Bread Questions: Real Baking with Rose Levy Beranbaum

A New Bread Coming Soon
those of you who are avid sour dough bread bakers, start getting your starters ready because in a few weeks i’m going to post one of the best bread recipes i’ve ever tasted from the wonderful restaurant primo in maine. i’ve tested it every which way but lose and have to admit that price, baker/co owner, is 100% right when he said you have to have a starter for this bread to come out right. it’s a carmelized onion focaccia and you’ll LOVE it!

Manrique Question:
Dear Ms. Levy Beranbaum,

I recently bought a copy of The Bread Bible and I read it when I go to bed! I also try out some recipes, of course. Thank you for your such an interesting book.

I've been trying to make baguettes and I'm getting better at it. I do have a question regarding the scrap dough described on page 337. You describe the mixture as "very soft and sticky" but I find that 57.5 grams of flour plus 1.2 grams of salt do not get soft and sticky if I add two tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons of yeast water. Are the quantities that you indicate correct?

Thank you very much for your time.

Regards,

Rose Reply:
i notice you are writing from another country so i bet your flour has a higher protein content and is therefore absorbing more water. OR you are measuring and not weighing and getting more flour than i specified. either way, add more unyeasted water until you get the proper consistency.

Christine Question:
Hi Rose,

I love this new site. Thank you for all your hard work.

Here's my question. When I want to double a yeast bread recipe, should I also double the amount of yeast? One cookbook I consulted says you should double all the ingredients except the yeast. Maybe you've discussed this in "Bread Bible," (which holds an esteemed place on my bookshelf, by the way) but I haven't been able to find the answer.

Thank you!

Rose Reply:
thank you! i always double the yeast when i double the recipe. i have also read that less yeast is required when recipes are increased but i’m quite sure, especially from experience, that this refers to larger increases. yeast and bread dough seem to behave differently in larger amounts.

Cheryl Question:
Hi Rose;
I have baked from your books for years, and love the Cake Bible, and the Pie Bible and am working my way through the Bread Bible. I've loved everything but tonight I finished baking the panetonne and am somewhat disappointed on two accounts. One, it is barely sweet--almost a non-sweet taste, I would say--and second, the flor de sicilia (which I measured very carefully) has left the bread bitter. I did not alter the recipe at all and it rose beautifully and has a great texture. Is is possible that more sugar or corn syrup should have appeared in the recipe?

Thank you for your help.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Barbara Question:
If I use the mini paper molds (individual serving size) instead of the 6”x4” size, what adjustments in time do I need to make at step 8 (final shape and rise) and step 10 baking)?

Thanks very much. Your recipes are always the best ever!

Rose Reply:
smaller panettone bake for 25 to 35 minutes. since the unbaked dough will rise to almost 3 times its height, and it’s nice to have it rise a little above the paper liners during baking, i would fill them about ¾ full.

Joyce Question:
Hi, I have a recipe from a 1941 cookbook that calls for 1 cake of yeast. Can I use the fresh yeast sold in supermarkets are they the same weight now as then? Also what would be the measurement for active dry yeast?

Thanks for all your help. Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Rose Reply:

i can’t tell you the size of the cake of yeast but i can tell you about how much yeast to use in relation to the amount of flour in the recipe. also, i’m a great beliver in instant yeast. for 1 cup of bread flour use about ¼ teaspoon instant yeast. if using active dry add a tiny bit more. if using all purpose flour instead of bread flour use a scant ¼ teaspoon instant yeast. these proportions are for the basic hearth bread but if you’re making a bread with a lot of eggs and butter such as a brioche you will need to double the yeast

Lou Question:
Hi Rose,

First, let me start by telling you that I have all of the "Bibles" and they are fantastic. I have yet to have a recipe not come out perfect and I cannot thank you enough for that. Your cheescake and flourless chocolate cake are amazing and I have been asked countless times to make them for friends and co-workers. My new favorite is the Linzertorte. I have a bread question that I hope you can help me with.

My favorite bread is the Italian bread that is is found in all of the good bakeries (especially the ones in the Bronx). It is called a Bastone and it is torpedo shaped and covered with sesame seeds. I have searched high and low and cannot find a recipe for it. I have made your Ciabatta and Puglise and they were great, so I am hoping you might have a recipe.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this.

Regards,

Rose Reply:
thank you so much lou for your kind words. i’m sorry to disappoint you but this is not a bread that i have pursued. have you checked carol field’s book “the italian baker?” if she doesn’t have it i don’t know who would. do try the primo focaccia that i plan to post in a few weeks. i think it might make you forgive me for my lapse!

Sarah Question:
Hi! I made your chocolate chocolate chip bread twice and I think I'm doing something wrong. Everything goes really good until I add the second half of the cocoa paste in two additions. Once it is all incorporated the batter starts to look kind of grainy and possibly loses volume as well. The final product loses some butter which you can actually see almost condensing on the parchment paper used to line the loaf pan, and the flavor is almost a little watery. I followed the timing instructions exactly. Am I overbeating or something?
thanks,

Rose Reply:
it sounds to me like the butter is too cold and can’t stay in suspension. it needs to be soft but squishable (65 to 75 degrees F). it shouldn’t be too soft or warm either. as for the flavor being watery—i wonder what kind of cocoa you are using and perhaps you should try another as this quick bread is intensely chocolatey. try the organic green and black which is fantastic.

Betsy Question:
Dear Rose-- Love your Bread Bible.

Question: I have been trying to perfect the sacaduros and am running into a few snags.
The dough looks exactly like your drawings but the finished product does not look like the last drawing. I just don't feel like they poof up enough during baking. I have been baking bread for a long time so feel like I know what I am doing.

So my question is: do the rolls need to rise for a bit before you bake them, or only while you are getting the whole pan of them ready?

Also--what causes the outer part of the roll to be "too" hard?

Thanks a million.

Rose Reply:
at daniel they did not let them rise before baking but maybe since they were doing a larger quantity they started to rise by the time the last ones were done. it wouldn’t hurt to try letting them rise a little. is suspect that would solve the problem. i was there a couple of weeks ago and found myself giggling bc the saccadoros were so hard on the outside i had trouble breaking into them with my fingers! they are a special treat so they are not always available. now that you’ve made them you know why—they’re very labor intensive!

if you would prefer for them to be softer, you could add some oil to the dough. when i want to make softer hamburger buns from my basic heart bread recipe i just add ¼ cup oil for 1 pound/3 cups flour.

Mitch Question:
I have made your recipe for sacaduros rolls. They are delicious but I am having trouble in having them open up during baking. I think I am sealing it too much when I cross over the dough. Got any hints?

Rose Reply:
i’m thrilled to hear you’re trying this recipe as my editor and i deliberated long and hard as to whether to sacrifice so many book pages to it! please see my reply above re letting them rise a little after shaping and yes, seal a little less firmly as they won’t open if sealed too tightly.

From the kitchen of Rose on 12.02.05 at 4:55 PM in Bread Questions

Comments

it would surely help to dimple the bread before shaping it to prevent large holes.

Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | July 22, 2008 4:22 PM #

be sure your previous rises never goes over double or what recipe indicates. when this has been excedded, yeast is exhausted thus final rise won't be as high as indicated plus getting the characteristic flat top.

Reply to this Posted by: hector | July 5, 2008 11:18 PM #

Hi,
I was wondering why when i make bread after i shape my loaves and place them to raisse a second time does my bread rise but never double and my tops are flaat?

Reply to this Posted by: Melissa | July 4, 2008 11:15 AM #

It could be that you are not rolling the dough up tightly enough. There needs to be some tension in the dough while you are rolling it up and it's advised to pinch each turn to seal it before continuing. If you have The Bread Bible look at pages 66, 67, and 68 where it is well explained. Also, make sure you don't have too much flour on your work surface as the excess flour can form streaks in the dough which inhibit if from melding all together.

Reply to this Posted by: Annie | June 27, 2008 10:46 AM #

What causes large tunneling in bread? I developed a recipe for soft sandwich bread inspired by your Ricotta Loaf, but with wheat flour and no egg. The first time it was amazing. Since then when I tried a double batch or increasing the recipe,it has had huge tunnels. What could be causing this?

Reply to this Posted by: AS at Mediocre Chocolate | June 26, 2008 12:35 AM #

thanks. a very handy dandy link to have.

Reply to this Posted by: amy | May 30, 2008 6:58 PM #

Amy, if you are converting from ounces to grams or vice versa, you can use www.onlineconversions.com -- I use it at work when I am talking to a customer that lives in a "metric" country.

Reply to this Posted by: Barbara A. | May 30, 2008 4:36 PM #

Hi Amy, I am so sorry, but that is maybe the ONLY ONE project I haven't finished.

Now I use my Mac computer, it has built in widget software to do this.

Reply to this Posted by: Hector | May 30, 2008 1:47 PM #

Hector - somewhere in these myriads of postings, I read one from Rose to you regarding the creation of an excel worksheet to simplify the process of metric conversions. I wonder if you had (in your spare time, ha, ha) done it and if you'd be willing to share it.
I'm very poor in math and have to run to the internet each time I encounter this kind of problem.

Reply to this Posted by: amy | May 29, 2008 9:22 PM #

yes, make your own mix from the grains i suggested and you'll be much happier.

Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | March 8, 2008 4:34 PM #

Hi, Rose!
I just started making some breads from the bread bible recently (the basic white loaf and the tyrolean ten-grain torpedo). The white loaf was delicious, but the ten grain had no flavor. It is a beautiful loaf and very crunchy, but flavorless. I used a 10 grain hot cereal mix from bob's red mill. I followed the recipe pretty much verbatim. Can you give any input/help?
Thank you.

Reply to this Posted by: Annie | March 5, 2008 4:33 PM #

Mattie, that is great news! starters are the most lively things even when it doesn't seem so!

Reply to this Posted by: Hector | March 4, 2008 11:19 PM #

To Louise Allen & Hector- I wanted to report that my bread (French Country Boule) made from my "sluggish starter" turned out amazing! For the record, it took 5 days to turn this project from beginning to end, but it was well worth it! If I were camera and computer saavy, I would post photos--great crust, nice holes (not as large as the very active starter breads I have seen here, but impressive all the same!) And the taste was wonderful. My office staff enjoyed it too! Anyway, moral of the story--press on and have fun! I did! In the meantime, I am working on jump starting this sluggish starter. Hopefully it will do its doubling soon--I am ready for more sourdough! Thanks again for your encouragement and tips.

Reply to this Posted by: Mattie | March 4, 2008 9:50 PM #

Just found your site- looks fantastic!
Im hunting for a whole wheat crumpet recipe- any ideas where to find one?
Thanks!

Reply to this Posted by: Jennifer | March 4, 2008 1:15 PM #

Thank you! My starter for step 1 doubled after 24 hours! Because I hate to waste and love a challenge, I have "pressed on" and expanded a second time. After 10 hours it has doubled. I will refrigerate til tomorrow and proceed with bread. It smells wonderful and I am encouraged because of all your postings! I will also try to revive my starter with organic rye--good suggestion. I have had to revive it once before. For those of you regulars on this blog, forgive me & disregard my post on the sourdough starter section. I was impatient and wanted to capture the attention of someone who might be able to help me! Bread bakers are such awesome folks! Thanks again!

Reply to this Posted by: Mattie | March 2, 2008 8:20 PM #

Mattie, from 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup THERE IS activity! I get this every now and then, so no worries. To bring to speed a lazy starter, more active, keep feeding it each time it doubles, about 2 or 3 times, the starter will become more active (rising time will be faster each time). 78-90 degrees isn't necessary, plus what a pain to keep oven light on/off. Room temperature as low as 60 degrees will do, it may take about 12 hours to rise, just forget about the starter and come back to it after half day!

I live in the tropics so room temp is never an issue, but when I spent my winter in Italy, room temperature was 45 degrees, specially at night! What I do is keep my starter in my bedroom near my bed with me when I am sleeping, and during the day I would move it near the heater.

Here is my picture "sleeping with the starter," Torrebelvicino, VE, Italy

Louise, I keep 100 grams, too!

Reply to this Posted by: Hector | March 1, 2008 7:49 PM #

I sometimes have a problem when feeding a small aount of starter. I have tried with good success the suggestion posted elsewhere on this blog to use organic rye. It seems to help activate the starter.

Also, because I have a problem with small amounts, I tend to start with 100 g when feeding. Rose – what do you think about that?
Good luck and let us know if it works. Louise

Reply to this Posted by: Louise Allen | March 1, 2008 4:00 PM #

I think I have a dead starter! I am attempting basic sourdough from the BB with my starter birthed about a year ago via the BB. I am in the first part of expanding the starter (fed 25 g of starter with 50 g flour + water) yielding 1/3 rounded cup. After 7 1/2 hours it has barely risen to just under 1/2 cup. What do you suppose happened? The temperature where it is sitting to rise is in an oven with a light on (78-90 degrees) I turn the light on/off to control the temp. Do I need to birth a new starter? It has never risen to the level others I have seen on your site rise. Help!

Reply to this Posted by: Mattie | March 1, 2008 3:44 PM #

Hi Rose,

I made English Muffins from the Bread Bible last weekend. Can't believe how perfectly they turned out. This weekend I'm making bagels. But what I really want to make is Montreal-style bagels. Any advice on how to achieve good results? Can you suggest modifications to the Bread Bible bagel recipe? Thanks for all the great advice.

Reply to this Posted by: Danny Gellert | February 29, 2008 3:01 PM #

it was a long long time ago--king arthur. you should try googling if they no longer carry them.

Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | February 19, 2008 10:17 AM #

Do you recall your source for crumpet rings? I'm having a hard time finding the size specified in the BB--especially the correct height.

Reply to this Posted by: Matthew | February 19, 2008 9:48 AM #

Navaz, I love the tall layers, and also how you left the spatula marks which makes things looking delicious!

Reply to this Posted by: Hector | February 19, 2008 3:11 AM #

Navaz - I LOVE your cake! Your scroll work and borders are stunning, and I know it tasted fantastic!!!

Reply to this Posted by: Patrincia | February 18, 2008 3:43 PM #

Excellent job! You are talented.

Reply to this Posted by: Rozanne | February 18, 2008 10:34 AM #

i can't believe this is your first--brava!!!

Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | February 18, 2008 10:17 AM #

It is really stunning Navaz, especially the gold!

Reply to this Posted by: Matthew | February 18, 2008 10:06 AM #

Oops, I'm had trouble with posting a photo. Here it is! p.s.-- more pics at http://www.flickr.com/photos/16478775@N06/2273156011/

Reply to this Posted by: Navaz | February 18, 2008 2:19 AM #

Rose,
I just finished my first wedding cake ever (I even got paid for it)! The top 2 tiers were your white butter cake and the bottom was the chocolate butter cake, all filled w many pounds of strawberries and white chocolate ganache, and frosted with white chocolate ganache (which I have to add held up beautifully for 26 hrs with no refrigeration!). I "airbrushed" the filigree on the ganache with gold dust by blowing gold dust onto it through a straw so my line of fire would be more precise. The bride and groom said it was the best wedding cake they had ever had, and the restaurant that otherwise catered the wedding told me that people had asked them how they could buy more cake to take home, since they thought the restaurant had done the cake! Needless to say, after half the guests had seconds and some had thirds, there was no cake left at the end of the night. Now one of the guests has asked me to do her upcoming wedding too! Again, I owe it all to Rose and the unsurpassed taste of her cake recipes--so thanks, Rose!

Reply to this Posted by: Navaz | February 18, 2008 1:56 AM #

please do a search for cuisinart mixer on this blog as i know i've talked about this before. i would get the cuisinart instead of the kenwood but it's a toss-up between kitchen aid 6 quart and cuisinart 7 quart. they are both fantastic mixers but it really depends on what you do the most. on each of their sites they have all the features so you will be able to do a comparison.

Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | February 16, 2008 2:30 PM #

i really don't know what you did wrong or right(!!) but all I do know is that I made this bread from the same website following the same instructions and mine turned out perfectly, SORRY! I am also quite a novice with breadmaking by hand but was intrigued by the recipe and the video and I was quite pleased with my loaf, nice flavour and very crusty. However, it wasn't my favourite bread so I have not repeated it since. I know there is a lot of information on this site to help you so you'll not be without hints and tips for next time you attempt it1

Reply to this Posted by: Jeannette | February 16, 2008 9:43 AM #

Russ, you'll find plenty of information about this bread by searching this blog. Here is a place for you to start reading:

http://www.realbakingwithrose.com/2006/12/noknead_balloon_bread_loaf_10.html

Reply to this Posted by: Matthew | February 16, 2008 3:02 AM #

Has anyone tried the New york times No-Knead bread??? To me the finished pictures looked really, really good, nice crusty crust, moist and airy interior and looked delicious, and I saw the recipe posted on various baking web sites, stating that this was a good bread recipe for beginners. So, being a beginner and wanting a GREAT bread dough recipe, I thought I'd try this one. I did and the proccess was not as expected so, before I try it again I need to know what I did wrong or if what I did was right, yea right, the raw dough just seemed to hard, actually to soft to work with, it was a like thick sticky glue. I followed the recipe measure by measure, mix by mix, and Knead by Knead which I didn't have to do for this bread recipe, which is good I guess. I did let it sit for 18 HOURS, MAY I REPEAT 18 HOURS, on my counter, covered, at room temp., as instructed, after which, the recipe instructs you to place the dough on a floured board. I think I failed at this point, but probably during the mixing. I had to pour or scrape the thick gooey, very stickey dough onto my cutting board, like some really wet Play-do. I didn't know if this was what it was suppose look or feel like, since there was no pics of the uncooked dough on any web sites. The recipe says QUICKLY form it into a ball and put onto well floured, non-terry clothed towel. Well I QUICKLY TRIED..... and TRIED...... to form it into a ball, but COULDN'T, how do you form a dough that has the consistancy of Elmer's glue into a BALL? It kept spreading out like a really thick glue or waterey plaster, if it was red it could of been " THE BLOB" and the dough stuck to my hands so much, even though they were covered with flour, that if I put my hands in the oven I could of made bread gloves. It was like a GOO that formed it's own shape, I couldn't form nothing, no ball, no loaf, no rolls. There I was thinking with this goo dough stuck on my hands, is this what the dough is supposed to be like. I wasted a lot of the dough trying to get it onto the floured towels and then thinking, how am I going to bake this *#**. I needed some pics, of the pre-baked dough to know if I or the dough was right. Imagine, me in the kitchen with dough/Blob covered hands, trying to read the recipe, to see what I have to do next with the BLOB or needing something out of the cabinet, or needing to scratch some body part and can't touch NOTHING, thank god I pre/heated, and still thinking, this dough's not right, but let me finish, maybe it's supposed to be like this, after all there is no pics of the raw dough. Then the recipe said to QUICKLY form a ball out of the dough and place it in a WELL FLOURED TOWEL, and cover with another well floured towel, non terry cloth. Well the dough did not rise, just spread and even though I had the towels really covered with flour it stuck to both towels I could not get all of the dough off of the towels. Can any one tell me what I did wrong with this recipe, because obviously I did something wrong or if I did this right, let me know so, I won't try this recipe again.
Only kidding, please if you have ANY good bread recipes or know what I did wrong with this one let me Know and thanks in advance for any Info. LET'S BAKE PEOPLE...KNOW WHAT YOU EAT...

Reply to this Posted by: Russ | February 16, 2008 2:14 AM #

I'm looking to buy a new stand mixer at the moment, after my own broke down. I'm Interested in either a Kenwood or Kitchenaid, and as one of the few who have actaully used both, which would you recommend? The Kenwood seems to have better specs but the Kitchenaid carries a reputation. I am also living in Australia so the range is slightly limited.

Many Thanks :)

Reply to this Posted by: Lauren | February 15, 2008 8:07 PM #

Real Baking with Rose Levy Beranbaum

This scratch baking blog, featuring baker and cookbook author Rose Levy Beranbaum, is an online journal of Rose’s baking adventures, cooking tips, and scratch recipes. Her cookbooks include Bread Bible, Pie and Pastry Bible, Rose’s Christmas Cookies, Passion for Chocolate and The Cake Bible.

Bread Questions

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