instruction stringlengths 2 23k | output stringlengths 3 23.1k ⌀ |
|---|---|
Abbreviations
There have been many times that I have seen a subject heading or body text with an abbreviation. I consider myself a fairly intelligent being and I own most of the books that give birth to this multitude of abbreviations. However, more often than not I have no idea what the abbreviation refers to. The... | Seconded.
My posts look like something out of a David Foster Wallace novel, but with parentheticals instead of footnotes (which I add (in case you're wondering) so people who find one of my posts later via (Google or TFL (The Fresh Loaf)) search will know what I'm talking about).There are way too many head-scratchers l... |
Central Milling Flour @ Colorado Costco
I know some of you have long been able to purchase Central Milling flours (and even King Arthur flours) at Costco. Not so (Denver) Colorado, at least not until yesterday.I bought 20 lbs. of Unbleached Organic Central Milling AP flour for $10.It was nice to see something other ble... | Central Milling Organic
You will now be a happy baker..,Wild-Yeast |
Splitting seams on Baguettes
Hi, I am Peter Young in Nottingham UKI have been making bread for a while, but I am currently struggling with baguette seams splitting.I think it's because I'm not sealing the seams properly during shaping (and perhaps the ends, but thenI usually just roll the ends to a point). I've heard ... | ...
There are two videos on youtube that I like to watch on baguette shaping:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdNRogR10nMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI-WstoakmQMaybe it's the flour. Sometimes too much flour prevents the seams from sealing. Make sure to put a light dusting of flour on the outside part of the dough and ... |
Pane di Semola
Chasing the taste of a bread I remember from a bakery in Rome, I thought: why not buy 5kg (11lb) of semola rimacinata and have at it?The rough details75% semola di rimacinata25% tipo 00 flour (13%)75% hydrationThe resultBefore going too much further, here is the loaf:
semola_001.JPG
and the crum... | Is Australian durum available to you?
According to Wiki, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DurumAU produced 21.5 million metric tonnes of durum in the 2017/2018 harvest year.Have you found local sources of AU-produced durum flour? (not just the gritty semolina)I ask because durum _flour_ (not so much durum semolina) is pop... |
ALMOST TOO EASY CRUSTY BREAD
I love the texture of sourdough bread....always have. However, I really do not like the sour taste of sourdough bread. What I like is the chewy texture and how it is awesome with a touch of butter or toasted. I do not claim to be anywhere near the quality of baker that most of the people... | i like the use of hot pot
for baking the bread :) my aunt loves chewy crust and i like it crispy we both always cool our breads in different ways. aunt=in a bag, mine=on a rack. i may give the recipe you posted a try when my aunt comes over. |
Melonpan
Today I made some japanese Melonpan. I think I should have baked them a little less, next time I will watch out for that. These sweet yummy breads were as light and fluffy as possible. That's the first time bread has felt that way to me. So light as a feather and so tasty!!! Sorry cant type the exact recipe cu... | Welcome to TFL from India!
The look baked just right to me! They look scrumptous!Welcome to the site! |
How to recover when the dough looks like moon's surface
I admit I am still very new to breadmaking, but I love it. I have been making "sandwich" style loaves in bread pans that are coming out pretty nice. But there are times when I am trying to make French or Italian loaves, that bake directly on a sheet pan or baking ... | We need a picture.
You could be creating too much surface tension (too tight a surfrace), causing it to split."Moon's surface" doesn't sound like splitting, though, so a picture would help. |
WW Batter Bread-Sandwich Style-not bad!
I just sliced my first loaf of a batter bread whole wheat sandwich bread and it's not too bad.I'm working on some way to have homemade bread while I have limited use of 1 hand and soon will have limited use of both hands due to surgery. I came across a chapter in a Red Star Yeast... | Very interesting
I agree; a preferment will add some bacterial flavor.As an aside; should we call you lefty or righty? :-))) Or one armed bandit? ;-)))Wishing you a speedy recovery.Jim |
Now you’ve made hot cross buns...
The dough for hot cross buns (which are really only spicy fruit buns with a cross on top) is the basis for any number of fruit breads - from Chelsea buns through to schiacciata con l'uva. Breads from Ireland, Sweden, Germany, etc.
So once you've made a batch of hot cross buns, you can... | Well, I tried this last year,
Well, I tried this last year, with no response! :(Nothing daunted, here I am again!I mention about half a dozen varieties of European fruit breads in that post. But there must be many more. (I'm aware I haven't included Hungarian chocolate bread. I have that elsewhere in the blog.)I'd love... |
Anyone here baking Easter Paska or Babka?
I'm elbow deep in my annual Paska baking. What is Paska? Its the traditional Ukrainian Easter bread. Its very highly decorated. The dough is most similar to Challah - an eggy, buttery, enriched bread. Traditionally it is baked the day before Easter, and taken in the Easter... | Oh the memories
My wifes' mother is Romanian (since passed) and in the 80's (New Jersey) I helped her make the Paska. We took it, along with Ham and butter (butter molded to look like a sheep), to midnight mass (11:30 PM Saturday) where it was blessed. Upon arriving home (Sunday) we had a small feast. Today I baked the... |
Please help me troubleshoot my very rich dough
Apologies for a very long post.I'm elbows deep into my Easter bake (bit late, I know :-S). I'm making kulichi (more info here) using two different recipes and one of them is just not going right. It's the first time I've tried that recipe (the other one is tried and tested... | Seems hardly hydrated
There is very little actual hydration in this, it seems to me. The only water is the percentage of cream that is water and a little bit from the egg yolks. Perhaps the milk and cherry juice actually helped. I would think the dough would be more pastry-like in texture than bread. Perhaps more membe... |
Tool to shape long rolls consistently?
I have access to a semi-commercial bakery (has the cool ovens, etc.). I'm playing around with a few recipes for hot dog buns. The buns are starting to come out nicely. I'm wondering, though, if there is a tool that can be used to get the size and shape a bit more consistent. The b... | Are these what you are thinking?
Google is great:http://www.webstaurantstore.com/18-hot-dog-bun-pan/327902435.htmlhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B004GJ72RK/ref=asc_df_B004GJ72RK1967066?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B004GJ72RK&hvpos=1o1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14163019521341446994&... |
Vietnamese Baguettes
Hi all, I am looking for a recipe for a vietnamese baguette. Here are the characteristics i am looking for: Thin, shiny crust, that cracks into thousands of pieces when bitten into....Soft, billowy, pillowy inside.... Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. | recipe
I got this translation posted on someone's blog in the comment section about Vietnamese baguettes. It was a translation based on a Vietnamese cooking show posted up on youtube. Copy and pasted:Vietnamese banh mi:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_Mft9aehXA1 kg flour (He used bread flour, but I think all-purpose w... |
Mathiya Flour
I was at an Indian market the other day and came across Mathiya four, which according to the label is made from a combination of lentils and peas. It's a very fine white flour that after looking online, I understand is used to make a deep fried Indian bread. It sounded interesting but I have no idea how... | found a recipe on youtube
Looks interesting. Handles much differently than wheat flour! here's a link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfKU34F4WpA |
VERY Tiny Bugs in Rye Berries
A few times I've found VERY tiny bugs in my bucket of rye berries. They're definitely not flour weevils. I've had an ongoing infestation of those and am familiar with what they look like. They're much smaller than weevils—almost the size of a speck of dust and a light brown color. They're ... | Flour mites?
The only thing that comes to mind is flour mites. |
Olive oil Tortas from Spain
I bought these tortas to try them and they were so good. I had to portion out a 1/3 for each snack for fear I would eat them all up before I could find a way to make them. When I found the recipe I thought that should be so easy. They making will be easy as one can see, but the recipe not so... | The Great Home Cooking of Spain, I found a recipe for tortas de aceite that calls for leftover bread or pizza dough. I had that leftover dough! And in short order, I had thosetortas. I was in love all over again.I made these a few times and discovered that either pizza dough (made with a bit of olive oil; my dough was ... |
my french bread
Hi everybody,Could anybody help me here, or maybe correct my perception….I am following Peter Rienhart's way of baking as mentioned in his book "Artisan breads every day". I have succeeded in some recipes but some are a real failure, and guess what!!! They are the French Bread Family.Every time I bake a... | ...
It sounds like the bread is dense in the interior with a lot of moisture and not a lot of large air pockets. You might want to do a search for "open crumb baguettes" in the search field on the left side of the forum. I use bread flour. The only all-purpose flour I could use is from King Arthur. I can't use all-purp... |
SUBSCRIPTION PROBLEM
HOW DO YOU TURN OFF EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION???????????????????BEING INUNDATED WITH EMAILS!!!!!!!!!!!!DISABLED EVERYTHING | Me too
I just saw your post...I went in and got rid of all content type subscriptions under notifications.I hope it works.My problem is that I want to follow some threads but not all -I'm getting emails all day long.Floyd - can you help us? David |
JMonkey's Poolish Baguette
I have been baking steadily now for 2 months and thanks to this great site my results have improved a great deal. Today was my best bake ever! The biggest difference was finally having a baking stone in the oven. Today’s oven spring surpassed even results I have had baking in cast iron. Re... | Re: JMonkey's Poolish Baguette
So what, did I post this in the wrong place?Anyhow the second half of the dough kept nicely in the fridge for 3 days, after which I let it come to room temp and finish rising. I then de gassed and pre-formed a ball. Aftger 20 munites rest, I formed a boule and then baked. The extra ti... |
Parchment Paper Safe vs Teflon?
We learn something new every day.I never knew anything about parchment paper.I certainly did not imagine that parchment paper can have silicone, flourine, and 'non-porous' cement.Millions/billions of loafs are baked in gas, coal, or wood fired ovens.I won't podner what gases could be d... | You know, I think that to
You know, I think that to help your business venture you should concentrate on demonstrating that your product is capable of producing a superb loaf of bread. Stirring "controversy" will not get you far here. |
My new oval banetton
I am much more comfortable shaping round loaves of bread, but want to get better in the batard shaping - I got an oval banetton on ebay and today made my first "experiment" with it.two brothers, side by side - one recipe of the Vermont Sourdough with Whole Wheat (Hamelman), divided roughly as 60% ... | Wow!! I'd say
you improved to professional shaping right quick. Very nice breads. Don't tell anyone but the ears on your batard are showing. |
PAN "SOBAO" Please translate Spanish Recipe
PAN "SOBAO" O DE MANTECA Este pan es un verdadero banquete en la mesa de cualquier Puertorriqueño. Ingredientes:6 a 8 tazas de harina de fuerza (harina de hacer pan)2 sobres de levadura seca1/2 taza de agua tibia (100 a 110º F.)2 tazas de agua caliente2 cdas. azúcar2 cdas. ma... | puede ser que en este procedimiento no se use toda la harina que pide la receta, por eso es muy importante que la agreguen poco a poco y parar cuando se obtiene la masa deseada; con el resto espolvoreamos la superficie para amasar. Colocar la masa en una superficie enharinada y amasar hasta obtener una masa suave; colo... |
bread recipe evaulation
my mother used to make a white bread that was delicious, since she passed on, I started to make bread, over the last few years I was never able to come close, but a recent recipe I tried almost hit the nail on the head, the only ingredient I changed was using crisco instead of lard, wonder if an... | You could try
some honey for the sugar, an egg or egg yolk for some of the fat, some cream for some of the milk. |
Help needed
Hello All I am lookimg for a recipe for a walnut and treacle yeast bread or anything similar that i can adapt. Thank you in advance for your help Albert | I routinely use molasses which is similar to treacle.
In fact, as we speak, an anadama loaf is between stretch-and-folds. Anadama is a New England bread characterized by including corn meal and molasses. I like adding a bit of whole wheat and rye to get a darker, moister anadama. Sometimes I also add the zest of a ... |
Pot Stickers
There is a blog on here about pot stickers. I'm looking for another type of pot sticker dough. It has cake flour and all purpose flour in them along with eggs, water and sea salt. Anybody have a recipe like these?? Thanks for helping me out. :) :) | No Special Flour Needed
Cake flour + AP flour = pastry flour. You can purchase pastry flour, or make it with a blend, but I don't see any advantage to using pastry flour over AP flour for pot stickers. Of course, you will want to avoid high gluten (bread flour) or self rising/fast rising flour to ensure you get a dec... |
Dried figs for fruit bread - Persian/Iranian/'wild' figs
Hi all,This is a relatively quick one.With yesterday's ciabatta batch half gone and an experiement of a pane di semola in the works, I am obviously already planning the next recipe and I want to try a fig bread. (Maybe with some nuts but I haven't decided yet.)I ... | Never mind.
Figs_01.JPG |
Rising and Rising again, but why?
Hey,I'm a baking layman, so forgive me if this is a silly question.All of the bread recipes I've seen so far call for (1st)rising after kneading, then taking most of the air out, shaping and then (2nd)rising.From my little experience, the yeast work for a while, and then they either ru... | Don't hurt that poor bread!
I agree. I never punch down. During shaping and during folds some gas escapes, but in my experience it's the way to go. If you were making something like sandwich bread where you want fairly dense and uniform holes, I would puch down and more evenly distribute the bubbles, but I prefer la... |
Cold retardation and then what?
Novice question here. Retarding during bulk fermentation works best with my schedule, so it goes in the fridge about 8pm and comes out of the fridge the next day at 4pm. My issue is that I am unsure what to do after I pull it out of the fridge. Some recipes don't even mention anythin... | I'll tell you what works for
I'll tell you what works for me....Before you place in fridge for bulk retard, try to get them in the fridge shaped and ready to bake. That way, you can throw the breads in a hot oven directly from fridge. I have had luck with sourdoughs from the fridge for a period of 1-6 days.My schedule ... |
Anyone else care to show their wounds and scars from the mean streets of baking. Ouch! | No scars...
....but I once put my back out rolling and folding croissant dough. It hurt for ages! |
Hitz "Bee Sting" , "Hazelnut Snails"
Recently I was surfing You Tube for some ideas and came across Ciril Hitz and some of the posts associated with him. Two in particular, were the Bienen Stich "Bee Sting" post, as well as the Hazelnut Snails "Schnecken". These were kind of a breakfast delight sort of sweet bread fare... | Baking Artisan Bread; Ciril Hitz
Can't help you with "Bee Stings", but Ciril Hitz' Hazelnut Snails are a variation using croissant dough--basically a log roll-up made from a sheet of croissant laminated dough, and a layer of hazelnut filling. Baking Artisan Breads, was one of my first aritisan breadbooks, and remains a... |
Mike Zakowski [the bejkr] Video ... enjoy
Found this little gem today ...
An inside look into Sonoma Valley baker Mike [the bejkr] Zakowski's process. Zakowski, of Sonoma's Artisan Bakery, is one of three members of team USA which has secured its place at the famed Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie (World Cup of Baking)... | Inspiring
What a great set-up he has Phil,Thanks for posting the linkBest wishesAndy |
Vital Wheat Gluten
Hi fellow TFLers! I've been having trouble getting my wheat breads to rise adequately. Someone reccomended vital wheat gluten. Anyone have any thoughts on this? Does it work? Is it worth it? Should I try something else before draggin my fat butt to the store? Cheers, Nersh | Nersh, could you expand a bit about the problem?
In other words, what can you tell us about the formula, the process and ingredients that you use, the environmental conditions, that sort of thing. From your post, I have the impression that you may mean "whole wheat" when you say wheat, instead of "wheat, not rye" but ... |
Gold spongy cake recipe
Hi all,I have been googling around for "gold spongy cake" recipe for bread machine without result. The cake will look like;http://media.photobucket.com/image/sponge%20cake/dewitan/P1090027.jpg?o=14Please help. TIAB.R.satimis | I think that's a Génoise.
If you can find Rose Levy Beranbaum's 'The Cake Bible' it has quite a few versions of a Génoise that all are excellent!! I have never seen a recipe for a Génoise done in a bread machine (that doesn't mean they're not out there). The batter is very delicate and it seems it would get too deflate... |
KAF Bread & KAF All Purpose
I want to do a Ciabatta recipe from the Book Bread, but it calls for Bread Flour. I don't have enough of KAF bread flour but lots of KAF All Purpose. Can this be used instead of the KAF Bread flour without having to make any adjustments to the recipe? TIA | Which book?
If you're referring to Hamelman's Bread, a Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes, he discusses the types of wheat at page 36, noting that hearth breads which use preferments and long, slow fermentations, etc. benefit from the use of winter wheat (protein level of 11 to 12 percent). KAF AP is hard red wint... |
ITJB Vienna Bread
Yesterday I made the subject bread for the first time (well, the first recipe from this book, which I heartily recommend). Overall, it was a tremendous hit for me. It was the first bread that actually came out as advertised. It had a nice soft, fluffy texture. That was a first for me! The taste is gre... | pictures are EZ
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/27539/need-help-diagnosing-condition-crust#comment-206305This comment helped someone recently. Also see the follow up comment, maybe you have the same issue?wayne |
Dense Baguettes With Large Holes
When I make a baguette, I seem to get a few really large holes at the top and then the rest of the bread is rather dense. How do I get a more even distribution of medium sized holes? Middle of Baguette End... | Caverns
Looks like overproofing. Are you watching the dough and testing it, or do you go strictly by time? |
Can I pre-heat an empty enamel cast iron Dutch oven?
I just received a 7qt LODGE enamel cast iron Dutch oven and need confirmation that I can safely pre-heat it empty in my oven before baking my bread...I've read all sorts of conflicting information on the web and am a bit concerned now...Thanks in advance!Gaëlle | Hi Gaëlle I pre-heat my empty
Hi Gaëlle I pre-heat my empty Le Creuset enamel dutch oven for 1 hour at 500*F when I'm baking my hearth loaves and now a few years later there is no problem whatsoever. Even the handle which Le Creuset says cannot handle that temperature is in perfect condition.Benny |
Ballymaloe Brown Yeast Bread
Hi guys, I’d appreciate some words of advice. I think I’m in the right forum and that this would be regarded as a quick bread.I’ve been baking my own bread now for some time and have moved away from my breadmaking machine, to baking by hand. Most of what I do turns out fine but this past fe... | Not that I'm an expert, far
Not that I'm an expert, far from it, but that's an awful lot of water - normally I would use around 65% hydration, (in your recipe that would be 293g water) your recipe is around 94%...there's no kneading or even stretch & fold, so not sure how the gluten develops. Bake times - I have my ove... |
Accidental realization? (Acidity in the Dough Effects extensibility?)
So I'm pretty sure I learned a lesson the hard way and am looking for some confirmation.I made a pate fermentee and froze it. Decided I wanted to make some rustic dough and pulled it out of the freezer. I was very sidetracked for two days so it defro... | Confirmed (sort of)
One way to bring strength to weak flours and also to get more strength into your dough is to get more acid into the dough. Especially with firm pre ferments (with salt in them [optionally] to prevent excess enzyme action).The percentage of the flour pre fermented also has some impact.I've spent cou... |
Salt
I see in many videos and blogs and recipes, where I keep seeing people adding the salt to the dough almost at the end of the mix. I just wondering what does it do? what difference does it make to add salt to the dough once all the others ingredients are all mixed?I normally mix the salt, together with the yeast a... | Here's a pretty good treatise
Here's a pretty good treatise from King Arthur:http://www.kingarthurflour.com/professional/salt.htmlShould answer some of your questions... |
"Turano" rolls-what are they?
In the Chicago metropolitan area there is a brand called Turano and they make these rolls which are light in texture with a thin yet crunchy crust and soft on the inside. They say French bread rolls on the outside. I wasn't sure if these rolls are an original creation, or if they are a kno... | When I lived in Florida I
When I lived in Florida I used to buy these rolls at Publix that were called "Chicago Rolls" that sound like the same thing or at least really similar. Really flaky crispy thin crust with a soft slightly chewy inside. I always thought they were like a baquette but just in a little roll or ball... |
Fried Challah
I know , I know, I should be taking pictures...and i will soon and share with the board, but today, i made a giant batch of Challah (4000g of flour) and had some left over.....so, what did i do, i made doughnuts! They were awesome....fried in 350 veg oil until golden brown...tossed in cinnamon/sugar....I... | Sounds great
I'm looking forward to pictures the next time you make them. I avoid deep frying as I have no hood or fan in my kitchen, but I'm getting one soon so this will be on my list of things to try. It's a longish list, I've been missing being able to fry, but I think this one will happen sooner rather than later... |
Score Opens as Bracket instead of Parenthesis
I made a loaf today that seemed in very good shape - starter was properly fed, well developed dough, I didn't get impatient with the proof and so forth. So was disappointed to see that my single long slash opened like a bracket instead of a parenthesis. I slashed at an ... | Not a problem with scoring.
Hi, Varda.From your photo, the slash ended up perfectly. The problem (if it's a problem at all) is with the bloom spreading at an uneven rate. The darkest part of the bloom opened up first, the lightest part opened last. So, if you had made a video of the loaf during the first part of the ba... |
Method and Cost to ship bread
Hi, I wanted to ship a loaf of bread within the United States. Since I would like it to get to its destination relatively fresh, I was planning to overnight it the day after baking and freezing. USPS costs around $40 for a large enough overnight package, which is higher than I had hop... | Bread via USPS
I occasionally send bread from Michigan to my son and daughter in New England via USPS Priority Mail. The bread is not frozen beforehand, but simply double bagged in plastic, and generally arrives in two to three days. The cost is under $10. Certainly not the same freshness as on the day of bake, and I a... |
Marble Rye Experiment #1
Thought I'd try to make marble rye since I have both cream of rye flour and dark rye flour at present. Not bad for a first experiment but I think I need to cook it longer and slower and work more on the rolling. I thought I had it circling around itself into more of a spiral.The basics of thi... | Marble Rye
is my all time favorite bagel. I think I would like your bread too. I looks delectable. Love the whey water. You make cheese too? Very nice indeed HeidiH. I bet your bread is better just because you make cheese. |
King Cake Recipe?
Mardi Gras is months away, but no time like the present!I need an authentic recipe for King Cake, as they're made throughout Southern Louisiana (Cajun Country to New Orleans).The ones I remember (and loved) have a dough that's a lot like cinnamon roll dough, are somehow filled with thickened fruit sau... | haydels king cake recipe
I made this awhile back, it was ok.. Recipes - Bread - Haydels King CakeFor the dough:??cup granulated sugar1 teaspoon salt ½ cup all purpose shortening 4 cups all purpose flour 2 large eggs 1 cup milk (room temperature) 2 small packs active dry yeast ¼ teaspoon lemon flavor ¼ teaspoon orange f... |
Proofing yeast longer to increase yield
Hi,I recently read somewhere (maybe in a post here?) somebody claiming they get better results adding their yeast to water rather than to the flour, using instant yeast. Up until now, I've always done it the other way, adding my yeast to the flour, but since reading that post I'v... | Proofing IDY
If you're using instant dry yeast, there's no harm in proofing it but there's no need to. Active dry yeast is often proofed and only needs water at or about body temperature. I use water at 85-90F for ten minutes and that works fine for me. YMMV.Your idea of autolysing with all the liquid, I presume you ha... |
is Robin Hood BREAD flour the "Homestyle White Flour" a ripoff?!?
Guys is RH bread flour a ripoff? What's so special about it? I looked at Robin Hood All Purpose Flour and it has exactly the same amount of Protein in it so why should I pay more for their "bread" Flour? What am I missing here? Should I be looking at som... | I can't say anything about
I can't say anything about that flour, but protein content is not the same as protein quality, or the baking properties, or taste. Best way to compare is to just bake with both flour and see how they behave, and whether the bread is better with one than the other. |
I'm not getting the hang of this...
Hi, long time reader, first time poster. Really struggling to get the hang of baking sourdough loaves. I've been baking pizza and focaccia with my starter for a while now with great success but the loafs are always a complete disaster. This time I was so happy with the strength of th... | Welcome!
Welcome to TFL.It's important to know what country you are in and exactly what brands and types of flour you are using.TFL has users from all over the world. Flour is different the world over. Different flours require different recipes and handling.Also please describe the starter maintenance routines and how ... |
Grandma's white bread
We pulled out Grandma's recipe of 60+ years ago and used instant yeast vs the live she used. Ingredients all the same, flour, water, salt, yeast, but no sugar. Baked at 350 for 1 hour, makes 2 regular size loaves. But, the bread is coming out cakey, got any ideas why???? It was never cakey whe... | I found out that my Grandma used potato water
even when it wasn't written in the recipe. One way to preserve yourself as a legend in the kitchen. Try it, use the water from boiling peeled potatoes. :)How much yeast are you using? |
Flour on proofed bread
Hi all I have been watching alot of video.s and reading alot. I have a small library of bread books as well. What I cannot seem to have explained is the amount of flour that i see on the outside of cooked bread. Is that all from putting it on so it doesn't stick to the molds. I am assuming it is.... | The answer to your questions
The answer to your questions is "yes" and "yes".Jeff |
Bread Forms
I bought these 18” long bread forms from a commercial equipment outlet. The first time I baked bread on them the bottom was almost no baked and I had to turn it up side down to complete the baking.So I thought if I drill some holes on them, the air will circulate better and I will get a perfect baking. To t... | I had some like that once.
I had some like that once. ended up using them for food and water bowls for my dogs. ( I didn't drill holes and did close off the ends. ) good luck. |
Flat loaves
Hi all, Am new here and it looks a fabulous site.I seem to have a problem with all my bread. Seems the yeast is working well and I get no problem with doubling but a free-standing loaf will spread out rather than rise up and one in a tin will fall over the sides rather than become domed.I have several stan... | Welcome to TFL!
Without knowing your formula and how you work with it, it's hard to tell. But if a free standing loaf is spreading out sideways, it's usually not shaped right, i.e. in a way that it has enough surface tension to hold its shape.Karin |
Herb bread ideas?
Except for the parsley, which I cut back big time, my herb garden is at its peak. I'm looking for something outside the box to try, I'd like to marry herbs with sourdough, but that's a wish, not a contraint. Anyone have any off-beat, and flavorful herb bread ideas to share? I have lots of fresh basil,... | Casatiello with Herbs
I just finished my first loaf of Casatiello from P. Reinhart's Bread Baker's Apprentice. While I was working with it I got the idea that it would make a great herb bread, adding herbs to the cheese; perhaps even something like spinach in the mix too.
Cheese and herbs run well alongside one anothe... |
Pecan Sticky Buns
I made Pecan Sticky Buns for the first time yesterday and wanted to share some pics with you. I was very happy with the way they turned out. I used Artisan Bread in 5 recipe for sticky buns, which I got from their book and is also on the Internet. I tweaked the recipe a little to cut down on eggs and... | YUM
Those look amazingly good! |
king arthur hamberger rolls
just made king arthurs hambergers buns, they seem to be a little heavy. Can you tell me why? | Can you tell us what you did?
And how you did it?Paul |
Really SILENT stand mixer?
Hi,I'm searching a really SILENT stand mixer to knead doughs, and when I write SILENT I mean S-I-L-E-N-T :-) , or at least no more louder than a bread machine. My mother has a Clatronic 2718 that is as loud as a sledgehammer; I have a Clatronic 3400 that is quieter, but far from being silent.... | By far the most economical
By far the most economical solution would be to get ear muffs. |
Pumpernickel Recipe
Greetings all, Lately, I've been thinking about trying a pumpernickel recipe. I have only been baking for about a month now so I was wondering the difficulty level of pumpernickel. If it's not too diffictul, does anyone have, or knows of, a good recipe? Thanks! Cheers, Nersh | Depends on the kind of
Depends on the kind of pumpernickel you are looking at making. If you are looking for a more "Americanized Recipe", I recommend The Bread Bible pumpernickel recipe. It is one that I modified and make at my bakery weekly with great review.If you are looking for a more traditional, dense, German st... |
Altering Bread Recipes to Use KA Sir Lancelot High-Gluten Flour
How may I best use a large supply of high-gluten flour (KA Sir Lancelot). I am a home baker with a just-adequate amount of experience in bread making. Last autumn, through the generosity of a friend, I was gifted with almost 40 lbs of said high-gluten f... | I can't anwser the question
I can't anwser the question about modifying recipes, but I have used the bagel recipe in "Baking Artisan Breads" by Ciril Hitz using all KASL (the recipe calls for half regular bread flour and half high gluten) with no modifications and excellent results. My kids adore these bagels, and I u... |
bagels: can you freeze after boiling?
Has anyone out there tried freezing bagels after boiling but before baking? I have to make brunch for 50 on the morning of my sister's wedding and really want everything to be as fresh as possible. The general plan would be to thaw them in the fridge the night before and then bak... | I have frozen the bagels
I have frozen the bagels after forming and resting for a few minutes with quite good success. I take them out when i get up and get the water ready for boiling, then boil and bake them. I have seen no difference that way. Good luck! |
Using SAF Gold for Regular Breads
I'm about to order my batch of SAF yeast but for the life of me, I can't remember which variety of SAF instant yeast I've been using for the past 5 years! I bought a small package from Williams-Sonoma some 5 years ago and kept it in the freezer all along. I've been using it sparingly... | yes it does
SAF Gold seems to be slightly more active in regular breads than the SAF Red, but other than that it works just fine. I tend to use very small amounts of yeast anyway (1/4 tsp), and rely on long fermentation times, so I use exactly the same amount whether it's Red or Gold, and I've never noticed a differen... |
Making Bialys, first attempt.
Hi, made Bialys for the first time and followed the recipe from "Inside the Jewish bakery" book to the "T". Since I work in New York City, I transported water work to home to make them nice and chewy. They came out nice and chewy and delicious, but their appearance is halfway decent. Tryin... | the ones on the top row and far right look perfect
all they need is the onions, poppy seeds and salt filling. the softball effect often comes when you don't let the dough proof enough before shaping the roll. the dough really needs to be at full proof, i.e., almost at the point of collapse when you touch it gently wi... |
Egg substitute in sweet bun dough
Wondered if anyone knew of a substitute for eggs in a sweet bun dough (for hot cross buns)?Finding that eggs in dough cause the bread to dry up and go hard very quick....Many thanks | formula
Hi Matt,Can you post the formula, as I'm tempted to think there is something else that can be done to tweak it.Egg enriches the dough and gives colour. You can use soya milk and soya flour blended to a paste, but it's a very poor substitute on a number of levels!Best wishesAndy |
Help With Perfecting my Recipe for Slicing Bread ....
I've been experiementing with many bread recipes since May, 2011. My breads are coming out tasty, and very nutritious (!!!), but when slicing, falls apart.I could using some advice on how to adjust my recipes so my bread will slice better without falling apart. I li... | How are you mixing it
How are you mixing it all? You may want to do an extended knead on the dough (flour, eggs, milk, grits) before adding the fruit, to try to build some gluten. Gluten will add strength and sliceability. Without gluten, it will be crumbly like cake. Your recipe seems less bread than fruitcake :) |
lack of volume in white baps
Hi guys.... just wondering if anyone can suggest why i got a lack in volume when making white baps with this recipe; Poolish (3 hours)195g organic type 4 flour195g water3g yeast (fresh) Dough155g flour18g water7g yeast (fresh)7g salt5g caster sugar18g solid vegetable fat14g milk powderHand ... | A few thoughts but I had to google baps
Never heard of baps before-are you in the UK? I gather they are soft white rolls? Have you seen this recipe from Dan Lepard?http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2007/oct/06/recipes.foodanddrinkIn comparing what you have and what his recipe is, I wonder if you increased your hyd... |
partially degassed shaped loaf
I searched and didn't find a clear answer to my question so here it is. My dough doubled in size, then I shaped it into a sandwich loaf (it felt great in my hands), greased the loaf pan, and put the dough into the loaf pan, it doubled in the loaf pan and crested slightly above the lip. ... | That's an interesting process, Issa
I've been baking bread for more than 30 years and hadn't yet run into one that called for a second rise after shaping and placing in the loaf pan. But, hey, there's always the first time. My experience is that the shaped loaf is only given one (sometimes called final) rise in the p... |
modifying liquids/flavors, how to calculate changes?
So, not sure how many remember me from my disatrous first thread here, but I've come a ways since... I have been successfully doing the first lesson a lot, adding little bits here and there (lemon zest, cinnamon, etc.).Now, I got a couple ingredients that I have thou... | How much amaretto are we talking about?
Would it sound reasonable for you to add the amaretto directly into the dough liquids ? (Put amaretto on the bottom of the cup and fill with water.)And/or roll the chips (maybe hack them a wee bit or use sprinkles) into the bulk fermented dough along with a few shakes of cinnam... |
Viking ovens? Good buy?
Hi guys -- My husband is a serious homecook and he wants to purchase a Viking oven. However, Im concerned about my love of bread making. Anyone know how these ovens work for baking bread? | Works For Me
I have a Viking oven. It was the oven in the house when we bought it four years ago. My guess is it's about 15-20 years old. The temperature calibration is WAY off, but I use an accurate digital oven thermometer so I do OK (when the oven dial is set to 300 the oven temp is 350!). The oven does fine for a... |
Kosher Salt and Lack of Flavour
Could using kosher salt be the reason my breads have tended to be on the flavourless side of late?The recent Larraburra loaf being just one failure, several others since then have too been underwhelming. I recently started using kosher salt and wonder if that could be a/the cause.If reci... | yup!
Yeah! The crystals are larger with kosher salt, so there's more empty space between them than table salt. Depending what brand you use, you'll end up using "more" kosher salt than regular salt in a recipe (offhand I think I remember 1.5 times? maybe someone knows more confidently). Maybe do a search for your salt ... |
Six fold baguettes
One of my cooking projects for this year (I even blogged about it) is to make decent baguettes. This is my second attempt using the proper shaping technique, and I feel I'm getting there, however, the final adjustment I must make is halve the recipe and make 3 baguettes with it, instead of 4 baguette... | Forgot to add....
... it's Hamelman's recipe, but I guess most people here are familiar with it... very forgiving, very nice dough to work with. I stayed at 73% hydrration, next time might go for 75% |
Dinner service slice thickness
Hello everyone File this in the nice problem to have….. We continue to get asked about slicing for dinner service bread. Our current slicer is a regular 1/2” that we use for sandwich slices for the restaurants we service. When I think about a crusty, rustic loaf served with dinner, it i... | Depends on what it's accompanying
For sopping up, wedges hand cut, one to two cm at one end and tapering down, even to a point. Open face, 1 cm to 1/2 inch thickness. The bolder the crumb, the thinner the slice. Mini |
Galvanized Sheet Metal Forms
I would like to use galvanized sheet metal to make some bread baking forms. However I’m not sure if the galvanized metal is suitable to be in contact with food items Anyone has such a knowledge or experience? | cooking with zinc
Here's a link.
http://www.finishing.com/217/03.shtml
HTH,
Barrie |
Problem with bread
Hi Everyone,First post - im trying to find out whats wrong with a bread I make.I dont know the proper name, its called by different things. Ive seen it called Irish Farmhouse Brown, Irish Brown Soda Bread, Irish Brown Bread, etc. Its a recipe I got off a friends mother.Thishttp://www.goodfoodireland.... | Bake more often...
Nothing. Your bread just isn't fresh for more than two days. I'd suggest that you cut your recipe size (to what you can use in two days) and bake more often.This is a quick bread, and can (as you know) be easily put together. When I make soda bread, I size my bread to the need. Don't let the size... |
Asking for substitute
Hi all,What will be the substitute of sultana other than Raisins?Can I substitute fresh apricots with fresh peaches? Any other suggestions?TIAB.R.satimis | Any dried fruit should work
Substitute another dried fruit for the sultanas-dried apricots or peaches, prunes,etc.As for fresh peaches being substituted for fresh apricots-that should work. Any fresh,juicy fruit should work-peaches,pears, mangos,apples (a little drier), kiwi, pineapple, bananas (treated so they don't ... |
Overproofed??
Today i made some soft morning rolls dusted with semolina, this is the recipe and method I used, can anyone see a fault as to why I got air bubbles on the surface of the dough before reaching desired proof and poor oven spring?3 hour preferment at room temperature;60g organic white bread flour80g water2g ... | Lack of strength / Surface tension.
The air bubbles indicate over-proofing. How far you can rise dough depends on a balance of strength and extensibility.You mention stretching and folding during fermentation but then knocking back the dough after and kneading! How aggressive is your knocking back? If you are knocking ... |
Size Cast Iron Pan & Loaf
I have a 5 quart cast iron pot, and a 3 quart combo and haven't used either one for bread yet. I usually do the long type loaves instead of the round ones. I want to make a whole wheat and I use 8 oz whole wheat, 24 oz AP, and 26 ounces water. I also add salt & yeast. I usually divide in ha... | 5 qt too large for half loaf
I don't have the combo, but I do have a 5 qt dutch oven. Even a 1.5 pound flour loaf spreads out too much in that one. I have much better luck with a 2 qt pot. I am sure you can make all of the dough in the big pot, I guess that will be a "miche", not a boule. It may take longer to cook. |
Cinnamon Roll Help.
I made my first batch of cinnamon rolls last night. I basically used a standard dinner roll dough, then used the filling of cinnamon, sugar, raisins and walnuts. I made the dough in the bread machine and was very happy the way it came out, although it was a little soft (sticky), probably the way it ... | I've used pureed pumpkin and cinnamon sugar
I made a dough using canned pumpkin in the dough and had some left over. I rolled my dough out and put a light smear of pureed pumpkin (instead of butter)over the dough and then sprinkled the cinnamon sugar over that. Tasted fantastic and moist and the layers separated nicely... |
how long to bulk ferment (first rise) and oven spring issues....
Hi guys...just recently I have been "trying" to make bread with a bulk fermentation stage, yes this may sound stupid as we all no that this is required! Before I was simply making up a 30% sponge the night before and then incorporating the rest of the ing... | Overproofed?
Matt, this sounds to me like you are overproofing your bread. Two times 45 minutes for the bulk ferment, and then another 45 - 60 minutes seems rather long for the amount of yeast you use (active dry or instant?). How do you judge the right time of proofing? Do you use the finger poke test?It's always inte... |
Hotel bread, help set this up!
I wasn't sure where to post this, so mods, feel free to shuffle this wherever it might seem best. This is a strange request for information exchange so let me start with some background. I am operating a small hotel/B&B in Beijing... not commonly thought of as the land of bread breaking, ... | just as a quick
just as a quick follow-up:I've become heavily interested in pursuing some solution that includes keeping a sourdough starter constantly bubbling away with the net effect of solving the bread quality while also giving me a uniquely awesome upgrade to my pancakes. Also the pancakes would like be an amazi... |
Baker's Depression Is...
...perusing the equipment at a Costco "bakery" and realizing you'd have to bake (and sell!) several million loaves of bread just to afford similar equipment. Not one, not two, but five 120 qt. Hobarts. Six ovens! And they're the size of my bedroom! And, and, and! What comes out of this "bakery"... | baking reminds me
of something we used to say about whitewater rafting:First you do it for fun, then you do it for friends, and then you do it for money.Although the origin of this saying was always attributed to an older profession... |
First Try Cast Iron Bread
Although I've been "lurking in the weeds" for a while, this is my first real try at home bread baking other than with my bread machine. I'll try to post a picture, but I am not too sure how to do that so it might go proof somewhere in the cyber oven. Anyway, I watched the you tube video on "... | Nice post, bob13
Welcome to TFL! It sounds like you had a great bake. I'm still tickled to haul bread that looks, smells, sounds, and tastes wonderful from my oven.Paul |
How to make bread soft?
I am a bread enthusiast from India. Now, I am facing a peculiar problem regarding making bread soft. As I use Indian flour for making the bread. I use OTG or Air Fryer for making the bread. But every time I failed as I could not understand what makes me unsuccessful in making soft bread. I took ... | Needs more liquid. Start by
Needs more liquid. Start by doubling the milk and water, see what happens, go from there. Enjoy! |
Samsung electric oven - convection setting
Hi all, brand new here and can't wait to explore. Been getting into breadmaking and really enjoy it. My question is about my oven. It's a Samsung electric oven, a couple years old. It has a convection setting that the manual says is best for baking. However, when I set the ove... | Your oven is pre-programmed to do
what you would otherwise have to do manually. If you find some recipes that include directions for convection baking or roasting, most of them will probably tell you to reduce temperatures by 25-50F when using convection. So, if the recipe requires 425F, use 425F and allow the oven t... |
Baguettes with poolish
My husband has been asking for a baguette for forever. I found a recipe online about 2 years ago for french bread. That was okay it's what led me into sourdough and making a starter. I haven't gone back to the baguette since. I have made (one time) mini baguette style loafs with my starter. Excep... | Steam and temperature
Nice crumb!When I'm doing a mix of shapes that includes baguettes, I bake the baguettes first at the highest temp (480-500F, so it'll be ~460F after loading), on the top rack so they'll get the maximum steam. The batards would go in the second load, with the temperature dropped to 460F.If you cou... |
Playdough
Happy New Year folks!I'have a few questions about playdough. My little lad has gone a bit mad for it recently. In fact, he got so many toys for Xmas we could open a toy shop, but he loves playdough more than any of them. The trouble is, conventional playdough really dries my hands. I'm not sure what it is, th... | This is one of the clays I made years ago
No Cook Play Dough Mix in large bowl:4 c flour1 c salt1 ½ c water (can add food coloring here or when kneading)¼ c oil Mix all together and knead 7-10 minutesStore in plastic bag. I made this years ago for my kids-the oil helped keep it pliable. I don't remember having any prob... |
round free standing loaf
I'm so new I don't even know what to call it. Just got started and my breads baked in a loaf pan are doing great. At some point I want to try one of those big round free standing loafs. I would guess that the dough must be stiffer than what I am using in the loaf pan. Can you point me toward wh... | Peter Reinhart's "The Bread
Peter Reinhart's "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" is also a great introduction to all types of breads. In general, free standing loaves, (which I believe Mr. Reinhart calls "hearth loaves") are actually wetter, slacker doughs than pan loaves. Their ability to stand up on their own depends on s... |
Sticky on the inside a bit
Hi there. With the knowledge that I am new to baking. I am running into a problem that I have had with every single loaf I've ever made. The crust is wonderful. The taste is good. However, the inside is always a bit too dense and "sticky". It's not wet but I want it drier. How can I get the i... | Try the below individually or
Try the below individually or in combination.Proof longer.Bake longer.Make a slightly smaller loaf.Use a thermometer to check your temp on the loaf, 195-205 is done, aim for 205. I'd leave thumping until you have more experience. Even now after baking for 10+ years I can be surprised by ... |
Odd smell
I made some French bread dough and it was rising. It had a smell like fingernail polish remover. I tossed it and am starting from scratch. What might have caused it? And how do I prevent it?Thanks.Steph | It's hard to answer your
It's hard to answer your question because the strength of smells is subjective. The products of yeast fermentation are carbon dioxide (primarily), and ethanol (as a by-product). What you're smelling could be the ethanol. This is a natural consequence of yeast fermentation, and there's not much ... |
feeling skeptical
So I see so many people "adapting" there own ideas and changing things a bit to a recipe to make it their own. One of my favorite all white flour sourdough recipe is I have always had great success with this recipe. http://www.northwestsourdough.com/techniques/baking/I have made it several times. I m... | Hard to tell
The overnight bulk fermentation will definitely help the flours absorb what they can but the hydration seems a little low. Oat flour really sucks up the liquids! |
New Mixer
My kitchenaid mixer died. I'm thinking about buying a Globe SP5, Any thoughts? | Have you read what comes in in a "search"?
Put "Globe SP5" in the search box and see what comes up. There are some prior comments there. |
Great bagels from ITJB
Just this week made a dozen bagels from ITJB (pp. 98-100). I used malt powder in the dough (bought it from NY Bakers, as well as the high-gluten flour--All Trumps). The recipe told me that the powder is best mixed with the water, and I put about 2 TBS of barley malt syrup in the boiling water (... | Bagels
What sort of malt powder did you use? My project for the next baKe is bagels and I would love to know. Thanks, Jane |
Paean to Charnushka (AKA Nigella Sativa, Onion seed, Kaloji)
I had never head of Charnushka or Nigella seeds until ITJB so, being the curious type, I ordered some ... and now I'm hooked!What a wonderful surprise. These little seeds that look like undersized black sesame taste of black pepper, thyme, onion and I don't ... | If salt and pepper had a third companion...
...it would be Charnuska seed.I love them much. Rye bread and crackers are a good spot for them too. Potent little embryos! I've learned to reduce the Charnuska seed by 20x and the caraway seed by 1000x if I want to taste the rye in rye bread. |
100% Rice Bread (Soft & Spongy) - Gluten Free
I saw this video and found it's interesting: using 100% raw rice to make such soft & spongy bread.I haven't tried it yet. The video has English subtitle.Use 18.5×8.5×6 cm pan & blenderIngredientsRaw rice 170g (223-226g after soaking)Butter or oil 20gMaple syrup or honey 12g... | Curious to know how it taste
Curious to know how it taste.Wonder if the rice was milled fine, if the soaking could be eliminated. It would be nice to skip the mixer mess if the bread was not hindered. The additional water that was absorbed into the rice during soak would have to be added to the total water if the soak ... |
White Bread: sandwiches and toasting
This is a white bread I finally settled on about 20 years ago, when I was baking all the bread for my family of four. We ate so much, I just worked it up for two loaves, so that's what I've got here. It's followed by the single loaf approximations I used earlier this week for the lo... | Re: White Bread: sandwiches and toasting
Looks delicious... |
Optimum temperature
After several nasty results years ago, I attempted yet again to bake a decent bread. I have had massive success...I use a very wet dough and bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, then turn it for another 15-20 minutes.Just one problem...Obtaining the optimum temp of 200 degrees. I do one of two thing... | Calibrate?
How accurate is the thermometer is the first thing that comes to mind. Test the thermometer in ice water and boiling water. 2nd guess; high altitude? If the crumb isn't wet don't worry about it. Professional bakers rarely stab a loaf with a thermometer.Jim |
Dealing with wet dough
I use a very wet dough. Handling it is hard enough, but is there a technique to shape it? What about rolls. I tried to make some for Thanksgiving. After the first back was ruined ;-( I added flour to each so I could shap them. In the end, they turned out great. Just wondering if there's a way to ... | High hydration dough shaping
I know your problem. Years ago, after having made low hydration (Northern European) bread for years, I simply couldn't get a clue about making the high hydration doughs. I couldn't figure it out from reading books either. In the end, I finally got it from taking a class. You needn't do ... |
Is 'doubling' really crucial?
I'll apologize twice: once for the somewhat vague subject and again for not being able to find what I'm looking for with the search function. If this is well covered elsewhere, post the link, please.It seems like 'doubling in volume' is the gold standard by which fermentation is judged. Is... | for white wheat flour, yes
that's the golden standard. It means there is enough yeast activity in the bulk (first) rise to continue on with the recipe. If the dough hasn't progressed this far, it is good to keep in mind that the times stated in the recipe are too fast and that you must wait for the dough to show you ... |
To Steam Or Not To Steam
I'm in the process of make the Pane alla Cioccolata bread from the Italian Baker. I've never made this before, and am wondering do I steam or not? Hope I get an answer before it's time to bake. If I don't hear then I think I'll steam. Anyway, everyone have a Merry Christmas/Happy Holiday. | Steam at the begining of the
Steam at the begining of the bake is always a good thing. Most sweet breads aren't steamed however. Thats all I'm prepard to say! |
Collapsing bread
I have been baking bread for many decades now, but have switch my methods over to a modified slap and fold technique. I have also incorporated many ideas and suggestions picked up from browsing this forum, notably to increase the oven temperature to at least 425 degrees for the initial five minutes of... | Looks Like
This looks like something was pushed down on the risen dough before baking. I think this is an artifact, not a natural occurance. Leave off the foil so you can see the dough when you put it in the oven. Drop the oven temperature to 350°F after the first ten or fifteen minutes to prevent over browning.Ford |
Christmas and other Festive season breads
For the last few weeks I've been making a range of different breads in recognition of the Festive season. Even invented (discovered?) a couple of new ones. (Well, for one I’ve made a festive Swedish tea ring using tinned peaches and glace cherries. Can I claim ownership? Probab... | Pannettonish bread
Not sure what to call it but I tried pannetone and I wasn't happy with the texture. However I love brioche. So I am marrying the 2 recipes. The marriage has been consummated tonight-as a matter of fact. The dough is in a container for an overnight retard in the refrigerator. My hands are scented with... |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.