Blog posts

My learning path of baking with rye flour continues from last week where I started baking light rye sourdough with 15% rye flour. This week I increased the rye percentage to 20% and added sunflower seeds and grains (millet and pearl barley) to the bread.

ingredients:

400gm unbleached bread flour

100gm dark rye flour

1.5 teaspoon salt

1.5 teaspoon active dry yeast (SAF brand)

1 tablespoon each of brown sugar, dill weed, and dehydrated onion flakes

333 gm very warm water (just cool enough to put a finger in and not whimper or yank it out)

procedure:

  To Susan, the creater of the the cheesecake factory dark bread recipe.  This recipe you created,  the one which contains,  coffee,  and I think molasses,  or other ingredients that I cannot think of offhand.  How many pounds is it,  so I can know what to set my bread machine at.  My bread machine will make 1 1/2  or 2 pound loaves. Which size  ( l 1/2, or 2 lb.) will this recipe make?   I would appreciate an answer for this thank you. 

Thanks,  Laurie K.

Hello fellow bakers - I hope the Gods of baking are smiling upon you :) 

I've just made another guess loaf - (which if you don't know me, means I just guess what I put in and wait to see what happens).

It's the best yet, bar maybe one.

I had a failed loaf yesterday, I think I was too cack handed when I moved it after it's second rise and it deflated - 

not sure if this was due to my using plain flour instead of strong flour - but I should have let it rise for longer after I'd moved it.

After sever attempts at rustic breads that were consumed in private without anyone allowed to see them (taste was generally good, but the crumb was more appropriate for a sandwich loaf, and some had excessively chewy crusts), my last bake was improved enough to share.

This was based on TXfarmer's recent ciabatta rolls and 100% WW baguettes.

Today I made Irish Soda Bread to enjoy with our St. Patrick's Day dinner!  I've listed the ingredients and if you would like to see photos of step by step instructions they are on my blog Here.  Making soda bread, takes a little practice.  The list of ingredients are what i used today, I added a little extra flour, while gently mixing the dough and used a heavily floured board to shape the dough.

1. 280 gms All Purpose Flour - low protein         

I hope you see this and respond Pat, I read your tip about the butter frame and want to ask a question.

I made some banana breads tonight. They were delicious – better than ever before with some tweaking the baking temperature. As I was tasting it, I got to thinking about the book from which I got the recipe.

Banana Bread from Crust & Crumb

Banana Bread crumb

I having been baking off and on for a long time, including making bread, but I finally got serious about it last fall.  This blog will chronicle my journey in the world of bread baking.  Warning:  I will be going into baker's percentages and other technical aspects of baking the bread, so this blog may be very boring ;-)