The Bread Thread

Okay, but freezers also come in self defrosting and non self defrosting versions which was a distinction I actually learned (kid you not) working in a wheat laboratory. We had to purchase non-defrosting freezers explicitly because the defrosting cycles can have adverse effects on the contents

2 Likes

No first-person experience with this company, but several “baking” family members swear by their wheat berries/flours and I just ordered lentils and garbanzos. (In case you’re looking for yet more options.)

1 Like

Oooh, yes, thank you!

1 Like

Do they still make refrigerators with non-self-defrosting frozen food storage compartments? I didn’t see any when I was shopping for a new fridge, and I looked at a lot because they’re almost all badly designed and shoddily made

Or you’re talking specifically about freezers?

I’ve learned a few things about KitchenAid mixers.

This spiral design is a superior dough hook. It solved my problem of dough climbing the hook.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083DNNWM3

The dough hook should be used only at speed 2.

I have to remember to use this thing. When I make a double batch of bread (1 kg. flour, 690 g water) it throws a little flour out of the bowl.

https://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KSM35PS-1-Piece-Pouring-Shield/dp/B01J1HYAQM

I ordered a six-quart mixer because they were cheap and my five-quart was in the shop so long with no response to my email or calls that I thought we were never going to get it back. I liked the 600 a lot, the more powerful motor seemed more suited for kneading stiff dough, but it didn’t work for small amounts, for example, the whisk just stirred three eggsaround iin the bottom of the bowl without breaking the yolks. Great choice for a big household.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007W2ED70

I’m thinking of getting one of these.

https://www.amazon.com/Home-Food-Grade-KitchenAid-Bowl-Lift-Attachment/dp/B07W84BC5H

4 Likes

Anyone own or tried one of these puppies?
https://faribon.it/en/grinder-for-domestic-use/faribon-600

2 Likes

Are they distributed in the US? In the UK they cost almost $3000.

One of my sisters-in-law has a home mill. I can’t remember why. A Swiss friend’s mom had one she used to grind a variety of grains and seeds to make muesli every day.

https://shop.kingarthurbaking.com/items/nutrimill-plus-whisper-quiet-grain-mill

I’m sure you can order one if interested. Few domestic chefs featured on the site

https://faribon.it/en/what-they-say-about-us Bianco et al.

Sharing some grain and flour resources I stumbled across for all you bakers.

2 Likes

If you have a Vitamix you can get a special container to mill grains, 48-ounce Dry Grains Container with SELF-DETECT - Blender Containers. I haven’t done this yet, but may in the future.

2 Likes

I will add to the mix The Mockmill even though I feel like you folks probably already know about it.

I own one of the older models. It is very well built and dependable. I use it a few times a week to make fresh flour for my starter and loaves.

That Faribon seems to have the added benefit of separating the bran from the flour which has me feeling :heart_eyes:. Sigh…someday.

2 Likes

I missed this thread the first time around!

Any tips on rustic boules? I like Forkish’s recipe better than Tartine’s (which always turns into a runny, stickymess). I don’t know what it is about my starter, but it does not like temps > 80 deg, which is much lower than what Forkish or Robertson recommend.

I think the other problem is that I bake bread like 4-5x/yr, and I think one must do it on a regular basis to really get a “feel” for it.

FYI for all: the Paul Hollywood ciabatta recipe is fairly easy and turns out good bread.

5 Likes

Any other good no knead sandwich loaf recipes? I’ve been making this bread * maybe 2-3x a week since March and am getting a little bored of it. I usually halve the recipe, and do roughly 1/3 AP, 1/3 bread flour, 1/3 whole wheat and after the initial rise I’ll add leftover cooked oatmeal and/or quinoa.

1 Like

No suggestions. But thanks for posting. I’m going to try this for our weekly loaf. I’ve been doing a 3-1 wheat to bread and regular couple hours proofing.

The “5-Minutes-Day-Bread” authors have a blog where a number of their recipes are a good starting point - e.g. I like their English Granary bread.

If you like working with different whole wheats than their other book is also helpful.

1 Like

Curious - why is french made sourdough not noticeably sour whereas american sourdough is very sour?

1 Like

I believe it has to do with three elements; the first has to do with how fermented the starter (levain in French) is. If it is fed less often it develops a sharper taste.
The second is the percentage of starter in the final dough mixture. Most breads have a mixture of both starter and yeast. Some American breads, say San Francisco sourdough, have a much higher percentage of starter - sometimes even 100%.
The third is the type of wild yeast that created the starter in the first place.

2 Likes

There’s a certain expectation too that leads bakers to do things like add vinegar to make the bread more sour.

2 Likes

What mixture do you use? The recipes I’ve used only use one or the other type.

I’d like to use a combo b/c my understanding is that commercial yeast has good consistency for a rapid rise while a starter allows for the long rise needed for flavor development.

1 Like