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.
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 :)
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’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!
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.
My favorite sourdough is the reason I got into this adventure to begin with. We are homebrewers and my husband always had lots of spent grain that ended up in the compost making for happy worms. Now, that I learned enough to use the spent grain in my basic sourdough, this has become a staple. But, as Kristin Collett writes here, I'm not a creature of habit either. I keep coming up with new recipes all the time. But just adding some spent grain to a basic bread flour only sd will make some awesome bread. Of course I still add more beer instead of water, which increases the flavor depending on the beer. I usually still add about 100g of freshly milled wholegrain (rye, kamut, spelt, red wheat, barley) which gives me a solid and satisfying loaf of bread. I don't shoot for open crumb but for flavor explosion instead. After all, we bake bread to eat - right -- and not just to look at! :)
I'm on vacation this week so brought (part of) Sourpuss, my Quarantiny starter, and we've had fresh focaccia daily. I keep Porridge bread for sandwiches for my daughter and I (oatmeal and honey is our favorite combination) and switch between that and focaccia for our daily bread.
My jam these days is splitting the focaccia dough into two square pans and refrigerating for a day or more. When I get home from work I pull a pan of dough out and fold something into it, let it rest while the oven heats, then bake. Sometimes it's olives and chopped green onions, or a smear of curry paste or gochjang and green onions. We really liked chopped celery and onions seasoned with salt and sage (think Thanksgiving stuffing preview). I spread whatever I'm using on top of the dough, work it in a bit with my fingers, then stretch and fold the dough over itself, turn 90*, then stretch and fold again.
I started making my family recipe loaf bread (using yeast) when I was about 10; I even entered it into the state fair one year and got 1st place. It’s still my go-to because I know it so well. I’m working on a consistent sourdough loaf, but now that things are finally cooling down I also want to expand my horizons and try a few more bread types. So many good ideas in this thread!
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.
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
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.
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.
Hi Everyone, I know it's not Monday, but I was wondering if anyone has a surefire recipe for making soft rolls that taste good? I'm looking for a roll for my hamburgers and bison hotdogs.
Also, does anyone have advice on making Placek? My mom made it fo Easter (I have her recipe) and I'd like to try making it a few times to practice. John-Paul Martin
I've been slowly perfecting a sourdough based mostly on 'the Loaf,' with some inspiration from a German friend who favors a rye-heavy recipe! I would love to experiment more, but a loaf or two a week of sourdough is enough for my family.
My family does love incorporating the discard into a variety of other baked goods -- our 3 regulars are the King Arthur pizza dough, King Arthur crackers, and the 'fluffy sourdough pancakes' recipe from the Clever Carrot blog! We make the pancakes with a multi-grain flour from Sunrise Mills and they are truly my favorite thing to eat now.
The bread I make regularly is a variation on Richard Miscovich's Pain au Levain recipe from the self reliant baking class he taught. I modified the amount of levain to better fit my schedule. I usually use Maine Grains high extraction flour but it is also very good as written with half white and half wheat. I proof overnight in the refrigerator and bake the next day right out of the fridge in clay cloches. It always comes out perfect with good oven spring. Regardless of whatever other bread I make this one is almost always in the house.
I have two loaves I make weekly. Usually 5 of Andrew’s 5% rye SD method, no knead….just one set of folds with about 15 hours in the fridge. Most of those are shaped into batards. Also the no knead from Half Baked Harvest, but I add a Tbsp of Everything Bagel seasoning. It uses a can of beer instead of water.
Recently I made some Cinnamon Raisin SD from KA. Got raves from my neighbors!
Monday Morning Open Thread: 1/11/21
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.
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 :)
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’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!
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.
My favorite sourdough is the reason I got into this adventure to begin with. We are homebrewers and my husband always had lots of spent grain that ended up in the compost making for happy worms. Now, that I learned enough to use the spent grain in my basic sourdough, this has become a staple. But, as Kristin Collett writes here, I'm not a creature of habit either. I keep coming up with new recipes all the time. But just adding some spent grain to a basic bread flour only sd will make some awesome bread. Of course I still add more beer instead of water, which increases the flavor depending on the beer. I usually still add about 100g of freshly milled wholegrain (rye, kamut, spelt, red wheat, barley) which gives me a solid and satisfying loaf of bread. I don't shoot for open crumb but for flavor explosion instead. After all, we bake bread to eat - right -- and not just to look at! :)
I'm on vacation this week so brought (part of) Sourpuss, my Quarantiny starter, and we've had fresh focaccia daily. I keep Porridge bread for sandwiches for my daughter and I (oatmeal and honey is our favorite combination) and switch between that and focaccia for our daily bread.
My jam these days is splitting the focaccia dough into two square pans and refrigerating for a day or more. When I get home from work I pull a pan of dough out and fold something into it, let it rest while the oven heats, then bake. Sometimes it's olives and chopped green onions, or a smear of curry paste or gochjang and green onions. We really liked chopped celery and onions seasoned with salt and sage (think Thanksgiving stuffing preview). I spread whatever I'm using on top of the dough, work it in a bit with my fingers, then stretch and fold the dough over itself, turn 90*, then stretch and fold again.
What do you add to your bread?
I started making my family recipe loaf bread (using yeast) when I was about 10; I even entered it into the state fair one year and got 1st place. It’s still my go-to because I know it so well. I’m working on a consistent sourdough loaf, but now that things are finally cooling down I also want to expand my horizons and try a few more bread types. So many good ideas in this thread!
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.
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
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.
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.
Hi Everyone, I know it's not Monday, but I was wondering if anyone has a surefire recipe for making soft rolls that taste good? I'm looking for a roll for my hamburgers and bison hotdogs.
Also, does anyone have advice on making Placek? My mom made it fo Easter (I have her recipe) and I'd like to try making it a few times to practice. John-Paul Martin
I've been slowly perfecting a sourdough based mostly on 'the Loaf,' with some inspiration from a German friend who favors a rye-heavy recipe! I would love to experiment more, but a loaf or two a week of sourdough is enough for my family.
My family does love incorporating the discard into a variety of other baked goods -- our 3 regulars are the King Arthur pizza dough, King Arthur crackers, and the 'fluffy sourdough pancakes' recipe from the Clever Carrot blog! We make the pancakes with a multi-grain flour from Sunrise Mills and they are truly my favorite thing to eat now.
The bread I make regularly is a variation on Richard Miscovich's Pain au Levain recipe from the self reliant baking class he taught. I modified the amount of levain to better fit my schedule. I usually use Maine Grains high extraction flour but it is also very good as written with half white and half wheat. I proof overnight in the refrigerator and bake the next day right out of the fridge in clay cloches. It always comes out perfect with good oven spring. Regardless of whatever other bread I make this one is almost always in the house.
I have two loaves I make weekly. Usually 5 of Andrew’s 5% rye SD method, no knead….just one set of folds with about 15 hours in the fridge. Most of those are shaped into batards. Also the no knead from Half Baked Harvest, but I add a Tbsp of Everything Bagel seasoning. It uses a can of beer instead of water.
Recently I made some Cinnamon Raisin SD from KA. Got raves from my neighbors!
I really want to learn baguettes!