March 4, 2010 - 11:07pm
Youtube video of making the "house bread"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCBxX42GQmU
A friend asked me about my bread baking technique and so I made a Youtube video. It's pretty homey and casual. Maybe someone will get something out of it.
Errors: "baguette" should be "batard", baking time 525 10 minutes, 470 20 minutes.
:-Paul
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What is the material you have stapled onto your "flipping board"? Not quite picking that up due to a slight audio distortion.
Update: Never mind. In part 4 you repeat about the flipper that it is covered with the baker's linen.
Thanks.
It was my first video of this sort, the editing procedure is more understandable now. If I ever do another one (and I remember what I learned) it will be clearer.
:-Paul
I enjoyed seeing another home baker at work - thanks! Lovely baking backround music :)
Nice thermometer! What kind is it and do you like it?
Marni
The thermometer is from Amazon, Kintrex IRT0421 (http://www.amazon.com/IRT0421-Non-Contact-Infrared-Thermometer-Targeting/dp/B0017L9Q9C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1267806638&sr=8-1) I couldn't be happier with it. I've even dropped it and had the cover and batteries roll around on the floor and it still works. I use it all the time - how hot is the pan for frying eggs, how warm is the wall prior to pasting up a wall mural? It's really, really handy.
The music is my husband practicing his violin. I love hearing it too.
:-Paul
Does the thermometer measure the surface temp. only or can it check internal temps. as in finished breads? Thanks!
Marni
Hi Marni,
The only thermometers that I know of that measure the inside temperatures are probes that you stick into the bread.
:-Paul
Paul,
Learning to shoot and edit video is a learning process just like baking. I think you did a pretty good job for a first attempt.
Two things I saw that I really liked are your IR thermometer and the heat blanket. The IR unit is just the coolest thing I have ever bought and like you say, you find a million uses for it. In baking there is no more important thing to control than temperature and an IR gun make it effortless and fast. The heat blanket is a great idea, especially for the batard size and baguettes.
Do I remember you just moved to Canada where it's still cold? I'm sure the proofing corner is getting a lot of use.
Thanks for sharing Paul. You are a great baker and I know people will get some valuable tips from your effort.
Eric
Thanks for the comments. Yeah, it's still chilly here. Spring is peeking in. I'm looking to build a heated proofing box this summer. Still in the planning stage. I picked up a thermostat controlled plug some others were talking about in a proofing box thread, I'm still chewing on what sort of materials to use.
:-Paul
I cannot find out how to get to second part. I looked everywhere.
Bob
Bob,
It's on his channel page over here.
-Mark
Sometimes Youtube is quite awkward to navigate, here are links to the other parts:
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEVnIQk5b_E
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5yS0MAoWyk
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6fFTekOqiM
:-Paul
I second willowlady's comments. It helps tremendously to be able to see the techniques performed rather than just reading descriptions. It also makes them less intimadating. Your easy going explanations/demonstrations make them more understandable and less intimadating.
paulm
That's great to hear. It is a lot of fun and very satisfying (and frustrating sometimes, too!).
:-Paul
First off, I hadn't seen you post on TFL for some time, and wondered where you were, and how your baking was going.
Your videos are delightful. Your passion, and that you're having fun comes across big-time. I especially like your "proofing corner", but how do you control the temperature? In one of the vids you measure the dough's temp, and it's 76°F--unless I misheard you. I'm impressed.
And glad to see you're still at it.
David G
Hi David,
Yeah, I come and go on TFL. To be perfectly honest, sometimes I get completely intimidated by reading about all the incredible breads that people are baking and I just slink off back to my kitchen and keep going with my rather pedestrian fare. Sometimes those same posts are incredibly inspiring and I try something new. Anyway...
To get the temperature I first heat the bowl - I fill it with hot water and let it sit for a few minutes. It's stoneware so it holds the heat well. Then I heat the liquid to about 110 - 120 degrees. I figure that if the liquid is a little too hot it doesn't matter because the first thing that I do is tear up the refrigerated pate firmentee into the liquid and that brings the temp down a bit. With the ratios that I use, by the time I'm done mixing, it's around 75F, then I tuck it away in the proofing corner. If it gets too hot there on the heating pad I might put it on a rack on top of the heating pad, or turn the pad off for a bit. Depends on the day and how warm the kitchen is, etc. Stay creative. I hope to build myself a temperature controlled proofing box this summer. I'm mulling over materials at the moment. I'm wondering if there's some wood that would be resistant to mold...
Thanks for the post.
-Paul
Paul,
I too am about to build a proofing box. I'm going to build it with plywood, with two chambers: one large enough to hold a half-sheet pan, and a smaller one containing a fan I removed from a busted micro-wave oven and a light bulb for a heat source. the two chambers will be connected by a hole cut to the diameter of the fan. The large chamber will be insulated with styrofoam. Also in the larger chamber I'll place a thermostat.
WIN 100 Outlet Thermostat. purchased from Amazon for $34.00.
A bit pricey, but it plugs into a standard female socket, and has an output socket on the opposite side. I'll put a femal socket embedded in the insulation, wired to a male plug externally. then I'll run a male plug terminated wire from the thermostat's output socket to the lamp, and fan. and turn them on and off setting the thermostat at the desired temp.
I bought this model thermostat because I originally thought of converting a cooler, but changed my mind because the plywood and styrofoam approach is cheaper--I already have the wood and foam insulation.
I don't understand your concern about mold. Should I be worried?
David G
P.S. I can proof at least two loaves of everything I bake, except baguettes, on a half-sheet pan.
I don't know if I should be worried - I was just thinking, heat and moisture, trapped in a box, if it were wood, mold could be an issue. I have no idea, really, I was just thinking. I believe lots of folks make theirs out of plastic containers of one sort or another. I thought something wood had a nice sort of feeling around it, but then I became concerned about the mold idea. I suppose saunas have wood benches and sides and all and are fine.
Your plan sounds very well thought-out and efficient. I hope you post some pictures along the way. I believe I bought the same thermostat. I also plan to use a heating element in a cup of water to create moisture on demand. I want to be able to load the box from the front, as opposed to taking a cover off the top. I'm nowhere near where you are in finalizing my design. It's fun, eh?
:-Paul
I'm planning to build with swinging door, like an old-fashioned bread box. I haven't decided if it will swing up or down. I chose wood, because, in our small house, it will have to sit out permanently, and I want it to look good.
An aside: years ago a friend gave me a personality test. It revealed (among other things) my desk drawers can be chaotic messes, but the desk top must be neat and orderly: thus the "look good" approach.
I've decided I'm not going to worry about mold. For the most part, the thing will sit empty ninety-eight percent of the time. (85% of all people make up their own statistics). I don't plan on humidifying like you do, so I think I'll be ok. My primary (only?) reason for building a proofing box is temperature control. Along with routine bulk and final proofing, I have some sourness experiments I want to run with sourdough starter, that require awkward temperatures: too high for room temperature, too low for oven temps, and a need to keep the temp tight (+/- 1°) for 72 hours.
I"ll keep you informed, including pics. I've got some pressing household chores to take care of first, including a fourth raised-box garden bed--we plant early here in Florida, so it will be a couple of weeks before I construct the box.
David G.
Hey David,
An idea came to me. I have the room in the bread area of my kitchen. I'm picking up a free stove and converting the oven to my proofing box - a big insulated cavity with shelves and a big door. I'll put my formica counter top on top and add shelving on the side as it fits. Punch a hole for the probe for the thermostat and away I go. I'm jazzed. I just found a free stove today, I'm picking it up tomorrow. A couple of new lights are making their way into the kitchen as well, so there will be lighting as never before. Woo hoo!
:-Paul
I'm space limited here, especially in the kitchen. I've just come up with an idea for dual use. We'll use it as a simple bread box most of the time. We currently store bread in a basket on top of the microwave. I've also altered my design. The light bulb, and fan will now go in a plenum on top the box; saves countertop footprint.
David G
Hi David,
I really like the idea of dual use for your proofing box. In the early '70s, going to school, I lived in an 8' x 35' trailer in Los Angeles with my wife at the time, two largish dogs, one cat and we had a baby while living there. We got very creative about dual use like you're describing. It's very satisfying.
Here's the "before" photo of my proofing box. I got the neighbour boy to help me go pick it up, free for nothing. Now to prepare for surgery...
:-Paul
A few more photos of the "install"...
Stripped down about as far as it went. The flange in the back attached to the wall behind the counter supports for a firm install.
The box fits great under the exisitng counter piece. To the left I have a slot for my box of 1000 sheets of parchment paper, which has been difficult to store. To the right I now have a shelf that holds my counter top Kitchen Aid - yea! Storage of that has been an unresolved issue up to now.
The electricals have yet to become a bit more sophisticated. My problem with the thermostat that I ordered is that the probe only extends about 1 1/2" from the control box. That means putting the whole unit inside the proofing box at this point. The walls of the converted oven are thicker than the probe is long. I would prefer to have the control outside and the probe inside. I don't know if I can simply extend this probe with some wire splicing or if I'll need to go to another unit. I like the humidifier too, although the first time that I used it I turned it on and then someone came to the door. I forgot it for about 15 minutes and the whole inside of the proofing box was like a steam room. It needs to be on a timer because I do forget things, that's just a fact. Having the storage bin on the bottom under the proofing box is great, too.
Speaking of "proofing box" it seems like it ought to be called a "fermenting box". My understanding was that "proofing" is final fermentation once the dough is in a loaf shape. The static temperature environment of the "proofing" box is useful throughout the fermenting process, so... the name "proofing box" seems a bit limiting, although perhaps things are different in a commercial bakery, where these terms derive.
Anyway, I love my new proofing box even in its primitive state. A large, insulated cavity with moveable shelving and a big, easy to use door. It's great.
:-Paul
I wish I had the room, but not possible. BTW I'm reconsidering humidifying, but haven't made a final decision. Garden-wise, we're in zone 8 here in North-central Florida, I try to plant no later than end of March. Tomorrow we're building the new raised bed, for a total of four. Then it's on to the proofing box.
Regards,
David G
Hi David,
The proofing box is more civilized now. I added a few feet to the probe wire and mounted the thermostat box on the side of a cupboard along with the timer for the "humidifier". I'm really pleased with the whole set up. I was able to proof a shelf of pastries while simultaneously keeping a good-sized batch of fermenting dough happy on a higher shelf. The trickiest thing for me was extending the probe wire. There wasn't much outside the themrostat so I opened it up and found a workable length of wire in there, but putting it back together was a bit of a hassle since there wasn't much room, I ended up taking the wire straight out the top of the unit in order to be able to close it up again. Anyway, all is well in the end and I LOVE the final result. Coincidentally today's bread is the best that I've done in some time.
:-Paul
Good luck with your garden projects. You're much earlier than we are here in British Columbia. Although I do have to get going an things... thanks for the reminder!
:-Paul
I enjoyed the videos Pablo, thankyou for posting. Two things struck me as I watched; I noticed violin music in the background. I play fiddle, so anything with fiddle music gets my attention straight away. Also, your folding technique; you have obviously done that many times before, the speed you did that belies your experience. Please do that again Sllllooooowwwwwlllyyyyyyyy so we can all see it again :)
Nice looking bread!
Hi Marty,
I tried to do a little video of shaping on my last batch, but it turned into a sticky mess. I'll send you a message when I get something done that looks a bit better.
I really like to hear Greg practicing his violin, although he likes to play chamber music as opposed to fiddle music.
:-Paul
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDdUOqtJ0Pk
:-Paul