Search results for bread+dough

20 Mar 2010
beans and granola • nerd alert • Uncategorized

making dough from scratch: dealing with yeast

For the record, there are two types of yeast. One is traditional yeast, which you use the sponge method for. That’s what we’ll be going over here.

The other kind is instant yeast. This is also known as rapid rise or bread machine yeast. Basically, you just toss it in with everything else and there is no need to do the sponge method. It’s convenient but I tend to dig the tradition of the sponge process. It’s science-y and cool, and it breaks the process into do-it-quick steps.  As the mama of two small trapeze artists, I appreciate that.

If, like me, you have followed a recipe without paying any attention to what kind of yeast is called for, you might have ended up with a dough that contains little balls of yeast in the finished product. It also doesn’t rise properly, resulting in a dense, heavy bread.  So if your recipe calls for instant yeast and you don’t have any, you need to do the sponge method.  The two types of yeast are generally interchangeable, provided you follow the proper method for whatever kind you have.

The Sponge Method

Maybe you know this, maybe you don’t, but yeast is a living organism. You always begin a traditional yeasted dough with the process of combining the yeast, a sugar, and warm water. These are the only three ingredients that are put together in the beginning.

  • The yeast feeds on the sweetener (sugar, honey, agave, what have you) and the warm water creates a peaceful, supportive environment for the event to happen.
  • Ideally, the water should be about 100-105 degrees (almost too hot on the tender part of your wrist). To ascertain the temperature, use a meat thermomtraeter to gauge the feel of the water.  Commit this feeling to memory, or use a thermometer every time if that works for you.

When the conditions are ideal, this will happen in about five minutes:

This is what is known as “the sponge”. Basically it’s a bowl of foamy goop. There are rules to yeast, but don’t be afraid of it. If the water is too hot it will kill the organisms, if the water is too cold the process will take FOREVER.

The feeding frenzy must be stopped at the foamy goop point or else the yeast will overproof (gorge itself and die) and won’t work in your dough.

How on earth do you stop the madness of this hungry yeast? Add your salt. That’s it. And technically it doesn’t stop it, it just slows the process down to the point where you can add the rest of the ingredients and give the yeast some real work to do. You don’t want to add your salt prior to this point though because your bread will turn out dense and brick-like.

Previous Post About Dough

Next up:  Balancing the Texture of Your Dough

the peaceful peacock | One comment
17 Mar 2010
beans and granola

making bread dough from scratch: how to show it who's boss

Making an impeccable loaf of  homemade bread–by means of skill rather than accident–has been on my list of lifetime goals for a very, very long time.  (I can say decades now, though I don’t want to say decades because it makes me feel much older than 34.)  I  began my trek into this noblest of humble skills by following the  standard routine:  I followed a recipe, I was horrified at the results, I  consulted books and troubleshooting guides about bread making, I tried  another recipe, and once again I was horrified by the results.

You  might as well punch down your ego when you punch down that rising  dough.  The learning curve of homemade bread is pretty unforgiving.

Or  so it would seem.

Allow me to propose a solution:

Pizza.

Even when it’s bad it’s still pretty good and above all, it’s usually edible no matter what you do to screw it up.  It’s easy to add into your weekly repertoire, and the wealth of topping options makes it possible to disguise a less-than-perfect dough result while you’re learning the ropes.

There’s no way around it.  You have to just dig in and accept the fact that you are most likely not going to create perfect dough from your first efforts.  I didn’t and I spent two years working  in a bakery for God’s sake.

In order to help you incorporate this beautiful tradition into your own life, I’m offering the knowledge that has been passed to me from a variety of sources–my family’s secrets, tricks of the trade that I picked up working in a natural food store’s bakery, and tips and pointers handed to me by my co-workers there who have worked for places like this and this (thanks, G!).

To begin, we will be using my go-to pizza recipe, adapted from Horn of the Moon Cookbook’s Spinach Ricotta Deep Dish Pizza recipe (page 195).  I’ll be sharing the recipe that has morphed from the original and the techniques, step by step, over the next few days.  Baking bread is a slow process.  Learning how to do it with good results should be viewed as a process as well.

Next up:  Dealing With Yeast.

the peaceful peacock | No comments
03 Feb 2009
just me • look what I made

the beauty of bread

Lately I’ve been aimlessly wandering around the world of the third trimester, trying to navigate where I’m headed and determine what self-imposed  expectations are going to be met within these next few precious weeks.  Looking forward, reaching toward the everstretching finish line, trying to run when it’s getting tough to even walk these days.

Time to slooooooowww it down.

hpim2442

And there’s no greater exercise in stillness than making bread by hand.  No relying on the Kitchen Aid, no rapid rise yeast, just a counter full of ingredients and these two hands.

You just can’t rush the process.  It’s an all day event, just right for a blooming belly that is quickly forcing more and more limitations.  A blissful baby that is announcing her place in this tribe.  A bummed out mama who feels like a wild horse who’s finally been broken.

hpim2443

Hands plunging into a medley of stickiness, stopping to wait while tired eyes decipher new directions.  Again.  And again.  Distracted by the keen interest displayed by a tiny boy sitting nearby on his sturdy wooden throne.

Fretting about how this mass of flour and water will come together:   Will it turn out ok?  What if this recipe is horrible?   Will my oven catch on fire when I spray water inside to steam the dough?  Will the heat recover quickly enough?  Will it rise?  Will it rise enough?  Will the seeds burn?

Stop.  Knead.  Listen.

Listen as the dough performs its magic, its ancient secret of binding the single parts into the sum of the whole.  Listen as it suddenly grooves into its new form, effortlessly, immediately.  All by the work of these two hands.  Slowly.  No rush.  Right here, right now.

hpim2455

Everything is going to be just fine.

the peaceful peacock | 3 comments | Tags: , ,
13 Aug 2008
Uncategorized

A Recipe and Some Rest

So I’ve been attempting to run on a little schedule here, though I’m afraid I’m not doing a very good job of it this month. Thursdays have been pegged for tutorials by the way. After the hard core display of tutorial writing that I demonstrated with the diaper sewing instructions a few days ago I’ve decided to chill out this week.

So there.

I will give you the recipe for next week’s tutorial in which I will de-mystify the process of making Homemade Pizza Dough. I have some little tricks to teach you about all of that just in case your current efforts yield little pasty bricks of flour and yeast. Feel better? I thought so.

And now your recipe (based on the pizza dough recipe from Horn of the Moon Cookbook by Ginny Callan):

Honey Wheat Pizza Dough

  • 2 Tbsp dry baker’s yeast (about 2 packages)
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 3 cups white flour
  • 1/4 olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons salt

In a medium sized bowl, combine yeast, warm water, and honey. Let sit for about five minutes. Blend flours while waiting. When the yeast foams, add oil and salt and slowly add flours, reserving about 1/4 to 1/2 cup for kneading. When the flour has been mixed in, turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead for six minutes or so. Wash the bowl, lightly oil, and put dough back into it to rise. Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour if in a warm spot.

After the dough finishes rising, turn out and knead again for about three minutes. Roll out to fit pan(s). Will make one deep dish 14″ round, a couple of cookie sheet size, or two or three thin 14″ rounds. Let rise again for about 30 minutes if you like a lofty crust or cook it up right away if you like denser crust. Experiment. Don’t be scared.

In the tutorial next Thursday, I will also show you how to grill them.

Just try and tell me that’s not exciting. If there are any specific problems that you have had with making any kind of bread dough from white and wheat flours, holler at me and I’ll try and include it in the tutorial.

the peaceful peacock | 16 comments | Tags: , , ,
26 Jul 2008
Uncategorized

Grrr, Grrr, Gluten Free

I knew that diving into the world of gluten free baking would be a challenge. I knew this, I swear. Let me tell you what I have learned for sure this week: there are A LOT of crappy gluten free recipes out there. Holy moley. Our compost bin is quickly filling with these horrible, horrible experiments. This week I tried making zucchini bread (two different versions) and a pizza dough recipe with gluten free substitutes.

It looks innocent enough–just don’t eat it. Unless you like the taste of paste. And the texture of cooked paste. Yuck. This definitely does NOT pass the “can’t taste like something you would feed a horse” rule.

Luckily I am a very determined (some might call it “stubborn”) woman and I refuse to give in to the quandary of the world of gluten free. So as it turns out, our friend gluten does some pretty magical stuff. It is a protein that binds with other ingredients and creates stretchy structures that create the chewy texture of foods like bread. After failing miserably with my recipe trials this week, I thought it might be time to start digging into the science of baking and how possible substitutions might be used in similar applications.

I’m assuming all of this has been done before but there’s just too much information available for me to really wrap my mind around the process. De-mystifying gluten free cooking will have to be a trial and error process for awhile until I discover which substitutions work easily and without notice. I figure it will behoove me to remain a little in the dark about the wealth of recipes available and attempt to come up with my own solution. I’m certainly no stranger to the world of special diets–I have worked in the kitchen of one of the largest co-ops in the west for the last three years and we cater to all kinds of goofy eating habits. But gluten free cooking–make that GOOD gluten free cooking–still remains a mystery to me.

Here is what I have discovered so far:

  • rice flour is really grainy–a little too much so for my taste
  • rice flour also makes HORRIBLE pizza dough
  • there are a lot of binding agents out there but so far all of the ones I have tried leave a bitter aftertaste.

Since gluten is a protein, I am wondering if a flour substitute that contains protein would work in a similar manner. Rice flour is made from the hulls of the rice and is thereby stripped of its nutritional quality, as is the case with many of the alternative flours. Quinoa may be a good choice to investigate since it is a complete protein on its own and I can easily throw it in the food processor to make it into flour, which makes it pretty easy to come by.

As far as binding agents are concerned, arrowroot will be my next attempt along with a trial using soaked chia seeds. Chia (yep, like chia pets) is one of the most nutritious things that you can eat–even better for you than flax seeds and you don’t have to crack the hulls to reap the benefits. When you soak chia seeds they form kind of a gelatinous goop which is commonly used as an egg substitute in vegan dishes. I am curious to see if it will help bind my flours as well as kick in an extra boost of nutrition.

Plus Chia Pets are cool. We’re still looking for a Jerry Gar-Chia if you should happen to run across one at a thrift shop or yard sale sometime.

I’ve also read that tapioca starch imparts a “chewiness” to breads so I’m pretty eager to try that out as well.

Being that the gluten free version of my favorite pizza dough was a complete disaster, here is a polenta crust recipe that will really knock your socks off. Sans gluten, of course.

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Grilled Polenta Pizza Crust

2 1/2 cups water

3/4 polenta (yellow cornmeal)

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 Tablespoon butter

In a 2 quart saucepan, whisk the cornmeal, salt, and water together until there are no lumps. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to a simmer; cook, stirring constantly, until the polenta leaves a clean path when you scrape the bottom of the pan (typically 20 -30 mins according to most cookbooks though I find it happens much more quickly). Add butter, stir it in as it melts.

Dump the mixture into an oiled 8×8 baking pan and press down with a spatula or back of a spoon to cool. This creates the shape of your crust and it should be about 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Cool until the polenta is about room temperature and very firm to the touch. Fire up the grill to a medium / medium-high heat. Indirect grilling is best if you are using a charcoal grill.

Remove the polenta from the pan, being careful to keep it in one piece, and oil both sides. Grill one side of the polenta until crisp and grill-marked (only takes a few minutes). Pull the polenta off the grill and put your sauce, toppings, and cheese on the side that has already been grilled. Put the whole kit and kaboodle back on the grill and continue cooking until the cheese melts and the outside of the crust is crispy.

If you don’t want to grill it, you can cook the slab of polenta in a bit of oil in a frying pan until it becomes crisp and golden brown.  The outside will be crisp and the middle will be creamy and polenta-ey.  Mmm.

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Sounds good, doesn’t it? Now that’s a gluten free recipe that nobody will even think twice about.

the peaceful peacock | 9 comments | Tags: , , ,
21 Jul 2008
Uncategorized

The Great Gluten-Free Challenge, 2008

Since we have a wee one under the age of one year and a history of allergies in the family, my goal is to figure out a way to to translate our favorite recipes into gluten free dishes that don’t suck.

Obstacle One of the Gluten Free Challenge: create gluten free foods that the boy is willing to eat.

Obstacle Two of the Gluten Free Challenge: create gluten free foods that we are willing to eat.

So there is a lot of information out there on gluten free cooking these days. It has been a little overwhelming to say the least…a little bit of “too many cooks in the kitchen” so to speak. After going cross-eyed from researching the different options for gluten free flour substitutes, I finally decided to try six different ones in order to isolate which ingredients are truly necessary to achieve a mix that includes the following criteria:

  • easy to find ingredients
  • works as a 1:1 substitute (if recipe calls for 1 cup flour then 1 cup of mix will be used)
  • must not taste like something you would feed a horse
  • a decent texture (not necessarily identical to the gluten infested version).

The mixes that I will be using vary from a simple substitution of brown rice flour to a crazy menagerie of 10+ ingredients. Is xanthum gum really necessary? What the hell is tapioca starch? I will be finding the answers to these questions and many, many more. I will probably be creating a lot of questions in the process as well.

For my first run, I opted to try out our recipe for the world’s best banana bread. I used a gluten free mix made up of:

  • 3 parts brown rice flour
  • 3 parts corn starch
  • 2 parts sorghum flour or soy flour
  • 1 part corn flour or masa harina

The batter.

The judge.

Go for it kiddo.  Notice that the loaf turned out “normal” looking–a perfect camping snack.  Sorry the pic is blurry but it’s tough to take a picture while the tot lunging for banana bread is sitting on your lap.

A little crumbly, but not so much that it would deter me from using this mix.  I might try adding an extra egg to help it bind better.

The first bite.

I’m so nervous!

Success.

Overall, I thought the loaf of banana bread turned out pretty decent.  It was a little on the “corny” side…not overwhelming but definitely a hint of corn.  The dough still gave a nice rise and the overall flavor was pretty good.  But then again it’s pretty hard to destroy the world’s best banana bread.

And here’s the recipe for that:

World’s Best Banana Bread

  • 3 or 4 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1/3 cup melted butter (I substitute applesauce with no problem)
  • 1/2 cup sugar (this amount has already been reduced by half)
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 1/2 cup flour (or gluten free substitute)

Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C).  With a wooden spoon, mix butter (or applesauce) into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.  Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla.  Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in.  Add the flour (or substitute) last, mix.  Pour mixture into a greased 4×8 inch loaf pan.  Bake for 1 hour.  Cool on a rack, remove from pan, slice, serve.

And yes, you can cut the amount of sugar in any recipe by half with no effect on the taste.  Not true with brown sugar, but definitely with granulated.  Good to know.

the peaceful peacock | 16 comments | Tags: , , ,