my heavy rotation loaves; Melissa Funk Weller's Multigrain from A Good Bake book and a Sourdough Oatmeal from BreadExperience.com. I am looking forward to those rye biscoff.
what i do with any new book i covert - check out from library first to make sure it is the one. and if it is, then splurge
i really enjoy this book. for me, it was worth the purchase. then again, i am all about the science and hows and whys of baking. everything i have baked has been spot-on.
it is a nice complement to BraveTart by Stella Parks.
Last week I made a loaf that DIDNT have a scald and it left me sad. I’ve come to adore and experiment with scalds because of their added flavor as well as extending the life of the loaf. Next week I’m revisiting the scald life with either a teff or buckwheat the added nutty notes of these flours are my kinda fall vibes my taste buds are craving.
Annie, scald is the same as porridge bread, but instead of cooking the oats (or preferred grain) like a porridge on the stove you pour boiling water on to a flour to scald it. Let it cool and then add it to the dough, giving the bread a higher hydration and lasting power.
I'm not really a creature of habit, and like to experiment a lot. This is not the best approach for perfecting my craft, but I often get very good loaves, if not perfect. I have also had my share of duds. I want to be more disciplined about it, though, and am slowing getting myself prepped to begin weekly bakes (of SD... I already bake weekly, and often more than that). I will likely begin with The Loaf or the porridge bread on this site. That said, I really loved the sweet potato loaf and cranberry walnut loaf out of Sarah Owens' book Sourdough. It's an interesting book, and she has quite a few recipes for using discard as well.
My favorite dough to make is brioche, which is actually a pastry/bread crossover. It's such a versatile dough, too, which is part of what I love about it. I would like to experiment with sourdough versions as well as versions that use locally milled whole grain flours.
Noticed that you are a fellow Midwesterner! Have you checked out Sunrise Flour Mill? I have noticed such a difference in flavor and texture from their series of heritage grains! https://sunriseflourmill.com/
I have a couple that I use. One is super rich with high percentages of butter and eggs… more of a special treat. It’s from the Republique baking book. The other one I use is actually a bun recipe I developed for the bakery I ran. It started out as a recipe from King Arthur, but I modified it quite a bit. It’s a little leaner. I don’t have it handy right now but would be happy to share it when I get back to my files.
My heavy rotation loaf is Tartine’s Country Loaf - 90% AP, 10% First Clear, overnight fermentation of shaped loaves. I love to try other formulas but this is the bread everyone wants when I bring bread for a gathering or when my children raid the frozen bread compartment.
It’s a King Arthur Flour - a high protein, high fiber kind of flour which adds some flavor and oomph. I expect you could substitute whole wheat with good results. I’ve done that but using first clear produces a loftier rise. I’m a home baker. First clear is available on KA’s website. I use first clear often when a whole wheat is designated. I just find my breads have a better rise without sacrificing flavor.
for the last maybe two years i've made King Arthur's no-knead sourdough probably once a week (or as often as i feed my starter)--i love the extra oomph the added malt gives the crust. this time of year my mind always turns to "harvest" breads (y'know, with pecans and/or walnuts and cranberries or other dried fruit), and i get a little obsessed with that instead. for the holidays through the spring, i usually get and stay on a brioche-y kick (from "plain" buttery loaves in fancy braids to the wide variety of Easter-season breads, which i adore---crescia al formaggio, colomba pasquale, etc.).
After going to town on sourdough education over the past year and a half, I think that my go-to recipe is actually from a combination of different sources. I vary it from bake to bake in the amount of whole grain flour and in the timing of the folds, but I feel that keeping it mainly consistent has helped me really get a true feel for sourdough. It's 1000g flour (a mix), 800g water, 20g salt and 150g starter. (Makes 2 loaves) I know that I sacrifice open crumb by adding wheat, but I usually use 250-350g of whole wheat. I used to agonize over the timing of the folds but now I just try to fit them into my day and hope for the best. It seems like the less I stress about it, the better the outcome. Or maybe I'm just getting into the groove of the sourdough lifestyle!
It's such a pleasant dough to knead with your hands, smooth and bouncy, and the shaping is fun, and the result is this beautiful pillowy loaf with spirals on the sides, that stays fresh a long time and makes perfect toast or finger sandwiches. <3
I’ve discovered that my “regulars” are seasonal. Andrew’s “The Loaf” is my go-to in the warmer months. In the colder months, Maurizio Leo’s “Higher Hydration” formula is my go-to. Maurizio’s spelt loaf and pumpkin pan loaf are also house favorites. I love Andrew’s English muffin bread and King Arthur’s pizza crust as go-to discard recipes.
I’ve been busy making the honey oatmeal loaf for our local food bank also stashing a few loaves for ourselves too. This weekend I branched out I made Andrew’s the Loaf and also did a King Arthur Vermont Sourdough but I added extra sharp cheddar to the dough the recipe makes 2 750 g. loaves I also added the everything but the bagel seasoning and some extra cheddar to the top they turned out amazing!
I most often make a cracked wheat yeast bread from KAB although I can’t seem to find the recipe on the website anymore. Good thing I have a printed copy! I’m still getting my legs under me making sourdough bread, but I’m getting there. I usually add some discard in place of some of the flour/water in the cracked wheat recipe.
My favorite is still the Vermont Sourdough from the KAF website. I get the best looking loaves from that recipe. Still using the starter from the beginning of the pandemic and the Quarantinystarter recipe! Gave some starter, along with a loaf, to some friends on Friday and they’re now off on their own Sourdough adventures, making pizzas, etc., and are so excited. It’s the gift that keeps on giving! Thanks, Andrew!
I am prepping for our church's Holiday Extravaganza in early November so baked (in an attempt at stress-baking) 24 loaves of bread yesterday. I did the preferments and most of the scaling Saturday evening, got a good nights sleep and made: Boxcar and Cranbuck (with fresh and dried cranberries) from Martin Philips book (highly recommend this modification to the cranbuck) - double and triple batches respectively. Also made a double batch of the lovely honey challah from Cheryl at Nomad bakery for her inspirational Hamsa challah class on Sunday afternoon. Also made Roxana Jullapat's Blueberry Purple barley (4 x 1 kg boules) and a Cinnamon Apple Sourdough from another BBGA baker. Then, I rested :)
I recently was put on a low carb diet by my doctor (actually not that low overall, but carbs need to be spread out in limited amounts throughout the day), so my baking has taken a hit. This weekend, I tried a low carb loaf (yeast leavened) which used equal parts vital wheat gluten and lupin flour for the flour component. It came out pretty well, and tastes OK, though nothing like wheat flour bread. I'm going to try using that "flour" combo in the Loaf Classic recipe, and see what happens. I'll report the results.
In my 2nd year baking sourdough bread. I alternate between French Country Boule and Pain au Levain, both from David Leader’s Local Breads. The 1st one uses stiff levain; the other liquid levain. Repetition has paid off.
Question for Andrew: if I pour off “hooch” from the liquid levain should I add extra water to it when I refresh?
I always try to have a good loaf for sandwiches, a loaf for having with soups and saucy dishes, a flatbread, burger buns, and an enriched dough at the ready in the freezer, and I try to change what I make in each category up to get new experiences. But the bread I am most excited to make now that I'm on my own and re-building my bread store is a simple challah. I have never had any issues, it is a joy to work with, and my favorite for french toasts and bread puddings, and this time of year always has me wanting a grilled cheese with apple and caramelized onions on challah. It is the bread I think of making when I just want to have utter fun and indulge in what feels like the utmost of sensory pleasures from start to finish.
Separately, I found a set of vintage bread tubes at a tag sale this weekend and snapped them up. If anyone has any bread tube experience or recommendations I would happily take!
They're long tubes in funky shapes (stars, hearts, flowers) for baking bread! I learned about them from this article (https://www.eater.com/22368496/decorative-scalloped-bread-tube-baking). They feel whimsical and extra and exactly the kind of thing that should be procured for $1 at a tag sale
so pretty
my heavy rotation loaves; Melissa Funk Weller's Multigrain from A Good Bake book and a Sourdough Oatmeal from BreadExperience.com. I am looking forward to those rye biscoff.
and thanks for your work.
I've had my eye on A Good Bake for some time now. Do you like the book overall?
what i do with any new book i covert - check out from library first to make sure it is the one. and if it is, then splurge
i really enjoy this book. for me, it was worth the purchase. then again, i am all about the science and hows and whys of baking. everything i have baked has been spot-on.
it is a nice complement to BraveTart by Stella Parks.
Oh Bravetart is wonderful. Thanks!
Last week I made a loaf that DIDNT have a scald and it left me sad. I’ve come to adore and experiment with scalds because of their added flavor as well as extending the life of the loaf. Next week I’m revisiting the scald life with either a teff or buckwheat the added nutty notes of these flours are my kinda fall vibes my taste buds are craving.
What’s a scald?
Annie, scald is the same as porridge bread, but instead of cooking the oats (or preferred grain) like a porridge on the stove you pour boiling water on to a flour to scald it. Let it cool and then add it to the dough, giving the bread a higher hydration and lasting power.
Thanks for the explanation, Mollie. So it’s like a tadzhong (sp?), then? I’ll put it in the back of my mind for the future.
exactly! I also subscribe to Sarah Owens Patreon page and she has a ton of recipes that use this method, highly recommend if you have interest.
oh interesting! I often make this brown bread recipe that has you do that with oats... https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/old-fashioned-brown-bread/
I'm not really a creature of habit, and like to experiment a lot. This is not the best approach for perfecting my craft, but I often get very good loaves, if not perfect. I have also had my share of duds. I want to be more disciplined about it, though, and am slowing getting myself prepped to begin weekly bakes (of SD... I already bake weekly, and often more than that). I will likely begin with The Loaf or the porridge bread on this site. That said, I really loved the sweet potato loaf and cranberry walnut loaf out of Sarah Owens' book Sourdough. It's an interesting book, and she has quite a few recipes for using discard as well.
My favorite dough to make is brioche, which is actually a pastry/bread crossover. It's such a versatile dough, too, which is part of what I love about it. I would like to experiment with sourdough versions as well as versions that use locally milled whole grain flours.
Noticed that you are a fellow Midwesterner! Have you checked out Sunrise Flour Mill? I have noticed such a difference in flavor and texture from their series of heritage grains! https://sunriseflourmill.com/
Hi Brooke! I’m from Wisconsin and we have a few good mills here too but I will definitely check out Sunrise. Thanks for sharing the link!
I grew up in Madison but now live in Chicago! Any recommendations for mills local to southern WI? I'm back and forth quite a bit to see family.
Do you have a favorite brioche recipe? I've been wanting to try making some!
I have a couple that I use. One is super rich with high percentages of butter and eggs… more of a special treat. It’s from the Republique baking book. The other one I use is actually a bun recipe I developed for the bakery I ran. It started out as a recipe from King Arthur, but I modified it quite a bit. It’s a little leaner. I don’t have it handy right now but would be happy to share it when I get back to my files.
Thank you!
My heavy rotation loaf is Tartine’s Country Loaf - 90% AP, 10% First Clear, overnight fermentation of shaped loaves. I love to try other formulas but this is the bread everyone wants when I bring bread for a gathering or when my children raid the frozen bread compartment.
What is First Clear?
It’s a King Arthur Flour - a high protein, high fiber kind of flour which adds some flavor and oomph. I expect you could substitute whole wheat with good results. I’ve done that but using first clear produces a loftier rise. I’m a home baker. First clear is available on KA’s website. I use first clear often when a whole wheat is designated. I just find my breads have a better rise without sacrificing flavor.
Good to know. Thank you!
for the last maybe two years i've made King Arthur's no-knead sourdough probably once a week (or as often as i feed my starter)--i love the extra oomph the added malt gives the crust. this time of year my mind always turns to "harvest" breads (y'know, with pecans and/or walnuts and cranberries or other dried fruit), and i get a little obsessed with that instead. for the holidays through the spring, i usually get and stay on a brioche-y kick (from "plain" buttery loaves in fancy braids to the wide variety of Easter-season breads, which i adore---crescia al formaggio, colomba pasquale, etc.).
My 2 go-to recipes: first is the Metropolitan Bakery's Country Bread (https://blog.metropolitanbakery.com/post/10614013094/basic-country-bread) that I've made my own over the years. The original was volume-based, so I have toyed with the ratios and settled on a fairly reproducible loaf. Another family favorite is the starter/commercial yeast Sourdough Sandwich Loaf from King Arthur (https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/sourdough-sandwich-bread-recipe). I can't keep either of these long before my 3 kids devour them all. A new one that I love is the Night Move's Anadama (https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/pro/formulas/night-moves-anadama). It's a welcome variation on the bread I grew up with.
After going to town on sourdough education over the past year and a half, I think that my go-to recipe is actually from a combination of different sources. I vary it from bake to bake in the amount of whole grain flour and in the timing of the folds, but I feel that keeping it mainly consistent has helped me really get a true feel for sourdough. It's 1000g flour (a mix), 800g water, 20g salt and 150g starter. (Makes 2 loaves) I know that I sacrifice open crumb by adding wheat, but I usually use 250-350g of whole wheat. I used to agonize over the timing of the folds but now I just try to fit them into my day and hope for the best. It seems like the less I stress about it, the better the outcome. Or maybe I'm just getting into the groove of the sourdough lifestyle!
The other two recipes I've been loving are:
Trevor J Wilson's baguette (And yes, I bounded through the entirety of his Open Crumb book. Thanks for the recommendation Andrew!) http://www.breadwerx.com/easy-sourdough-baguettes-beginners-video/
The cinnamon raisin sourdough by Challenger https://challengerbreadware.com/bread-recipes/cinnamon-raisin-sourdough/
Not sourdough, but the bread that makes me happiest is a tangzhong milk bread. There are many recipes but I use this one: https://dessertfirstgirl.com/2015/02/hokkaido-milk-bread-tangzhong.html
It's such a pleasant dough to knead with your hands, smooth and bouncy, and the shaping is fun, and the result is this beautiful pillowy loaf with spirals on the sides, that stays fresh a long time and makes perfect toast or finger sandwiches. <3
I’ve discovered that my “regulars” are seasonal. Andrew’s “The Loaf” is my go-to in the warmer months. In the colder months, Maurizio Leo’s “Higher Hydration” formula is my go-to. Maurizio’s spelt loaf and pumpkin pan loaf are also house favorites. I love Andrew’s English muffin bread and King Arthur’s pizza crust as go-to discard recipes.
I’ve been busy making the honey oatmeal loaf for our local food bank also stashing a few loaves for ourselves too. This weekend I branched out I made Andrew’s the Loaf and also did a King Arthur Vermont Sourdough but I added extra sharp cheddar to the dough the recipe makes 2 750 g. loaves I also added the everything but the bagel seasoning and some extra cheddar to the top they turned out amazing!
I most often make a cracked wheat yeast bread from KAB although I can’t seem to find the recipe on the website anymore. Good thing I have a printed copy! I’m still getting my legs under me making sourdough bread, but I’m getting there. I usually add some discard in place of some of the flour/water in the cracked wheat recipe.
My favorite is still the Vermont Sourdough from the KAF website. I get the best looking loaves from that recipe. Still using the starter from the beginning of the pandemic and the Quarantinystarter recipe! Gave some starter, along with a loaf, to some friends on Friday and they’re now off on their own Sourdough adventures, making pizzas, etc., and are so excited. It’s the gift that keeps on giving! Thanks, Andrew!
I am prepping for our church's Holiday Extravaganza in early November so baked (in an attempt at stress-baking) 24 loaves of bread yesterday. I did the preferments and most of the scaling Saturday evening, got a good nights sleep and made: Boxcar and Cranbuck (with fresh and dried cranberries) from Martin Philips book (highly recommend this modification to the cranbuck) - double and triple batches respectively. Also made a double batch of the lovely honey challah from Cheryl at Nomad bakery for her inspirational Hamsa challah class on Sunday afternoon. Also made Roxana Jullapat's Blueberry Purple barley (4 x 1 kg boules) and a Cinnamon Apple Sourdough from another BBGA baker. Then, I rested :)
Wow!
I recently was put on a low carb diet by my doctor (actually not that low overall, but carbs need to be spread out in limited amounts throughout the day), so my baking has taken a hit. This weekend, I tried a low carb loaf (yeast leavened) which used equal parts vital wheat gluten and lupin flour for the flour component. It came out pretty well, and tastes OK, though nothing like wheat flour bread. I'm going to try using that "flour" combo in the Loaf Classic recipe, and see what happens. I'll report the results.
Low carb, how sad!
In my 2nd year baking sourdough bread. I alternate between French Country Boule and Pain au Levain, both from David Leader’s Local Breads. The 1st one uses stiff levain; the other liquid levain. Repetition has paid off.
Question for Andrew: if I pour off “hooch” from the liquid levain should I add extra water to it when I refresh?
I always try to have a good loaf for sandwiches, a loaf for having with soups and saucy dishes, a flatbread, burger buns, and an enriched dough at the ready in the freezer, and I try to change what I make in each category up to get new experiences. But the bread I am most excited to make now that I'm on my own and re-building my bread store is a simple challah. I have never had any issues, it is a joy to work with, and my favorite for french toasts and bread puddings, and this time of year always has me wanting a grilled cheese with apple and caramelized onions on challah. It is the bread I think of making when I just want to have utter fun and indulge in what feels like the utmost of sensory pleasures from start to finish.
Separately, I found a set of vintage bread tubes at a tag sale this weekend and snapped them up. If anyone has any bread tube experience or recommendations I would happily take!
I want to live at your house! What are bread tubes?
They're long tubes in funky shapes (stars, hearts, flowers) for baking bread! I learned about them from this article (https://www.eater.com/22368496/decorative-scalloped-bread-tube-baking). They feel whimsical and extra and exactly the kind of thing that should be procured for $1 at a tag sale
ahhh imagine having so much freezer space! How glorious :-)
I make it work purely through strategic stacking and keeping pretty much nothing else in there