/ck/ - Food & Cooking

[Anonymous No.19001468]

What have been your experiences been with bread baking?
I recently started dabbling in that field and the only thing I regret is not having started earlier.
Also have been considering making "flavored" bread by adding things like thyme, oregano and olive oil for example to give it a specific Mediterranean taste, haven’t tried out yet dough.
By the way, Kefir is an excellent starter for sourdough

[Anonymous No.19001476]

We had a guy at work who tried to bake bread. He's a vegetable now

[Anonymous No.19001557]

>>19001468
I made my own sourdough starter from scratch and it has worked very well. You can also add nice flavor by adding seeds to the dough and sprinkling the top. I also bake rolls, soft pretzels, dill bread, and Naan.

[Anonymous No.19001580]

>>19001468
It's the only way to bread anymore. All other bread is made with added sugar, garbage flour and sneed oils.

[Anonymous No.19001604]

I have expert knowledge of bread making, but I suck at kneading to develop enough gluten in my doughs, so I've been looking for no-knead methods of making the bread, which seems to be just any high hydration dough recipe.

I'm still not at the point where I'm good enough and fast enough at making bread to justify not buying fresh baked bread at the store and a bakeries, so I mostly do it for the challenge and for the learning experience. I still buy bread at the store most of the time.

Might get a bread maker since that takes all the work out of it for top-quality bread, but for how expensive those things are it would take a long time for it to start paying for itself. Like two years of making bread every week or something.

My tip for every baker that I don't see told by other bakers is that your bread is done baking when it reaches an internal temperature of 190ºF - 200ºF because that's the temperature at which the wheat has gelatinized and cooked. This same temperature is also the one at which most baked goods such as cakes and brownies are done cooking as well.

[Anonymous No.19001614]

>>19001580
You clearly live in an impoverished neighborhood if the only bread at your local shops have oil and sugar added. In my local neighborhood in suburban USA, the in-store bakery breads are just wheat flour, water, yeast, and salt.

Nobody should listen to the advice you have to give you are this closed-off from the rest of the world.

[Anonymous No.19001674]

>>19001614
my city has 3 walmarts so stfu, pussy

[Anonymous No.19001676]

I love baking, but I pretty much just make olive bread or rye bread

[Anonymous No.19001689]

>>19001674
Case in point, your experience is highly limited to a poor neighborhood and not at all a representation of how it is for most people like you claimed it was when you said all bread is like the bread in your area. So you were wrong to say that.

[Anonymous No.19001853]

Every time my bread comes out doughy and mushy on the inside. What am I doing wrong?

[Anonymous No.19001857]

>>19001468
i’ve been making 2 loaves of sourdough bread weekly for over a year now.

[Anonymous No.19001859]

>>19001604
i have dough rising now. just no knead, dutch oven bread, really good and impossibly easy to make. this was my last one

[Anonymous No.19001862]

>>19001853
Undercooked in the middle. You're not cooking it long enough. Or you're cooking it at too high of a temperature so the outside is done before the inside can start cooking.

[Anonymous No.19001864]

>>19001468
Easy enough to make an okay loaf, difficult to master an excellent "artisanal" quality loaf.

Japanese milk bread is a great bread to make if you want something easy and delicious. It's like wonder bread, but delicious.

[Anonymous No.19001866]

>>19001862
I've been baking it inside a dutch oven at 475. Is that too high? I think one of the recipes recommended it.

[Anonymous No.19001870]

>>19001866
do you know what your oven's actual temp is? if you don't have a thermometer hanging inside, you don't.

[Anonymous No.19001874]

everytime i try and make bread it takes forever to knead (and makes a mess) and just comes out overly-dense and smells like yeast / beer. I'll just stick with buying it from the store.

[Anonymous No.19001877]

>>19001866
Well if the outside isn't burnt yet then you should be able to leave it in the oven longer so the inside has more time to cook.

if the outside looks burnt or close to burning, then yeah i'd lower the temperature.
your dutch oven has the lid on, right? steam is so good for making bread. baking bread in a covered vessel is a redpill.

[Anonymous No.19001878]

>>19001874
again, huge proponent of no knead, it's brain numbingly simple and makes pretty solid crusty loaves.

[Anonymous No.19001885]

>>19001859
Looks so good. I'm jealous. What's the hydration percentage on that bad boy?

[Anonymous No.19001893]

>>19001885
i have no idea. this was literally the first one i did following the first recipe that pops up with "no knead bread dutch oven" on google. it's very very easy and quick, most of the time spent is just waiting for the next step while the dough rises/dutch oven heats up/bread cooks w/e.

[Anonymous No.19001920]

>>19001866
No that's not too high if you keep the lid on long enough. If the crust isn't burned then just cook it longer. stick a thermometer and into the middle of the loaf and see if it's done, it should be at least 190F.

[Anonymous No.19001928]

>>19001874
>takes forever to knead
so don't. kneading isn't actually necessary for most types of bread. mix your dough, toss it in the refrigerator overnight, then let it finish rising the next day.

[Anonymous No.19002732]

>>19001580
What this anon said. Even if you go to a local bakery, it's typically overpriced and worse than what you can do yourself if you have even a moderate amount of skill. You can damn near buy 10lb of good bread flour for the price of one loaf of lazily made local bakery sourdough. Baking is hardly a time investment either, the actual hands on work is minimal

[Anonymous No.19002755]

>>19002732
you're being disingenuous and that anon you're agreeing with is oblivious and misinformed therefore so are you.

[Anonymous No.19002845]

I've tried making bread about 60 times and it's always turned out bad

[Anonymous No.19002875]

>>19002755
Everything I said is correct though. Grocery store bread is shit, and my local bakeries don't bake as well as I do, and charge a premium for mediocre product. Just because those facts shatter your worldview doesn't make them any less factual.

[Anonymous No.19003109]

I've been getting a little more serious recently, making bread, and I'm able to get a fantastic crust (flavor-wise), but my crumb is comparatively nothing special - it's kinda just one smooth mass, but the recipe claims it'll have the air bubbles that good rustic bread can have.

I've done it twice now, once lightly punching down the dough as directed, once not doing that at all, and neither produced good bubbles. Am I using my starter too late? I've been leaving it overnight and it has usually deflated a little by the time I get to it, but the dough does rise as directed so I figured it was fine.

https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/french-style-country-bread-recipe

[Anonymous No.19003140]

>>19001604
>Problem with kneading.
I recently found out I was doing it the wrong way — all the bread I'd made until then was at work on a mixer. Keep in mind:
>Time.
Takes me 15 to 20 minutes because I rest once or twice. You don't need to overexert yourself in order to get good dough.
>Technique.
It's not about putting strength in it, but about stretching it. Extend it with your right hand to the point it breaks, fold in the end of your left hand to the center, then the one on your right hand to the center and turn it around a quarter to do the same. The stretching and folding is what builds the gluten, so don't be afraid to tear it those first minutes.
>Amount.
Work small batches. I do fine with 500 to 700 g of dough but you can divide it and work it little by little, keeping the pieces you're not kneading under a wrap or in the fridge.
>Texture.
Knead it first if it is too wet (slap it against your counter like a piece of cloth) or mix it a bit dry and add the water later. Don't be afraid if it sticks a lot to your fingers.
Overall, try to look up videos on yt and try what you see with small batches. This one helped me a lot and the channel (now dead, apparently) has a lot of interesting recipes and tips:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlFgc0ETNn8

[Anonymous No.19003184]

>>19001468
Kee in mind the size of what you fold into the dough if you're adding flavor to with extra ingredients. It's okay to mix in oils, fine powders or herbs right at the start but if you use bigger things like cheese bits, chopped fruits or nuts you need to fold them into the dough by the end, usually two minutes before finishing the dough if the recipe calls for ten minutes in the mixer.
You need to build up gluten beforehand, or else these big chunks will get in the way and you won't get the structure in the dough right. It sounds obvious but I've seen many people make this mistake — including myself when I just started it as a job option.

[Anonymous No.19003612]

>>19003109
>Am I using my starter too late
nope. I usually leave my starter on the counter for 18-24 hrs, I'll make it when I get home from work one day, then use it when I get home from work the next. It's long since collapsed when i use it, but it goes like gangbusters and I still get big airy holes. Yeast doesn't go dormant *that* fast, and any yeast that do start going dormant will wake up instantly once they get more sugar. Anybody that's ever made beer or wine knows that it takes days (beer) or weeks (wine) for the yeast to go fully dormant once they start tapering off.

[Anonymous No.19004092]

>>19001676
bro what the fuck is wrong with your hands. stop chewing your nails, what are you fucking 6 years old?

[Anonymous No.19004121]

My place has terrible insulation so I have to proof my bread in the oven. Makes second rises interesting because I have to pull it out to preheat for the actual baking.

These days though if I have a craving for carbs I can get flatbread done on the stove in minutes instead of hours. It's dangerous knowlege.

[Anonymous No.19004658]

>>19003612
Okay, that's encouraging in its own right, thank you.

[Anonymous No.19004745]

>>19001614
>>19001689
You obviously know nothing about wheat varieties, milling methods, grain sizes or bread enhancers. Stop making a fool out of yourself. Have some self respect, get baking.

[Anonymous No.19004764]

>>19003109
>>19003612
You want a wetter dough which is (obviously) more difficult to work with.

[Anonymous No.19004882]

>>19001468
same here
recently started bakin bread
biggest issue is yeast and proofing
most of my bread is too dense, without large air pockets
I do it all by hand with no mixer/bread maker
have tried regular instant yeast
sourdough starter yeast
still not happy

regardless, I love bread and eat it all

most proud of bread so far has been banana bread
For that, key is to use old brown bananas

[Anonymous No.19004894]

>>19001857
I want to come to over to ur house for a hot slice of sourdough with a little butter.

[Anonymous No.19005299]

>>19004764
Good tip, anon; I added more water this time around and it's already looking better; I forgot to account for my dryer climate.

[Anonymous No.19005321]

bread making is fine for a family, but if you live alone would you even get through a very small loaf before it goes stale?

[Anonymous No.19005324]

>>19005321
I ate an entire loaf in one sitting literally this last week. Admittedly, it was a medium loaf, but still. Fresh out of the oven, you've worked for it and worked up an appetite, haven't eaten much the rest of the day... yeah, totally. Good bread is just that good.

Alternatively, use it for a soup bowl.

[Anonymous No.19005349]

I need to get back into bread baking. Not even anything fancy just some normal ass sandwich loaves. I have a Dutch oven that's great for those big round country style ones or soda breads but I'd love to find a good recipe to follow for your basic use ones.

[Anonymous No.19005633]

>>19004764
>wetter dough which is (obviously) more difficult to work with
counterintuitively, a wetter dough is actually easier to work with because you don't have to work it. no work beats easy work any day of the week.

[Anonymous No.19005724]

>>19005349
600g bread or all-purpose flour
450g high quality aitch too oh
12g salt
25g olive oil
tiny pinch of yeast or starter

Mix the water and yeast. Mix the flour and salt, mix the mixes, dump in the oil and mix till they are pretty well combined. Coat the bottom and sides of your dutch oven with olive oil, and dump the dough into it. Put the lid on and let sit on the counter for about 12 hrs to do its thing.

Preheat your oven to 475F. Gently put in the dutch oven with the lid still on, and cook for 30 mins. If you take the lid off at the 10-15 min mark you'll get a crispier brown crust, if you leave it on you'll get a lighter chewier crust.

Do this in a sheet cake pan and sprinkle olive oil and herbs on top right before loading it in to the oven and you'll get foccacia, which is also tasty.

[Anonymous No.19005902]

I'm not the best home baker, but I know a thing or two. I used to throw away loaves all the time because I didn't really grasp the proving process. Sourdough is kind of a waste of time these days when the result is only slightly better with the tang. I really recommend kneading by hand no matter what when you start. I still knead by hand when I do my 95% hydration 50/50 rye bread even though rye is a bitch with no gluten. You learn a lot.

[Anonymous No.19006166]

>>19005321
Freezer + toasts.

[Anonymous No.19006182]

>nobody here has mentioned the redpill of using alkaline water in baking bread.

[Anonymous No.19006211]

My wife made this one

[Anonymous No.19006434]

ive never made bread before. there are zero good dark rye in the grocery store. how do i create dark rye for reubens and braunschweiger?

[Anonymous No.19006470]

>>19006434
schwarzbrot

[Anonymous No.19006523]

I tried to make bread with less salt. I used this middle eastern spice mix instead. It smells good but tastes bland.

[Anonymous No.19006638]

>>19006211
>tfw no wife who cooks me bread

[Anonymous No.19006647]

>>19001468
I've been baking artisan baguettes for nearly 20 years. When I first started, they came out like shit. Now that I've gotten the technique down, I can play around with different flours, different preferments, different fermentation times, etc.

Picrel is my latest batch, which was a 48-hour bulk ferment and a 16-hour poolish made with bread flour, rye flour, wheat flour, water, and yeast. The main dough was just bread flour, the poolish, salt, and more yeast.

Like anything else, it takes time and effort.

[Anonymous No.19006665]

>>19005633
>counterintuitively, a wetter dough is actually easier to work with because you don't have to work it
See
>>19006647
This was a very well-hydrated dough and I didn't even knead it. I just did a lot of stretch-and-folds until it came together and then I bulk fermented it for 48 hours in the refrigerator.

[Anonymous No.19007025]

>>19001468
I'm a little experienced with bread making and recently decided to try my hand at sourdough again. I unfortunately had a bit of a fumble with the planning and the loaf turned out less than subpar. I look forward to tasting it tomorrow and seeing how it looks on the inside

The worst part about it was I had tangentially discovered solutions to my problem during research, I just hadn't considered that there'd be a problem and by the time I had a suspicion it was too late

[Anonymous No.19007028]

Traditional bread spices are sweet cumin, cumin and koriander

[Anonymous No.19007040]

>>19006647
You gave one of them FAS

[Anonymous No.19007150]

>>19001468
Fry onions until they have that nice brown colour (right before they turn to dark) and add them into your dough
Tastes godly

[Anonymous No.19007193]

>>19007150
Forgot to mention add some honey in with the onions while frying

[Anonymous No.19007201]

>>19007150
Wouldn't it be better to add caramalized onions as a topping on top of a slice of plain bread along with some butter? or inside of a sandwich? adding mix-ins to a dough makes the bread less versatile.

[Anonymous No.19007698]

>>19006665
>just did a lot of stretch-and-folds
Lol @ all that wasted work

[Anonymous No.19008396]

>>19001468
I've been trying to do rye bread, and it never comes out particularly good. If anyone knows a good guide I would appreciate it.

[Anonymous No.19008594]

>>19001468
im so good at it so im starting to become fat because i love to bake bread and when i taste it i loose my selfcontroll i eat a lot i have to stope bake bread because i dont want to be fatter now

[Anonymous No.19008709]

This the bread thread?
Made some soda bread last night