Bread baking newbee

[noboundaries]

This thread has inspired me. I haven't baked any bread since the holidays. I'm getting a hankering for a flatbread. The cool thing about bread baking is that you can use the same basic recipe for lots of different styles of bread. It may violate some cultural expectations, but will still be delicious!

Some folks are of the mindset that baking bread must be done at a specific oven temp, and for specialty breads, that's probably true. I make common breads, and I've used oven temps from 350F to 550F, but generally stick to 350-425F. A look at color, a finger thump (hollow sound), and a quick instant read therm check (195-200F) and you're done!

Baking bread, smoking meat, and roasting coffee are my three favorite taste bud addictions.

 

[pushok2018]

Baking bread, smoking meat, and roasting coffee are my three favorite taste bud addictions

Completely agreed! I am smoking meats, am trying to get into bread making right now. I LOVE coffee but never though about roasting beans... At least not just yet!

 

[zwiller]

Sour dough and flat bread (and coffee)... You guys are reading my mind. Trying to stay away from coffee for now as I am a big espresso nerd with pressurized portafilter setup and already have enough hobbies at it is. That said, we eat a lot of bread.

Is flat bread just not proofed or whatever and just rolled out and baked?

pushok2018 Some members still use bread machines. At first I thought it was kinda odd but later I realized they do not bake in them but just program to do all work but bake in oven like this thread.

 

[bregent]

One more question if you don't mind: making a starer for sourdough bread.

I'd recommend this one, it works well for me: https://tartinebakery.com/stories/country-bread
You probably don't need that big of a starter so scale it down to use 200-400 grams of flour total.


However, once you have the starter going I suggest this for maintenance:

No Muss No Fuss Starter

I thought I would make a post on how I keep my starter for those who have an interest in doing the same. My method is based on several wants. First, I don’t want to maintain or feed a starter for up to 16 weeks. Second, I want to keep as small amount of starter as possible so that I can bake a...

www.thefreshloaf.com

 

[clifish]

I have 5lbs of low carb carbolouse flour and I have been dying to make some low carb bread from.

 

[pushok2018]

bregent, and again- THANK YOU!

 

[noboundaries]

Here's my rustic bread recipe. When I make flatbread out of it, I use a cookie sheet, pizza pan, paella pan, or just parchment paper on a stone. I use all-purpose flour, not bread flour, for flatbread. It gives a softer bread. I also put a little dried oregano and dry basil in it. A little dry hard freshly grated cheese in it adds another level of subtle flavor. You can finger dimple it like foccacia and cover with extra virgin olive oil prior to baking, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Easy Peasy Rustic Bread

My wife and I have a bread we love to buy from the grocers called Pugliese Bread. I've been trying to find a recipe that duplicates the crunchy exterior and soft, big holed interior. I could tell from tasting it the recipe had to be simple. Here is the closest thing I've found and it is...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[Whoppr]

Great thread. Wanna do some bread in the worst way but man, the learning curve... Am I right, I can put a SS bowl over the stone and has same effect as DO? Anyone have a good no knead recipe/simple rye or pumpernickel recipe?

I would check Breadtopia. I can try and dig up a recipe from that site or another, but I would look there first. I love rye but have never done a no knead rye. Anyone interested the whole no knead method went viral after Mark Bittman did a NY times article on Sullivan St. Bakery in NY. Jim Lahey may not have invented the method but used it in his bakery and popularized it through Mark Bittman's article. Since then there have been adaptations for all types of bread including pizza crust and other breads.

I can dig up the links if anyone is interested.

 

[pushok2018]

Good day everyone.... One more question... if I can... It's hard to find any flour at this time especially bread or whole wheat flour but I still have All Purpose one in my stush.... Is this OK to use APF for bread or it's not really recommended? From your personal experience? Thank you...

 

[bregent]

Is this OK to use APF for bread

I've used AP for Country Loaf and it worked fine - not as good as bread flour but it worked. But I also use some whole wheat in the mix. See if you can locate some vital wheat gluten to add some strength.

 

[pushok2018]

Great! Thank you for your advice. I appreciate that!

 

[pushok2018]

OK guys.... This is your guilt.... yours for 100%.... This is my first bread and.... I am on hook now!!!
I used noboundaries's Easy Peasy Rustic Bread recipe and... such a simple recipe but bread is so tasty! Very crunchy. Thank you all of you!

 

[bregent]

Nice job! You are well on your way. Now sit back and watch your waistline grow.

 

[noboundaries]

I used noboundaries's Easy Peasy Rustic Bread recipe and... such a simple recipe but bread is so tasty! Very crunchy. Thank you all of you!

You are very welcome! And thank you for a huge smile. You've baked a beeeeutiful loaf!

 

[johnmeyer]

That bread looks amazing!

I've been baking bread for 50+ years. I agree with oldsmokerdude: you need no equipment whatsoever. You mix the ingredients together, let it rise once, shape it into a loaf, let it rise again, and then bake.

Things which I've bought over the years which improve the process:

• Stand mixer. Let it do the kneading.
• Bread flour. Its higher gluten makes a big difference in results. With flour in short supply now, using AP will work, but the texture won't be quite as good
• Baking stone. This is less important for loaves baked in pans, although it does help them. For loaves like what you just baked it can help get a better crust.
• Scale. As others have pointed out, you will get MUCH more consistent results, although converting recipes from volume (cups) to weight can be problematic because, if you research the Internet, you'll find that there is absolutely no agreement on how many ounces is in one cup of AP or whole wheat or bread flour.
• Diastatic malt. I didn't discover this one until recently. I remember my dad telling me, back in the 70s when he was consulting with a bakery, that they had a "secret" ingredient they used that wasn't available to the general public. Diastatic malt is that secret ingredient. It helps provide better taste and better browning. You only need 1-2 teaspoons for most recipes.

Always make sure your yeast is fresh (you can find freshness test online). Pay close attention to temperature when proofing yeast and when rising the loaves. Try to use un-chlorinated water when proofing your yeast or when adding water to the recipe. Chlorine can be a little rough on those living organisms (after all, the reason it's in the water is to kill living organisms). If you have a Brita or other similar charcoal filter, that will completely take care of the problem. Most failures to rise can be traced to temperature (outside the 105° - 115° F recommended range) or water that is hostile to yeast. Well water in some areas can be problematic -- I had pH of 4.7 in the well water in my first house before I installed a treatment system.

 

[pushok2018]

You've baked a beeeeutiful loaf!

Thank you, Sir! That means a lot for me.....

hat bread looks amazing!

John,thank you for the good words!

Diastatic malt is that secret ingredient. It helps provide better taste and better browning. You only need 1-2 teaspoons for most recipes.

Ahha...... This is interesting, indeed... but looks like all the suppliers are out of this secret ingredient at this time but I will be searching anyway... Do you recommend to add this to any bread recipe or it works only for certain breads?
Yes, I used distilled water but also I have brita... I wasn't sure that brita in fact, remove all the chlorine from water... Good to know.
I left the dough to rise at room temperature at about 70F. I know this is not high enough and next time will use my oven with it's light "on".

Bread flour. Its higher gluten makes a big difference in results. With flour in short supply now, using AP will work, but the texture won't be quite as good

30# of bread flour is arriving this Sunday! Yey!

 

[bregent]

Do you recommend to add this to any bread recipe or it works only for certain breads?

It's certainly not appropriate for everything. Use depends on what you are making and how you are making it. Malt is used for flavor, color and can also affect the fermentation process if it contains diastatic enzymes. The enzymes convert the starch in flour into simple sugars. The baking flour I use already has malt in it - yours might also so check the label. If you are just using it for flavor, then you don't need diastatic malt.

For pizza, I use LDMP (low diastatic malt powder). This has a very low diastatic power, so it converts starches very slowly. That's good for long retarded fermentations.
For bagels, I use liquid malt that I get from a homebrew shop. It's used for flavor and I also put it in the water the bagels are boiled in to help with color.

 

[zwiller]

WOW. First bread?!?! That looks crazy good! CONGRATS!

 

[pushok2018]

WOW. First bread?!?! That looks crazy good! CONGRATS!

Thank you, zwiller!

 

[mneeley490]

• Diastatic malt. I didn't discover this one until recently. I remember my dad telling me, back in the 70s when he was consulting with a bakery, that they had a "secret" ingredient they used that wasn't available to the general public. Diastatic malt is that secret ingredient. It helps provide better taste and better browning. You only need 1-2 teaspoons for most recipes.

Is that a syrup or a powder?