Homemade Bread

[facetjoint]

Originally Posted by Eyes Shut

Here's the recipe:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html

WRT cookbooks, I use a variety, including the Sunset Cookbook of Breads, ad Bernard Clayton's The Complete Book of Breads. I think the regulars in this thread will have some good recommendations.

That is way, way to simple! Even so much so that I can even understand it. Now a few questions if I may please? Can you sub. whole wheat flour instead of the white flour? If so how much whole wheat can be substituted? Also what about adding fruits, nuts, etc.?

Thanks

[Eyes Shut]

Originally Posted by facetjoint

That is way, way to simple! Even so much so that I can even understand it. Now a few questions if I may please? Can you sub. whole wheat flour instead of the white flour? If so how much whole wheat can be substituted? Also what about adding fruits, nuts, etc.?

Thanks

According to the information I have about the recipe:
"Author Mark Bittman reports success in using up to 30% whole grain flour, up to 50% whole wheat flour, and up to 20% rye flour.

When adding flavors --caraway seeds, chopped olives, onions, cheese, walnuts, raisins -- Mr. Bittman suggests adding after you've mixed the dough, but they can also be folded in before the dough's second rising."

I usually make the recipe myself with 50% whole wheat and 50% white flour. I've never added in mix-ins, but obviously you can. You would probably want to use the same proportions suggested in other bread recipes, usually about one cup of add-in per loaf.

I think that the regulars in this thread will have more comments and ideas, too.

[facetjoint]

Originally Posted by Eyes Shut

According to the information I have about the recipe:
"Author Mark Bittman reports success in using up to 30% whole grain flour, up to 50% whole wheat flour, and up to 20% rye flour.

When adding flavors --caraway seeds, chopped olives, onions, cheese, walnuts, raisins -- Mr. Bittman suggests adding after you've mixed the dough, but they can also be folded in before the dough's second rising."

I usually make the recipe myself with 50% whole wheat and 50% white flour. I've never added in mix-ins, but obviously you can. You would probably want to use the same proportions suggested in other bread recipes, usually about one cup of add-in per loaf.

I think that the regulars in this thread will have more comments and ideas, too.

Thank you, that is exactly what I wanted to know. I learned one $$$ lesson on trying to make home made cinnamon rolls using 100% whole wheat. It was damn expensive bird food to say the least.

About fruits etc. I was thinking like the old traditional raisin bread and see how that goes then move on up from there.

Thanks again!

[levain]

In general, more whole grain of any sort will;
-absorb more water. Don't be afraid to add more
-ferment faster thanks to the bran & germ. drop temps or drop yeast. Either works. I prefer dropping yeast always since cooler temps don't make better bread. The idea is to control the fermentation.
-make denser bread

One of the cool things about bread is that if you try something you don't like, do something different next time! It's just bread. It'll still be edible

I would NOT recommend adding any "extras-nuts, olives etc" AFTER your fermentation has begun. They should always be added at mixing. Preferably towards the very end. If you add these chunky ingredients after the dough has started fermenting, you risk losing volume, ripping the dough and losing all those nice air bubbles (we call it hole structure) that makes bread interesting and worth your time. What you can do is add these things while giving a series of folds. We fold our Olive bread twice and we incorporate our olives at that point. There is no rough handling at this stage. Simply spreading the olives out, folding the dough over itself a couple times and your done. Do that a couple times an hr apart and your good.

[Commuter Boy]

Originally Posted by facetjoint

Can you sub. whole wheat flour instead of the white flour? If so how much whole wheat can be substituted?

You can substitute a little, or a lot, but you're going to get different results accordingly.

WW won't rise as much, it just tears up those great gluten strands that help the dough rise. The bread will get denser and denser as you add a higher percentage.

If you want to get around that, you need to experiment with the recipe. You can add more water, you can drop the yeast and increase the fermentation time, you have to handle the dough more gently to allow it to rise.

If you're a non-purist you could consider adding more pure gluten to the mix as an additive.

But really, you should just get used to the flavour and texture of a different style of bread if you go 50% - 100% whole wheat on a loaf. There's a place in the world for a hearty, dense, low-air bubble bread, it all doesn't have to be artisan white bread with big hole structure.

Practically, I find I can substitute up to 1/3 WW in a batch without serious adverse affects, and get something people don't notice much difference with. However, I'm using good high-protein Canuck bread flour for the white flour portion too, so that goes a long way, YMMV.

[shelion]

Originally Posted by Eyes Shut

Here's the recipe:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html

WRT cookbooks, I use a variety, including the Sunset Cookbook of Breads, ad Bernard Clayton's The Complete Book of Breads. I think the regulars in this thread will have some good recommendations.

Thanks for the link! I should have made the connection that Mark Bittman was involved. My favorite cookbook, and the one that I got my sandwich bread recipe from, is one of his.

[Mambo Dave]

I have a problem... Slits on the top rarely ever do anything for my simple breads.

With or without slitting it I can get rounded tops, or I can get flat tops like... a cake layer:








Do you guys think this is from the top hitting the lid? I leave the lid on for the first half of cooking to keep the moisture in, like when using a cast iron pan flipped and on top of another cast iron pan (so like a dutch oven, but not as deep).

The bread seemed like it had risen quite well before cooking.

I feel like I should break open a container of chocolate cake icing and coat the top of it, lol.

Now, admittedly I put some Adobo seasoning in the dough, but it still looked like it rose just fine.

[levain]

Bakeries nationwide are opening up today for a nationwide open house sponsored by the Bread Bakers Guild of America. This is an opportunity to visit your local (guild members) bakery and see behind the scenes.

If anyone is in Southern New England, come by our place! Address is on our Facebook page. Make sure you introduce yourself!

Here's a list of bakeries participating.

Sorry for the late notice!

Jim

[levain]

Finally started the first fire in the new oven today.


I need to start small and over 4 or 5 days build it up to a bigger fire. There's a lot of moisture that needs to driven out of the oven!





And, the final oven. It still needs the chimney finished, but the oven is basically done. Pizzas next week sometime. Bread the next day!

[MikeinEugene]

Originally Posted by levain

Finally started the first fire in the new oven today.

I need to start small and over 4 or 5 days build it up to a bigger fire. There's a lot of moisture that needs to driven out of the oven!

And, the final oven. It still needs the chimney finished, but the oven is basically done. Pizzas next week sometime. Bread the next day!

So cool Looking forward to seeing the pizza & bread pics

[Dismount]

Originally Posted by Mambo Dave

I have a problem... Slits on the top rarely ever do anything for my simple breads.

With or without slitting it I can get rounded tops, or I can get flat tops like... a cake layer:








Do you guys think this is from the top hitting the lid? I leave the lid on for the first half of cooking to keep the moisture in, like when using a cast iron pan flipped and on top of another cast iron pan (so like a dutch oven, but not as deep).

The bread seemed like it had risen quite well before cooking.

I feel like I should break open a container of chocolate cake icing and coat the top of it, lol.

Now, admittedly I put some Adobo seasoning in the dough, but it still looked like it rose just fine.

Try it without the lid, and a pan of water in the stove with it.

[pilot]

Originally Posted by levain

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That's really cool, Jim!

I do have one little thing I have to say about it, though. I would not have put wood decking right up to the front of it. You are liable to be dragging embers out on to the deck.

I haven't been baking lately. I've cut way back on my bread consumption, so I don't dare bake bread and have to smell it and not eat it.

[IDScarecrow]

So my sister in law from the Boston area was visiting this week, and naturally I had to bake up some bread for her. We got to talking about bread, and I explained how I learned a lot about bread baking from ADVRider, of all places. She enjoyed my bread, but then she went on to say that nothing could compare to this bakery she had stumbled on to . . . "in Providence somewhere. Now what was the name of that again?" she mused.

"Providence? It wasn't Seven Stars, was it?" I asked.

"Yes! That's it! AWESOME bread there. Just amazing!"

We had a good laugh when I told her that was the guy I learned so much from on ADVRider. So, small world, and thanks Jim.

[noshoes]

After 6 months without a kitchen, I'm back in the lower 48 and made my first loaf of no knead since April..... Damn I missed that bread.

[MikeinEugene]

Originally Posted by IDScarecrow

So my sister in law from the Boston area was visiting this week, and naturally I had to bake up some bread for her. We got to talking about bread, and I explained how I learned a lot about bread baking from ADVRider, of all places. She enjoyed my bread, but then she went on to say that nothing could compare to this bakery she had stumbled on to . . . "in Providence somewhere. Now what was the name of that again?" she mused.

"Providence? It wasn't Seven Stars, was it?" I asked.

"Yes! That's it! AWESOME bread there. Just amazing!"

We had a good laugh when I told her that was the guy I learned so much from on ADVRider. So, small world, and thanks Jim.

That's a great story