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

[Spuddy]

The first thing I thought is that it looked like a "pagnotta" which is what we were told to ask for in the Italian baker's as kids.
I remember a slight sour note to the flavour (more detectable when the bread was a day or so old) which would indicate a long fermentation.

Looks great BTW. I'm going to have to try it.

[Patricia Thornton]

I hope Oddley, your being in the kitchen 23 hours a day is a labour of love rather than a ball and chain!

What flavour(s) are you making tonight? If it's real vanilla or chocholate, save some for me too.

Earlier in the year I made some blackcurrant jam that didn't set, in fact it was more like Ribena than jam. Inspired by reading a bit in a HFW book where he whizzed up some tinned peaches, mixed them with cream and stuck it in the machine for virtually instant ice-cream, I tried it with my Ribena jam.

An hour later the Gaggia was still trying desperately to get it to a consistency greater than Mr. Whippy so I stuck it in a box and put it in the freezer over night. The next day it was only slightly stiffer than Mr. Whippy, rather sweet for my taste but great for pancakes. I used to think it was oil that kept the soft ice-cream soft but now think it must be the sugar.

[saucisson]

While we wait for Vinner to check in and for me to serve up I think I'll start an ice cream thread in General Cookery...

[Oddley]

saucisson if you start the ice cream thread please move the above post there will you.

Mod comment: Oddley's post above now moved as requested.

Dave

[Robert H]

Oddley and Saucisson

Bread looks good - well done!

Do you think it would be alright if I started a curry thread?

[saucisson]

I don't see why not Robert ( got it right that time )

Dave

[jenny_haddow]

Go for it Robert, there are plenty of curry buffs here.

Jen

[vinner]

Okay, Saucisson, here are my results:

The dough was so "runny" after the first rise. I used a lot of flour when I tipped it out of the rising bowl, folded it over on itself 2 or 3 times (a misnomer.... more like poured it over). I gave it 25 minutes to behave before putting it on the floured towel, and had such a miserable time 2 hours later trying to get it off the towel into my new enameled pot, that I just chucked the whole lot, towel and all...

However, I am trying again, with 1 1/2 cups of water, and oil cured black olives in it. Afetr 4 hours of rising thus far, it seems to be behaving.

More later.....

[Patricia Thornton]

You must be exhausted chasing your dough round that towel for two hours but remember, God loves a trier!

[saucisson]

Hi Vinner,
Sounds just like mine then. Please note it was the NY Times recipe not mine I too am setting up a 1 1/2 cup water overnight to see how it does.

Here is what it looked liked inside:



It tasted fantastic. The crust was thin but very crusty, it cracked superbly when pressed but wasn't dry. The consistency of the bread is almost like a good old fashioned british crumpet (this may be good or bad but most likely a result of too much water) . It is superb with cheese and would be amazing with dips, soup, maybe moules marinere. Not for a sandwich though. Again, I am making it again but to Oddley's measurements. I may well play with it further too.

Dave

[vinner]

Pat:

They say bakers treat their dough like children.....


Dave, did your dough tough the sides of the pot when you placed it in there? How big is your pot?

[Ianinfrance]

Hi Patricia,

Earlier in the year I made some blackcurrant jam that didn't set, in fact it was more like Ribena than jam.

That sounds odd, because normally blackcurrants have so much power and pectin that they go to make a jam that tastes like dynamite and sets like glue!!!

An hour later the Gaggia was still trying desperately to get it to a consistency greater than Mr. Whippy so I stuck it in a box and put it in the freezer over night. The next day it was only slightly stiffer than Mr. Whippy, rather sweet for my taste but great for pancakes. I used to think it was oil that kept the soft ice-cream soft but now think it must be the sugar.

Definitely the sugar. In ice cream making the critical thing which defines the firmness/softness is the sugar content (or in a sorbet with alcohol) the combination of sugar and alcohol. I can't remember - if I ever knew - the figures, but I suspect that for custard based and fruit based ice creams, you could fairly simply work out a formula to link the total volumes and the weights of sugar you should use.

[saucisson]

Hi Vinner:


It's 22cm wide and about 10cm tall, it's old and french and I got it off ebay for �2.75 My dough was so gloopy I had to wrap it in the cloth to stop it covering 10 square feet. I poured it off the cloth into the centre of the pan and it spread out to fill the bottom of the pan, hardly surprising!. I then scraped the remainining third off the cloth with my fingers and then scraped it off my fingers into the pan (all the while thinking: so this is supposed to be so foolproof a six year old can do it, am I ever going to admit to any of this on the forum ) Then I put the lid on and ran away

The blackness in the pan shows its antiquity the lighter patches are todays flour left behind as it poppped out of the pan without a struggle.

Dave

Edit:
Hi Ian, we now have new Ice cream thread in General Cooking.

[vinner]

Thanks, Dave. I won't be so scared of the gloopy stuff anymore.

[saucisson]

For tomorow's mix I may try my carefully considered :

"No-knead to lift a finger" bread approach; namely:

Straight from the bowl to the hot pan

Dave