Homemade Bread Thread

[applescrap]

I've been on a savory bread kick lately. This bread with sun dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers was my latest to keep with the savory trend.

I blended some oil packed sun dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers into a puree and then combined that with the flour to give this bread a huge boost of flavor.

Ingredients

* 900g bread flour
* 100g rye flour
* 750g water
* 200g starter
* 22g sea salt
* 18g roasted red pepper
* 45g sun dried tomatoes

Basic Method

I used the 'lazy' method here which means no autolyse or starter buildup. I simply took 200g of my starter straight from the fridge and added it with the rest of the ingredients. There was an 8 hour bulk ferment at room temperature followed by 17 hour cold proof in the fridge.

For a full explanation of this method with instructions, check out this post: Roasted Bell Pepper + Sun Dried Tomato Sourdough

Scoring close-up

Top view of one loaf

Crumb shot

Beautiful as always. I love the additions. I added cheese for the first time ever so I appreciate some better inspiration. I dont measure but that recipe seems wetter than what I use? Mine is 3 c water to 6.5 c flour. And is considered a wetter no knead type dough I think. I have tried more water, cant recall results other than difficult to work with. But a little oil cures that for me.

 

[applescrap]

Wolly boule wolly boule wolly boule...made some boules and hot dog buns. The hot dog buns were a quick stretch for a quick lunch, I make them real quick why dogs cook in air fryer. Not to thick even very small work nicely. To big is the problem, throws ratio off. I make sure they touch and flip to get a little brown on the top. Then when pulled apart they will open from soft side like a nice hotdog bun should. Sliced one boule other day, rest tonight, crunchy chopping.

 

[NSMikeD]

Every day whole wheat loaf

Woke up the sour dough starter from fridge hibernation

Kaiser rolls for bacon egg and cheese

First brioche as an everyday slicing bread

 

[michaeltrego]

Portuguese Sweet Bread

 

[user 246304]

My "daily" levain. 90% Central Milling Baker's Choice Plus, 10% Central Milling Hi-Pro WW Medium. Organic (their conventional equivalents are the Red Rose line of flours).

My true pain au levain is much higher in whole grain, 37%; higher hydration (75%, v. 70% for the above), and the process is a much slower, cooler ferment (only 20% of a "sweet" starter at 65F, as opposed to 32.5% and 78F for the daily levain, above).

I prefer working with wheat, but because my wife is Estonian, I make a lot of ryes as well.

 

[kmarkstevens]

New Year's present. This Patrick Ryan recipe for sourdough with baked brie is the bee's knee's. It's like having a cheese fondue h'ordeuvres. Really tasty. Fresh sourdough and baked brie. Really easy but requires starting the night before and slow proofing in the fridge.

Pre-bake:

Post bake:

I baked this outside in a Weber gas fired grill and a cast iron pot. Used the covered cast iron bake at 450F for 15 minutes to start with. In an oven, 500F would have been better. Oven spring brought the bread up to be about even with the cheese. In the grill, it probably could have gone 5 more minutes for a better and darker crust, but I pulled it out since the internal temp was 205F. And this was my first attempt.

This is now in my special occasion rotation.

Happy New Year!

 

[NSMikeD]

First attempt at challah

 

[Coastalbrew]

My wife gave me a copy of "Tartine Bread" by Chad Robertson for Christmas. Just finished making the first bread using his recipe and technique, OMG! This is the best bread I've ever made. It has better crumb, better crust and the most delicious and complex depth of flavor. It's just amazing. If you haven't already read the book, you should definitely check it out.

 

[bernardsmith]

What provides the complexity of flavor? Is there a very long fermentation at low temperature? What hydration called for - 70% , more? What makes for the better crust - Do you bake the bread in a dutch oven to trap the steam for the first half of the bake time?

 

[Coastalbrew]

What provides the complexity of flavor? Is there a very long fermentation at low temperature? What hydration called for - 70% , more? What makes for the better crust - Do you bake the bread in a dutch oven to trap the steam for the first half of the bake time?

I can't explain the greater complexity of flavor. I assume it comes from a longer fermentation, but his whole technique is different from anything I've ever done before. He is very specific about when to use the starter to achieve the right flavor profile and he uses temperature differently in the pre-baking stages. He advocates starting the leaven at about 65* and then once the dough is mixed, keeping the it around 80*. The whole process takes about 24 hours from the start of the leaven to baking. He uses 75% hydration with the dough, and there is no kneading, just turning the dough periodically through the first fermentation period. I did use a combo cooker which made a huge difference with the crust.

Edit: it's also 100% wild yeast and bacteria. There is no commercial yeast used at any point.

 

[bernardsmith]

ah.. This is a sour dough bread with high hydration. I generally allow my commercially yeasted loaves to sit on a starter that I make with one cup of flour and all the water I plan on using for about 6 hours. But you can allow the starter to sit in a fridge for up to about 3 days to allow more of the flavors develop.
Kneading is one method of developing gluten but simply allowing the dough to stand for 24 hours is another method. The turning, I think, helps the gluten develop a spine, as it were, and that spine helps control the shape of the loaf as it rises.

 

[ba-brewer]

I like the stretch and fold approach, just elongating and folding it up letter style ever 20 to 30 mins for a couple hours. After about an hour it is already feeling pretty well structured.

 

[bracconiere]

My most successful brioche attempt so far, may have needed to tent it sooner or maybe a lower temp. as it looks a bit dark.
View attachment 707396View attachment 707397

i was wondering why you put a light bulb in it to make it glow?

 

[ba-brewer]

i was wondering why you put a light bulb in it to make it glow?

No light bulb, an aura.

Maybe just a ton of egg and butter.

 

[bracconiere]

i have a question for the thread.

i haven't been eating enough beans recently. i've had some luck with mixing bean flour with vital wheat gluten to get yeast leavened beans, because honestly bean soup got boring after a year.

but a few posts back i saw a bread maker loaf. and Thought ah-ha! what if! but when i make bread by hand with beans mixed with gluten, something in the bean flour breaks down the gluten after about 30 minutes and it falls. so i've taken to adding like 56g's active dry yeast, speed rising and getting it in the oven to bake as quick as possible. which gets me by, but due to circumstances outside my control, should i invest in a bread maker? think it would work?

and by all means if any one knows how to produce stable gluten with bean flour vital wheat gluten? let me know! (perfectly complete protein! taste good? i like my navy bean pita pockets with spinach and peperocini?)

edit: once again you guys are non-stop fun, what if i kiln the beans before milling to try and denature what ever enzyme is breaking down the gluten!

but i'd have to saok them first then, just re dry wouldn't i? off to the lab/kitchen

 

[deadwolfbones]

Made some sourdough Borodinsky rye following this recipe: Russian Sourdough Borodinsky Bread {rye + coriander} | Beets & Bones

I didn't have rye malt powder, so I took some crystal rye malt, ground it in a mortar, and filtered it through a fine mesh. Worked great! The resulting bread has a great balance of sweet, sour, and savory flavors and since it's 100% rye, that rye flavor is really in your face (which I love). The crumb is pretty moist but not gummy.

 

[DBhomebrew]

I think I've settled on my Everyday Toast Loaf. Sliced fresh and thrown in the freezer, it makes for a hearty breakfast.

50% high-gluten white bread flour
25% whole wheat
25% dark rye
27.5% spent grain, damp
10% flaked oats
20% stiff levain
75% hydration
2.1% salt

 

[michaeltrego]

Looks delicious - how did you get to 150% ingredients?

 

[DBhomebrew]

Looks delicious - how did you get to 150% ingredients?

Flours add up to 100%. Adjuncts, water, etc based off that.

 

[BalloonGuy]

I hope this is the right place to ask my question... I made a sourdough starter using the breadtopia instructions. The start is very active and makes good bread but it is not very sour. Is there a way to make to starter more sour or am I better to just start over?
Thanks-

 

[Hanglow]

Most recent loaf

 

[DBhomebrew]

I hope this is the right place to ask my question... I made a sourdough starter using the breadtopia instructions. The start is very active and makes good bread but it is not very sour. Is there a way to make to starter more sour or am I better to just start over?
Thanks-

It's all a balance of temp, time, amounts. Things that might get you closer to what you want...

Usually the starter is fairly sour. You could use more of it or let it get more over-ripe (mix the very sour liquor back in). This will bring more flavor into the bulk recipe to begin with.

It's ok to let your starter go over-ripe. Best to time the levain and proof for peak health.

With a cooler, longer proof (in the fridge, overnight) you can slow the rising action of the yeast to allow time for bacteria to eat their fill and excrete their acids. Yeasts work faster than the sour bugs.

https://www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/sourdough/how-to-make-truly-sour-sourdough-bread/

 

[BalloonGuy]

Thanks for the response. I have been draining the liquer. I will try mixing it in on the next batch. I already bulk rise in the fridge for at least 12 hours.

 

[kmarkstevens]

@Hanglow that is a nice looking loaf!

@DBhomebrew nice link to tips for more sour sourdough! Thanks

 

[kmarkstevens]

Thanks for the response. I have been draining the liquer. I will try mixing it in on the next batch. I already bulk rise in the fridge for at least 12 hours.

This is some awesome sourdough from the 1847 Oregon Trail. Actually, it's one of the coolest interwebs discovery I ever made about 15 years ago. Carl, who has passed, grandmother came West across the Oregon Trail, and her sourdough lives on today. For the price of a self addressed stamped envelope (remember those?), a Friend of Carl will send you starter with lineage from way back then. In my experience, Carl's sourdough performs far better than any wild caught fermentation I've ever done. Carl Griffith 1847 Oregon Trail Sourdough Page (carlsfriends.net)

 

[Driddy]

What are you feeding it? using whole wheat flour will produce a more sour tang then using 100% AP flour.

 

[BalloonGuy]

great info! I am using ap flour for feeding. I will switch to whole wheat. I am going to send for some of carl's starter too. That sounds too good to pass up!

 

[bobtheUKbrewer2]

1000 gm grain and cereals, 200 gm levain, 750 gm water, 26 gm salt

 

[rlmiller10]

I hope this is the right place to ask my question... I made a sourdough starter using the breadtopia instructions. The start is very active and makes good bread but it is not very sour. Is there a way to make to starter more sour or am I better to just start over?
Thanks-

How long are you letting it ferment? Mine gets more sour the longer I let it ferment. If I want sour I mix up the biga, using starter, about 25% of the flour and some water and let it sit 36 hrs before adding the rest of the flour and other ingredients.

 

[BalloonGuy]

It's all a balance of temp, time, amounts. Things that might get you closer to what you want...

Usually the starter is fairly sour. You could use more of it or let it get more over-ripe (mix the very sour liquor back in). This will bring more flavor into the bulk recipe to begin with.

It's ok to let your starter go over-ripe. Best to time the levain and proof for peak health.

With a cooler, longer proof (in the fridge, overnight) you can slow the rising action of the yeast to allow time for bacteria to eat their fill and excrete their acids. Yeasts work faster than the sour bugs.

https://www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/sourdough/how-to-make-truly-sour-sourdough-bread/

How long are you letting it ferment? Mine gets more sour the longer I let it ferment. If I want sour I mix up the biga, using starter, about 25% of the flour and some water and let it sit 36 hrs before adding the rest of the flour and other ingredients.

I usually ferment on the counter for 4 hours, fridge for about 12 hours and then mix the rest ofd the flour and work a few times over the next 4 - 6 hours before baking. I will try all these options.
Thanks for all the help.