The bakers' thread

[Tail End Charlie]

Hmm, indeed.

Although I save my frustrations for splitting firewood.

Hence I need to knead, as my cutting firewood involves pressing a lever and button, which doesn't quite hit the spot!

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Well @figbat , that is a marvellous dough.

I've just eaten mine, which rose like a hot air balloon. I had pressed the dough out wide and thin so the rise took me by surprise.

I thought I would try something different from the standard Italian and did a Scottish topping of blue cheese and black pudding. Boy was it good!😋

 

[figbat]

Well @figbat , that is a marvellous dough.

I've just eaten mine, which rose like a hot air balloon. I had pressed the dough out wide and thin so the rise took me by surprise.

I thought I would try something different from the standard Italian and did a Scottish topping of blue cheese and black pudding. Boy was it good!😋

View attachment 570485

You’re welcome (although Mariella gets the credit really). In fact I’m doing a Zoom class with her in a couple of weeks on the subject of pizza dough - the one I did above was a test-run so I could have some questions or areas to work on.

Yours looks awesome!

 

[Colin Grigson]

My son and I started these at 05.00hrs this morning ... like proper bakers !. Our very first attempt at baking bread and we couldn’t be more pleased with the result - taste gorgeous.

 

[jayonabike]

Baking this morning, first was baguettes then a small white loaf

 

[figbat]

Baking this morning, first was baguettes then a small white loaf View attachment 571237
View attachment 571238

A proper-coloured baguette. 👍🏻

 

[figbat]

I resuscitated my criminally-abused sourdough starter and threw together a last minute dough using Wessex Mill’s ‘Wessex Cobber’ flour - a favourite of mine. Overnight proving didn’t look promising as it barely rose, but a good knock-back and second prove in a warm place seemed to suggest it was still viable so into the oven and, ta-daaaah!

 

[figbat]

I resuscitated my criminally-abused sourdough starter and threw together a last minute dough using Wessex Mill’s ‘Wessex Cobber’ flour - a favourite of mine. Overnight proving didn’t look promising as it barely rose, but a good knock-back and second prove in a warm place seemed to suggest it was still viable so into the oven and, ta-daaaah!
View attachment 571356

 

[Tail End Charlie]

With sour dough, can you knock back more than once, as with "normal" yeast? I had a loaf proving, but forgot about it and it slumped back down. I've baked it now, but for the future does a second knock back work?

 

[stoatsngroats]

In part because of change to our food intake over the last 4 years, to reduce ‘food miles’ and improve the nutritional benefits, we were considering baking our own bread, indeed, had used a ‘bread machine’ to enable this during the last 2 years.
Wholly as a result of looking at this thread, we made a change this week and yours truly has become ‘a baker of bread!’
It’s only the first try to be fair, and did involve a ‘mix’ from the Bacheldre Watermill range, promising ‘just add water’ (well, and some butter too actually) and a recent stand mixer purchase.
I have to say, the methods was fraught with fear for me, as I hold dearly to my being a semi-perfectionist outlook.
Whilst not being perfect, the above was absolutely wonderloaf.. er wonderful, and I’m itching to make another.... and then another, and another.
Does this mean I’m hooked...?
It was delicious, with a squashed avocado and tomato.

 

[Reynard]

View attachment 571896
View attachment 571897
In part because of change to our food intake over the last 4 years, to reduce ‘food miles’ and improve the nutritional benefits, we were considering baking our own bread, indeed, had used a ‘bread machine’ to enable this during the last 2 years.
Wholly as a result of looking at this thread, we made a change this week and yours truly has become ‘a baker of bread!’
It’s only the first try to be fair, and did involve a ‘mix’ from the Bacheldre Watermill range, promising ‘just add water’ (well, and some butter too actually) and a recent stand mixer purchase.
I have to say, the methods was fraught with fear for me, as I hold dearly to my being a semi-perfectionist outlook.
Whilst not being perfect, the above was absolutely wonderloaf.. er wonderful, and I’m itching to make another.... and then another, and another.
Does this mean I’m hooked...?
It was delicious, with a squashed avocado and tomato.

Welcome to the world of hand-baked bread.

I will say that it's one of these things where you really do "learn by doing" but it's ever so worthwhile. Actually, Bacheldre Mill flours are really nice, I really dig their rye.

One tip I will give you is. when doing the bulk ferment and final proof, to watch the dough and not the clock.

Yeast is a funny beastie, and temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure etc can change the way it reacts. So just keep an eye on it. It really does help to use the same bowl and tin each time (for the same mix), and then you get the hang of when the dough is ready for the next stage.

Oh, and the fridge is a useful tool if you need to slow a galloping dough down.

 

[stoatsngroats]

Thanks @Reynard that’s interesting, I’m certain we’ll do this one again, although I have others in the cupboard.
I proved in the oven at 50c as the house wasn’t’ warm’.
I think this one is a little over done, but tasty nonetheless, so more to learn!
Why Reynard btw, is it fox related..?

 

[figbat]

One tip I will give you is. when doing the bulk ferment and final proof, to watch the dough and not the clock.

Yeast is a funny beastie, and temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure etc can change the way it reacts. So just keep an eye on it. It really does help to use the same bowl and tin each time (for the same mix), and then you get the hang of when the dough is ready for the next stage.

Oh, and the fridge is a useful tool if you need to slow a galloping dough down.

All of this!! I'd also add that the flour and even water quality and type can play a part, plus the whim of the yeast who can sometimes be vindictive as well as generous.

However, as I have said many times to many people, bread is the simplest thing in the world to make - people have been making it for millennia - all it needs at its most basic is flour and water. For a typical white loaf you need flour, water, yeast and a pinch of salt. The ratio of flour to water is important in order to get a dough you can handle and here is where the flour can make a difference and different flours - even different batches of the same flour - can absorb water differently. Having started as a basic baker and simply following a recipe I am now embroiled in the world of % hydration levels, but this is not required learning. As @Reynard said, watch the dough and do-learn-do. For a decent crust, put a shallow tray at the bottom of the oven whilst it is pre-heating then when you put the loaf in to bake pour boiling water into the tray and close the door. The steam raises humidity in the oven causing sugars in the dough to migrate to the surface and dissolve, which then caramelise to form the crust.

When I tell people I bake bread a common response is "I don't have a bread maker" to which I respond "all you need is a mixing bowl, some hands and an oven".

 

[Reynard]

Thanks @Reynard that’s interesting, I’m certain we’ll do this one again, although I have others in the cupboard.
I proved in the oven at 50c as the house wasn’t’ warm’.
I think this one is a little over done, but tasty nonetheless, so more to learn!
Why Reynard btw, is it fox related..?

My kitchen usually runs at about 18 degrees, and I just leave the dough on the counter in its bowl inside a clear plastic bag. A cooler bulk ferment, while it takes longer, will give you more flavour.

Ah, I've been using Reynard as an internet handle since the mid-ish 90s (back in my uni days as an engineering undergrad) - it's racing car related.

 

[figbat]

Also to add, proving can be fraught. I now almost always prove overnight in a cool place - currently the garage which is integrated into the house but gets pretty cool (a fridge will also do and my baking tutor uses her doorstep!). Slower proving generally means more yeast-infused flavour and also means you can use less yeast. I see no reason not to knock-back and re-prove a collapsed dough - it is certainly worth a try as you have little to lose.

Having got consistent with simple bread doughs I moved on to enriched doughs and now make things like panettone, stollen, various iced or swirled buns (cinnamon, Chelsea etc), English muffins, focaccia, pizza - I'll have a go at anything!