Real Baking with Rose Discussion Forums

milk

2013-06-14T18:06:12-05:00

I had my first stab at making a loaf today..I did a simple cinnamon raisin bread, which called for milk. What is the difference btn water and milk? I just wonder if the lactose in the milk/acidity, alters the dough when it’s made. Is it just to make the dough sweeter.

doubling recipe for raisin bread

2013-06-10T05:55:09-05:00

Has anyone doubled a bread recipe with success. I am specifically questioning if the cinnamon raisin bread recipe from the bread bible can be doubled. This was a wonderful recipe and I wanted to bake 4 loaves instead of 2 as the recipe states. New to this site but familiar with Rose’s books which are very technical but results from her recipes have been good. I have tried to research the book for the answer to this question but have been unable to find the answer. I know in the cake bible the pound cake recipe which is wonderful states do not double. Your help would be appreciated.

I’m not doing it right…...

2013-06-08T11:35:50-05:00

I’m trying to use a bread machine to make bread. I just don’t have the time to do it the old school way. However I am using a variation on the basic white recipe and it just isn’t working right.

1.5 c hot water
2 tsp yeast
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
(here’s where it changes)
2 c white flour
2 c wheat four
(recipe calls for 4 c white)

The problem I’m getting is that the bread doesn’t raise correctly. I get a 2lb loaf of very dense bread. It is an upright machine and I don’t know if that has any bearing on it, but I’m looking for some advice or anything I can try to get the bread to be lighter. I realize that I changed the recipe and there are things at play in the mix that I really don’t know about.

Any advice is really appreciated.

Thanks.

Cracked Wheat Loaf

2012-08-30T13:11:34-05:00

So, I took a loaf of a cracked wheat based on Rose’s recipe to someone at work. He complained that it tasted like wheat.

Toasting Freshly-Baked Bread Slices

2013-05-06T21:07:45-05:00

The crust will be torched before the crumb is browned. Stands to reason: the crust is very dry and starts to brown well before the moist crumb. The moisture will probably even out within a few hours. Just thought you’d like to know.

Sourdough

2013-04-16T19:49:35-05:00

I find that after a few months away from something, I come back to it with a greater clarity of thought. I had gotten burned out with the labor intensiveness of sourdough bread, so I hadn’t touched it in 6 months or so. After I spent a week bringing it back to life, several things were now obvious to me:

1) Spending all day waiting on sourdough to rise is absurd; most often, I couldn’t and ended up stopping at various points in the preparation and slamming the dough in the refrigerator until the next day. Hard to produce a consistent product that way.
2) Trying to mix the dough for one loaf in the mixer is silly; the hook just won’t grab it.
3) Rather than trying to fiddle with the dough to make it conform to the expectations of the recipe, I should make the dough like I want it and adjust my expectations.

So I spiked the dough with a small amount of commercial yeast, just 1/2 %, but that was enough to get a two hour first rise and two hour proof. Although I was able to get a two-hour first rise, I did 3 folds every 30 minutes before I started the clock on the two hours, so it was really 3 1/2 hours. I also did the initial mixing of the dough in the food processor, which took, at most, 10 seconds.

I’ve posted the pics below, and I’m generally pleased with the results. The crumb looks nice, with pretty big holes (maybe too big), not bad for only 67% hydration. The process now happens fast enough that I think I can generate this result every time. No doubt the sourness isn’t as strong with the faster rise, but I prefer a mild taste anyway. If I wanted it stronger, I’m sure I could increase the amount of starter.

wholemeal bread wont rise (can i get some advice please)

2012-09-29T08:17:25-05:00

Hi there guys,

Big hi from sunny devon/uk

new to baking bread and needed some advice if imay please?

my white loaf is turned out really nice but when i try to make a wholemeal loaf it comes out like a brick and i dont know why.

some one did say i may need to add some Gluten flour or been told another name is vital wheat gluten but i cant seem to find any in my local shop can anyone give me some advice please??

do you think this could be why my whole meal loaf wont rise?

Cook’s Country Dakota Bread

2013-04-06T10:59:34-05:00

I love Dakota bread, so I was very happy to get this recipe in my email: http://www.cookscountry.com/recipes/Dakota-Bread/39877?Extcode=L3DN1AA00

However, it is written for people with stand mixers, and I don’t have one.

Can a super bread person explain, generally, how to translate these particular bread hook instructions to hand instructions? I’ve made bread before, so I can guess, but I didn’t know if maybe something jumped out to someone who has done it both ways.

Also, if any experienced bread bakers could mention if they thought this recipe would work well or not, I’d sure appreciate it. Sometimes, when you really know what you’re doing, something can jump out at you that a less experienced person wouldn’t notice.

Thanks!

—ak

How to make bread healthier

2012-05-10T09:40:18-05:00

While I’m no expert in bread making, I enjoy making it for my kids. I have Rose’s book and have had good success with it (I usually do the basic white sandwich loaf, banana feather loaf, sweet potato loaf, or cinnamon raisin swirl loaf). But I’d like to see if anyone has a recommendation for making the bread healthier. The biggest constraint we have, unfortunately, is money. I would so love a wheat mill, but can’t get one, so any whole wheat flour I have to buy already ground. I can reasonably easily do half whole wheat, half bread (or ap) flour, and I’m sure that will help. But I’d love any tips on anything else I can do or add (that isn’t terribly expensive) to make the bread healthier. Some of my kids are very picky eaters, but they all like bread, so I’d like to do what I can to get anything healthy I can in them. Recommendations?

Pizza stone

2010-06-05T20:25:43-05:00

Hi—

I made the focaccia from my last question and it worked out well with parchment! Now that I’ve done it with a pan, I want to try baking more bread with a pizza stone. I see a lot of bad reviews (smell, cracking, etc.). I don’t see a pizza stone that lots of people love, not even the one from Williams Sonoma. What do you think is the best pizza stone?

Tim