I would like to discover a new favorite sourdough bread. It may also be featured in a Community Bake.
Please try to describe the qualities and characteristics of your favorite. If the formula and process are posted to the Internet, a link would be nice.
Some will probably find it necessary to mention more than one. In my case I have 2 favorites and I’d be hard pressed to choose a winner. In no alphabetical order.
- Hamelman’s Five-Grain Levain - Outstanding flavor, texture, chew, & the roasted seeds
- Teresa Greenway’s Sanfrancisco Sourdough - The intensely smooth & prominent lactic acid flavor
I appreciate your input.
Danny
Cedar Mountain's Grass Bread http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/58029/grass-bread
Bread1965 Let's Blame Cnn http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/54129/lets-blame-cnn
Sarah Owen's Honeyed Spelt and Oat http://scottsbreads.weebly.com/uploads/1/0/5/3/10536109/honeyed_spelt___oat-08-40-s.pdf
Favourite for what purpose?
If "All purposes at once", then I think my real favourite has to be bread that is most excellently boring. Outstanding by being perfectly forgettable. Bread that is "just bread", but very well made. Nobody but a bread nerd would have any idea how great it was.
Edited to add: Definitely no seeds or special flavouring agents.
I am so much into the whole grains and seeds and things that maybe we should go back to the basics and make a plain all purpose flour loaf.
You two (David R & Danni) are getting sacrilegious! What’s next? Commercial yeast?
I started baking bread to get way away from the forgettable stuff :-D
Just kiddin’
Danny
Danni, please don’t back slide <LOL>
Dan: I don't ever want "Wonder Bread forgettable" (i.e. not worth remembering). I only want forgettable in the way that a really good knife is forgettable - it does its job so perfectly that it might as well be invisible.
with commercial yeast! Yeah! That’s it! Let’s see who can make a loaf as close as possible to wonder bread! ???
Dan, have no fear, I won’t start making white bread anytime soon. I have 150 lbs of berries to use up. ?
This is my favorite to make over and over. My forum photo is from my first bake of this bread.
https://breadtopia.com/sourdough-beer-bread/?utm_source=wysija
Thanks Shark. How would you describe the flavor?
what affect does the beer have on the flavor?
Thanks for sharing.
Dan
The bread has a nice yeasty flavor from the beer I use. I use a coffee flavored porter.
is Hamelman's 5-Grain Levain.
hester
I will let you know, Danny, as soon as I can decide which of our two children I prefer ;-)!
Joe
It seems that many bakers like lots of breads. I also like many breads, but only a very few rise to the top of my list. I like those few so much, that I seldom bake any others.
Dan
I have made this many ways including a vegan version, It is now a staple in our house.
This is a recipe that I have adapted from Sarah Owens book Toast and Jam. It uses a rye tangzhong and has the option of making it with a combination of sourdough starter and commercial yeast or just using starter. I have done it both ways and it always comes out great. If you are not using commercial yeast you will need to use 150 grams of starter.
I have found it is best to grind your 45 grams of buckwheat flour in blender. The little bit of extra effort is worth it. I use a bullet blender.
For the tangzhong
45 grams
Rye flour
115 grams
milk
115 grams
water
In a saucepan combined these ingredients with a whisk until smooth. Then place the pan over medium low heat stirring constantly until it thickens about 3 to 4 minutes. It might be pourable and its ok if its thickened beyond that.
Put this mixture in a 6 qt kitchenaid or large bowl if hand mixing it will be hot to cool it your milk and butter should be cold
60 grams
Buckwheat honey or wildflower honey
230 grams
Milk
85 grams
,Unsalted butter,Cut up into cubes
Stir to combined then take the temperature make sure you get this mixture to 90 degrees F or less before adding the other ingredients.
630 grams
Bread flour
100 grams
Active starter
45 grams
Buckwheat flour
1 tsp
Active dry yeast
100 grams
2 eggs beaten
Combined all of these ingredients until you cant see any streaks
Let the dough rest covered in the bowl for 20 -30 minutes.
Then add
15 grams of fine sea salt *
*I also add seeds at this point
Knead thoroughly until a smooth dough is achieved, Let proof till tripled in size. 3 hours if using commercial yeast longer if using sourdough. Watch the dough not the clock
1
Grease two small pullman loaf pans . Divide dough in half . Form loaves 1 Watch dough. Anticipate when dough will almost come to the tops of the loaf tins, so you can preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Notes * I add black sesame seeds for flavor and it also ensures that my salt has been make sure that the salt is incorporated
1. I am not going to tell you how to form a loaf of bread.
Why? Because it doesn't make me sleepy
Favorite? Maybe the one I'm making. We'll see.
Yippee