Bread Baking Results - 2014
Listed below are the breads that I baked during the third year of my bread baking journey.
1/2/2014 Loaves #47 and #48
Tartine Whole Wheat Bread
Once again, I baked a couple of loaves of 'Tartine Country Bread' using a recipe and technique from Chad Robertson's 'Tartine Bread' book. This time around I baked the Whole Wheat bread (70% of the flour was whole wheat flour). The bread contained just the 4 primary ingredients: flour (white and whole wheat), water, salt, and a sourdough starter. As noted before, his technique involved two differences from traditional bread baking:
(1) no real kneading of the dough - just periodic folding inside a large bowl;
(2) using a dutch oven combo cooker - I baked it for 20 minutes inside the dutch oven and then removed the cover of the dutch oven for the final 25 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees, 1/2 through the final 25 minutes to even out the crust heat & hence color.
Four considerations for the next time I bake this bread:
(1) no real kneading of the dough - just periodic folding inside a large bowl;
(2) using a dutch oven combo cooker - I baked it for 20 minutes inside the dutch oven and then removed the cover of the dutch oven for the final 25 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees, 1/2 through the final 25 minutes to even out the crust heat & hence color.
Four considerations for the next time I bake this bread:
- consider proportionally increasing the initial ingredients so that I end up with two larger loaves (the size of the dutch oven seems to warrant a slightly larger dough ball)
- weigh out the dough balls when splitting
- figure out how to score the dough prior to cooking - I always end up really damaging the top of the dough when my blade just rips & pulls as I attempt to make my mark (actually this particular time was better than most times)
- when placing the dough in containers for the final rise, use much more of the rice flour mixture (and make sure I use a higher proportion of rice flour to whole wheat flour) - I tend to have the dough stick to the cloth and have trouble getting it into the dutch oven without gently massaging it off of the cloth (this time around, I used 70% rice flour/30% whole wheat flour; used a textured towel to better hold the flour; really worked the flour mixture into the cloth on the counter before placing it in the container; and it worked really well)
2/3/2014 Loaves #49 and #50
Tassajara Rye Oatmeal Bread
I tried this bread (Tassajara Rye Oatmeal Bread) almost 2 years ago and had poor results - this time around, I had much better results - I attribute this to the following:
1 - I coated the bread pans more thoroughly with my bread pan release
2 - I used a little bit extra yeast
3 - when slashing, I used a new technique (blade was 45 degrees to top of loaf)
4 - dough was very wet & I added significantly more whole wheat flour before & during kneading
I also experienced very good 'oven spring'.
1 - I coated the bread pans more thoroughly with my bread pan release
2 - I used a little bit extra yeast
3 - when slashing, I used a new technique (blade was 45 degrees to top of loaf)
4 - dough was very wet & I added significantly more whole wheat flour before & during kneading
I also experienced very good 'oven spring'.
2/3/2014 Loaf #51
Kamut Crispbread
I decided to make a filled crisp bread. I used the recipe for Kamut Crispbreads (p 224) from Chad Robertson's "Tartine Book No. 3" after tasting some that Brooke Linderman (Assistant Pastry Chef at Empire State South) made at Ryan & Kara's marriage celebration. I did not have Kamut Flour, but based on feedback from Brooke, I adjusted the ingredients to use Durum flour and white flour instead.
The color of the crisp bread was a golden brown - darker than I thought it would be & darker than what Brooke's looked like when she made it for Ryan & Kara - however, author Robertson suggests it will get to a golden brown color. So perhaps it's as planned.
The color of the crisp bread was a golden brown - darker than I thought it would be & darker than what Brooke's looked like when she made it for Ryan & Kara - however, author Robertson suggests it will get to a golden brown color. So perhaps it's as planned.
I filled the crisp bread with shaved carrots, tarragon, and thyme, and used a pasta roller to thin it all out. The shaved carrots were a tab thick and juice squeezed out when taking it through the pasta roller, but it didn't seem to matter too much.
3/27/2014 Loaves #52 and #53
Soft White Sandwich Loaf
I had not baked this bread in over 2 years and, since I seemed to like it 2 years ago, I decided to bake it again. Despite dealing with a new oven that doesn't heat up properly (I relied on a cheap, stand-alone oven thermometer instead of depending on the oven's thermostat) & despite me making some errors along the way (mixed salt & butter in too early), the bread once again turned out fairly decent.
As a result of the oven challenges, I also used a temperature probe late in the bake cycle - I read a very high internal bread temperature, so terminated the baking about 5-6 minutes earlier than planned. I was concerned that the bread was over-baked, but concluded that was not the case after all. Since I didn't come to this conclusion until after I let the bread cool and then cut into it, I didn't do any more baking of the loaves. Still turned out good.
As a result of the oven challenges, I also used a temperature probe late in the bake cycle - I read a very high internal bread temperature, so terminated the baking about 5-6 minutes earlier than planned. I was concerned that the bread was over-baked, but concluded that was not the case after all. Since I didn't come to this conclusion until after I let the bread cool and then cut into it, I didn't do any more baking of the loaves. Still turned out good.
3/30/2014 Loaf #54
Mantovana Olive Oil Bread
Today I baked a hearth bread that I've baked several time before: Mantovana Olive Oil Bread, based on a recipe from Rose Beranbaum's "The Bread Bible". Although I really like the flavor and texture of this bread, I am always disappointed in the shape of the loaf. This time, I decided to bake it in the Dutch Oven Combo Cooker, thinking that this might permit the bread to hold its shape better. While it came out shaped somewhat better, it was still flatter than I would have preferred. During the proof stage, the dough raised very nicely, but when I moved the dough ball into the dutch oven, it seemed to deflate significantly. This is essentially the same problem I have every time I bake this particular bread. I suspect the gluten is not sufficiently developed, but I'm not 100% sure why. It could be that the ratio of seeds is too high, thus impacting the successful development of the gluten. Someday, I'll actually learn how to bake this bread properly!
3/30/2014 Loaves #55 and #56
Tartine Country Bread
Predicting that I might continue to have difficulty baking the Mantovana Olive Oil Bread (see prior post), I also baked a couple of loaves of 'Tartine Country Bread' so I'd increase the probability of a baking success today. To bake the 'Tartine Country Bread', I use a recipe and technique from Chad Robertson's 'Tartine Bread' book. This is my 'go-to' bread and I've had reasonable success baking it. It turned out fairly good again. Although I am often reluctant to share my breads before testing them, I decided it was likely ok to share a loaf of this bread. Previously I've shared a loaf with Mike & Chris and another loaf with Roxie's Mom & John. So, this time, I decided to share a loaf with Lee & Dee. Hope they like it.
6/18/2014 Loaves #57 and #58
Tartine Country Walnut Bread
I went back to an old reliable bread & baked a couple of loaves of 'Tartine Country Bread'. However, for a change of pace, I tried the Tartine Country Walnut Bread using a recipe and technique from Chad Robertson's 'Tartine Bread' book. This might have been the first bread that I've baked since recalibrating our new oven - conclusion: I over-compensated when I recalibrated the oven and now things are cooking faster than I had anticipated. The loaves were done quicker than planned and the first one actually was a slight bit burned on the outside. Despite this though, the taste was very good. The walnuts added a very nice flavor, as well as a rather noticeable purple tint to the bread.
7/24/2014 Loaves #59 and #60
Einkorn Country Bread
I decided to finally try out a recipe from Chad Robertson's 'Tartine #3' book, in particular a recipe that uses an ancient grain. I found some Einkorn flour at The Granary in State College and used that flour, along with Chad's recipe for Einkorn Country Bread, to bake up an ancient grain loaf. Although the flavor was ok, the loaves collapsed. I believe that I over proofed the dough - I proofed the dough inside our new LG oven on the 'Proof' setting - I let it raise based on time instead of volume of dough raised (lesson learned).
8/30/2014 Loaves #61 and #62
Tartine Country Bread
It's late August and we have the entire family together for a late-summer vacation at the lake. Taking advantage of Ryan's recent experience as Empire State South's Executive Pastry Chef, we decided to bake some bread together. We decided to bake a basic sourdough country loaf using a technique from Chad Robertson's 'Tartine Bread' book, however modified the recipe slightly (after preparing the sourdough starter, we mixed the dough together and kneaded it very thoroughly - we also added 7grams of Wheat Germ; we then took it through the bulk fermentation process, doing the recommended 'turns'; we shaped the dough balls, placing them in the banneton/bowl and put this into the refrigerator for overnight proofing; the next morning, we visually examined and soft-touch tested the dough balls for readiness to bake; leave one dough ball in refrigerator until ready to bake; the first dough ball should remain covered at room temperature until oven heats up)
I learned a great deal from the process, in particular:
1 - how to score the dough before placing it in the oven (just the tip of the blade; keep sharp blade; cut quickly an angle almost parallel with counter)
2 - how to shape the dough ball to create a taut surface area (pull repetitively from behind towards you)
3 - how to do the 'window test' to know if the gluten structure has developed sufficiently (stretch out until absence of holes)
4 - why one would use the Dutch Oven combo cooker upside down (to expose more surface area during baking)
5 - how to test dough for readiness of baking (soft touch test on top of dough ball)
6 - why one would want to cook the entire loaf at 500 degrees
7 - get a slightly smaller banneton (actually get two such bannetons)
8 - how to use the banneton without a towel liner (nice design on dough ball - use rice flour mixture)
The resultant loaves turned out great, with the following observations:
---> the taste wasn't a strong sourdough taste and Ryan suspects that this might have been the result of using a starter that had been dormant for an extended period and not feed enough right before using
---> the scoring of the dough did not result in a particularly high elevation of the top cut portion - Ryan suspects this was due to proofing in a wide banneton
I learned a great deal from the process, in particular:
1 - how to score the dough before placing it in the oven (just the tip of the blade; keep sharp blade; cut quickly an angle almost parallel with counter)
2 - how to shape the dough ball to create a taut surface area (pull repetitively from behind towards you)
3 - how to do the 'window test' to know if the gluten structure has developed sufficiently (stretch out until absence of holes)
4 - why one would use the Dutch Oven combo cooker upside down (to expose more surface area during baking)
5 - how to test dough for readiness of baking (soft touch test on top of dough ball)
6 - why one would want to cook the entire loaf at 500 degrees
7 - get a slightly smaller banneton (actually get two such bannetons)
8 - how to use the banneton without a towel liner (nice design on dough ball - use rice flour mixture)
The resultant loaves turned out great, with the following observations:
---> the taste wasn't a strong sourdough taste and Ryan suspects that this might have been the result of using a starter that had been dormant for an extended period and not feed enough right before using
---> the scoring of the dough did not result in a particularly high elevation of the top cut portion - Ryan suspects this was due to proofing in a wide banneton
9/4/2014 Loaf #63
Einkorn Bread
Since I had some left-over Einkorn flour, I decided to bake some straight Einkorn bread using the recipe on the side of the Jovial Organic Einkorn flour package. It was a very simplistic recipe, taking very few of the 'dough enrichment' steps that are encouraged by most professional bakers. The resultant bread was ok - low rising & quite dense (probably the result of using exclusively Einkorn flour); soft crust; tasted reasonable; Betsy sure seemed to like it.
9/19/2014 Loaves #64 and #65
Tartine Country Walnut Bread
Since we enjoyed the 'Tartine Country Walnut Bread' that I made back in June, I decided to give it another try. I used the recipe and technique from Chad Robertson's 'Tartine Bread' book. Some time ago, we adjusted the temperature in our new oven upward and determined that we apparently raised the temperature too high. As a result, we adjusted the temperature downward in our new oven, but it continues to heat up quicker than we feel it should. The loaves were done quicker than planned and the first one actually was a slight bit burned on the outside. Despite this though, the taste was very good. The walnuts added a very nice flavor, as well as a rather noticeable purple tint to the bread. I also added a couple of tablespoons of walnut oil during the bulk fermentation process to enhance the walnut flavoring.
10/27/2014 Loaves #66 and #67
Tartine Country Walnut Bread
Since Betsy seemed to enjoy the 'Tartine Country Walnut Bread' that I made last month, I decided to give it another try. I used the recipe and technique from Chad Robertson's 'Tartine Bread' book. Some time ago, we adjusted the temperature in our new oven upward and determined that we apparently raised the temperature too high. As a result, we adjusted the temperature downward in our new oven, but it continues to heat up quicker than we feel it should. So between the September baking of this bread and this baking of this bread, we lowered the temperature settings again. When baking the first loaf, I left the temperature at 500 degrees and on the second loaf, I lowered it to 450 degrees when placing the loaf in the oven. The first loaf cooked very quickly but turned out ok. The walnuts added a very nice flavor, as well as a rather noticeable purple tint to the bread. I also added three tablespoons of walnut oil during the bulk fermentation process to enhance the walnut flavoring. As is evident from the photo, I continue to struggle with slashing the loaves prior to baking - my blade just rips - next time, I'll lubricate the blade prior to slashing.
10/30/2014 Loaves #68 and #69
Spent Grain Bread
Mike made some Duncan's Oatmeal Stout beer and pulled off some spent grain for me. I decided to once again make some spent grain bread using a formula I've used several times before. This time around I used dry yeast instead of a sourdough starter, and also honey as a sweetener instead of molasses. Flavor was decent.
11/27/2014 Loaf #70
Cranberry-Banana-Walnut Quick Bread
Well. it's Thanksgiving Day and I decided to bake a bread that would be more in the holiday spirit than my typically breads. After looking around, I concluded to bake a Cranberry-Banana-Walnut Quick Bread based on a formula from Rose Levy Beranbaum's 'The Bread Bible'. Since it was a 'Quick Bread' and didn't involve any kneading or time to rise, it didn't seem like real bread, but I made it nonetheless. It looked nice and had a decent flavor.
12/1/2014 Loaf #71
Rustic Artisanal No-knead Bread
I was recently convinced to use Pinterest - in doing so, I started following a Bread Baking pinterest group and decided to make some bread based on one of the recipes I found on Pinterest. I tried this one, which had the very basic of ingredients (flour, yeast. water, & salt). It was easy to make (no kneading or folding), just an overnight rise, followed by a 2-hour rise after shaping and then in the oven. Unfortunately, the dough stuck to the banneton and I ended up with a misshaped loaf after the dough ball pulled away from the banneton. It had good oven spring (which surprised me) and tasted fairly good.
12/8/2014 Loaves #72 and #73
Tartine Country Bread
I went back to one of my favorite breads - the Tartine Country Bread, made with the simplest of ingredients (sourdough starter, flour, water, and salt). Regrettably, my results with this particular bread continue to decline instead of improve. Three problems:
(1) the dough stuck in the proofing container (Loaf#1 to the banneton and Loaf#2 to the towel inside the proofing bowl), resulting in it separating and deforming when placing into the dutch oven to bake -Potential Solution: use more rice flour mix between dough and proofing container
(2) my slashing ripped the dough - the deformation resulting from Problem#1 above certainly didn't help when finding a nice taught surface to slash, but this continues to be a problem for me - Potential Solution: when doing the final shaping, make the dough surface tension much tighter (without ripping the dough)
(3) I baked it too long & Loaf#1 was burned on the bottom - (a) Loaf#1 (burned on bottom) was placed into a 500 degree oven which was immediately turned down to 450 degrees - it baked 20 minutes covered and then 25 minutes uncovered - (b) Loaf#2 (not burned and much more evenly baked) was placed into a 500 degree oven which was immediately turned down to 430 degrees - it baked 20 minutes covered and then 23 minutes uncovered - much better results from Loaf#2
(1) the dough stuck in the proofing container (Loaf#1 to the banneton and Loaf#2 to the towel inside the proofing bowl), resulting in it separating and deforming when placing into the dutch oven to bake -Potential Solution: use more rice flour mix between dough and proofing container
(2) my slashing ripped the dough - the deformation resulting from Problem#1 above certainly didn't help when finding a nice taught surface to slash, but this continues to be a problem for me - Potential Solution: when doing the final shaping, make the dough surface tension much tighter (without ripping the dough)
(3) I baked it too long & Loaf#1 was burned on the bottom - (a) Loaf#1 (burned on bottom) was placed into a 500 degree oven which was immediately turned down to 450 degrees - it baked 20 minutes covered and then 25 minutes uncovered - (b) Loaf#2 (not burned and much more evenly baked) was placed into a 500 degree oven which was immediately turned down to 430 degrees - it baked 20 minutes covered and then 23 minutes uncovered - much better results from Loaf#2
12/23/1014 Loaf #74
Rustic Artisanal No-knead Bread
Roxie asked me to bake some bread to serve at a Baby Shower for Ryan & Kara. Being that it was around Christmas time, I decided to go with a bread that would not take an excessive amount of time. As a result, I went with this no-knead, dry-yeast based bread. It turned out ok.