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Knead Bread

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    • Mountain-Mike wrote:

      I do reccomnd a bread machine to anyone who lives on the grid. For under $100 fresh preservitive free bread when you want it. Most have times so it can be ready when you wake up. It won't stay long without preservative, but I never found that to be an issue. Just put ingredient in in proper order & set timer. Kinda like a crock pot. If anyone needs recipies I have a decent amount of them in word format.
      No need to spend $100 on a bread machine, most of them are given as gifts to people who use them for a week and then give up. We got ours for about $10 at a tag sale, it was almost new.
      Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      Rasty wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      Rasty wrote:

      Learn baking percentages

      Everything is weighed against the weight of the flour.

      Flour always is 100%. If using two flours as a blend then their wrought equals 100%.

      Water is from 50% to 65% of the flours weight. More water equals a more lively dough.

      Yeast is 1/2 to 1-1/2%

      Salt 1 to 2%

      Fat 2 to 5%

      Sweet 2 to 5%

      This building block system allows you to figure out the why and how's of bread baking.

      I will try to process this when I'm not so tired.Question...I put some dough in the freezer before the 2nd rising. I let it thaw yesterday then let it rise. It only rose about 1/3 the amount it should have and the bread turned out flattish and dense. Did I kill the yeast somehow?
      freezing doesn't kill yeast. One possible reason is the yeast didn't have enough sugar to eat after the first rising to overcome being frozen then thawed with enough energy to rise again. The flat and dense could also show that the dough was still partially frozen when baked.
      That makes sense as I try to use minimal sugar, I don't like sweet bread. In fact, I rejected several recipes because of the sugar content.
      We put honey in our bread...of course we have bees.
      bacon can solve most any problem.
    • SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      Mountain-Mike wrote:

      I do reccomnd a bread machine to anyone who lives on the grid. For under $100 fresh preservitive free bread when you want it. Most have times so it can be ready when you wake up. It won't stay long without preservative, but I never found that to be an issue. Just put ingredient in in proper order & set timer. Kinda like a crock pot. If anyone needs recipies I have a decent amount of them in word format.
      No need to spend $100 on a bread machine, most of them are given as gifts to people who use them for a week and then give up. We got ours for about $10 at a tag sale, it was almost new.
      my wife has a high tech bread machine. about $250. she also has a grain mill. It takes most of the effort out of turning whole grain into bread. The good thing about grinding your own wheat is you get all the good stuff they take out of flour. even whole wheat flour. The germ. the oils. etc...they can not leave them in the flour or it goes rancid. my wife makes fresh bread about every three days. The bread machine does not heat up the house in the summer. It also makes a loaf of bread that looks like a loaf of bread.
      bacon can solve most any problem.
    • sheepdog wrote:

      SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      Mountain-Mike wrote:

      I do reccomnd a bread machine to anyone who lives on the grid. For under $100 fresh preservitive free bread when you want it. Most have times so it can be ready when you wake up. It won't stay long without preservative, but I never found that to be an issue. Just put ingredient in in proper order & set timer. Kinda like a crock pot. If anyone needs recipies I have a decent amount of them in word format.
      No need to spend $100 on a bread machine, most of them are given as gifts to people who use them for a week and then give up. We got ours for about $10 at a tag sale, it was almost new.
      my wife has a high tech bread machine. about $250. she also has a grain mill. It takes most of the effort out of turning whole grain into bread. The good thing about grinding your own wheat is you get all the good stuff they take out of flour. even whole wheat flour. The germ. the oils. etc...they can not leave them in the flour or it goes rancid. my wife makes fresh bread about every three days. The bread machine does not heat up the house in the summer. It also makes a loaf of bread that looks like a loaf of bread.
      You've got my attention, do you have a link or know the name and model of the machine?

      Out big problem with the bread machine is it puts a thick rind like crust on very crumbly bread, it makes it hard to use for sandwiches.
      Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
    • SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      Mountain-Mike wrote:

      I do reccomnd a bread machine to anyone who lives on the grid. For under $100 fresh preservitive free bread when you want it. Most have times so it can be ready when you wake up. It won't stay long without preservative, but I never found that to be an issue. Just put ingredient in in proper order & set timer. Kinda like a crock pot. If anyone needs recipies I have a decent amount of them in word format.
      No need to spend $100 on a bread machine, most of them are given as gifts to people who use them for a week and then give up. We got ours for about $10 at a tag sale, it was almost new.
      When I suggested my parents buy on his wife said she thought the had been given on as a wedding gift! In the few minutes they complained about mold on the bread a fesh loaf could have been started.
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      Mountain-Mike wrote:

      I've recetly looked into them again. Just a little over the rating for inverter i now have. Time kneading isn't so much of an issue as when I lived a "normal life". Brought it up thinking of last time I visited Dad at his cabin. He was upset with locally bought bread. It molded after a few days. I was like, NS it will spoil in a week or less. No preservatives common on store bought. When I suggested a bread machine they thought they had one,,,some where.
      I'll probably consider a bread machine after the novelty of making it myself wears off.

      SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      sheepdog wrote:

      This is the machine...Zojirushi...makes stellar bread
      That's clearly an inkjet printer.
      gif.014.gif
      Our printer makes great tortillas
    • sheepdog wrote:

      SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      Mountain-Mike wrote:

      I do reccomnd a bread machine to anyone who lives on the grid. For under $100 fresh preservitive free bread when you want it. Most have times so it can be ready when you wake up. It won't stay long without preservative, but I never found that to be an issue. Just put ingredient in in proper order & set timer. Kinda like a crock pot. If anyone needs recipies I have a decent amount of them in word format.
      No need to spend $100 on a bread machine, most of them are given as gifts to people who use them for a week and then give up. We got ours for about $10 at a tag sale, it was almost new.
      my wife has a high tech bread machine. about $250. she also has a grain mill. It takes most of the effort out of turning whole grain into bread. The good thing about grinding your own wheat is you get all the good stuff they take out of flour. even whole wheat flour. The germ. the oils. etc...they can not leave them in the flour or it goes rancid. my wife makes fresh bread about every three days. The bread machine does not heat up the house in the summer. It also makes a loaf of bread that looks like a loaf of bread.
      You got my attention too. I did not know that.
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:
    • SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      You've got my attention, do you have a link or know the name and model of the machine?
      Out big problem with the bread machine is it puts a thick rind like crust on very crumbly bread, it makes it hard to use for sandwiches.
      Betty Crocker Bread Machine books have small adjustments for fixing that (might have to read the first 15 pages.)- but the bottom line is the well defined ball has to be checked prior to baking. Checking the active yeast is also recommended. But how tough is it to tossing in ingredients and hitting a button and checking it once?
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      I got my sourdough starter going tonight. It smelled so good, like yeasty alcohol. I feel stupid...thought the starter replaced yeast but looking at some recipes, I'll still be using dried yeast.
      I made some a while ago, and just let it grab yeast from the air, no store bought yeast. Scoop some dough out add the same amount of flour back to feed it, and do that for 4 or 5 days. It came it pretty good, then I forgot to feed my dough for a couple days and killed it.
    • mental note wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      I got my sourdough starter going tonight. It smelled so good, like yeasty alcohol. I feel stupid...thought the starter replaced yeast but looking at some recipes, I'll still be using dried yeast.
      I made some a while ago, and just let it grab yeast from the air, no store bought yeast. Scoop some dough out add the same amount of flour back to feed it, and do that for 4 or 5 days. It came it pretty good, then I forgot to feed my dough for a couple days and killed it.
      yeast killer
      bacon can solve most any problem.
    • sheepdog wrote:

      mental note wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      I got my sourdough starter going tonight. It smelled so good, like yeasty alcohol. I feel stupid...thought the starter replaced yeast but looking at some recipes, I'll still be using dried yeast.
      I made some a while ago, and just let it grab yeast from the air, no store bought yeast. Scoop some dough out add the same amount of flour back to feed it, and do that for 4 or 5 days. It came it pretty good, then I forgot to feed my dough for a couple days and killed it.
      yeast killer
      you should see me frost a cake, it's a slaughter. :D
    • Rasty wrote:

      AnotherKevin wrote:

      Rasty wrote:

      Learn baking percentages

      Everything is weighed against the weight of the flour.

      Flour always is 100%. If using two flours as a blend then their wrought equals 100%.

      Water is from 50% to 65% of the flours weight. More water equals a more lively dough.

      Yeast is 1/2 to 1-1/2%

      Salt 1 to 2%

      Fat 2 to 5%

      Sweet 2 to 5%

      This building block system allows you to figure out the why and how's of bread baking.

      Even better, learn what proper dough feels like, because the amount of liquid you need (or the amount of extra flour it'll take in while kneading) depends on the humidity among other factors. (You might have to judge differently if you're making industrial quantities the way Rasty does. I'm not a chef, I don't know those techniques.)
      Absorption rate is what this is called. The moisture content of the flour is crucial. This is the number one reason why we weigh ingredients and don't use volume measurements. Fresh flour will have much more moisture in it then 12 month old flour.
      Aha, another answer to a question. I saw an Alton Brown recipe (I never heard of him until max patch mentioned him) and he said the measurements were in grams because it absolutely had to be weighed.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • mental note wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      I got my sourdough starter going tonight. It smelled so good, like yeasty alcohol. I feel stupid...thought the starter replaced yeast but looking at some recipes, I'll still be using dried yeast.
      I made some a while ago, and just let it grab yeast from the air, no store bought yeast. Scoop some dough out add the same amount of flour back to feed it, and do that for 4 or 5 days. It came it pretty good, then I forgot to feed my dough for a couple days and killed it.
      You've got more skills than me. :thumbsup:

      Cooking isn't my passion but more of a drudgery. That's why I'm surprised how much I enjoy baking bread. Maybe it's the satisfaction I feel by doing something that my ancestors did and being more self-sufficient.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      Rasty wrote:

      AnotherKevin wrote:

      Rasty wrote:

      Learn baking percentages

      Everything is weighed against the weight of the flour.

      Flour always is 100%. If using two flours as a blend then their wrought equals 100%.

      Water is from 50% to 65% of the flours weight. More water equals a more lively dough.

      Yeast is 1/2 to 1-1/2%

      Salt 1 to 2%

      Fat 2 to 5%

      Sweet 2 to 5%

      This building block system allows you to figure out the why and how's of bread baking.

      Even better, learn what proper dough feels like, because the amount of liquid you need (or the amount of extra flour it'll take in while kneading) depends on the humidity among other factors. (You might have to judge differently if you're making industrial quantities the way Rasty does. I'm not a chef, I don't know those techniques.)
      Absorption rate is what this is called. The moisture content of the flour is crucial. This is the number one reason why we weigh ingredients and don't use volume measurements. Fresh flour will have much more moisture in it then 12 month old flour.
      Aha, another answer to a question. I saw an Alton Brown recipe (I never heard of him until max patch mentioned him) and he said the measurements were in grams because it absolutely had to be weighed.
      I don't believe it. My wife makes bread in minutes and doesn't weigh anything. In ten minutes it goes from wheat berries into the bread maker.
      bacon can solve most any problem.
    • Is sourdough starter supposed to be really sticky? Sort of like bubble gum or that stuff from Ghost Busters?

      You try to stir it and it sticks to the utensils, then you try to get it off the utensils and it sticks to your fingers. How the heck are you supposed to measure it? I had to measure one cup and made a mess.

      My first loaf of sourdough bread is rising. :)
      Lost in the right direction.
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      Is sourdough starter supposed to be really sticky? Sort of like bubble gum or that stuff from Ghost Busters?

      You try to stir it and it sticks to the utensils, then you try to get it off the utensils and it sticks to your fingers. How the heck are you supposed to measure it? I had to measure one cup and made a mess.

      My first loaf of sourdough bread is rising. :)
      Starters are usually sticky. There are two types of starters. Sourdough and sponge (biga, poolish, etc.). Sourdough is kept for months or years and activity fed daily. Sponge is generally made 24 hours before mixing the dough. Sponge type starters work better for those that have a life away from their starter. Sourdough is better for professional bakeries that have staff that work 365 days per year. Freezing sourdough defeats the purpose of cultivating a sour. I'm partial to using sponge starters because of the flexibility.
      Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.
      Dr. Seuss Cof123
    • Rasty wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      Is sourdough starter supposed to be really sticky? Sort of like bubble gum or that stuff from Ghost Busters?

      You try to stir it and it sticks to the utensils, then you try to get it off the utensils and it sticks to your fingers. How the heck are you supposed to measure it? I had to measure one cup and made a mess.

      My first loaf of sourdough bread is rising. :)
      Starters are usually sticky. There are two types of starters. Sourdough and sponge (biga, poolish, etc.). Sourdough is kept for months or years and activity fed daily. Sponge is generally made 24 hours before mixing the dough. Sponge type starters work better for those that have a life away from their starter. Sourdough is better for professional bakeries that have staff that work 365 days per year. Freezing sourdough defeats the purpose of cultivating a sour. I'm partial to using sponge starters because of the flexibility.
      My starter is from King Arthur Flour. The instructions say to feed it once per week. Is that because it's more "established" or maybe they've adapted it somehow? Its descended from 250 yr old yeast.

      My bread is amazing! Honestly, it's as good as any bread I've ever eaten. The sourdough taste is mild but I assume that's because it's from New England. I didn't know that yeast has different flavors depending on the environment. San Francisco sourdough has a unique flavor because the bacteria it produces is unique to that area.
      Lost in the right direction.