The Bread Thread

[ceeaton]

Went over to get an ingredient my brother just started using in his pizza dough. He said he got really good browning at a lower temperature. It is diastatic malt powder, which I'm familiar with. When I brew a batch of all grain beer, it is the enzymes in the husks that convert the starch of the barley malt grain to sugars when kept at a specific temperature (usually in the 145-155*F range for an hour or more).

I'm going to throw some in a normal pizza dough recipe I've been toying with and will post, hopefully tomorrow, how things work out. I've been struggling to get good browning on my crusts without raising the temps too high and scorching the crust.

I like to change one variable at a time to see if there is a significant improvement or not. My brother bought both diastatic and non-diastatic malt and was asking me the difference. The blurb below was exactly what I shared with him, amazed myself that I remembered anything about it. Guess it is like riding a bike...

--------------------

What is the difference between Diastatic malt powder and non Diastatic malt powder?

Function. The difference between non-diastatic malt and diastatic malt is the enzyme content or activity. Diastatic malt is not kilned, but dried at low temperatures to preserve its enzymatic activity. Non-diastatic malt is produced for its sweetening and coloring effect.

 

[ceeaton]

Darn rain, only rain in PA and it has to be over my house!

Turned the oven on 525 on the convection setting. Hoping it gets warm enough by 5:45 to cook the pizzas. Pizza stone is up to 450 and the steel 505, I think I'll be okay.

 

[Boatboy24]

You know the deal, pics or it didn't happen. Especially since you now have this souped up network.

 

[ceeaton]

You know the deal, pics or it didn't happen. Especially since you now have this souped up network.

Don't get the souped up network until Monday afternoon, assuming he can enter my MAC address and serial number and keep me from having to wait an hour on hold to call it in. Though I will have to admit the hard wired line to the DSL box is much better than the WiFi was.

Did four pizzas, had to do them inside, bummer. All turned out well. Just didn't get the browning I was expecting. I will say the crust flavor was excellent, used Sir Galahad (commercial version of King Arthur all purpose flour), overnight ferment, no tearing and a really soft dough to pull. I'll put some images over on the dinner thread.

 

[sour_grapes]

Whaddya think of this sourdough?




(No, of course I did not make this! It is from that authentic boulangerie that I have mentioned before! )

 

[ibglowin]

First stab at Sourdough Rye bread. 160gms dark rye flour. 750gms unbleached AP flour. 145gms sourdough leaven. 1TBS caraway seed in the dough and then additional sprinkled into the top and the banneton. Proofed overnight. Turned out great. Perfect amount of caraway. Rueben sandwiches later today!

 

[sour_grapes]

Another focaccia attempt. This was half whole wheat/half KA bread flour. I cooked it on the grill in a cast-iron frying pan. It was pretty nice, not quite as good as my last focaccia effort. I do find this focaccia thing easier than regular bread!

 

[ceeaton]

Pulled out the KettlePizza after the rain ended around 4:30. Every time I think of cooking pizza outdoors, it rains...go figure.

First pizza was my dough (a sourdough w/Trump unbleached high gluten flour) following my normal dough recipe. Gave to a neighbor, looked and smelled pretty good.

Second was my brothers dough, made with a crazy method I've shared with a few here. The dough is very soft, very easy to pull into a pie shape, but when it hit the hot stone it was stuck. The result was an interesting shaped pizza and some burnt cheese on my cordierite pizza stone. The crust was excellent, might be the best one I've cooked on the grill. You can see the wrinkles on the bottom crust shot where it acted like an accordion.

Other neighbor was having a cookout, so didn't want a pizza. Took her dough (also sourdough crust recipe) and made a pan shaped loaf. Kitchen smells pretty wonderful right now. Might have to toast a slice tomorrow morning and slather it with some philly cream cheese. Forgot to take a picture and I'm too lazy to go take one right now.

 

[sour_grapes]

More focaccia since having been turned on to this! This was 1/2 whole wheat, 1/2 KA bread flour. Made with fresh basil, and cooked on the grill. Honestly, I have not had any yet because we made too much for dinner, but it looked yummy.

 

[Boatboy24]

Made some sourdough English Muffins from this morning's discard. Of course, Egg McMuffins had to follow.

 

[sour_grapes]

I am really stuck (in a delicious way) on focaccia. Last night I started another loaf of half whole wheat/half KA bread flour dough, mixed with LOTS of fresh shredded basil. I cooked this on a grill at ~450F (hard to know exactly). Thankfully, I got this done before the rains came as will be described in the dinner thread.

 

[bstnh1]

Made some sourdough English Muffins from this morning's discard. Of course, Egg McMuffins had to follow.

View attachment 64520

View attachment 64521

Are you willing to share the recipe for the English Muffins???? They look great!

 

[Kraffty]

I'm in love with the focaccia also. Already plotting next weekend's version. Maybe some additional herbs inside or some Parmesan added.

 

[Boatboy24]

Are you willing to share the recipe for the English Muffins???? They look great!

https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/collections/sourdough-discard-recipes

 

[bstnh1]

https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/collections/sourdough-discard-recipes

Thank you!!!

 

[Kraffty]

A friend of mine is also a bread baker and he sent me a Sourdough starter recipe and sourdough bread recipe he swears by so off in search of ingredients I went. Baking supplies are still in short supply around here, neither walmart or Fry's had any of the standard or generic brands of whole wheat or bread flour on the shelves.... None.... zero..... Nada. As I was about to give up and start searching on line I found the Bob's Red Mill display in a different area, 5 lbs Whole wheat around $5.00, 1-1/2lb Semolina (for my pizza) and Blue Bird flour was the closest I could find to bread flour 7.00 for 10lbs. I researched it afterward and see it's a popular brand in the four corners states and saw the usual mix of on line reviews mostly good though mixed on whether to use it for bread or not. Something about the protein levels being low which I know nothing about.

He also sent a recipe for ciabatta that starts with a sponge that starts 25 to 36 hours before mixing the dough which I'll start tomorrow for dinner on Saturday, hopefully.

Lastly a question. Does anyone here freeze their flour to kill off any Weevils or eggs that may be inside. I've read of this but never had a problem although I have had the problem a couple of times with packages of dried pasta.

 

[ibglowin]

Lots of Blue Bird to be had here in Northern NM including right here in little LA. I have used before. I was pleased with my results (pizza dough). I keep looking for KA since that is what is impossible to find in these parts. And everyone seems to use it. Every now and then if I get lucky they will have 4-5 bags of KA bread flour and or whole wheat locally. I usually snag a bag. Just because it's 2020......

 

[ceeaton]

Lastly a question. Does anyone here freeze their flour to kill off any Weevils or eggs that may be inside. I've read of this but never had a problem although I have had the problem a couple of times with packages of dried pasta.

I don't freeze my flour, I figure they add some more protein and extra bite, LOL.

 

[sour_grapes]

Lastly a question. Does anyone here freeze their flour to kill off any Weevils or eggs that may be inside. I've read of this but never had a problem although I have had the problem a couple of times with packages of dried pasta.

I don't freeze my flour, I figure they add some more protein and extra bite, LOL.

So, in other words Craig, you think finding the occasional bug is the lesser of two weevils?

 

[Kraffty]

So, in other words Craig, you think finding the occasional bug is the lesser of two weevils?

So even though it's only the 15th of the month I say this wins "August reply of the month" hands down....someone prove me wrong.....