Bread questionaire
Hi everyone,
A bit of background:
I am allergic to gluten, however, I have aspirations of learning to bake great artisan bread with wheat because the rest of the world is fully capable of eating it with no ill effect.
So here is my question:
When I make bread I can eat, I am the primary tester. As we all know, flavor is king. And when I eat my bread I am paying close attention to all the subtle nuances of the flavor, the mouth-feel, the crust, etc. However, I cannot eat wheat bread; thus, I cannot be a taste tester. So, while I will diligently observe all that I can by sight (ie. the look of the loaf, and especially the look of the crumb) I will have to rely on others to describe to me the flavor.
Any thoughts on what I should put on a questionaier to ascertain the particulars of flavor in a loaf? I have thought of a few, but witht the wealth of experience here, I figured you'd all be able to come up with some others. I plan to make it a rating system (scale of 1-5 sort of thing) Example: How much of a sour flavor does it have? 1-not at all and 5-very sour
Obviously I want to get details on the crust: if it is tough or chewey or crisp and flaky etc. And the crumb: if it is moist or dry, tough or light. It's really the flavor particulars that I need to know. And since I have no idea what wheat breat is supposed to taste like in the first place I'd just be guessing as to what to put on the questionaire. Should I be looking for a certain sweetness? If using a preferment or sourdough starter, is it only the sourness that I need to look for or are there other things?
Any input is appreciated
Thanks,
Daniel
Bake what you enjoy baking, then ask:
1. Would you buy it again.
2. If not, what would you change?
That's all you need.
-Gordon
How allergic are you to gluten? Can't you just taste the bread and spit it out? I always thought gluten allergies meant you had digestive problems when you ate it, not when you came in contact with it.
You are thinking of gluten intolerance. Non-celiac gluten sensitivity is different in every possible way.
I just thought that gluten allergies required consumption, unlike, say, peanut allergies which I've heard can be triggered without eating the peanuts. Seems like if anaphylaxis were an issue you wouldn't want to be around flour because it is airborne.... seems like you might get more gluten exposure when baking with flour than chewing and spitting out the baked product. But obviously, I am not an allergist.
Hi all,
I can touch flour, and so far breathing it has caused no problems.
As for chewing and spitting out, it seems that I would be missing some of the flavor (aftertaste for example. You have tastebuds clear back into the upper portions of your throat [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taste_bud] which would miss out on the tasting experience) which would kind of miss the point of the whole "taste test" scenario. From what I have read, those bitter aftertastes can be indicators of old flour and since for now I am using store-bought flour to experament with, it would be helpful to know my bread has an unpleasent flavor from the flour before I make batch after batch.
I suppose this may seem silly to most of you, but I have a strong desire to make bread everyone can enjoy, not just GF people. If it means dealing with a few challenges, I'm ok with that.
I love baking and have a dream of someday being able to open a bakery/cafe that will not only serve exceptional GF and vegan bread, but wholesome and healthy whole wheat bread that is outrageously delicious and will make a believer out of even the most staunch baguette lover. I believe in promoting health and well being through food that is as enjoyable as it is healthy.