The bread thread

[john70t]

First Try.
Ingredients were 3c. flour, 1/2 tsp "dry active" yeast, 1.5 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp sugar, 1.5c. water. (2:1 ratio)
Recipe from the internet.
Whisked all the dry together. Add water slowly and fold gently into center. Don't over-mix.
I covered with DRY towel for 18 hours but bubble production was almost nonexistent!

Baked at 450deg 30min covered and then 8 min uncovered.

Result= Outer crust was hard as a rock. Teeth breaking hard. Too salty for my taste. No bubbles in the center and chewy.



Second Try.
This time the ingredients were: 3c. flour, 1 tsp "dry active" yeast, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, 1.5c. water.
This time I covered with a WET towel for 6 hrs.
Decent bubbles, but I think they mostly popped when transferring to the parchment paper.

Baked at only 400deg 30 min covered, and then 15 min uncovered.

Result= There were good bubbles before but they seemed to completely flatten in the oven while cooking.
(Bread needs a high initial heat to puff up and retain shape.)
Good outer crust but simply not cooked in the center. Should have baked it longer.


Third Try.
Same ingredient formula as #2 but I used "fast acting" yeast for 8 hours.
Very good bubble production.
I also put the mixed dough in the rise bowl directly on parchment paper so it would retain it's shape when transferred to the nabe/hotpot/casserole dish.

This time I baked it at 450deg for only 20 minutes and then 10 minutes uncovered.

Result= Still a little chewy in center and should have been 25-30 min covered.
Not much flavor but the bake result is pretty close.

[john70t]

Oops wrong forum.

[HardDrive]

Failed bread = Trumps fault.

[The Synergizer]

Thought this was going to be about the price of bread in a year.

[tabs]

I have taken up making Sausage..

Use ka meat grinder attachment..then got a LEM sausage stuffer..found a Little Chief electric smoker for 35 for that low and slow smoke..

[Dpmulvan]

What kind of flour are you using??? That makes all the difference, don’t use all purpose flour.

[Chocaholic]

I though this thread was about your $1200 Trump-check.

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by tabs

I have taken up making Sausage..

Use ka meat grinder attachment..then got a LEM sausage stuffer..found a Little Chief electric smoker for 35 for that low and slow smoke..

What's the "LEM" stuffer. I get the KA (kitchenaid grinder). Does the KA meat grinder work well? We have the mixer and I've always wondered how the meat grinder attachment works.

Originally Posted by Dpmulvan

What kind of flour are you using??? That makes all the difference, don’t use all purpose flour.

Yep! I made pizza last week and had to do some reading on the different flours and which one works best for the type of crust you desire. Same for bread making.

[wdfifteen]

500 grams of high protein bread flour (minimum 12% protein).
350 grams of 110f water. EDIT: 375 grams of water!!!
1 teaspoon of yeast
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon sugar

Mix flour and salt. Put yeast and sugar in a 1 cup container. Pour in about 1/4 inch of the warm water. Let it sit until the volume doubles.
Mix water/yeast mixture into the flour. Form a ball and let it rise in a 70 degree or so area until it doubles in volume. Knead the dough for a minute or so. Then form ball and work the ball, stretching the surface a little over and down, keep going until you start to see the surface tear just a little. This firms up the gluten on the surface and lets it remain a ball instead of going flat. Gluten inside the ball doesn't get as stiff, letting air pockets develop inside.
Put it on a piece of parchment paper so you don't have to handle the dough any more. Let it sit in a warm area until the ball doubles in size.
Put a dutch oven in the oven and heat oven to 460 degrees.
Put the bread ball w/paper on the lid of the dutch oven and put the bottom of the oven over it. This creates a dome that holds in the steam and develops the crust.
Bake for 20 minutes, remove cover, bake another 5 minutes.
I make a loaf every week. Sometimes I cut it in two and freeze half.

[craigster59]

Your problem might be that you didn't sift the flour. Here's a no nonsense easy recipe....

https://www.food.com/recipe/beer-bread-73440

[Aurel]

Good. Now if anyone could show me how to make toilet paper I’d appreciate that .

[red-beard]

Yeast to flour ratio is 0.6 to 0.75 tsp per cup flour.

[Danimal16]

Yes, you can use AP, and of course better flour has a tremendous affect. My go to is a 25% whole grain hard red wheat (I mill my own) with 75% Organic commercial AP. I have a very old starter. Hydration is key and how you add the water. Baking is a two step process, one/half with steam and covered crock, the former uncovered with no steam.

The photo shows a bread that I prepared for a neighbor that has 84% hydration and a 24 hour final rise. It is a whole grain starter and the main dough is pillsbury AP (I am out of my go to King Arthur Organic AP). It has flavor to kill for.

Another key is if you use yeast, you must use it properly. Active dry yeast must be proofed and combined with the wet ingredients. Instant yeast (which I prefer if using yeast) is simply mixed in with the dry ingredients. Just practice to get it right.

And one last thing, use baker's percentages. Once you learn baker's percentages you can far better understand bread baking.

[john70t]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Then form ball and work the ball, stretching the surface a little over and down, keep going until you start to see the surface tear just a little. This firms up the gluten on the surface and lets it remain a ball instead of going flat. Gluten inside the ball doesn't get as stiff, letting air pockets develop inside.

That's the missing step. And the wrong flour. And not proofing the yeast before. ..
The braintrust here is strong.

[SiberianDVM]

I just use a KitchenAid bread maker, mostly for really good French bread, but I need to figure out how to make these:

[Danimal16]

There are some really great websites out there. My favorite is this one: https://breadtopia.com

[gomezoneill]

Multi talented people here. Even though some disagree we can all come together to make bread.

Kinda Biblical.

[Danimal16]

Originally Posted by gomezoneill

Multi talented people here. Even though some disagree we can all come together to make bread.

Kinda Biblical.

Yep, it, like horseradish relish, is a universal food.

[Ziggythecat]

[Ziggythecat]

Originally Posted by john70t

That's the missing step. And the wrong flour. And not proofing the yeast before. ..
The braintrust here is strong.

Google Jim Leahy no knead bread.
Just flour, yeast, salt and water
His technique does it with a long overnight ferment, with the sugars in the flour as the food source for the yeast, with a high hydration

Done right, it gives a bubbly open airy crumb
Happy baking