I was cleaning out old files of recipes and came across an oatmeal bread recipe. (I'll add this later!) Turns out that it is from Charles van Over, a mentor to the author of '52 Loaves'. Small world. The recipe is very precise on each of the steps. I, of course, modified the recipe out of the gate. I added an autolyse, and honey as a sweetner. I also made loaves in pans. I did follow the directions for two steams. The net of this is the lightest loaf yet, with the highest loft and chewy crust.
If I get the same results the next time I make bread, I'll be ready to move on to other varieties.
27 April 2010
20 April 2010
Salad Days
I'm not sure if this should be filed here or in my garden blog:
Last night we had our first salad from the garden.
Last night we had our first salad from the garden.
Better Bread
Today I made the best bread ever! I properly followed the autolyse technique (Flour + 90% of water) in the Fanny Farmer Oatmeal Bread recipe. I substituted butter for oil, and honey for molasses, some wheat flour for white flour, and added a bit of ground flaxseed for extra protein. After first rise, I shaped into loaves: one plain loaf rolled in cornmeal and one rolled into a cinnamon swirl. Both are soft yet chewy and firm, and made an excellent sandwich.
09 April 2010
More bread knowledge
I am reading the book, 52 Loaves. Although I am not as hung up on hole-y bread, it inspired me to do further research on bread making techniques. I was particularly intrigued with the idea of autolyse. So, the first thing I did upon my return from our trip was make a batch of whole wheat bread.
I mixed up the flour, sugar, salt and water/milk in the mixer bowl, covered it and went shopping. When we came back, I hydrated the yeast, kneaded it in, and walked away. When the dough rose, I formed it into two loaves: to one I added sunflower seeds and walnuts; the other was a cinnamon loaf. Both turned out better than prior whole wheat loaves with less whole wheat content. They had a better crown than prior loaves.
I read a recipe from Everyday food on quick Brown Sugar Pecan Sticky rolls, and thought I would modify the technique for my cinnamon loaf. I melted butter, and spread it on the flattened dough, then sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and rolled it into a loaf. For winging it, it was the right amount of cinnamon sugar.
In the book, the author said that after learning about autolyse, he never used his mixer again for kneading. I'm not sure I'm ready to do that yet. But Dug, if you're reading this . . . next stop, Paris.
I mixed up the flour, sugar, salt and water/milk in the mixer bowl, covered it and went shopping. When we came back, I hydrated the yeast, kneaded it in, and walked away. When the dough rose, I formed it into two loaves: to one I added sunflower seeds and walnuts; the other was a cinnamon loaf. Both turned out better than prior whole wheat loaves with less whole wheat content. They had a better crown than prior loaves.
I read a recipe from Everyday food on quick Brown Sugar Pecan Sticky rolls, and thought I would modify the technique for my cinnamon loaf. I melted butter, and spread it on the flattened dough, then sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and rolled it into a loaf. For winging it, it was the right amount of cinnamon sugar.
In the book, the author said that after learning about autolyse, he never used his mixer again for kneading. I'm not sure I'm ready to do that yet. But Dug, if you're reading this . . . next stop, Paris.
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