Bread Baking (sourdough)

[ripvw]

ripvw those look great. Do you bake just on a stone in oven? I have tended to keep my loaves round or slightly oval so I can use a Dutch oven.

I messed around with rye a bit back during the pandemic. Just scored a bag of medium rye from friends moving away so trying some recipes from The Rye Baker. Created a rye starter from my regular wheat starter. Made a polish rye with yogurt the other day that was ok. I should have added more water and should have let it proof longer. That’s the game with rye; proof enough but not too much otherwise it collapses as you try to move it.

This morning was the Old Milwaukee Rye with molasses and caraway. Came out great. Looking forward to my sandwich at lunch!
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I use these clay bakers from breadtopia.

https://breadtopia.com/store/breadto...-baker-oblong/

I also have a round one, but prefer batards as they slice better for sandwiches.
The bakers work great. I normally bake at 480 for 30 minutes with the lid on, and then 20 minutes with it off. Never had any issues with scorching. I do put a sprinkle of rice flower on the bottom of the loaf before I dump it in the baker to prevent sticking. Recommend.

[ripvw]

Baked these this morning. Shaping was a little funky, but good oven spring.

[jm2e]

Been feeding the starter by doing:
30g Starter + 50g Water + 50g Flour
Keeping in fridge for one week.

Going on vacation for 16 days. Should I do the ratio any different?


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[skaredshtles]

Been feeding the starter by doing:
30g Starter + 50g Water + 50g Flour
Keeping in fridge for one week.

Going on vacation for 16 days. Should I do the ratio any different?


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Nope - IME a refrigerated starter I extremely hardy. Just pull it out when you need it and start feeding it again.

[Grange]

I kept my normal ratio of 25g starter, 100g water, 100g APF, and 25g whole wheat flour. I fed it and let it start to rise and once it was rising I put it in the fridge for two weeks while I went to Alaska in June. I had no issues when I came back and made multiple sandwich loaves and artisan loaves since then.

[old goat]

I've had no problems refrigerating starter without feeding for as long as 3 weeks, haven't tried longer. When I get back I usually feed it right away and again if it's sluggish, before feeding it for a loaf.

[ripvw]

I bake once a week and only feed my starter the night before I want to make dough. If it’s been more than a few weeks, sometimes I will do one feed and discard if it seems sluggish.

[jm2e]

Cast iron or enamel? Amazon random brandz or boutique brand?
Wife doesn't like the look of cast iron. Wants something pretty. I still suck pretty hard at breading.

[rideit]

Just came out of the oven, Sourdough sandwich loaf and a Rosemary-Garlic Parmesan round.

[old goat]

Cast iron or enamel? Amazon random brandz or boutique brand?
Wife doesn't like the look of cast iron. Wants something pretty. I still suck pretty hard at breading.

Doesn't matter for bread. Go with what you want for making stews, bolognese sauce etc. Enameled doesn't need seasoning but my cast iron skillet hasn't been seasoned in 2 years--once it's well seasoned the process of cooking with oil gives it all the maintenance it needs. Well seasoned cast iron is a better non stick surface but enamel is good for developing a fond to add flavor. My enameled cast iron 6qt pot is an off brand and it stains badly but that doesn't affect the cooking. My cast iron skillet is off brand as well--it doesn't have a pretty smooth surface but again that doesn't affect cooking. The only Le Creuset I have is an enameled griddle/grill. I personally wouldn't spend the extra money for that brand. Lodge gets high marks for a lot less money but I'm happy with my off brand stuff.

TLDR--get what the wife wants.

[ripvw]

e;[emoji[emoji6[emoji640][emoji638]][emoji640][emoji639]][emoji637][emoji639][emoji637][emoji6[emoji640][emoji637]][emoji640][emoji[emoji6[emoji640][emoji638]][emoji640][emoji6[emoji640][emoji638]]]]Cast iron or enamel? Amazon random brandz or boutique brand?
Wife doesn't like the look of cast iron. Wants something pretty. I still suck pretty hard at breading.

The Lodge enameled Dutch ovens are pretty damn nice for the price. That said, if you are ok with something you’ll only bake bread in the clay bakers from breadtopia are really nice and produce fantastic loaves.

https://breadtopia.com/store/breadto...-baker-oblong/

[KQ]

Been a while since I baked bread. Decided to make some Tuscan Bean Stew and I can't have that without fresh baked bread (you toast bread, put it in the bottom of the bowl and spoon the stew over the top. Stew is closer to soup IMO).

Anyhoo, not sourdough but Saturday white with 10% whole wheat from "Flour Water Salt Yeast."

[skaredshtles]

Been a while since I baked bread. Decided to make some Tuscan Bean Stew and I can't have that without fresh baked bread (you toast bread, put it in the bottom of the bowl and spoon the stew over the top. Stew is closer to soup IMO).

Mmm... ribollita. Probably my favorite soup/stew of all time.

[KQ]

Mmm... ribollita. Probably my favorite soup/stew of all time.

I use pancetta rather than sausage but yeah... pretty much the same. Do we have a soup/stew thread? Maybe we need one because I've got a portugese soup that I LOVE called Calde Verde. Serve it with fresh baked Broa *chef kiss* Love me just about anything with corn meal in it. Made corn muffins with cheddar & scallions last week. To-die-for.

[guide]

Love me just about anything with corn meal in it.

So, have you ever baked Anadama Bread? (it must be a New England thing)

[KQ]

So, have you ever baked Anadama Bread? (it must be a New England thing)

Know about it but have not made it.

The way I make it Broa lacks the rye and molasses of Adadama bread instead using cornmeal, white flour, honey and milk.

[old goat]

Been a while since I baked bread. Decided to make some Tuscan Bean Stew and I can't have that without fresh baked bread (you toast bread, put it in the bottom of the bowl and spoon the stew over the top. Stew is closer to soup IMO).

Anyhoo, not sourdough but Saturday white with 10% whole wheat from "Flour Water Salt Yeast."

Nice looking loaf. I see Jesus preaching the Sermon on the Mount.

I'll have to give that bean stew a try. I usually make a huge pot of minestrone at the beginning of the winter that lasts me all season. Any excuse to bake bread.

[KQ]

Nice looking loaf. I see Jesus preaching the Sermon on the Mount.

I'll have to give that bean stew a try. I usually make a huge pot of minestrone at the beginning of the winter that lasts me all season. Any excuse to bake bread.

Here is the recipe I used:




Hearty Tuscan Bean Stew

SERVES 8

Ingredients

Table salt
1 pound dried cannellini beans (about 2 cups), rinsed and picked over
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
6 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch pieces (see note)
1 large onion, chopped medium (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 medium celery ribs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3/4 cup)
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
8 medium garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 bunch kale or collard greens (about 1 pound), stems trimmed and leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces (about 8 cups loosely packed)
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed
1 sprig fresh rosemary
Ground black pepper
8 slices country white bread, each 1 1/4 inches thick, broiled until golden brown on both sides and rubbed with garlic clove (optiona)


Why This Recipe Works
We were determined to avoid tough, exploded beans in our Tuscan bean stew recipe, so we soaked the beans overnight in salted water, which softened the skins. Then we experimented with cooking times and temperatures, discovering that gently cooking the beans in a 250-degree oven produced perfectly cooked beans that stayed intact. To complete our bean stew recipe, we added tomatoes toward the end of cooking, since their acid kept the beans from becoming too soft.

Before You Begin
*
We prefer the creamier texture of beans soaked overnight for this recipe. If you're short on time, quick-soak them: Place the rinsed beans in a large heat-resistant bowl. Bring 2 quarts of water and 3 tablespoons of salt to a boil. Pour the water over the beans and let them sit for 1 hour. Drain and rinse the beans well before proceeding with step 2. If pancetta is unavailable, substitute 4 ounces of bacon (about 4 slices). For a more substantial dish, serve the stew over toasted bread.

Instructions

Dissolve 3 tablespoons salt in 4 quarts cold water in large bowl or container. Add beans and soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours. Drain and rinse well.



Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Heat oil and pancetta in large Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pancetta is lightly browned and fat has rendered, 6 to 10 minutes. Add onion, celery, and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and lightly browned, 10 to 16 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, water, bay leaves, and soaked beans. Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Cover pot, transfer to oven, and cook until beans are almost tender (very center of beans will still be firm), 45 minutes to 1 hour.



Remove pot from oven and stir in greens and tomatoes. Cover pot, return to oven, and continue to cook until beans and greens are fully tender, 30 to 40 minutes longer.



Remove pot from oven and submerge rosemary sprig in stew. Cover and let stand 15 minutes. Discard bay leaves and rosemary sprig and season stew with salt and pepper to taste. If desired, use back of spoon to press some beans against side of pot to thicken stew. Serve over toasted bread, if desired, and drizzle with olive oil.

[old goat]

Thanks. Although you could have saved yourself the trouble--I subscribe to ATK too. : -- )

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Beans and greens, who needs a recipe? This was a staple that I cooked for my girls growing up.


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[Buke]

I almost never stray from the standard boule but decided that I wanted to do a proper sandwich bread. It's about 15% spelt, 15% whole wheat, 70% AP. A little honey for sweetness and a little olive oil to make the crumb soft. Turned out amazing.

[jm2e]

I gave up (for now) on sourdough. Been having much better luck and consistency with yeast. Churning out these small Italian boules which is making wife happy and allowing me to experiment with subtle recipe tweaks. Bought a Dutch Oven wich really is a game changer.