And then there was a band named Bread formed
in the mid 60s, surely some of you remember them. They had 13 songs making
the top 100 Billboard. One making it to #1
This from Wiki on how they came up with their name:
“A bread truck came along right at the time we were trying to think of a name. We had been saying, “How about bush, telephone pole? Ah, bread truck, bread.” It began with a B, like the Beatles and the Bee Gees. Bread also had a kind of universal appeal. It could be taken a number of ways. Of course, for the entire first year people called us the Breads.”
For anyone wanting to try their hand at making the most delicious and
addicting bread here is a easy to follow starter recipe from King Arthur.
The King Arthur recipe is the basis for me, but I use the same flour I am going to bake with and don’t measure anything.
After a couple of weeks feeding and growing your starter, it will be pretty stable. Then it can be put in the fridge and fed only weekly or so.
Ideally, it would come out of the fridge the day before or morning before baking, get fed once, sit 10-12 hours and be used. But I find it works fine even if cold (especially since I long rise overnight anyway).
I also prefer to feed the remnants after making bread and allow to be out of the fridge 1 or 2 cycles before going back in, but also has done fine when I don’t do that.
Those little yeastiest and bacteria are tougher than you think!
My daughter has trouble with my pretty dense whole fresh ground Einkorn grain bread.
So I sifted the grain last time, took out the bran and probably part of the germ (roughly 15% of the flour!) kneaded it in the Kitchen aid (lazy, I know ) then folded the bran and germ back in.
This messed up my hydration quite a bit, so I ended up with a wet mash, but it came out great. Much lighter and fluffier. More like real bread!
The bran supposedly cuts the developing gluten in to pieces during kneading, which results in a tight grained loaf. Of course the moist dough could have affected it as well.
Adding the bran/germ back saves the fiber and nutrients.
I find that when I make my Sourdough if I make it quite moist (almost a thick batter) I get a lighter loaf, finer texture but lighter. It’s so much better than it used to be I do it all like that now.
I used to make “no knead” bread, which Is a long rise overnight like I do now but with a wetter dough, then dropped into a hot covered pot to quick steam.
Maybe I am mixing techniques. Tastes good whichever way!
Until recently my method was using volume
measurements, mountain man style.
When I upgraded to the dutch oven also got a digital scale so been weighing
ingredients lately. Trying to hone in on a happy medium hydration wise.
And instead of kneading I’m trying the stretch and fold method .
Overall having decent results all around.
Not much cleanup either as I’m using parchment paper under the dough in the dutch oven . The only pot I have to clean is the one the dough gets mixed and rises in.
It is nice when you get the routine down. I just changed mine up and added the sifting out bran and folding back in which has stuck a spanner in the works. I’ll get it sorted, but I have added steps and mess.
I do the parchment paper as well. Works great.
True “no knead” bread is pretty easy. I may go that route. Mix it all in to a wet dough, sit overnight, fold over a few times onto the parchment paper and rise a couple of hours, then drop into the hot Dutch oven. Simples, to quote someone on this forum…
Yum. Looks crusty and plump.
I mix some oatmeal and DIY maple syrup in some
of my loaves. The skies the limit when it comes to home
bread baking. No two loaves are alike.
) then folded the bran and germ back in.
