BBA # 21 Pain A`L'Ancienne

This is real bread!!Crusty ,tasty, delicious! the recipe is simple,ice cold water to make the dough and an immediate overnight cold ferment. Actually the name is missleading,as PR mention's, this is a new technique, ancients didn't have ice,or refridgeration, unless they made it in winter?LOL. In any event the bread is good!! no exotic methods, or ingredients,just flour,salt, yeast, ice water. The ice cold dough preparation and immediate overnight cold ferment slows the yeast to almost nothing,while naturally occuring bacteria break down the carbs into sugars other wise not available for the yeast to feed on, using other methods.
The shaping is simple, cut and stretch, place on parchment lined pan,bake. Cool, EAT!
 Let's make bread!

Mixed the flour,salt,yeast, ice water to make a  wet sticky dough

Using wet spatula pushed into an oiled bowl

Ready to cover and put in fridge overnight

Next day out of fridge, almost double

An hour later bursting

With a wet spatula placed onto a floured work surface

Dusted tops with flour and using a bench scraper dipped in water cut through to make two pieces

Again with a wet bench scraper cut each half into three pieces

Lift and stretch to place on cornmeal dusted parchment on an upsidedown 1/2 sheet pan (note dust pan with semolina or cornmeal so parchment slides off easily)

Ready to bake,steam pan in oven,baking stone in bottom 3rd of oven, temp 550

20 minutes for the first three, and I took a suggestion from Chris our host in this challenge at  akuindeed.com, to bake some longer to create a more pronounced crust

first three out of oven

Second three show a darker crust compared to the slices on left of the first loaves, both have open crumb, I prefered the 2nd loaves, the 1/2 hour wait for the oven proofed them a bit more and gave them more hieght than the first loaves.
We enjoyed the bread  spread with our homemade mushroom and mixed olive tapenade with our dinner.

Wgb#1 Transitional Wheat Bread

This is the first of our WGB bread recipes.Transitional Wheat Bread, sort of a 50/50 ww and bread flour mix, to acclimate non ww eaters to ww breads, thus the name transitional. the recipe is simple.Mix ww flour with salt,milk ,cover let sit at room temp overnite,or up to 24 hours. Next make a dough of bread flour,yeast, filtered water, refrigerate overnite. Next day make the final dough, remove soaker and biga ( bread flour preferment) from fridge, cut them into a dozen or so pieces to warm, under plastic wrap.
There were no unusual problems,thru the process, and thru the final dough .Al came together in the mixer as stated, this is an easy recipe that even a beginner could do with any issues(imo).
the bread did rise and spread  significantly in the oven, I would have made two smaller loaves instead of one large one.
Let's make some Bread!! 

the ww soaker,and the biga

cut up the soaker and biga into a dozen or so pieces let them warm about 2 hours

they have warmed and risen also

after mixing with the rest of the final dough ingredients and kneading about 5 minutes,  allowed the dough to rest 5 minutes, then kneaded again one minute, the dough was soft and tacky,  placed in an oiled bowl to rise



about 1 hour later, the dough has not quite doubled



turned out on a floured surface

shaped into a baguette. Used the method shown here ...

http://thebackhomebakery.com/Tutorials/MoreBreadShaping.html 

placed on parchment lined sheet pan, spray oiled the parchment first,covered and let rise

about 45 minutes later, scored and baked with steam pan in oven

after 45 minutes bread was 200 degrees and sounded hollow when tapped on bottom.The flavor was nutty and wheaty

BBA#19 Marbled Rye Bread

 I love rye bread, come to think of it, I love all bread, if it's home baked or exceptional artisian store bought.Well back to this challenge, first I couldn't get white rye,PR says it's rye flour that has been sifted twice.I can do that,which I did, twice, and noticed the bran was close to 30+ percent of the total, maybe even 40,though I didn't weigh it at the time. After sifting ,I began the process, It is a simple direct method bread, no complicated handling or exotic ingredients, except for the white rye in my case,it is simple to follow along.The final dough feel should be supple and barely tacky,easy enough to achieve,add water or flour to get there.I did moisten my hands with water making the dark rye portion,to get a softer dough ,because it was a bit too firm as I kneaded.With the additional moisture it was right on.
  The recipe makes two or four smaller loaves, which at first thought why make soo much,do half,but as we have never cooked for just two,why go through all the process and have none left for another meal.If the recipe serves 8 we still make it,refridgerating some and freezing some, this cuts down on actually having to cook every day,even though I enjoy it, hey ,I like a day off too!
I decided to make two smaller swirled freeform loaves and 8 rolls.Some to give away some to freeze for the homemade pastrami I'll make.
 I did have to adjust the baking times for the smaller loaves, 45mim, and 25 min for the rolls.This recipe as all others in the challenge are from Peter Reinhardt's book ,the Bread Baker's Apprentice, which is needed of course to follow in the challenge, If you are interested, buy the book.I got mine at Amazon.com, at a reasonable price. the challenge is being hosted by Chris at akuindeed.com  
Let's make some bread!!

Since I couldn't get 'white rye flour' I sifted my rye twice to remove most of the bran.The bowl on left contains the sifted out bran, which I will use another time. 

:

Mixed the white rye with bread flour,yeast,salt,mollasses.Tip: oil the spoon first and the sticky mollasses will slide off easily, I know you wont have the spoon to lick ,but at least the right amount will be in the mix!

Added the 10 oz of water

Mixed till it all came together

Covered the bowl with plastic and let the dough autolyse for 20 minutes,during this time the flour hydrates and enzymes begin to break out the sugars in the flour. A tip I learned from Joanne a co BBAer,at  life and Bread

After the 20 minutes rest, hand kneaded for 6 minutes the dough was placed in an oiled bowl  covered it with plastic to rise for 90 minutes

This is the dark rye dough ,same process and ingredients as the white ,except it contains 2 tbsps of  unsweetened cocoa powder for color.

Again ,let the dough autolyse 20 minutes

Kneaded 6 minutes by hand, I did need to add a Little water to get the dough right, then placed in an oiled bowled and covered with plastic to rise for 90 minutes

As I wanted to have some rolls, I divided each dough in half ,then divided one piece into 8ths and one dark piece into 8ths.Combined them to make the rolls of about 4 oz more or less.

Shaped into rounds by rolling and pressing hard against the table surface

Flattened the rolls into 4 inch or so disks, placed onto a lightly oil sprayed parchment on a sheet pan

The other two pieces of dough I divided in half again and cut each piece into 4, which I rolled out to about 8' x 4" .Stacked the 4 layers starting with white then dark ,white ending with dark.Shaped into two loaves, sealed bottom seam and put on to a sheet pan lined with oiled sprayed parchment Covered with plastic wrap and let rise about an hour ,till almost double,brushed the loaves with an egg wash ,1 egg beaten with a tsp water .Baked the loaves 45 minutes at 350

The rolls have risen, brushed with egg wash and baked at 350 for 25 minutes

the loaves were at 200 degrees after 45 minutes at 350. sounded hollw when tapped on the bottom

Allowed to cool for two agonizing hours of smelling these delicious aromas eminating from the kitchen

finally at 10:30 pm they were cool ,cut and butter and Eat!!  The flavor was distinctly rye,with a soft tender crumb,and crisp crust,I had to keep buttering and tasting,yes I let the wife join in,we ate 2/3 of it till we were finally ready to pass judgement. THIS IS REALLY GOOD!! Can't wait to make the pastrami!!

THE ROLLS !

BBA # 18 Light Wheat Bread

This is a part  whole wheat bread ,33 percent , according to Peter Reinhardt's recipe.He claims it's simmilar to off the shelf type wheat breads, I dissagree, it's better. It's not the best bread I have ever made or eaten, but on it's own merits, still very good, afterall, it's fresh from the oven, you get to enjoy the aroma of it while baking, the fact that there are no chemical additives, etc,just flour, yeast,honey water,dry milk.
 The one exception I have with the recipe as written, is the fact that two pounds of dough ( mine was 31 oz), will not fit in a 8 1/2 x4 1/2 loaf pan, that volume requires a 9x5 pan or 2 -7x3 pans. Giving PR the benefit of the doubt, it may just be a typo.Still someone is proof reading, right? Ok, maybe.
  In all a simple to make bread,direct method, you'll have fresh bread in about 4 hours,not including cooling time. Having now made this recipe,I see oppurtunities for enhancements, such as ,sunflowers seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, soaked bulgur wheat etc, will cahnge this to a more interesting flavor and texture.
     The results are , except for the too small pan size , the recipe performed as stated, proof times,rise times and baking, mine needed 45 minutes and I did not place the loaf pan on a sheet pan.
 Here are the procedure photos:

flour, ww flour,yeast,dms(dry milk solids),salt

blended the dry ingredients, then added 10 oz water, mixed ,then added shortening,and honey

dough came together after a couple minutes



covered bowl and allowed the dough to autolyse, a tip from Joanne at life and bread, she is an accomplished home baker, here is link to her blog...

http://journeywithbaking.blogspot.com/

after the 30 min autolyse, kneaded 5 min by hook,then 3 minutes by hand,dough was at 80 degrees

placed dough on an oiled bowl to rise,covered with plasic wrap

90 minutes later it is doubled

Clearly the pan size in the recipe is incorrect, as you see the dough completely fills the 8 1/2x4 1/2 size pan.

the dough weighed 31 oz, a 9x5 loaf pan is the correct size for this amount of dough

90 minutes later it's nicely risen

fresh from the oven, the internal temp was 200 degrees,brown on top and sides, sounded hollw when tapped on the bottom. Allowed to cool for 2 hours, as stated in recipe

 Crumb shot, we enjoyed this with a buttery spread at dinner