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Post by CM on Feb 13, 2009 21:59:40 GMT -5
Bread Making Made Easy
The video says it all. It is amazing how easy it is and how wonderful it taste. You will be the bread making super star your first attempt.
I find it takes about 1.5 to 1.75 cups of cold water. I increase the yeast about 25% from the video recommendation. Very important - make sure it is the same consistency as in the video. I let the dough rise 18-24 hours.
Some variations:
Fire Roasted Jalapeños Bread
Fire roast 4-6 large jalapeños until skin is black. Under faucet remove blackened skin, remove stem and seeds. Dap dry, cool to room temperature, finely chop. Add chopped jalapeños, ½ cup of grated parmesan reggiano to the mix described in video, mix well, add water
Honey/Raisins Wheat Bread
Use stone ground wheat flour. 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 teaspoon of raw brown sugar, I cup of golden raisins 1.25 teaspoon of salt. Add just a hair more yeast than usual. Mix well before adding water
Use your imagination, experiment with egg, varieties of cheese, and fruit. Get creative. You will become hooked.
Don’t forget yeast. I buy in a large jar and store in the fridge. Enjoy
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Post by CM on Feb 14, 2009 10:20:14 GMT -5
For one of the best additions to the video recipe – olives.
Olive bread it is outstanding. Slice or coarsely chop about a cup or so of your favorite olive. The large martini sized pimento stuffed green olives are a favorite. I do not care for canned black olives instead I will use Kalamata (buy them with pits, of course remove the pits,) then chop/slice, they don’t have to be perfect. Be sure to towel dry the olives before you add to the flour, incorporate well before adding water.
I always use organic flour. All purpose white flour, experiment with pastry flour for different textures, never use self-rising flour. Stone ground wheat flower, but you can try barley, rice, flour or about anything you get your hands on.
Salt is important, only use sea salt, my preference is Fleur de sel (flower of the sea) from France, you can get it online or at Williams-Sonoma.
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Post by EscapeHatch on Feb 14, 2009 10:37:15 GMT -5
I'll be danged and hanged. I am thoroughly flummerygasted. All purpose flour??? How is the chew? Can you put an egg or olive oil wash on it? I am betting this is a hoax. No way it can be real. I'm trying it!!
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Post by CM on Feb 14, 2009 10:44:01 GMT -5
No hoax, I've been making bread for ages, every loaf is perfect.
The first time stick to the video then from there get creative.
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Post by EscapeHatch on Feb 14, 2009 10:53:13 GMT -5
How long do you let it rest in the towels?
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Post by CM on Feb 14, 2009 11:31:35 GMT -5
How long do you let it rest in the towels? See above (1st post) Never less than 12 hours and never more than 36 hours. I found 24 hours works best. I'm making my dough now for baking tomorrow morning. Follow the instruction in the video for your first time. It will come out perfect, then it gets better from there. When baking don't forget to cover for the first 30 minutes, I've forgotten a few times and the bread is dry and top burnt, it then finds its way to the compost pile. Gotta go get my hands sticky. Good luck, but you will not need luck, it is very easy.
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Post by EscapeHatch on Feb 14, 2009 21:19:40 GMT -5
This is KILLING ME!! ;D ;D
I'll let you know how it came out tomorrow.
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Post by CM on Feb 15, 2009 13:11:56 GMT -5
From CM's kitchen - right from the oven. Today’s Roasted Jalapeno Parmesan Bread. I baked 8 of these today, 4 honey raisin wheat and 8 white. For dinner I’m preparing Boeuf Bourguignon with today’s bread, and a bottle(s) of Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley
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Post by EscapeHatch on Feb 15, 2009 14:09:12 GMT -5
OK. I am a believer. Everyone, if you think you can't make bread, if you think you can't make superb bread... let not your heart be troubled. Try it!! It is simpler than I am. It is NOT a hoax. It is simply a great bread. The crust is surprising. The gluten content of All Purpose flour is so much less than Unbleached. My new way of thinking is: So what?! Oh yeah, the aroma in the house... CM, thanks!
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Post by EscapeHatch on Feb 15, 2009 14:29:18 GMT -5
... For dinner I’m preparing Boeuf Bourguignon with today’s bread, and a bottle(s) of Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley One of my favorite stews. My son, the chef/somalier, gave me the Buchon Cookbook by Thomas Keller for Christmas. It has the most involved recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon I've ever used. It took two days and was worth every minute of effort. BTW, check out www.wallywine.com/ . My son is working the tent sale this weekend.
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Post by Jack on Feb 15, 2009 17:09:09 GMT -5
CM, OK, you and Hatch have convinced me to try the bread recipe. I do have a few questions: Do you let the dough rise covered in the mixing bowl? What was sprinkled on the dough after it was folded? Do you also have to let it rest in a towel after you have folded the dough? I don't have a cast iron pot - can I use a ceramic casserole dish with glass cover? Does the baking dish have to be heated to 500 degrees before you put the dough in? Can you tell from these questions that there's a high likelihood of me wetting my pants if anything goes wrong?
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Post by CM on Feb 15, 2009 17:36:45 GMT -5
CM, OK, you and Hatch have convinced me to try the bread recipe. I do have a few questions: Do you let the dough rise covered in the mixing bowl? What was sprinkled on the dough after it was folded? Do you also have to let it rest in a towel after you have folded the dough? I don't have a cast iron pot - can I use a ceramic casserole dish with glass cover? Does the baking dish have to be heated to 500 degrees before you put the dough in? Can you tell from these questions that there's a high likelihood of me wetting my pants if anything goes wrong? I always cover the mixing bowl with a cotton dish towel. If it is to rest greater than 12 hours, and in low humidity and high temp conditions I will lightly dampen the cotton towel to discourage drying. The sprinkled stuff is mentioned in the video, I use stone ground wheat flour, for everything, works just fine. You want to be sure the dough is not sticky to the touch, if so use a little more of the sprinkle stuff. The purpose is to prevent sticking during baking and provide a nice chestnut finish after baking. After you fold the dough toss it in your baking dish and bake, you are done at this point. Anything that is oven safe with a lid can be used. Pre-heat your oven and baking dish at least 15 minutes at 500 before you toss the dough in. The crust is just awesome and goes wonderfully with a glass or two or three of wine. My wife and I have made many a meal on wine and bread. I did not mention baking wheat bread. Wheat burns quickly. For wheat flour reduce the heat to 350 and bake covered for 45-50 minutes, remove lid and bake another 20-25 minutes. Hatch, Next time try grating about a cup of parmesan reggiano, mix everything well before adding water. When I add other stuff I’ll increase the yeast about 25%. Experiment with different cheeses. Also try olives, oh yes, rosemary is another one that just awesome.
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Post by CM on Feb 15, 2009 17:42:51 GMT -5
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Post by EscapeHatch on Feb 16, 2009 8:52:55 GMT -5
Jack, I used a large mixing bowl to make the dough, using the same hand motions and mix time as in the video. I REALLY wanted to know how simple it would be and the result. Or consequences.
I covered the dough with another smaller bowl turned upside down. My thought was to preserve the moisture and reduce the oxygen since yeast is an anaerobic organism. This was the only transgression I made.
I preheated the stainless steel Dutch Oven prior to flopping in the dough. And I did just that, flopped it in. I positioned everything so I could get the pot out, the dough in and the pot back in the oven as quick as possible. I set the timer...
and stood there for thirty minutes, watching time tick down, needing to use the restroom, but, standing vigilant, in case the oven exploded or the bread indicated combustion with a tell tail wiff of smoke.
Nope. Just that heavenly aroma. Ah, man. I'm tellin ya.
Took the lid off, slammed the door shut again, and watched with the oven light on for fifteen minutes, awaiting disaster.
Nope. Just that heavenly aroma. Ah, man. I'm tellin ya.
As CM said, only the additional flour and, in my case, corn meal, was the only release agent required. I dumped the bread onto a cooling rack and instantly checked the pot.
Nada. Niente. Nichts. Nuttin. Clean as when I took it out of the cabinet.
Yeah. It was delicious bread. That recipe is speeding its way around the planet.
With it is a link to this blog!
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Post by CM on Feb 16, 2009 15:25:12 GMT -5
I covered the dough with another smaller bowl turned upside down. My thought was to preserve the moisture and reduce the oxygen since yeast is an anaerobic organism. This was the only transgression I made. Hatch, I read somewhere ages ago oxygen was important, thus my use of a cotton towel. Also aged dough develops a sour taste and smell, sourdough bread. For sourdough make a starter, using little to no yeast allowing bacteria and yeast to develop naturally. One of these days I’ll try sourdough. Another variation from the video recipe, add two table spoons of olive oil and 4 teaspoons of sugar. I’m glad it worked out for you; it is a real kick to plop down a few loaves on the table for guest. Most of our guest no longer say “Did you make that?”
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