Bread Baking (sourdough)

[sb]

So I tried an experiment and did the water pan with the dutch over uncovered. I got a great crust on top but this head faked me into thinking the loaf was done. pulled it out and found it had the consistency of a soft rye bread. Not bad but not really what I was looking for. I also used a store bought mixer to see if that would give me a better mix/knead.

I will go back to doing the covered bake for first 20-25 minutes then uncovered for the remaining time. Usually 55-60 minutes at 420F in my oven.

Here is a utoob viddy I found.

[KQ]

Thanks for posting that video SB!

Well.... I got a Emile Henry No Knead Bread Pot for Christmas and am going to try it out with the basic recipe that came with it. I've made a big pot of chicken noodle soup and need some bread to accompany it.

I have to say that I'm a bit disappointed that I can't find a lot of info online re: the use of said pot or adapting recipes to it. I have two bread books ("The Bread Baker's Apprentice" by Peter Reinhart and "Local Breads" by Daniel Leader) neither of which address the use of such pots or even dutch ovens. Peter Reinhart mentions cloches in passing as a novelty you can try if you're inclined to use such things <roll eyes>

Mr. Mike had recommended a book to me this past summer that I have since discovered has many recipes for dutch oven baking so I've ordered it today. It's called "Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza."

Up until now I've formed and baked boules on a stone which works great but it leaves me with a very hot stone in my oven that takes a while to cool down. I like the idea of having just the pot but I understand I will have to be moving a very hot pot now but that is much more manageable than a big stone. Also, there is the risk of breakage. It's always something and you don't know until you try so I'm trying.......

Any thoughts or advice is much appreciated.

[KQ]

So after all of my reading and thinking about how to use the bread pot I discovered I did not have enough time to follow the recipe that came with the pot because it called for a 12-18 hour rise. I wanted bread tonight so I had to change gears.

I ended up choosing to make Broa a hearty Portuguese bread made with corn meal, flour and honey. I've made it before cooking it on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Mixed it up and let it rise as directed but for the second rise, because I was going to have to flip out into the preheated bread pot, I used a lined brotform that I sprinkled with corn meal.

This is the result:




I did not remove the lid for browning and stuck to the prescribed cooking time/temp.

One thing I did do was practice taking the lid off the pot with potholders prior to heating it. I wasn't sure which pot holders would give me the most dexterity/grip and with only a small lip to hold onto I wanted to know how it was going to work before it was 450 degrees. Turned out the best choice were silicone pads. I also made sure I had a second cooling rack handy to place the lid on while I flipped the dough into the pot.

All in all it worked well IMO.

[ripvw]

My wife bought me one of these for Christmas


https://breadtopia.com/store/round-cloche/

I’m a bread baking jong, but the results have been impressive. I preheat it in a 475 degree oven, drop the dough in and bake covered for about 30 minutes. Pull the lid for another 20 or so and get this:



Like it so much I ordered an oblong one to do more traditional shaped loafs.

[sb]

Those look really nice.

[Mr. Mike]

both loaves above look great! I got another bread baking book for Christmas--Tartine, which is a restaurant in San Fran apparently. The book is good. Really more of a text book than a recipe book, but informative. i made a loaf last week using the Basic Country loaf recipe, and it turned out great.

[KQ]

both loaves above look great! I got another bread baking book for Christmas--Tartine, which is a restaurant in San Fran apparently. The book is good. Really more of a text book than a recipe book, but informative. i made a loaf last week using the Basic Country loaf recipe, and it turned out great.

D'oh! I'm always a step behind!


Might as well put this up in case any of you are interested in baking this wonderful bread. I highly recommend Caldo Verde to go with it. This came from the King Arthur site but I noticed the other day it is no longer there. Glad I saved it.


I would consider this a heavy dense bread.


Broa

Perhaps Portugal's most famous bread is the ubiquitous Portuguese sweet bread, massa sovada, a loaf rich with eggs, milk and butter, and sweet enough to eat as dessert. But clearly, sweet bread isn't an everyday, every-meal bread; the more homely broa is the better choice to serve with meat, cheese and salad, for lunch or at dinner. Broa's traditional accompaniments are caldo verde (a kale, potato and sausage soup), and a dish of peas and eggs. We suggest using it for sandwiches and toast; it's a delightful everyday bread.

1 cup (4 1/8 ounces) yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup (6 ounces) hot water
1/2 cup (4 ounces) milk, warmed
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 1/2 cups (10 3/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) honey
1 tablespoon olive oil


Mix together the cornmeal and hot water in a small bowl. Stir in the warm milk, and let the mixture cool to lukewarm. Then add the remaining ingredients and mix and knead them together -- by hand, mixer or bread machine -- to form a smooth, slightly sticky dough.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and turn it over, so that the top is oiled. Cover the dough and let it rise for 1 1/2 hours, or until it's puffy; this rising time will develop both the flavor and the gluten.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased or floured work surface, knead it lightly (just once or twice), and form it into a ball. Place it onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, or one that's been sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover it and let it rise for 45 minutes, or until it's very puffy.

Just before placing the loaf in a preheated 450°F oven, spritz it lightly with water and make four slashes, each about 1/4-inch deep, into the top crust. Place the loaf in the oven and bake it for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 400°F, and continue to bake for another 15 minutes, or until it's golden brown. Yield: l round loaf, 12 slices.


Nutrition information per serving (1 slice, 61g): 148 cal, 2g fat, 4g protein, 27g complex carbohydrates, 2g sugar, 2g dietary fiber, 276mg sodium, 90mg potassium, 11RE vitamin A, 2mg iron, 14mg calcium, 64mg phosphorus.

[KQ]

Bread baking in a Dutch oven

[Buke]

Have any of you tried making cinnamon rolls with a sourdough starter?

I'm thinking about giving this recipe a try this weekend. https://www.kingarthurflour.com/reci...on-buns-recipe

[ripvw]

A little rosemary sourdough for a rainy Thursday.



My scoring technique still needs some work.

[CovertM]

A little rosemary sourdough for a rainy Thursday.



My scoring technique still needs some work.

"Live Long and Prosper"

Looks perfect...

[sb]

Its more like Fonzi.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

[ripvw]

My 10 year old wanted her initial on it. Thus the A.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[ripvw]

Still trying to figure out the best bulk ferment vs proofing strategies. Lots of conflicting info on the interwebs. I've tried 4-5 hours of bulk fermenting then shaping and refrigerating over night. Worked ok, but dough didn't really rise again until I left it on the counter for a couple hours. Did an overnight room temp ferment, shaped the next morning, proofed for a couple hours and baked. That one (not surprisingly) was over proofed. Tried a couple of other things with mixed results.
So whatcha got for technique?

[sb]

I been proofing in the Dutch oven next day.

Seems to help but not always. ��

[CovertM]

Still trying to figure out the best bulk ferment vs proofing strategies. Lots of conflicting info on the interwebs. I've tried 4-5 hours of bulk fermenting then shaping and refrigerating over night. Worked ok, but dough didn't really rise again until I left it on the counter for a couple hours. Did an overnight room temp ferment, shaped the next morning, proofed for a couple hours and baked. That one (not surprisingly) was over proofed. Tried a couple of other things with mixed results.
So whatcha got for technique?

My go to for the last year has been this...
Autolyse for 90min after rough mix (no salt)
Add salt, stretch and fold 30x
Continue stretch and fold about every 30min for 90-120min.
Cover and put in fridge overnight
Take out of fridge, shape and place on parchment in bowl to proof for a couple/few hours (covered in fancy French cloth you aren't supposed to wash)
Bake as usual

This has been mostly with a fairly high hydration recipe if that helps. Only other thing i've noticed is that it is super temp. dependent on the final proof, if the house is too cool I will put in oven with the light on and it speeds things up/maintains correct temp.

[Buke]

My go to for the last year has been this...
Autolyse for 90min after rough mix (no salt)
Add salt, stretch and fold 30x
Continue stretch and fold about every 30min for 90-120min.
Cover and put in fridge overnight
Take out of fridge, shape and place on parchment in bowl to proof for a couple/few hours (covered in fancy French cloth you aren't supposed to wash)
Bake as usual

This has been mostly with a fairly high hydration recipe if that helps. Only other thing i've noticed is that it is super temp. dependent on the final proof, if the house is too cool I will put in oven with the light on and it speeds things up/maintains correct temp.

This sounds a lot like what I do except that I will usually start first thing in the morning and spend more like 4-5 hours in the initial ferment, folding every 30 minutes and then go straight to shaping and the final ferment. I find that the sourdough is pretty forgiving as long as you have time to wait. Sometimes I'll start the process right before bed and thus skip the bulk of the folding. That can work too. My methods are lifted straight out of the Tartine Bread book...

[KQ]

Still trying to figure out the best bulk ferment vs proofing strategies. Lots of conflicting info on the interwebs. I've tried 4-5 hours of bulk fermenting then shaping and refrigerating over night. Worked ok, but dough didn't really rise again until I left it on the counter for a couple hours. Did an overnight room temp ferment, shaped the next morning, proofed for a couple hours and baked. That one (not surprisingly) was over proofed. Tried a couple of other things with mixed results.
So whatcha got for technique?

mcove is onto something with holding the salt initially as it can hamper rising.

I use a bread proofing box to ensure I have a consistent temp and humidity for rising. I resorted to buying this because I didn't have a good spot in my house to allow for proper rising. I'm really happy with it - folds up to the size of two baking sheets and stores easily. I did buy it through King Arthur but you can get it cheaper elsewhere or you can go online and find info on building your own.

[ripvw]

mcove is onto something with holding the salt initially as it can hamper rising.

I use a bread proofing box to ensure I have a consistent temp and humidity for rising. I resorted to buying this because I didn't have a good spot in my house to allow for proper rising. I'm really happy with it - folds up to the size of two baking sheets and stores easily. I did buy it through King Arthur but you can get it cheaper elsewhere or you can go online and find info on building your own.

Yeah, I’ve been doing the autolyse, sans salt, for 30-60 minutes. That proofer looks cool, will definitely put it on my list. Are you using it for both initial ferment and proofing or are you doing something with cold storage?

[KQ]

Yeah, I’ve been doing the autolyse, sans salt, for 30-60 minutes. That proofer looks cool, will definitely put it on my list. Are you using it for both initial ferment and proofing or are you doing something with cold storage?

I use it for all rising no matter what kind of yeasted bread I'm making (sourdough, pizza dough, no knead etc.). I like the certainty temp and humidity. Its very easy to set up and use. I highly recommend it.

For my sourdough I do a cold rise overnight but in the morning I put it back in the box for the final rise.

[Flounder]

Have any of you tried making cinnamon rolls with a sourdough starter?

I'm thinking about giving this recipe a try this weekend. https://www.kingarthurflour.com/reci...on-buns-recipe

Yes, Mrs Flounder makes them now and then. Tastes great and she says the recipe is pretty easy. Only downside is you'll eat a lot of them and they aren't exactly low calorie.

[sb]

I have been using the oven as a proofing box of sorts. The lowest it will go is 170F so I just turn it on for a couple of minutes and then off. I put the dutch oven in with the dough inside and leave it for 4 or 5 hours. I am baking at 420F usually for 50-60 minutes.

Gonna try the later salt addition on my next dough.

[ripvw]

Latest effort. Did the batch ferment at room temp for about 4 hours. Shaped the loaves and put in floured baskets to proof in the fridge overnight. Didn’t seem to rise much overnight, but got great oven spring putting the cold dough in the hot cooker.

Bread tastes great, but has a very open crumb and the bottom crust is a little tough. Still working out the kinks!

[sb]

fantastic

[~mikey b]

low maintenance loaf courtesy of The Beast