The New York Times - A New way to make bread?

[Robert H]

Guys

I don't know if you know this - if you ask for fresh bakers yeast at the bakery section in Asda, they will give it you for free.

P.S. Saucisson, who is Richard???

[Patricia Thornton]

Something for nothing in a supermarket? Now that is new!

[jenny_haddow]

Well guys, I'm waiting with great interest to see how your bread turns out. I've just watched the video and the end result is very similar to the recipe Josh posted in the aforementioned thread, which I tried out and produced a very good loaf. It's a similar technique a friend of mine used, which she called 'puddling'.

I have to hold my hand up and say I use a bread machine all the time, either to produce a complete loaf or to do the kneading for me. (I just don't have the necessary power to knead well). I must have an affinity with them as I can get a good loaf out out of any bread machine, I always use the same proportions of ingredients though, and ignore the manufacturers instructions!

Anyway, as I have the perfect pot to make this bread in I shall give it a go this weekend.

Thanks Patty, you have a gift for initiating interesting threads.

Jen

[saucisson]

P.S. Saucisson, who is Richard???

pay attention Saucisson, sorry Robert

[saucisson]

Well, I just moved onto the second stage, mine is the consistency of self levelling flooring compound so there was no way I could pick it up, I poured it onto a cloth and had to gather up the cloth to stop it flowing away Maybe I goofed up but the conversion tables I used said a cup dry weight was 225ml and a cup of liquid 250ml. Then I used 1 5/8th water not 1 1/2 so I think my mix is too sloppy I'll try it as it is, rather than mix in more flour otherwise we won't know what it would have turned out like.

Dave

[Patricia Thornton]

Don't knock it Dave, you might have invented something completely new and make your fortune.

Great description though; obviously a master at work!

[dougal]

Maybe I goofed up but the conversion tables I used said a cup dry weight was 225ml and a cup of liquid 250ml. Then I used 1 5/8th...

Yes, as I said... !

One of the things you can do is to just scale a recipe, on the (wretched) volume proportions given.
So 3 and 1/2 of this to 5 of that is a 7 to 10 ratio, and using seven and ten measures of something vaguely appropriate will give the right proportion (as much as volume measures can).

[saucisson]

Ta Da!


30 mins 250 deg C with the lid on and 15mins with the lid off. 5 or 10 the lid off would have been better as it's a bit over cooked.

I'll cut it open when it's cooled a bit. It stuck to the cloth so getting it off and into the hot pan was a bit of a nightmare. If it's sloppy it's probably best left in the bowl for the second rise and scraped into the pan with a silicon spatula.

Smells delicious!!

Dave

[dougal]

Looks fine.

Long slow fermentation - dark crust.
High oven humidity - dark crust.
Rye flour on linen cloth for minimum stick.
Really!

[Oddley]

hi guys, well the bread is finished. I think it came out quite well. I like Dave found that the cooking time with the lid off was a bit too long. I only cooked the bread lid off for 10 minutes.

Instead of wheat bran bottom and top. I used for the top poppy seeds, and for the base fine cornflower meal. here is the corrected recipe.

Better Bread

450 g - 3 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon of yeast (quick yeast).
1 1/4 teaspoons of salt
350 g - 380 mL - 1 1/2 cups of water.
Poppy seeds & fine cornmeal

Method:
Add the dry ingredients to a bowl. Mix briefly with your hands, then add the water. Bring together as a dough. Leave for at least 12 hours to rise. Now turn the dough out is onto a floured board and fold all four sides into the centre. Turnover and put seam side down onto a tea cloth sprinkled with Poppy seeds. leave about two hours to rise, then turn sprinkle top with fine cornmeal, then turn out onto the hand seam side up, put into a piping hot cast-iron or Pyrex dish seam side still up. Put the lid on the pot and then into the oven preheated to 500�F, 260�C or gas mark 9, leave to cook for 30 minutes with the lid on. Then another 10 minutes, with the lid off. This creates about 70% humility in the first part of the cooking. Check after the required amount of time to make sure that the crust is of the correct colour. Cool on a wire rack for at least 45 minutes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/08mini.html

The first image shows the dough, after the first rise.

The second image, shows the tipped out dough. It needs quite a bit of flour on the board to stop it sticking.

Here instead of using a tea towel I used clingfilm to cover my cutting board. I then spread some poppy seeds on it. I then covered the dough with a clean tea towel.

Here is the finished loaf. The top covered in poppy seeds.

Here it is sliced.

The bread came out really well, it is not like your homemade British white. it has a crispy crust and a slightly chewy interior, reminiscent of continental bread. I found the taste really nice. perhaps not for your sausage sandwich in the morning, but great to soak up those Italian sauces. I will be making it again.

[saucisson]

This creates about 70% humility in the first part of the cooking. .

Looks very nice Oddley, I think my extra water meant I had perhaps a little too much humility in mine

More seriously, I'll give it another go using your quantities. I'm going to cut mine open tonight to have with cheese and I'll post up a picture of the inside then.

Dave

[Oddley]

Your's looks good too. You'll have to tell us how you think it tastes.

[Patricia Thornton]

One of the really good things about this forum is that so many members are prepared to try almost anything once and then give an honest opinion of the outcome, which gives people like me, who are not quite so adventurous (an old stick in the mud in fact) the little push needed to try things for themselves.

Thanks for the pictures, both loaves look very good.

Although Dave hasn't commented on the taste of his yet, Oddley enjoyed the taste of his enough to state he would make it again and since it seems easy enough to make, I might just rouse myself out of my current lethargy and give it a go. But not tonight!

[Oddley]

Hi Patricia, My daughter who has just tasted the bread and eats out all the time, tells me it is spot on for an Italian type bread she has tasted before.

I'm still at it tonight. I'm making Ice cream.

[saucisson]

When will it be ready? I'll bring the cones

Dave