Mostly, it's just heavier so it stays in place when you're folding but also the sides are thicker so more insulation and it's easier to fit in your refrigerator plus multipurpose.
Mostly, it's just heavier so it stays in place when you're folding but also the sides are thicker so more insulation and it's easier to fit in your refrigerator plus multipurpose.
I live in an RV, and don't have room in my refrigerator to proof pans of bagels.
I know I'm giving up some flavor and texture, but it's something I have to live with. Has anyone here had good results with a short proof?
Hey everyone,
Been baking for a little while now - and with the sourdough recipes I follow, I'm a fan of doing the final proof in the refrigerator overnight, and baking in the morning. Usually this proof lasts 12-15 hours.
I have noticed that I don't get much of a rise in the fridge in that time frame. Maybe the loaves appear slightly bigger, but not by much. My fridge temp is 37F. Is that too cold for a proof of that length? Or should I let my loaves warm up and finish proofing at warm temp to get a nice final rise?
I like making white bread every once in awhile, but sometimes my loaves come out very bland. Yes, I know it's white bread, but I do sometimes get a rich, yeasty flavor that I enjoy most. How can I get this more consistently? Here's what I typically do:
3 packets of active dry yeast, allow to bloom for 15 minutes before adding to 6 cups of flour, 2 tbsp butter, 1/2 cup milk, dash of salt and sugar. Knead for 5-8 minutes, let sit for an hour. Punch down, cut into loaves and sit another hour. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.
Should I start letting my dough sit in the refrigerator overnight to develop more flavor?
We've had a sourdough starter for 3 or 4 years now, and during that time I've made a lot of bread but none of it every really came out how I wanted. Instead of working on it thoughtfully I just kept throwing the same old bread together from a few recipes in our sourdough book and kept blindly adding stuff and improvising.
Then, I decided I'd work back to the basics and actual use things like 'by weight measurements' and 'consistent recipes' so I can start tweaking things and learning.
I have now made 3 loaves that I am happy with and finally have a base recipe with which to start experimenting.
http://ift.tt/2xM7yiO http://ift.tt/2xbn0AT
Recipe: 300g levain/starter, well fed 450g Unbleached AP flour 300g Filtered water 12g salt
150g Unbleached AP flour to feed starter 150g Filtered water
Take starter out of refrigerator for 2 hours (or until it starts to rise and bubble a good bit) Pour starter into bowl Mix in 150g flour and 150g water Let ferment 2 hours Cut 300g levain from starter Return starter to clean jar and store in refrigerator To 300g levain, add 450g flour and 300g water Mix until flour is moistened/mostly incorporated and let stand 2 hours 2 hours later: Add salt Put into stand mixer with dough hook attachment and mix on 2 or 3 until the dough looks smooth and not watery (5-15 minutes, I don't remember). Dough should pull away from the sides but still be stuck to the bottom. Smooth and stretchy. Lift dough hook, cover bowl, let rise (the house started at 75 degrees and ended at 60 degrees in the morning) 10ish hours. Move dough (will be very sticky) to floured work surface (maybe do this on a flourd parchment paper?) Fold 4-5 times incorporating some of the flour from the work surface Shape, dust with flour, let rise 2 hours pre-heat oven and combo cooker / dutch oven at 450 After everything is sufficiently warm (including the dutch oven) Place dough in dutch oven seam side down, slash top, cover, and place in oven Cook 20 minutes Remove lid (combo cooker FTW) cook additional 25ish minutes. Let cool eat
Time table
2 hours: let starter warm up before feeding 2 hours: let fed starter ferment a bit, cut, put starter away, make sponge 15 minutes: kneeding 10 hours: ferment/rise 2 hours: shape/ferment 20 minutes: bake covered 25 minutes: bake uncovered 1 hour: cool
18 hours total, plan accordingly!
Hey Breadit,
So i am leaving tonight for a weekend with some friends. I have three loaves bulk fermenting right now that I will shape and proof this afternoon. I was thinking about how to bring this bread out and have the freshest bread available.
My ideas are:
Bake all three this evening fully before I leave. (How to keep them best as we run through them??)
Proof in the refrigerator transport while cool and keep refrigerating overnight once at my destination and bake tomorrow morning. This involves bringing my dutch oven with me.
Trying to par bake the loaves this afternoon/evening before leaving and then popping them in the oven at our destination on a sheet pan to finish crust formation etc as needed.
What would you say is the best way to bring out these loaves this weekend?
I've heard that the refrigerator is not good for the bread. Why is that? What are you best methods for storing non-sourdough and sourdough loaves?
All right, I'm officially calling for help to the /r/Breadit Gods.
I started my sourdough starter on July 29. It has been going well and was kept on the counter for about the first two weeks with daily feedings. It passed the float test and was doubling in size in 3-6 hours on August 11 so I felt it was ready to live in the fridge with weekly feedings. Starter is 100% hydration.
These are the notes I have taken for my first 4 loaves and thus far I have not been particularly successful, though my results are varying and I am trying to figure out what I am doing wrong.
Loaf #1 - August 12
I'm honestly not sure if my starter was vigorous enough at this point. I used this recipe:
This is how they turned out:
http://ift.tt/2iXryIX
http://ift.tt/2eyE5O8
http://ift.tt/2iYe2VR
The taste was actually pretty good but it was hard as a rock, flat, and dense. I made two boules and they were both thrown away after tasting though in retrospect I could have used them for croutons or breadcrumbs.
Here's my starter on August 19 at 8AM, and again at 11AM:
http://ift.tt/2eygrS3
http://ift.tt/2iYe3sT
Loaf #2 - August 20
I used this recipe:
I cut the recipe in half because I didn't want to waste twice as many ingredients until I figure out what I am doing wrong. I am measuring in grams, for what it's worth.
This is how it turned out:
http://ift.tt/2iYe53Z
It was slightly better in terms of rise. I had unexpected company this day and totally forgot to check on it and I think it may have overproofed. I did not take a crumb shot but this whole loaf, despite still being flat, was delicious and we ate the whole thing ;) The right side spread out almost like a cookie and was thin and hard but the rest of the loaf was okay.
Loaf #3 - August 26
Again I used the same KA Extra Tangy Sourdough recipe. I figured I should probably stick with one recipe and keep trying rather than continually switching up my recipe, especially since Loaf #2 was made while distracted and entertaining a guest.
This is how it turned out:
http://ift.tt/2eyE7Wg
http://ift.tt/2iYe5B1
Definitely the best of them so far, I was very careful with watching my time. This one actually rose very well but I struggled with scoring and it had a very pale crust. Due to the burning of the first two loaves, I used a lower temperature (425 vs. 450) and did not preheat my dutch oven for this one. While I was very careful with my timing, I do think it may have been underproofed because I was anxious to get it in the oven.
Loaf #4 - September 3
Still using the KA Extra Tangy Sourdough recipe due to the success of Loaf #3. We had a major heat wave here in the Bay Area in CA and I probably shouldn't have baked but with the success of my last loaf (apart from the crust), I was so determined that I did anyway, using the same recipe but watching my final proofing more closely, using a better tool for scoring, and preheating my dutch oven again hoping for better oven spring. I honestly think that my kitchen may have been too hot because we do not have central A/C. The autolyse was done in the refrigerator overnight per the instructions but the rest was done at room temperature, bearing in mind that "room temperature" is probably in the low to mid-80's due to the heat. They are not as flat as loaf #1 and #2, but did not spring as much as loaf #3 like I expected. I baked for 25 minutes at 450 in a pre-heated dutch oven with the lid on, then removed the lid and baked for an additional 15 minutes. The second loaf I baked the same, but since the bottom was burnt on the first, I pulled it out of the dutch oven after the first 25 minutes and baked it directly on the oven rack for the last 15. Bottom was still burnt.
These are how they turned out:
http://ift.tt/2eyEakU
http://ift.tt/2iYe6F5
http://ift.tt/2eyEaRW
http://ift.tt/2iYe7c7
http://ift.tt/2eyEboY
When I took each one out of the proofing basket, they were definitely not as "firm" as Loaf #3, and they spread out quite a bit, so I had a feeling they might be flatter.
I'm fairly certain my starter is strong and vigorous. This is how the dough looked when I was getting ready to take it out of the bowl for the initial divide and shaping:
Thoughts? Opinions? Advise? :)
Lately I've been experimenting with slowed and long fermentations in the refrigerator. No sourdough, just with regular yeast but at quantities between 0.5 - 1% over flour weight. The last bread I made I left in the fridge for 3 and half days, it had high hydration of about 75% and the dough smelled a little like alcohol but nothing bad. The bread dough, tastes slightly sweet and sour, and there's another taste which I can't quite identify but it's not all that pleasant. It's my first time tasting breads with this much fermentation so I'm unsure if this is the flavors that it's supposed to develop. How could I tell when dough has gone bad and I shouldn't bake it? Also, what's the longest I should leave dough in the fridge, supposing that we're only concerned about bacteria and not about the dough deflating?
I am going to use the white bread with biga recipe for bread, but wanted to use some for pizza as well like it suggests. Can I put half of the dough into the refrigerator for a few hours before baking it, or will that mess with it too much?
Due to the time I want to do the long proofing overnight so it is ready for dinner tomorrow. but it says to start at 6pm then bake around noon the next day.
I was down in the Smoky Mountains somewhat recently getting away for a week, hiking and seeing the sights and bought a bag of "Mingus Mill Whole Wheat Flour" (http://ift.tt/2oiUNYZ). I've been brewing my own beer and ciders off and on now for several years and have always wanted to try bread since beer is pretty much just liquid bread.
In typical fashion for me, once I got home I started digging deep into learning about bread making. I usually get into things as far as I can and try to work my way out to see if I really get it. After some initial reading and video watching I determined that I wanted to use this stone ground wheat from the Smokies to cultivate my own yeast and so I began.
Over the course of two weeks I subtracted 100g of yeast from my mason jar, adding back 25g/25g Mingus Mill Wheat and King Arthur Organic Bread Wheat an 50g water. Once the yeast became more active I fed it twice a day, morning and night. The night before baking I created my levain by pulling 40g of active yeast into a separate mason jar with 35g/35g Mingus Wheat & Arthur Bread Flour with 70g water.
My dough formula was as follows - think this is ~86% Hydration? 575g King Arthur Organic Bread Flour 230g Mingus Mill Stone Ground Wheat 72g Arrowhead Mills Organis Rye (Whole Foods) 755g Water 20g Himalayan Salt 180g Levain Starter
Mixed Flour and Water, left to Autolyse for about an hour, then mixed in Leavain, let sit for another 30 minutes then added salt.
I wanted to try to slap and fold it but being this was my first time I don't think I was quite ready for that and with the dough being this hydrated it was REALLY difficult so I just did ~30-40 folds in the original mixing bowl.
After resting for a while from step two, I moved it to a new bowl, let rest for 15 then did 3 sets of folds (4-5 times per) every 10 minutes, then 3 more every 20 minutes. After that I let is rest to rise a little which took a little bit of time. I allotted 1.5 - 2 hours for this and it was about 2 - 2.5 until it "looked" right and ready to move on.
I split the dough into two and lightly pre-shaped , then covered to let them rest for another 20 minutes. After that I went back in and more tightly shaped them then placed each of them in a bowl lined with thin kitchen work towels which I sprinkled with flour.
They proofed overnight in my refrigerator and I pulled them out 2 hours prior to baking around noon today. Put the dutch oven (5.5 quart) in my stove to preheat (1hr) at 500 degrees. Once preheated, I placed the first one in, gave it a slice on top and cooked for 20 minutes. After that I took the lid off, dropped the temp to 450 degrees and did another ~25 minutes. I did the same with the other loaf.
Crust 1: http://ift.tt/2p702Ir
Crust 2: http://ift.tt/2oj74gj
Crumb 1: http://ift.tt/2p7ch8d
Crumb 2: http://ift.tt/2oj6SO1
I got some ok oven spring, I think I should have probably have gotten more so I'll be trying again soon. I think I have work to do in regards to shaping the bread tighter - I though I did this good enough but at this hydration level it was tough because the bread wanted to spread out more than I was prepared for so maybe next time I'll take the hydration down a little? Also, maybe a little less wheat and more bread flour next time? I could also do a better job scoring the bread next time to be more shallow and less deep.
Besides any tips on the above or anything else - does anyone have any flour brand recommendations other than the Arrow Head or Organic King Arthur's Bread Flour? Could that help too?
All in all the bread taste really good and overall I'm pretty content with my first run. I'll probably try again next weekend.
I also really want to get two circular banneton baskets because I used two bigger metal mixing bowls lined with a towel. It looks to me like that let the bread spread out too much overnight.
Xposting for more help/tips, Thanks!
Hello! I've started a lovely trio of multigrain pan de levan and am ready to shape. I need to go out for errands and have read a bit of great successes where folks drop into the oven directly from the fridge. In his case do you do a standard length bulk ferment at room temp and then put in the fridge? Or do your second ferment IN the refrigerator?
Any help is appreciated. It's looking lovely and I'd hate to mess up the second rise.
2 Questions:
1) Anyone experience baking this bread and have issues developing the initial gluten structure? I add the flour, yeast, and water according to the recipe (I understand it is a super wet dough) but it remains more of the consistency of pancake batter than the actual beginnings of bread?
2) How do we feel about an overnight rise? I know this doesn't usually call for it, but would the initial rise in the refrigerator over night be super detrimental? I started making this dough in the middle of the snow storm and was just informed I need to come into work anyways.
I have a batch of dough from King Arthur's White Bread 101 / Sandwich Bread that has been in the refrigerator since yesterday. It was warm when I put it in the fridge and appears to have completed (most of?) its second rise.
What would happen if I baked it in a dutch oven like a no knead or artisan bread? I imagine the crumb would still be like a sandwich bread, but would the crust be closer to no knead style? Would I have to adjust the temperature down from no knead temps since this recipe has sugar and milk in it?
I used 2/3 King Arthur bread flour and 1/3 King Arthur white whole wheat flour.
Thanks in advance.
I'm a working professional and I'm just starting my breaducation so on most weekdays I don't have the necessary time to bake a casual loaf, but I also don't want to confine my baking to weekends.
I've read some recipes and articles on 8 hour fermentations, but is there a way to do bulk fermentation for 20 hours without doing a sort of sourdough? Less yeast? A colder refrigerator? I'm looking for 20 hours specifically because I could start a dough after work and get back to it the next day to finish.
So I was making some overnight no knead bread and when I took it out of the refrigerator 8 hours later it looked dry and only rose a little bit. I tried taking it out another 5 hours later, same thing. I kept it out 24 more hours at room temp and it's just now starting to bubble. I have had this active dry yeast for a good 6 months now, is it possible the yeast got extremely weak after being opened so long?
So I use a super simple recipe (1kg ap flour, 700g water, 20g salt, 10g instant yeast) and give it a mix, ferment, shape and bake. If i were to retard it in the refrigerator, could I shape it before putting it in so I can just bake it the next morning, or would it be better to refrigerate during the ferment stage?
