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nymfomaniac
Registered: 10/18/11
Posts: 60
Last seen: 11 years, 3 months
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Bread 1
#15417468 - 11/24/11 12:59 PM (12 years, 4 months ago) |
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First time in 6 years that I've made bread again
This is the result of yesterdayevening.
I'm proud!
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koraks
Registered: 06/02/03
Posts: 26,704
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And I'm jealous. Looks good!
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funkyfish77
out
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Posts: 429
Loc:
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Re: Bread [Re: koraks]
#15425383 - 11/26/11 08:09 AM (12 years, 4 months ago) |
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Looks great . What kind is it ? Looks like sourdoe (spl)
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koraks
Registered: 06/02/03
Posts: 26,704
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According to OP, it's not sourdough but plain yeast.
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koraks
Registered: 06/02/03
Posts: 26,704
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Re: Bread [Re: koraks] 1
#15549151 - 12/21/11 06:11 AM (12 years, 3 months ago) |
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Ok, I think I've got it. I've been baking my own bread for about three weeks now, and I think I finally worked out a recipe that results in the sort of bread I like.
Here's the recipe: (1) pre-dough: I start 12-24 hours in advance of baking the actual bread, by mixing some flour (maybe 40g/ca. 1oz or so), a pinch of salt, some dry yeast and about as much water as I use flour. This results in a porridge-like mixture. Don't worry about small lumps of flour - they don't affect the final product. Let this mixture stand in a small bowl; I currently put it on the counter in my kitchen, which is probably about 15C/ca. 60F or a little less. Let ferment for 12-24 hours; stir once in a while if temperatures are higher (otherwise the mixture will overflow the bowl).
(2) dough: I mix about 250g of flour (ca. 7.5oz), a pinch (2-3g) of salt, the pre-dough (see above), two tbsp of milk and one tbsp of vegetable oil. Add enough water so that none all of the flower can be mixed into a dough. I use a mixer with dough hooks for this, because the mixture tends to be a bit too wet to knead by hand, but you can make it less moist and knead by hand instead. A more moist mixture results in larger air pockets in your bread, but it also makes the dough runny: you can't really form a ball out of it; it will sag and spread out. This is not a problem though; see details in baking phase. Anyway, mix the dough until it's nice and homogeneous; takes only 1 or 2 minutes if you use a mixer. There's no need to mix any longer at this point!
(3) first ferment/gluten development: let the dough ferment now. I do this by putting the dough in a plastic bowl with a loose-fitting lid, and putting that in the oven. Oven is heated at 40C/104F. I let it sit in there for 40 minutes.
(4) second ferment/rise: take the dough out of the oven after the first ferment and mix/knead well for a couple of minutes. You'll see that the dough has a more silky texture than prior to the first ferment, and it forms strings when you pull it apart. This silky texture is the sign that you have good gluten development. Note that after the first ferment, the dough has not necessarily risen much; it may have increased 50% in volume. That's ok - the air will be added in the second and final fermentation stages. So knead this sikly dough for a couple of minutes; I fold and pull it maybe ten times or so. Then form a ball out of it, cover in flour and put back into the (clean) fermentation bowl. (Btw, I sometimes do the kneading at this stage with the mixer as well. Works just fine.) Then put back into the 40C/104F oven and let rise for 40 minutes. (5) baking: take the risen dough out of the oven. It's now doubled (or even more) in volume. Take it out of the bowl and fold it two or three times. Don't knead at this point! We want the air to remain in the dough, so be gentle with it! Put it on a piece of baking paper and form it into the desired shape. For me, this is a long and relatively wide roll. If your dough is on the moist side, you'll see it will sag. I never worry about this, as the dough will rise during the first 10 minutes of baking anyway. I use a piece of slate in the oven for baking bread (and pizza) - a pizza stone is fine too, but I use a $5 piece of slate that I picked up at a building supplies store and cut to size. I heat the oven to 200C (about 395F), and in the meantime, I let the (formed) dough rest for about 30 minutes in a warm spot. In that half hour, the stone in the oven has heated up nicely. I cut length-wise into the formed dough; about an inch deep (this is easier if your dough is not too moist). The cutting is to ensure that the bread can easily rise during the initial stage of baking. Put the dough on the stone inside the oven and bake for about 40 minutes. During the initial ten minutes of baking, the dough will double or triple in volume - this final 'rise' is caused by the water in the dough being converted into steam, and this puffs up the bread. When the bread is baked, take it out of the oven and knock on the underside: it should sound hollow. The crust should be a bit flexible still. I always put it back onto the warm stone and close the oven. I usually bake my bread late at night, so that it's cooled down but still fresh next morning.
This bread doesn't store too well because it has very little fat in it, so I bake fresh bread every one or two days. If you want your bread to keep longer, then add a bit more milk and/or oil. I like it better with a minimal amount of both, though. You do need a little milk and oil for an optimal crumb texture; I've left out both oil and milk, but the texture just isn't as good as with the recipe described above. Regarding flour: I use cheap, all-purpose flour. I use organic flour these days, but regular works just as well, of course. Whole grain flour should work as well, but it tends to rise a bit slower/less. I've had good results with a mixture of about 60% plain flour and 40% whole grain flour, but I haven't experimented a lot with other types of flour yet.
Some pics:
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koraks
Registered: 06/02/03
Posts: 26,704
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Re: Bread [Re: koraks]
#15549158 - 12/21/11 06:13 AM (12 years, 3 months ago) |
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Oh yeah, the estimated costs of a bread like this, which feeds me for a day: - Less than € 0.50 (< $0.70) in energy and ingredients. - A little over two hours with the fermentation included, but excluding the pre-dough (12-24hrs).
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Beanhead
IS IRONIC PARADOX
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Re: Bread [Re: koraks]
#15549179 - 12/21/11 06:26 AM (12 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
koraks said: Oh yeah, the estimated costs of a bread like this, which feeds me for a day: - Less than € 0.50 (< $0.70) in energy and ingredients. - A little over two hours with the fermentation included, but excluding the pre-dough (12-24hrs).
we used to make bread here (with a machine) and we always exceeded or hit the price like it's in a bakery
thanks man, i'll try this out
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koraks
Registered: 06/02/03
Posts: 26,704
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Quote:
Beanhead said: we used to make bread here (with a machine) and we always exceeded or hit the price like it's in a bakery
That's odd. What were the major cost drivers in your bread?
This is the cost breakdown for my bread: - Flour: ca. 300g @ € 0.60/kg = ca. € 0.20 - Yeast: ca. 2g @ € 1.10/100g = ca. € 0.022 - Oil: ca. 10ml @ € 1.40/l = ca. € 0.014 - Milk: ca. 30ml @ € 0.70/l = ca. € 0.021 - Salt: 3g @ € 0.30/kg = negligible - Water: negligible - Energy: I estimated this at perhaps 1kWh @ €0.10/kWh = € 0.10 Total: € 0.357
But I use organic flour, which adds about € 0.25 to the costs, so I actually hit ca. € 0.60 for a bread. So still pretty affordable.
Quote:
thanks man, i'll try this out
Be sure to do that! And if the first bread doesn't come out as intended, then make another one. And another one. Bread baking, I have come to understand, is one of those things that revolve around tacit knowledge - you got to learn it by doing. Practice makes perfect (and I haven't reached perfect by a long shot yet!)
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nymfomaniac
Registered: 10/18/11
Posts: 60
Last seen: 11 years, 3 months
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Re: Bread [Re: koraks]
#15549286 - 12/21/11 07:34 AM (12 years, 3 months ago) |
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Looks nice!
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koraks
Registered: 06/02/03
Posts: 26,704
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Flavor and texture are nice too, trust me
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soochi
Chef
Registered: 08/13/02
Posts: 2,420
Loc: The Richest County
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your crust is thick, when baking, you want to introduce as much moisture as possible before the proteins on the outside of the crust has a chance to harden (denature) placing a heavy cast iron pan to heat in the oven until very hot works well, the after you place your bread on the rack, pour hot water into the pan to create steam. at the restaurant I use a shark jet steam cleaner to make it easier.
-------------------- Wee, sleeket, cowran, tim'rous beastie, O, what panic's in thy breastie! Thou need na start awa sae hasty, Wi' bickering brattle!
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koraks
Registered: 06/02/03
Posts: 26,704
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Re: Bread [Re: soochi]
#15551643 - 12/21/11 04:21 PM (12 years, 3 months ago) |
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I know about that, but I want my crust to be thick Your advice works well for a really soft and pliable crust.
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soochi
Chef
Registered: 08/13/02
Posts: 2,420
Loc: The Richest County
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Re: Bread [Re: koraks]
#15552609 - 12/21/11 06:51 PM (12 years, 3 months ago) |
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actually it makes for a thick crust too if you bake on stone plus it aides in the texture of the crumb, allowing the bread to rise as much as possible during baking before the gluten sets is always optimal.
-------------------- Wee, sleeket, cowran, tim'rous beastie, O, what panic's in thy breastie! Thou need na start awa sae hasty, Wi' bickering brattle!
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Moody Vaden
Strangler
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Re: Bread [Re: soochi]
#15553100 - 12/21/11 08:16 PM (12 years, 3 months ago) |
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Looks delicious! I love making bread. I really want to try rye.
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Prisoner#1
Even Dumber ThanAdvertized!
Registered: 01/22/03
Posts: 193,665
Loc: Pvt. Pubfag NutSuck
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Re: Bread [Re: soochi]
#15553405 - 12/21/11 09:09 PM (12 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
soochi said: your crust is thick, when baking, you want to introduce as much moisture as possible before the proteins on the outside of the crust has a chance to harden (denature) placing a heavy cast iron pan to heat in the oven until very hot works well, the after you place your bread on the rack, pour hot water into the pan to create steam. at the restaurant I use a shark jet steam cleaner to make it easier.
typically I do a couple loaves at a time because it goes so quick, I have a 3rd bread pan I simply fill with boiling water. I'm stopping by a resturant supply store in a couple of days for a couple of larger bread pans because I hate the 9" pans that are available. several companies make them 11" to 15" but no one carries them. it'll also let me pick up a few other supplies I've been in desperate need of
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lillFish
Daydreamer
Registered: 01/18/09
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Loc: Recliner
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that looks very delicious. I have made bread one time before. I wished it had been less dense. The crust looks amazing too!
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DaProfessor
Eternal student
Registered: 07/20/10
Posts: 112
Last seen: 10 years, 6 months
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Those loaves look awesome. OMG, bread is orgasmic! Especially simple breads. Water, flour, yeast, salt & heat. It's amazing that such complex & savory flavors can come from those ingredients. Do you have this book? I highly recommend it if you don't. Wait, I don't highly recommend it at all...I demand that you buy it now! It shows how to produce every single style of bread you could possibly want & more. It shows you 'why' so that you understand 'how'. No longer will you need recipes & you will be become strong in the 'bread force' It will keep you busy for years! I especially like its method for cultivating a local sourdough starter. Most surefire way I've ever tried.
on cheap ass bread stones. I make sure that I give every foodie acquaintance a 'gourmet baking stone'. Fuck gourmet! Good food is good food!
For steam, I just make sure I have a clean oven and I spray the walls a few times throughout baking. I really like the method of using a steamer though! Good tip! I'll try it soon since I was about to donate a cheap hand steamer to goodwill.
Edited by DaProfessor (01/03/12 06:30 AM)
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Swan Song
Registered: 02/08/06
Posts: 559
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Re: Bread [Re: koraks]
#15721754 - 01/26/12 05:34 PM (12 years, 2 months ago) |
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Looks Fabulous!
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koraks
Registered: 06/02/03
Posts: 26,704
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About a year further up the learning curve:
This kind of bread I feel I can now bake consistently.
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Shroomism
Space Travellin
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Re: Bread [Re: koraks] 1
#17731010 - 02/02/13 05:03 AM (11 years, 2 months ago) |
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I'd eat it!
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