Any Home Bakers Here?

[SnapdragonQ]

Well… I was making bread a few mornings ago while the coffee was brewing. IE, I am un caffeinated, and don’t know what I’m doing until later. Things get forgotten, sugar this time, and weird things get added, brown sugar instead of white. The milk was sitting on the counter because I apparently thought it was yeast, and the sink was a whole five stumble shuffles away! So I added milk in the bread dough instead of water. The loaf was kinda better. Odd without sugar, but better. The biscuits taste better too. I can’t always add milk, but apparently it’s worth doing. Maybe I’ll even try adding hot sauce as the liquid. 🌶

Minus the hot sauce, that is SO something I would do! I've been know to give kiddo a bowl of cereal with coffee in it instead of plant milk.

Busy day here trying to fill the hours until we heard from Katie. Got tagliatelle made, bagged and frozen, but didn’t flour it enough and some of the strands stuck together.
Made a yeast bread…it’s a little lopsided because I didn’t shape it well, and I forgot the egg wash so Ken slathered butter over it when it was hot. I don’t like that…makes for a soggy crust but he likes it, so no big deal - we’ll eat it.
And I made the beef pot pie I was going to make a day or so ago, but my puff pastry was old and it didn’t puff right. Not only that, but I didn’t have any golden beets so I just used the reds. I figured the gravy is dark brown so it shouldn’t show too much. Wrong! Looked like I butchered the cow over the pan. And when I added the cream, it turned a lovely shade of bubble gum pink. <sigh> So how was your day?

I‘m going back to bed, if I can do that right.

View attachment 3030309
Lopsided, wrinkly loaf of bread.

View attachment 3030310
Puff pastry that didn’t.

If I could eat either one I'd dig in for sure! They look good to me.

Red beets, yeah, I quit growing them.
Between those, picking berries, and the fabric dyeing I do, I'm always a walking crayola box.

IME it works better if you open a door or window instead of baking with yeast, because you get all sorts of interesting species and bacteria.

There is yeast all over your place. The yeast that lives with sourdough will be one that can stand the sour.

Thank you both!
Wasn't in the mood to bake today anyway.

 

[SnapdragonQ]

I'm cautiously excited...
As mentioned earlier, I re-mixed a new starter yesterday, put it in a different location, and it looked ok this morning. And I am following an entirely new way...daily stirring for a few days but no discarding yet.

While I was quilting away on the longarm today, Bonny Sour developed a slight yeasty wonderful smell! .

Now Lad, whom I just made today, is already doing something interesting.
@ronott1 you mentioned using a little ACV, and that set my thinker off.

Many many GF yeasted breads actually call for anywhere between a teaspoon to a tablespoon of vinegars. Usually ACV, but sometimes a really light champagne vinegar. The reasoning being that most GF breads do need some added acidity to bake up better. And it does make a difference. I, however, prefer lemon juice instead. And either one works.

While digging more yesterday I found someone in Canada who has an easy peasy method and says to add a little lemon juice on day one. Between the vinnegar suggestion, her lemon juice in the recipe, and my experiences with both for GF baking, the light bulb went off.
I also read up on tweaking the sourness of the sour with a wetter or dryer mix.

So, Lad had a little lemon juice added when made this morning. And everything looks fine, but I already have some liquid separation to the top, which is interesting. Looks just like pics I've seen of hooch. Hopefully I just made the mix a little too wet, and I'll stir it back in this evening.

 

[BullChick]

Minus the hot sauce, that is SO something I would do! I've been know to give kiddo a bowl of cereal with coffee in it instead of plant milk.

If I could eat either one I'd dig in for sure! They look good to me.

Red beets, yeah, I quit growing them.
Between those, picking berries, and the fabric dyeing I do, I'm always a walking crayola box.





Thank you both!
Wasn't in the mood to bake today anyway.

But hot sauce is so gooooood!

 

[SnapdragonQ]

But hot sauce is so gooooood!

To you maybe.
Snappy's face would melt off....

 

[BullChick]

Tomorrow it’s more biscuits… or rolls.

 

[AKMommaF8]

Just finished mine, and am now enjoying a large cup of hot coffee!!
My most cherished memories are growing up and my Grandpa making white bread and the entire house smelled like home. He taught me the way to tell if the bread is done is to thump it and if it sounds hollow its done!! I do that to this day.
I love making stuffed breads of all kinds, that is what is on the menu for Thanksgiving. I am having my family from Connecticut come down for the holidays here in AL and I am beyond thrilled to be able to cook for 18 people!! Normally it is me and my fiance and once a month my 17 year old step son comes home.

My new goal is to master both sour dough and cinnamon rolls, I found a recipe for pumpkin cinnamon rolls that I am excited about!!

My recipe for my basic bread dough is 5 ingredients and from the Grit magazine. If you are interested I will post if for you!!!!

I love to bake bread. I have TONS of recipes & continue to search for others...

This one's a good one. I have made it without the cheese and it's great!

This No Knead Skillet Bread is pillowy soft with a delicious crust, and only 5 ingredients. You'll never want to go back to store-bought bread after you try this simple recipe!


Servings: 12

Ingredients:

2 cups water warm

2 1/4 tsp instant yeast (1 packet)

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt or to taste

2 cups cheddar cheese shredded

Instructions;

In a large mixing bowl, mix the warm water with the yeast. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt and cheese until well combined. Dump the flour mixture into the large bowl with water and yeast. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, mix the dough until everything is well combined. Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside to rise for about one hour, or until doubled in size.

Generously oil your skillet, including the sides. Use a spatula to loosen the dough from the sides of the bowl and transfer the dough to the skillet. Use the spatula to even out the dough so that it fills the skillet. Cover the skillet with a kitchen towel, and set it aside to rise for another 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 450F (230C). Bake the bread for 30-45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Let the bread cool in the skillet for 10 minutes, then carefully remove it from the skillet and allow it to cool fully on a cutting board before slicing.

Notes:

I used a 10" cast iron skillet to make this recipe. If you use a smaller size, the loaf will end up taller. If you use a bigger size, the loaf will end up thinner.

You can make this bread without cheese for a plain loaf. You can also get creative and use ingredients that you would like in your bread. Spices, garlic, onion, hot peppers, dried fruit, etc are all great examples of ingredients you can use in your bread.

Always check the expiration date on your yeast and make sure it hasn't expired. All your yeast products whether it’s in a jar or a package should be stamped with a “Best if Used by” date. Always make sure you check this date, even when you purchase the yeast, who knows it could have been on the shelf past its expiry date.

To keep your yeast fresh and longer lasting, unopened yeast packages or jars should be stored in a cool or dry place such as your cupboard. However, you can also store your yeast in the fridge or freezer. If you do store it in the freezer and need to use yeast for your baking, make sure you take out the amount you need and let it sit at room temperature for at least half hour before using.

Once your yeast package or jar has been opened, you must refrigerate the yeast or freeze it in an airtight container.

One thing to remember about your yeast, is that it is a living organism and over time it will lose activity, even if you’ve never opened the jar or package. So if you don’t bake often, buy the smaller yeast packages rather than a big jar of yeast.

Why is my bread chewy: Usually your bread will be chewy when there isn't enough gluten formation or you're using a low-protein flour.

Why is my bread dense: Usually bread will be too dense when there is too much flour. Keep in mind this dough will be pretty sticky, do not add more flour than specified. Other factors that come into play are humidity and age of flour. Little yeast, long rise, sticky dough are keys to a good, light loaf.

I don't have a cast iron skillet, what can I use instead: If you don't have a cast iron skillet, you can use a Dutch Oven lined with parchment paper. A 4 quart Calphalon soup pot would also work.

How do I know when my bread is done baking: Tap the bottom! Take the bread out of the skillet, turn it upside down and give the bottom a firm thump with your thumb, or a knock and if it sounds hollow it's done. If using an instant thermometer, the internal temperature should be around 200 F degrees.

Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

 

[SnapdragonQ]

Tomorrow it’s more biscuits… or rolls.
View attachment 3030442View attachment 3030443

......melting

 

[Sally PB]

@AKMommaF8, I might have to try this with GF flour, see what happens. I know I might have to tinker a bit, but that's ok.

Do you have a picture of this bread?

 

[AKMommaF8]

I'll have to look. I may have taken a photo for my husband a while back.

The loaf comes out a nice golden, round loaf.

 

[Sally PB]

I have to admit, what got my salivary glands going was the 2 cups of cheddar in the recipe... Wow, that sounds good!