Bread Baking (sourdough)

[KQ]

Made dough yesterday and bread last night. Forgot and added salt in the mix, oh well.

Let it rise most of the day, transferred to butter coated DO for final rise before oven.

Baked at 450F with 30 minutes covered in DO. Another 15 minutes uncovered.

Turned out nice. Sorry did not get pics.

Pics or it didn't happen!

My mother used to bake bread sans NaCl for my dad. Wasn't too bad. I suggest lots of salted butter and jam.

[SB]

[SB]

[SB]

Best one yet me thinks.

[JimmyCarter]

Best one yet me thinks.

That's purty

[SB]

So I basically followed the video steps, also modified my recipe slightly.

Its so gooooooood.

[CovertM]

Sorry, but I'm a firm believer that any starter becomes homogenized to local bacterias and yeasts over time. If this dude has had those geographically "different" starters for any time in the same environment/room/exposure, they are essentially all the same.

[KQ]

Baked some 75% whole wheat bread from "Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza [A Cookbook]" Ken Forkish

Turned out pretty tasty.

[Skidog]

Baked some 75% whole wheat bread from "Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza [A Cookbook]" Ken Forkish

Turned out pretty tasty.

Wheat turns out so dense. I've experimented with mixes and it's never the same texture as when just using bleached ap or bread flour. Tasty but not as "airy"

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[KQ]

Wheat turns out so dense. I've experimented with mixes and it's never the same texture as when just using bleached ap or bread flour. Tasty but not as "airy"

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Personally I like a heavy dense bread. This was my first time making this bread and utilizing the Forkish method. Judging by the pictures in the book it could have turned out lighter. Still I'm quite happy with the result.

I may have over proofed a tad.

[Garbowski]

My wife has been getting into making sourdough. Her brthday is coming up and thought I would get her something related. She has a bunch of cookbooks already and is a frequent flyer at the library, so I was think something more on the implement/gadget side. We don't really have much baking gear in general, and what we do have is probably on the cheap end. Any suggestions for something a bread baker probably does not have / is worth upgrading that would help step up the game? We definitelty have crappy baking pans so that would be my uneducated guess.

[KQ]

My wife has been getting into making sourdough. Her brthday is coming up and thought I would get her something related. She has a bunch of cookbooks already and is a frequent flyer at the library, so I was think something more on the implement/gadget side. We don't really have much baking gear in general, and what we do have is probably on the cheap end. Any suggestions for something a bread baker probably does not have / is worth upgrading that would help step up the game? We definitelty have crappy baking pans so that would be my uneducated guess.

Wow.. we could go nuts with this

So right now she's baking in what? A loaf pan? What does she mix/rise in? Does she have an instant read thermometer?

A brotform/liner set and bucket for rising might be nice. Flour sack clothes are good too.

Have you checked out the King Arthur Flour site?

[Garbowski]

Wow.. we could go nuts with this

Please do!

Right now she's baking on an ancient sheet pan that was probaly from a grocery/dollar store. Mix/rise is just in some random bowl. In general if I don't buy it she will cheap out or improvise so I'd like to spoil her a little. We do have a thermapen though.

Thanks for the King Arthur heads up. I'm happy to buy a bunch of stuff and put a little kit together so keep the suggestions coming. She is into darker breads if that makes a difference.

[SB]

I am using an enameled Dutch oven for SD baking. That and a proofing bowl would be great gifts.

[SB]

Personally I like a heavy dense bread. This was my first time making this bread and utilizing the Forkish method. Judging by the pictures in the book it could have turned out lighter. Still I'm quite happy with the result.

I may have over proofed a tad.

I changed my recipe to 2 cups of Unbleached flour and 1 cup of whole wheat flour. Very tasty and turned out great.

[Skidog]

I changed my recipe to 2 cups of Unbleached flour and 1 cup of whole wheat flour. Very tasty and turned out great.

I too have done this and the results not bad, but just must like white bread better.

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[KQ]

Okay... here are some of the items I have:

Dough tub. I have a 2qt, 6qt and now thanks to Mr. Forkish a 12qt which is huge and for this size the lid is sold separate. She probably doesn't need this size unless she's going to get Ken Forkish's book and venture into his world of crazy.

Dutch oven. For bread baking I have a Le Creuset 4 1/2 qt. There are a lot of brands out there, you don't have to go with Le Creuset but I can tell you they are work horses and stand up over time. I do not have experience with other brands. Shop around for price and color. NOTE: You will need to buy a stainless steal knob for bread baking. The plastic one it comes with is not rated high enough heat wise.

Digital scale. Really a must. You can get them pretty cheap.

Instant read Thermometer

Proofing basket (brotform with liner).

Oven mitts for temps up to 500 degrees

1/16th measure for yeast. It's too light to weigh and some recipes call for only a small amount.

Tea towels/flour sack clothes.

For Christmas this year I received and Emile Henry Bread Pot. I'm still learning to use it so the jury is out but initially I can say
1. I like the way it shapes the loaf but
2. I'm not entirely at ease with the handle situation. I need to get some oven mitts/gloves and I think that will take care of itself.
Also, I think a dutch oven is probably more versatile though it won't round your loaf as much. <shrug> Mr. Mike uses several of the Emil Henry bread bakers so if you're interested in the other products for baguettes PM him.

Silpat. I like using this for shaping. I can control the flour better than a pastry cloth plus it gives better resistance for shaping and tightening the round.

Several large rectangular cooling racks esp. if she's going to use a dutch oven.

Baker's cloche

Lame. They come cheaper than the one linked there. As with any of these items shop around.

Bench Scraper/Dough Knife. Lots of different choices out there.

Note: until recently I baked my SD on a large rectangular baking stone which works great. I also did it without half the stuff above. I started with SD starter and a crock from KA, a rectangular baking stone, parchment, my Kitchen Aid, a digital scale and a recipe from Cooks Illustrated (posted in this thread multiple times). The bread was shaped by hand and placed on parchment on the baking stone - I did not use a pan to bake the rounds.

Over time I've accumulated just about everything I've listed above except for the gloves but those will be here soon. It's just kinda the way I operate. It's my bread baking quiver but you don't NEED all those things.

Oh yeah.. I did get a proofing box which I love because I can control the temp and humidity only problem I have at the moment is utilizing the 12qt tub. It's just a tad too tall.

[KQ]

I changed my recipe to 2 cups of Unbleached flour and 1 cup of whole wheat flour. Very tasty and turned out great.

There are a couple other WW recipes in the book that call for smaller percentages. I've decided to work my way though the book so I'll see how it goes when I get there.

[Garbowski]

Incredibly helpful list

Wow! I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to help me out. This is such good info, I can’t thank you enough. I think I’m set for through Christmas at least!

[KQ]

Wow! I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to help me out. This is such good info, I can’t thank you enough. I think I’m set for through Christmas at least!

LOL!

Forgot to mention when I was baking on the stone sans Dutch oven I had to use a peel. This one is great because it's wood which you can cut on easily and the handle is short which is good for storage.



https://www.williams-sonoma.com/m/pr...zza%20Peel%7C6

[Buke]

KQ's list is pretty comprehensive.

I don't have quite as many gadgets yet.

If I'm baking artisan style rounds then I proof the loaves in a colander lined with a cotton towel. The wicker baskets that KQ mentions are definitely cooler. I bake in a 6qt Lodge Enamel Cast Iron Dutch Oven.

The Lame is a must and they're cheap. I have this one.

Also, the two essential items that don't show up on a lot of lists are a plastic scraper for getting dough out of bowls and a metal bench scraper for handling dough on the counter. KQ mentions the silpat for working the dough but if you have a granite or quartz counter like I do then I find it works even better to just work the dough directly on the counter directly.

Some items that I've been wanting but haven't purchased yet are:
- Pullman Loaf Pan
- Danish Dough Whisk
- Banneton Proofing baskets

[Skidog]

Again not sour dough, but not no knead. Just regular salt, yeast, flour, water.

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[KQ]

KQ's list is pretty comprehensive.

I don't have quite as many gadgets yet.

If I'm baking artisan style rounds then I proof the loaves in a colander lined with a cotton towel. The wicker baskets that KQ mentions are definitely cooler. I bake in a 6qt Lodge Enamel Cast Iron Dutch Oven.

The Lame is a must and they're cheap. I have this one.

Also, the two essential items that don't show up on a lot of lists are a plastic scraper for getting dough out of bowls and a metal bench scraper for handling dough on the counter. KQ mentions the silpat for working the dough but if you have a granite or quartz counter like I do then I find it works even better to just work the dough directly on the counter directly.

Some items that I've been wanting but haven't purchased yet are:
- Pullman Loaf Pan
- Danish Dough Whisk
- Banneton Proofing baskets

D'oh! I do have a dough whisk! It was a gift from a friend that I always forget I have. Going to have to get it out and give it a go.

The baking stone I have is 16x14. Big enough to easily fit two SD rounds. I can't remember the brand but it's something like this one. Mine came with a rack that it can be set on but I never use that because its usually 500 degrees and I'm not pulling that thing out of the oven until it's cool. I do not use it for pizza because I don't want it to pick up oils etc.




Another thing to consider are books if she's into that kind of thing otherwise she can just search online or go to KA. BTW - KA has a blog and people available to chat if she has questions/issues.

Speaking of KA I've been wanting to make this: Multigrain Sourdough Boule






The three books I have and use are:

The Bread Baker's Apprentice
Local Breads: Sourdough and Whole-Grain Recipes from Europe's Best Artisan Bakers
Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza



BTW: Re that peel I posted above a similar one can be found on Amazon at a much better price than the one I linked to.

[KQ]

Again not sour dough, but not no knead. Just regular salt, yeast, flour, water.

Looks great! How did it taste?

The next bread I'm making from Flour Water Salt Yeast (Forkish) is going to be his Saturday White. It's from his section on "Straight Doughs." Total time is 5 hours. It's a recipe for someone who wants to make "good, crusty loaves of white bread from start to finish in one day." Also suitable for pizza and focaccia.

I'm still enjoying the WW I baked the other day. Def. a hearty loaf! Great toasted with strawberry preserves. Yum.

[Skidog]

Looks great! How did it taste?

The next bread I'm making from Flour Water Salt Yeast (Forkish) is going to be his Saturday White. It's from his section on "Straight Doughs." Total time is 5 hours. It's a recipe for someone who wants to make "good, crusty loaves of white bread from start to finish in one day." Also suitable for pizza and focaccia.

I'm still enjoying the WW I baked the other day. Def. a hearty loaf! Great toasted with strawberry preserves. Yum.

Tasted amazing.....i need to work on the rise a bit I think. Not getting the air pockets I desire...taste is on point and air pockets arent bad just not what I want to see or have seen with the no knead method. I assume the no knead does better as its got more time to rise.