39 Comments

Wish this was out a few days earlier. I just baked my improvised loaf version of your original Oatmeal Maple porridge bread this morning! Next time I'll try using the butter, and see if my loaf pan fits into the Dutch oven. Forgot I had read your Edible Boston recipe with that tip in it. Family agrees that my result was yummy!

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This is very exciting. You know how much I love sandos.

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Question - do you think masa (dry, not prepared) would work in place of cornmeal? It's essentially finely ground cornmeal . . .

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Victoria - absolutely. It'll probably absorb water a little differently, but not enough to make or break the recipe. Let me know how it comes out, and if you think you can taste the masa flavor!

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I live in Ukraine where maple syrup is expensive, but there is an amazing array of honey. Could I replace the maple syrup with honey on a 1:1 exchange? (PS I've had my quarantiny starter since last March and shared it with friends all over the city! Even sent some dried flakes to Germany! Many thanks!)

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sure thing, you can use any liquid sweetener in an equal amount. And I'm so happy to hear that!!

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This sounds great! Unfortunately, my loaf pan doesn't fit in my Dutch Oven! Could you please explain the stone/steam method?

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I need to do a post on it, but in the meantime this Youtube video is a good one (It might actually be overkill, but using both rocks and towels can't hurt) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PabONWAcGSs

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So my williams-sonoma 8.5" X 4.5" loaf pan doesn't quite fit into my Dutch oven due to some big rolled edges on the pan. It's close but it's a no-go.

I'm considering my options:

1) I have a several gallon size old Revereware pot with lid that would work but the pot is much bigger and lighter than my Le Creuset enameled dutch oven. Also the internal volume is much more. Are either of those stoppers?

2) go out and buy a small aluminum (disposable) loaf pan. Since the pan is inside the dutch oven, does it matter what it is made of?

3) go out and buy a cheaper (and presumably smaller) loaf pan from somewhere like Target.

What do you think?

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Stiv - I'd just use whatever pot you have, as long as it holds a seal. Should be fine!

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Went with option 1 - large Revereware pot. Happy to report that it worked fine! Great sandwich bread, I’m doubling the recipe to make two loaves next time

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I just finished baking the cornmeal loaf using saf instant yeast instead of sourdough and it seemed to work just fine! 1/4 tsp was probably too much as the initial ferment was done in under 9 hours at only 67 degrees. The crumb wasn’t as open as in your photos but it tastes very good, definitely will try the other variations!

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Anyone else make the Cream of Wheat version yet? When making the porridge/tanzhong with 120g ww flour & 100g boiling water, I ended up with a dense ball of dough instead of a porridge/thick pasty texture.

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Sarah - Good catch! Sorry about that. It should be 50g of flour, AFTER sifting. Which would be about 60g to start with, not 120. will fix it now, hope it's not too late to redo before you make the dough.

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I figured as much after looking at the other versions amount of oats/cornmeal so I redid it with 60g & it looked much more like I expected! Thnks!

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I made the oatmeal maple variant this morning and it was a hit. To make two loaves at a time, would I double the amounts and divide after the bulk ferment?

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I doubled the receipt to make it in my 13 inch pullman loaf pan. It worked well, except I mistakenly left out the butter so it wasn't as soft as it was when I made it the first time. The pullman pan is perfect for this recipe because it has a lid, so no need to put the pan inside another pan.

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my 9x4 pans actually have lids too!

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So I also have the problem of my loaf pans not fitting inside my dutch oven, and I'm thinking about buying some more that might, and whilst browsing I noticed silicone pans and wondered if you have any experience with them and what your take is. They seem like they *might* be easier to work with.

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I don't. I can't tell whether they'd be a) faster or slower to transfer heat (and which would be better, if at all) and b) floppier, and if that would be a problem. Let me know if you try them out!

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I have a silicone bread pan, but I did not use it to make these breads. I have used to it to bake banana bread. In my experience it is not too floppy once the batter is in it, but it does take longer to bake the bread. Lowering it into a hot dutch oven might present different challenges, though.

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Do you use a 9 x 5 pan or an 8.5 x 4.5?

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either/both! The differences are not going to make a big difference here.

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Thanks for this awesome set of recipes! Being able to see the variations gave me the confidence to go wildly off book and try it with pumpernickel meal, and the resulting bread was awesome! I haven't been happy with any of my experiments using the pumpernickel until now. Thanks for sharing all of your knowledge and the tools to be successful making bread!

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Is there a reason why you don't do another 30 minute rest + stretch/fold after the salt and before the overnight rest like in your doughs with a similar recipe?

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actually, I DO, but I simplified this recipe for the Edible Boston story, and forgot to add it back here!

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Eek... so I didn't do it last night. Will that be problematic?

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nope. I just do it out of an abundance of caution (for an even crumb). You'll be fine!

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Will this work with old fashioned oats?

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yes!

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I made number 3 the other day. Turned out great although the top was pretty crunchy. Probably should have tented sooner after taking the loaf pan out of the Dutch Oven.

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Rick - I never had that issue with mine. Maybe try turning the oven down a tad once you take it out?

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I made the "Anadama" version the other day, and it seemed VERY moist compared to "The Loaf" and the earlier oatmeal porridge variation. The dough was quite wet during the initial mixing procedure, and moistness continued when baked. I double checked the measurements. Any thought about what I might have done wrong? Or is it supposed to be much wetter? (It was still tasty, though!)

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hmm. It might be a touch wetter, since the cornmeal absorbs water a bit less than oatmeal? But not radically so in my hands. Glad it was still tasty!

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Definitely more than a touch. I'll give it another try when I can. Maybe it was user error.

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