Bread Baking Results - 2012
Listed below are the breads that I baked during the first year of my bread baking journey.
01/28/2012 Mantovana Olive Oil Bread |
1
|
Source of Recipe:
The Bread Bible (Author: Rose Levy Beranbaum)
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 2/8
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Whole wheat flour
Water Extra virgin olive oil
Salt Unhulled sesame seeds
Yeast Sunflower seeds
Poppy Seeds
Cracked flaxseed
Comments: My first bread baking experience was interesting. I decided to go with a hearth bread, Mantovana Olive Oil Bread. Instead of freelancing on my first bread baking experience, I extracted the recipe from Rose Beranbaum's "The Bread Bible" - a great book, by the way. I certainly learned a lot while preparing for the process, as well as actually doing the baking. The result wasn't exceptional, but it was "ok". The crust was slightly crunchy, the crumb was decent, and the taste was actually very good. The big problem was the appearance - it was too flat and too wide. I have some ideas on what the problem might have been, so I'll adapt next time around. The dough was quite moist and contained lots of seeds - likely not a good combination for a beginning baker!
The Bread Bible (Author: Rose Levy Beranbaum)
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 2/8
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Whole wheat flour
Water Extra virgin olive oil
Salt Unhulled sesame seeds
Yeast Sunflower seeds
Poppy Seeds
Cracked flaxseed
Comments: My first bread baking experience was interesting. I decided to go with a hearth bread, Mantovana Olive Oil Bread. Instead of freelancing on my first bread baking experience, I extracted the recipe from Rose Beranbaum's "The Bread Bible" - a great book, by the way. I certainly learned a lot while preparing for the process, as well as actually doing the baking. The result wasn't exceptional, but it was "ok". The crust was slightly crunchy, the crumb was decent, and the taste was actually very good. The big problem was the appearance - it was too flat and too wide. I have some ideas on what the problem might have been, so I'll adapt next time around. The dough was quite moist and contained lots of seeds - likely not a good combination for a beginning baker!
01/31/2012 Soft White Sandwich Loaf |
2-3
|
Source of Recipe:
The Bread Bible (Author: Rose Levy Beranbaum)
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 6/9
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Honey
Water Dry milk
Salt Unsalted butter
Yeast
Comments: For my second bread baking experience, I decided to go to a standard white bread. I ended up baking a Basic Soft White Sandwich Loaf and, once again, used a recipe from Rose Beranbaum's "The Bread Bible". Baking this bread involved creating a sponge dough starter, typically used to deepen the flavor of certain breads. The resulting shape of the baked bread wasn't as symmetric as I would have liked, but overall the texture and taste were decent. However, I do have a long ways to go to ever produce the quality of bread baked by my Mother-in-Law. I need to remember to put more oil on the baking pan so that the baked bread comes out easier.
The Bread Bible (Author: Rose Levy Beranbaum)
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 6/9
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Honey
Water Dry milk
Salt Unsalted butter
Yeast
Comments: For my second bread baking experience, I decided to go to a standard white bread. I ended up baking a Basic Soft White Sandwich Loaf and, once again, used a recipe from Rose Beranbaum's "The Bread Bible". Baking this bread involved creating a sponge dough starter, typically used to deepen the flavor of certain breads. The resulting shape of the baked bread wasn't as symmetric as I would have liked, but overall the texture and taste were decent. However, I do have a long ways to go to ever produce the quality of bread baked by my Mother-in-Law. I need to remember to put more oil on the baking pan so that the baked bread comes out easier.
02/08/2012 Mantovana Olive Oil Bread |
4
|
Source of Recipe:
The Bread Bible (Author: Rose Levy Beranbaum)
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 3/8
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Whole wheat flour
Water Extra virgin olive oil
Salt Unhulled sesame seeds
Yeast Sunflower seeds
Poppy Seeds
Cracked flaxseed
Comments: I visited a running companion (Michael Goldfine) the other night and had some of his wonderful home-made bread (along with some great wine from his private collection). When Michael heard that I had recently took up bread baking and that my first experience resulted in a loaf that didn't have the shape that I desired, he encouraged me to go back to the same bread instead of venturing off into another type - his philosophy being that you learn, repeat, learn, repeat, etc. until you get the results you desire. Consequently, and since I was not particularly happy with the shape of my first homemade bread, I decided to go back and bake another Mantovana Olive Oil Bread. This one tasted as good as the first time I had baked this style and the appearance did improve. It wasn't as wide and flat, but still not up to the height that I was hoping for. I guess I'll need to try this one again. In order to overcome the problems I had with the shape of that first bread (too flat and too wide), I made three changes: (1) I made the dough a little dryer (more flour); (2) I tightened up the underside seam just prior to baking (possibly resulting in better surface tension); and (3) I didn't slash the top just prior to baking (this seemed to deflate the dough the first time)
The Bread Bible (Author: Rose Levy Beranbaum)
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 3/8
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Whole wheat flour
Water Extra virgin olive oil
Salt Unhulled sesame seeds
Yeast Sunflower seeds
Poppy Seeds
Cracked flaxseed
Comments: I visited a running companion (Michael Goldfine) the other night and had some of his wonderful home-made bread (along with some great wine from his private collection). When Michael heard that I had recently took up bread baking and that my first experience resulted in a loaf that didn't have the shape that I desired, he encouraged me to go back to the same bread instead of venturing off into another type - his philosophy being that you learn, repeat, learn, repeat, etc. until you get the results you desire. Consequently, and since I was not particularly happy with the shape of my first homemade bread, I decided to go back and bake another Mantovana Olive Oil Bread. This one tasted as good as the first time I had baked this style and the appearance did improve. It wasn't as wide and flat, but still not up to the height that I was hoping for. I guess I'll need to try this one again. In order to overcome the problems I had with the shape of that first bread (too flat and too wide), I made three changes: (1) I made the dough a little dryer (more flour); (2) I tightened up the underside seam just prior to baking (possibly resulting in better surface tension); and (3) I didn't slash the top just prior to baking (this seemed to deflate the dough the first time)
02/12/2012 Tassajara Yeasted Bread |
5-6
|
Source of Recipe:
The Tassajara Bread Book (Author: Edward Espe Brown)
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 7/7
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Whole wheat flour
Water Olive oil
Salt Honey
Yeast Dry milk
Poppy Seeds
Comments: Earlier this year, Betsy & Lucas gave me "The Tassajara Bread Book", written by Edward Espe Brown and inspired by his baking experiences in Tassajara, an isolated, narrow valley in California that is at the end of a 14 mile road that winds ~3,000 feet up into the mountains and another ~3,000 feet back down to the valley. Following the author's suggestion, I decided to bake his Tassajara Yeasted Bread - a bread that has a wide margin for error (just what I need at this stage of my baking development). This was his basic bread from which you expand to make other breads described in his book. This bread is made with whole wheat flour and topped with poppy seeds. After letting the bread cool, I tried one slice un-toasted and one slice toasted - both tasted fairly decent. I'll be trying more recipes from this book.
The Tassajara Bread Book (Author: Edward Espe Brown)
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 7/7
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Whole wheat flour
Water Olive oil
Salt Honey
Yeast Dry milk
Poppy Seeds
Comments: Earlier this year, Betsy & Lucas gave me "The Tassajara Bread Book", written by Edward Espe Brown and inspired by his baking experiences in Tassajara, an isolated, narrow valley in California that is at the end of a 14 mile road that winds ~3,000 feet up into the mountains and another ~3,000 feet back down to the valley. Following the author's suggestion, I decided to bake his Tassajara Yeasted Bread - a bread that has a wide margin for error (just what I need at this stage of my baking development). This was his basic bread from which you expand to make other breads described in his book. This bread is made with whole wheat flour and topped with poppy seeds. After letting the bread cool, I tried one slice un-toasted and one slice toasted - both tasted fairly decent. I'll be trying more recipes from this book.
03/03/2012 Rye Oatmeal Bread |
7-8
|
Source of Recipe:
The Tassajara Bread Book (Author: Edward Espe Brown)
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 4/5
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Whole wheat flour
Water Rye flour
Salt Olive oil
Yeast Dry milk
Molasses
Rolled oats
Comments: Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Today was my first real bread disaster day. I was attempting to bake a Rye Oatmeal Bread, based on the Tassajara Yeasted Bread recipe. My first attempt resulted in a dough that wouldn't rise. My conclusion was that I was too cavalier on the temperature of the water used and that it was too cool for the yeast to activate. My second attempt (hours later) turned out somewhat better (i.e., the dough rose and the yeast was certainly active, even though it took longer than normal to start rising), however I had a terrible time getting the loaves out of the bread pans. This resulted in some portions of the crust pulling apart. The crust was rather hard and the flavor was so-so. The image above, with the flecks of rolled oats, is sort of neat, but you'll also notice (with some careful inspection, despite my effort to put the best side front), the tear along the bottom of the side (it's much worse on the other side and bottom).
The Tassajara Bread Book (Author: Edward Espe Brown)
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 4/5
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Whole wheat flour
Water Rye flour
Salt Olive oil
Yeast Dry milk
Molasses
Rolled oats
Comments: Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Today was my first real bread disaster day. I was attempting to bake a Rye Oatmeal Bread, based on the Tassajara Yeasted Bread recipe. My first attempt resulted in a dough that wouldn't rise. My conclusion was that I was too cavalier on the temperature of the water used and that it was too cool for the yeast to activate. My second attempt (hours later) turned out somewhat better (i.e., the dough rose and the yeast was certainly active, even though it took longer than normal to start rising), however I had a terrible time getting the loaves out of the bread pans. This resulted in some portions of the crust pulling apart. The crust was rather hard and the flavor was so-so. The image above, with the flecks of rolled oats, is sort of neat, but you'll also notice (with some careful inspection, despite my effort to put the best side front), the tear along the bottom of the side (it's much worse on the other side and bottom).
03/22/2012 Mantovana Olive Oil Bread |
9
|
Source of Recipe:
The Bread Bible (Author: Rose Levy Beranbaum)
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 3/8
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Whole wheat flour
Water Extra virgin olive oil
Salt Unhulled sesame seeds
Yeast Sunflower seeds
Poppy Seeds
Cracked flaxseed
Comments: Another attempt at the Mantovana Olive Oil Bread. Once again, it turned out much flatter and wider than I would have liked. Luckily this particular bread tastes really good, so we will enjoy it anyway. I had planned to take this on our trip to South Carolina and Georgia as a gift to either Bonnie/Rock or Ryan. Due to the appearance, I've decided to just freeze it and eat it when ear get back home. On our trip to Georgia, I am hoping that Ryan can introduce me to their pastry chef, Cynthia Wong and that she has a few moments to chat with me about my baking experiences. I'd like to get her opinion on what might cause hearth breads to be flat and wide. Although I realize that there are many variables at play, she might have some general thoughts from her vast experience that might trigger something in my mind as to why this happens.
The Bread Bible (Author: Rose Levy Beranbaum)
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 3/8
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Whole wheat flour
Water Extra virgin olive oil
Salt Unhulled sesame seeds
Yeast Sunflower seeds
Poppy Seeds
Cracked flaxseed
Comments: Another attempt at the Mantovana Olive Oil Bread. Once again, it turned out much flatter and wider than I would have liked. Luckily this particular bread tastes really good, so we will enjoy it anyway. I had planned to take this on our trip to South Carolina and Georgia as a gift to either Bonnie/Rock or Ryan. Due to the appearance, I've decided to just freeze it and eat it when ear get back home. On our trip to Georgia, I am hoping that Ryan can introduce me to their pastry chef, Cynthia Wong and that she has a few moments to chat with me about my baking experiences. I'd like to get her opinion on what might cause hearth breads to be flat and wide. Although I realize that there are many variables at play, she might have some general thoughts from her vast experience that might trigger something in my mind as to why this happens.
03/22/2012 Tassajara Yeasted Bread |
10-11
|
Source of Recipe:
The Tassajara Bread Book (Author: Edward Espe Brown)
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 7/7
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Whole wheat flour
Water Olive oil
Salt Honey
Yeast Dry milk
Poppy Seeds
Comments: Well it was a long baking day. After getting the Mantovana Olive Oil Bread started earlier in the day, I decide to bake another bread that I had tried once before - Tassajara Yeasted Bread. The 'formula' for this bread creates two loaves, so I decided that I would take both on our trip south and give one to Bonnie/Rock and the other to Ryan. Although I've not cut into them to try them out, they certainly appear to be ok and hopefully taste as good as they did the first time that I made this bread. Tassajara Yeasted Bread is a whole wheat bread that I sprinkled some poppy seeds on top to give it a little different appearance. Also, this was the first time that I covered the bread pan with a mixture of flour, vegetable oil, and vegetable shortening - it worked marvelously!
The Tassajara Bread Book (Author: Edward Espe Brown)
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 7/7
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Whole wheat flour
Water Olive oil
Salt Honey
Yeast Dry milk
Poppy Seeds
Comments: Well it was a long baking day. After getting the Mantovana Olive Oil Bread started earlier in the day, I decide to bake another bread that I had tried once before - Tassajara Yeasted Bread. The 'formula' for this bread creates two loaves, so I decided that I would take both on our trip south and give one to Bonnie/Rock and the other to Ryan. Although I've not cut into them to try them out, they certainly appear to be ok and hopefully taste as good as they did the first time that I made this bread. Tassajara Yeasted Bread is a whole wheat bread that I sprinkled some poppy seeds on top to give it a little different appearance. Also, this was the first time that I covered the bread pan with a mixture of flour, vegetable oil, and vegetable shortening - it worked marvelously!
04/07/2012 Mantovana Olive Oil Bread |
12
|
Source of Recipe:
The Bread Bible (Author: Rose Levy Beranbaum)
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 3/8
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Whole wheat flour
Water Extra virgin olive oil
Salt Unhulled sesame seeds
Yeast Sunflower seeds
Poppy Seeds
Cracked flaxseed
Comments: This one doesn't even deserve a picture, since it ended up just like prior efforts with this bread. For the fourth time, I baked the Mantovana Olive Oil Bread, and once again, it turned out much flatter and wider than I would have liked, despite additional 'formula' and procedural changes. Although I wasn't too happy with the appearance, I still took it down to Gary & Lucille. The flavor was decent despite the appearance.
The Bread Bible (Author: Rose Levy Beranbaum)
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 3/8
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Whole wheat flour
Water Extra virgin olive oil
Salt Unhulled sesame seeds
Yeast Sunflower seeds
Poppy Seeds
Cracked flaxseed
Comments: This one doesn't even deserve a picture, since it ended up just like prior efforts with this bread. For the fourth time, I baked the Mantovana Olive Oil Bread, and once again, it turned out much flatter and wider than I would have liked, despite additional 'formula' and procedural changes. Although I wasn't too happy with the appearance, I still took it down to Gary & Lucille. The flavor was decent despite the appearance.
4/20/2012 Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread |
13-14 |
Source of Recipe:
The Tassajara Bread Book (Author: Edward Espe Brown)
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 4/4
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Whole wheat flour
Water Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Sourdough Starter
Comments: This was my first attempt at a sourdough bread. To complicate matters worse, I also introduced whole wheat into the mix. Although it turned out 'ok', it as one of the least favorite breads that I have baked. It was a little heavy and dense and had a rather bland taste. Although I sort of followed a recipe, I am fairly confident that the proportions of starter that I used along with the amount of whole wheat that I introduced were very likely not consistent with the intent of the recipe I was following (recipe from The Tassajara Bread Book). I'll try another sourdough bread later and be a little more diligent on ensuring the ingredients are in a better proportion.
The Tassajara Bread Book (Author: Edward Espe Brown)
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 4/4
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Whole wheat flour
Water Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Sourdough Starter
Comments: This was my first attempt at a sourdough bread. To complicate matters worse, I also introduced whole wheat into the mix. Although it turned out 'ok', it as one of the least favorite breads that I have baked. It was a little heavy and dense and had a rather bland taste. Although I sort of followed a recipe, I am fairly confident that the proportions of starter that I used along with the amount of whole wheat that I introduced were very likely not consistent with the intent of the recipe I was following (recipe from The Tassajara Bread Book). I'll try another sourdough bread later and be a little more diligent on ensuring the ingredients are in a better proportion.
7/13/2012 Tassajara Yeasted Bread |
15-16 |
Source of Recipe:
The Tassajara Bread Book (Author: Edward Espe Brown)
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 7/8
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Whole wheat flour
Water Extra virgin olive oil
Salt Molasses
Sourdough Starter Dry milk
Poppy seeds
Comments: This was my third time baking this particular bread. I had typically used honey in this recipe, but since ours had solidified, I tried molasses in its place. I also used Cynthia's sour dough starter with this batch instead of yeast. I included ~2 cups of unbleached white flour - all the rest was whole wheat flour. The texture and taste were reasonably good - good enough to share with others. As a result, I took it to the lake and shared it with family during our annual family reunion.
The Tassajara Bread Book (Author: Edward Espe Brown)
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 7/8
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Whole wheat flour
Water Extra virgin olive oil
Salt Molasses
Sourdough Starter Dry milk
Poppy seeds
Comments: This was my third time baking this particular bread. I had typically used honey in this recipe, but since ours had solidified, I tried molasses in its place. I also used Cynthia's sour dough starter with this batch instead of yeast. I included ~2 cups of unbleached white flour - all the rest was whole wheat flour. The texture and taste were reasonably good - good enough to share with others. As a result, I took it to the lake and shared it with family during our annual family reunion.
8/3/2012 Spent Grain Bread |
17-18 |
Source of Recipe:
Jasmine
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 7/8
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Whole wheat flour
Milk Extra virgin olive oil
Salt Molasses
Sourdough Starter Egg
Spent Grain
Comments: So, it seems that, since I have a son who is a professional brewer, I might be able to get my hands on some spent grain from the brewing process. Sure enough, Mike got me some spent grain from his 8/2/2012 batch of Gamble Mill Pig Iron IPA beer. The grain Mike used was a combination of two malted barleys: Franco Belges Pale Ale Malt (a French malt) and Thomas Faucett Caramalt (a British malt). I found a bread formula from Jasmine and modified it to include a sourdough starter and molasses as a sweetener.
I had to experiment with how much flour and liquid to use, but eventually got a dough that felt right. However, it took a very long time to rise (perhaps I should have supplemented the sourdough starter with some yeast), but in the end it worked. The resultant loaf had a nice firm crust, was somewhat moist, and had good flavor. I believe I'll try a spent grain bread again in the future.
Jasmine
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 7/8
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Whole wheat flour
Milk Extra virgin olive oil
Salt Molasses
Sourdough Starter Egg
Spent Grain
Comments: So, it seems that, since I have a son who is a professional brewer, I might be able to get my hands on some spent grain from the brewing process. Sure enough, Mike got me some spent grain from his 8/2/2012 batch of Gamble Mill Pig Iron IPA beer. The grain Mike used was a combination of two malted barleys: Franco Belges Pale Ale Malt (a French malt) and Thomas Faucett Caramalt (a British malt). I found a bread formula from Jasmine and modified it to include a sourdough starter and molasses as a sweetener.
I had to experiment with how much flour and liquid to use, but eventually got a dough that felt right. However, it took a very long time to rise (perhaps I should have supplemented the sourdough starter with some yeast), but in the end it worked. The resultant loaf had a nice firm crust, was somewhat moist, and had good flavor. I believe I'll try a spent grain bread again in the future.
8/8/2012 Spent Grain Bread |
19-20 |
Source of Recipe:
Jasmine
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 5/8
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Whole wheat flour
Milk Extra virgin olive oil
Salt Molasses
Sourdough Starter Egg
Yeast Spent Grain
Honey
Comments: Since I enjoyed the bread that I made using spent grain a few days earlier, I decided to try it again. Mike got me some spent grain from his 8/5/2012 batch of Gamble Mill Bush House Brown Ale. The grain Mike used was primarily malted barley (a combination of Franco Belges Pale Malt, Thomas Faucett Crystal, Thomas Faucett Chocolate Malt, Franco Belges Dark Munich, Franco Belges Special Aromatic), along with some Flaked Corn. I used the same bread formula that I had used for my prior spent grain bread and modified it to include a sourdough starter and a combination of honey & molasses as a sweetener.
Once again, I had to experiment with how much flour and liquid to use, but eventually got a dough that felt right. However, it once again took a very long time to rise, despite supplementing the process with some yeast.
Jasmine
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 5/8
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Whole wheat flour
Milk Extra virgin olive oil
Salt Molasses
Sourdough Starter Egg
Yeast Spent Grain
Honey
Comments: Since I enjoyed the bread that I made using spent grain a few days earlier, I decided to try it again. Mike got me some spent grain from his 8/5/2012 batch of Gamble Mill Bush House Brown Ale. The grain Mike used was primarily malted barley (a combination of Franco Belges Pale Malt, Thomas Faucett Crystal, Thomas Faucett Chocolate Malt, Franco Belges Dark Munich, Franco Belges Special Aromatic), along with some Flaked Corn. I used the same bread formula that I had used for my prior spent grain bread and modified it to include a sourdough starter and a combination of honey & molasses as a sweetener.
Once again, I had to experiment with how much flour and liquid to use, but eventually got a dough that felt right. However, it once again took a very long time to rise, despite supplementing the process with some yeast.
8/30/2012 Soft White Sandwich Loaf |
21 |
Source of Recipe:
The Bread Bible (Author: Rose Levy Beranbaum)
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 7/8
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Honey
Water Dry milk
Salt Unsalted butter
Sourdough starter
Yeast
Comments: Since I've been experimenting with whole wheat breads for a while, I decided this time around to go with a standard white bread. I ended up baking a Basic Soft White Sandwich Loaf and used a recipe from Rose Beranbaum's "The Bread Bible". I modified the recipe to use a sourdough starter instead of yeast (although I did add a small amount of yeast to stimulate the rise). I had some problems and ended up discarding a bit of the dough and going with a single loaf of bread. It turned out fairly well.
The Bread Bible (Author: Rose Levy Beranbaum)
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 7/8
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Honey
Water Dry milk
Salt Unsalted butter
Sourdough starter
Yeast
Comments: Since I've been experimenting with whole wheat breads for a while, I decided this time around to go with a standard white bread. I ended up baking a Basic Soft White Sandwich Loaf and used a recipe from Rose Beranbaum's "The Bread Bible". I modified the recipe to use a sourdough starter instead of yeast (although I did add a small amount of yeast to stimulate the rise). I had some problems and ended up discarding a bit of the dough and going with a single loaf of bread. It turned out fairly well.
11/29/2012 Cheddar Bread |
22 |
Source of Recipe:
The Bread Bible (Author: Rose Levy Beranbaum)
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 8/9
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Honey
Water Dry milk
Salt Dijon mustard
Yeast Cayenne pepper
Sharp yellow cheddar cheese (grated)
Comments: Well this one was a winner. I baked Cheddar Bread using a recipe from Rose Beranbaum's "The Bread Bible". I followed the recipe as described except for 2 very minor differences:
(1) I used honey as the sweetener and (2) where it called for grated Sharp Cheddar cheese I used a prepared Extra Sharp (Yellow) Cheddar cheese that had pieces in small cylindrical chunks (next time, I think I'll use grated cheese, but will still prefer the extra sharp yellow cheddar.
We had the bread slightly toasted with butter - tasted really good. The following day, we made sandwiches with this bread - bread with mayo, good ham, and thyme - tasted really good toasted or not toasted.
The Bread Bible (Author: Rose Levy Beranbaum)
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 8/9
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Honey
Water Dry milk
Salt Dijon mustard
Yeast Cayenne pepper
Sharp yellow cheddar cheese (grated)
Comments: Well this one was a winner. I baked Cheddar Bread using a recipe from Rose Beranbaum's "The Bread Bible". I followed the recipe as described except for 2 very minor differences:
(1) I used honey as the sweetener and (2) where it called for grated Sharp Cheddar cheese I used a prepared Extra Sharp (Yellow) Cheddar cheese that had pieces in small cylindrical chunks (next time, I think I'll use grated cheese, but will still prefer the extra sharp yellow cheddar.
We had the bread slightly toasted with butter - tasted really good. The following day, we made sandwiches with this bread - bread with mayo, good ham, and thyme - tasted really good toasted or not toasted.
12/4/2012 Spent Grain Bread |
23-24 |
Source of Recipe:
Jasmine
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 6/8
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Whole wheat flour
Milk Extra virgin olive oil
Salt Honey
Sourdough Starter Egg
Yeast Spent Grain
Comments: This is a repeat of a bread that I made in August. Mike got me some spent grain from his 11/30/2012 batch of Gamble Mill Pig Iron IPA beer. The grain Mike used was a combination of malted barley: Franco Belges Pale Ale Malt (a French malt) and Thomas Faucett Caramalt (a British malt). I used the same bread formula from Jasmine and modified it to include a sourdough starter and honey as a sweetener. This time I cut back on the milk to 1/4 cup since the dough in August was too moist. As was the case in August, it took a very long time to rise (I had even supplemented the sourdough starter with a small amount of yeast), but in the end it worked. The resultant loaf had a nice firm crust, was somewhat moist, and had good flavor.
Jasmine
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 6/8
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Whole wheat flour
Milk Extra virgin olive oil
Salt Honey
Sourdough Starter Egg
Yeast Spent Grain
Comments: This is a repeat of a bread that I made in August. Mike got me some spent grain from his 11/30/2012 batch of Gamble Mill Pig Iron IPA beer. The grain Mike used was a combination of malted barley: Franco Belges Pale Ale Malt (a French malt) and Thomas Faucett Caramalt (a British malt). I used the same bread formula from Jasmine and modified it to include a sourdough starter and honey as a sweetener. This time I cut back on the milk to 1/4 cup since the dough in August was too moist. As was the case in August, it took a very long time to rise (I had even supplemented the sourdough starter with a small amount of yeast), but in the end it worked. The resultant loaf had a nice firm crust, was somewhat moist, and had good flavor.
12/9/2012 Spent Grain Bread |
25-26 |
Source of Recipe:
Jasmine
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 7/8
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Whole wheat flour
Milk Extra virgin olive oil
Salt Honey
Yeast Egg
Spent Grain
Comments: I enjoyed making the spent grain bread earlier in the week so much that I decided to try it again. Actually, I was prompted to do this by Mike, who was whipping up a batch of Duncan's Oatmeal Stout. I also give Mike & Chris a loaf every time I use the spent grain that he supplies (not sure if this had anything to do with him asking if I wanted more spent grain). In any event, Mike got me some spent grain from his 12/7/2012 batch of Gamble Mill Duncan's Oatmeal Stout beer. The grain Mike used was a combination of malted barley: French Pale Malt and British Crystal Malt, combined with Flaked Oats and British Roasted Barley (not malted). I used the same bread formula from Jasmine that I've used for all of my other Spent Grain Breads, but this time I did not modify it to include a sourdough starter. Instead I used yeast as is called for in the formula. I also used honey as a sweetener. Once again, I cut back on the milk by (~1/4 cup less than called for) since the grain has significant moisture content already. Contrary to when I used the sourdough starter, it didn't take nearly as long to rise. The resultant loaf had a nice firm crust, was somewhat moist, and had good flavor. The color looked almost like a pumpernickel bread, likely due to the characteristics of the British Roasted Barley.
Jasmine
Rating (Appearance/Taste): 7/8
Ingredients:
Base: White bread flour Also: Whole wheat flour
Milk Extra virgin olive oil
Salt Honey
Yeast Egg
Spent Grain
Comments: I enjoyed making the spent grain bread earlier in the week so much that I decided to try it again. Actually, I was prompted to do this by Mike, who was whipping up a batch of Duncan's Oatmeal Stout. I also give Mike & Chris a loaf every time I use the spent grain that he supplies (not sure if this had anything to do with him asking if I wanted more spent grain). In any event, Mike got me some spent grain from his 12/7/2012 batch of Gamble Mill Duncan's Oatmeal Stout beer. The grain Mike used was a combination of malted barley: French Pale Malt and British Crystal Malt, combined with Flaked Oats and British Roasted Barley (not malted). I used the same bread formula from Jasmine that I've used for all of my other Spent Grain Breads, but this time I did not modify it to include a sourdough starter. Instead I used yeast as is called for in the formula. I also used honey as a sweetener. Once again, I cut back on the milk by (~1/4 cup less than called for) since the grain has significant moisture content already. Contrary to when I used the sourdough starter, it didn't take nearly as long to rise. The resultant loaf had a nice firm crust, was somewhat moist, and had good flavor. The color looked almost like a pumpernickel bread, likely due to the characteristics of the British Roasted Barley.