First Bread

[dusty]

For christmas I recived a book on baking bread. It is called "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day". The idea is that you make all this dough and keep it in the 'fridge. Then you take out a bit each day and bake it until it is gone. And in the end, you spend an average of five minutes a day dealing with it.

It isn't the exact book I was hoping for, but it has gotten me started baking bread. It was a breeze making the dough, but the baking wasn't as fun as I thought it would be. I think because I spent the whole day baking stuff, and had no time to sit and enjoy it. We made pizza first, then pita bread, then the loaves, and then a chicken in the dutch oven. Next time I plan to bake less and relax more.

I made four loaves total. Two whole wheat and two with white, wheat, and a little rye flour. They turned out good. A bit dense and heavy, but tasty. I also think that I should have baked them longer. They were pale instead of brown.

dusty

[Dutchoven]

Re: First Bread

Dusty
Excellent start! I am not familiar with that book but, I would guess it is not particularly suited to WFO baking...meaning the doughs will be drier than what they could be...a WFO begs to have wetter breads to be baked on very hot hearths...increase the water in the dough a bit at a time and bake them a bit hotter than you might think and I believe you will like the results even more...also enjoying the bread is for the next day after you have consumed waaayy too much pizza and wine and beer
Best
Dutch

[egalecki]

Re: First Bread

I like your slashes in the fan shape. Your oven spring looks pretty good too. I get better color when my temps are hotter- but you have to watch the bottoms! How hot was the oven when you put in the bread?

I must confess I don't usually do pizza first when I do bread- but I do plan on using the retained heat afterward for all kinds of things. My favorites are beer can chicken and dutch oven stew. Oh, and beans. I love beans...

I can't wait for it to warm up a little bit so I can get to baking outside again. It's just too cold to mess with right now. Keep baking. It gets better as you get more practice.

I am really liking my Whole Grain Breads book from Peter Reinhart. Hamelman's Bread is also good. I'm trying to do more whole grain baking, though, so I tend to use the first one more.

[Dutchoven]

Re: First Bread

I am really liking my Whole Grain Breads book from Peter Reinhart. Hamelman's Bread is also good. I'm trying to do more whole grain baking, though, so I tend to use the first one more.

That "epoxy" method for mixing the preferments and soakers in Reinhart is really an interesting technique...the formulas are also pretty great(I think)...whole grain is definitely tougher...all that dang BRAN...
Best
Dutch

[Jed]

Re: First Bread

Dusty,

Good looking bread!

You did create a full schedule for your self... but, I understand it is tough to have all that heat stored in the oven and just ignore it! All the cooking is fun, and some of the best food on the planet.

Keep up the good work!

JED

[Xabia Jim]

Re: First Bread

Great start Dusty, onward and upward

....I like a dense bread, makes great toast!

[egalecki]

Re: First Bread

That "epoxy" method for mixing the preferments and soakers in Reinhart is really an interesting technique...the formulas are also pretty great(I think)...whole grain is definitely tougher...all that dang BRAN...
Best
Dutch

With the exception of the truly nasty rye I made using his recipe (I really don't think it was the recipe- I think something must have gone wrong on my end) all the formulas so far work quite well. My husband is particularly fond of the oat bran broom bread. He likes a softer, more "sandwich style" bread for his lunch and this is perfect.

I still end up with my preferments and soakers stuck together- I'm reluctant to add too much flour, so they stick a bit. I haven't had any trouble with them not mixing well, though. I find that the soaker technique is a really good way to not turn out bricks. I also think that using the light whole wheat from KA or the Prairie Gold (I think that's the whole wheat one) from Wheat Montana helps- the bran particles are much smaller and don't cut the gluten nearly as much. When I opened my first bag I was sure I'd gotten the wrong stuff- it was so much finer in texture. One can still make a pretty good brick with it, though. I know this from personal experience...

[james]

Re: First Bread

I'm sitting here munching on toasted whole wheat sourdough and enjoying your bread. Way to go Dusty. That looks great!

I like the slash patterns a lot, and hope that next time you can slow down and smell the roses (or the bread). Sometimes I do it slowly and enjoy the process, and sometimes it feels like I'm just a baker and the family needs bread. :-)

Color and crust texture and depth seems to come from a combination of things, including oven temperature and bake time, along with you dough. The range of variables makes it fun!
James

[james]

Re: First Bread

I'm sitting here munching on toasted whole wheat sourdough and enjoying your bread. Way to go Dusty. That looks great!

I like the slash patterns a lot, and hope that next time you can slow down and smell the roses (or the bread). Sometimes I do it slowly and enjoy the process, and sometimes it feels like I'm just a baker and the family needs bread. :-)

Color and crust texture and depth seems to come from a combination of things, including oven temperature and bake time, along with you dough. The range of variables makes it fun!
James

[telehort]

Re: First Bread

Dusty -
The bread looks fantastic!

[Frances]

Re: First Bread

Yep, it looks great! I'm going to try that fan pattern on my next loaves....

I hear you on the stress factor. I usually just go bananas when the oven is fired up, but baking and pizza and cooking all in one day is really really hard work! Satisfying certainly, but not what you'd call relaxing.

[dusty]

Re: First Bread

Thanks for the input everyone. This is what I gathered from you - Dutch, Jed, Elizabeth, James and Francis:

Brick oven dough should be wetter.
The oven should be hotter.
And it may take longer.

And, Dutch, you are right. My book was writen for the kitchen oven. It does, however, require the use of a pizza stone in there.

I heeded all of those suggestions yesterday and my second loafs were much better. They were brown, not pale. But best of all, they were lighter and more airy. That is, less dense with larger air bubbles inside. We had toast and jelly last night and french toast this morning for breakfast. The whole family loved it.

And it was more fun this time as I only baked bread.

Wanted to photograph the loafs but my camera was out of gas. They were better looking though, believe me.

Thanks again ya'll,

dusty

[Dutchoven]

Re: First Bread

Dusty
You're welcome! I am glad the second set came out much more to your liking. As for the bake time, we have found that it is more related to the size of the loaf...if your loaves are say 1.5 pound boules in our oven at 500 to 550 it would be around 22-25 minutes whereas a 12-14 ounces baguette would be 12-15 minutes...your oven will naturally be a little different but just pay attention and you will learn it well
Incicdentally, have you downloaded the Hearth Bread e-book from the FB store? Great resource for all WFO owners...takes you from the wettest bread dough to the dryest...much the same as Jim Wills does in his workshops!
If you keep baking you will keep learning!
Best
Dutch

[egalecki]

Re: First Bread

if your loaves are say 1.5 pound boules in our oven at 500 to 550 it would be around 22-25 minutes whereas a 12-14 ounces baguette would be 12-15 minutes...your oven will naturally be a little different but just pay attention and you will learn it well
Dutch

What's more, I find the firing is different most times I use the oven. It depends on the wood and the conditions- I'm firing mine up today after a couple of weeks of not using it (too cold!) so I think I'll have to add at least an hour to the firing time to drive the damp and cold out. I sure hope my wood's still dry.

I still have to keep reminding myself that with the exception of store-bought, whole wheat bread is just going to be different from white. (And who knows what's in store bought? I know they give ingredients, but I don't know what some of them are!)

I'm glad your second attempt was more satisfactory. I've also found that working outside in the wfo has improved my efforts when I use the oven inside! More patience, I think.