Any Bakers Here?

[jwcarlson]

A couple sourdough loaves this morning.  Overnight ferment.

Normal loaf with bread flour

 

50/50 whole wheat/bread flour

 

Anyone else bake?

[Guppysnail]

I did for many years before I shattered my wrist. I loved baking bread above all. The smell that infused the house just felt like a giant hug. Very reminiscent of my my youth. 
Making bread bowls for soup was a family thing before bread bowls became mainstream. 
What time is serving?  I’ll be right over 🤗

[jwcarlson]

On 12/3/2023 at 8:13 AM, Guppysnail said:

 What time is serving?  I’ll be right over 🤗

I need to get the pork butt on the smoker, so about 10 hours.

Does your wrist injury prevent baking?  Or just grow out of it a bit?  I am fairly seasonal.

[Guppysnail]

On 12/3/2023 at 9:33 AM, jwcarlson said:

I need to get the pork butt on the smoker, so about 10 hours.

Does your wrist injury prevent baking?  Or just grow out of it a bit?  I am fairly seasonal.

Yes it prevents. I had 3 plates 2 did not hold. So I have a healed non Union leaving a space in the long bone.  Too much kneading or whisking and it swells like a balloon. 
I actually tried a bread maker but it was not the same.  It may have been my imagination but did not yield the quality I was accustomed to.  
The older I get into my senior years the less energy I have. Being retired allowed me to expand my fish hobby but that also gobbled up my ever decreasing available energy. 
I used to grow most of my own produce and herbs and several imported strains garlics that I used to make specialty flavored breads. Store bought degrades the flavor enough to make it not as enticing also. 
My fish fry took the space I did my hydroponic herbs 🤣

I passed everything on to my niece. She is still young but each year she enjoys the traditions of baking more so hopefully she will uphold the mantle and start regularly bringing me home baked yummies. 
 

My latest X-ray of what my wrist “healed” to

[jwcarlson]

That's really too bad, @Guppysnail.  😞

I don't knead my sourdough, just stretch it a few times before I put it in the banneton.  Could do the initial mixing in a mixer and stretch it after, I suppose.

Bread machine is absolutely nowhere near as good as hand made.  I have a buddy who was making all sorts of bread with a bread machine, which is perfectly fine.  But I told him he was born with the only two bread machines he needed and he was shocked at the difference.  

I grow my own garlic too!  Focusing mainly on clove and bulb size/density.  I think this is comsidered German red or purple.

[Guppysnail]

I worked with all hardneck garlic. I found the purple strains to give the most flavor depth. My all time favorite was Music. I loved slow roasting it in olive oil. It gave such warmth to bread dipping oil.  That is what I simply didn’t just eat roasted 🤣

[jwcarlson]

Yes, this is hardneck.  I ferment it in honey and also make some black garlic.

[Guest]

I only bake pastries but not often, and, I'm not a pro... Looks delicious though, if I could get my hands on it, it'd be gone before you can say "I baked this myself"

[Tanked]

On 12/3/2023 at 10:01 AM, jwcarlson said:

I have a buddy who was making all sorts of bread with a bread machine, which is perfectly fine. 

The wife of one of my buddies is constantly telling us about the wonderful bread he makes.  I feel obligated to remind her that the bread machine made the bread!

I need to use that heat twice so most of my baking is also seasonal.  I love sourdough, but keeping a starter alive has always been a problem, so I usually settle for a quick beer bread. One bottle for the bread and one for me!

[DaveO]

I don't bake, but my lovely wife does. She make a fantastic whole wheat bread that I love. She makes many types of bread, but that's my favorite. She also bakes lots of pastries,  cookies and such. I avoid all of those now that I'm getting old. The pounds are added easily now.

[Tanked]

I was searching the net for a recipe that was both idiot proof and sized for making a single pizza.  I got side tracked and began watching a video describing various types of starters including a natural sourdough.  You make it the usual way,  but the starter has to find its own yeast spores.  I was wondering if anyone has done this.

[jwcarlson]

I haven't, but you can start a sourdough starter "from scratch" and it just picks up everything it needs to get going.  But I think it takes awhile.  You can also ferment alcohol that way, though I've never tried as it can also produce "off" flavors.

[Tanked]

It just occurred to me that in all the years I worked in the winery, I never thought of trying wine yeast. 

I've made many starters over the years, but have problems keeping them.  

[madmark285]

On 12/3/2023 at 9:40 AM, Guppysnail said:

Too much kneading or whisking and it swells like a balloon. 

A Kitchen Aid mixer with a dough hook solves that problem. Get a scale and use recipes by weight, baking become so easy with little mess. Just weigh and mix in the mixer bowl.

 

[Guppysnail]

On 12/6/2023 at 11:54 AM, madmark285 said:

A Kitchen Aid mixer with a dough hook solves that problem. Get a scale and use recipes by weight, baking become so easy with little mess. Just weigh and mix in the mixer bowl.

 

I actually have one.  It’s not the same. It gives me the same food but I really think the doing it by hand was my comfort attraction. 

[madmark285]

On 12/6/2023 at 11:58 AM, Guppysnail said:

doing it by hand was my comfort attraction. 

For myself, I learn how to bake in a restaurant and donut shop. I don't have the patience to knead dough by hand. The pizza dough recipe I use says knead the dough for a full 15 minutes, that's a long time. 

I even made a proofing box using PVC sheets. 

[madmark285]

On 12/5/2023 at 10:11 AM, Tanked said:

I was searching the net for a recipe that was both idiot proof and sized for making a single pizza. 

Try pizzamaking.com , here one for New York style pizza. When I make them, I make 20 ounce dough balls which is perfect for my pans size. Most of the recipes there will say how much for one pizza.

For cold rising in the refrigerator, I use 1/2 sheet commercial pans with a plastic cover. Letting the dough slowly ferment a few days in the fridge improves the flavor for all breads. 

[Tanked]

On 12/6/2023 at 12:27 PM, madmark285 said:

Try pizzamaking.com , here one for New York style pizza. When I make them, I make 20 ounce dough balls which is perfect for my pans size. Most of the recipes there will say how much for one pizza.

For cold rising in the refrigerator, I use 1/2 sheet commercial pans with a plastic cover. Letting the dough slowly ferment a few days in the fridge improves the flavor for all breads. 

 

On 12/6/2023 at 12:20 PM, madmark285 said:

For myself, I learn how to bake in a restaurant and donut shop. I don't have the patience to knead dough by hand. The pizza dough recipe I use says knead the dough for a full 15 minutes, that's a long time. 

I even made a proofing box using PVC sheets. 

I've never make it for the whole 15 minutes.  My latest endeavor was making a poolish pizza.  It was an improvement, but still not right.  The starter actually worked but but the results didn't carry over to the rest of the crust.    You mentioned cold rising for a few days, so now I'm going to have to learn a new level of  patience. ...and buy a peel. 

 

[madmark285]

On 12/6/2023 at 12:57 PM, Tanked said:

..and buy a peel. 

I never master using a peel, 1/2 the pepperoni end up in flames on the bottom of the oven.

I use an aluminum pizza pan which I place on top of the hot stone.  After a few minutes when the crust starts to cook, I slide the pizza off the pan on to

the stone. When done, I just remove the stone with the pizza on it, it will continue to cook the crust. 

 

[Shadow]

I was a chef for almost 20 years, a pastry chef for nearly a decade and artisan bread baker for almost 5 years. I assume those are boules you were rolling @jwcarlson? 

Some of my work...

[jwcarlson]

I don't even know what a boule is, @Shadow!

[Tanked]

On 12/6/2023 at 5:38 PM, madmark285 said:

I never master using a peel, 1/2 the pepperoni end up in flames on the bottom of the oven.

I use an aluminum pizza pan which I place on top of the hot stone.  After a few minutes when the crust starts to cook, I slide the pizza off the pan on to the stone. When done, I just remove the stone with the pizza on it, it will continue to cook the crust. 

 

A cookie sheet peel also resulted in flying pepperoni for me.  My two work arounds for the unpeeled, is the skillet pizza, and actually laying the crust on the hot stone before adding ingredients.   I serve on the stone to keep the pizza hot. 

@Shadow Had life taken a different direction, I would have gladly been a Chef/Baker.  Your pictures definitely got my sugar addiction going!  Now that I have the time, there aren't enough people around to eat the product.

[madmark285]

On 12/6/2023 at 6:38 PM, Shadow said:

a pastry chef for nearly a decade

My personal favorite which I make every Christmas, Cherry danish. Yep, making the dough is alot of work but danish still warm from the oven is so good. 

[KoeIC]

If I'm not doing fish stuff on my free time, I just recently (maybe 6 months) began my own small baking business! To my surprise, it's become very popular. I LOVE baking in the kitchen. I have been way too scared to start sourdough as it has become very popular lately. I have done a lot of cheesecakes, cupcakes, cakes, anything you can imagine. Just selling to friends and family to make some side money. I especially have needed the funds to support my fish children! lol 🤣

Edited December 8, 2023 by KoeIC

[KoeIC]

On 12/7/2023 at 10:18 AM, madmark285 said:

My personal favorite which I make every Christmas, Cherry danish. Yep, making the dough is alot of work but danish still warm from the oven is so good. 

When I think of a danish, this is what I think of…

Are these what you do or are they something else? They sound delicious!