The most interesting (and most valuable/helpful) bread-making photos might be the ones least often posted.
The ones taken of the inedible loaf on its way to the compost bin, the starter that grew tentacles (or legs! ?), the "lightly toasted" seeds that ended up as extra charcoal for the grill (and a little extra exercise for the person who had to turn off the smoke detector ?). All, of course, with some kind of explanation of how they got that way.
All the photos of beautiful successful glamorous bread that I see here every day really are something worth showing, something to be proud of, and I would never have people stop posting them - but I know I'd learn something more from the other kind.
I've only been baking for three months or so - but this effort was definitely before I understood the importance of temperature - dough, environment and oven. It was then topped off with a first attempt to bake in a roasting pan rather than a Dutch oven.....oh ! And I also didn't appreciate how differently you have to handle wholegrains.
It probably could have still made decent enough toast but I was so disappointed, the dogs got it (and loved it).
So after a lot of research courtesy of Google, some of which bought me here - that loaf gave me a lot of learning !
Experience is what teaches us to recognize a mistake the second (or third or fourth) time we make it. Every time I attempt to photograph my mistakes the trembling of my hands and the smear of a tear or two dribbled on the lens thwarts my efforts. As to a recounting of the events that led to the debacle; my therapist suggests that reliving a trauma is simply re-traumatizing myself. However toasting my failures, non-alcoholically, and burying them reverently in a shroud of butter and jam does seem to help.
Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me that I've got a detector or two that needs new batteries.
If people aren't posting bad-bread photos for this reason, then they should equally not be posting good-bread photos either. ?
unhappy focaccia in the background. Fail.
that there was a thoroughly unofficial Hall of Shame thread some years back to which different posters had contributed. However, I haven’t been able to locate it.
But, if you want to see some ugly bread, skim through my blog. You’ll be comforted, perhaps, to see so much nowhere near stellar bread from someone else. Or maybe depressed. You lays your money down and you takes your chances.
Paul
take outs anyone? But most of the photos are gone. Still a good read
This one has photos. http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/20522/quotugly-loafquot-thread
I guess I was more thinking that posting the failures should happen more often overall than posting the successes. Not "Are there some somewhere", but "Success pictures are boring". ?
I know that it isn't going to happen in the way I just described, but a little shift in that direction would be educational.
I agree that it would be nice to see a more balanced set of submissions, especially if we are looking to encourage people into baking their own bread.
I was and probably still am, a nervous newbie and it would be reassuring for me to know the disasters happen to all, no matter what the experience level. Also, if there are revelations / lessons to share, thats a bonus ! I know I was bit intimidated by all the fab shots on t'internet (not just TFL) before I finally took the plunge a few months ago and baked my first loaf.
Also, lets face it, you can't beat a comedy disaster story - and I am not talking about two loaves getting stuck together :)
I burnt my last loaf, not bad enough to throw away but I am cutting off the crusts by 2 mm. On sides and bottom. I also topped the loaf with pine nuts that got too roasted during the bake. The dough was only enough to fill the pan half full.
What did I learn? I don't like tiny roasted pine nuts and prefer to eat them raw. Should have increased the flour to fill out the pan, first time with the recipe, next time, more dough. Watch the crust browning more carefully.
Thank you for sharing ! Learner questions:
1. Would you consider folding nuts in the dough instead or is that icky ? (I am not a nut eater but my OH is).
2. Without the gift of foresight re oven spring, how do you know the max limit to fill in a tin pls ? I've been considering trying my first tin loaf but have not done nearly enough over thinking yet :)
Ta !
From an eater's perspective, three things:
yes might be better inside the loaf, they did remain tender on the outside after the first day. Loaf wrapped tightly. I wanted to see how this recipe crumb would come out without nuts in it.
I'm not happy with the einkorn/ pine nut combo. Their aromas collide instead of blending. Could use a different flavoured nut. Pine nuts fall off easily while slicing and handling despite being pressed into outside dough surface. Must be the high oil content and perhaps shrinking during the bake. The loaf was covered half way thru the bake to prevent over browning then removed and open last added 10 minutes.
I am allergic to eating nuts so don't really have a sense of what's right and how they behave in a dough bake - it took a lot of practice with cake baking and getting feedback from whoever ate it.
I need to be more brave and just give it a go I think ! Although I did that with a Christmas cake last year and that was a (literally) huge disaster ! My confidence (and the cake) got a little burnt on that one.......my other half will eat any baking outcome with custard (we are Brits so custard makes every pudding better) and even he avoided it and that was after it had been trimmed....
Onwards and upwards !
Frankenloaf
Aside from being hopelessly overproofed, it got away from me as I was trying to lower it into the preheated DO, and landed more along the side of the pot rather than the bottom -- all kattywumpus!
I'm sure I can come up with more!
Keep on baking!
Carole
How long did it take for the firemen to come? :-D
You got blisters, though!
He told me that he didn’t have enough wood to keep the oven going for an hour so he had me put the loaf in at around 600 F or so. 20 minutes later, the loaf looked like that! The inside though was just fine. I believe that this was an Einkorn loaf too. ?
a trend with Einkorn loaves, they have a tendency to burn. They also seem sweet without adding sweeteners.
... I think not. ?
(I'm guessing that the naturally-occurring sugar is a lot quicker to burn than starch is. And also guessing that there's no mysterious Einkörnigkeit that would account for it some other way. ?)
:D And the solution is?
Yes. I'm certain that the solution is absolutely brilliant. ?
(And that it doesn't involve replacing 1% of the flour with asbestos fibres.)
Just before baking, turn each loaf inside out. Then, halfway through the baking time, reach in and turn them right side out again. ?
More seriously: Make tiny loaves so that the centre will be done before the outside has a chance to burn. Or make 10-pound loaves and go at them with a belt sander. ☺️
temperature?
Lesson learned!
... I sincerely thought "How would you know? Her hands are not in the photo, and anyway she probably had oven mitts on."
Then I realized what you actually meant. ?
That hadn't even occurred to me!
Efficiency expert approved - bread is baked already toasted, saving time at breakfast. ?
Efficient only if you like your toast really really charred!!?
it probably qualifies as very smoky toast ?
What did the poor pots look like?
on a stone. No steam if I recall right.
That would have been a real scrubbing job.