I've been lamenting the lack of "tang" in my sourdough breads... I read an article which suggested the answer is to add sour salt (citric acid crystals) to the mix. Long story short, I no longer own sour salt, and I really have no other use for it, so I don't feel compelled to go out and buy some. I tried adding a teaspoon of lemon juice to the bread. Honestly, I didn't think it made a difference. So, I've been making yummy bread which has slightly less of the interesting flavors that I've been looking for.
Until this weekend. Thursday night, I mixed up a batch of dough for challah, but it didn't work quite right. The dough didn't come together correctly, it was crumbly and oily and kind of a mess. I tried to salvage it in small batches, and was able to get it somewhat dough-like. I braided it and slipped it into the cold oven overnight hoping the yeasties would work their magic. Friday morning, I awoke to find two loaves that were only slightly more risen than the night before. Figuring I'd come this far with this batch, I baked the loaves, and while they were baking, I mixed up yet another batch of dough, which came out perfectly. The bread in the oven didn't rise much (I think too much flour...), I wrapped the fresh dough in floured plastic wrap, threw it all in the car and left the house in a hurry.
The challah was tasty but dry and crumbly. It was twelve hours after leaving the house when I unwrapped the dough (which was trying to escape from the plastic wrap) to shape it on my mother's kitchen counter and allow it to rise overnight. In the morning I baked the new breads, packed them up and headed down to NYC for the family party. To my surprise, the bread had a hint of a tang to it - the kind of kick that you expect to taste when you bite into something labelled 'sourdough'! So, maybe there's something to this "rise twice" business?
Anyway, glaze with egg and maple syrup, pop in the oven at 350°F for 30 minutes, then 400°F for another 10 minutes to finish up cooking the insides, pull it out and it was delicious!
Showing posts with label Bread. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bread. Show all posts
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Sourdough
I have an 8-cup glass pyrex measuring cup on my counter right now filled with flour, water and lots of microbes. (Microbes make me happy.)
From this soup I've been making breads. And it's yummy!
Some folks have asked for the recipe for the breads I've been making. I modified my recipe a little from here:
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/4200/sourdough-challah-photos-recipe
For my bread, I start the night before I'm going to bake. I take 1.5-2 cups of sourdough starter and put it in the bowl of my stand mixer. I add 1/4 cup of honey, 3 eggs, 1/4 cup of vegetable oil, salt, and any other amendments I'm going to add. Lately I've been throwing in 2 Tablespoons of flax seed meal. Anything else that you want in your bread goes in now. Then I add 1/2-1 cup of flour, mix it up well and let it sit out for a few hours to make sure the yeast really likes it in there.
Before I go to bed, I add 2 more cups of flour, put the dough hook on the mixer and mix the whole thing up. If it's too sticky, I add more flour. I've been letting the mixer do most of the kneading for me. Then I turn it out, knead it by hand a little bit, and shape the dough.
Yeah, that's really it. I'm not letting it rise a second time; I won't re-knead it again in the morning. Shape it, put it on a baking sheet, stick it in a cold oven (so the cat doesn't step on it) and go to sleep! When you wake up, it will be puffier than you remember leaving it and therefore more fragile - you won't want to move it from the pan. Warm up the oven (I'm still working on the right temp/time), glaze the bread with your glaze of choice (honey and egg anyone?) and bake.
And add water. Once your oven is hot, put the bread in and spill some water (1/8-1/4 cup should do it) on the bottom of your oven, then close it fast. The steam is good for the bread and helps to make a nice crust. If you open the door to the oven while it's baking, your glasses will fog up. If all the water goes away, add more water.
I don't wait for my bread to cool before cutting into it. I let it rest for about 30 seconds, then throw a towel over it so I don't burn my hand and slice.
From this soup I've been making breads. And it's yummy!
Some folks have asked for the recipe for the breads I've been making. I modified my recipe a little from here:
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/4200/sourdough-challah-photos-recipe
For my bread, I start the night before I'm going to bake. I take 1.5-2 cups of sourdough starter and put it in the bowl of my stand mixer. I add 1/4 cup of honey, 3 eggs, 1/4 cup of vegetable oil, salt, and any other amendments I'm going to add. Lately I've been throwing in 2 Tablespoons of flax seed meal. Anything else that you want in your bread goes in now. Then I add 1/2-1 cup of flour, mix it up well and let it sit out for a few hours to make sure the yeast really likes it in there.
Before I go to bed, I add 2 more cups of flour, put the dough hook on the mixer and mix the whole thing up. If it's too sticky, I add more flour. I've been letting the mixer do most of the kneading for me. Then I turn it out, knead it by hand a little bit, and shape the dough.
Yeah, that's really it. I'm not letting it rise a second time; I won't re-knead it again in the morning. Shape it, put it on a baking sheet, stick it in a cold oven (so the cat doesn't step on it) and go to sleep! When you wake up, it will be puffier than you remember leaving it and therefore more fragile - you won't want to move it from the pan. Warm up the oven (I'm still working on the right temp/time), glaze the bread with your glaze of choice (honey and egg anyone?) and bake.
And add water. Once your oven is hot, put the bread in and spill some water (1/8-1/4 cup should do it) on the bottom of your oven, then close it fast. The steam is good for the bread and helps to make a nice crust. If you open the door to the oven while it's baking, your glasses will fog up. If all the water goes away, add more water.
I don't wait for my bread to cool before cutting into it. I let it rest for about 30 seconds, then throw a towel over it so I don't burn my hand and slice.
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