Wishing everyone a happy new year and have a great year ahead!<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
I know, I took so long to follow-up on my first post I’m sure you guys must have thought I gave up on bread. Well, I did do some practice with the beginner’s tutorials and made some bread but confession: baking bread isn’t my prob, it’s posting. Whatever it is, I guess my resolve to post something is stronger today, so here you go.
I did the kneading tut first. My little loaf turned out ciabatta-like as predicted, flat.
The next was the proving tut. For this one, I think I mis-measured so the dough was too wet. I tried to save it by putting more flour, which I think screwed up the salt ratio, and had to bake it in a loaf pan. It was pretty disastrous.
The third is another attempt at the proving tut. This time I was really careful with the water, dribbling in the last portion of it as I mixed. I think I got the right amount this time cos the dough feels good to work with. The result was one of my better ones but still it’s far from my goal.
I guess at this point, I need some breaducation on how to describe the crumb, what a slice of good bread should taste like and so on. I feel that my breads are a little bland, despite the overnight proving. I think I shall go get myself a loaf of good bread from one of the very few bakeries in my country that churns out rustic or artisan loaves. I’ve been putting it off as these aren’t cheap, being kind of rare here. But now, I’ll give those a try to know what to aim for.
Also, what is the crumb of a bread supposed to be like? I feel that my breads, especially with the last two attempts, are kind of chewy (wonder if mushy is an appropriate word to use). I guess those two are good for soaking up soup but they don’t seem the right kind to be used for sandwiches. It seems kind of dense, like wet and i thought most breads are supposed to be dry.
Well, as you can see, I’m pretty bad at my descriptions.
Hoping to get better with breads, cos my family have been rather helpful with eating up my ‘monstrosities’ and I want to make that more enjoyable for them.
Cheers, tyro
p.s: i wanted to put up the pics of my attempts but i happen to be a computer idiot as well. tips are very much welcome :)
Replies
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Just a quick couple of questions.
How old/active is your starter?
If your starter is not very active you will end up with a heavy loaf.
What were your bulk fermentation and proving times and temperatures?
These will greatly affect the outcome of the bread and the crumb structure.
What type of bread were you trying to make?
A full white loaf will have a different taste, texture and crumb structure from a high rye percentage loaf.
Pictures would really help us to determine possible faults. Maedi's "how to" guide is very good but if your image link already has the http:// at the start of the address, delete the one that is already in the box so you do not end up with http://http://.
Cheers,
Pete
thanks guys for the comments. forgive me, i haven't been able to post anything on my blog or comment on anything for the past month or so. must be a problem with the system cos my comment box had this dark blob and i couldn't write anything on it. this is my first attempt after i upgraded my firefox and i'm glad it's fixed.
anyway, those attempts were not sourdough. they were just biga and poolish from the tutorial i promised i would try out. i posted the pics on the gallery, here they are:
2 from the kneading tutorial
2 from the proving tut disaster
and 2 from the proving tut repeat
as for the taste department, i realise the lack of flavour may be due to too little salt in my bread. i found that out when i 'over-salted' a subsequent loaf (which is an attempt at no-knead bread). the teaspoon that i have used all along is the one people use with a teacup, not the precise measuring spoon. i guess i need to get myself a proper set of measuring spoons and cups someday, when i feel less stingy. i read somewhere too that a wet crumb can be fixed by lengthening the baking time.
i still am a little apprehensive about starting sourdough from a past experience with a smelly, watery starter. and with my hols coming to an end, i guess i'll be really slow with my practice. so much for the 'great ambitions' to start off the hols. but i won't stop :)
cheers,
tyro