When I research a new recipe from someone else’s blog or website, I alway read both the good and bad reviews to find any possible problems. This recipe had very few less than 5 star reviews and were primarily due to the reviewer not reading the instructions. (I gave it 5 stars.)
The “burst” on the lower right side of the bread is due to under proofing.
I made this excellent bread as printed, except I substituted the recommended whey protein isolate with egg white protein. I also used the baking-stone/steam method.
The only change I would make to the method would be to let the dough warm to room temperature before shaping and resting for the second proof. I let the bread rest in my proofing oven for almost 90 minutes at 115F and it was still under proofed. I will try this on the second loaf.
Here is another version in my search for excellence in gluten, dairy and soy free sandwich bread. The universal acclaim indicated this version was “incredible.” Personally, QC and I thought it was pretty darn good. Nearly comparable to “regular” bread.
Two more versions to go to “perfection!”
Gluten Free Sandwich Bread (White Gold)
INGREDIENTS: • 1 package (1.1 Lb) Extra White Gold gluten free bread flour • 1 Tbsp. dry yeast (1 envelope) • 2 tablespoons honey • 3 eggs • 1 c. lukewarm almond milk • ¼ cup vegetable oil • 1 ½ tsp. salt • 1 egg for egg wash • Sesame seeds (optional)
METHOD:
Add the flour, honey and yeast to a stand mixer bowl. Mix for 3 minutes with a paddle attachment.
Add the eggs and almond milk and mix for 3 minutes.
Add vegetable oil and salt and mix on low speed for 4 minutes. The dough should be sticky.
Let it rise for 90 minutes, in the mixer bowl, covered, in a warm dry place. (Such as a proofing oven)
Pour/scape the dough in a bread loaf. (A narrower bread pan will help shape the bread.)
Let the dough rise for 20 minutes.
Pre-heat the oven to 375 deg. Place a shallow dish in the lower part of the oven
Brush the bread gently with an egg wash and sprinkle sesame seeds (optional).
Place the bread pan on a center rack and pour 1 cup of water into the shallow dish.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, until golden brown. (Don’t overtake!)
One of my sons asked if I could make conchas as a surprise treat for his wife for Mother’s Day. Of course, I said yes, then searched the internet to see what the hell conchas are. I found three or four recipes that seemed sensible, watched two YouTube videos on technique, then tried two “practice” batches.
The first batch was ok, but the texture was wrong. They were tight crumbed and tough, although the flavor was acceptable. Bear in mind, I had never eaten (or heard of) a concha before this week, but I do know what good bread texture and flavor is. QC reminded me I couldn’t even pronounce “concha” until a friend corrected me. My pronunciation was so off, she didn’t know what I was talking about until I showed her one and she said “Oh! Concha. I love them.” The sugar topping used vegetable shortening rather than butter. The author thought the resultant topping would be less grainy. I liked the ones with butter better.
Do not press the embossing concha press through the topping or it will slide off, even if the tops of the conchas were well buttered.
The second batch was better. I used butter based topping and bread flour rather than AP. The crumb still wasn’t acceptable but the flavor remained good. QC thought they needed a little more cinnamon so in the final batch I doubled the cinnamon from one-half to a full teaspoon.
Ingredients for yeast conditioner
If you make conchas do not over knead the dough. It will be, and should be, very slack,. Proof in a warm, dry, draft free environment. I did as one of the authors recommended, when I started, I turned one of my ovens to “Proof” then just before putting in the dough, turned it off. If you don’t have a proofing oven, just put the light on and leave it on. Proof this way for exactly two hours.
I changed how the topping was formed. After rolling, pressing and buttering the dough balls I rolled the topping out between two sheets of parchment paper, then chose a round cookie cutter the same size as the flattened dough balls. This worked much better than using my hands to flatten the topping into disks to put on the buttered dough balls. Trust me on this.
Conchas Mexicanas Pan Dulce
INGREDIENTS: (Makes about 8-12 conchas it all depends on how large you want them. 10 conchas will be about five inches diameter each.)
TOPPING: • 1 cup AP flour • 1 cup powder sugar • 8 tbsp unsalted butter at room temp • 1 tbsp vanilla • (Optional To add chocolate flavor add 1 -2 tsp Hershey’s cocoa)
METHOD
DOUGH
If you have a “proof” setting on your oven turn it on now. If not, turn on the oven light to create a warm environment
Heat evaporated milk for 30 sec in microwave
Add 1 Tbl of the ¾ c sugar and 1 Tbl yeast to the warm milk, mix thoroughly and let sit for 5-10 min
Sift flour, sugar, and cinnamon into the bowl of a stand mixer and mix until well combined
Add room temperature (soft) butter, vanilla, and yeast/sugar/evaporated milk mixture to the dry ingredients
Add eggs on at a time start timer for 10 minutes
After 5 minutes add salt and continue kneading
Coat bowl with a light coating of cooking spray, form dough into a ball and cover.
If you turned ON the proof setting turn the oven OFF now
Place covered bowl into your OFF oven with the oven light on and set timer for 2 hours
TOPPING – (Make the topping after the dough had proofed for 1 ¾ hours to keep it fresher and more pliable)
Sift powdered sugar and flour into a medium sized bowl
Add room temperature butter and vanilla and mix into a smooth paste. (I found it easiest to “knead” with my hands.)
If you are flavoring the topping add the cocoa now and mix thoroughly. You can divide the topping and only flavor half)
Wrap tightly in plastic.
ASSEMBLY
Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Pour dough onto a very lightly floured surface and form into a log
Divide the dough into the number of conchas desired. (8 conchas will be about 5-6” diameter.)
Roll each portion by cupping your hand over the portion and rolling on the table until the little dimple on the bottom disappears. (You may need to pinch the dimple together)
Place the portions on the parchment lined baking sheet.
Rub butter on each roll covering the entire surface
Divide the topping into the same number of conchas
Place each topping portion into a ball then roll between parchment paper sheets to about 1/8” thickness
Cut flattened topping with a round cookie cutter just larger than the diameter of the dough ball
Place a disk of topping on each dough ball and press down firmly. (some people recommend pinching the edge of the topping and dough together .)
Use a concha cutter (or knife) to emboss the traditional “shell” pattern being sure not to cut all the way through the topping.
Preheat oven to 325 F.
Cover concha’s and let rest 30-45 minutes
Bake 15-20 minutes, until bottom is light brown. Don’t be surprised if it requires 28-30 minutes for the bottoms to brown.
After a grueling day of golf yesterday, praying to the golf gods the storms would stay away (they did) and preparing for another round tomorrow, I needed something to occupy my time today
I haven’t made white sandwich bread in a while so I made the dough early this morning. It needs a minimum 8 hour refrigerated rest which will be over at 2:30 this afternoon. I can then shape and bake it. If the results are good there will be a second post later.
While waiting for the sandwich bread to rest and ferment I decided to make a recipe of honey Pumpernickel bread. I am glad I did. I made this once or twice before but never with such great results. Great flavor, texture and crumb.
Mini Loaf Pan
HONEY PUMPERNICKEL BREAD
INGREDIENTS
• 2 ½ cups warm water (100°-110°F) • 50 g (1/4 cup) vegetable oil • 40 g (2 Tbl) molasses • 170 g (1/2 cup) honey • 3 ½ cups (400g) pumpernickel flour • 2 Tbl unsweetened cocoa powder • 2 Tbl Vital Wheat Gluten • 13.5 g (1 ½ tbl) instant yeast • 1 tsp (6g) salt • 240-360 g (2-3 cups) bread flour • rolled oats (for dusting loaves)
INSTRUCTIONS
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitter with a dough hook, stir together water, oil, molasses, and honey until mixed well.
Add pumpernickel flour and Vital Wheat Gluten to water mixture.
Add cocoa, yeast, and salt, and stir until blended.
Allow mixture sit for 10 minutes.
Stir in bread flour, one cup at a time, until dough clings to hook and almost clears the sides of mixer, about 3-4 minutes. The dough should weigh about 1880 g.
Cover bowl with greased plastic wrap.
Allow dough to rise in the bowl until doubled, about 30-60 minutes.
For two 9×5 loaves • Divide into 2 pieces.Each should weigh about 940g. • Cover each piece with greased plastic wrap, and let dough rest for 5 minutes. • Shape pieces into loaves, and sprinkle with oats. • Place each loaf in a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan. • Let dough rise until doubled, about 30-60 minutes. • Toward the end of the rising time, preheat oven to 350 F. • Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the internal temperature is about 200 F.
For 16 mini-loaves • Divide into 16 balls 112 g each. • Cover with greased plastic wrap, and let dough rest for 5 minutes. • Shape pieces into loaves, and sprinkle with oats. (Gently roll into a small cylinder, don’t deflate!) • Place 8 loaves in a greased 8 cell mini loaf pan. • Place the remaining 8 balls in the refrigerator. o Let dough rise until doubled, about 30-60 minutes. o Toward the end of the rising time, preheat oven to 350 F. o Bake for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature is about 200 F. o Cool on a cooling rack and remove the remaining balls from the refrigerator o Gently place the second batch in the still warm to touch baking sheet and repeat 20 minute baking. Don’t roll these. Just gently place in the mini baking sheet.
I ran across a four ingredient, no knead, no stretch and fold, Italian bread. I am on my third bake of this bread, each with minor tweaks.
Version 1 was as presented. Version 2 was as presented but baked in a Dutch oven (my preferred baking method.) Version 3 included Cake and Bread Enhancer (fifth ingredient) and was baked flat on a baking stone.
Version 1 was excellent. Version 2 was excellent. Version 3 was excellent. All three had great, crispy crusts and a soft tender crumb on the inside.
My current favorite is (was) my high hydration honey no-knead bread, but this may be my new go to. It’s even easier than the honey no-knead. Simply mix everything together the let it ferment for 2 hours. Gently pour out, (I do mean pour, it is high hydration, slack and sticky,) minimally shape and bake. All done!
My goal is to create larger holes in the bread. Version 2 (center) and 3 (right) were the best. I overworked the fermented dough a little too much in Version 1. Try, try, and try again!
Rustic Italian Bread
INGREDIENTS • 380 g AP flour + more for dusting • 20 g (3 Tbl) Bread Enhancer • 1 tsp sea salt • 350 g warm water • 2 tsp active dry yeast
METHOD
Add the flour, enhancer, salt and yeast to your stand mixer. Use the paddle attachment to mix and combine so no dry patches remain.
Add the warm water and mix until everything is incorporated and a soft, wet dough forms. It will be a slack, sticky dough.
Loosely cover the bowl with plastic and let the dough rise at room temperature (See tip below) for 2 to 3 hours or until doubled in size.
Dust your kitchen counter with flour and scrape the very sticky dough out with a bowl scraper.
With floured hands shape the dough into a ball (or batard,) deflating it as little as possible.
Line a banneton with parchment paper. (See tip below)
Place the ball of dough in the lined banneton smooth side up and let it rest while your oven heats up.
Use a sharp knife or lame to lightly slash an X in the top of the loaf.
Preheat your oven to 450 F with a dutch oven inside for about 45 minutes before baking the bread. Fill an oven proof bowl with 2 inches of water and place it on the bottom rack.
Once hot, carefully transfer the bread loaf into the dutch oven using the parchment paper.
Cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes. Remove lid and bake another 5 minutes until golden brown on top. The internal temperature should be 205 F
Remove the bread from the dutch oven and transfer to a cooling rack or it won’t stay crispy.
TIPS
Lining a round banneton: Crumple parchment paper starting from the edges. You should end up with a ball which will smooth out to fill the round banneton
Room temperature proofing: I like to put the bowl in an “off” oven with the light on. In the winter my kitchen tends to be cool (62-65 F) My “off” oven with the light on is 78o F.
From King Arthur Baking’s Cake and Bread Enhancer: A “miracle” ingredient for your cakes!
(From KAB) Our bakers have called this the “miracle” ingredient for many reasons: it makes cakes and other baked goods softer, moister, and helps them stay fresher longer. Our blend contains vegetable fats that act as emulsifiers, allowing the fats and liquids in your favorite recipe to combine more easily. The enhancer also acts as a stabilizer and texture enhancer. Cake enhancers are commonly used in professional bakeries to keep breads fresh and soft, and help cakes stay light and fluffy. It’s especially great for making soft sandwich loaves.
While I was waiting for other items to mix/chill/rise/etc I made a few other items this morning.
We were nearly out of bread (amazing.) I made a loaf of my honey high-hydration no-knead bread. This may be the prettiest loaf I have made. The slashes on top were well defined and kept the bread from blowing out anywhere else.
Oh, by the way, there are three-berry scones in the background. I like to freeze them, then on golf days take them from the freezer and snack on them on the course. They don’t seem to help my game, but do make it more enjoyable.
This time, I made the scones bigger than usual. I used some frozen berries we had (ever frugal) and had trouble incorporating them into the dough. They ended up being delicious!
So what are you supposed to do when you wake early, and as you walk through the kitchen on you way to turn on the TV to watch the replay of the Olympics (that you slept through last night) and you see 3 small, very ripe bananas sitting there?
Answer: make raisin banana bread. As I opened the drawer where the bread pans live, I saw two small bread pans I bought to make some Tangzhong Pillowy White Bread. Knowing I would give half the bread away, I felt these would be a perfect size.
There is nothing exceptional or fancy about this bread other than it’s tender, has a great crumb, and is neither tough or dry. (Be sure to take it out of the oven when the internal temperature reaches 190 F. Over-baking can reverse all its good characteristics.)
Banana Raisin Bread
INGREDIENTS
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3⁄4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1⁄4 cup oil
1⁄4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1⁄2 cup raisins
1 tablespoon sparkling sugar
METHOD
Preheat oven to 350F
Mix dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Mix wet ingredients in another bowl.
Combine wet and dry ingredients.
Pour in loaf pan sprayed with Pam and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons coarse sparkling sugar.
Bake for about an hour, until golden brown. (In the small pans it only required 40 minutes of baking. Start checking internal temp at about 30 minutes.)
All through the pandemic’s shut downs, social isolations and maskings I resisted joining the crowd and never made sourdough bread. Things are starting to open up, so I made my first ever sourdough boule.
As it so happens I kept my copy of King Arthur Baking’s February 2022 catalog that has a recipe for multigrain sourdough, and as it happens, I bought a jar of King Arthur’s sourdough starter when I was in Vermont last summer. This starter has been nurtured in New England since the 1700’s. KAF recommends feeding their starter within 10 days after receiving it. Well, it was a bit longer for me… nearly 10 months. It was a lot of work to revive it, but it was certainly worth the effort!
Kneading DoughAfter Second Rise, Before BakingAfter Baking Half Way. Remove top to brown loaf. Internal Temp was about 130F.Finished BouleFinished, Cut Boule
I had most of the ingredients on hand, but had to make some substitutions. Apparently, malted wheat flakes are in short supply so I used rolled oats instead. To created the malt flavor I added 2 tablespoons of diastatic malt powder. I am also not a fan of sunflower seeds so substituted roasted pine nuts, which I crushed after roasting but before mixing into the dough. For some reason, lost in the mists of baking history, I had some KAF Artisan Bread Topping —perfect.
Other than those substitutions I followed KAF’s instructions below, which resulted in an outstanding loaf with a great crust and crumb. Oh! I almost forgot. I baked it in an Dutch over with extra steam from hot water poured in a hot pan at the bottom of the over when the bread was put in the over.
Sourdough Pine Nut Boule
INGREDIENTS Soaker • 1 cup (120g) rolled oatmeal • 2/3 cup (152g) boiling water • 2 Tbl Diastolic Malt Powder Dough • 1 cups (227g) ripe (fed) sourdough starter • ¾ cup (170g) to ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (190g) lukewarm water • 3 ½ cup (420g) bread flour • ½ cup (71g) toasted pine nuts • 2 teaspoons salt • 1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast Topping • 1 – 2 tablespoon sesame seeds or The Works Bread Topping, or your favorite blend of seeds
METHOD For the soaker
Put the oatmeal and diastolic malt powder in a heat proof bowl and mix in boiling water.
Stir until combined and cool to lukewarm
For the dough
In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the ripe starter and ¾ cup of water, mix to combine
Add the soaker and remaining ingredients, and mix and knead approx 8 minutes until you’ve made a soft dough, adding additional water or flour as needed.
Cover the dough in the bowl, and let it rise until it’s almost doubled, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased work surface, and gently fold it over a few times to deflate it. Shape it into a large round.
Place the round in a covered baker, about 4.2-quart and 10″ diameter, that’s been sprayed with non-stick baking spray and put on the cover. Let the loaf rise until it’s very puffy, about 1 to 1 ½ hours. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F.
Just before baking, brush with water, and sprinkle with seeds. Use a lame or a very sharp knife to make four slashes across the top of the loaf, in a crosshatch pattern.
Bake the bread for 25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375F and uncover the loaf if in a covered baker, and continue to bake 10 to 15 minutes, until the loaf is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 190°F. (A loaf baked on a baking sheet will need to bake for 38 to 45 minutes total.)
Remove the bread from the oven, let sit in the baker for 5 minutes, then turn out and cool on a rack.
I wonder if my 9th grade French teacher would be proud of me? I looked up how to say “it’s time for a french bread batard” in French on Google Translate all by myself!
This is not my first rodeo with this bread, but it is the best loaf to date. While the Covid travesty has been horrible, my baking skills have improved enormously. Most of the METHOD steps are from KAB, but I added my own comments in places.
(Oh, I also baked a dozen chocolate chip cookies from dough I have in the freezer. The oven was on! What choice did I have?)
French Bread – Recipe and method from KAF which should be KAB now.
INGREDIENTS
Starter • 1 cup (227g) cool to lukewarm water (90°F to 100°F) • 1/2 teaspoon active dry or instant yeast • 1 1/4 cups (149g) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour • 1/4 cup (28g) King Arthur Premium 100% Whole Wheat Flour Dough • all of the starter (above) • 1 cup (227g) lukewarm water (100°F to 115°F) • 3/4 teaspoon active dry or 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast • 1 tablespoon (14g) sugar • 3 3/4 to 4 cups (450g to 480g) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour • 1 1/2 to 2 1/4 teaspoons salt, to taste
METHOD
To make the starter: Stir all of the starter ingredients together to make a thick, pudding-like mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 2 hours. For best flavor, let the starter rest longer; overnight (up to 16 hours) is best.
To make the dough: Stir down the starter with a spoon and add the water, yeast, sugar, 3 1/4 cups (390g) of the flour, and the salt. The dough will be a loose, messy mass. Let it rest for 12 to 15 minutes, then stir it again; it should become more cohesive and a bit smoother. Dough handles better once it’s had time for the flour to absorb the water while resting and relaxing. By using this method, you’ll tend to add less flour, and have much bigger holes in your finished bread.
Knead the dough, adding up to an additional 3/4 cup (90g) flour (as necessary to make a soft dough), 10 to 12 minutes. I use the dough hook on my stand mixer. For me, the dough should clean the sides of the mixer bowl. That’s how I know when adequate flour has bee added.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or plastic container, cover with lightly greased plastic wrap, and let it rise until almost doubled (depending on the weather, this could be 1 to 2 hours). If you’re going out, or if you prefer, let the dough rise slowly in the fridge. If your dough has been refrigerated, allow it to come to room temperature before shaping; it’ll warm up and rise at the same time. I used my proofing oven with only the light on for warmth. The same for the final proof below.
Deflate the dough gently, but don’t knock out all the air; this will create those “holes” so important to French bread. For one large loaf, form the dough into a round ball; for two loaves, divide the dough in half and shape into two balls. For loaves, form into a battard about 2” diameter and 4” shorter than bread tray. Place on semolina floured French bread tray to rise..
Place a semolina- or cornmeal-dusted piece of parchment paper onto a baking sheet. (Note to self: Don’t go crazy with semolina. It WILL fall off the paper and onto the floor when transferring the loaves from the peel onto the baking stone in the oven,) Gently place the ball(s) of dough on the baking sheet, seam-side down. It is easiest to roll the loaves onto the baking peel.
Cover the bread gently with lightly greased plastic wrap, and let it rise until it’s puffy and about 40% to 50% larger, anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes if using the proofing drawer..
Preheat your oven to 475°F.
Dust each loaf with a little flour. Slash or cross-hatch it with a sharp knife or lame. Spritz water into the oven with a clean plant mister, and place the bread in the oven. Reduce the heat to 425°F and spritz with water every few minutes for the first 15 minutes of baking.
If you are using parchment paper, remove it after the first 15 minutes of baking.
Bake the bread for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until it’s a rich golden brown, and its interior temperature registers at least 190°F on a digital thermometer. The smaller loaves will bake more quickly, so keep your eye on them.
Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a rack. Store bread, loosely wrapped in paper, for a couple of days at room temperature; wrap it in plastic and freeze for longer storage.
I subscribe to King Arthur Baking’s newsletter and occasionally they distribute a new recipe, or technique that I cannot resist trying. Well, this is one of those times. They included a video that demonstrated the techniques required to handle very high hydration breads. This one is 100%, which means 1:1 water to flour ratio and I could never have made this bread without their technique, (which worked perfectly.)
QC says it’s like eating air.
Big holes and perfect crust. Pair with butter, honey, or oil and vinegar. Oh my!Left: Removing loaves using peel. R: Four loaves coolingThis was my dessert tonight. Buttered Pain de Cristal and honey.
While KAF’s videos demonstrating the bowl and coil folds I decided to make my own. (Theirs are better quality, mine may be truer to life.)
Mix all ingredients then let rest 20 minutesFirst fold with extremely slack dough. With wet hand stretch a portion of the dough up and into the middle of the dish. Repeat at least 12 times then rest, covered, 20 minutesThis is the second (or third, I forget) coil fold. With wet hands pick up the dough about 3/4ths of the way, stretch it up and let it fall back under the bulk of the dough. Repeat with the other end, then repeat the entire fold several times. Note the dough becomes easier to handle and less sticky with each coil fold. There are a total of 4 coil folds.Tip the dough out onto a heavily floured surface. Cover top with more flour so there are no sticky spots. Use a bench knife to cut into four equal pieces and flour the edges where you cut.Carefully, without deflating, shape the dough and place on parchment paper. Let rest for 2 hours.Note the bubbles formed in the dough. For future bakes I would let the dough rest longer than 2 hours to develop more aeration, bubbles and holes in the final brea.
aBatteredOldSuitcase 