Bread ****

[Mardoo]

Yeah, I ended up doing mostly 36-48 hour fermentations at around 8C (first rise, second rise, loaf - loaf was warmer), entirely leavened with sours. Key is a good sour, moisture control and cool, but not cold, temperature. Not that you need a high tech system, you just need to make sure the atmosphere is moist without falling drops of condensation.

Being Autumn this is a good time to head out to a non-sprayed vineyard and get a couple bunches of unwashed grapes. Use those to start your sour. Usually they make damn good sours.

 

[Mardoo]

PS: Just chuck the bunches stems and all into a 50/50 water/flour mix. No need to get fussy. You need the yeasts and bacteria on the onside of the bunch.

 

[Dave70]

Might be a trap for new bread machine players, but after preparing a batch and setting the timer last night. I was greeted with gooey semi mixed shitfight this morning. Since the method involves adding the wet ingredients last I'm guessing the water soaked into flour around the edges in the four hour layover before the machine went into its kneading cycle. Odd, because the last overnighter came out fine.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

I think that might be one of the reasons that those bread machines spend their lives adorning the inside of a shed or cupboard, my mum got one one they first hit the market, when there was a couple of bread specialty shops in every suburb selling all the breads you could think of,(my favourite was the potato bread) but they have all gone now.

I read the book Artisan Bread for Beginners twice more last night, feel guilty because its an e book and I only gave it a 2 star rating after I finished it the first time I read it, now I have got my head around it I would have given it more, though the main reason I gave it 2 stars was because he reckoned tap water kills yeast and the authors name is Dragan.
But now I am inspired to go the artisan bread route, and along with my artisan beer I can feel an anagram of bread coming on, along with a newsboy cap.

 

[AJS2154]

I read the book Artisan Bread for Beginners twice more last night, feel guilty because its an e book and I only gave it a 2 star rating .......... the main reason I gave it 2 stars was because he reckoned tap water kills yeast and the authors name is Dragan.

No need to feel bad, wide eyed, you have very reasonable and rational reasons to give only 2 stars. Carry on. Anthony

 

[indica86]

Sourdough.
White and rye flour with sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and quinoa. So good and chewy.

 

[malt and barley blues]

Best bread I have ever had is Hovis, a granary style bread had a quick read through these posts but never found any info of anyone making it, anyone tried.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Stolen from the netz

http://www.thebreadkitchen.com/recipes/hovis-recipe-old-style/

Hovis (as it used to taste!)
The Hovis wheatgerm loaf of today is not the same as the Hovis of 35 years ago. In this Hovis recipe I attempt to recreate the Hovis taste of my childhood.

Makes: 1 loaf

Ingredients

500 g (16 oz) strong white flour
300 g (9½ fl oz) lukewarm water
55 g (2 oz) wheatgerm
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp dark or blackstrap molasses
1½ tsp dried yeast
1½ tsp salt

Instructions

Add the molasses to the lukewarm water and stir to dissolve. Add the yeast, stir and leave for 10 minutes for the yeast to activate.
Mix the flour, salt and wheatgerm in a bowl. Add the water/molasses/yeast and the oil and mix to a soft and slightly tacky dough.
Knead the dough well for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Place the dough in a lightly-greased bowl, cover and leave in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes.
Shape the dough and place in a greased loaf tin. Place in a large plastic bag and leave in warm place for about an hour or until the loaf almost fills the tin.
Bake at 190°C/375°F fan oven, 210°C/420°F conventional oven for 35 minutes.
Turn the loaf out onto a wire rack and allow to cool.

 

[malt and barley blues]

Lots of attempts have been made to replicate this bread, it is still secret what goes into a Hovis loaf and in the UK Hovis sell the mixes for home bakers to bake the old style Hovis.
When I was young there was no sliced bread, when it did eventually arrive the only one at the time who did not conform was Hovis.

 

[drsmurto]

Rye sourdough. Very dense but toasted and smeared with a homemade zucchini 'baba ganoush' it was sensational.

Pain in the arse to knead but i perservered. Left it outside in the laundry overnight for the slow, final rise.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Having been rained off the garden duties back to domestic duties made this from the recipe above posted by stu. Voted by my daughters to be best yet.
Ingredients

500 g (16 oz) strong white flour
300 g (9½ fl oz) lukewarm water
55 g (2 oz) wheatgerm
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp dark or blackstrap molasses
1½ tsp dried yeast
1½ tsp salt

 

[Frothy1]

My first crack using a wild yeast sourdough starter.


Pretty happy with the results.

 

[Jens-Kristian]

That is a thing of pure beauty, Frothy.

What's your recipe?

 

[Frothy1]

That is a thing of pure beauty, Frothy.

What's your recipe?

I went with Jacob Burton's directions , you waste a bit of flour but you end up with a very active leaven.

I followed his next couple of videos but I added 2 tablespoons of malt extract for flavor and the yeast went bloody crazy after I added that.

I pulled it out of the oven at 06:00 hours on a school morning and the kids demolished it.

 

[drsmurto]

Might be a trap for new bread machine players, but after preparing a batch and setting the timer last night. I was greeted with gooey semi mixed shitfight this morning. Since the method involves adding the wet ingredients last I'm guessing the water soaked into flour around the edges in the four hour layover before the machine went into its kneading cycle. Odd, because the last overnighter came out fine.

Interestingly, my breadmachine instructions say to do the opposite for overnight/delay settings. Liquids first, flours and then yeast on top. I don't use this setting often as I prefer to check on the kneading cycle to see how it is going. When i do I create a little indent in the flour in the middle to place the yeast in so that it doesn't mix with any water prior to the start of the kneading cycle.

I think that might be one of the reasons that those bread machines spend their lives adorning the inside of a shed or cupboard, my mum got one one they first hit the market, when there was a couple of bread specialty shops in every suburb selling all the breads you could think of,(my favourite was the potato bread) but they have all gone now.

I think this is more a case of a tradesman blaming their tools. I've been using a breadmachine for more than 7 years now to make the family sandwich bread and fruit loaf. I also use it for pizza dough and kneading other bread doughs. Haven't bought bread in this time. So easy and the result leave the crustless sandwich 'bread' for dead.

My parents and the inlaws have also been successfully using breadmachines for years.

Much like coffee machines and other kitchen appliances, a little bit of effort to understand how they work rather than thinking they are something magical and you can get so much benefit from them.

That said, for good, crusty bread (ciabatta, baguettes, sourdough etc) I prefer shaping by hand and proving in specialised baskets to give me more control over the process and bake in an oven on a pizza stone.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

I think my mother gave up with the bread machine because she couldn't keep up 5 Sons and a Daughter we went through a lot of bread and it wasn't cheap making your own with a bread maker. What I would like to know how many here let their dough rise twice? In New York recently and an artisan bread maker I spoke to only let his bread rise once, plus he added vinegar and following his recipe it really is very good and it doesn't taste of vinegar.

 

[indica86]

I do twice if using yeast.
I find it tastes better.
One long one for sourdough.

 

[Mardoo]

Commercial-yeast raised I often only raised once when I had a crapload of bread to get out in a short time, when I was baking professionally. Sour raised always twice. With yeast you'll get a better texture when you raise twice. With sours you'll get better flavour and you usually need the second raise to increase loft/cell count. That's my experience at least.

Edit: Noice Indica86! I love the way experience presents itself differently.

 

[indica86]

Yeah it's good.
Also depends on the sour culture I suppose.
Mine has been with me for years and I know it very well. Which is the major factor with sourdough I think, knowing your little friend in the fridge.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

With yeast you'll get a better texture when you raise twice.

I always do 2 raisings.

Much better flavour and texture

Interestingly, as a side note, we have a local baker here who makes awesome bread, $2.60 a loaf at the local servo/corner shop , but they sell **** loads of it, and it lasts better than that 99c bread

I always buy a loaf every Monday of toast loaf :icon_drool2: