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I've seen some discussion on this thread about bread makers. I am one of those people who will start the yeast, use their bread-maker to mix up the dough, and then bake the loaf in the oven. There's a lot of good reasons for this, and I'd like to offer them if I may: 1.) Though the standard loaf shape of the pan is fine for sandwich slices, it's not incredibly aesthetically pleasing and tends to have buttholes or, worse, a metal paddle lodged in its bottom. I like to decide on a whim what shape my bread is going to be. Multiple braids? Topped with seeds or garlic salt? Slit, cross-slit, or even the dreaded star-slit? I can decide suddenly and the dough is already there. 2.) I'm very forgetful. There's been several times I've hand-kneaded dough and walked away during a rise... forgetting I had bread going at all. (Liking to drink or smoke while baking might add to this.) With the breadmaker, the rises and deflations are taking care of themselves, and I don't have to worry until I hear the beeping. Then I shape the loaf, and preheat the oven and stone while the loaf rises under a towel. 3.) I cannot STAND the feeling of sticky bread-dough on my hands. I have incredibly sensitive hands, to the point where I can't spread semolina on a pizza peel without shuddering. I'm like Mister Burns getting his nails filed. As such, I rarely give the bread all the kneading it really needs, and end up with a less-than optimal loaf. It's nice to know the dough is readying itself while you're prepping a chicken, or watching Red Dwarf or drinking whiskey or having sex. That's just my two cents. I'll be posting pictures of the bread I have rising right now later tonight, so get excited guys!!! Edit: Here we go, they look nice! Knotted buns topped with garlic, sea salt, and herbs. Larger round loaf is covered in sunflower seeds. These smell so good! 
Brawnfire fucked around with this message at 00:23 on Feb 7, 2013 |
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Feb 6, 2013 21:23
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| # ¿ Apr 18, 2024 02:23 |
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Tried making a boule in a cast iron dutch oven for the first time tonight... it turned out amazing! Delicious, crispy crust, and a lovely springy texture. Excellent with butter!  
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Mar 9, 2014 04:56
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What's the best way to store bread after it's baked? They keep getting hard... I don't have a breadbox, is there something like that I can do?
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Mar 9, 2014 16:53
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Hey, I saw a post on this thread (I believe) recently about how to use starter in a pre-existing recipe, but I'm having trouble finding it. It said basically to treat the starter as half flour, half water... so if I had a recipe I like, but want to use starter, would I take out half a cup of water and half a cup of flour, and use a full cup starter? If so, does one also use additional yeast as the recipe calls for, or should there be enough activity in the starter alone?
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Mar 23, 2014 04:32
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SymmetryrtemmyS posted:It's important to note that it's half flour and water by weight. Water doesn't weigh the same as flour, so you'll have to calculate how much of each to take out. I find this confusing. So, water doesn't weigh the same as flour... but starter is half flour and half water by weight? That seems like it contradicts itself to me, maybe I'm reading it wrong... It seems like, since the starter is comprised of 2 cups water and 2 cups flour, shouldn't a cup full be half a cup of water, half a cup of flour? I really don't get this. Say I'm using this recipe: http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/laura-calder/the-miracle-boule.html which I've made a few times successfully, but I wanted to use my starter in it. How would you go about it? I was picturing leaving out a half cup of flour and a half cup of water, and putting a full cup of starter in it.
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Mar 23, 2014 21:19
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Oooh, I get it now. So I should probably get a scale...PatMarshall posted:That recipe uses a poolish fermented overnight; I would just follow the recipe as written, but inoculate the poolish with about 10-15 grams of starter, then let it ferment for 12 hours to 24 hours. You will likely need to allow more time to proof as natural leavening generally takes longer than commercial yeast. I've only been baking seriously for about a month, however, so I may be off, but I've had success following the method described here, which is basically the same idea. Thanks! I'm a very patient/slow bread maker, so I don't mind waiting a long time for bread to rise. Thanks for the advice on how to work the starter into this recipe! I'm going to try tomorrow. It's turned out for me very well following the recipe as written. The dough is very moist, but using a well-floured surface, a peel, and a goodly amount of wheat bran, I can work with it fairly well. Also, doing all the shaping really, really fast so it doesn't have a chance to stick.
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Mar 24, 2014 06:30
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| # ¿ Apr 18, 2024 02:23 |
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 Just finished this up, will try to remember to take crumb shots when I get a chance. Kaine posted:I decided today to try something a little more challenging than a Sourdough or a plain white loaf so I delved into Challah. Oh my god, I love challah. Way too much. I've been known to use challah buns for burgers for extra heart-stopping goodness.
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Feb 21, 2016 20:58
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