Homemade bread

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TooTall

Assistant Cook
Joined
Apr 6, 2013
Messages
43
Location
Perth
Hey

Anyone make their own bread?? The restaurant I work for is opening a bakery and I'm really keen to get down and learn about baking. I have a basic knowledge of yeast breads and starter based breads but I can't wait to learn how to make beautiful consistent loaves. Does anyone out there never buy bread????
 
I never buy store or bakery bread. I find that I cycle through different preferences as to which bread currently make to "keep in stock." I'll go for a while making classic baguettes. Then I might make a 100% whole wheat loaf and then move to a half hole wheat braided seed bread.

I fiddled a while with the "...in five minutes a day" routine, but reverted back to mostly making, start to finish, in one evening, making overnight poolish only for the baguettes. Aside from time in the mixer kneading, I probably don't have much more than five minutes in any loaf, so it just a matter of starting early enough.

I used to spend more time with more carefully prepped starters, aiming for precise characteristics, and I still sometimes revert, but it's most now just cranking out the standby varieties for daily use.
 
I'm new here today ad make bread. We started a few weeks back and are improving with each batch. We make a simple flour water salt and yeast dough. It tastes delicious but we feel it could rise better. We are learning that possibly too much kneeding may be the cause. We mix and kneed with an elextrolux mixer. We have been very successful with pizza :)
 
I'm new here today ad make bread. We started a few weeks back and are improving with each batch. We make a simple flour water salt and yeast dough. It tastes delicious but we feel it could rise better. We are learning that possibly too much kneeding may be the cause. We mix and kneed with an elextrolux mixer. We have been very successful with pizza :)
Instead of kneading less try using a stronger flour.
 
For the everyday bread I mix my dough in the KA - mixing flour, yeast, salt (& occasional olive oil) with the paddle - before adding the water and then letting the dough hook do it's work for 5 minutes on speed 2. Seems to work every time for me.

I've also tried the Artisan in 5 minutes approach and that works well too. I use a poolish only if I know I've got a bit of free time the next next day, otherwise coming in from work at 7 leaves me no time for the rest of the process.
 
I never buy store or bakery bread. I find that I cycle through different preferences as to which bread currently make to "keep in stock." I'll go for a while making classic baguettes. Then I might make a 100% whole wheat loaf and then move to a half hole wheat braided seed bread.

I fiddled a while with the "...in five minutes a day" routine, but reverted back to mostly making, start to finish, in one evening, making overnight poolish only for the baguettes. Aside from time in the mixer kneading, I probably don't have much more than five minutes in any loaf, so it just a matter of starting early enough.

I used to spend more time with more carefully prepped starters, aiming for precise characteristics, and I still sometimes revert, but it's most now just cranking out the standby varieties for daily use.
This pretty much describes my routine as well. I like poolish doughs. For the amount of work required, it really results in a loaf with wonderful texture and flavor.

I used to bake bread twice a week, but since our daughter went off to college I found that we simply don't eat as much. So I've cut down to making it once every couple of weeks. I make two loaves at a time. One gets eaten right away; the other goes in the freezer.

And I've also occasionally been buying bread from <gasp!> the bakery lately - something I rarely would've done a year ago. Earlier this year I was confined to a wheelchair for six weeks while recovering from an ankle fracture, so it was more hassle to bake my own. A local Italian deli/bakery turned out to be a good option for bread, and while I like to brag about how good my bread is I have to admit that theirs is equally as good. :neutral:
 
Okay, I have a question. What does "poolish" mean? I am thinking it is a developed starter that is taken from a previous dough and kept in the fridge for you next adventure into making bread. :angel:
 
Okay, I have a question. What does "poolish" mean? I am thinking it is a developed starter that is taken from a previous dough and kept in the fridge for you next adventure into making bread. :angel:

It's a kind of pre ferment. When commercial yeast appeared on market, years ago, bakers started to use it replacing the ancient methods and making quick breads. With no flavor, aroma, etc.

They discovered that pre ferments starting with small ammount of yeast the night before, combined with improoved mixing methods let bakers achieve a very good quality with not so long baking processes.

This is in some books, but I like one written by Daniel Dimuzio: Bread Baking: An Artisan's Perspective. Take a look at it if you have the chance. Is written for students, like a manual, very interesting to understand the whole baking process.
 
Just made some multi-grain bread. Bread is good, but the crust is very soft. I do not like that. Could it because I baked with water container on the bottom?
 
What was the temperature of the oven? Did you "mist" the oven walls with water? I usually do that when making Kaiser rolls to get a crispy crust. I also soak a brick and put that in the pan of water.
 
The recipe said to put container with water on the bottom. The temperature was 375 deg. Let's see if I can add the picture.
 

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CharlieD, I'd probably go 400 or 425 and mist the oven walls. Next time, make a "roll" and test the temp of the oven at those two temps before baking the bread.
 

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