were to repeat this I would probably cut back on the water 40-50 grams or more.

I wanted to honor my Max dog by using a cookie cooker and then making a doggie likeness with black sesame seeds since he’s like all 4 of my pups black as night. Unfortunately the black sesame idea didn’t really work as it looked like an inkblot experiment so I scraped most of the sesame seeds off :). Max had a mass removed from his mouth along with 2 teeth and a teeth cleaning and he’s doing great thankfully.

This came out amazing with a super moist crumb that is still fresh 6 days later. The flavor is perfect with mild wheat overtones and nuttiness from the polenta.

Formula

Levain Directions 

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

Note: I use an Ankarsrum Mixer so my order of mixing is slightly different than if using a Kitchenaid or other mixer. Add all your liquid to your mixing bowl except 50-80 grams. Add the levain in pieces and mix for a few seconds to break it up. Next, add all your flour to the bowl and mix on low for a minute until it forms a shaggy mass. Cover the mixing bowl and let it rest for an hour.   Next add the salt, honey, potatoes, cooled polenta and remaining water as needed and mix on medium low (about speed 3) for 12- 24 minutes.  If you are using a more traditional mixer you would only mix around 7-10 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.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 1.45 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours. I use my proofer set at 79-80 degrees. If you are leaving it at room temperature 72 degrees I would let it sit out for 2 -2.5 hours before refrigerating. Depending on how developed the dough is after the initial mix you may not need to do as many S&F’s.

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 1 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.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 540 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. 

can anyone offer advice on mixing a recipe written for hand mixing in a home spiral mixer?  An example would be the Basic Country Bread from the Tartine book. It’s a great bread and always comes out good. I would lIke to know how I could get similar results if the dough was mixed in a tabletop spiral mixer?

A few months ago, I was given a one-pound package of einkorn grain.  While I've been interested in einkorn and other primitive wheats, the high cost (relative to modern wheats) has put me off.  I don't have any compelling health issues that would militate against using modern wheats, so my curiosity hasn't been enough to override the high price point.

Since I was at the point of needing to make bread again, and since the einkorn was sitting on the shelf, I decided it was high time to mill the grain and use it in a bread.  I spent quite a bit of time noodling through the archives here on TFL, looking at einkorn posts.  The bulk of those were levain-based breads.  Since I wanted to get a sense of the einkorn's flavor without other influences, and since there was so much commentary about einkorn's weak gluten, I went in search of a yeasted version.  What I eventually settled on was a recipe from Jovial Foods for an Easy Einkorn Whole Grain Bread.

The recipe produces a fairly straightforward no-knead bread.  The one tweak that I made was to bump the salt content up from 3g to 8g.  After combining the water, honey, and yeast, I milled the flour straight into the bowl, added the salt, and stirred everything until all of the flour was absorbed and a rough dough formed.  The dough was left in the bowl, covered, and allowed to ferment for 30 minutes. 

At the end of the short bulk ferment, the dough looked puffy and was perhaps 50% larger.  At that point, the dough was scraped from the bowl into a well-greased 8x4 loaf pan.  I smoothed the top of the loaf off with wet fingers.  The loaf was covered and allowed to ferment for another 30 minutes.  The oven was preheated while the loaf fermented.

At the end of the final ferment, I ran into a snag.  The loaf had expanded nicely and was domed about half an inch above the rim of the pan.  The dough lived up to einkorn's reputation for stickiness and did not want to release the plastic wrap that had been draped over the pan.  I used a bowl scraper to gently coax the dough loose from the plastic but still wound up with a scalped loaf.  Once again, I wet my fingers and smoothed it out as much as I could without causing further injury.

Fortunately, baking went off without a hitch.  At the end of 40 minutes, the internal temperature was between 195F and 200F, and the bread was a lovely shade of brown.  The dough was allowed to cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then turned out to cool on a rack. Once cooled, the loaf was placed in a plastic bread bag.

I used the bread the next day to make a ham sandwich for lunch.  The bread is delicious, without any hint of the bitterness that some people have noted in einkorn.  Does it taste significantly better than whole wheat bread made with modern wheats?  Not that I can perceive.  And certainly not enough to justify paying multiples of the price for modern wheat if flavor is the primary selection criteria. 

If you look closely at the crumb, you'll notice that the bread was just slipping across the border between well-fermented and over-fermented.  The crumb in the upper part of a slice is rather coarse and open while the crumb at the bottom is showing signs of compression.  Overall, if I were to use this recipe again, I'd reduce the yeast content from 7g to 4-5g.  I'd also dial the hydration back to about 70%, since the bread is extremely moist at the recipe's 77%.

Here are a couple of pics that show the loaf:

Barring the tussle with the plastic wrap, it would have been quite pretty.

Paul

Sourdough Bread baked the same day as mixed versus baked after overnight cold retardation.

David Snyder

February, 2024

Last week I baked my Italian Sourdough bread for the first time without overnight retardation. It was delicious. This made me wonder about some of my other breads that I always have cold retarded on the theory that this developed better, more complex flavor. So, this week, I made my favorite multigrain sourdough and baked one loaf the same day as it was mixed and bulk retarded and baked another loaf from the same batch of dough after an overnight retardation.

 Both loaves were proofed for 50 minutes at room temperature. One was then baked after another 45 minutes of proofing. The other was refrigerated for about 18 hours, then warmed at room temperature for an hour before baking. Both loaves were baked in Lodge Combo Cooker cast iron Dutch ovens for 30 minutes covered at 475ºF. The loaf baked the without retardation was baked another 15 minutes uncovered at 460ºF. The retarded loaf which was a bit bigger was baked for 20 minutes more uncovered at 460ºF.

Loaf baked the same day as mixed

The crumb

Loaf cold retarded for 18 hours

The crumb

 The unretarded loaf had a slightly sweeter flavor and was a bit less sour. It had a significantly more open crumb. This is hard to explain. It was on the border of over-proofed before baking. Maybe that explains it. The retarded loaf was a bit more sour, and the whole wheat flavor seemed more forward. Both were delicious.

The bottom line for me is that either method could be followed according to my convenience. Both produced delicious breads that differed from each other in minor ways only.

I would love to hear about other bakers' experience with this.

David

 P.S. For those who like very open crumbs, here's a slice of the loaf baked without retardation:

David

I enjoy making Key Lime pies when we’re down here in Florida.  I do love chocolate and decided to try an Oreo cookie crust with the lime coconut filling.  I’ve not made an Oreo cookie crust before, in the past when I’m home if I want to have a chocolate crust I have a recipe that I have developed for a Pate Sucrée pastry, but without my food processor I do not make it.

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Ingredients:

• 250 ml (1 cup) heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons icing sugar (sub 2 tbsp sugar)
• 5-ounces (2/3 cup) unsweetened coconut milk
• 14-ounces (1 can) sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed or bottled Key lime juice
• Zest of 1 lime, finely grated

To garnish:

• Whipped cream (optional)
• Toasted coconut (optional)
• lime slices (optional)

Bourbon whipped cream idea

• 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 teaspoon Bourbon

Instructions:

• In a bowl, using an electric mixer beat heavy cream and sugar until creamy. Add the coconut milk, condensed milk, lime juice, and lime zest and whisk until fluffy and thick. Pour into crust and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to set.
• Before serving, top pie with whipped cream, sprinkle some toasted coconut and/lime slices or lime zest(if desired). Slice and serve.

Ingredients

22 regular Oreo cookies

5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

• Make the crust: In a food processor or blender, pulse 22 Oreos (including the cream filling) into a fine crumb. You can also place them in a zip-top bag and crush them into fine crumbs with a little arm muscle and a rolling pin. You should have about 2 cups (packed) crumbs, or 250g. Pour crumbs into a large bowl.
• Add the melted butter and stir to combine. The mixture will be thick and quite wet. Try to smash/break up any large chunks.
  
• Pour the mixture into an ungreased 8-inch, 9-inch, or 10-inch pie dish, cake pan, springform pan, or square pan. With medium pressure using your hand, pat the crumbs down into the bottom and up the sides to make a compact, thick crust. If the mixture seems really wet and is not forming a nice crust, grind up 2 more Oreos and mix those crumbs in. Tip: You can use a small flat-bottomed measuring cup to help press down the bottom crust and smooth out the surface, but do not pack down too hard. If making a pie, run a spoon around the bottom “corner” where the edge and bottom meet to help make a rounded crust⁠—this helps prevent the crust from falling apart when you cut slices.
• For a baked dessert, pre-bake this crust per your filling recipe directions. I usually pre-bake for 8–10 minutes at 350°F (177°C). For a no-bake filling such as cookies & cream pie, bake for 10–12 minutes at 350°F (177°C). Cool the crust completely before using, unless your no-bake filling recipe instructs otherwise.  Don’t forget to use pie weights to prevent the crust sides from sagging and the bottom from puffing up.

Although we enjoyed the pie, I found the Oreo cookie crust too sweet for me.  I think I’ll go back to making Ritz Cracker crusts when I’m without my food processor.

My index of bakes

Time for another dinner party at our place.  So for last night’s main course I decided to make chicken sliders and made a batch of miso sweet potato sourdough milk rolls topped with sesame seeds.  I eliminated the salt and just used miso for the salt.  I looked at my salt content of my miso again and believe I had previously miscalculated the salt in it.  I made the mistake of not accounting for the water that the soybeans are hydrated with during the soak.  After assuming that the soybeans absorb their equal weight in water during the soaking is now use 14.8% as the amount of salt in the miso.

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24 rolls or 12 buns in a 7.5 x 11.5” pan 

egg wash: 1 yolk and 1 tbsp milk, beaten…

Prepare the stiff sweet levain overnight or the day before and refrigerate when ready.

Prepare the butter paste by blending very soft butter with flour.

Cook Tangzhong mixing flour and milk constantly until it becomes a thick roux.  Let cool before adding to final dough.  Or add to cold milk and egg to cool it down.  Add the levain and break it up into small pieces with your spatula.  Add and dissolve miso paste.

To mix by hand, add the flour to the wet ingredients (milk, tangzhong and egg) to dissolve.  Next add the flour and mix with a silicone spatula until no dry flour remains.  Rest 10-20 mins.  Next perform French folds until the dough is well developed.  Smear the butter onto the dough and then fold to incorporate and then perform further French folds until well developed.  Gradually add the mashed potato and knead to incorporate it well into the dough.  Form into a tight ball and place in a bowl covered with plastic or a damp cloth @ 82°F for 3-4 hours, some rise will be visible. Alternatively, you could mix the mashed potato and butter and then add the mixture to the developed dough until well incorporated.

Butter a large baking pan or line the pan with parchment.  Punch the dough down and then divide into 24/12 equal portions.  Form each into tight boules.  Place in the buttered baking pan seam side down.  Cover them and allow them to fully proof about 4-6 hours, they should pass the poke test.

About 30 mins before the end of proofing time, whisk your remaining egg and milk and then brush the small boules.

About 30 mins prior to end of final proof preheat the oven to 350°F. 

Immediately prior to baking brush the dough again with the egg and milk mixture.  Top with sesame seeds.

Bake the rolls/buns uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until the internal temperature is at least 190F. Cover if your rolls get brown early in the baking process.

Remove the bread from the oven but not the pans, brush the tops with the melted butter while hot, and then let cool for 10 minutes before pulling the bread from the pans. You may need to slide a butter knife down the sides of the pan to loosen the bread, but I have found parchment paper to be unnecessary. 

Chicken Sliders

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (12-ounce) package Hawaiian sweet rolls, such as King’s
• 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese (about 1 cup shredded)
• 4 ounces low-moisture mozzarella cheese (about 1 cup shredded)
• 1 clove garlic (1 tsp garlic powder)
• 1 pound boneless, skinless cooked chicken
• 4 medium scallions
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise, preferably Kewpie
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, preferably toasted

INSTRUCTIONS

• Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Without separating the rolls, cut 1 package Hawaiian sweet dinner rolls in half horizontally with a serrated knife. Place the bottom half of the rolls cut-side up on a cookie tray lined with parchment.
• Grate 4 ounces cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese (about 1 cup each). Place both cheeses in a medium bowl and toss to combine. 
• Shred 1 pound cooked chicken into bite-size pieces (about 4 cups). Thinly slice 4 medium scallions (about 1 cup). Place the chicken, scallions, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt in a large bowl and stir to combine.
• Arrange half of the cheese mixture onto the bottom half of the rolls in an even layer. Transfer the chicken mixture over the cheese and spread into an even layer. Top with the remaining cheese mixture.
• Place 3 tablespoons unsalted butter and the garlic in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted, about 30 seconds. (Alternatively, melt the butter on the stovetop.) Brush half of the garlic butter on the cut side of the top half of the rolls. Place the top half of the rolls over the sliders cut side down.
• Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bake until the cheese is melted, 20 to 25 minutes. Uncover and bake until the rolls are lightly browned and toasted, 5 to 7 minutes more. Cut with the serrated knife to separate the sliders into individual sandwiches before serving.

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I served the sliders with a Greek yoghurt coleslaw with pineapples raisins.

My index of bakes.

Hi! 
My ciabatta recipe is 80% hydration. 
I knead in stand mixer for 4 minutes the stretch and fold 3 sets. every 30 minutes

then spray Water and bake it with tray of steam. 
250 deg C for 3 minutes. 
then 200 deg for next twenty minutes by turning it. 
may problem is ciabatta has huge air pockets on top and smaller ones at the bottom. 
what could be the problem?

Hey Loafers -

It has been an absurdly long time since I've changed the featured posts on the homepage. Like over a year, I believe. Please let me know if you see or make a post that it'd be fun to draw some attention to and I can update it.

My rule of thumb for the features is to try to highlight posts by community members that ideally include a nice image, a formula, and a bit of thoughts and discussion. Ideally the posts are for things that aren't too perfect or complex, as the goal here is to encourage newcomers to get excited about baking rather than intimidate them.

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I haven't been baking or posting often, but I'm still here every day. The spam has been pretty relentless recently but I haven't yet given up the fight.

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TFL turned 19 in January. Wild, isn't it?

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The site is long overdue for a technological revamp but I'm a bit paralyzed deciding what to do about that. I think it is safe to say if one were starting from scratch today it'd be unlikely that you'd build a site like this one is right now what with all the changes in technology and user expectation, but there is still a great community here that I don't want to disrupt. So I haven't. But that means the tools have gotten a bit old and funky here. It just isn't a great place to post from your phone, modify images, anything like that. Alas.

I hope folks here are all well. :)