rhetorical question - but I'll use it as an excuse to revive the definitive thread
I did learn I can buy a new mother... need a hareem
Cooking with Jonny69: baking bread.
- Thread starter Jonny69
- Start date
I did learn I can buy a new mother... need a hareem
Soldato
I bought a 2lb loaf tin and made some bread tonight and I'm quite impressed, it's come out better than my fast no knead effort a few weeks ago. The crust is crispy and bread is really soft and fluffy and tastes good. I was eating a slice still warm.
I must say though, I really struggled with the stickiness of the dough and trying to knead it. I almost gave up. I didn't want to add too much flour to the work surface because apparently that can make the bread tough. And another tip was wet the surface with water instead of flour and keep wetting your hands when it gets sticky. But I found that was making the dough too wet and stickier. Then when I placed it in the tin and let it rise for another hour I tried to cut some diagonal lines but I couldn't as it was starting to tear the dough. So never succeeded in getting the dough dry or firm enough.
Anyway, I'm pleased with the result as I fully expected it to bomb.
I used a 3:1 ratio of flour, 375g strong stone ground wholemeal & 125g strong white flour
2 tspn salt. Mixed these dry ingredients.
1.5 tspn fast yeast (about 5g) into a jug with 400g luke warm water. I also added a sprinkle of sugar, probably not needed. My infrared gun thermometer came in handy here as I wanted 40c for the water. Sat it for 10 minutes.
Threw yeast into the dry ingredients, added 1 tbspn olive oil and mixed it up with the handle end of a long wooden spoon.
Kneaded for about 10 minutes and proved for an hour to double size. Then kneaded for a couple of minutes, back in bowl covered and rested for 5 minutes. Knocked air out of it, rolled it and into tin to prove for another hour. Actually, there was too much dough made and it filled my tin higher than it should so I only proved second time for about half an hour as I didn't want it to rise any further before baking or it might end up toppling on itself or looking like a mushroom.
Dusted the top with flour.
Preheated fan oven to 190c and heated roasting tin on bottom shelf. Poured boiling water into it and put loaf in oven for 35 minutes.
I must say though, I really struggled with the stickiness of the dough and trying to knead it. I almost gave up. I didn't want to add too much flour to the work surface because apparently that can make the bread tough. And another tip was wet the surface with water instead of flour and keep wetting your hands when it gets sticky. But I found that was making the dough too wet and stickier. Then when I placed it in the tin and let it rise for another hour I tried to cut some diagonal lines but I couldn't as it was starting to tear the dough. So never succeeded in getting the dough dry or firm enough.
Anyway, I'm pleased with the result as I fully expected it to bomb.
I used a 3:1 ratio of flour, 375g strong stone ground wholemeal & 125g strong white flour
2 tspn salt. Mixed these dry ingredients.
1.5 tspn fast yeast (about 5g) into a jug with 400g luke warm water. I also added a sprinkle of sugar, probably not needed. My infrared gun thermometer came in handy here as I wanted 40c for the water. Sat it for 10 minutes.
Threw yeast into the dry ingredients, added 1 tbspn olive oil and mixed it up with the handle end of a long wooden spoon.
Kneaded for about 10 minutes and proved for an hour to double size. Then kneaded for a couple of minutes, back in bowl covered and rested for 5 minutes. Knocked air out of it, rolled it and into tin to prove for another hour. Actually, there was too much dough made and it filled my tin higher than it should so I only proved second time for about half an hour as I didn't want it to rise any further before baking or it might end up toppling on itself or looking like a mushroom.
Dusted the top with flour.
Preheated fan oven to 190c and heated roasting tin on bottom shelf. Poured boiling water into it and put loaf in oven for 35 minutes.
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looks good, with a high percentage of (whose? ) wholemeal, its got a nice open texture.
you didn't try the dutch oven for it though ?
Did you attempt to razor / cut it to help blooming .. I do, even if using bread machine.?
Soldato
jpaul, Tesco's own flour, and same for the strong white
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/254917926
Nope, no dutch oven this time, I bought a £2 2lb tin
If by razor it you mean cutting lines into the top, yeah I tried but the dough wasn't firm enough and when I tried to cut, it pulled and tore at it so I left it.
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/254917926
Nope, no dutch oven this time, I bought a £2 2lb tin
If by razor it you mean cutting lines into the top, yeah I tried but the dough wasn't firm enough and when I tried to cut, it pulled and tore at it so I left it.
use a knife atm ... but per his recommendation
I also made a couple of bakers Lames for fun. they are much better for scoring bread over a knife.
I couldn't wait to try some of the t55 flour so tonight I made a quick baguette.
Soldato
Well I had a small amount of dough left over which has been proving all last night and today. I've been kneading and flouring it and I still can barely make slits in it, even with a razor blade. It just pulls and deforms the surrounding dough when trying to slice it. It's odd because the bread I baked yesterday is superb texture, so it's as though everything is as it should be, yet I can't make it firm enough to make cuts in the top. This is the best I've managed just now with the remaining dough, it's going to be a loaf for midgets.
I usually do flat-breads/naans with 'left-over' dough.
.. that may be over-proved -
usually, if the dough doesn't stick to my finger when I poke it, it will take a knife .. I cut it probably 1/2" deep with a carving knife;
without a handle, like famas showed I couldn't do that holding a razer blade ... couldn't get the momentum/speed
.. that may be over-proved -
usually, if the dough doesn't stick to my finger when I poke it, it will take a knife .. I cut it probably 1/2" deep with a carving knife;
without a handle, like famas showed I couldn't do that holding a razer blade ... couldn't get the momentum/speed
Soldato
Flat bread sounds like a good idea. I bet mine is overproved, lol, but I'm not fussed, I have my main loaf and this extra dough has been good to practise on. But basically, I can't run any blade cleanly across it. I just watched this video too about better technique for kneading.
A dough that has not been shaped well will be difficult to score as the outer layer will be sticky.
you need to form tension on the outside of the dough in the shaping process. Doing this well will improve your rise as the gasses will find it hard to escape and it makes it easy to score.
you need to form tension on the outside of the dough in the shaping process. Doing this well will improve your rise as the gasses will find it hard to escape and it makes it easy to score.
Soldato
Do you mean shaping it after the kneading or are you including the kneading?
looks good, unusual scoring ... from the lense-perspective/browning unclear if it was made in a tin ... guess not . - whose flour ?
Soldato
I've recently got into baking again... Few cheeky shots on Reddit.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/...king/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/...vely/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/...king/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/...vely/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
Nah, no tin work. As for the scoring most photos seem to suggest it
Made some bagels again, feel like these are much better than the first round I did a few weeks ago
Soldato
rickjames, your bloomer looks great. I made a bloomer tonight. Your scoring is cleaner than mine, I'm still struggling with not tearing the surface. Anyway, it's come out really tasty, that's the main thing.
Got a lovely crunchy crust and very soft inside.
I was eager to try it before it cooled properly, still steam coming off it
Got a lovely crunchy crust and very soft inside.
I was eager to try it before it cooled properly, still steam coming off it
Giving a bump for this. I'm about to get started with sourdough; have a starter that will hopefully be ready to use in a week, but can anyone suggest a cheapish Dutch Oven? I see a MasterClass cast aluminum casserole dish on the Jungle website for about £20, will that do the job?
Do you already have a baking stone/steel probably a cheaper, more versatile investment initially in a 250C fan oven
otherwise I had linked this dutch oven before https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B074DF92HW/ref=sspa_dk_detail_5?psc=1
not sure I would go aluminium .. I guess it's got some coating but will that withstand a high temp, versus cast iron ?
otherwise I had linked this dutch oven before https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B074DF92HW/ref=sspa_dk_detail_5?psc=1
not sure I would go aluminium .. I guess it's got some coating but will that withstand a high temp, versus cast iron ?
Nah, nothing that would do the job.Will give a look at the link you've given, many thanks.
Had my starter out for a week now and constantly feeding it, not really much activity after day 4 and even feeding it twice a day hasn't done much; so I've up the feeds by 50g flour and 25g which saw a little more when I was up this morning...
Had my starter out for a week now and constantly feeding it, not really much activity after day 4 and even feeding it twice a day hasn't done much; so I've up the feeds by 50g flour and 25g which saw a little more when I was up this morning...