All Things Bread

Read 52 LOAVES about a month ago and thoroughly en...

2010-08-23T12:43:12.206-07:00

Read 52 LOAVES about a month ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. I think there is something elemental about bread, so I was glad to have a book about it that is not just recipes. I have started doing the "no-knead" NYT bread, adding rosemary from my garden, and am very pleased. So far, I am just one Romertopf down, but since it was a yard sale item, my losses are far outweighed by my victories. I'm going to expand my range now that I can reliably produce the "no-knead" and am interested in the bread you describe in the book. I really like the cast iron dutch oven technique, so I hope to be able to continue with that. I have also picked up a crock pot liner about 8 inches in diameter and 8 inches tall. I'm going to try that with an aluminum foil lid. Off to the kitchen to experiment! Thanks. And that loaf referenced in the preceeding comment does look nice!

Bill Bush

Bought the book before I knew there was a Kindle v...

2010-08-18T17:45:48.374-07:00

Bought the book before I knew there was a Kindle version coming. But I still love REAL books. You Can't build a 66 pound break bookshelf with a Kindle.

My first loaf of 52 Loaves bread:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=108690&l=843a64c98a&id=100001196642285

c141heaven@gmail.com

Thanks for the recipe. We love homemade pizza, and...

2010-07-27T17:19:09.651-07:00

Thanks for the recipe. We love homemade pizza, and since I now have a levain, any excuse to use it is good in my book, and in my tummy.

I was able to make this recipe last weekend. I red...

2010-07-27T17:07:09.724-07:00

I was able to make this recipe last weekend. I reduced by 1/3 to make two pretty big loaves. The poolish ratios are not equal so some math had to be done to get a true 1/3 recipe, but the results were terrific. I'm hoping to find more recipes that utilize levain, and hopefully some quicker recipes fr things like rolls and small batch baking. I did find a recipe for pizza dough using levain and will work that into the rotation. If interested, you can read about this on my blog at http://jeffg-runningthroughphoenix.blogspot.com/2010/07/eff-you-atkins.html

I am toying with the idea of using a wild Belgian ...

2010-07-09T14:36:40.585-07:00

I am toying with the idea of using a wild Belgian yeast that is available at my home brewing store (Reno Homebrewer). It is a Brettanomyces culture. I have heard that beer yeast varieties don't work well for bread but wild yeast is wild yeast, right? Anyway, I will let you know how it works out.

I bought this book for my wife. She loved it and ...

2010-07-09T14:30:08.360-07:00

I bought this book for my wife. She loved it and laughed all the way through it. Then she handed it to me and said, "He's just like you." I am on chapter 42 and started seriously baking last week. I have much more to learn and I am having a great time learning it. Thanks!

Sort of stumbled on the book - I think a recommen...

2010-07-04T18:39:28.968-07:00

Sort of stumbled on the book - I think a recommend on Amazon - couldn't put it down as we share an ob session - LOL! Wonderful read, great bread - an inspiration as I have a levain of about 12 weeks that I started before finding your book and a bucket of hard red wheat I grind in a burr coffee mill, a cup at a time.

Tough crowd...

2010-07-03T12:10:39.233-07:00

Tough crowd...

But what is this? A recipe with no metric weight m...

2010-07-02T18:51:56.936-07:00

But what is this? A recipe with no metric weight measurements? :)

Good grief, I don't know how anybody can NOT laugh...

2010-06-17T09:06:44.957-07:00

Good grief, I don't know how anybody can NOT laugh while reading the book. Plus, I found the book full of crumbs (sorry, couldn't resist it) of information, which slotted in perfectly with my own search of 'bigger and more numerous holes'! The perfect complement to my own jigsaw puzzle! Thank you for writing it, I really enjoyed it. Now, back to the kitchen to start a levain...

Boys Life -- now that's a flash from the past. I u...

2010-06-14T04:21:58.769-07:00

Boys Life -- now that's a flash from the past. I used to love that magazine. Anyway, the answer (will it work) is more or less because of the yeast in flour -- in fact, what they describe is basically a simplified version of the starter recipe found in a lot of bread books, w/o the feeding/discarding/refreshing parts, but the addition of something like an apple not only adds more wild yeast, but the sugar help give things a kick. Using some leftover dough for your next loaf is a time-honored technique btw.

I think you'd really enjoy the chapters on making my levain and the history of yeast in 52 LOAVES, if you haven't read it yet.

Boys Life had a bread recipe in it when I was a ki...

2010-06-13T20:06:02.655-07:00

Boys Life had a bread recipe in it when I was a kid that recommended making starter by making a watery dough, putting it in a bowl with cheesecloth over it, and setting it outside for a day or so. Then, letting it ferment for a few days, then storing it in the fridge until ready for use. It said to make new starter every time you made bread by saving a little of the dough, adding some more flour and water, and putting it in the refrigerator.

Will that work?

I heard about this NPR segment from one of the oth...

2010-06-13T12:52:19.668-07:00

I heard about this NPR segment from one of the other HBin5 (google group) members. As a bread baker for more than 40 years, I was delighted with your interview! Great show!

I laughed out loud when you got to the story about trying to get through security with your starter, and the security person found your scale! Hilarious! I'll have to wait to get your book, but in the meantime am enjoying your website.

I don't quite agree with you on the taste of the no knead breads, which I bake alot these days. BUT was intrigued by your comments about just letting the dough rest for 20 or so minutes before kneading and then only kneading for 5 minutes...you redeemed yourself there! :-) LOL.

I've also been researching the history of bread and how it's made and it's relationship to beer which I also make. Have you tried any beer yeasts or beer for your breads?

Looking forward to trying your recipes!

Oh, my goodness! I left the egg out of the recipe....

2010-06-10T05:19:28.367-07:00

Oh, my goodness! I left the egg out of the recipe. Has since fixed. Thanks for pointing this out!

Is there no 'egg' in this lovely toast recipe?

2010-06-09T21:45:20.578-07:00

Is there no 'egg' in this lovely toast recipe?

My favorite grace: Back of the bread is the snowy...

2010-06-09T09:57:25.413-07:00

My favorite grace:

Back of the bread is the snowy flour.
Back of the flour is the mill.
Back of the mill is the wheat and the shower,
the sun and the Father's will.

Thanks so much. But I think you need to move to a ...

2010-06-05T12:25:10.889-07:00

Thanks so much. But I think you need to move to a house with a bigger yard so you too can enjoy the many pleasures of building a bread oven from the muck lying 2 feet under your lawn!

Yes, you can just buy "regular ol' apples." They w...

2010-06-05T12:20:36.110-07:00

Yes, you can just buy "regular ol' apples." They will have yeast on the skins. Also, wild yeast is present in the flour, and there is yeast floating in the air. The added benefit that you get from the apple is the sugar, which aids in fermentation.

Let me know how you make out.

-Bill

I have a question about apples for making a levain...

2010-06-05T09:12:39.207-07:00

I have a question about apples for making a levain. If I just buy regular ol' apples at the grocery store, will it have enough yeast to get the starter going? I don't really have access to any other kind in Phoenix, in summer, when it's 110F outside...

FYI... This interview is what led me to your book,...

2010-06-05T08:23:44.495-07:00

FYI... This interview is what led me to your book, which I just finished. I can't tell you how much I loved it! It has inspired me to push aside my bread machine and make the best loaf of bread I've ever made. I'm just glad my yard is too small to accommodate a clay oven or a wheat field! :-)

Turns out pain de l'abbaye may be catching on (unl...

2010-06-04T11:16:02.226-07:00

Turns out pain de l'abbaye may be catching on (unlikely as they may sound). See the post at http://www.stirthepots.com/2010/06/pain-dabbaye-oh-holey-bread-i-hope.html

Any other takers? (You might want to reduce the yeast a bit if you do. I'm not sure my translation from the fresh yeast I used in France to dry, instant yeast was spot on.)

A note from the choir: congratulations! :) Well de...

2010-06-02T08:54:02.867-07:00

A note from the choir: congratulations! :) Well deserved, too.

I just started grinding my own wheat and baking my...

2010-05-31T16:51:03.236-07:00

I just started grinding my own wheat and baking my own bread. I am half way through 52 Loaves, which I discovered one day sifting through Amazon. (Peter Reinhart came in the mail and proceeded to intimidate me with strange words I did not understand. He was quickly abandoned for the King Arthur Flour book)

I find much of this book resonating with me - the more I find out about the history of bread making and the health benefits of using freshly ground wheat, the more I want to know.

I can feel the little wisps of this new passion unfurling within myself, delicately wrapping it's tendrils around my neck. Soon I fear I will be helpless to do anything but bake and read about baking...

You've got a convert here. My starter is about six...

2010-05-28T10:54:47.932-07:00

You've got a convert here. My starter is about six weeks old now, and last time I fed it, I gave some to my mother in Ohio.

You do realize, of course, that with all this perf...

2010-05-20T18:55:31.520-07:00

You do realize, of course, that with all this perfect bread you have to start making your own butter. I found out how easy this is here. Now if I only had time to cook I would do this. Until then it's stocking up when Land o'Lakes is on sale for a buck ninety-nine.