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Help With Sourdough Pancakes or Injera (Wheat and Non-Wheat)
I have been experimenting with a number of different flours and my sourdough starter for the last two weeks (barley, millet, teff, whole wheat, rye, brown rice, and buckwheat) initially trying to make injera, but after many failures, I thought maybe it was an... | A recipe would help
My first reaction is the proportions of liquid/flax and flour are out of kilter. And it may not be the amount of flour but rather that the flour you used did not have enough time to absorb the water so the starch can be released to form some structure for the pancake-esp since you are using differen... |
Reinhart's Multigrain Bread wet dough?
I am waiting on the first proof for Reinhart's Multigrain Bread. The dough is extremely high hydration. I'm wondering if the grain blend I used held too much moisture. I pre cooked Great Valley Ancient Grains and used six ounces. But in retrospect a good percentage would be wa... | Neutral addition
I don't have this particular recipe on hand, but I know that in general, it's a good idea to soak or cook grain blends before adding them to the dough. There's two reasons for this:It keeps the additional grains from absorbing moisture from the dough and throwing off its hydration - which they would do... |
I'm about to cry!!!
I have been baking pretzels for a long time....but recently, they have started sticking to the parchment and I CAN NOT get them off. I have lost SO many batches.First I thought the parchment was crappy, so I bought a big box of restaurant parchment (1,000 sheets) and I am pulling them out now and ha... | Don't cry !
Pretzels are almost as requested around here as pizza so I have probably made most of the mistakes. What seems to work for me is to drain them on a cooling rack before setting them back on the parchment. I'm sure it violates some baking rule. Also I discard the parchment used for proofing and splash a littl... |
The Mystery of the Twin Bannetons
I have two bannetons: one oblong, one round. For the past few weeks, I've been making one big batch of sourdough and putting half in each banneton for the final rise/overnight retard. Both loaves are treated exactly the same way for exactly the same time--and yet, when I bake them, the... | Take two aspirin and In the
Take two aspirin and In the morning, take the temperature of both doughs. Maybe the dough at the back of the fridge is a very different temperature. Or, maybe you take both out at the same time but bake one after the other so the latter one has more time to proof?If it is truly the shape, th... |
Softening up whole wheat bread?
I'm trying to make almost complete whole wheat bread but not making it so dense and heavy.Do you think 28g of soy flour and 28g of powdered milk with 60% of water(of whole wheat flour) would do the trick? | I made naturally leavened 100
I made naturally leavened 100% whole wheat bread the other day. I used 100% hydration. If you do an adequate bulk ferment (i.e. enough yeast present) and retain some bubbles when forming loaves and putting into proofing baskets, then you should have no problem obtaining a soft, delicious... |
bakers couche
Im using a bakers couche for the first time and could use some advise on transferring the loafs onto the tray with deflating the proof and any other tips that will help. thanks again to everyone thats helped me out this far. | Video link
There's a wealth of information in the videos link above. This one should assist you:http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/31757/flipping-board-transfer-peel-demonstration |
ISO suggestions: Baking for a friend on the AT
A family friend is currently hiking the Appalachian Trail--brave woman!--and I would love to send her some homemade bread. I need a formula that is both nutrient-dense, to give her good energy to hike, but also has good keeping qualities. I'm thinking a recipe with a hig... | When I go hiking, I like to
When I go hiking, I like to take "Vinschgerl" with me. These are small flatbreads, often baked in pairs. They consist of 90% to 100% rye; often a high percentage of whole rye.With a 100%-hydration rye sourdough I use as much sourdough as additional flour in the final dough. Caraway is the ma... |
ARGH! Dense Bread Causing Severe Depression
I need help!I've been trying my hand at getting better at making bread. I bought and read Lionel Vatinet's book "A Passion For Bread" and followed his instructions for baking Country Fresh Bread. I use a scale for weighing the ingredients, and I check the water temperature... | Help is on the way!
Hi, jjudson.Feeling "stuck" can be just awful, but you will overcome the block! (And it will feel so good when you do!)Okay then. The formula seems reasonable, although my personal preference is for more whole grains and wild yeast leavened breads. Your mixing times should develop the gluten suffici... |
Need some advise with this recipe
Hi, I am really struggling with the following recipe: I call the bread German Oat because it is German origin. The bread tastes really good and I think it also looks pretty good but I am struggling with the dough: It is a very wet dough and it it hard to mix because the oats are very ... | Autolyse
There is a bit of confusion sometimes about the word autolyse, and what it means, so let me ask you this: Are you mixing ALL of the ingredients, and letting it rest as an autolyse? If so, my first suggestion would be to do what is generally considered to be a true autolyse - mix only the flour and water (okay,... |
Ploetzaide Pictures are up on Ploetzblog
http://www.ploetzblog.de/2014/04/21/1-ploetziade-auswertung/Amazing bakling by allHe also announce Ploetziade 2 for Ancient Grains. | Wow, there was
a lot of people participating, and a lot of great breads as well.I am stumped by this one though:"Roasted" by John. With sourdough wheat flour and cooking pieces.What sort of bread could this be? It looks very attractive, but is it a trick of the light that the crumb looks solid, like chocolate? Absolute... |
RETARDING A BIGA
I want to push the retarding of my biga as far as possible. I read that heterofermentative bacteria thrives best at 50-65 F. However, does anyone happen to know if that bacteria would thrive , at refrigerator temps ? I want to develop as much lactic acid and acetic acid as possible. MY BIGADissolve 1/... | Sourdough?
Are you using sourdough too?Commercial dry yeast doesn't have the acid-producing bacteria that sourdough does.There's good info on how to vary the ratio of yeast to acid-producing bacteria in sourdough here:https://truesourdough.com/best-temperature-for-proofing-sourdough-full-guide-how-to/https://truesourdo... |
Climate affecting dough rise
Hello!This is my problem/challenge: We used to live in a cooler climate where I made this no-knead bread with a fantastic oven spring. This is the recipe:1/2 cup starter1 1/2 cup whole meal flour1 1/2 cup white flour1 1/4 cup water (or a bit more)1 1/2 tsp saltI mixed with with a wooden spo... | reducing the starter amount
is one way to slow down fermentation (add more flour and water to the dough to make up for the loss) another is to use cold water or even crushed ice in the dough or use frozen or chilled flour.yet another is to use the refrigerator, more retarding the dough after it has risen a little. you... |
Anyone know what bread this would be or how to duplicate it?
Was making Chicken Cordon Bleu for my wife when I came across this picture of a CCB sandwich; just curious if anyone knows how to make a bread like this, the crust almost looks like it had lye sprayed on it. | Shot in the dark
It looks like some sort of pannini'd baguette to me. Josh |
Help
I got this huge whole in the middle of my bread. It's never happened before, so curious to know What caused this. It's a country bread 10% ww. I stretch and folded in 30 minute increments for 3 hours Then it goes in fridge. Next morning I let warm at room temp for 1 hour, divide, shape, let rise about 2.5 hours. I... | I think you are right!
Make sure to get the large air bubbles out as you..... gently but firmly.... shape It is hard to be gentle and firm but that is what it takes.Happ baking |
Bread-scoring blues: lopsided loaf
Hi, first-time poster here. I've been baking sourdough for about 2 months, and for my last 4 loaves I've used an elongated cane banneton. My issue is lopsided loaves, which I assume is an improper scoring issue. Here I scored straight down the middle and, as you can see in the photo, ... | To me it appears that maybe
To me it appears that maybe you scored it a little deep and perhaps the loaf was a touch underproofed, those two combined creating a loaf who's spring tries to tear in half. Also even though you are proofing it in a basket if it was shaped unevenly to begin with it will be hard pressed not t... |
Shaping knights and castles
Dear Fresh Loaf members: I’ve been asked to deliver a couple of Family Learning sessions (parents and children learning together) to some year 2 (aged 6 and 7) students on the theme of 'Knights and Castles'.I’m pretty comfortable with shaping castles out of bread dough, but not so with knigh... | How large/small do these have to be?
And are we talking using dead dough-purely for looks (like you would use clay?) or something that would be and edible end product?As far as knights-a shield foccacia? A sword or joust stick baguette or breadstick? a chainmail embossed hand/fist rolll? (maybe proofed in a large-holed... |
nuts, sesame seed and wheat germ
Hi folks,I've been trying this bread recipe that includes 3 cups of liquid (1/2 milk & half water) 1 teaspoon of yeast, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 cup of sugar, 3 tablespoons of melted butter, 3 cups each of whole wheat and bread flour, 1 cup of wheat germ, 1/2 cup of finely chopped walnut... | Dunno whether this has
Dunno whether this has anything to do with it, but you say you let the dough rise twice before shaping it into loaves? Because most recipes would have you let it rise just once (to double its volume) before shaping into a loaf, then letting it rise the second time in the bread pan for a short len... |
Trying to make Cherry Choc. Espresso SD bread
I've been trying to make the Cherry Chocolate Espresso Sourdough Bread since I first saw it posted by abbygirl here:http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/36001/crumb-shot-cherry-chocolate-espresso-sourdoughHowever, every time I make it, it's very dry throughout, and the crust is... | If your gut tells you that
If your gut tells you that you need to add more liquid, more often than not you will be correct. The obvious solution is to increase the hydration level until the dough appears moist. The cherries will soak up some moisture and depending on the type of flour you use and the humidity in the ... |
Need help salvaging WW bread dough
Laurel's Kitchen (I think--it's a photocopy) Buttermilk bread using 5.5 c ww flour. I don't know if I measured wrong or what but I can't get it to form loaves--too stiff. Rolling into a log just leaves me with layers that won't combine. Any way to save this dough or do I have to dump... | add a little water
and taste the dough to make sure you have enough salt in it. Please don't dump it. Flatten it out or dip it under running water, squishing in lots of dents and surfaces. Don't add more flour and if you keep your hands wet (actually very fun to do) you can work in water easily.Add as much as you ne... |
The science behind oven spring?
Some of my loaves I seem to be able to get a good oven spring from and others I can't. When I accidentally overproof the dough noticeable by a slight decline in rise before baking, the loaf collapses even more. And sometimes the rise is fine but in the oven I get no oven spring; the lo... | first yeasts reach
the temperature of their maximum activity (releasing even more gases than during proofing), then they die, but in the meantime gases expand and make the bread swell. Of course if the gluten sheeth is already compromised any attempt to expand it may (and very likely will) make it break. |
my problems using dutch ovens...
I have several concerns about using dutch ovens. 1. LOTS of parchment paper. Is anyone concerned about using reams of paper for each loaf? I feel bad about setting my loafs on small rounds of parchment - then re-using them as long as they hold up. One day, I hope to get good enough ... | Why parchment? Flour and a
Why parchment? Flour and a small bit of cooking spray or butter work just fine as baking release in my DO. Sometimes I don't use release agent at all, and only 1-2x in recent memory have the loaves been stuck. I'm sure you know you don't need to preheat your DO to use it. But handling it out ... |
Sourdough English Muffins
I just made King Arthur Sourdough English Muffins and they turned out ok except they don't have big holes in the crumb like the ones you buy in the store. The inside looks like sandwich bread. Has anyone had luck with a large crumb in an English muffin? If so please share the recipe and tel... | This one
https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/23338/english-muffin-raisin-yeast-water-plus-alcoholic-raisins |
Croissant timing help
Hello,I am not new to croissants but am in no way an expert. I have recently been using Tartine's recipe (the pastry version) with reasonable success at home. In the past, I have used other recipes at my work where the un-lamenated dough is refrigerated overnight (3 day process). I would like to... | croissant timing
bakingleigh,I've never used the tartine method for making croissants, but I'm going to take a stab at your timing issue anyway. I'm guessing (and it sounds like you're guessing the same thing) that if the recipe calls for 4-6 hours and you're thinking of pushing it to 16 hours, you're going to end up w... |
pizza dough
To whom it may concern,I am running some pizza restaurants in California. I would like to get more complexity in my dough.We are using a same day dough with 20% of yesterdays dough added.the dough also consists of fresh yeast, vitamin C, malt, salt, flour and water. I am looking to get a little more sournes... | Some things that pop right to
Some things that pop right to my mind would be, use a little whole wheat/rye flour, cut the yeast a little and overnight bulk ferment, try going naturally leavened or if thats not possible try naturally leavened spiked with a little commercial yeast. I don't know if these suggestions will ... |
Getting fissures from baking seam up
Ken Forkish's method of proofing loaves seam side down in the banneton and then baking them seam side up is a nice trick for a lame/slashing/scoring challenged baker like me. Does this seam up baking method produce fissures in every type of bread? My first attempt at a seam up bake ... | If the hydration is high,
it might not work, also good to use a bit of flour to keep the seam from closing up. A light dusting of rice flour mixed with your flour (banneton flour) or rye flour on the dough before bringing up the sides and turning the loaf seam down into the banneton might help. |
First Bread Loaves
Hi All,This is my first post in the fourms. I've tried baking pies, bagels and croissants over the past few years but have only started with bread. In fact, I've attached a few pics of my first loaves baked last week. The are the Italian loaves out of The Bread Baker's Apprentice p. 172.I would love ... | For your first attempt this
For your first attempt this looks pretty good. If the Biga smelled good and not rancid then you are fine. Did you use a baking stone and steam to bake this? My main comment would be that it looks like your crust is a little pale which could be from a lack of steam or not baking it long enou... |
Bread Formula Illiteracy
Hello all! Can anyone point me in the right direction to better reading and understanding bread formulas, more specifically on this site? I understand bakers percentages (read about them on google earlier). I do not get the builds and charts as much though on this site, I have seen about 3 or 4... | Example...
Hello - I'm far from an expert, but if you gave a specific example (i.e. copy/link one of the charts you're referring to), perhaps we could walk through it. I need a distraction from filling out this NCAA bracket :) |
My bread is too soft to cut!
Hi,I finally had success baking a bread that my husband and I both like for making sandwiches. Right now I am using the no knead type of recipe and my bread maker to do the mixing. The recipe is roughly 1c. wheat flour (+1 TBSN). , 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 c. water and 1/2mL instant yeast. Afte... | try with only 1/3 cup of water
Try with only 1/3 cup of water in the dough. Half a cup water is too much water and puts your hydration close to 100%. That it stayed risen is indeed a miracle. If you find the bread too salty, you may want to reduce to 1/4 tsp salt.If your wheat flour is AP us 1/3 cup water to bring ... |
Adding wheat gluten
Hi,I have been experimenting with low gluten and other flours that don't contain gluten and have been adding wheat gluten. However, I am finding that the gluten doesn't behave like the gluten in actual wheat. It works for some things like tortillas or getting the flour to bind, but doesn't seem to... | A couple of thoughts
hamletcat,First, are you calculating how much gluten you're adding to the dough to make a high percentage? The VWG I use is only sixty-something percent gluten. You calculate how much is in your flour, and the ratio of how much VWG you're adding. You want to aim for about 12 to 14 percent gluten to... |
Organic Flour Cracking and not hold shape before baking HELP
Hi, I am in need of serious help. I have just recently been called to bake with all organic flour at my current job. I am using Farmers Ground from Ithica NY. The dough is a wheat and rye blend, I'm not sure what is going wrong. After mixing it has full devel... | edit
Farmers Ground is based out of Trumansburg NY! |
I can't get those Richard Bertinet star shapes *sob* help
I have so far only been baking white loaves which have turned out much better after learning the slap and fold method. I decided to try his poppy seed star shaped bread but I just couldn't get the shape. I made them into little round shapes first, following hi... | Try first with bigger pieces
Try first with bigger pieces like this one (Baguette dough scaled to 390g piece)Good luckMirko |
Sideways Bursting Loafs (First Post!)
First off - great website. I learned more from you guys than from an entire semester in school. Thank you!I've been baking bread for years in a bread maker but just recently got serious enough to investigate what actually happens during the entire process. Over the last four weeken... | I certainly am no expert, but
it seems to me that you may need to score deaper. |
First true sourdough loaf questions
Hello everyone,Yesterday I baked my first true sourdough loaf. I followed instructions from a great breadmaker on Youtube, but somehow my bread did not turn out that well.As you can see in the pictures the bread turned out as a pancake. The crumb is also very dense. It's quite tasty ... | might be your starter
Hi, it seems that your starter doesn't have enough yeast in it, or the yeast is very weak. Your bread dough should have quadrupled (at least) between 11AM and 5PM, but it rose only 70%, not even doubled in that time.Then you shaped your loaf and gave it only about half an hour at room temperature... |
Hole in the Middle
Hi all,I need some advice. Lately, I've been getting a 3/4 to 1 inch hole in the middle of my baked loaf. My mainstay loaf is a poolish starter french loaf consisting of 33% spelt and 67% bread flour (Gold Medal Better Bread). My only change in practice in the last couple years is that I have begu... | Try a different shaping method
:) use little if any flour. Might want to give us the specifics on the shaping technique. Do you use flour or water or oil? I especially like to knock down my dough around the edges before rolling up a log shape. |
Using a loaf pan-how do you get the bread out?!
I have been using a basic no knead recipe of 1 part flour, 1/2 part water and salt, and 1/4 part yeast. Cups and tsp respectively and letting my bread ferment 8 to 24hrs. Then baking it at 425 to 450F in the oven. I try to use a closed system if possible to allow steam... | Grease the pans.
Even the non-stick pans. |
Reinhart bagels - uneven cooking fiasco
I decided to try my hand at Reinhart's bagels from BBA. Followed everything, but the only changes were AP flour, and brown sugar, instead of syrup. I used two pans, rotated, etc. I'm also high altitude, but have yet to have a problem with my other bread. Now, in the picture -... | I just realized that it may
I just realized that it may have been the oil I used, and the sitting overnight. I didnt have spray oil, so I uses peanut oil, and just brushed them all. Perhaps? |
Confusion About Yeast and Salt %
Hi All,My wife and I did a large bake of Maggie Glezer's Slow Rise WW Challah about 2 weeks ago (documented here). We froze the challahs after cooling but only got around to eating them this past weekend. To say I was disappointed is an understatment. The challahs looked and smelled del... | Did you check with any errata
for the recipe, one or the other? WW would speed up fermentation and using less yeast with all whole wheat makes sense. But I would think that replacing bread flour with WW in the preferment of the larger recipe, would give a different bread. The flavour scales tip to whole wheat for s... |
Waah! My rye bread loaf splits in two horizontally when it bakes. So sad!
I'm posting another photo of the loaf; the one that shows the cut loaf was too big to upload, so I have to modify the photo size in my photo program before I can send that. However, all your comments have been helpful. I'll look again at the cut ... | recipe please and photo if you have one
would help greatly. Include a crumb shot, please.the more details you can give the better. Also more about the rise and consistency of the dough.Did you dock the loaf before baking? or cover the loaf during the bake? Where in the oven is it baked? "the set up" pan color, st... |
Time to start thinking about St Paddy's Day Bake Challenge
Here is an Irish soccor ball from a couple of years ago Can't wait ti see this year's creationsHere are last year's Irish Lemon Curd Fairy CakesSo what are you baking for SPD this year? | !
I'm sure I saw something like that in the Alien films . . . . just before the top opened up and a wriggly thing jumped out :-)Look fun though. |
Oven steaming-cracked pot
This morning when baking my ciabatta bread I cracked the pot I used for the steam. Basically what happened was that I preheated the oven with the corning ware pot on the bottom rack, then when I put the loaf in the oven, I added the water to the lower pot. It cracked. Should I have put the ... | Hot pot +cold water means
cracked pot every time. I use the Pyrex large pan with lava rocks half full of water for mega steam. It goes in when the oven temperature says it is at 550 F . In 15 minutes the steam is billowing and the 2 baking stones (top and bottom) have caught up with the the air temperature and are a... |
Not getting the rise or oven spring
I've been trying to bake no knead bread. And it comes out lovely. Good crumb, taste and crust BUT I am not getting much of a rise. After 24 hours it pretty much is only about 1.5 x the size of the original dough and there is no oven spring at all. Lots of holes, it just seems to ... | Advice...
… is not something I'm yet knowledgable enough to give, but some standard things I've learned from just a few weeks on this site - dough hydration, activity of yeast and no over fermenting … can't no-knead dough rise and then collapse too? 24 hours seems like a long time unless that's the nature of the recipe... |
Trouble incorporating sugar
In my pretzels, all of the hyrdration is in the poolish. When I later incorporate the 2T of brown sugar into the final dough...I have A LOT of trouble getting the sugar to incorporate and almost inevitably find small lumps despite doing my best to mix all the dry together first.Any suggestio... | Make a syrup out of the brown sugar
and keep the same flavor for the pretzels. |
Bread made from flour I've milled smells bad initially; what to do?
My 2nd post. While I'm still hammering out my bread-making problems from my 1st post, I thought this worth a new post. After making bread for years, I think we all know and expect that wonderful aroma is one of the big pluses in bread making. It was... | find out the source of your grain...
You say Quote:I buy my wheat berries from a local Whole Foods. Find a manager and ask where they source their whole wheat grain(s) that are sold in their bulk bins. If necessary, ask to see their storage area for the bulk bags of whole wheat(s) so that you can confirm what the manag... |
need help converting fresh yeast to dry!
thecookingplan.com/receta/bollitos-de-leche-condensada/ This recipe is for a sweet bun/roll I found on a website. I've copied and pasted the measurements for the recipe from the site: Ingredientes200 gr sweetened condensed milk100 g lukewarm water100 g lukewarm milk56 g unsalte... | Converting Fresh Yeast to Dried Active Yeast
To convert from fresh yeast to active dry yeast, multiply the fresh quantity by 0.4. Active dry yeast must be hydrated in warm water before being incorporated into a dough. To convert from fresh yeast to instant dry yeast, multiply the fresh quantity by 0.33.https://www.king... |
Stretch & Fold when producing for volume
I haven't decided if I'm going to add my pretzels to my farmer's market offering...one of my concerns being taking my home kitchen recipe and scaling it up to volume.I can knead dough that thick for 6 minutes...but not huge blobs of it!I talked to a Philadelphia pretzel baker wh... | You'd be wise to refer
to Eric's famous post (though it isn't pretzels, but the dough is similar enough):http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/25154/hand-made-bagelsreally |
Why Not Round Bread?
Bread being square when it is placed on a (round) plate alongside other food the edges of the bread slice hangs off the plate. This subconsciously makes you think that you are full, therefore, you eat less bread because your plate space appears more occupied. On a plate people tend to have on avera... | we do
by the way, where are you getting these ideas of consumption? |
Overproofed!
Over-proofing is often blamed for collapse in the oven. This is not always the case, as will be illustrated in this posting. A fully developed dough with good gas retention properties will not collapse in the oven, but will instead grow enormous in size. Baking this loaf was an experiment in extreme over-p... | Overproofing
I've overproofed my bread before, and the results I got were similar to yours. In addition to being very high and lofty, it was also very soft and pillowy. It was so soft my sharpest knife couldn't cut it without either compressing the loaf and cutting crooked, or tearing the loaf as it went. I was using K... |
Short oven, burned bottoms
Hi baking friends,I just baked up my first batch of bread in the oven at a new house.A couple of predicaments I faced:- The oven is short, compared to what I'm used to. About 16 inches of space.- The oven, strangely doesn't have a pre-heat feature, and I didn't have an operating oven thermome... | Try a cold dutch oven.
to reduce the bottom heat. May have to lengthen the baking time. Another solution may be to place folded layers of aluminium foil under the hot DO to reflect the heat away.If you have an aluminium foil drip tray on the oven bottom, remove it and see if that helps. It might be triggering the the... |
Help with scoring to get that busted-open look?!
Hey Guys,I was wondering how to get that beautiful 'lip' that so many artisan loaves have where it's been scored in the top? I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but every time I bake a new loaf- where I've scored it just plumps up perfectly even to fill the gap, leaving t... | Start here ...
Scoring Bread: An updated tutorialAlso, an anatomy lesson: That "lip" to which you refer is most often called an "ear." But, to Picasso .... Who knows?Happy baking!David |
Long-time breadmaker here -- I've lost my touch. Please help
Me: I always use a breadmaker and I ALWAYS make whole wheat. I bought the original DAK Breadmaker when it first came out. I had tweaked my DAK WW recipe so that the rising bread nearly kissed the glass top every single time. Then I bought an Oster about ... | Are you weighing or measuring
Are you weighing or measuring? I found that fresh milled flour success was much more consistent when I switched my full recipe to grams. It also helps that i can weigh the grain and use 100% of the resulting flour. |
No Swirl Cinnamon Raisin Bread
When using the swirl technique to introduce more cinnamon into the bread, I find that my swirls toward the outer edges loosen up to the point that when you bite into a toasted slice, it falls apart in your hand. The swirls don't remain tight throughout the slice.So I'd like to forgo the s... | When I add cinnamon to the
When I add cinnamon to the dough itself I add 1%. I bake using SD to leaven my loaves but when adding cinnamon I do include IY too and I use between 0.1% −0.2% depending on the other enrichments in the dough and how long I want it to proof. (I bulk ferment my dough overnight in the refrig. ... |
Pretzel Problems using Lye
I'm finally not terrified to work with lye and have to say, the taste is top-notch. However, I'm not getting that rich, dark brown.I used 30 grams of food-grade lye plus 1 quart of warm water. Dissolve and dunk FROZEN pretzels into the bath for 30 seconds. Freezing them, I've learned, is crit... | Perhaps a simplistic suggestion ...
... bake them longer? Or at a higher temperature ... like 425F or 450F ...?Dave |
Making Great Bread
I'm struggling to fully comprehend how to make bread that looks like many of the regular pictures people post on the Fresh Loaf. it seems like there may be too much information out there for a novice to decide on which route to take. I took a class from a local bakery a year ago without knowing anyth... | IMHO
http://tartine-bread.blogspot.com/read this entire blog. She is very informative. Also, spend the $ and get the cast iron combo cooker. It helps to have the right equipment.Then choose one recipe and make it over and over. Keep detailed notes on what you did, what temp, what times. Oh and weigh everything-get a go... |
ph level of mother starter
I froze my starter when I moved last year. I have resuscitated it and find that the ph level is too high. (about 4.3) I want to get to 4. I don't understand the ph concept when it comes to making sour dough bread but am going by the recommendation of Peter Reinhart in the Bread Bakers App.... | Really, you shouldn't sweat
Really, you shouldn't sweat too much about the ph level for just basic bread making. All in all, I've found it hasn't made much of a difference.If you want to lower the ph, you should reduce the number of feedings and allow the lactic-acid bacteria to create a more acidic environment, For i... |
Burned My Ear!
Hello All, I'm using a 6 quart iron combo cooker and it seems to working out well. The only problem is that the very top ridge of the ear seems too dark. Not sure how to deal with this. I preheat the combo cooker to 500 deg put the dough in and then in the oven and immediately drop the oven temp to 45... | You could drop
the temp to 425 F for the uncovered portion. And you could also switch your times. Bake covered for 25 minutes and uncovered for 20 minutes. Last resort would be to put a bit of foil over the ear but the way I look at it, the darker the bread, the more flavour it has (unless it’s black and truly burnt). |
Pale Baguettes (Using Anis Bouabsa's Recipe)
Hello,I tried this old Anis Bouabsa recipe as written out by dmsnyder (http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/8242/anis-boabsa039s-baguettes) and came out with this:As you can see, it looks nothing like the wonderful baguettes on dmsnyder's thread (and others, such as here or here... | No worries! Getting the outside to lok right is the
hardest part! Taste and the crumb are the hard part. A few more tries and I'm sure you will have the outside nailed -even it some of the taste and crumb goes away:-) Baguettes are the bakers nightmare! even if so simple/ Happy Baking |
ITJB FR Week 13 FINAL BAKE Chiffon Cake pps. 197-99
We 3 gmas DID IT!!!! We perservered and finished the challenge of baking almost all the recipes in the first edition of "Inside the Jewish Bakery" . We just completed our last week of baking exclusively from this great book... Thank you Stan for your input throughout... | You 3 baking gmas make me
You 3 baking gmas make me happy :-)Have a wonderful holiday season, and thank you for sharing your lovely bakes! |
Bulk proofing in fridge.
I have just made some dough and started to leave it to proof. I now have to go out and will not be back before the proofing is finished. If I put it in the fridge until I return, what should I do when I return? I don't think I will have time to finish and bake the loaves when I return. Could... | Yes you can leave them in the fridge overnight.
If they fully proof you can bake them cold right out of the oven. If they have't finished proofing during the cold retard, then let them warm up and finish proofing in the morning. |
Adjusting time/temp for smaller loaves
Hi all, I have a great sourdough starter and have been making loaves with it for quite awhile, baked in an unenameled Dutch oven. I want to take a loaf worth of dough and divide it into four smaller loaves, to make sourdough bread bowls. I am going to try baking two at a time, on ... | I would go about 15 min.
I would go about 15 min. covered and then until they are the color you like. You could test the temps but I bet you will know when they are done by the look. The temp should be fine. |
Refridgerating / Freezing dough for later
I am making Challah rolls for Thanksgiving. The recipe calls for two, one hour rises, then form the dough, rise again for 45 min, egg wash, bake.I want to make the dough ahead and store. At what point in this process can I put it away, and then what do I do when its time to r... | If possible, my suggestion
If possible, my suggestion would be to make the dough the night before and let it have the first rise on the counter, then shape them, cover them well, and pop them the fridge. Pull them out of the fridge when you are ready to bake it and throw it in the oven.The dough will continue to rise ... |
High Gluten Flour and Milling Grains
I am sure this question will show what a newb I am but I want to try and get this right. I am going to make Peter Reinhart's Straun bread and the first ingredient is High Gluten Flour. I didn't think that would be a problem but after checking around I can't seem to get it locally he... | Use your bread flour and do
Use your bread flour and do NOT add vital wheat gluten.Jeff |
proofing large batches
Hey folks. I've been baking for the farmers market for a while now, usually making 5 or 6 types of bread, and anywhere from 8-16 of each type. We have two ovens and lots of counter space, and i purchased a 20qt hobart a few years back, and all of this has helped to make the larger production pos... | Check this out
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/35617/homemade-prooferAm sure Mark will be happy to answer any questions you have, Chris. |
Rye bread
Yesterday I made a mistake while trying to perfect my rye bread and managed to salvage it...so much for perfection!This is what happened. I had a bowl of flour of mis-en-placed 60% bread flour and 40% rye flour for the dough and a bowl of 60% bread flour and 40 % rye flour to which I was to add 6 oz of sourdo... | rye bread
This is a loaf full of mistakes and I salvaged it! |
Rye bread
None | Wow!
That slashed square top really lifted off. That is some fine spring for a rye bread! Well done. |
Hard Red and Soft White Wheat
I read somewhere that you can mix hard red and soft white wheat to make bread. You need of course more hard red vs. the soft white, supposedly it helps make a softer bread. Has anyone tried this option and how did it turn out? | I know this!
The reason you'd use soft white wheat is to make a lighter whiter bread. I ground my own in a 3:1 ratio. The problem is the lack of gluten. You could make up the difference with vital wheat gluten, but at that point you might as well switch recipes. I've only found soft-white wheat useful for pie crusts an... |
dry white crust
Hi Everyone,I have been baking gluten free sourdough for a few years, and from time to time the bread (different recipes) comes out with a hard, dry crust on the top:The bottom of the loaf is unaffected. It only seems to happen where the crust is directly exposed to the hot oven air. Usually, baking wit... | Just guessing by appearance, ...
... combined with your comments, I wonder if the outer layer of the crust is becoming dehydrated when exposed to a blast of hot dry air.Is the clay baker glazed, or unglazed? Unglazed clay "breathes" - maybe not a huge amount, but definitely more than iron. ? (That is to say, your iron ... |
Highly enriched dough tip
The onset of the holidays makes me want to get back to brioche, panettone and other highly enriched breads. When you bake a highly enriched dough with lots of butter and egg yolks, there is always the challenge of dough temperature. When you incorporate the butter into the mix you want a cool... | Thanks for the tip. So what
Thanks for the tip. Looks delicious.What's the recipe?(don't bother if you have to type it out, or if it's copyrighted)What size pan was it baked in and how much dough per loaf.Thanks again. |
Can locality affect bread?????
Hi TFL'ers,I just recently moved from Indiana to upstate New York. I have not had a successful bread since moving (~4 months since moving). I have been baking satisfying breads for almost 10 years, and have not had any truly successful breads since relocating. The doughs do not rise as... | Water is a big component
With water being such a large proportion of dough weight, I would certainly assume that a change in water would result in a change in bread quality. Since the rise is governed by the gluten net capturing yeast gases, I further assume that your gluten net has not developed as well as it did back... |
remaining dough from English muffins
Hi,I'm curious if anyone has found a good use for remaining dough left after making English Muffins?The dough I use is based on a baguette dough; sourdough levain, poolish, 4 x hour bulk fermentation, press into a shallow tray, retard, cut into shapes and fry the next day in small a... | don't have extra dough
I just divide my dough into 12 balls of about 75 grams and then flatten/stretch the balls into 3" disks. No waste. See link below for some pics.http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/19271/english-muffinswayne |
Please Help
Hi,I have been baking for close to 6 months now and make on an average of 2 loafs of bread a week + other things. The issue is with the loaves. As seen in the picture, no matter what I do I get a finish like this or a split from one side only. Funnily enough for my first few months the loaves were perfect, ... | This is the kind of loaf
that makes for a fantastic sandwich! I think you have two options. You can let it proof a little more and hope you catch it just right or probably a better option, decorat the top with a slash to let the bread expand there under the oven's heat.HAPPY BAKING |
Staggering laminated dough production
I teach a weekly bread class - 6 hours each time. I am gearing up for Danish and Croissant dough.Mixing, laminating, shaping, proofing, and baking will need to happen between 2 classes so....what do most of you suggest:Mix and freeze dough on Week 1 and then laminate, shape, proof... | Mix, Laminate, freeze.
Week 1 - Mix, Laminate, freeze. Week 2 - Roll out and cut, shape, proof, bake. |
Dough allergic to itself
Hello,Desperation drives me here as a neophyte bread maker over a persistent kneading problem.I've made recipe breads successfully over the years but, I want to advance to more complex breads.For the last 15 times, I have been trying to perfect Peter Reinhart's Yeasted Bagels.10% of the time th... | O, a veritable world of possibilities !
Hey Metta, Sorry to hear you're having difficulties . . . I understand that bagels can be especially tricky, given the level of gluten development they require in order to hold up to the cooking process. As far as what's causing the dough to be allergic to itself, I'll offer some... |
FRENCH MEADOW ORGANIC EUROPEAN RYE BREAD
A bakery by the name of French Meadow Bakery in St. Simons Island, GA. makes a bread called European Style Sourdough Rye bread.Described as :If you like traditional, hearty, dark breads, you'll love our naturally leavened European Style Sourdough Rye. This dense and hearty rye ... | I guess the moisture
is surprising to one unaccustomed to 100% ryes. The bread is probably just a 100% rye sourdough bread. There's quite a few ways and styles to make this, though if it's european, the following formulas are probably pretty close:Mini's favorite rye (done by txfarmer): http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node... |
My Bread Falls Apart When Slicing .....
I could use some advice on how to make my bread stick together, so when I slice the bread, it does not fall apart. Here is the recipe I used today:Persimmons = 8-10Bananas = 8Corn Meal = 1 cupOats = 2 cupsWhole Wheat Flour = 5 cupsBaking Soda = 4 tspBaking Powder = 8 tspCinnamon ... | This looks more like a cookie recipe
at first glance until I start adding up the mashed fruit. Then it looks like a cake, one that is cut more into squares than slices. How about slicing thicker?What condition are the bananas and persimmons? Dead ripe or more green? How many cups of fruit? Try mixing up the mashed ... |
Baking bread that's not a room temperature
I put a loaf of sourdough sandwich bread in my cold garage overnight because I didn't have time to bake yesterday. It was already formed and in the pan. I'm using a new sourdough starter that seems to be rising slower than previous ones, so I figured a night in the garage woul... | How does it feel?
If it feels proofed enough it could be fine. Use the finger poke method to check proofing. If you decide to proceed with baking, I suggest scoring the top of the loaf well do that it has room for a good oven spring. |
Bubbly crust
I was wondering if anybody knew what causes bread to have a bubbly crust. Is it high hydration? Too much yeast?Thanks :) | Bubbly like blisters?
I usually see it in dough that has been retarded overnight. |
Pumpkin Yeast Donuts - Denser, less airy?
Good morning, I make A LOT of donuts! I have my yeast donuts down to a science and they are all big and airy and have a gorgeous ring of truth. However, as I created and tested my pumpkin yeast donut recipe, and really thought it would be a winner, only to find the donuts never... | No donut experience
I don't have any experience making donuts at home, but I have a couple thoughts. The spice mix likely contains cinnamon, which can definitely interfere with dough raising (as can other spices) and the pumpkin puree is usually pretty dense with a high moisture content. Maybe if you switched to putt... |
My 1st polish boule overly expanded
My first polish boule did not hold the boule shape. The dough was very sticky and the boule expanded when I picked it up and placed it in the Dutch oven. I honk my boule was not tight enough? | could be the poolish stood too long
and over fermented. It can happen, I did it with my first poolish loaf too. There is a big time window for poolishes and that can be misleading. Try shortening the poolish time or do part of it in the fridge or start with cold ingredients and see if that helps. It shouldn't be s... |
need someone's math skills..dough quantity to use for 9x5x2.5 pan
My white bread dough recipe results in 1104gram. I bake that in an open 13"x4x4 pullman pan. If I fill that empty pan with water, it holds 2739 grams in weight.I want to bake that dough in a 9x5x2.5 pan (http://www.amazon.com/Fat-Daddios-Inch-Loaf-Pan... | Your math is spot on
I think there must be another factor at play here.My guess is that the smaller loaf didn't give you the height you expected b/c it cooked faster (lower thermal mass, and the also center of the dough is less insulated from the exterior of the pan). Perhaps lowering the temp a little, so that it can ... |
We 3 gmas met Multigrain challenge (or tried to)
Barb started out by saying she was not "meeting the challenge" but since she made this great multigrain bread... I am thinking she DID meet it.Here is her story as she went along.Saturday I was inspired by all the breads with whole grains and multi grain FWSY bread, to t... | Funny thing happened on way to challenge
I took pictures of the greatly expanding dough planning on asking TFLovians what on earth I did wrong! After sending them to Diane for posting though, I reread the recipe.... I had added all of the prefrement instead of just a portion. Luckily my assistant noticed the extremely ... |
I just want soft white bread...and keep failing....and trying! Going CRAZY!
My goals: create a soft white bread, similar to the fake wonderbread stuff (I'm a mom first, it's what the family wants! no bashing please!), using a 13" pullman pan without the lid, and using the dough cycle on a bread machine.I've gone thru ... | Hmmm, excuse my ignorance for
Hmmm, excuse my ignorance for not knowing what this 'wonder bread' is, I'm supposing it's some kind of sweet sandwich bread. The bread in the pictures looks reasonably ok to me, but too airy perhaps. The deflation as well as the loose structure is a classic indicator of over proofing you... |
barley crisp bread
Hi thereHas anyone here around made crisp bread with pure barley flour? (no wheat or any other flour added) I tried to make some but the problem is I couldn't make it raise to get crispy. I used yeast, BP, BS... Can anyone help me to make it crispy and easy to chew? | May have to blend the barley with
other flours to get what you're looking for. Trapping gas/steam in the dough is a major goal, try increasing the water content and beating the mixture longer to develop what little gluten is there. No, I haven't made crispy bread yet from barley but think about incorporating the mic... |
Newbie--Tartine dough and sticking
Hello. I have recently started my journey into "sourdough-dom" via the Tartine Country Bread recipe. Overall its going far better than I anticipated. I've got a rockin' starter going and have muddled my way through three baking attempts. Fortunately, I seem to be getting slightly more... | Cold dough
doesn't tend to stick so much. With the summer heat, I have taken to mixing Tartine Country Bread early in the morning and putting it into the refrigerator (right after dividing and shaping)for its final proof. The time in the refrigerator is partly based on the dough passing the indentation test and partly ... |
KNEADING- Bertinet vs. Lepard
Hi , What do most of you do for your serious or small bakery kneading- the slap down, time consuimg, effort-required, impressive show of the Bertinet clan or the ever-so gentle, passive and sweet method of oil the board, barely touch the bread and let it rest and repeat this many times of ... | kneading
Interesting, thanks. But what is "bulk fermentation?"Also, does mixing with the mixer vs hand kneading over heat the dough at times? In an ideal world where you had all the time you needed, would you say the multiple hand knead and rest periods method produces better bread or do you think they produce a simila... |
Urgent need of help
Hello everybody! I am Romanian, my name is Carmen, and I am a beginner home baker, since January this year. I started baking following Codruta (that you all know already)'s recips and indications. I am in an urgent need of help this evening. My oven just broke with two Seed Sourdough Breads in it an... | Sorry
Sorry to hear that, Carmen. The same thing happened to me once. It was actually my first sourdough and it had proofed beautifully. So I put the pizza stones in my gas BBQ outside, let it get very hot, and it baked great! Freezing the dough could maybe work too. Good Luck. |
Help again :-)
Good morningMy clay oven takes about 24 loaves at a time, but my new dough mixer only kneads about 6 loaves (I think) (it's a 20lt mixer) at a time. How do I go about kneading enough dough so that I will have enough at the right time for the oven. Surely the batch that has been kneaded first will be be... | You can
1. Get a bigger mixer that will do it all at once. Best option if you ahve the room 2. Mix a batch at a time with your mixer and refrigerate them so that they come out on the same schedule for final proof but you would want to bulk ferment them to save space in the fridge or get a bigger fridge! - probably nex... |
Does a recipe need to be adapted?
Hello again!Does my recipe need to be adapted from just mixing the dough by hand to kneading it with a doughmixer? All my recipes seem to react totally different.ThanksIlse | The ingredients shouldn't change,
but mixing time and procedure will differ. It's hard to make up a general rule since everyone kneads differently, but usually the mixer takes less time to develop the dough than hand kneading. Could elaborate on exactly how differently your recipes react? |
asking for tips on how to make bread more airy
i think the taste is great but i want it to be more airy, would love your guidance because its my recipe and i am pretty new (7nth bread baked).thanks in advance! the recipe:the "starter" (16 hours before the bake):200 grams 12.2% pizza flour (thats what i had)200 ml water... | More airy huh...
Well it looks prety good from here! Might have cut it a bit warm. How is it today? That is almost a 2 kg loaf (1.7)! Just off hand, making smaller loaves would likely give you airier loaves. 75% hydration. Rye is a heavy flour compared to wheat, less rye would also lighten the loaf. You could try su... |
balling
For the life of me, I cannot get my dough to shift from the rise to the ball. I stretch, I tuck, I use my pinkies to urge the shape, but to no avail. ANY suggestions/solutions? | Without more info. overproofed
dough fits the discription. Too much water in the dough could also fit. Have you tried chilling the dough to stiffen it up? What's the recipe? Location? |
Bread dough rising?
Hello, I have a question regarding dough rising ... I am making a bread dough recipe. After the initial 1 1/2 hour rise after mixing, the recipe has me shaping the dough into balls and letting the balls rise for 15-30 minutes. After that, I shape the dough balls into loaves. It works just fine but ... | Pre-shaping, @katiecooks815
It matters more for breads that are baked without a bread pan or other container, Katie. Even so, panned loaves can also benefit from pre-shaping.1. The structure of a well-formed loaf is dependent, in part, on having a tight gluten sheath. In other words, you want the outer skin to be tig... |
Sourdough starter floated!
I mixed up my bread in my kitchen aid, it looked like the videos- I until I went to remove it. It was very wet and sticky. I put oil on it and got it into a bowl it is now raising. I hope. My question is - how long into the knead could I have added flour. I imagine it is going to be too lat... | adding flour
Don't have any idea how late you are "supposed" to be able to add flour, but I add a spoonful at a time until the dough looks right. I have learned to take it out of the Kitchen Aid before I think it is finished and knead it for a bit on a lightly floured counter. It is amazing to me how a few quick turns ... |
HELP - Bread did not rise
Good morningI bake about 50 loaves for the local morning market. Last night my loaves just did not want to rise. It is freezing here in South Africa and I was wondering if the cold could have killed the yeast. I autolyzed my flour with lukewarm water, but by the time I added the rest of the ... | Hi Ilse
The cold did not kill your yeast, but it did slow the growth rate considerably. You can do either of two things. One, maintain a warmer environment for the dough while it autolyses and/or ferments. Two, allow for much longer fermentation times at ambient temperatures. The first choice is probably better in ... |
Calling out to bakers from Kampen, netherlands - Vikornbrood
Is there any baker from Kampen? I am very interested with this special bread from this KLAPPE BAKERY in kampen, netherlands. The bread is known as vikornbrood.I managed to get some helps from this nice baker, levine, from netherlands. She found out that this ... | Vollkornbrot
This seems similar to the German Volkornbrot - a batter bread. I’ve never made it, but one of my books has this formul |
PLEASE HELP. ON THRID ATTEMPT. Questions about Beth Hensperger's Classic Sourdough Starter
Hi All, I'm having a series of issues with Hensperger's Classic Sourdough Starter, found on pg. 120 of "The Bread Bible." First, I've let the starter stand for four days, stirring twice a day. It seemed fine; lots of alcohol on t... | Take a look in the Sourdough forum
Welcome ! There is so much information available on this forum! The "search" box works really well and the Handbook is also a great help.There are so many ways to make and maintain a starter. Some people keep bulky amounts. Some keep as little as 50grams (about a tablespoon). The most... |
Bouchon Bakery - Corn Muffin
So I made the corn muffin. I changed one thing right at the start. When looking at the ingredients I saw the sugar content. Im not a sugar-phobe, just check my other posts. I like my corn muffins/bread to taste like corn with just enough sweetener to balance but not notice that its there. S... | Hi Manna, you should try
Hi Manna, you should try roasting some of the corn and it will bring out some of the natural sweetness in it. I have made bread with roasted corn and it is one of my favorites.Your muffins look good and I'm sure your next attempt will be even more to your liking.Regards,Ian |
Huge Fail: Baked Baking Soda
This horrifying image is a combination of failures.To begin...this was my first attempt at sourdough. I should say that I LOVE the taste and the smoothness of the dough, even in a pretzel. The aroma is magnetic. HOWEVER, having never created a starter before I'm not sure if mine was top not... | Well
They don't look so flat just too dark. I've never tried to use baked baking soda. I just dissolve in very hot water. And you don't soak the pretzel in the solution you just dunk it and pull it right out. Then straight into a hot oven for 7 minutes or so. with failure we gain knowledge. Hopefully you can eat ... |
Weekly Baking Challenge - For 13th August
Hi all. This week's challenge theme is:Lands UnexploredI thought it might be fun for us to try making breads from countries/places we perhaps hadn't thought to try before. It could be something obvious you just never got round to or something more obscure.This challenge will ru... | Sounds fun!
Here's hoping more of us get a chance to take up the challenge this week. |
Weekly Baking Challenge
Hello all! We are going to be starting a weekly themed baking challenge for all who would like to participate :) As usual my efforts will be gluten free and I'd like to see everyone put their own twists on the themes too, for example I know some of you are sd geeks or rye-lovers. Let's see what ... | Challenge
If we decide on Friday or even Thursday then people have time during the weekend to do a bake but then have a deadline of the next Thursday deadline to upload results. I agree we need to decide on a theme and not a particular bread, it will provide flexibility for bakers and give us a freedom that will hopefu... |
Nervous...first time using LYE
I finally put on my big kid pants and bought some lye for pretzels. I've been wanting to do this for YEARS...but now that I have it, I'm terrified to use it.I called the company who sold it to ask for advice....they couldn't answer a single one of my questions! Can you help:1. What type o... | Here are some answers...
My husband is a chemist and he says you can use either glass or plastic to mix up the solution. Yes you can store and keep using the solution...it will not change. He says to store in glass or plastic it is very dangerous to use aluminum around lye so that is your big caution. . To mix it up ju... |
Air pockets under the crust of the loaf
I've been using this yeasted milk loaf recipe for some time now but yesterday's bake gave me these large holes under the crust. I proof inside a proofer at 30 C and make sure the dough doesn't dry out. The crumb of the loaf is as it should be. I'd say everything else about the lo... | Just a little over proofed.
Just a little over proofed. Nothing serious! Enjoy! |
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