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Baking Humor
Ok, one final rant about Switzerland:The Swiss are the ultimate recyclers. During our visit, my 15 yo son accompanied my uncle to the recycling center. He came back with wide eyes: "they have a bin for wine corks, for batteries, even one labeled 'Alt Brot' (old bread)! Wonder what they do with that?"My ... | Old dry bread
We are proud of our recycle centers too! The old bread here also goes to feed fish & chickens. Also, I can trade my dried out bread directly for fresh trout or eggs. It's fun to watch the fish eat the bread. It's thrown out on the water and the fish nibble as it softens. The bread looks more like a ... |
Heat source for proofing box
I've been searching the forum on proofing box designs and heat source and it seems some use a light or dry source for heat and others a warm water or moist source. Is there a difference on the overall effect? Does extra moisture effect the sour dough? Just wondering what the community ha... | heat source for proofing box
I also am trying to find a good design. For now I've put an oil filled radiator in a closet and set heat to minimum. Too wasteful!! I may make a box from aluminum coated styrofoam insulation (available at Home Depot in 4 X 8 sheets), taped together with aluminum tape. Inside either a seedli... |
TFL recipes
Question: How do we access a listing of the recipes posted here? it seems there's no direct way to get to them except by doing a forum search or finding one in the favorite recipes list. | Correct.
Correct. |
Teaching others
I was reminded recently how much fun it can be to pass on my excitement about baking to others. I have one friend who read the NYT no knead bread article and got very excited. He started baking a lot. I gave him some of my starter and helped him adapt the recipe to it, and he has been going strong ev... | Yes I have many friends
Yes I have many friends that pick my brains on all kinds of baking, and I love it. qahtan |
Dave's Killer Bread in The Oregonian
There is a good profile of Naturebake in today's Oregonian. The story focuses particularly on the story of Dave's Killer Bread.
I didn't realize that when I was sampling it back at Summerloaf 2005 that that was the debut of Dave's Killer Bread. It is good stuff.
Oregonian story he... | Great to read that article.
Dave's Killer Bread is quite awesome. Two summers ago I was traveling up and down Oregon and when I found this bread in a co op in Corvallis, I decided that I needed to start making bread again (I was into bread making as a kid, but was very bad at it). I ate it all summer and when I got b... |
Help with Blow Outs
As I am new here I posted my first two loaves of sourdough under the pictures forum the other day. I am not sure where to post this question.My loaf tonight was a boule, my first. I made three pretty slashes, (at the time) and slid it off onto my baking stone. I had a huge blow-out in one of my slas... | let proof longer
The picture downloaded. Thanks. Looks like you should let it proof just a little bit longer before putting into the oven. Don't be afraid to slash a little deeper. Color looks good! I'd say a pretty darn good looking loaf. :)Mini O |
Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie
The Wall Street Journal had an article on the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie this morning. The follow-up article says that France won, Taiwan took second, and Italy won third. Neither Japan nor the US placed this year. | Floyd....I read the update and discovered
the winner. Oh, do I have to wait until tomorrow for you to post it? (lol) This is your thread, I will sit on my hands, quiet my speech, and await the announcement. |
Does this forum s/w have a utility for surveys?
While people are talking about chat s/w, I was wondering if it is possible to do surveys? On many forums people can initiate surveys on their own on different topics. For example, people on this forum... http://www.diehards.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=2&sid=264448b0770cc... | No, it does not. I could
No, it does not. I could enable surveys, polls, chat, all sorts of goofy stuff, but I don't really see how that would help us help each other bake. If anything, my feelings is adding advanced functionality like that for more formatting options would create more of a divide between the techni... |
Foil mini-loaf pans??
This weekend I plan on baking Leader's Little Blue Cheese Rye Loaves from Local Breads. The recipe calls for four mini-loaf pans, 2.5" x 5" x 2". I don't own any loaf pans and don't want to spend $$ on mini-pans I may never use again, so I purchased a set of five "Handi foil" mini-pans for $1.69... | A suggestion....
Sourdough/parchment & foil makeshift pan |
There is no flour, none whatsoever, at the supermarket
I have yeast, I have sourdough, but I will run out of flour in three bakings. I'm in Honolulu, Hawai'i. | Hidden Bob's Red Mill.
In my local store, Indianapolis, of a regional chain, there is a Bob's Red Mill section across the aisle from the main flour section. Most of the BRM stuff there was gluten free. But on the bottom shelf, I saw some regular (not organic) BRM 5 lb AP flour, that people had missed. Maybe because ... |
2008 James Beard Award Nominees
DMSnyder's post with his very cute granddaughter reminded me that the 2008 James Beard Award Nominees are out. Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads is up for the baking book award. I don't think I know any of the others. | Crust
For what it's worth, the photography nominations include Jean Cazals for his work on Richard Bertinet's 'Crust'.... |
how do I put a picture on a forum
how do I put a picture on a forum? | FAQs
It's always a helpful to check the FAQs on each new forum you join. You'll find your answer on the first line in TFL FAQs. |
This is crazy
I have worked it bakeries most of my life and thought i have seen it all.but this beats it all
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f52g_3SYPw4 | My jaw hit the computer desk
My jaw hit the computer desk watching that. I think I was hoping for a blooper!That is just FAR OUT! TGB |
Bread of the Jewish Mystical Tradition?
Hi everyone. I'd like to ask for help in getting some rather odd information. You see I go to this university called Humboldt State University and this semester I'm in this class called Jewish Mystical Tradition. Now we have a research assignment due at the end of the semester... | now i realy don't know how
now i realy don't know how this would fit but as a small boy a remember that when ever a a family would move into a new home a small bag would be the first thing placed into the home.it contained a penny - so the family would allways money, salt for the spice of life and some bread as they ... |
Flours and measurements
New here and to baking bread. I've been using all purpose unbleached flour are there any adjustments I should be making when a recipe calls for bread flour or all purpose flour? Aslo is there any conversion charts on this site, I've noticed some recipes are given in pounds instead of cups, how... | RE: Flours and Measurements
Hi Fladad, The main difference between AP and bread flour is gluten; bread flour has more. When making bread it's not a HUGE deal to substitute one for the other in a recipe. You may not get as nice a rise substituting AP for bread flour and the resulting loaf will not be as chewey. Some d... |
more true stories
It was a dark and stormy Night!!!No just messing with you. A little description is required before I continue This shop was big. At one time it was a movie house. The front was converted into a store and the back the kitchen. Connecting the two parts was a ramp that would go down from the kitchen to... | Ha ha ha ha ha..
what a great story!! fully visual description, you couldn't have scripted a better comedy skit!! I don't know which was was funnier, the earthquake or this one. If you have any more..I'm looking forward to them. Thank you for all the baking advice you've been contributing. Glad you are one of our regu... |
New Advanced Topics Forum
Based on feedback I've been getting, I've set up an Advanced Topics forum. Feel free to get as wonky and food geeky as you'd like in there. I will only intervene in the discussion if people are getting truly nasty or personal.
I've also created a couple of new front page blocks about half wa... | Great Idea
The Advanced Topics forum is a great idea. It will, as you said, keep the site focus on "boosting confidence". |
nbicomputers
I meant to post this before, but thank heavens you don't post your recipes in bakers percentages, also all that about hydration ect. Try as I may I just don't , and not for the want of trying but I just don't understand either. And I am sure I am not the only poster like that.... qahtan ;-))) ;-)) | every thing i willl post
every thing i wiill post will be in weghtif any body wants i will convert to volume (cups and spoons U.S.- i am not realy good with metric)Pro Baker for over 25 years-----Ret |
Acrylamide and Rosemary
Here's a quote to pique your interest and the article url: The addition of rosemary to dough prior to baking a portion of wheat buns at 225°C reduced the acrylamide content by up to 60 per cent. Even rosemary in small quantities in one per cent of the dough was enough to reduce the acrylamide co... | Acrylamide and Rosemary
Maybe a link to why ~ 75% of us will die by cancer if we don't get hit by a truck! |
10" x 5" tips?
Hello again All! I recently had some trouble with sourdough stripping the non-stick coating off my non-stick pans. I lined most of the surface area with parchment, but the ends were uncoverd. When they came out, they were silver and the pans (ends) were bare. While I would love to know why that happend... | 10 X 5
Here's my take on this. Your pan is only 11% bigger than a standard 9 X 5 pan usually used with a bread recipe calling for 3 to 4 cups of flour. If I were you, I might scale the recipe up a bit, depending how big the recipe is in the first place. If the recipe is already closer to 4 cups or so, I would not do ... |
Bread baking in bad oven
Hello there! I'm new to the forum, but not to bread baking. I've been baking bread for a few years now. I started with yeast doughs, but now I have a nice sourdough starter as well. Currently I have a low quality oven with a maximum temperature of 220 °C. However, for most artisanal loafs with ... | kind of oven?
Welcome to TFL.Could you please describe your oven: gas, electric, convection, top heating element, bottom heating element?What baking vessels or surfaces do you have: baking stone, pizza stone, dutch oven, covered casserole, covered roaster, etc?What is your current steaming method? |
Funny stories that happened to me
Many many years ago I was working in a bakery that was in business for what seemed like forever. The Mixers were build around 1950 and were huge. The one I was using was 140 quart mixer the largest stand type mixer made.It was three o’clock in the morning and I had just finished weigh... | Funny!
Funny! |
How obsessed with bread are you?
I bumped into an old friend recently, and ended up chatting to him for the rest of the afternoon. He invited to the pub to meet some more old friends - none of us had seen eachother for a long time. Lots more old friends were due to show up. It was a pretty awesome reunion, and I was ha... | And your point is?
You mean you went out and left your starter alone? Unwatched? No one to appreciate the bubbles slooooowly forming?
A shame, I say! ;-)
David |
just hi
Hi guys, just wanted to wish you all a good day...I'm in hospital right now so I don't have much access to neither computers nor a kitchen but I love to follow the discussions here when the computer is free.so, again, a great day to all of you, sanni | Hi sanni miti, hope
your visit to the hospital is a short one. Nothing like the smell of fresh baked bread. Hope you're back baking soon! I'll be rooting for you! Mini O |
I love this site!
I discovered this site today when I was looking for a place to buy a couche and have since fallen in love! I love baking, especially bread, and the tips and recipes here are wonderful. It's so great to be able to ask other bakers about what works for them and what needs to be tweaked to make a recipe ... | Welcome ARR918. Good luck
Welcome ARR918. Good luck with your cinabatta.HO |
A software request - notes on favorites
Floyd, would it be possible for us to add a note to the topics in our favorites list? Sometimes I want to save the recipe that's 30 entries into the topic, or notes on a particular process that is really an aside to the stated forum topic. It would really help to be able to jot... | Not possible right now
No, that isn't possible at the moment and wouldn't be with out a fairly significant software change. I agree that it would be very help though.
I expect sometime this spring or summer to be doing a fairly large software upgrade. I'll definitely keep this suggestion in mind then, because it is a... |
Another way that a drought is bad
I have a cob oven in my back yard and when I went to light a fire recently I noticed a missing brick near the back but upon further inspection I found that the floor had collapsed beneath the bricks. The drought of this past summer/autumn had caused a crack to open up near the back of ... | PP,
I've been interested in
PP,I've been interested in building a wood fired brick oven for years but for various reasons never did it. I did a lot of reseach though. Here's a site, if you haven't seen it, that has some guys who are "serious" brick oven builders.http://mha-net.org/docs/v8n2/wildac03b.htmI would be in... |
Appropriate bread for Ontario ci. 1972?
An odd request: I'm working on a production of Michael Healey's play, The Drawer Boy, which will be produced by our local professional theatre company. In the play, one of the characters (a man who was brain damaged by shrapnel in World War II) obsessively bakes bread. The play t... | I remember reading about how
I remember reading about how the field kitchens in the military whenever possible would bring fresh baked loaves to the troops in the trenches and how this was such a tremendous boost and looked forward to delight so....I'd find out which service this character was in and find out what the ... |
Software to convert and scale bread recipes
I'm currently working on several recipes that I need to convert to metric weights and scale up for larger production. Does anyone know of any software (perhaps shareware) that I can purchase to help with this?I've briefly looked at some of the commercial bakery software but ... | Use my spreadsheet
A while ago I published an article on this web site about my Dough Calculator Spreadsheet. It does most of what you need. The reverse spreadsheet allows you to start with a mix of volume and weight measurements and gives you baker's percentages. Once you have those, the main recipe worksheet has scal... |
history of bread in america
What forces have led to the near death and then rebirth of artisan bread in America? Increased industrialization? Supermarkets? (the in-store bakery) Consumer change of taste? And how has artisan bread risen to ever-higher popularity today? Does it have to do with the organic/whole foods mov... | Interesting Questions , Breadslinger
BreadslingerI vote for Supermarkets. Without sounding like a smart alec, if the supermarket bread in the "bakery" depts. of supermarkets around the country is as bad as the bread in the supermarket "bakery" dept. where I shop, then that definitely accounts for some of the migration... |
Jealousy spurs attempt at another get-together
Well, I'm jealous. Of the people in San Diego and other places that have enough people to have a get-together.I live in a relatively rural (so far) part of California, but I wonder if there are others not far. I'm on the Central Coast. Is there anyone else in this vicin... | Country Californian in Monterey
Kareninya, I grew up in CA and graduated from high school with 35 in my class. Our nearest neighbors were about a mile away and I knew people even more rural than that. It happens, just in the north part of the state (the half that people forget exists, between SF and Oregon). Rosali... |
Fresh Loaf Flour Blend
I wanted to say…. Thank you! I ordered and used your flour blend for my last two loaves. The blend was wonderful to work with. Very fresh as it was very easy to work with and made beautiful, tasty bread. My only regret is that I have ordered a grain mill and will be utilizing wheat berries moving... | Those are great looking
Those are great looking loaves!There is no relationship between the flour blend and this site. I honestly didn't know there was such a blend, but perhaps does explain why once or twice a year I get an email like "Dear Sir, I would like to purchase 2 tons of your flour. Can you please tell us how... |
Is this flour safe to use?
I bought a 25-lb. bag of all-purpose flour. I didn't realize until I got it home that it had a small box cut in it, that went through the bag, so the bag had a slight opening in it. Is it safe to use, or should I just purchase more flour? | No one here can guarantee it
No one here can guarantee it is safe but I can tell you that, without a doubt, unless I spotted mouse dropped or some other obvious sign of contamination, I would just use it. |
Yeast's life extended 10-fold in lab
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-yeast19jan19,1,2650493.story?coll=la-headlines-nation"USC researchers have extended the life span of baker's yeast 10-fold through a combination of genetic manipulation and caloric restriction, marking the greatest increase in pr... | Strong Opinions on the Role of Gene Research & its Repercussions
Genetic manipulation has always intrigued and scared me. It's always interesting to find out how genes help regulate functioning in organisms, but it almost always leads to researchers trying to figure out how to create a drug / technique to manipulate h... |
Auburn Rye Bread - Cleveland in the '50's
Can anywone help me find a recipe for "Auburn Rye Bread?" Explainaton: Growing up in Cleveland my Mom whould come home from Eastern Market, and...a special stop at the Auburn Bakery for their signature rye. Before the groceries were unloaded us 5 kids ate the bread. It was a... | Auburn Rye Bread
Mikerail,Where is the rye flour for this rye bread? |
Photos on comments
Floyd - Love the new feature showing everyone's photo! It's fun to see the pictures since we all have a tendency to form a picture in our minds of what people look like. This bog just gets better and better. Thanks for all your hard work!Trish in Omaha | Glad to hear you like it.
Glad to hear you like it. |
Amaranth seed for Challah bread.
If I cant get hold of amaranth seed, what could i substitute? its part of the ingredients for the Challah bread. Duram wheat flour seems to be difficult to find also, so im going to increase the amount of semolina flour for the recipe. would this be ok?CheersDave W | Amaranth seed! I make
Amaranth seed! I make challah every week from a very simple, standard recipe, and I've never used amaranth seed. I'm not quite sure I know what amaranth seed is, or how your recipe wants you to use it. I sprinkle sesame seeds on top of the egg wash just before baking. And durum wheat flour and sem... |
Recipes and Copyrights
I have been wondering about the copyright status of recipes that we find in books and post here. I found an article on Slate:http://www.slate.com/id/2181684/with the following quote in it: "Copyright protection is weak when it comes to recipes. The U.S. Copyright Office states, "Mere listings of... | This is a REALLY vague area
This is a REALLY vague area in the law. I did a poll and had a guest lawyer do a post on this: http://tablebread.blogspot.com/2007/10/copyright-patent-buns-of-steal.html |
Where did I go wrong?
My first foray into artisan bread baking was a miserable failure! I tried to make pain de campagne (BBA, p. 195). I thought I was slavishly following the instructions in every detail, but the result was two dense, stunted, sad little boules with a small crumb, except for a flat hole near the top ... | O.k. AbbyL
Your post has me wondering a bunch of things.To start, what kind of flour were you using? Was it a AP flour or a higher protein bread flour.How was your pate fermentee? Did it grow like it should when you made it, to the 1 1/2 times its starting size? If it did, then the next thing I wonder is, after you m... |
Moving bread
What is the best way to move bread thats proving on a flour dusted proving cloth/Couche, and then to put them onto a dusted peel/tray ready for the oven. With some breads that are delicate, longer rolls containing other heavy additions, olives, peppers etc are always very fragile. any ideas other than be c... | moving bread
Hi David, have you thought of using parchment paper under the dough? I think it was TattoodTonka who showed how to place the loaves on parchment and then use rolled kitchen towels to form the couche. Then it is easy to lift paper and dough onto the baking stone. You can pull the paper out when you rotate t... |
A Greenbaker Apology
Hi everyone. This is a main forum apology for a BIG misunderstanding. I have seen forums spin absurdly out of control over the most childish things. Here at The Fresh Loaf I think all of us have found a haven/outlet for our desire to bake artisinal style bread and other general bread products. ... | lol. As I have said (and
lol. As I have said (and thanks for the link as I didnt see this post) it was all a gigantic misunderstanding.Also, asI said in my reply to to you, the net has no frame of reference, no tone of voice and conversations/discussions are often stilted over a day or more and can so easily be misco... |
Season's Eatings
Season's EatingsA poem by my sister, Ann First: Off work for thirty days I started on a baking craze; And day-old pastries at my house were planted by my thoughtful spouse. "Oh, I'll stop eating like a slob the minute that I get a job!" But first: Thanksgiving! Devil day! It's pumpkin pie, what can ... | lol. so hilarious! I love
lol. so hilarious! I love it! |
I need immediate HELP
I hope someone online right now can give me immediate help! I'm in the middle of a crazy bake it all day. This isn't a bread recipe but I see that all you bakers bake everything! I'm making a fruitcake recipe and it called for 1 can of frozen orange juice, thawed. What I didn't notice was the ... | Add a bunch more fruit?
Add a bunch more fruit? Spoon out some of the liquids? Add some flour to thicken it up?
It should be salvageable, but I don't know enough about fruitcakes to give you exact steps.
Good luck! |
Doughnut disaster - please help!
Hi Everyone, I'm desperately in need of some help with my doughnut dough. I'm using a brioche type dough to make these doughnuts, and it was working fine previously, but the last few times the dough is just not frying right. It's almost like it is melting in the oil, please see pictures... | Something has changed. What?
Different flour? Different ambient temps (such as warmer driving faster fermentation)? Different ingredient temps? Something else?Think about what things were like when the results were good. Now think about what is different. Look at everything. Materials, equipment, process, peopl... |
Smaller loaves
Hi all: TGIF! I have a question for the great bakers here. We have just two in our house and our bread gets hard and stale before we can use it. I don’t want to slice and freeze a full size loaf. I’d like to have a small loaf we could use in a day or two…say ¾ pound. If I make a standard recipe and mak... | I often make small loaves
Hi Trish,I'm sorry about all the pain and heartache in Omaha right now. Makes no sense at all.I often make favorite breads and bake them in small loaf pans. I have the kind that are four small pans connected along the short sides with a flat metal piece. I use the same fermentation and proo... |
Convert Volume to Bakers percent - Simple .XLS tool I made.
While reverse engineering recipes, I threw together this quick little tool. Feel free to do what ever you wish with it. Share it, post it, claim credit, I don't care... ;-) I think it's pretty self explanitory. http://mikeytech.com/VolumeToBakersPercent.xls | Dough Calculator spreadsheet
The Dough Calculator spreadsheet does all this for you, and more. More importantly, you do not need to know the unit weights per cup, as the calculator already knows them.--dolfSee my My Bread Adventures in pictures |
The gratitude season
Being that the season for counting of blessings is upon us, I have been thinking a lot about how much I appreciate this site and the enduring influence it has had on me. This online clubhouse gifted to us by our great friend Floyd has been a treasure chest full of inspiration, education, encouragem... | That is very kind, Cooky.
That is very kind, Cooky. Thank you.
"The kindness of the TFL community" was definitely on my Thanksgiving list. We have a great group of people here. |
Site upgrade this evening
I did a large site upgrade this evening, updating Drupal and a zillion of the modules. As far as I can tell, everything went smoothly. Please let me know if you experience any trouble.
I hope to be doing a number of site improvements and upgrades in the next few weeks, so stay tuned. | Edit post function removed?
Floyd,I am no longer seeing an Edit My Post link at the bottom of my posts (which I noticed after I found a typo in one of my posts). Has this been moved or removed?sPh |
Waiting to cut it
I've been cutting into my bread as soon as it comes out of the oven. Hot! with butter! Yum!However, I recently read that it was wrong to cut the bread so early. It should be left to cool, as the residual heat inside the loaf finishes cooking the bread. If you cut the bread, you let out the heat. I've... | Hot bread
Yes, I know I should let it cool down a bit first, but sometimes I just can't wait. Perhaps the solution is to bake enough so that you can dig into one but still let the others cool off.When you cook roasts in the oven - regular or microwave - you're supposed to let them "set up" for a bit before slicing. T... |
Site upgrade this evening
I did a large site upgrade this evening, updating Drupal and a zillion of the modules. As far as I can tell, everything went smoothly. Please let me know if you experience any trouble.
I hope to be doing a number of site improvements and upgrades in the next few weeks, so stay tuned. | Thanks Floyd
This is a great site! Thanks for all your hard work. There are many of us out on the web who use the information we gather from this site to enhance our hobby or as my wife calls it, "my obsession" of making great bread.I have not had any problems using or viewing this site.Drifty BakerGo biking while it... |
Good Stories - non baking books
Here are a few books I'd like to recommend. I'd love to see some of your favorites - or just anything that's a good read. Browndog and weavershouse, you started this idea, but I hope others can name a few also.any of Anne McCaffrey's booksThe Man Who Used the Universe by Alan Dean Fos... | excellent books
Ender's GameOrson Scott Card _______________________________________________________ Two wrongs don't make a right. Three lefts make a right |
How do you store your bread?
If I finish baking just before I go to bed, I have to store the bread safely BUT I can't put it in a plastic bag because it will get soggy. One evening I had an inspiration: I stored the loaf in my rice cooker. The lid isn't airtight, but it's tight enough to keep those devilish cockroaches... | Tropical Storage of Bread
Try a large plastic cake carrier on the counter top. A bowl of rice, changed often, might also help inside the container but I find I end up freezing sliced bread and rewarming it in the toaster (that also was kept inside a clean sealed bag). Mini OLink: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/2... |
Viewing Photos
Mini Oven has been putting up photos in a png format but they do not show up with my browser. Png is a standard graphic format and should be able to be viewed with my browser. Is there a setting that needs to be changed in order to view the photos? I am using IE6 on MS XP Professional. | Re: Viewing photos (PNG in IE)
Here is some information from Microsoft on PNG rendering in Internet Explorer: Link.The links within that post are useful for testing PNG rendering in your browser.sPh |
Mariana, your blog has disappeared!
I was perusing your blog these last few days to prepare for baking Challah and Challah dough based fancy rolls. Today I noticed that it has disappeared. Looks like you were on a trial account. Are you going to subscribe so we can peruse the blog? --dolf | dolf, re: blog
Hi, Dolf, it hasn't disappeared. I deleted it, because there is no longer a need to have it. I have wrapped up my studies of sourdough baking, wrote a final essay about it for my records and I am DONE! : ) If you need some info from that blog, I will restore it for you, please copy. OK? Can't wait to hea... |
Lockdown neighbourly baking - great therapy for me
I find baking bread is great therapy for me, and in lockdown wanted to bake every day! This would be way more than two people could eat. So I put an offer to the neighbourhood:"You bring the bread flour, and I'll turn it into bread"Since we have our Aga range cooker o... | Pictures
Take some pictures of your neighbourly bread and post them in your blog space for us all to see! |
sam's club bread flour?
hi, sam club sells a 25 pd bag of bread flour. is that stuff suitabe for making decent breads and pizza? thanks | I don't know about Sam's Club...
I don't know about Sam's Club, but I bought a 25 lb bag of bread flour from Costco. No problems so far; the breads still turn out well. I bought a 5 gallon paint bucket with a lid (hardware stores everywhere sell them) to store it in (25 lbs fit in there perfectly) and it keeps the beas... |
bees and bread
I've noticed that there has been a number of posts about bee keeping and honey. Its seems to me that bread making and beekeeping somehow goes together. I'm a hobby beekeeper, just 2 hives this year, and I'd love to have any bread recipes with honey or info on the status of other folks hives are doing. ... | Well, I dunno if it does
Well, I dunno if it does violate the purpose of the forum, but I would say no, because it is an ingredient! If we discuss the source of our flours, then the source of our honey SEEMS like it would be appropriate as well :-). However, I might be ENTIRELY incorrect.I get my honey from my "honey... |
OT: Hot, Hot, Hot
Earlier this afternoon, the thermometer outside our home read 112 degrees.Colin - in Montebllo, CA | yes,
It gets warmer in the summer _______________________________________________________ Two wrongs don't make a right. Three lefts make a right |
Any interest in a meeting of Chicagoland bakers?
I would like to know if there is any interest in a meeting of the Chicagoland / northern Illinois bakers? Simply a casual social gathering to meet others in the area, share formulas / ideas / etc. and maybe even get a few loaves into an oven. My church, which is locate... | Old home week?
Steve, that sounds like so much fun. I don't live in Chicago any more, but it's still my hometown, and a baking meet-up would be a great excuse for a trip home.If you get enough residents to vote yay, I'll be there too (schedule permitting, blah blah). I am not a cook. But I am sorta cooky." |
oven dried/roasted tomatoes
Sorry if this is a little OT, but I'm running the bread oven today and was thinking of using trying to roast/dry some tomatoes at the end of the oven heat. I've never done this before--any good recipes that people have tried? The oven seems to hold 200-250 degrees most of the night after ba... | Tomatoes
Hi!!!I made some sun-dried (actually dehydrator-dried) tomatoes last season which were wonderful. Here is the recipe (from some web-site, I don't remember) for sun/dehydrator/oven dried tomatoes:EnjoySrishtiNote that there is a lot of shrinkage in this process. Someone recentlyposted that it takes 15-20 pound... |
Grain Beetles
I've found some critters (not the cats) crawling around in some of my grains. Internet research convinces me that they are Sawthoothed Grain Beetles, Oryzaephilus surinamensis. The infestations are small and confined to the plastic canisters holding the grains. I've found them in some of my bulk soft w... | B eetles
Get yourself some bay leaves and scatter them around and inside your grain bags... qahtan |
Do you have a favorite bread or food related...
Quote?? I was sitting here playing fetch with my cat, One Spot, and I started to think about quotes.... Wierd? Perhaps. But he does fetch quite well and even meows if I'm not tossing the toy to his timetable, heheh. Oh, you mean it's weird to be thinking about quotes whil... | Here's one for bread that's
Here's one for bread that's not rising as fast as expected..."Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.-Italian Proverb(couldn't think of anything else!) |
Imported Food
It does not seem too long ago that MiniOven was in China and we were all discussing the gluten problem arising from imports from China. And yet that problem was not an isolated one, as we have learned in the months since then.For the last two days, there has been a broadcast on cable tv's c-span of a bi-... | This is part of what got me
This is part of what got me involved in making my own bread, crackers and the like. I was frustrated and upset when the gluten scandal came out, having to call all over the country to see if I needed to throw out the bread that I had made! This was made worse by knowing that my cat had sev... |
sourdough for the sole
That's right SOLE, yes ladies and gentlemen, beat the heat (if you have it) by making yourself a wonderful starter soak for your feet to cool your soles and send your soul into sourdough heaven. Who knows? Might even be a new cure for something, knowing the "power of the beasties." Think about... | If I'm at home...
I'm ALWAYS barefooted - in fact The Husband and I are getting ready to work on some bagels for breakfast (Floyd's overnight method, thank you Floyd!) and we're both sans shoes!Trish |
Anyone baking in Italy?
Hi,My husband and I are planning a three week trip to Italy (Emilia-Romagna and north) next fall and I'd appreciate hearing from you. Thanks.Sylvia | Trip to Italy
If I were going to Italy I would reread the first part of Peter Reinhart's book American Pie. It is about his travels in Italy and America and different forms of pizza. Not quite on point to what you are asking, but related.Colin |
enzyme-free releasing agent
Good Afternoon,I would like to ask if anyone could recommend enzyme-free releasing agent, for spraying the Bannatons, before using.Best wishes Michele | Rice flour
It’s like Teflon, cheap, and no messy spray to gum up your banneton. Paul |
Harry Potter
I believe that one of the hardest things to do in bread baking is to wait long enough at the right times in the process. It is so easy to rush the process and yet so crucial to be able to wait at the right times.That being the case I would like to suggest Harry Potter as a good solution. I have read all ... | Ok, CountryBoy,
I withdraw the question. Amazing phenomenon, is Harry Potter. Here he's been overshadowed a little by the Simpson movie premiere. I hope that business hasn't got all of Oregon permanently steamed at us. |
Ratatouille - The Movie
Hi all - Just got back from seeing Ratatouille. It is truly an amazing movie - one that we are sure to buy when it comes out on DVD. The french bread in the movie has amazing crumb! Highly recommended! Go see....Trish | I was hoping that would be a
I was hoping that would be a good movie - will make a point to see it now. |
Alternative to the windowpane test
Just came across this suggestion for checking on whether your coarse wholegrain dough is properly kneaded, in cases when the traditional windowpane test won't work. "Use your thumb and forefinger to pull up a piece of the dough about an inch above the dough surface. If the dou... | That seems a bit counter-intuitive?
I thought dough was supposed to be kneaded to such elasticity that it would spring BACk when pulled away a bit (this is from Hamelman's book I think, which unfortunately I don't have with me at the moment).If it stands at a ridge, doesn't that indicate the dough is not elastic enough... |
Stretched/Pulled Chinese Noodles
I know that this is not baking but there are essential gluten formation similarities that i want to know more about. Has anyone tried to make Chinese noodles by the stretch or pull method?The dough is 2 cups flour and one cup of water ... mix thoroughly and let sit for 60 minutes.The k... | Geeze
I should have done a search on the site before I posted, not after. And it was such a recent post too. Sorry. Paul KobulnickyBaking in Ohio |
So you think you want to open a bakery...
An interesting video that shows how much work goes on in the back of the bakery. These guys are working hard and fast. About 3:30 into the video, there is a time lapse of various starters rising and collapsing over several hours.I'm waiting for some bread to cool enough to cu... | Phew...
I got tired just watching..I don't think I could do that day after day, he really gets a workout. I'll just stick to a couple of loaves. Great video, thanks for sharing. |
What do you do?
Okay so I made a loaf of bread last night, it was done baking at 9:30. When I started to get ready to go to bed at 10:00 the bread was still warm. I did not want to put it into a plastic bag, so I left it on the pizza stone and put some plastic wrap on it. Now what do you do when your bread is still ... | Handling warm bread
=== Now what do you do when your bread is still warm and you want to go to bed? I know it is a silly question. ===There is no crying in football, and no silly questions on The Fresh Loaf!In that situation I wrap the bread in one of my extra-large dishcloths (which were a gift intended for proofing ... |
Bread and sweetness
Hi all -One of the reasons I started (actually, restarted) baking my own bread is that I was so unhappy with the overwhelming molasses/sweet flavors of the whole grain breads commercially available to me. Before coming to this site and doing some reading, I thought that molasses was a "secret" ingre... | Too much of a good thing
A lot (though not all) of conmercial breads (and other products, for that matter) are full of sugar, and it's easy to get so acclimated to it that 'real' flavors seems wrong. Pumping up a formula with a lot of sugar and salt is an inexpensive way to create flavor for mass production. As opposed... |
Salt in bread
I bake most of my bread from the "Bread Alone" book, with a couple here and there from Laurel's Kitchen. Typically the Bread Alone recipes call for a tablespoon of salt for two loaves. Has anyone tried using less salt and still get good results? I have never had anyone complain about the breads being t... | Re: Salt in bread
Hi and welcome!Typically salt will be about 2% by weight of the total flour in the dough. Salt is not for flavor only. It controls the rate of fermentation (more salt -> slower fermentation), the dough characteristics (makes the dough more elastic and less sticky), and affects the shelf life of the b... |
Master Class with Jeffrey Hamelman
Jeffrey Hamelman will be giving a master class on brioche at King Arthur Flour on July 7th. It is a Bread Bakers Guild of America Event but is open to non-guild members. Details are available on their website: http://www.bbga.org/calendar.htmlSusanfnp | I am reading his book now -
I am reading his book now - so far it's pretty good, with the interspersed story or philosophy on a topic. It could use a few more pictures but I like pictures.I hope to attend one of his classes later in the year. I am sure they are excellent..is there any feedback on his classes? SD Bak... |
Pictures Needed
In an effort to update my curriculum for my students I am in need of some pictures of bread. What I am looking for are traditional/artisinal bread pictures that show a standard look for bread. If I want to look at a Miche, baguette, pain de mei, etc it will show the traditional shape and score marks. I... | Do you bake bread yourself?
Taking a little time to look over this site results in viewing lots of wonderful pictures. Excuse me for appearing rude but I have to wonder what you are willing to do in exchange for the effort, time and talent, these wonderful people have put into their pictures? --Mini Oven |
Wanting to pay someone $100 to bake some bread and video it
Hey guys,Looking to pay someone who is competent at bread-baking (think I'm in the right place!) to bake some sourdough bread and video how to do it, and take some snapshots at each stage.You don't have to be in the video, and just shoot it on your phone, no b... | Save your money, there are
Save your money, there are enough amazing guides and recipes online, some of them here:Joshua Weissman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJpIzr2sCDESourdough Masterclass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FVfJTGpXnUBon Appetit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oidnwPIeqsIThe Perfect Loaf: https:... |
Need help finding a thread
I would appreciate any help finding a thread that had a dictionary of terms, that are used in baking. I have a pretty good idea what people are talking about but would like to check it against a reliable source. PS also if you can save a tread to a favorites place.Thanks, Graz | This glossary is listed
This glossary is listed under the FAQ tab at the top. Is it the one you meant? If there's also a thread somewhere, I'd like to see it also.Hmmn, I can't get the link function so work, so here's the web address.http://www.thefreshloaf.com/faqs/glossary |
Times review of "Good Bread is Back"
Folks here might be interested in this articlehttp://tls.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,25351-2645701,00.html which is a review of a book on the history of French bread. Lots of info re commercial use of sourdough. | What is “Fermento-levain” ?
Very interesting. I didn't realize that French bread had been sourdough, and I was aghast that the French would eat nearly a kilogram a day of white bread.At the end is a mention of “Fermento-levain” . Does anyone have any more information on this? (All of Google's references seem to be i... |
Bread and dieting
I'm back on the Weightwatcher's Core Plan, which allows me to eat all I want of a list of healthy foods -- lean meats, eggs, vegetables and fruits, and whole grains. Bread isn't on the list. Dang. However, I'm wondering how it is that I can eat all the couscous or kasha or rolled oats I want, but no b... | Weight loss w/o dieting
Okay, at the risk of not being believed, I have noted over the past few months that I have been losing belly fat. A couple of weeks ago I had an insurance physical and the guy weighed me out at least 5 lbs lighter than usual. The only thing I have changed in my diet is that instead of eating sna... |
A most excellent bread quote!
I love this quote, which I found on the Foppish Baker blog (foppish-baker.blogspot.com, I think). The universal motto of bread lovers everywhere: “If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens.” --Robert Browning | Another quote ...
"There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread." Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) |
Kneading Question
I've just been watching some online videos of kneading by hand and I think I may have been doing it incorrectly all this time. I've got the basic premise down but in all the videos the baker seems to be going much faster than I ever do. I do a VERY SLOW push away, fold over, 1/4 turn method. In the... | Hi, Jen,
as long as your dough ends up rising and baking well, you aren't likely to be doing anything wrong. There's no reason to knead meditatively unless you want to, and you don't have to worry the dough on fast-forward either. I think people who handle dough a lot just get faster because they do it so much...remem... |
Jmonkey and TT----this is going to be good! and FUNNY
I don't want to intrude in jmonkeys blog working with TT on the sourdough project so I just started a new forum. I burst out laughing when I came to The Fresh Loaf just now and saw TT's photo of his two empty mason jars standing at attention ready to roll. What a ho... | weavershouse
Laughter is always best.........I have no doubt I will learn....but it will be fun.Glad to see you find interest, Im still trying to come up with a couple clever names for my two. The one I already have that I am trying to breath life into I shall call him squishy, and he shall be mine, and he shall be my... |
Spam!
Gosh, can we do nothing to stop the "People" spam? This is so annoying!(Look at me, a new member, already demanding things. New people, sheesh.) =)Katie in SC | Katie
Katie, I think Floyd is traveling, so we may have to put up with this until he gets back with us, unless someone else has administrator privileges. Susan |
Tech question for Floyd
Hey Floyd,What do the white vs. red/orange highlights mean in the lefthand columns? For example, the list of online users shows some names in white, some in red/orange. No rush.Sue | Sue, I'm pretty sure the
Sue, I'm pretty sure the orange links have been opened/read by you whereas the white links haven't been. |
Swiss bread and flour
A friend is visiting from Switzerland and she was making Zopf for our family. We successfully made the metric conversions (I double-checked!), but the dough was the consistency of clay. The only difference we could come to was the flour. Is anyone aware of the difference between Swiss white flo... | Swiss Flour
Terri:
You would need to ask your Swiss friend what number type of flour she uses in Switzerland.
The numbers, which are a Swiss typing system widely used in Europe, but not in France or England) are related to how much husk of the grain remains in the flour after milling, so the smaller the number the li... |
How about Toasters?
We are bombarded on all sides with advertising for all kinds of kitchen gadgets and gear, but the toaster seems to have fallen by the wayside in more ways than one. Most toasters that we've had in the past 10 years have been, well, how to put this nicely...not very satisfying. In fact they've been... | Re: Toasters
I can strongly recommend the Dualit 4-slice (I assume the 2-slice is similar) sold by King Arthur and others. It is built like a tank, has a strong mechanical lever and a spring that easily throws sandwich bread across the counter [ and onto the floor ;-( ], and not only do we always pull it out from und... |
banneton problem
I recently made a wholemeal spelt/rye/wheat mix at 65% hydration which seemed to go well including shaping and I put four loaves into 4 small bannetons which I prepared using coarse semolina rather than flour. They proved ok but when I had turned them out onto hot baking sheets to slash them I found t... | was it 100% whole meal?
If so, 65% hydration was too low, and it dried out too much. |
Using pictures
I'm writing an article about bread, believe it or not. I am wondering what I need to do to use some of the pictures posted on this site. Thanks. Steph | If you are wanting to use
If you are wanting to use pictures from specific posts I imagine you could ask the posters. |
What lens do you use for bread pictures?
Question: what lens are picture-posters here using to take their bread photos? I have been using our Canon A530 point-and-shoot digital, but I can't seem to get the right perspective on the bread. The A530 claims to have a "5.8 - 23.2mm" zoom lens, but I believe that the 35mm ... | Canon Power Shot A-80
I get better photos if I use the macro setting with Auto mode. No other changes. I zoom in or out as necessary. Sue |
Travelling with a starter
I'm now on the other side of the world (for me at least) visiting family and I was so happy to bring some of my starter that lately seems to be more active than before... so I dried some and I also made a small amount of very stiff starter to take in my suitcase - so far sounds good - but... n... | Yikes
That is certainly not a good thought. Wow, I hope you get your luggage soon. I have to travel tomorrow and I'm dreading it. I am so worried about this very thing and although I'm not taking my starter (:o) I am not packing certain things I would love to take just in case they'd be lost. I hope at least you pu... |
Floyd- How do I
At the risk of sounding like a complete fool. Here I go. I went to my "My Account", then to "My Subscriptions", then to "Blogs", and I get this-- "You are not currently subscribed to any active blogs"Well, how do I subscribe to some peoples blogs?Or is this not what it is for?I know it may sound kinda ... | blog subscribing
Something got lost in one of the upgrades. I got it back in, so now you'll see a "Subscribe blog" link on the bottom of someone's blog entry. There is also a "<" link that goes nowhere... I'm having a hard time figuring out where that is coming from.
Note that subscribing to someone's blog means you'... |
Floyd-search question
Last night I was trying to find the NK SD bread that jmonkey posted and for the life if me I couldn't locate it. That got me thinking that if you made a suggestion and framework for all posting a recipe to include key words it would be a big improvement in the results. Maybe you could include a k... | Forgive me for breaking in...
Sorry, Eric, et al., for not linking you. I must learn how to do that. It is on the No Knead Bread thread. Perhaps someone can bail me out here. Susan |
How to prevent a tough skin on rising dough
Hello all, thought I would see how all of you prevent that tough skin from forming on the final rise. I like the cooking oil spray and plastic wrap over the dough for the initial rise. For the final rise, I've seen recipes for a dry towl, damp towel, place in larger bowl wi... | Covering dough
My loaves always rise covered first with plastic and then a dry towel laid over that. I used to use just a damp towel but the plastic works great. (I don't know if it would work with a high hydration dough- I don't go there.) I use the towel to seal it. For the first rise I slip the whole bowl in a plast... |
uploding photos
HI there, I am still having difficulty with uploading phtos. I manage to upload one in 10, no idea why the rest are not able to be uploaded.My signature line is still the first line in the body box and I have to erase it continually....anyone else experiencing this? | Delete your signature from
Delete your signature from your profile and it won't be a problem.
I'm not sure what to tell you about photo uploading. If it works once, it should work again if you follow the same steps to a T. |
Videos
I found a link to some neat instructional type videos on a number of shaping techniques so I did a search to see if it was already linked somewhere on this site but I didn't find any quickly so here it is:http://www.fornobravo.com/video/hearth_bread.html demegradhttp://www.demegrad.blogspot.com/ | The blog link is showing
The blog link is showing "page not found". I remember seeing those videos from fornobravo awhile back. It's a very good site. Thanks for the reminder. |
Cooling source for desem in summer
Hi, I'd be happy with a cheap way to keep the desem at 55 to 65 degrees. I'd be using one of those 5 day cooler things but would like a way to keep that temp range with a thermostat. I could assemble the components myself.
Ron | cool place for desem
Ron, do you have a basement? Do you live in a warm area of the country (for this time of year) or cool?I keep my starter in a crock buried in w.w. flour. Then when I mix up the bread dough, I keep it up here on the main floor during the winter, but when it starts getting hot out I let it rise in th... |
Adobe Bake Ovens
I am trying to get my act together and build an oven by dry stacking cement block up to waist height, fill the block perimeter with dirt, cap it with flat rock and then cover a damp sand model of my interior oven size with a first layer of good clay perhaps fire brick quality clay and then an insulatin... | How's this oven...
I googled: alte brot ofen bau ...and came out with this:<cite> www.altea-info.com/leserservice-5.php?ID_leserservice=1093I was looking for a TV program that had shown how to build a wood burning oven for about ten 2 kg loaves. Still looking....Then I found this: <cite> http://traditionaloven.c... |
Dutch Oven Newbie
Hello! I've been baking bread for a little over a year in my oven and I thought it would be time to upgrade and begin using a dutch oven!I'm looking for recommendations for a cast-iron DO that is not enameled...I've noticed some boast a "venting lid" which we don't want...Secondly, I'm not sure what s... | I don’t use one but this one
I don’t use one but this one looks good to me. https://challengerbreadware.com/product/challenger-bread-pan/ref/ua81/?campaign=Recommendedgearpage |
Calvel on French Chef DVD
This weekend I'm watching French Chef 2 DVDs from the library--what fun! Tonight I watched the "French bread episode" where Julia visits Raymond Calvel to get a demo on shaping and slashing baguettes. It's amazing how fast he shapes the dough. AND, he uses the lame "handle" with no razor bl... | Julia
Don't you just love Julia Child? I'll have to see if my library has those DVDs, it would be a hoot as you say to watch her old shows. My father-in-law (a French chef) knew her and he said all the great French chefs he knew had the highest admiration for her (a real compliment in a field dominated by men, esp. Fre... |
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