The Bread Thread

[srsly]

It's snowing again where I am. That could only mean one thing. Ok two things. Shoveling and baking. I have not given up on making the perfect French baguette, so I am making some today using diabilita's recipe. Though I made a couple of things a bit different. I made a starter, which I made two days ago. Then I made the dough mixed with the starter yesterday, and thenlet it rise in the fridge overnight. It's now sitting on my counter waiting for it to come to room temp before I shape them. I also added a bit more salt for taste instead of 1 teaspoon, I added 2 teaspoons.

Please feel free to post your bread makiing adventures today. And please share new techniques that work for you. Thank you!

[srsly]

This is from the batch that I made for a l'ancienne recipe from a couple of weeks ago. I finally got around to baking the rest of it today:

[radial]

Those look good.  Did you get the texture you were looking for?

[srsly]

Those look good.  Did you get the texture you were looking for?

Thanks! Well, the interior color is the color I was looking for, (off white) but the texture is not quite there, but very close. I wanted to see more large holes with shiny surfaces.

I had an entire baguette (I made them about 12"-15" long, so they were considered demi-baguette) last night for dinner and it was quite good, not bready like sliced bread. It was definitely nutty like a real French bread. It had a nice outer crust, and made that crunchy noise when squeezed gently. Plenty of crumbs fell when sliced.

I think that even though the 4 hour baguette recipe is quick and easy, making a starter like AmyAmyAmy makes hers would give a better flavor, and so is letting it rise nice and slow in fridge overnight.

Now, if I could only master the art of shaping and slashing I'd be much happier. My slashes didn't have any "ears." I blame my rising time or not enough of, (or perhaps my oven wasn't hot enough) it for it. I think I had too much "oven spring" which inflated my baguettes to a point that the slashes turned out smooth.

[Run Amok]

My dad is an artisan bread baker, by trade. He also teaches classes to home bakers and here are a few of his tips:

Preheat the oven for 2 hours
Preheat a skillet along with it
Use a baking stone or line your oven with bricks
Fill your oven with steam with a spritzer before you put your bread in
Add 1/4 cup of water of water to the skillet when you add the bread to the oven
Don't peek for at least 15 minutes!

That'll help keep it from rising too quickly in the oven.

He'd also say your loaves are a bit under baked. You want the ears to seem almost burned.

[srsly]

My dad is an artisan bread baker, by trade. He also teaches classes to home bakers and here are a few of his tips:

Preheat the oven for 2 hours
Preheat a skillet along with it
Use a baking stone or line your oven with bricks
Fill your oven with steam with a spritzer before you put your bread in
Add 1/4 cup of water of water to the skillet when you add the bread to the oven
Don't peek for at least 15 minutes!

That'll help keep it from rising too quickly in the oven.

He'd also say your loaves are a bit under baked. You want the ears to seem almost burned.

Great tips there from Papa Amok! Thanks so much! Amy shared another recipe with me on FB. I will make another batch of dough tonight. I'm totally psyched making bread although I don't think it's good for my weight. I had a really good slab of imported butter to go with it (President from Normandy, France). I found it in Harris Teeter the other day after reading a blog post about the best tasting salted butter on Kitchn. The survey on it was spot on. I can eat this butter with my bread for all three meals. :yum:

[diablita]

Lovely loafs.  Those are great tips from your dad, Run Amok!  I will probably make some bread tomorrow; not sure what type yet but I'm hoping I'll get inspired to make some kind of sponge today.

[srsly]

Lovely loafs.  Those are great tips from your dad, Run Amok!  I will probably make some bread tomorrow; not sure what type yet but I'm hoping I'll get inspired to make some kind of sponge today.

I got my Reinhart bread book (not the apprentice one) yesterday. I am poring over it like a maniac. But I have about demi baguettes in my freezer so I need to step back from the oven and study the cookbook first. But I did make some cinnamon rolls this morning. (Some of you probably saw the frightening result on fb).  But I am loving my renewed bread making interest. As Amy said, it's like magic!

BTW, can I feed the herd of deer that comes to our front yard with my rejected bread? They came over about 5 - 6 pm and they looked hungry. There's nothing to eat but twigs. I might leave them a head of lettuce and baby carrots that I don't plan on eating before I leave this house again if the bread is bad for them.

[AmyAmyAmy]

I just saw this thread! We already ate all the bread I baked yesterday.
I stopped spraying water into the oven and just pour ice cubes into a preheated cast iron skillet, it actually seems to work better for me.

Oh and I've stopped scoring baguettes and just bake them a little twisted and seam side up so it bursts open.

[AmyAmyAmy]

Oh here's yesterday's bake. It's Sam Fromartz stirato recipe, which King Arthur shared on their Facebook page recently but his book is a really good read and my two favorite bread recipes came from him.

[srsly]

Oh here's yesterday's bake. It's Sam Fromartz stirato recipe, which King Arthur shared on their Facebook page recently but his book is a really good read and my two favorite bread recipes came from him.

They look so delicious! I could almost smell the freshly baked bread aroma! I have to make this recipe next.

I made sub sandwiches using my leftover baguettes and left over chicken parm for lunch the other day. Oh and garlic bread to go with my cream of broccoli soup for lunch the day before! So good! We've been eating well in the last 2 weeks baking so much freshly baked bread in the house!

[diablita]

they look wonderful, Amy.   yum!

[wherestheportojohn]

My dad is an artisan bread baker, by trade. He also teaches classes to home bakers and here are a few of his tips:

Preheat the oven for 2 hours
Preheat a skillet along with it
Use a baking stone or line your oven with bricks
Fill your oven with steam with a spritzer before you put your bread in
Add 1/4 cup of water of water to the skillet when you add the bread to the oven
Don't peek for at least 15 minutes!

That'll help keep it from rising too quickly in the oven.

He'd also say your loaves are a bit under baked. You want the ears to seem almost burned.

[wherestheportojohn]

I love fresh crusty loaves.
Don't bake bread much these days.

And yes, the smell!!!