Bread Thread!

The Brew Mentor

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I started making Artisinal breads about 9 months ago. Above is one of my early versions.
I'm now starting to work with sourdough starters.
I just made sourdough pizza crust last night for the 1st time and am baking my 1st bread using my culture as we speak!
Cheers,
Brian
 
So, starting off, i followed information from books I read and had some success.
I can't comment so far on the natural sourdough starter, but i'm sure it'll perform well.
I did use my starter on pizza dough a couple days ago and baked it off last night with good results, but time will tell.
Cheers,
Brian
 
Looking great Brew Mentor. I used to bake sourdough bread years ago before I got real serious on the HB. As with HB there are many ways to make and bake a sour dough bread so many different flour combos oh and water flour salt starter ratios as well. Then there is the different stretch and fold methods and such.

Like with brewing I remember I just stuck with what worked and gave me great results.
But as with hombrewing it tastes much better and fresher than the supermarket stuff and I think it's alot better for you too.

Couldn't have timed this thread better there as ive just got back into bread making myself. Cheers
 
Are you using any of your spent mash in the bread?
If you haven't you should for a ton of reasons besidw it just being tasty!

There's plenty of recipes out on the Web and most of them are using a really low mash to flour ratio, typically 1:2 since the stuff is so dence if you are using it when it's still wet. You need to really make the yeast work harder to get that stuff to rise!

I make a couple of loaves of a no-knead rye usually every other weekend that is my breakfast bread that's dence and has that tough crust that the wife and I love so bad! It's amazing how much of a difference you can get from making some simple technique changes like a damp oven versus a dry one.

So far with the mash I have made a basic rye, a white with mash, crackers and mash baggettes. I found that I can do a 1:1 ratio for waffles that freeze really well.

BTW Brew Mentor.....that's a beautiful looking slice of bread there!
 
Thanks Ward,
You're post above is exactly what I'm hoping for in this thread.
Different types, styles, ingredients, processes, recipes, etc.
I'd like to hear more what you're doing with breads.
Cheers,
Brian
 
So do you guys use a Dutch oven or just regular oven technique? My wife and I got this Dutch oven as a wedding gift and have never used it.

also looking for a good yeast starter for sourdough breads.

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and Brian... that looks delicious!
 
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Thanks Mase.
I use a cast iron Dutch oven.
The one above looks huge.
Is it glazed pottery?
 
Thanks Mase.
I use a cast iron Dutch oven.
The one above looks huge.
Is it glazed pottery?
Yeah... it’s be a giant loaf for sure. I was looking at the enameled cast iron Dutch ovens (round).
 
Yeah that is beautiful mase.
You pre heat them in your oven then bake the bread in them. I've got a cast iron Dutch oven.
You bake for the first half covered that traps in the steam and prevents a crust from forming so the bread can continue rising. Then for the second half you remove the lid and let the crust form.
 
Those are nice, but pricey for sure.
Get the cheapest, heaviest one you can find. Unenameled cast iron works fine. Aluminum works fine. Keys are heavy enough to hold some heat and a lid to keep the steam in. And for extra goodness if you want an oblong loaf, an oval works fine, too!
 
My wife has a Römertopf, which we maybe use at most 1x / year for roasting duck or something similar (sooooooo good!). I never knew it could be used for bread...which I used to bake my own, before I discovered brewing. Hmmmm, ideas, ideas :D
 
I do mine in the Dutch that has been heated with the cover in a 450F oven for 1/2 hour while the risen dough is turned in and floured. It is then dropped into the Dutch oven, covered and baked for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake another 15 minutes before turning out to cool. Even made without s sourdough starter it has a nice sour hint. I've subbed in 1/2 cup of yogurt for an equal amount of water and gotten an almost sourdough flavor.

The great thing about this artisan is that you don't even knead. Just stir the ingredients together, cover and allow to rise from 12 to 24 hours before following the above procedure. Here's the most basic recipe:
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour 1 3/4 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon yeast 1 1/2 cups water (Or 1 cup water and 1/2 cup natural yogurt)
 
Different types, styles, ingredients, processes, recipes, etc.
I'd like to hear more what you're doing with breads.
Cheers,
Brian

I save the dutch oven for camping trips and just put some water in a pyrex bowl into the oven while it is preheating and make sure the loaf gets enough water on it while it's getting its second rise before going into the oven. It makes the crust nice and crispy. Something about the steam in the oven while its baking makes that...have to check out the science behind that some day. Wifey got fancy on me the other day and made a challah that we had with some squash soup from the garden. Nothing like a taste of the summer in the middle of January!

Scroll down this page for some of last years work....the baggettes freeze really well if you're not gonna eat all of them in a couple of days.

https://www.brewersfriend.com/forum...with-home-brew-today.6903/page-138#post-88461
 
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I save the dutch oven for camping trips and just put some water in a pyrex bowl into the oven while it is preheating and make sure the loaf gets enough water on it while it's getting its second rise before going into the oven. It makes the crust nice and crispy. Something about the steam in the oven while its baking makes that...have to check out the science behind that some day. Wifey got fancy on me the other day and made a challah that we had with some squash soup from the garden. Nothing like a taste of the summer in the middle of January!

Scroll down this page for some of last years work....the baggettes freeze really well if you're not gonna eat all of them in a couple of days.

https://www.brewersfriend.com/forum...with-home-brew-today.6903/page-138#post-88461

That's one of the plusses when you cover the Dutch oven. The dough has a fairly high moisture content that's captured. The crust using this method is great.
 
Wards replicating the Dutch oven captured steam.

So if not using a covered baking vessel you can put a large baking tray on the bottom of oven when preheating then when you put your bread in you splash water into the preheated pan that creates a heap of steam you can Also use a spray bottle and spray the oven down to get the steam going.

This prevents the crust forming early so your bread can rise evenly. That's why you score the top of your bread gives the bread direction to expand
 

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