Roses Hearth Bread (from the flour bag)
For a while I have wanted to do the bread off of the flour bag I have used so many of. It seems like a simple enough recipe and I followed it pretty much to the letter with just a couple exceptions I will detail.
My main problem with this recipe is that Rose doesn't say a word about water temperature which would alter your experience considerably. Knowing this is important, I used 78F water and the resultant dough was 76F. The ferment time of 1 hour was a little short but at 1:20 I had a nice double. I did use Agave instead of honey and I'm anxious to taste it. This is a straight mix with no additions that she suggests at the end. I didn't see her add in's until I was past mixing so maybe next time. I had to get out a magnifying glass to read the fractions on the bag. A sign of advanced maturity!
The mix is 3-1/2C of bread flour and 1/4 C of WW with 1 tsp of honey and 1-1/2 C water.
I use Better for Bread which is the Harvest King Bread flour from last year for all my breads that call for AP or bread flour. The taste is terrific, inexpensive and widely available.
This bread has a pretty good flavor considering how short the fermentation time was. I started this morning at 7:00AM and we are eating it at 1:30 PM. I'm sure it would be more complex flavor with a preferment but this isn't bad at all. Still 1000% better than anything you can buy. Thanks Rose!
Eric
Eric, what a beautiful looking loaf!
I had been using Harvest King, and then all of a sudden I could only find the Better for Bread. I had myself convinced that the Harvest King was a better flour, taste & performance wise. What do you mean when you say Better for Bread is from last year?
"I use Better for Bread which is the Harvest King Bread flour from last year"
Sure wish Gold Medal would put out an organic bread flour. I think they make a nice quality product.
At Walmart they are still showing the stock ticket as Harvest King where the Better For Bread bags are. As far as I can tell it's the same flour. I did write to them a while back and as I recall they made some claim it was a better product but the numbers are all the same. I did a comparison here 6 or 8 months ago. Same label info. Anyway, I agree. It's very good for what I bake. Add a little WW or White Rye and it's just fantastic flavor! $2.00 for a 5# bag.
Thanks Gaarp for your kind words.
Eric
Eric, sorry for the double post...just wanted you to know...the bread below is not the same as the La Cloche recipe!
I checked the website products listings and they only show the "Better for Bread", however "Harvest King Better for Bread" shows up in many of the recipes on site. You are probably correct that it is in fact the same product.
Your loaf does look great. So much better than I imagined when I read the recipe on the bag.
Eric,
Do you bake with Agave nectar regularly? I've been planning to bake with it but haven't yet. I use it in tea. Anything unique or troublesome about it? Does it bake up sweeter? I thought it would fall into a recipe as any syrup replacement would. Lots of questions - thanks.
So how was the loaf?
Marni
Hi Eric,
When I received my Bell La Cloche about a year ago it had Rose's Hearth Bread recipe included. I baked it and thought it was a very nice bread! This evening I baked it again using some Pate Fermente 'old dough'...I know you like the Gold Medal Better for Bread Flour....I do to...in fact I like the flavor of it better than KA...don't ask me why but I just do..there seems to me more flavor and I even get a nicer color on the crust and creamier crumb taste and color!! I also have been finding the GM Organic AP lately at a very reasonable price in Albertson's. So I thought I'd post these pictures in your blog...I sliced it a little warm..."I know!!" couldn't help it! Nice flavor..hope you enjoy the pics!
Sylvia
Eric, sorry this is not the same recipe that came with my La Cloche...I posted a picture of that bread today...it's called Crusty Country Loaf by Chuck Williams of Williams-Sonoma!
Sylvia