Switch to full style
Mmmm...sacrilicious...
Post a reply

Breads

Tue April 26, 2016 3:21 pm

Is there enough care for bread to merit discussion? I hope so. When I think about my favorite sandwiches, it all comes down to getting the bread right. Yet, until recently, I've sort of appreciated bread from afar. I don't go out of my way to buy anything but my standard stone ground wheat loaf at the grocery store, but I love so many types of breads. Yesterday I ran all over town to find the right bread for a sandwich and ended up finding a new favorite go-to for bread needs; a commercial bakery we used to use for po' boys at a place I once worked. Still, I think I might start making my own. Let's talk, F&D.

Re: Breads

Tue April 26, 2016 3:26 pm

my wife makes our own sourdough bread about twice a week...its her new passion, she's been doing it for about 6 months now..she's even attending a "bread camp" later this summer

Re: Breads

Tue April 26, 2016 3:29 pm

I told my girlfriend yesterday that I want a new hobby and that I want that hobby to be bread and pizza dough. She's 100% on board.

I imagine the only investment (besides ingredients) would be proper baking pans, yeah?

Re: Breads

Tue April 26, 2016 3:31 pm

doug rr wrote:she's even attending a "bread camp" later this summer

Is Tartine Bakery putting it on? That would be cool.

Re: Breads

Tue April 26, 2016 3:32 pm

we tried the normal baking pans but found that the small, round le creuset works much better with a bit of cornmeal spread on the bottom to prevent the sticking...the tough part is to get a good starter going...there will be a lot of hit and miss with that but you learn as you go

Re: Breads

Tue April 26, 2016 3:35 pm

Starter refers to yeast strains, right?

Re: Breads

Tue April 26, 2016 3:35 pm

washing machine wrote:
doug rr wrote:she's even attending a "bread camp" later this summer

Is Tartine Bakery putting it on? That would be cool.


I believe its put on by the Gourmandise school in santa monica

Re: Breads

Tue April 26, 2016 3:37 pm

washing machine wrote:Starter refers to yeast strains, right?


yep, so basic with minimal ingredients yet so hard to nail down consistently.

Re: Breads

Tue April 26, 2016 3:49 pm

Perfecting pizza dough was one of the most frustrating endeavors I ever embarked upon. I gave up in a fit of rage.

Re: Breads

Tue April 26, 2016 3:53 pm

cutuphalfdead wrote:Perfecting pizza dough was one of the most frustrating endeavors I ever embarked upon. I gave up in a fit of rage.


did the center always end up a bit gooey?

Re: Breads

Tue April 26, 2016 3:59 pm

cutuphalfdead wrote:Perfecting pizza dough was one of the most frustrating endeavors I ever embarked upon. I gave up in a fit of rage.

I don't know why, but this made me really laugh.

Re: Breads

Tue April 26, 2016 4:15 pm

I still have "sourdough starter" at the top of my iphone grocery list ever since Doug posted about it a while back. Time has just stood in the way...

I don't make a lot of bread, with the exception of pizza dough. My mom always made different breads, and I'm in a similar boat to WM in that I have identified my go-to retail loafs for various needs.

For pizza dough, I've been trying to perfect my recipe since Xmas, when we first got a stone. Right now I'm working with 2 parts bread flour to 1 part semolina, plus a little yeast, water, salt, and EVOO. I'm pretty happy with it, but it's still coming out just a little too crispy, almost like a flatbread. I do try to make a very thin dough, and I suspect the altitude here (somewhere between 6000-7000 ft) is playing a big part. Any tips on getting a thing crust that's just a bit more chewy than crunchy?

Re: Breads

Tue April 26, 2016 4:16 pm

cutuphalfdead wrote:Perfecting pizza dough was one of the most frustrating endeavors I ever embarked upon. I gave up in a fit of rage.

This was a disheartening read.

Re: Breads

Tue April 26, 2016 6:30 pm

washing machine wrote:
cutuphalfdead wrote:Perfecting pizza dough was one of the most frustrating endeavors I ever embarked upon. I gave up in a fit of rage.

This was a disheartening read.

I should try again some day. My nephews loved helping me knead the dough.

Re: Breads

Tue April 26, 2016 6:44 pm

No offense to your nephews, but that right there was probably the problem all along.

Re: Breads

Tue April 26, 2016 6:45 pm

Nah, they only helped a couple of times. The problems were persistent.

Re: Breads

Tue April 26, 2016 7:01 pm

What did you learn the most about making dough from the experience? Where you a total rookie, or had you already had some baking experience prior to setting out to learn?

Re: Breads

Tue April 26, 2016 9:21 pm

Total rookie. I learned that the water matters.

Re: Breads

Tue April 26, 2016 10:57 pm

PH levels, soft/hard water and whatnot?

Re: Breads

Wed April 27, 2016 4:10 am

Bread grilled on the bbq is pretty choice, especially when brushed with a little truffle oil.

My fave is rosemary bread.
Post a reply