Any bakers in the room?

[AndreFuture]

So I LOOOOOVE sourdough bread. As in the San Francisco style, extra sour your lips pucker, sourdough bread. I got tired of paying $3–4 a loaf (freshly baked, but still) and decided to try my hand at it. I love baking in general, but I usually do desserts like cake. Plus, my breads often turn out too dense because I insist on using whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose white or bread flour.

 

Anyway, I made my own starter 2 weeks ago and attempted my first loaf on Sunday. It turned out OK. Nothing to write home about. I was stingy with the flour (didn't have a measuring cup) because I was running out and the dough ended up having a bit too much moisture and no shape. It was tasty, but it didn't taste like my beloved sourdough bread. But it's fine toasted with some jam and butter.

 

Because waste not, want not is my motto, I didn't toss out any of the starter while the yeast was growing, so now I have 2 huge containers of starter in my fridge. I'm making a second loaf tonight, and this time I wasn't stingy with the flour. It's all kneaded and waiting to rise to it's sour-y glory before I pop it in the over.

 

I'm so excited! I even found a trick to get the bread to have that crisp outer crust and chewy inside. I hope it turns out better this time. Keeping my fingers crossed…

 

Anyone else like to bake and can appreciate me geeking out over bread? What are some of your favorite things to make?

[seaboy4hire]

I'm not much in the kitchen but I do LOOOOOVE to eat! And the sourdough you just talked about is puuuurrrrrfect!

 

Hugs,

Greg

[+ Truereview]

First, I need bread pix, babe. You can't make me salivate over carbs without pix! Don't be stingy

 

Second, I can't bake worth a lick, I haven't even taken the sticker off of my oven here in LA.

 

Third, I'm a grill master. I wonder if I could grill bread?

 

Fourth and final, I'm with @seaboy4hire ...invite us over, soon!

[AndreFuture]

Pics are forthcoming. The dough is still rising (and not very much I might add ). I thought the extra yeast would offset the heaviness of the whole wheat flour, but I clearly don't know my baking science well enough to get this a fluffy loaf.

 

Grilled bread…now there's an idea! In all seriousness, you could probably "grill" yeast bread using a dutch oven, though it wouldn't be the same. The only breads I can think of that are grilled are unleavened breads like tortilla and roti, both of which are delicious because they are bread. I'm addicted to bread. Can't you tell?

 

Tell you what: if the bread rises, you're all invited to come sample my treats.

 

I mean my bread, of course.

[AndreFuture]

I loveeeeeeeeee Asian cuisine esp Japanese. Raw foods are my thangggg. I took a sushi class and make my own, along with spring rolls, tuna tataki, okonomiyaki, dry noodle dishes, miso soups, nagi (never met a udon I didn't like). Yummy. I also can perfectly dice the heck outta any kind of fruit or veggie and do those uberfemme cruise ship garnishes.

 

Of course get me near a oven and I turn into a culinary assassin.

 

But can you bake sushi?

 

I love okonomiyaki, too. It's a great poor college student's dish.

[jjkrkwood]

First, I need bread pix, babe. You can't make me salivate over carbs without pix! Don't be stingy

 

Second, I can't bake worth a lick, I haven't even taken the sticker off of my oven here in LA.

 

Third, I'm a grill master. I wonder if I could grill bread?

 

Fourth and final, I'm with @seaboy4hire ...invite us over, soon!

 

Sure you can Trudy, just make sure to brush with olive oil, and sprinkle with parm. Abbondanza !

[mattr]

Love to eat but useless in the kitchen... My housekeeper tells me that my house is the only one she cleans where she has to dust the stove... LOL

[jjkrkwood]

I can do banana bread, and carrot cake. But I am best at "no bake" cheescake.

[Mo Mason]

Takes all kinds, I guess.

 

I hate sourdough bread... but I do love pumpernickel. And freshly-baked Ukrainian bread is so delish. I pay about $4 for a loaf here in small-town Michigan so I think any price of 3-to-4 dollars seems totally reasonable.

[+ Truereview]

Sure you can Trudy, just make sure to brush with olive oil, and sprinkle with parm. Abbondanza !

Any kind of bread, Marge? Or is there a special kind of bread you recommend? Me excited! I have 4 days home when I can try it! I've gotten really good at grilled Porkchops with pineapple chunks

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/36/fa/ad/36faad3b5d98549219362ebb9975a481.jpg

[jjkrkwood]

Any kind of bread, Marge? Or is there a special kind of bread you recommend? Me excited! I have 4 days home when I can try it! I've gotten really good at grilled Porkchops with pineapple chunks

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/36/fa/ad/36faad3b5d98549219362ebb9975a481.jpg

 

A hard, crusty firm grainy bread is best (although people usually refer to ME as hard, firm and Crusty)

[jjkrkwood]

Stupid Hobbit. Ruin good fish! Give it to me rrrrrrrrrrrrawwwwwwwwwww, and wriggggggllllllllingy.

 

 

Oh God no, Raw fish brings back all those bad youthful memories of experimenting with Vajayjay.....

[+ Truereview]

Stupid Hobbit. Ruin good fish! Give it to me rrrrrrrrrrrrawwwwwwwwwww, and wriggggggllllllllingy.

http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/10-08-2013/32uPV5.gif

[LivingnLA]

I love good sourdough bread and it's completely possible to do with whole wheat, but you must convert your starter to whole wheat if it wasn't maintained on whole wheat because it won't rise as well otherwise. Here's a website that I go to for my sourdough ideas: http://www.sourdoughhome.com/index.php?content=100percentwholewheat And another page with great ideas: https://www.theperfectloaf.com/100-whole-wheat-sourdough/

[AndreFuture]

I pay about $4 for a loaf here in small-town Michigan so I think any price of 3-to-4 dollars seems totally reasonable.

$4 a week of super delicious bread is not a bank-breaker, but I could also get a bag of flour for $4 and make several loaves of delicious bread.

[jjkrkwood]

http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2016/news/160215/oprah-600.jpg

[LivingnLA]

@Truereview, we haven't tried to do loaves of bread on the grill, but we do "pizzas" and flatbreads on the grill regularly. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/7102/grill-dough/ was a starting point for us. Now I'm curious about trying to do a loaf of bread on a grill. It should totally be possible.

 

Here's an awesome site I just found with an article about baking bread on the grill. The comments for this post look very helpful! http://breadtopia.com/grilled-bread/

[AndreFuture]

Thanks for those websites, @LivingnLA. I can see that I'm going to be on a baking binge for a while now with all that great info— AND The Perfect Loaf has a sourdough mailing list?! A cursory read already confirmed what I'd noticed before: that King Arthur Whole Wheat flour is on the bitter side. I liked the idea of supporting a 100% employee-owned company, but not if they give me bitter bread. I began my starter with whole wheat, so I should be good in that department.

 

Gosh, this forum is such a treasure trove of knowledge.

[AndreFuture]

@LivingnLA: I was going to say a Cloche on the grill might work, but opted for dutch oven since those are more commonly found in the kitchen of non-baking folks (I don't even have one). And based on the comments on that Breadtopia post, it looks like neither are really needed.

[LivingnLA]

Thanks for those websites, @LivingnLA. I can see that I'm going to be on a baking binge for a while now with all that great info— AND The Perfect Loaf has a sourdough mailing list?! A cursory read already confirmed what I'd noticed before: that King Arthur Whole Wheat flour is on the bitter side. I liked the idea of supporting a 100% employee-owned company, but not if they give me bitter bread. I began my starter with whole wheat, so I should be good in that department.

 

Gosh, this forum is such a treasure trove of knowledge.

 

Happy to help! When we moved to our current house, a neighbor down the street makes the most incredible breads. He has several yeasts going all the time for breads. It became a little of "keeping up with the Jones" because they really are amazing and we have them over for wine and whisky regularly. Ah the joys of suburbia when everyone is so damn competitive.

[jjkrkwood]

Any kind of bread, Marge? Or is there a special kind of bread you recommend? Me excited! I have 4 days home when I can try it! I've gotten really good at grilled Porkchops with pineapple chunks

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/36/fa/ad/36faad3b5d98549219362ebb9975a481.jpg

 

You might want to switch it up with the chops and try them with Apples. Very good grilled....

[+ Truereview]

You might want to switch it up with the chops and try them with Apples. Very good grilled....

excellent idea! TY!

 

I love these food threads. Me no good at cooking or baking. I can make fajitas, guacamole, grilling stuff, and good margaritas. But that's it. I wish I had a pocket @Gar1eth !

[gallahadesquire]

It sounds like a good round of Boeuf Bourgogne and a dessert of Celebration Cake (Bon Appetite, may 1979) is in Oder, probably with a good Romanee Conti.

[MikeBiDude]

Thanks for those websites, @LivingnLA. I can see that I'm going to be on a baking binge for a while now with all that great info— AND The Perfect Loaf has a sourdough mailing list?! A cursory read already confirmed what I'd noticed before: that King Arthur Whole Wheat flour is on the bitter side. I liked the idea of supporting a 100% employee-owned company, but not if they give me bitter bread. I began my starter with whole wheat, so I should be good in that department.

 

Gosh, this forum is such a treasure trove of knowledge.

Good suggestions from @LivingnLA, also try this one...there is a forum section organized much like this forum

http://www.thefreshloaf.com

 

I don't think I even have time/space to discuss my bread baking! First off, any store bought yeast (even for starter) is. "Non-starter" , no way in my kitchen, my starter took a couple weeks to grow, flour, water, and some organic black grapes wrapped in cheesecloth to start. Multiple feedings, discards, feedings. I now have a starter a few years old that I feed a day or two before I bake, then make a leaven with that.

 

My basic sourdough bread recipe has 1000g King Arthur bread flour, 700g water, 200g leaven, and 25g salt. That's it, no commercial yeast, sugar, etc. six hours of autolyse, fermentation, stretch/folds (no kneading), bench rest, shape, put into Breton, fridge for 12 hours or more to continue fermentation and flavor build, then bake in cast iron pot/cover to capture steam, etc. whew! That just scratches the surface of what true artisan sourdough takes to bake.

 

Check those websites, you'll see...

[+ newatthis]

Pics are forthcoming. The dough is still rising (and not very much I might add ). I thought the extra yeast would offset the heaviness of the whole wheat flour, but I clearly don't know my baking science well enough to get this a fluffy loaf....

That's why most "whole wheat" bread recipes call for a mixture of regular and whole wheat flours.

 

You might want to try this recipe from the NY Times. I know from a friend's experience that you can vary the flours and use sourdough starter instead of yeast. Perfect crust and absolutely delicious.