Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with bread

bread baking question

colfax — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 07:32:26 -0800

I'm new to bread making. I want to make bread that is not so dense and has regular, medium-sized air bubbles in it. Can you help me? I've been learning how to make plain white bread. I'm not using a bread machine, just an oven. The bread's been turning out okay. But it's pretty close to cake or quick breads, texture-wise, and I'd like to make something less dense. How do I make white bread that has regular, medium-sized bubbles in it? Sort of like ciabatta bread, I think, but not necessarily with holes that are that large.

Knead help converting a bread machine recipe to an oven.

kimberussell — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 13:20:09 -0800

My grandmother's in heaven, my bread machine is in the trash and my family can't wait to have Easter Bread next weekend. Help me successfully get this recipe back in the oven where it originated. My Italian granny used to make what she called "Easter Bread" every year until she passed away 10 years ago. It's a sweet bread. Her "recipe" consisted only of a scrawled list of ingredients. After she passed I messed around with my bread machine and those ingredients until I came as close as I could to her recipe. Since then I make 5 or 6 loaves of this bread for my family every Easter, and they are pleased.

BUT ... my bread machine has broken and my budget doesn't allow for the replacement that I want for a while. Shamefully, I've never made bread before without one and Easter is fast approaching. (You can hear Mom-Mom laughing at me now, right? I sure do.)

I'd look for another conventional recipe, but other Italian Easter bread recipes online have almonds, raisins, or orange/citrus flavoring. They also mention braiding the dough around dyed eggs. All of that is intriguing to me, but my family is fond of the plain loaf.

This weekend I plan on testing the recipe but before I start wasting ingredients, I have some questions for the experienced bakers here.

1) I don't even own a loaf pan. What size conventional loaf pans should I buy?

2) The recipe makes a single 1.5 lb loaf, but my bread machine loaves were tall and squat. Would the below recipe make two "normal" loaves?

3) After mixing the dough, how long should I let it rise? Do I let it rise twice?

Here's the bread machine recipe in case anyone is curious...

Ingredients:
3/4 cup warm whole or 2% milk
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 or 3 teaspoons anise flavoring, as desired
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup soft room temp. butter
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Put ingredients in the bread maker on the sweet bread setting, medium crust, 1.5 lb loaf.

When bread is finished, cool, glaze if desired and bring to Easter dinner, where everyone ignores the tell-tale bread machine hole in the bottom of the loaf and tells you that Mom Mom would be so proud of you for keeping up this tradition.

Any tips or tricks you can offer would be well-appreciated. Thanks!!

Brotforms: Yay or nay?

Kitteh — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 13:27:19 -0800

Well, our wild yeast sourdough starter was a raging sucess. We're keeping it in the downstairs fridge, feeding it once a week. But it does it need a special brotform bowl come baking time? Of course, this means I have to bake more. I don't mind. But when going through the whole rigamarole of prepping sourdough loaves, the cookery book--The River Cottage Handbook--recommends using a brotform (scroll down to equipment).

Well, brotforms seem to a bit more costly than I can afford to buy right now. But does it make a difference for the finished product? If you don't recommend nor use one, how do you hack it? I used a pair of regular bowls in combination with tea towels this past weekend for our inaugural loaves, and while fine, it pretty much borked my tea towels no matter how well floured they were.

What bread-making equipment do you recommend? (We've a pretty well-stocked kitchen but bread-making is a new venture for us.)

How are commercial breadcrumbs made?

dontjumplarry — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 22:45:59 -0800

You know those fine breadcrumbs you buy in a box from the supermarket? How are they made? Do they bake bread specifically for it then blend it up, or do they use the leftover scraps from the bread factory? Or use bread that's past its sell buy date?

Should I bake my own bread?

jaguar — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 17:31:13 -0800

I absolutely hate baking. I really love good bread. No vendor in my area has good bread. Should I try making bread? My absolute ideal bread is "When Pigs Fly" bakery's Six-Grain and Pumpkin Seed bread. My runner-up would be a good, chewy sourdough. Are these reasonable goals for a non-baker? Any recipes or suggestions?

wild things

leigh1 — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 09:38:05 -0800

I would like to serve my guests bread prepared with fermented wild yeast (wild wheat yeast+spring water, fermented). Are there any safety concerns I should be aware of? My guests include older people, people taking medicines, children and nursing mothers.

Jelly time!

I'm Doing the Dishes — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 14:08:18 -0800

What else can I put jelly on, besides bread or crackers? We got some great homemade jelly for Christmas, but don't eat much bread or cracker type stuff. What are some other options?

Looking For Not so Sweet Sweet Potato Recipes.

wwax — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 09:49:35 -0800

Help needed with sweet potato side dish recipes We are going to the in-Laws on Christmas day for lunch, my MIL is doing a lovely baked ham and asked me to bring some side dishes, which I am more than happy to do but as I am cooking a full on 3 course roast dinner Christmas eve for my family I would like to simplify things as much as possible.

I am looking for super simple sweet potato dishes that are not super sweet with added sugars and marshmallows and the like, but that wouldn't strange for very old fashioned Mid Western tastes. The one time I tried serving them sweet potatoes done simply cut up and roasted in the oven they thought it was weird, so I am guessing some sort of casserole.

Something that could be made a day or 2 a head and reheated would also be great, or with left over roasted sweet potato from the night before even better.

Bonus Question: Is it possible to keep a basic homemade yeast bread dough in the fridge for a day or 2 before use so I can just knock out some fresh dinner rolls in the morning before we go?

A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou.

lea724 — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 07:46:41 -0800

Can you recommend a sandwich bread? I eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch most days of the workweek. I finally found a bread that worked perfectly for me, which was Nature's Pride (made by Hostess), alternating between the whole grain and the multi-grain. Now that that brand is no longer going to be made, I'm asking you all for a new recommendation.

What I liked about Nature's Pride was that the bread wasn't too small in size and that it was a little bit chewy even after being toasted. Likewise, a light toasting wouldn't dry it out.

I live in Orlando, Florida, so I'm looking for a recommendation for bread that can be found in the grocery story aisle of Publix, since that's where I shop.

Anybody have any recommendations? Thanks.

Please Riseth So I Can Eateth

ohmansocute — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 18:18:51 -0800

I made a basic bread from scratch and am at the end of the first rise- only it hasn't risen very much. My book says it may be from not adding enough water during the mixing stage- but I want to know if I can save it at this stage (after first proof).

Large and flat or small and tall?

queens86 — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:44:40 -0800

What size dutch oven should I buy? I stumbled across the no-knead bread recipe online and really want to try and make it. I only have two large stock pots, one le creuset and one calphalon non-stick, both of which don't belong to me and are expensive so I don't want to risk ruining them.

I like to cook in general and would like to get one that's a good size for general cooking as well as the bread. I usually just cook for my boyfriend and I, and I don't mind having some leftovers, but I'd prefer enough for 2-3 meals afterwards and not have to eat the same thing all week (my boyfriend doesn't eat them usually). We own a 3-quart slow cooker and I definitely do not find it too small- it's just about the right size.

I know the no-knead bread recipe calls for a 6-8 quart dutch oven, but I have seen lots of people say this size produces a flat loaf and if you want a taller loaf to use a smaller pot. I'm debating between this version and the larger, six quart version. I am a little worried that the 4.5 quart will be too small to do anything practical in besides the bread, and I don't want to spend that much money on a one-use piece of cookware.

What do you think? Do any of you cook successfully for two with a 4.5 quart or smaller, or have any of you made no-knead bread and liked the results in the 6 quart?

Thanks!

Yes, they do need their legs

sparklemotion — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 14:40:06 -0800

Maggoty Bread that even an Uruk-Hai would love? A friend is hosting what appears to have become an annual Lord of the Rings marathon (yes, all 3 extended editions). The guests are helping out with the menu.

This year, I've been charged with "maggoty bread" (others are working on taters, rabbit stew -- meat is on the menu, grape tomatoes, apples, lembas, etc.)

I don't want to start an orc riot with my dish, so I'd like it to be yummy (if a little gross to think about). I'm willing to do just about any kind of bread: yeast breads, quick breads, brioches, etc. (but not sweetbreads) I'm thinking the "maggots" could be things like: wild rice, nuts, rosemary, etc.

Nothing in my normal repertoire pops out at me as something that would be perfect, or is close and just needs the addition of whole cashews or something, so I'm turning to the hive.

How would you make "maggoty bread"?

Best cheese toastie in the world?

Bigbrowncow — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 07:04:34 -0800

Cheese toastie filter: Please tell me about the best toasted cheese sandwiches in the world. I want to try some inspirational cheese toasties. Please give me you favourite recipes, cheese purveyors, bread, techniques and additional ingredients.

(I'm UK based with an excellent source of sourdough bread.)

Garlic bread from scratch?

sparklemotion — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 12:30:02 -0800

If you were going to make garlic bread from scratch (flour, yeast, water, garlic, butter, olive oil, salt, maybe cheese) what kind of bread would you use as the base? This Saturday will be an off-day from my current no-grains diet and I have am having a hankering for spaghetti bolonese and garlic bread*. The bolognese is already made and has been waiting in the freezer for just such an event, and while there are lots of easy paths to garlic bread, I feel like at least one part of this meal should be real work.

I've made bread before, relying heavily on The Bread Bible and Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. I probably won't got with an ABi5M recipe because the quanties are a bit much for a two-person household given our current diet.

I could probably (pantry willing) start a sponge or starter tonight (with multiple fridge rises to bake on Saturday) so I could pull off even the more convoluted recipes in The Bread Bible, the question is what kind?

Right now, I'm thinking:

1) French Baguette -- the shape is right, and it's what I would buy if I was making garlic bread on a more time compressed schedule. But, you know, it's French.

2.) Foccacia -- olive-oily and delicious -- but with garlic (and maybe cheese) added, will it be too much like pizza?

3.) Standard American White Loaf -- mainly because this isn't something that I'd normally bake, and I've seen some Wonderbread knockoff recipes that both intrigue and horrify me.

Sourdough is probably out because I don't really like it, and I don't have a "proper" starter available -- so it wouldn't be really sourdoughy anyways. I probably also don't want to do one of those roasted-garlic-baked-into-the-loaf things, because while roasted garlic is _delicious_, it's not the flavour profile that I have in my head right now.

Help me eat unhealthy, hivemind!

*Yes, I know the Italians sneer at North Americans who eat carbs with our carbs but this is an "I don't want to be right" kind of situation.

B-A-N-A-N-A bread recipe

guybrush_threepwood — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 21:41:45 -0800

WANTED: your finest banana bread recipe that doesn't require eggs. BONUS: the bread travels well in the US mail. TRIPLE WORD SCORE: the recipe requires yogurt. I would like to send some excellent banana bread to a faraway dear friend who is going through some rough times. Trouble is, I can't use eggs. I'm (sort of) housesitting until Sunday, and don't want to buy a whole dozen eggs only to use two for baking and leave 10 behind.

Also, it would be great if this recipe used yogurt, because there is a ton of it laying around these parts, getting more yogurty by the day. Also also, this bread should be able to withstand 2000 miles of overnight travel via USPS or UPS without turning into a crummy crumb pile.

Thanks everyone!

Sleeping in Switzerland

larthegreat — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 07:42:22 -0800

I am taking a last-minute, whirlwind tour of Switzerland from August 29-Sept 7th, and need budget lodging recommendations. Afforable lodging would be in the ~$100 per night range. I might be able to go up to $150, but that would start killing the food budget ($70-100 seems definitely doable for private rooms in hostels, but I'm overwhelmed by options)

I'm looking for hostel/hotel lodging recommendations for the following cities: Zurich, Geneva, Zermatt, St. Moritz and St. Gallens.

Given that we just dropped on a grand each on railpasses and flights, I realize that we're going to have to scramble to find cheap lodging- probably resorting to private rooms in hostels, doing a lot of hiking for our entertainment and eating a ton of cheese.

Right now, our only real desires are to do the glacier express from Zermatt to St. Moritz, and to do some hiking around Zermatt at the base of the Matterhorn. I've been to Geneva before, and while the lake is gorgeous, I've always found it a rather practical city. As we'll have rail passes, pretty much all of Switzerland is open to us- so random towns are definitely doable.

Dining/food recommendations would also be awesome. We're omnivores who love to cook, so the back up plan is to subsist on cheese, bread and wine.

Help me find the world's best banana nut bread

jefficator — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 08:54:52 -0800

I need to buy the world's best banana bread. I'm not looking for a recipe...I'm looking to have it mailed from a bakery to a friend. Where can I find this? When I search google, I can only seem to find recipes.

The nurse who helped care for my father in his last days mentioned her favorite food is banana nut bread. I would like to send her a wonderful loaf as a thank-you gift. I live in Denver and have given up on trying to bake here because of how many cakes the altitude has already ruined.

I am not looking for a recipe. I am looking for a bakery that ships cakes and breads.

Where is the best banana nut bread in the world that can be shipped to rural Alabama?

Thank you very much for your help!

Why does my wheat smell like beets?

apricot — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 18:45:06 -0800

Did my flour go bad? I have some wheat flour from a small local farm. I used it to make bread today and it has an odd smell. I'm wondering if it's still okay to use or if I'll be tripping like a medieval peasant if I eat it. The best way I can describe the smell is like beets. It's that same sort of earthy, sweet dirt smell that beets have. I used the flour two or three weeks ago and didn't notice a smell then, but I noticed it immediately today.

It has been stored in a glass jar with a gasket seal, and I have had it since the fall. According to the farm's website they grind wheat regularly throughout the year, so I think it was pretty fresh when I bought it. The farm also says this about their flour: "All our flour is unsifted whole grain. This means it contains more bran than most whole wheat flour you might buy in the grocery store. The bran is nutritious but it will also make things more crumbly."

Has anyone ever experienced this before? Does anyone have an idea what might be causing this smell? Should I get rid of it? I went ahead and baked a loaf with it, and the smell is totally gone now, but I'm worried about tasting it.

Does Wonderbread hurt my stomach?

peter1982peter — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:19:53 -0800

Help us settle a dispute. Is cheap, supermarket white bread made with finer flour than artisanal sourdough bread? And if so, does the fine white flour lead to more gastrointestinal upset because "it becomes glue in your stomach"?

Testing and Adjusting Water for Bread Baking

Quisp Lover — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:25:00 -0800

A would-be bread baker in northern Westchester county complains about lousy results, and says he suspects the local water. So: he's wondering how to test (and, if necessary, adjust) PH and mineral content. Any suggestions of ways to get started without paying big bucks to labs? His assumption that the water is affecting his baking may or may not be correct, but let's assume for the sake of argument it is (he's not looking for general bread baking advice, or to be convinced that water's not important).

Show me your stollen

otherwordlyglow — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:59:59 -0800

I need a good recipe for Stollen. I'd like to make Christmas Stollen and there are about a million recipes for stollen online. Obviously there are lots of different interpretations of it and many ways to do it "right" but I want a version as authentic as possible and am not scared by multi-day processes or ingredients that may take some searching to obtain. Ideally I like the recipe to include candied orange and lemon peel since I just made a big batch of that.

In the Literalist Kitchen - Lesson One

TryTheTilapia — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 11:52:06 -0800

I want to bake some whole wheat bread. So, I bought this whole wheat bread flour. But that was apparently a dumb thing to do. I want to make this recipe.

So, I very smartly purchased a metric ton (approximately) of whole wheat bread flour today at the grocery and realized upon arriving home that I might be about to make a giant wheat anvil rather than, say, a crusty, chewy, earthy loaf of bread-joy if I use it.

Can I use this whole wheat bread flour instead of whole wheat flour? I've searched around and the general consensus I've seen so far on the internets is that bread flour producers denser, chewier loaves and is best used in combination with AP white or wheat flours, but there is contradictory information about whether or not using vital wheat gluten is necessary if using bread flour. I am so confused.

So, can I use this bread flour in this recipe? Should I just use it as I would whole wheat flour? Should I omit the vital wheat gluten? Should I try a different recipe? I gladly will, but I'm still wondering about the vital wheat gluten question when using bread flour. I've read through the comments and the FAQ of the site but am not seeing an answer. I thought I'd ask the bakers around here if they had some advice before I write in ask the folks at Artisan Breads in Five.

For what it's worth, I have a lot of cooking experience and can bake but am not what you'd call an accomplished baker by any stretch of the imagination. Obviously. Thanks to all.

Let's STOCK this pantry!

InsanePenguin — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 08:50:43 -0800

What baking staples should I have on hand? My wife and I were given a Kitchenaid stand mixer for our wedding, and I'm totally stoked to have it and start doing real weekly baking. I hate running out to the store to get ingredients every time I find that I need them, so I need to know what kinds of things I should buy in bulk. If I want to make, say, molasses cookies at the drop of the hat I don't want to suit up and run to the store.

Things I intend on making include, but are definitely not limited to: Cookies, cupcakes, real cakes, breads (SO MANY BREADS,) muffins, et al. You know, the basics.

I'm okay with having to run out to get blueberries and bananas for blueberry banana nut bread. I'm okay with having to pick up things that will go bad, like blueberries and bananas. I just need to know what to grab in bulk that will keep.

Thanks in advance, if I could I would make every one of you guys delicious bread.

(Favorite baking recipes are acceptable answers, too!)

3/8" to 1/2" Berkel (MB) Bread slicer change in NYC?

defenestration — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 12:31:23 -0800

I may be purchasing a used Berkel bread slicer — the model is MB (it may be MBSS, since the whole model is stainless steel). It currently has a 3/8" slice size. I need it changed to a 1/2" slice size. Do you have a recommendation for a service center in or around NYC that could do the job well without breaking the bank? We are purchasing the slicer used to save money — hence the incorrect slice size. We could just buy a new slicer with the correct slice size, sure, but I'm trying to figure out what would make more sense economically.

I've already contacted these two companies:

Hobart
New York, NY Branch
11-02 35Th Ave.
Long Island City, NY 11106
phone: 718-545-2240

Independent
BERKEL OF NEW YORK INC.
41-12 DITMARS BLVD.
ASTORIA, NY 11105
phone: 718-937-1133

...since they were listed on Berkel's website.

Tomato Soup Recipe from Bread restaurant in nyc

mjcon — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 18:22:50 -0800

A couple years ago I ate at a restaurant called Bread in NYC. I believe this is the restaurant. They had mindblowingly awesome tomato soup. Do you know the recipe this restaurant uses? I remember it being a little more marinara sauce-like than other tomato soups. I just made a soup very similar to this, which is good, but not the same. Has anyone had the soup from Bread? Any ideas how it is made?