Scale, Dutch oven, banneton baskets, proofing situation? That's just what my partner uses, probably only the scale is necessary.
She just made some loaves and I can see it on the counter from where I'm working.
― change display name (Jordan), Sunday, 22 March 2020 21:27 (four years ago) link
I don't know how to invite people to slack. Does this work. Post your breads to this since it's much easier to post images. https://join.slack.com/t/poxyfule/shared_invite/zt-csm19k0n-P_w0mauC3_sXUXus~TI0mw deems started a cooking channel but I think you have to expand to see it and join. Called.: What do you cook like.
― Yerac, Sunday, 22 March 2020 23:36 (four years ago) link
you successfully invited people to slack
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Sunday, 22 March 2020 23:41 (four years ago) link
I am partying in the streets.
― Yerac, Sunday, 22 March 2020 23:45 (four years ago) link
Jordan yes okay i have that stuff too :) but it’s absolutely not a requirement! - you can proof a boule in a colander lined with a floured tea towel.- dutch ovens are great but you can bake freestanding loaves. that way you can bake more loaves at a time. only difference is you need a tray of boiling water at bottom of the oven for the first 25 minutes to create steam.but yes a scale is a hard requirement for sure.
― Li'l Brexit (Tracer Hand), Monday, 23 March 2020 07:18 (four years ago) link
Metal dough-scraper has been my favourite non-essential.
Had a large delivery of flour today, so all set to bake through the dark times.
Going to move away from sourdough and try a basic soda bread tomorrow.
― woof, Monday, 23 March 2020 18:03 (four years ago) link
yes a dough scraper can be quite handy. I have used a cake knife in a pinch.
― Li'l Brexit (Tracer Hand), Monday, 23 March 2020 18:11 (four years ago) link
First time breadmaker trying Jim Lahey's No-Knead bread. I expected many things to go wrong. I did not expect that when I took the preheated pot out of the oven and lifted the lid off, a blob of smelly melted plastic bowl would be at the bottom :(
― Paperbag raita (ledge), Tuesday, 24 March 2020 12:12 (four years ago) link
oh god no :(
― forensic plumber (harbl), Tuesday, 24 March 2020 13:50 (four years ago) link
yes don't eat that
― mark s, Tuesday, 24 March 2020 14:07 (four years ago) link
Bread turned out fine(*) in a normal saucepan, not sure if the le creuset can be saved :(
(*) considering I couldn't find the white bread flour and was making the dough with wholemeal till my wife came down and said that was a terrible idea, found the white flour, and made me double the recipe for two 50/50 loaves. like i said, first time breadmaker.
― Paperbag raita (ledge), Tuesday, 24 March 2020 14:08 (four years ago) link
Also we have (hopefully) learned to store ovenware with the lids on upside down.
― Paperbag raita (ledge), Tuesday, 24 March 2020 14:10 (four years ago) link
the ceramic coating is not porous so you may be able to save it. eeeeeek
― forensic plumber (harbl), Tuesday, 24 March 2020 14:18 (four years ago) link
Any focaccia recipes to recommend? Something to do with 00 flour other than pizza dough?
― mom tossed in kimchee (quincie), Tuesday, 24 March 2020 16:36 (four years ago) link
Soon I will be a first-in-a-long-time bread baker. Is that no-knead a good way to go or should I try something else. I may or may not have a KitchenAid mixer. It was acting a bit weird last I used it oh three or four years ago.
― mom tossed in kimchee (quincie), Tuesday, 24 March 2020 16:37 (four years ago) link
we are anxiously making our own sourdough starter. the first attempt died on day 4-ish, so this round we're being really by-the-book and worrying more than is probably necessary.
― El Tomboto, Tuesday, 24 March 2020 16:40 (four years ago) link
Yeah I'm gonna start with yeast, not sourdough starter. I don't need that heartbreak, I already have plants.
― mom tossed in kimchee (quincie), Tuesday, 24 March 2020 16:40 (four years ago) link
Is that no-knead a good way to go or should I try something else
It takes a long time (two proves of 12-18 and 1-2 hours each) but otherwise it ain't lying, just a minute or so of mixing necessary, no need for a mixer.
https://www.nigella.com/recipes/guests/jim-laheys-basic-no-knead-bread
― Paperbag raita (ledge), Tuesday, 24 March 2020 16:44 (four years ago) link
Kneading is the best part. Highly therapeutic.
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Tuesday, 24 March 2020 20:56 (four years ago) link
just don't knead too hard if you're making sourdough! needs to stay supple. keep those gluten strands strong, rather than mashed.
― Li'l Brexit (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 24 March 2020 21:19 (four years ago) link
Any focaccia recipes to recommend?
if you like i can dig out my olde Green's cookbook that has a tried and true recipe i haven't made in years.
― medicate for all (outdoor_miner), Wednesday, 25 March 2020 12:39 (four years ago) link
If you have the time and inclination, I’d love that!
― mom tossed in kimchee (quincie), Wednesday, 25 March 2020 12:41 (four years ago) link
shite. can't find the book. was certain it'd be where my other cookbooks are. may still be packed away or may have purged it (doubtful) when i moved a couple years ago. so sorry!
i'm gonna make this today though on account of you making me want focaccia, and me needing a little project:
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/focaccia-with-olives-and-rosemary-322
― medicate for all (outdoor_miner), Wednesday, 25 March 2020 13:17 (four years ago) link
We did this, it turned out much better than an other italian baking cookbook recipe we also tried. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RQOhAeNAjKc
― El Tomboto, Wednesday, 25 March 2020 13:52 (four years ago) link
Oh wtf just embedhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQOhAeNAjKc
― El Tomboto, Wednesday, 25 March 2020 13:53 (four years ago) link
I really like the Tartine Country White recipe for sourdough, but it can take a few tries to get it right and also takes a long time with all of the proofs. Not much kneading required though.
Those starting a starter should use distilled or spring water to feed the starter until it really get going. This avoids the chlorine in tap water that can inhibit early yeast growth.
― Why, I would make a fantastic Nero! (PBKR), Wednesday, 25 March 2020 21:48 (four years ago) link
i admire how this thread hurtled up out of my league so quickly
― mark s, Wednesday, 25 March 2020 21:50 (four years ago) link
maybe i will make a starter at the weekend or something
― mark s, Wednesday, 25 March 2020 21:51 (four years ago) link
I’ve done a lot from the river cottage bread book so I’d reckon their focaccia recipe would work welL
https://www.rivercottage.net/recipes/focaccia
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Wednesday, 25 March 2020 21:51 (four years ago) link
i made rosemary garlic rolls with my dinner. i made bread! (ralph wiggum voice)
― forensic plumber (harbl), Thursday, 26 March 2020 00:30 (four years ago) link
today i am making EASY PLAIN-FLOUR LOAF using this as my fast-action dried yeast:
https://i.imgur.com/AlEEJa8.jpg
(it does say instant dry yeast in little letters so nothing can go wrong in this non-turkish-speaking household)
― mark s, Saturday, 28 March 2020 13:50 (four years ago) link
my v supportive pal P has texted me to say "remember yr making BREAD not ROCK CAKES" in ref the picture up thread, along with multiple laughing-crying emojis so im stoked for this tbh
― mark s, Saturday, 28 March 2020 13:53 (four years ago) link
A good baking week. Big delivery of Shipton Mill flour finally came (ordered on the cusp of the crisis after a couple of weeks umming and ahhing about whether I would ever that much flour), inc 25kg of their basic white (number 4).Couple of soda bread loaves for instant gratification earlier in the week, then a bit more time on a basic sourdough boule yesterday. I've been going at that one over and over; getting there. New flour good, timed and controlled the proofing better and getting better at the slap-and-fold knead after watching Richard Bertinet videos. Bit more confident handling dough.
― woof, Saturday, 28 March 2020 14:21 (four years ago) link
ok now double in size you blobby pos
― mark s, Saturday, 28 March 2020 15:10 (four years ago) link
Coincidentally i also wound up with some Shipton No. 4, after biking to E5 bakehouse. Only 3kg for me though!
― Li'l Brexit (Tracer Hand), Saturday, 28 March 2020 16:30 (four years ago) link
mark are you keeping it warm? 20C probably not enough - you want it more like 25 or so
― Li'l Brexit (Tracer Hand), Saturday, 28 March 2020 16:31 (four years ago) link
you mean the dough when it's proving?
― mark s, Saturday, 28 March 2020 16:33 (four years ago) link
it's in the oven now and my main issue rn is it's not really browning very much
― mark s, Saturday, 28 March 2020 16:36 (four years ago) link
giving it a final 3-min blast at a higher temp to de-pale-ify it a bit then it's out (it smells good)
― mark s, Saturday, 28 March 2020 16:39 (four years ago) link
https://files.slack.com/files-pri/TV20059EW-F010Z8QA1NC/2020-03-28_16.45.51.jpg
― mark s, Saturday, 28 March 2020 17:08 (four years ago) link
terrible photo of pleasing subject
i was using plain flour not strong flour (much more kneading required) plus also the instructions for the turkish yeast are in turkish (i imagine they are standard but who knows). but it's recognisably what it purports to be (visually and tastewise) so yeah
https://files.slack.com/files-pri/TV20059EW-F010P8G6BPB/2020-03-28_17.13.24-2.jpg
― mark s, Saturday, 28 March 2020 17:23 (four years ago) link
it's p dense so probably could have risen a bit more -- will follow tracer's advice next time re ambient temp (cold brisk late winter's day in hackney today)
― mark s, Saturday, 28 March 2020 17:24 (four years ago) link
yeah when proving it should be warm. also you’ll get a better rise and less dense loaf if you use bread flour i.e. higher protein, at least 11%but that looks great! next time you can try cranking your oven as hot as it will go for an hour before putting it in. then after 20 minutes on full temp you can lower to about 230C for another 30-ish. you’ll get that colour you want :)
― Li'l Brexit (Tracer Hand), Saturday, 28 March 2020 17:37 (four years ago) link
wait this is an hour pre-bake consisting of 20 mins plus 30 mins ?
(i don't have any strong flour current so the experiment was "what happens if you use plain flour and knead twice as long" as per a recipe i found online)
― mark s, Saturday, 28 March 2020 17:44 (four years ago) link
this is a safe space for bread nerds and noobs alike, no worry too pernickety, no question too dumb :)
― mark s, Sunday, 22 March 2020 12:09 (six days ago) bookmarkflaglink
― mark s, Saturday, 28 March 2020 17:46 (four years ago) link
What are some other good ideas for proofing dough at home (keeping it at ~80-90 F / ~26-32 C while also staying humid)?
― El Tomboto, Saturday, 28 March 2020 18:13 (four years ago) link
Can you do it in a slow cooker on low, with a cup of water next to the dough?Can you do it on a low stovetop burner somehow?
― El Tomboto, Saturday, 28 March 2020 18:15 (four years ago) link
mark:pre-heat oven on max for an hourput in doughlower to 230C after about 20 minutes and bake for about 30 minutes more
― Li'l Brexit (Tracer Hand), Saturday, 28 March 2020 18:21 (four years ago) link
ah interesting: that's less heat *and* less time than my recipe said -- except i think it did originally say something closer to yours but various punters reported overbaking and even burning so they reduced both
― mark s, Saturday, 28 March 2020 18:31 (four years ago) link
worth saying some people don’t turn down the heat for the dry phase, and bake for less time. they just keep it blasting. if i do that my loaves are a little gummy inside.
Thanks for this tip, tracer. I had done this the last few times because I liked the brown crust, but was getting some gumminess so I think I will stop.
― Jimi Buffett (PBKR), Thursday, 14 January 2021 15:40 (three years ago) link
yeah! if you reduce the heat to about 230C and bake for maybe 10-15 minutes longer than you usually do that should get you there. i too like it very 'bien cuit'
by the way, my last two loaves i pre-shaped and left of the counter for the usual 20 minutes or so before final shape and into the bannetons.. except.. i ended up playing two and a half hours of NBA2K21. i let out a yelp when i went to the kitchen. the dough had developed a bit of a skin. i shaped as normal, put into the bannetons, which went straight into the frige, baked the next morning per usual.... and they were absolutely fine
― Li'l Brexit (Tracer Hand), Thursday, 14 January 2021 15:49 (three years ago) link
suggest banneton
― superdeep borehole (harbl), Thursday, 14 January 2021 23:02 (three years ago) link
haha had an almost identical experience a couple of months ago after deciding to find out what World of Warcraft was like nowadays.
― woof, Friday, 15 January 2021 12:34 (three years ago) link
by no means perfect - the leaven was somewhat lacking in... jouissance, so it's not quite as buoyant as i'd like, and it's overfloured, but this loaf is great. crust is crackly and delicious as is the crumb. tracer's shaping video is really great for the pre-shape, and decided on woof's timings of half an hour in dutch oven and 15 minutes uncovered.
because the leaven hadn't risen quite as much as i'd hoped in the morning, i gave it another couple of hours in a warm area. this didn't make it any more bouncy as such, in fact it became a rather elasticated, not v holey substance, so i was worried about the outcome. i've heard i think that the longer you leave the leaven the more sour your bread tastes? If that's the case the leaven may not have been great for bounce, but was fantastic for taste.
https://i.imgur.com/nDnsEls.jpg?1https://i.imgur.com/xgEQKxG.jpg
― Lord of the RONGS (Fizzles), Monday, 1 February 2021 12:57 (three years ago) link
that looks EXCELLENT
― Ray Cooney as "Crotch" (stevie), Monday, 1 February 2021 13:07 (three years ago) link
yeah the “aeration” in there is magnificent
― Li'l Brexit (Tracer Hand), Monday, 1 February 2021 13:09 (three years ago) link
Looks great, bet it will toast really well in a few days when you’re down to the last of it
― scampish inquisition (gyac), Monday, 1 February 2021 13:10 (three years ago) link
it’s nice getting back into the rhythm of doing a loaf a week habitually. really got to work on my final boule shaping which is a bit slapdash (surreptitiously looks to tracer for more magic videos or tips). might start trying some other loaves and options soon as well.
― Lord of the RONGS (Fizzles), Monday, 1 February 2021 13:15 (three years ago) link
Slightly frustrated - my head's not in the game. Just went back to Forkish's White bread with poolish - which I've successfully made a few times & is delicious - and had a flat disaster. Barely any rise. Unripe poolish I think - normally I'd wait & maybe give it a little heat but I just threw it in, barely checking. Now I must eat a dense, ugly loaf before I can trying again. This is my punishment.
― woof, Thursday, 4 February 2021 17:15 (three years ago) link
the only way to learn is to eat the mess you’ve made, no question.
― Lord of the RONGS (Fizzles), Thursday, 4 February 2021 19:47 (three years ago) link
I neglected my starter in the run up to xmas, thought I got it going again but baked over the weekend and it felt closer to a ciabatta rather than a boule. Think I need to keep feeding that little dude even more than I thought.
― colette, Tuesday, 18 January 2022 17:13 (two years ago) link
people say you can let it go a month but ime if you leave it longer than maybe 10 days you really have to work to get it strong and active again
― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 18 January 2022 18:51 (two years ago) link
We were away for a few days after Christmas. Forgot to put the starter in the fridge & I suspect the kids had the heating on full blast, because there was pink mould on top once I got back. No smell, and very liquid. Seemed dead.
Got a couple of tbsp from the bottom and fed it a good mix of wholewheat, white and rye. Nothing after 24 hours. Tried to convince myself that it would be healthy and unsentimental to start a new starter from scratch & that I should get better at baking with instant yeast anyway.
But then! Tiny little bubbles the next day. Took about a week to actually recover, but it's alive & is baking as well as ever.
Taken it as a warning - I slowed down on baking since I got a dog, but I enjoy it & I was so glum when I thought the starter was gone. Made me realise I need to pick up the rhythm again.
― woof, Wednesday, 19 January 2022 14:05 (two years ago) link
(& of course I discarded & fed every day till it was back to its usual winter self - sluggish, 8-10 hours to ripen)
― woof, Wednesday, 19 January 2022 14:10 (two years ago) link
pink pink pink pinkpink mold
― towards fungal computer (harbl), Wednesday, 19 January 2022 14:13 (two years ago) link