instruction stringlengths 2 23k | output stringlengths 3 23.1k ⌀ |
|---|---|
Plastic Bannetons?
San Francisco Baking Institute (SFBI.com) is offering a well-priced plastic "banneton". The description includes some cautions about high-hydration dough sticking.Has anyone had direct experience with these containers? What are your thoughts?GregS | I've never used those exact
I've never used those exact ones, but I have a plastic one with the same kind of construction. I use it with removable a cotton liner , and it works very well. Properly floured high-hydration doughs may stick a little bit to the liner, but not to the basket. If this happens, you can peel the... |
Kneading questions
From what I've read I seem to have a problem with kneading.All dough I've kneaded so far tears as I stretch it. I read that this could mean it wants more kneading even though I've been at it for 10 to 15 minutes. I once kneaded for 30 minutes but it still tore.I also read about the windowpane test bu... | hydration?
What is the hydration level of the recipes (ratio of water to flour)?Wetter dough is much easier to stretch without tearing also seams will definately stick if the dough is wetter..Are you adding a lot of flour while kneading? This is a common beginner mistake. Try a bench scraper to lift and fold the dough ... |
Oven temperature heat loss
Let's say that I pre heat the oven to, say, 240c before putting in the dough.I then open the oven and lose about 20 - 30 degrees so the dough's going in at a far lower temperature than recommended.Would it be advisable to pre heat to 260c to compensate for the heat loss? | I think you're right. I
I think you're right. I always preheat my oven to the highest temperature(about 270C). |
A fun time-lapse video I made
A fun time-lapse video I made of my English Muffin dough rising and over proofing over a 4 hour period.Click the link below to view.
It's Alive
Video of It's Alive
Time-lapse Video | ha, that's great! isn't it
ha, that's great! isn't it amazing how active a dough/starter can be! and I'll bet the muffins turn out fantastic. good stuff! |
You made it!
tumblr_inline_mkhm0zOBK41qz4rgp.gif
If you are seeing this, you've made it the new TFL server. Hooray!Feel free to leave a comment on here to test out the new system. It doesn't have to be about bread!-Floyd | Yay! So hopefully folks will
Yay! So hopefully folks will be seeing the new content soon.There's still a few small usability quirks that will hopefully get improved over the next few days, but Floyd's busy getting the basic functionality switched over tonight. |
Awesome Garbanzo Sandwich?
I was on here last year and came across a post that posted a link for a highly recommended, incredible garbanzo/chickpea sandwich filling, and I thought I printed or bookmarked it, but I cannot find it anywhere. It was in a post of sourdough starters, but there are sooooo many it's like looki... | Link within the post?
I want to say it was in a scientific post about starters, with ongoing discussion between a woman who is a scientist and did some cool studies and a guy who was really trying to learn and offering his successes and challenges for suggestions. I just cannot remember it. I think there was a link in ... |
A damn good knead
After reading a lot about baking bread it can start to sound more like science than baking:The overwhelming amount of equipment used: cloches, stone baking sheets, banetons, lames, couches, pump sprays, peels, scrapers etc;The numerous varieties of flours & yeasts, starter recipes, and kneading techni... | A suggestion
Shorten your learning process by working your way through a text book. Think of it as having your own professional bread baker at home with you. Read it through from beginning to end. Pretty much all will be revealed therein. While everything you'll ever want to know about bread baking is available on ... |
The affair is over...
Having attempted and failed 8 times to make a decent sourdough loaf I think that the affair is over.I tried various recipes with 3 different starters and each time the result is disapointing - flat loaves, bricks, prove failures etc.The time spent, the odd schedules, the conflicting instructions, ... | This bread baking thing can
This bread baking thing can be frustrating at times. It can be rewarding too. Just take a break, bake some things that you like to bake and make friends, family well fed and happy. Then sometime in the future, try again. Good luck. |
Bagel Question
Thanks in advance...does the amount of time spent in the boiling malt water effect the crust? My refrigerated bagels float immediately so I am unsure as to how long they stay in the bath before removal. | Forty five seconds, per
Forty five seconds, per Master Baker Jeffrey Hamelman. That will give you the lovely thin crust that crunches when you bite into it. |
Measuring Oven Steam?
Does anyone out there have a method of measuring oven steam? I have been trying to think of a way to test some of the many oven steaming methods on TFL without all the time and variability involved in baking real loaves of bread each time. Here is what I came up with: I wanted some sort of artific... | I have had a similar thought
I have had a similar thought that it would be great to measure steam, but had no idea how. Not sure I understood your test. Were you heating bread that had already been baked? If so, I am not sure that would be an accurate measurement of the moisture in a dutch oven, since the moisture ... |
Another nice touch, Floyd
Hi Floyd - I like the new feature that outlines new posts on a page. It's an easy way to visually find the ones you haven't read yet. Nice touch! Thanks for coming up with all these good things.-Brad | Thanks! Still some tuning
Thanks! Still some tuning going on... but it is getting better. |
Bread Browser
Floyd,You have hit a home-run with the bread browser! BRAVO!!!!! | :)
Glad you like it!The Bread Browser loads the latest posts (newest first) with an image attached using that new field "Image" that is right at the top of the screen when you make a new post. It shows up on the homepage and on a dedicated page. As I've mentioned, as folks use that more I'll be able to lots of cool st... |
Course in SFBI
Hello there, i would like to make some course in sfbi, but i'm with low budget and i live in brazil who know any kind of cheap hostel i would love it.thanks for all reply! | Low budget at SFBI
Hello, Hideki.There are many hotels very close to SFBI, and they provide a shuttle service for free to and from SFBI. When you register for a course, SFBI will send you a list of nearby hotels. The SFBI is located in an area of South San Francisco called "Oyster Point." The hotels in that area are ge... |
The Science of Hamelman's...
Hamelman's bagel...I fell in love with the technique: slow refrigerator ferment (right word?)...IMMEDIATELY into boiling water...then ice...then super hot oven....It really improved my bagels...but I'm wondering...what's the science behind this? The benefit of cold dough into boiling water ... | Slows the expansion
Yup, Mr. Hamelman's bagel formula sure is the simplest and fastest method when compared to others out there. Mix, bulk ferment, shape, and into the refrigerator to be retarded overnight. I also think it's the most authentic in taste and texture (so long as you use high-gluten flour).The ice bath sl... |
not rec' emails
Floyd, I hope you will see this, I am not getting the emails from the new system. I did at first, then they stopped. I couldn't even figure out how to contact you, the old way of clicking on the user in the post is not working now. Also, I'm sure you are aware a lot of the printed areas are very light, ... | Hi Jean,The main discussion
Hi Jean,The main discussion about email notifications is here. Not an ideal situation, but I think the email solution I've found is pretty good.I've made some adjustments to the type, trying to make the important things like links easier to find while keeping the volume turned down a bit fr... |
Two artisan baking short courses in Portland, Oregon this summer
I received a press release from the Wheat Marketing Center in Portland, Oregon announcing that they are hosting two short courses there this summer.The first course is on Artisan Bread Baking and runs from June 17-21, 2013.The course schedule looks pretty... | Sweet!
Looks like each course is 5 days long? and $1,200 per person... shoo... |
Super sour bread
Mouth puckering REALLY sour bread.I recently started up a couple of new pet starters. This one gets fed every three or four days and when I want to bake I use about 25g of starter with 25g of water and AP (KA) flour 1:1:1. I leave it to rise overnight @ around 64F (about 7 hrs) at which point it has tr... | When I first made my starter...
...about 9 years ago, the first loaf I made with it was so sour it would have made SF Sourdough taste mild. But with further feedings, and getting used to the process, the flavour soon balanced out producing something far more tasty. |
Searching a member's posts?
I think this is the right forum. Mods, obviously, whatever you'd like to do.There are at least a few people whose journey here I'd like to view; something of a virtual tutorial through time by some very knowledgeable folks. I see tracking, but as far as a I can tell, that's maybe a thread t... | Go to the user’s profile and
Go to the user’s profile and choose “Track”. Look for all topics that were posted by that particular user.Example -https://www.thefreshloaf.com/user/gadjowheaty/trackChoose those topics that were posted by Gadjowheaty. |
Oil vs. Butter in slowing stale-ness
According to Peter Reinhardt in his whole grain book, oil and butter slows the staling of breads. In practically all his recipes when lipids are called her, he lists "oil or butter" can be used. My question is this: which is a better agent to slow staling, oil or butter? | They are equivalent
"Butter" is a member of the class "oil". There are other products that delay the crystalization of starch but they all do approximately the same thing. If you like butter, use butter. If not, use a different oil. Bread is best when it contains some solid fat in addition to any liquid fat used, so... |
Using La cloche Clay Baker
I have just bought an oblong La Cloche Clay Baker. I baked my first loaf in it yesterday. The bread rose beautifully, but stuck so badly to the bottom that I had to cut it out and it was unusable. What must I do to the baker to prevent this sticking? | I have a
Romertopf oval clay baker and spray it with canola oil before loading in the dough. Never sticks that way. |
Measure conversions
Firstly, congrats Floyd on the new site. Very clear, but takes a while to re-navigate. I have a question re cups to gram conversions. I have seen conv charts which state anywhere from 110 - 140g for a cup of AP flour! It is very frustrating for those of us in far flung countries who use solely m... | Link@Sondra
Don't blame you for being frustrated. Volume measurements are inconsistent and problematic.Here's a link from the ABIF website which should help you out:http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/2008/10/18/no-knead-whole-grain-baguette-buns-with-extra-sourdough-kick-this-time-weigh-out-the-ingredients |
Migration update
Hey everyone,Just a quick update on the migration to the new system for everyone.As expected, there were a few bumps in the road, some I knew about and others that caught us off-guard. The good news is it looks like most of us are here now.User Icons - a number of user icons got mixed up. If you are... | Subscribing. (until we get a
Subscribing. (until we get a better global email subscription module working again, this is a quick way of getting email notifications to a thread you want to follow - just be sure to select "all comments" when you check the "notify me when new comments are posted") |
Some direction needed
Hello Everyone,I'm a Canadian currently living in South Asia. I'm rather new to baking but I love to cook and I'm quite comfortable in the kitchen. Bread here is either terrible, or decent bread is only available a fair distance from my house. Thus I've begun baking 2-3 loaves a week for my wife ... | The white bread recipe is a good basic 60% hydration recipe.
A good one "as is" and also to experiment with. Get to know this recipe inside and out. You can drop the oil or use another kind. You can up the hydration or lower it, you can add sugar, you can poolish it (combine equal amounts of water & flour, 200g each... |
Oh no
Now I can finally make that Golden Flaxseed Boule I've always dreamed of. | And paint it green
with pink stripes and blue polka dots too!Can't wait to see the movie Tom |
Closed
Thanks everyone, solved! | Like gluten-free bread
I would be searching for gluten-free bread formulations and modifying the hydration to get it to extrude the way you want it to.Tapioca flour + potato starch + xanthan gum (I wonder what that phase diagram looks like) might be a place to go but the response to hot fat is not something I have enou... |
replacing fuse in my Brod & Taylor folding proofer
Has anyone replaced the fuse in their Brod and Taylor folding proofer? I googled it a couple ways without luck. The compamy will replace it for free if I ship it to them and even pay for shipping it back to me. While I apreciate their excellent customer service and am ... | answering my own question!
I just talked to a technical rep from the company and was told that the fuse probably burned out due to a faulty chip, a known defect in boxes shipped the last couple months of 2011. I will be taking them up on their offer of a free repair. What a pleaure to deal with a company with such good... |
Something got in the way of my baking :)
February was a very lean period for my bread baking. Primarily because 7 of us (the 5 of us plus 2 friends) went on a cruise from Portsmouth, UK, to Norway, reaching as far north as Alta in the hope of seeing the Northern Lights. We also managed to go Reinderr sledding, smowm... | I'm jealous!
You sure seemed to have had a great time! I'm sure it was worth being away from your homemade bread during those time. I heard that it's a bit hit-and-miss with the Northern Lights and not everyone gets to see them? I'm putting that on to my list of must-sees-in-my-lifetime. |
Video of slap & fold sourdough brioche
Hi all,I just spotted a video on the excellent Swedish blog Brödpassion ("Passion for bread") which shows that it is in fact possible to slap and fold brioche dough. Not only that, the end result looks marvellous! I guess one will have to buy his book, "Den Franske Bagaren" ("The ... | nice video
Hans Joakim.I noticed that the flour has a very creamy color, it looks like durum wheat. None of my flour is creamy like that. Nico |
Poppy Seeds
Poppy SeedsBeing of Central Europe descent I am fond of poppy seeds on my bread and in desserts, but be aware that if you consume them it may give a false positive for opiates in a drug test. It is known that they can be detected in urine up to 48 hours after consumption and may persist even longer. If you ... | Ibor, not an appropriate
Ibor, not an appropriate question for this forum. I suggest you find a medical or forensic forum to post this request.Cheers,Gavin.EDIT: I did not intend my comments above to be disrespectful in any way. I was just suggesting that if Ibor wanted an experts opinion he should go to the experts. ... |
What do you do with your mixer when you're not using it?
My wife and I have a disagreement regarding our Kitchen Aid mixer.She said that most people put their mixers away and don't leave their counters cluttered up. I disagree. Everyone that I know that has a KA mixer has a place for it on the counter, where it stays. ... | Put away
I have a Bosch mixer, a Bosche Mill, a Kitchen Aid mixer, a Hamilton Beach MixMaster, a Komo mill, a blender and a food processor. They all live on a couple of big, deep shelves in a corner of the kitchen. The only things out on the counter are the bread box, toaster, cookie jar, coffee pot and coffee bean g... |
Occupation Questions
I am just curious as to what kind of professional backgrounds people have? It seems that many are computer, technical backgrounds.Just curious with the demographics.Eli | Computer Science
I'm currently a student in Computer science, I'm also kind of interested in hearing what sort of people are around here, |
Movies about baking
Hi.I'm putting together a little food film festival in February (I know, alliteration is everything). I have three films already - Greenhorns, Our Daily Bread and Jiro Dreams of Sushi but am short of a decent film about baking. I've googled it and had a quick scan of the search results here but have... | The Nick Cage character in Moonstruck is a baker
Okay, so the move isn't exactly about baking but there are some scenes that might fit the bill ...As to foodie movies, "The Big Night" is wonderful! Such a paean to a great meal! |
Kitchen Aid 575 watt 'Professional' mixer failure after just 2 months
I was given a 5.5 qt, 575 watt Kitchen Aid "Professional" mixer for Christmas 2012, used it for just over 2 months. I am using again a 300 watt Kitchen Aid mixer, which replaced my first one from the 1980s. I wasn't looking quite yet myself for a n... | Mixer failed during first use!
7 or 8 years ago I got a Pro 600, to replace the 4 1/2 qt mixer, mainly because I needed something larger - the old KA was still kickin' even though I got it in '76! The new mixer stopped during the first use - I thought maybe I just didn't know something about it, and it had a hidden sw... |
Anyone else having issues/difficulties with the word processing on this wonderful site? Floyd?
Multiple miscellaneous issues. I have taken to constructing the post reply in Word and cutting/pasting it into the site. That seems to work.I can't always see where I place my cursor (no blinking cursor but text usually appea... | I've been fighting all kinds of lock ups
and having to shut down Safari and reopen to remove the problems. Just did it again because I couldn't pull up the home page. Edit: I lost the net soon after posting. I think a lot of my interruptions are caused from my service here timing in and out. Sometimes hard to pinp... |
Ever wonder what to do with stale baguettes?
This design studio found a creative use for stale bread: http://www.studiorygalik.com/baguette-tables--vienna-design-week/Be sure to scroll through all 7 photos. Credit to Clotilde Dusoulier for finding this site.-Brad | No glass table top?
I'll stick with bread pudding ;) |
Looking for baking classes in Phoenix area 3/4-3/7.
I will be accompanying a spouse who is on a business trip to the Phoenix area and trying to find a class to take during that time frame. Looking for bread/baking/cheesemaking/fermentation classes (in order of preference).Any ideas of people or places to check with? I ... | baking classes
Call Sweet Basil kitchen store where they have regular cooking classes. Ask for the names of teachers who teach baking classes and get in touch with that person or persons and use them as resorces. |
Strange Starter
Does anyone remember what thread this image came from?It's a photo taken of the top of a sourdough starter exhibiting strange behavior. I don't remember the title, and I'm coming up empty on search.TIA!dw | "What happened to my starter? Help!"
Paul, yes, that's it! Thanks so much,dw |
Micro-perforated bags for fresh bread storage
Here in warm, moist South Carolina, keeping fresh bread fresh is a challenge. In something too air tight, the bread gets gummy or worse, molds! Out in the open draws bugs. So, I went on the hunt for "micro-perforated" plastic bags, knowing that I would probably have to g... | Do check the bags from
Do check the bags from time-to-time... plastics are not always forever and they can (and do!) break down. If the bags get sticky or slimy or otherwise change characteristics, it may be time to dispose of them. |
How does a baker work at perfecting the craft?
This question has bothered me slightly. Its probably because I'm quite a ways down from even being knowlegdebale on the subject, but as I wait to attend a baking school, I've wondered how to work on the craft at home. So far I've been running through the BBA. I feel like I... | Baker's math is pretty
Baker's math is pretty important if you want to get consistent, controlled results. I'm not sure what you mean when you say that it "wears down supplies." To the contrary, it allows you to scale quantities down or up according to your needs. I would also recommend the book "Bread" by Jeffrey Hame... |
Convert Food Recipe to Spreadsheet
Looking for ideas to convert a typical food recipe to a spreadsheet. I would like to use the sheet to size the recipe up and down and want to portion out in grams.My first thought is to use the main ingredient (in the case below, crab meat) as 100% and everything else as a percentage ... | Sounds like a reasonable plan
Sounds like a reasonable plan to me. I then might add another cell for servings and have the amount of crab meat based off that. |
Replacing Instant yeast with Osmotolerant yeast
Hi,I have this 1lb bag of osmotolerant yeast and I am wondering how much to reduce it by if I'm using it in replacement of regular instant yeast. My breads seem to rise too fast if I use the same amount and as it is a big bag to me, I find it pointless to get a separate b... | Hi
Osmotolerant yeast is made to use it for enriched doughs that contains 10% sugar or more per kilo of flour.Reduced by one third, but generally it is not indicated for use other than the one i mention above.Good luck! |
Wink in Beasts of the Southern Wild is a professional baker
Great video story in the NYT about Dwight Henry, the actor who played Wink in Beasts of the Southern Wild. He's a professional baker in New Orleans and owns a doughnut shop called the Buttermilk Drop. Very cool.http://www.nytimes.com/video/2013/01/23/movies/aw... | Great little story. Now I
Great little story. Now I want to see the movie.Thanks, Jeff |
updated Hamelman bread book
Hi fellow breadheadsI am thinking of purchasing Hamelman's Bread, the updated edition, and I wanted to find out if any of you have bought this book and find it useful. I don't have the first edition, and despite widespread praise I remember there were some issues with the recipes being desi... | Wink
Jeff Hamelman had Debra Wink check his formula conversions, and yes there are Baker's Percentages included.Jim |
mobile device problem
Is it just me or is there anybody else who's been having a funny problem when accesing TFL site from a mobile device, like a tablet? It only started happening earlier this morning ( UK time ), but all the layout of the pages look weird, out of normal places. I've checked other non-TFL sites but I ... | agreed
i am having the same issue. different colors and layouts. |
Too Funny for me
Gluten Free?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9QbC41oQRo | Glad
to know that even gluten free bakers sing when they bake. They seem to sing better than most bakers though! |
posts disappear during composing?
I've tried to post an intro a couple of times but half way through composing it (it's not that long, lol) the page seems to automatically refresh or something, and the post I'm working on disappears and the page goes back to the list of forum topics. Does this happen to anyone else? ... | I have had some problems,also.
A few weeks ago this seemed to start. I have had some problems while composing,also, in that I cannot often see where the cursor is. That seems intermittent as I can see it just fine tonight.I had a problem previewing a post a couple times. I would preview it and part of the post would be... |
Had to share this...
From Macleans Magazine: Men who love to loaf around: What’s not to like about a man who bakes his own bread?Discuss. :) | Thanks for posting this
Thanks for posting this thought inducing article Floyd. I didn't know that more men than women bake bread as a hobby.Personally, I don't agree with the 'gooey, sticky' theory. I for one do not enjoy that part of bread making. In fact, if anything, it was that aspect that kept me from making b... |
Searching for Bread Baking Class - Portland, Seattle or West Coast
I have been baking bread for my family since the 1970s but I am trying to learn how to produce high quality French and European style breads in my home oven. I have most of the books by Reinhart, Clayton, etc. and I try to follow their written instruct... | Grand Central
Maybe Grand Central Bakery in PDX has a class, you could call and ask them for advice.WingnutPS. Don't tell them about the deck oven, they might get nervous bakers are a funny lot. |
Tech tools for modern baking-survey and discussion-great brioche recipe!
I finally have all my recipes in electronic format and now I am in the process of formatting them and putting them in cups/gram. Quite a feat! Currently, if I am baking, I will print out the recipe from the computer which is in a room adjacent to ... | Excel, then paper
Great question and I'm sure you'll get a 100 comments. My practices, while still evolving but always with Excel, have settled into a very satisfactory routine. Here's the path I've followed over the past year.Formerly: On my laptop, I grabbed screen-shots of Excel tables programmed in BBGA format, d... |
Quick proofing box from available materials
I've moved from the couche sitting on the peel on top of a 2 x 8 over the bathtub with hot water, to the couche on a serving tray inside a large plactic bag. After visiting a bakery and seeing their stand of trays covered in a zippered plastic bag I've been thinking. I save... | Clever
I like this, very simple... very reusable I haven't got into proof boxes yet, is there something they give you that just covering a bowl with plastic wrap doesn't? |
Tip: loaf identification
Sometimes I do trials where two shaped loaves are treated differently - eg bulk or proof time, temperature, and so on.It is easy to lose track of which loaf is which and a simple solution is to sprinkle about 1/2 tspn of sesame seeds on one loaf.As long as you write down which loaf is which, it... | Good idea, Lance! I often use
Good idea, Lance! It is nice that the small amount of seeds are on the bottom of the loaf.I often use ~3g of chocolate brewer’s malt (non-diastatic) or as much as 2% to tint the dough. It is easy to loose track of what dough is what, when experimenting.Thanks for posting. |
Proofing Box
For the past week I have been having a blast constructing a proofing box.Like so much of what I have done with baking in these past almost 2 years, I couldn't have done this without the help of others who have gone before me and posted their boxes here for all of us to see. I leaned heavily on their ideas... | Looks great!
Janet, what a nice setup. Seems you've thought of everything. I'd love to build one, but I don't think I can find the space.I've been noticing differences in oven spring I think are due to an uneven base temperature of the dough (some parts are warmer than others). I'd imagine a proof boxes creates a more ... |
Oil in Bowl and Dough Still Sticks
Hello all. I'm new here but have been lurking for ages and must say that I'm impressed that so many give so much help to others and the professionalism displayed. I hope I've posted this in the correct place.Excuse any incorrect terminology. My problem seems so stupid and basic in tha... | When you oil the bowl, do you
When you oil the bowl, do you in turn also roll the dough all over the oil in the bowl so that its surface is also covered in oil? You need to do that, otherwise the dough will likely stick. Covering your bowl with plastic wrap shouldn't be a cause for the stickiness. |
When is a pre-ferment of use?
This question is not to, in any way, offend anyone's methods or knowledge of baking.Having read numerous bread books, the consensus seems to be that you must have a pre-ferment. Bread made quickly via a straight dough will be not have near the flavor without a pre-ferment. Hmmm, sounds l... | Poolish
A poolish contains no salt. Equal parts of water and flour, and a very tiny pinch of yeast. |
SHB meaning
Hi, Fresh Loafers,Have been reading some TFL entries and the acronym SHB is mentioned here and there. Can anyone tell me what it stands for? (my guess is Serious Home Baker?)Just wondering...?Thx. J. | Correct
You are correct, J. That term is used on the BBGA (Bread Bakers Guild of America) forum to differentiate between the pros and the home bakers who are members. |
Gather the angry mob
http://www.simplyhomemadebread.com/Saw the ad a couple of days ago and said "give me a break". Watched the commercials last night that added insult to injury after seeing Alton Brown on Good Eats use tunafish cans and muffin batter to make "english muffins". Then to get me pissed even more in the s... | A lot of words come to mind
A lot of words come to mind but ridiculous is what keeps coming out! |
Baking Poem, I know this is last minute but I need help finding a Poem
As mentioned above, I know it is last minute but it was the only think left for me to do today. I wanted to add a poem to my goodie baskets I've put together. I didn't even give it a second thought about finding one, because I needed the same type o... | Baking Poem
While my hands are creating a dish to delight, I think of you often, and pray you're alright.As Christmas approaches and presents are near, I give what I baked to those I hold dear.May your Christmas be Merry, your New Year be blessed, now sit down and eat this, youdeserve a good rest.LOL... not great... bu... |
Rising
I'm making crescent rolls. They call for 3 hours to rise. I forgot to add the salt so after an hour I had to reknead while adding the salt. Will that matter? Should I let it rise another three hours or just two? Also I want to go play "Just Dance" and was wondering can I let it rise longer? I mean, if I ha... | If it's the first rise (bulk
If it's the first rise (bulk fermentation), then you want it to just about double in bulk, perhaps a little less. After punching down, I would only give it 2 more hours, then proceed with shaping, final rise etc. as described in your recipe. |
Questions from newbies
Hello All,We're new bread makers and have realized some successes over the past couple of months in creating the perfect sourdoughs.We have made some great French bread -- light sourdough flavor -- but only recently have been able to kick it up. Our solution was to go from 2 to 4 rises in cooler ... | novice here also
I've been baking bread for about a year now with ups and downs, the last 3 months nothing but sourdough, but thats part of the fun, that said.I use to use cups, teaspoons,etc to measure out all my items. It wasnt until I went to a scale and started to use grams that I started to get consistancy. As sil... |
Bakers math and lesson 3
The web is replete with examples of how to do bakers math and I think that I have a good handle on it, enough to put together a spreadsheet anyways. However, I seem to trip myself up on preferments. Could someone show me the bakers percentages for the recipe in lesson three? Enough of them so ... | Try Susan's site
Susan of Wild Yeast did a lovely tutorial on baker's percentages in 2008. Here's the link to the fourth part of her tutorial, which deals with preferments.http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2008/05/12/bakers-percentage-4/Hope you find it helpful. |
Sad news
I was contacted last night by Eric Hanners' son Ken. Eric passed away unexpectedly on Friday. He was very active on this website. If anyone would like information regarding his services please send me a message. I tried to leave my email here but it is coming out encoded. | Eric will be missed very much
Am so sorry to hear about Eric's passing. TFL has lost a treasured member who has contributed much to this forum. Very sad. |
Ciabatta with double hydration (bassinage). Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oatxY2HilAoIf a picture is the equivalent of a 1000 words a video bests 10.000.000.enjoy | Thanks for sharing. I have a
Thanks for sharing. I have a WFO in the backyard mostly used for pizza and roasted meat and veg - this video is inspirational. |
Dinners survivors
Dough was just a spur of the moment mix and worked out well.1000g flour, bread625g water50g oil, olive20g diastatic malt20g salt10g yeast, instantmix, scale, shape, cold proof, let come to room temp (about 2-3 hrs) make pizza and bake at 500 deree F. On stone in lower half of oven. | We can't see that if we
We can't see that if we aren't logged into Facebook. |
60 day bread
Hi allI thought this article would be of interest to many of you:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20540758It describes a new process that has been developed to microwave bread in a particular way to totally destroy the mold, so the cooked bread keeps without growing mold for up to 60 days. Th... | Watch for the Article
Watch for the next article:"How to Build a Slotted Radiator to Introduce Overlapping Microwave Frequencies" for the home microwave breadmaker. Aww, don't get mad. Just havin' a littlel fun on a rainy day. ;>} |
Butter, milk, oil & eggs
I know guys that the topic of adding butter, milk, eggs & oil and how is that considered in terms of hydration has been discussed here before, but i seem failing in finding the place where this matter was discussed. So guys, any input how should i treat butter, milk, eggs & oil when it comes to... | Some interesting thoughts
Some thoughts on your question in this link--http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/20390/hydration-wateriness-or-liquidiness |
Baking Eric's Favorite Rye
I'm still processing the sad news that long-time community member Eric Hanner has passed away and have been trying to think of fitting ways we could honor him. Three ideas have come to mind:Baking Eric's Favorite Rye. Eric shared many recipes and much baking wisdom, but Eric's Favorite Rye ... | Thank you Floyd. I too will
Thank you Floyd. I too will be honoring and remembering Eric. |
TFL App needed
Dear Floyd, We need a TFL App. How would you/we go about this? Reading posts on a smartphone is very hard to do, zooming only provides a few words.Thank you!Anna | A TFL app will not be coming
A TFL app will not be coming any time soon, but an adaptive theme for the site that renders well on smartphones is very likely to come this winter. I'm working on a couple of similar projects and have a pretty good understanding of what is involved now. -Floyd |
Sugar
Hi everyone, I'm wondering what's the deal with sugar...Can I use raw sugar for both brown and white sugar? Is it really necessary to buy white sugar, brown sugar and dark brown sugar when I go to the store? I'm trying to stay away from processed foods.
Thanks! | It depends...
What does a recipe require to produce a specific flavor in the finished product? Do you want your lemon meringue pie to have a hint of molasses flavor because you used brown sugar instead of white? Will you mind if the meringue itself is sort of off-white instead of glossy white if you make it with some... |
How do I?
I want to save pages, blogs, misc to my account. Can't figure out how - help very appreciated! There is soooo much to try - thanks | Click the "add to favorites"
Click the "add to favorites" link on the bottom of a post to add it to your profile. It's a teeny link, but very useful!Best,-Floyd |
CBS Baking Show looking for amateur bakers
Fresh Loafians,I was just contacted by the casting associate of the upcoming 'CBS Baking Show' in hopes that I might know some amateur bakers interested in auditioning for this show. If you are, check out this link for info about the show. I'm not at all affiliated with the... | This looks like the a version
This looks like the a version of the UK show 'The Great British Bake Off' broadcast by the BBC. If it's anywhere near as good then it will be complusive viewing for all amateur bakers. |
Android Baking App
I was looking for an android app to store recipes in baker's percentages and automatically scale the quantities. The Baker App does this and also handles imperial/metric conversion very elegantly and generally looks pretty.It is only just out and so far there does not seem to be any way to export or ... | Baking App
Sounds very useful. However I have an Apple iPad. Anyone know of a similar app for my device?Sondra |
ARTISAN BREAD BAKING CLASSES WITH WOOD FIRED OVEN AT A FARM B&B
Hello bakers,The HAINS HOUSE is offering 3-day Artisan Bread Baking Workshops. If you are looking for a bread get-away or maybe a nice baking gift for someone, this workshop at a farm B&B could be perfect.Classes will be offered NOVEMBER 2-4th, 2012; JANUA... | Your link is not
working. What city and state is this in? |
Signature
Wasn't sure where to put this guys, sorry.Just wondering if one can add a signature line, at all? Thanks,Paul | No, I don't think there is a
No, I don't think there is a spot for sigs here. |
Thanks for the info
I just want to thank everyone that has contributed to this site and has inadvertently helped me. I made Peter Reinhardts Pain A L'Ancienne but I changed up the method a bit. I used my newly acquired dough whisk (learned about that here) to just bring the dough together. I put int in a covered bowl,... | This is an amazing site-thanks Floyd!
I can't think of what is most amazing about this site except that it is not really just about bread. It is an international site where people from every country on the planet talk about a subject as simple as flour,water,yeast,and salt. Everyone helps anyone that asks. Everyone wh... |
Thinking about making a pottery cover to steam, advice?
I've just started making bread and I'm having a great time experimenting!I've tried several methods for getting a crisp crust. Tried baking in a Dutch oven (DO) and that gave the best crust, but I don't like dropping the loaf in there. Tried inverting the DO ove... | Janetcook
has a great way to cloche using a large inverted clay flower pot with a with an eye bolt through the bottom hole held in place with nuts and washers You can search for it. But an alternative is to go to Goodwill and buy DO bottom (or one like them) for a buck on dollar Thursdays. I have picked up several t... |
Happy World Bread Day!
Here's wishing everyone a Happy World Bread Day!Whatcha baking today? | Myself, I'm working on 3
Myself, I'm working on 3 epi's with the BBA recipe for Pain de Campagne. Happy World Bread Day! Lane |
VERY basic proofing question
I have been baking bread for a long time. Sometimes with great success and sometimes not. The one thing that has always troubled me is in the proofing. How do I know exactly what I am looking for to make sure my dough has proofed enough and not over proofed. I have always gone with the doub... | Very basic proofing answer
Usually the recipe tells you how much or how and how long and at what temperature and humidity to proof the dough before baking. In that aspect every bread is unique, some only double in volume, some are not supposed to rise at all, or barely so, others rise 4x and even 6x in volume. It all ... |
Barley groats, hulled millet, black sesame seeds, acorn starch, powdered barley malt and duck eggs
Barley groats
hulled millet
acorn starch
powdered barley malt
duck/hen eggs ( just tossing that in because my flock are producing like crazy! All bakers should have ducks!)
All (but the eggs of course), are leftovers from... | No, you are not alone. I too
just made a multigrain bread to use up all the pits and pieces of leftover grains. No acorn starch in it though :-) |
How to make taste-free bread
Hubby Bill kept bugging me, "Why do you put salt in bread? I can't taste it. We probably don't need the sodium." So, finally, tired of his repetitions of the topic, I did. I made a fine 75% hydration filtered water, hi-gluten Pendleton flour, and yeast bread without salt. It, of course... | Tuscans
everywhere are picking up pitch forks and marching on the nearest salt lick :-) I'm with your Wild Bill and think cutting salt down to say 1.5% doesn't change much in the way of taste. |
Light cheesecake lost
Please help - about 2-3 weeks ago I was reading an old post I think about 2010 that was an exchange between I think someone in Texas and a Japanese lady. The post was about bread, but she also had a receipe for an awesome sounding cheesecake. It called for a 6x3 springform pan. Now that I bough... | Not sure........
.............but if you scroll down to the cheesecake recipe in txfarmer's blog, it may be what you are looking for.Here's the link http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/30270/cream-cheese-soft-sandwich-loaf-pineapple-buns-and-japanese-souffle-cheesecake |
After surgery, I've lost my taste for bread
I prepared for hip replacement surgery by filling the freezer with bread and bean soups. I've been back from the hospital for three weeks and I find that I can't eat any of the stuff I prepared so carefully. It all seems loathsome; I don't know why. I thawed a loaf of bread, ... | Lost taste for bread
Hard to believe but eating is hard work for the body. I wouldn't presume to guess what may be the issue/s but I can tell you that when I was far into undiagnosed congestive heart failure, very little tasted good or appealed to me. When I did try something the only way I could describe it was that i... |
bread
Toppings on my bagels and onion rolls do not adhere well. Have used commercial product without much success. Ideas, please. Earle | toppings
Try wetting the surface with egg white and pressing the seeds ever so slightly just after shaping. Or, just wet with water add the seeds then lightly spray a mist of water onto the surface. Some seeds will fall off no matter what.Ford |
Montreal bagels!
Montreal bagels. There's honey, sugar, oil, malt powder and an egg in the dough and I boiled them before baking in malt and honey infused water. They're denser and sweeter than American style bagels and I vastly prefer them...they lack the smokey flavor that you get from the wood burning ovens used in ... | How did you get the seeds to
How did you get the seeds to stick like that? That's my biggest problem when making bagels. |
Rye Cookies-anyone try these?
Has anyone tried THESE? Intriguing! A rye & AP flour cookie that uses hard boiled egg yolks and toasted flours (both the rye and the AP) in the ingredients.I may have to use part of my precious stash of rye flour for this recipe if the reviews are good.King Arthur sells rye flour but it ... | My spicy rye biscuits
Those cookies look delicious! There's definitely something good about the flavour that rye flour gives to cookies and biscuits. I often make these, which are beautifully light and crunchy (makes about 30 biscuits):
Ingredients
‘Stork’ (brand)
cooking margarine, 250g
Light brown
sugar, 175g
Vanill... |
Pasta Machines
Can anyone recommend a good basic, sturdy pasta machine? I've looked at the Pro Cucina, the Marcata Atlas and also the Imperia. They all seem reasonably priced and adequate, but I was wondering if anyone could talk about their personal experience with any of these machines to help me decide which to buy... | I like the Marcata Atlas
Years ago, I had a different brand (I forgot which) and it wasn't precision enough -- the rollers gave an uneven sheet of dough. I think the ravioli attachment doesn't work very well. |
Name this scale?
I found this for a dollar at a yard sale 20 years ago and have used it to measure for cooking/baking ever since. It measures grams on one side oz on the other and works by sliding the band on the spoon until it balances. ( I think the photo shows it clearly balanced empty) I have compared it to all ty... | Spoon balance scale
A google image search on "antique balance scale" turned up this photo.Here is a link with a little information regarding scales like your very cool scale: http://en.allexperts.com/q/Collectibles-General-Antiques-682/2009/7/Date-scale.htmDavid |
using BBA's pain a l'ancienne for ciabatta loafs
I have made BBA's pain a l'ancienne twice now and my wife and I enjoy it immensely with olive oil and seasonings. Today we tried using it for sandwiches and the taste and texture were a wonderful accent to our lunch. So, I got to thinking has anyone here ever tried using... | Pain l'ancienne for ciabattini and focaccia
I have used this recipe to make both small loaves, that came out like small ciabatta, and also it makes wonderful focaccia. I find it easier to divde into rolls, or press out onto a sheet pan for focaccia, if I use the dough fresh from the refrigerator. The rolls I just coo... |
Baking Temps
Do you typically bake as hot as your oven goes or do you do it at a specific temperature? My oven can get as hot as 600 degrees, but the bread recipes often call for a pre-heat at 500 and a bake at 450, though commercial ovens bake much hotter. | I bake my sourdough bread in
I bake my sourdough bread in my convection oven at 450F for 20 minutes, followed by 350F for 40 minutes. As it happens, 450F is as high as that particular oven will go. My conventional oven will go to 550F but I don't recall ever baking anything at that temperature. Possibly the frozen p... |
My doughs are too wet!
Hi all,I just moved to upstate New York (Capital region) from the Indianapolis area. Anyway...I have noticed that the doughs I am making, using the same recipes/formulations I used in Indy, are much wetter. I am having to add as much as 2 - 3 oz of flour to the dough to get it to be self suppor... | Humidity
Do you keep your flour in an airtight container?If your kitchen is very humid, the flour will absorb some of that humidity. As you noted, different flours have different rates of moisture absorption, especially rye.Why not just hold back some of the water during the initial mix of ingredients? It's easier t... |
I need to buy another set of these
I am looking to buy some sets of these. If anyone has any to sell please let me know. They are the round crimped bread pans originally sold by King Arthur flour company. | Google can be your friend
Sears, $CDN 43 for a 4-loaf set (depending on where you live in Minnesota, may be worth driving north for?)Amazon.com, $US 85 for 4-loaf setCentral Restaurant Products, $US76 for 4-loaf setThe Webstaurant Store, $US 38 for a four-loaf setBakery Equipment Worldwide, $US 189 for 2 x 4-loaf setPi... |
The Spam is starting to get really annoying... and how do you...
Lately, there has been A LOT of spam coming into my email inbox. For a long time, I wasn't getting any notifications of any kind (I set it up this way, I hate SPAM or pesky notices everytime someone comments) and now, it seems I'm gettting barraged with ... | Agreed
It's pretty annoying. Not ready to leave yet, but ... Never used to be a problem, but it's gotten worse recently. Sure would be nice if TFL could remedy this. |
Article: The Secret Life of Ciabatta, by Robin Stummer
I thought this article from The Guardian (UK newspaper) would be interesting for this forum. The direct link is: http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/1999/apr/30/features11.g24 | Hi Thihal 123
Thanks for
Hi Thihal 123Thanks for posting and sharing that article with us, i enjoyed it, just like, well a good ciabatta!kind reagards Yozza |
Why lower shelf?
I've been trying to make some good sandwich bread lately, and today I am doing the Basic Soft White Sandwich Loaf from RLB's Bread Bible. It's a rather long process that starts with a sponge, and for this and other breads the instructions for baking include baking the loaves on the lowest level (on a ... | Radiant heat.
The idea is to get as much heat into the loaf as fast, so placing it as close as possible to the radiant heat source is the best way to so that.-If you want a great white sandwich loaf (and don't want to deal with the RLB's sponge method), try Peter Reinhart's White Bread Variation 1, p. 266 of The Bread ... |
Would you bake if you didn't knead with your hands?
I was just wondering if I'd be so interested in baking bread if I automated much of the process using my Kitchen Aid professional series mixer. I'm thinking I probably won't be as interested, though the interest would still be there. What I live about the bread making... | I loved kneading the dough,
I loved kneading the dough, but I hated the sticky part leading up to that point. Doing the sticky part of the work with a bench mixer and dough hook has made me into a baker of bread on a regular basis, when before I was interested but dreading the mess. |
Farmer's Market Set-Up
Hey Everyone,Question for you: I was recently asked to participate in a local farmer's market and wanted to ask the community for advice on essential set up materials for my booth. Outside of a table, a pop-up tent, and a POS are there some must have items you've found that make selling easier?... | I did Farmers Markets in Florida in the BEFORE times
Even then I had everything individually wrapped in plastic so people could pick up and touch an item even if they didn't wind up buying it. Cookies & small items were packaged in cello bags with ribbons. Make sure you follow the state requirement for how/what to put ... |
Recommendations for good vegetable reference-ish book?
I'm a fan of reference-ish type books for food. I don't have many cookbooks because recipes generally bore me. Even with bread books, the kinds I like are reference-ish types with some recipes. Recipes are okay, but I like to get the "theory" behind them. Recipes a... | I have this
I have this book http://www.amazon.com/Fruit-Nuts-Comprehensive-Cultivation-Food-producing/dp/0881927597/ref=la_B001HPQOGG_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345087396&sr=1-1 and I see she also make a vegetables and spices companion book. Honestly, I can hardly imagine a more indepth book about food. No recipes at all. Just ... |
vinegar in recipes
I know this site is mostly focusing on breads, but thanks to this site, I found King Arthur's website, and used a recipe of theirs for chocolate cake. It called for 2 tsp of vinegar in addition to baking powder and baking soda and the other usual ingredients. I am assuming that the vinegar interacts ... | acid-base reaction
Hi Sandy,You are correct in that the vinegar reacts with the baking soda. Vinegar is an acid and baking soda is a base, and when combined, they neutralize each other, resulting in the formation of water and carbon dioxide (CO2). The CO2 helps with the leavening of the cake. Since they are neutrali... |
Can anybody figure this out?
Hello, I'm sorry to come here with such a stupid question.But i feel helpless, because my google searches have turned up pretty much emtpy.I have a bread recipe from way back, but i have lost the process pages. And now i cant track the recipe back to it's origns.I would be greatful if anybo... | It's not a sourdough
I think the proper term for the "Starter" may be "Sponge". A lot of these terms are bandied about rather loosely. I have heard the phrase "Pre Dough" and "Autolyse" also used. "Starter" usually refers to a natural levain (commonly called sourdough starter") and is a culture of natural yeast, as yo... |
Scales
Hey all,I am wondering if there is a scale out there for simply weighing buns and stuff, that is not like the battery powered ones, and not like any other electric scale, and of course that is not like the thing that balances weights. I am thinking more along the lines of the same scale that you stand on in the ... | Mechanical kitchen scales
Search Amazon for mechanical scalescheers, gary |
Picking the ants out of the honey
I bought a large jar of honey at Costco, much larger than the small jars of artisanal honey I was buying at my food co-op. I used to store my honey atop the microwave. Never had problems with ants, probably because the artisanal honey was put up in canning jars with tight lids. The Cos... | If the ants are mostly
If the ants are mostly floating in a layer on top, you could put the honey in the fridge and allow it to crystallize to facilitate scraping the remaining ants off. Then you could sink the jar in some hot water to re-melt the honey.While eating some ant carcasses probably won't harm your roommates... |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.