Bakersapprentice's Blog

Bread Baking Sources

bakersapprentice — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 14:30:21 +0000

I use several places for getting bread baking supplies; some local, some online. Here is a list of places I go and what I find there!

Yeast: my local Coop has active yeast – great price, always fresh

Sourdough starter: If you’ve read my previous posts you know how it went! I got my starter from King Arthur Flour. They also carry Fiori de Sicilia.

General bread baking tools: If you have a Sur la Table in your area, pay it a visit! I’ve gotten some nice Silpat mats, brotforms, and bennetons from there. It’s also where I get my panettone collars.

Here are a list of other online sites I use on a regular basis:

Breadtopia

San Francisco Baking Institute

Williams-Sonoma (overpriced but sometimes you pay for quality!)

I’d hate to say it, but don’t forget to check out Amazon.com for your baking needs. Their prices are hard to beat!

Sourdough

bakersapprentice — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 20:57:44 +0000

So my sourdough debacle has come to an end! I broke down and ordered seed culture from King Arthur Flour. Why? Because I’m lazy. Seriously, one of the things to note about seed culture is that the wild yeast present in that particular culture is that of the place it was started. Many have purchased starter from San Francisco and nursed it along only to find out that they can’t get the same flavor after a while. That’s because all wild yeast starters will pick up the wild yeast of its surroundings to regenerate. Therefore, after a few feedings, your sourdough is unique to your area.

I was surprised how vigorous wild yeast can be when fed properly. The Basic Sourdough recipe uses only wild yeast to leaven the bread (not spiked with commercial yeast). The dough is silky and firm with a pleasant sour odor. The fermenting and proofing cycles take time (about 6 hrs) but they are well worth the patience. You may be able to shorten these times if your oven has a Proof setting like mine does (thank God!).

This bread keeps very well and makes an incredible toast. Leftovers can be turned into croutons or sourdough bread crumbs. Waste not, want not!

A Taste of Mexico

bakersapprentice — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 19:12:13 +0000

Bread was introduced by the Spaniards in the 16th century (as a result of the Spanish Conquest, of course). Known as “people of the corn” maize was the staple resource used to create many foods, including the humble tortilla. With the introduction of wheat and the knowledge of a more refined baking tradition, bread baking was infused into the Mexican culture. Though masa is still the traditional starch of Mexico, one can find superb bakeries which are a feast for the eyes and palette.

On a recent visit to Puerto Vallarta, in the state of Jalisco, I made the daily trek from the hotel to the local bakery. It’s the only way I could think of to start the morning off properly; a ham, pepper, and cheese empanada. Flaky pastry crust with fresh queso, salty ham, and delicious roasted poblano peppers. And on some mornings, the banana bread hit the spot too! They have everything from the traditional empanadas and pan dulce to French palmiers and cream puffs as well as magnificent cakes.

If you’re ever in Puerto Vallarta, stop in to have a look and taste!

Panaderia y Pasteleria Yarita, Basilio Badillo, #244, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco

Ciabatta

bakersapprentice — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 16:06:55 +0000

Originating from the Lake Como region of Italy, this high hydration bread’s characteristic porous texture is unmistakable. When first out of the oven, the crust is hard and firm. As it cools, it softens into a chewy flavorful delight.

For this recipe, I decided to make a striata (long thing baguette) and two slipper loaves. The ingredients called for water, milk, or buttermilk. I happened to have goat’s milk on hand at the time, so that’s what went in. The striati was plain; no fuss no muss. I had fun with the other two! One contained shaved Grana Padano cheese and the other cremini mushroom dressed with black truffle oil.

Outcome? Not as porous as I would have thought, but great crumb. Next time, I will give it a bit of an extra proof before I bake it. The cheese ciabatta had a mild taste with a tangy finish. The cremini black truffle ciabatta was pungent with a distinct and aromatic note. Dipped in EVOO they were delicious!

Panettone

bakersapprentice — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:32:49 +0000

A fruitcake by any other name is still a fruitcake. I know, not many of us enjoy the taste or texture of candied fruit. It has been a staple of European cakes and breads for centuries, and panettone isn’t an exception. Originating in Milan as a Christmas bread, it has become popular all over the globe any time of year thanks to Italian immigrants during and after World War II.

I had been wanting to make this for almost a year. My disastrous attempts at starting a seed culture took care of making it! But alas, my barm is bubbly and pungent and now I can continue on my journey.

I followed the recipe fairly religiously except for one thing: flavoring. I have been using Fiori de Sicilia for some time now and very much enjoy the flavor. Be warned: it will take over any other flavorings in your recipe and is very overwhelming. in an average recipe (say for a cake or dessert) I use only three or four drops. It adds that certain something people just can’t put their finger on.

They turned out beautifully in their stiff paper collars. Be careful not to over bake or else they will form a thick, tough crust. This delight is best served with a warm beverage such as coffee or tea.

Vienna Bread

bakersapprentice — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 15:58:53 +0000

When thinking of countries that produce great bread, France and Italy are usually the two that come to mind. Few would add Austria to that short list. But Vienna has been a hub of artisan bread baking since the mid 19th century, and arguably, well before that as Peter Reinhart points out.

You will find many bakeries selling Vienna bread but unfortunately, it has the same makeup as their French and Italian bread. The addition of fat (oil/shortening and egg) to the Vienna bread coats the starch making this crumb soft and supple, less open than its French or Italian cousins. The lighter crust, though somewhat crunchy, has a great chew. I would describe it as slightly “al dente.” The recipe call for diastatic barley malt powder or barley malt syrup. The powder can be found online at a couple baking sites but I managed to find the malt syrup at the local health food store for about $5.00. It did lend a nice color to the crust!

For this recipe, I chose to make dinner rolls. The dough was divided into 2 3/4 oz pieces, formed into boules, and proofed on a silpat-lined 1/2 sheet. Before baking, I took scissors and made five consecutive cuts in the top of the rolls. These made a great addition to a formal dinner and an even better sandwich bun for leftovers!

Challah

bakersapprentice — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 19:05:10 +0000

Challah (or Egg Bread as it’s known in the Midwest) is one of the most attractive loaves of bread one can make. It’s yellowy soft interior and deep brown braided exterior is a feast for the eyes and taste buds. This was a nice recipe because I had limited time and wanted to bake something celebratory. It was not as rich as other Challah loaves I have made in the past, but the flavour was just as good. I decided to make the double-decker loaf. I did not situate the top braid on centre so as it proofed, the top braid started listing starboard! The spring made it worse, but it still looked impressive. The crumb was soft and slightly sweet and the egg wash provide a bit of a chew to the crust. The best part? Leftovers make the yummy french toast!

Challah, celebration style

Pugliese

bakersapprentice — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:57:00 +0000

Apulia, or Pugliese in English, is the heel off the Italian boot. It is the most productive agricultural plain in all of Italy. And from these plains grows the durum wheat used to make traditional Pugliese. It is a very wet dough, comparable to ciabatta, but slightly more dense.

This is not a quick bread to make. The hour and a half of flouring and folding is time-consuming but without it, it just wouldn’t be Pugliese! I used bread flour exclusively for this recipe as I didn’t have a close source for fancy durum wheat. This bread showed me the necessity for being able to properly make a boule. The softness of the dough makes it want to succumb to gravity more readily than a lesser hydrated dough. I made one in a banneton and the other simply on a floured peel. Interestingly, both turned out the same shape! I baked one of the loaves a bit longer than the other giving it a marvelous deep caramel colour. What I didn’t expect was the crackling that occurred when I took it out of the oven. The crust began to fissure and made quite a pronounced snapping sound! Note that these loaves do indeed soften as they cool. The taste is a nutty soft texture with a chewy crunchy crust. Viva Italia!

Seed Culture Disaster

bakersapprentice — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:24:38 +0000

Well I encountered my first setback in bread baking: seed culture. I had wanted to make the panettone recipe which requires barm; hence the seed culture. I followed the steps as exactly as I could, and nothing. All I got was a soupy stinky poolish that kept bubbling but never rose. So after two weeks of hoping and praying that the barm would spring to life, alas, in the trash it went and back to square one I go! This time I will take pics of each stage so that I have it better documented. If this round doesn’t make it then I will order some and keep it going from that starter. Any hints and tips are welcomed!

Stollen

bakersapprentice — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 02:42:40 +0000

When you search for stollen on the web, most sites will tell you it is a German “fruitcake” baked at Christmas time which originated in Dresden around the mid 15th century. First I would like to clarify that this is a sweet bread, not a cake. And though it may, yes I said may, contain candied fruit, it tastes nothing remotely like fruitcake. If anything, it is most closely related to the Italian panettone, also a sweet dough bread. As far as it only being baked during Advent or Christmas, phooey!

Any time an friend or honored guest arrives at a home in western Austrian and in Germany, stollen is served with a hot beverage (almost always coffee). The loaves, with their characteristic 1/3 fold and crust of powdered sugar are always a sign of hospitality. My two favorites are Mohnstollen, made with poppyseed and stollen made with a marzipan center. The poppyseed is not so popular with the American palette and in the States, the marzipan ones are difficult to find.

Back to the fruitcake thing…My very first encounter with stollen while living in Austria was at a friend’s mother’s home. It contained only raisins (soaked in apple schnapps!). It was a simple yet wonderfully tasty treat! I have had stollen made with candied fruit (Zitronat) and have enjoy that flavor as well. So this bread combines my two favorites kinds to make an Ur Stollen!

I used both golden and regular raisins in this recipe. For the maceration, I basically raided the liquor cabinet. I used apricot brandy, triple sec, and the rest of the bottle of limoncello (a scant quarter cup). They took a full 2 days to soak up the blend. The day before making the bread, I also made marzipan. Most grocers stock small tubes of marzipan in the baking section. My recommendation: make your own. It’s much tastier, makes more, and costs about the same. I used Marcona almonds in the recipe which added a unique flavor. Marzipan in Europe contains a larger percentage of almond meal; sometimes up to 75%. I made mine in the same manner.

The recipe makes a whopper of a loaf. I would suggest dividing the dough in two and make separate loaves. If you have a vacuum sealer, these can be frozen for up to 3 months. Simply thaw in the refrigerator overnight and dust lightly with a fresh coat of powdered sugar.