BREAD baking

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Do you find the basic boule recipe a tad salty, Lisa?

It's seeming salty to me, and I even used less this time.

1 1/2 tablespoons is 1 tablespoon plus 1-1/2 teaspoons, right?

Karen

Yes, your measurement is right. Are you using coarse salt? Their measurements are intended for coarse salt.
I actually like fairly salty bread, so the boule recipe seems perfect to me. Try cutting back the salt a little more I guess? It will also taste saltier as dough, before baking- in case you are tasting it then.


Mimi, I'll scan the recipe for Dutch Baby and email it to you.

[Biciclista]

thanks!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Ok so I made two little loaves of olive bread this afternoon, using the 'Artisan' basic boule dough.




It's nice and moist and chewy, with a strong taste from the calamata olives.
I also rolled up some browned onions and sundried tomato bits in it, along with some minced fresh rosemary.
It's good! Won't last more than a day I bet.
Nice to know I can make it anytime I have some boule dough on hand in the fridge and some olives around. I do like the fact that you can keep your box of moist dough aging nicely for up to 2 weeks in the fridge and make the bread anytime during that period. It even tastes better if it's a few days ripened, sort of like how sourdough gets.

I started a box of semolina dough this time, and in a couple of days I'll try making my first Italian semolina bread. It sure smells good!

[lauraelmore1033]

Oh my that looks good!

[Tuckervill]

Yep, I use kosher salt. I'm going to cut it back more next time.

That olive bread looks yummy.

I'm trying the pita recipe next.

Karen

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Yep, I use kosher salt. I'm going to cut it back more next time.

That olive bread looks yummy.

I'm trying the pita recipe next.

Karen

Karen, which recipes from the book have you used so far?
Can you post pictures if stuff comes out nicely?

I want to make focaccia, too!

[Jolt]

That olive bread looked good! I'm thinking that I would like to try making sourdough and would like to use whole wheat flour--does that starter from King Arthur work for whole wheat? I tried a while back to make my own starter and it was a flop, so maybe it would be better to just get one from somewhere.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

That olive bread looked good! I'm thinking that I would like to try making sourdough and would like to use whole wheat flour--does that starter from King Arthur work for whole wheat? I tried a while back to make my own starter and it was a flop, so maybe it would be better to just get one from somewhere.

I made a mild sourdough bread last week using the KingArthur sourdough starter and their flours as well.
The Starter seems fine- but I used it before letting it get 'too' strong since my DH is not a big fan of strong sourdough bread. I myself like a strong sourdough bread.
I used 1/3 King Arthur 'white' whole wheat flour and 2/3 KA regular flour. I followed the recipe on the KA sourdough instructions.
I think the content of whole wheat flour makes it harder to get fluffy. elastic, or puffy bread. It tasted fine, if mild, but the inside did not get airy or light.
This is something I remember having problems with 20 years ago when making whole wheat breads.
I am planning to experiment with the Artisan Bread book's whole wheat type recipes later on to see if their breads come out just as nice with ww flour as they are with white flour. But first I want to try some other types from their book- like semolina bread, white sourdough bread, focaccia, etc.

I do notice that the Artisan basic white boule dough mix does get a nice flavor after a few days ion the fridge, a flavor that reminds me of sourdough bread. Their bread texture is just what I like, so I might just keep using that book to make various breads for a while. I think aging the dough in the fridge gives it a nicer flavor and texture- like the traditional 'sponge' or 'old dough starter' methods produce. The book also says that this helps produce a bread that stays fresh longer. Makes sense if it has a lot of enzymes in it.

[Tuckervill]

Karen, which recipes from the book have you used so far?
Can you post pictures if stuff comes out nicely?

I want to make focaccia, too!

I've been mixing it up with other breads not from the book, so I haven't tried any but the basic (I think). Oh wait, looking at my cell phone pictures, I see I made a French loaf.

You can see it at this link:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...9&id=600142943

I made a batch on Friday because we had friends for the weekend. But they had an inconvenience which resulted in them going home a day early. So, I baked up all the loaves and sent some home with them.

I'm not really good at shaping the loaves. After seeing yours, I worked harder at, and the ones I made this weekend looked better.

I just sliced the loaf I had left, drizzled some olive oil and vinegar dressing over the slices, then layered on some sundried tomatoes, ham, and mozzarella, and broiled them in the oven. They were delicioso!

Karen

[grey]

Wow, Bleeker. Every time I try to make a fancy bread, it's a flop. I make 3 loaves of honey-whole wheat with flour I grind myself every week, and I sometimes make a white bread, or French bread... and that's as fancy as I get with yeast breads.

What is this book you are talking about? Does it help flop-artists like me?