Author Topic: The Bread Thread  (Read 113307 times)

Feanor

  • It's mostly downhill from here.
Re: The Bread Thread
« Reply #950 on: 30 April, 2024, 02:25:41 pm »
First attempt at a soft floofy focaccia. My previous ones have been the flatter pizza-style.
This is a wet 80% hydrated straight dough, overnight fermented in the fridge, then proofed for 3 hours this morning before baking. Rosemary and flaked salt topping.
It got a bit stuck in the tin, even though it's non-stick and I'd oiled it. Took some careful wrangling to extract it. Next time, I'll line it with greaseproof paper.
Otherwise, it worked well.


Focaccia by Ron Lowe, on Flickr

Focaccia by Ron Lowe, on Flickr

Focaccia by Ron Lowe, on Flickr

Focaccia by Ron Lowe, on Flickr

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: The Bread Thread
« Reply #951 on: 30 April, 2024, 02:42:52 pm »
It got a bit stuck in the tin, even though it's non-stick and I'd oiled it. Took some careful wrangling to extract it. Next time, I'll line it with greaseproof paper.

Looks great.

If you use greaseproof, I find it just sticks to the greaseproof instead.

The thing that really works for me is dusting the tin with flour after greasing it.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Feanor

  • It's mostly downhill from here.
Re: The Bread Thread
« Reply #952 on: 07 May, 2024, 10:22:02 pm »
Second attempt today.

Schedule: Mixed the dough at noon yesterday, overnight ferment in the fridge till 8 this morning.
Timings here are not critical, the bulk ferment can be anything from 12 to 48 hours!
Tip into the baking tin, proof for 3 hours then bake at 11, out of oven by 11:20, ready for lunch at 12.

Used greaseproof parchment to great effect.

Cut the parchment so it sits in the bottom, and also folds up the sides.
Lightly Olive Oil the tray, insert parchment.
The oil will cling the parchment to the bottom and sides of the tin.

Oil the inside of the parchment a bit more heavily than you think is reasonable.
You don't want so much oil that the entire outside is deep-fried to a depth of an inch like a deep-fried pizza; so it's a bit of a balance.
I'd say a 'generous coating' over the bottom and sides, coating all the parchment.

Coup the dough in, gently prodding it towards the corners. Don't over-prod, an 80% hydrated dough will find it's own way. Let it proof for whatever. 3 hours in my case.
The dough will take up some of this oil.

Allow to cool for as long as possible before attempting to release it.
It released perfectly, and was not in the slightest 'deep fried'; there was a crispy skin less than 1mm thick, I'd say. It was just what I was wanting.

I've also stopped using Fan mode on the oven for bread.
Fan mode can reduce temperature gradients top-to-bottom, but can produce massive temperature gradients back-to-front.
In my oven, fan mode uses an element at the back, wrapped around the fan. This causes a blast of hot air from back to front.
The temperature gradient this causes is very noticeable. I have to turn things around mid-way through cooking, because the back is much hotter than the front.
My oven has a mode for non-fan top-and-bottom elements, and I find this much moar betterer.
(For sourdoughs in the Dutch Oven, it doesn't matter: the thermal mass of the Dutch Oven evens it all out.)





citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: The Bread Thread
« Reply #953 on: 08 May, 2024, 10:11:07 am »
In my oven, fan mode uses an element at the back, wrapped around the fan. This causes a blast of hot air from back to front.
The temperature gradient this causes is very noticeable. I have to turn things around mid-way through cooking, because the back is much hotter than the front.
My oven has a mode for non-fan top-and-bottom elements, and I find this much moar betterer.

Exactly the same as my oven. I always use the non-fan setting for bread.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: The Bread Thread
« Reply #954 on: 20 May, 2024, 10:30:55 am »
My homemade pizza last night was preceded by homemade dough balls (and garlic butter, of course).  Unlike last weekend, I remembered to get them out of the oven before they went crispy, and they were amazing!  :thumbsup: Sorry, no pics.

Feanor

  • It's mostly downhill from here.
Re: The Bread Thread
« Reply #955 on: 22 May, 2024, 10:48:51 pm »
A first attempt at a Kerala Parotta or Paratha, a Southern Indian flaky layered flatbread.

This is an unleavened bread; just flour, water, yoghurt, oil, and salt. The dough is mixed and divided, then left to rest for an hour. It's then rolled flat, and coated with melted butter or ghee and rolled up into a rope. This is then coiled up like a snail's shell, and left to rest for another hour.
The coils are then squidged flat and rolled out thinly and cooked in a hot skillet. After cooking, they are scrunched to separate the layers.
They have a slight croissant-like quality with the layering of dough and butter.

The recipe is from here, there is a video too:
https://foodess.com/kerala-parotha-a-flakey-south-indian-flatbread/#wprm-recipe-container-28061

I have a few adjustments for next time, but all in all, fairly happy with them.
The adjustments I would make are this:

1) Reduce the quantity of salt. I messed up and used salted butter, but even so, the recipe is a bit salty. The full-quantity 2.5 tsp is about 16g of salt as measured here on my drug dealer scales. I'd say 11g is more like what you want for a 500ish g flour. So down-scale to 5g for a half-quantity.

2) I made a half-quantity ( 4 breads ), and I'd advise to re-scale. My breads were too big. When I rolled them out as big as I could to fit in my skillet, they were a bit too thick and remained a bit doughy in the middle. I's say a half-quantity should be divided into 6 rather than 4, and rolled thinner.

I've included some photos of the construction too...


Kerala Paratha by Ron Lowe, on Flickr


Kerala Paratha by Ron Lowe, on Flickr


Kerala Paratha by Ron Lowe, on Flickr


Kerala Paratha by Ron Lowe, on Flickr


Kerala Paratha by Ron Lowe, on Flickr


Kerala Paratha by Ron Lowe, on Flickr


Kerala Paratha by Ron Lowe, on Flickr


Tim Hall

  • Victoria is my queen
Re: The Bread Thread
« Reply #956 on: 27 May, 2024, 06:07:11 pm »
In my oven, fan mode uses an element at the back, wrapped around the fan. This causes a blast of hot air from back to front.
The temperature gradient this causes is very noticeable. I have to turn things around mid-way through cooking, because the back is much hotter than the front.
My oven has a mode for non-fan top-and-bottom elements, and I find this much moar betterer.

Exactly the same as my oven. I always use the non-fan setting for bread.

Ooh, I've just tried it fan off. That's a revelation (although pretty obvious now I think about it).



I'll do it like that from now on
There are two ways you can get exercise out of a bicycle: you can
"overhaul" it, or you can ride it.  (Jerome K Jerome)

Feanor

  • It's mostly downhill from here.
Re: The Bread Thread
« Reply #957 on: 27 May, 2024, 11:02:35 pm »
That looks nice.
What kind of bread is it?

Tim Hall

  • Victoria is my queen
Re: The Bread Thread
« Reply #958 on: Yesterday at 12:01:30 am »
That looks nice.
What kind of bread is it?
Thanks. White sourdough, with a pinch of wholemeal.
There are two ways you can get exercise out of a bicycle: you can
"overhaul" it, or you can ride it.  (Jerome K Jerome)