Simple Bread

[rwsaunders]

Looking good Guy. I spray the boule lightly with water to get the poppyseeds to stick before baking. Try white poppyseeds too...they don’t burn and they blend in with the crust...I like both.

[Paul Jacobs]

Simple olive oil bread - flour, water, yeast, olive oil and salt.

[vertical_doug]

After duct tape, the greatest invention of man.

[rwsaunders]

This morning's experiment.

[mnoble485]

I would say you are out of the beta test stage and ready to go live!

Mike

[htwoopup]

Honey wheat made with the new gift from my daughter....



Think I am practicing with changing too many variables at a time. This one came out pretty tasty but now I need to try different timing with the clouche which I am not used to yet.

[mnoble485]

Jon,
Excuse my lack of knowledge but is that “like” an upside down Dutch oven?

Mike

[htwoopup]

Jon,
Excuse my lack of knowledge but is that “like” an upside down Dutch oven?

Mike

Mike-Essentially yes, kinda sorta..

Cloche is French for bell and this thing is an upside down bell. It is like a Dutch oven in that the bell captures the steam coming off the bread and traps it. Like a self contained rain forest I imagine. It, like a Dutch Oven, helps make the rise be good and the crust crust. The difference (in my very very very limited experience) is that on this cloche the bottom is glazed as is the exterior of the top but the interior of the top is unfinished ceramic. The idea is that you can soak the top which then helps with the steam aspect. One loaf I made today after reading about that part of "how to use" made it way too moist/ crumbly so I am guessing that you use that feature with different types of recipes/ breads than I did. It also, unlike a Dutch oven, has low sides which makes scoring the bread (if you let it do a final rise/rest in the cooking vessel) easier to go down the sides.

Also, in some baking you leave the cover on for the whole time and others you take it off part way through. And in some breads you do the final rise/ rest in the cloche and others not. I have also been told that in some cases you put the bread in the cloche and put it in a preheated oven. In others, you put it in a cold oven and then turn on the oven.

So many variables to learn. And, because it's French there is a lot of "it depends". But being married to a French Canadian I have learned to have patience with that concept.

Jon

[mnoble485]

Thanks Jon, I kind of figured that’s what it was. I like the idea of easier scoring but wonder about pre-heating.

Mike

[rwsaunders]

The first boule is headed to a friend’s house tonight for her birthday dinner and the second boule is about to be enjoyed with a bowl of Mrs. RW’s tortellini vegetable soup, warm olives and a glass of red...slice photos coming later.

[htwoopup]

Rye Bread. In the cloche. A light sandwich rye.





A little flat as I dropped it onto the preheated cloche due to fear of burning my wrist. Bake and learn.

But, with butter so good. Bringing back memories of visiting my Grandma Pauline.

[rwsaunders]

Jon...I’m tempted to buy a cloche with the KA gift certificate that my Mother gave me for Christmas. Also with the heavy percentage whole wheat mix, do you folks use diastatic malt powder?

https://shop.kingarthurbaking.com/it...ic-malt-powder

[htwoopup]

Bob-On the cloche...I am betwixt and between on it. But then I have only been doing this for about 2 months and you are way advanced on it. To me, it seems like a Dutch Oven that is way easier for me to score the bread beyond just the top. But the breads that I have made so far could have been made in one or the other as far as crust etc go.

BUT, since you understand the engineering/chemistry of this baking thing I could definitely see the cloche being a tool that would absolutely sing with your knowledge base. What makes me say that is the stuff that I have read about how the inside of the bell is just ceramic so the idea is you CAN wet it. I tried that but I did it with a dough that had a high water content so it just made it very very crusty. I think with you understanding the doughs and all, you could figure out the proper way/ amount/ dough to use with the soaking thing if/when it is appropriate before putting the bread in and when not to. I am thinking about the stuff you have posted about when you mist the bread/ oven and the results. Looking at it, I also think it can be used in other forms of heating (stovetop maybe)..it is kinda tangine like except that the inside of the top is raw ceramic not glazed.

In short, I will get to the level where I think I will like it. At this point, it is just a different pot to me. But you are already there with your experience so I could see you making good use of the cloche and finding the benefits of it.

On the malt, I am clearly the last person to comment on it due to limited experience. But I did have one recipe that called for it. They didn’t have it in my supermarket (due to space limitations Manhattan markets aren’t so super). But the recipe said I could use molasses, honey, or (oddly) maple syrup instead. Being married to a Canadian that was an easy call.

[rwsaunders]

The King has a new series on artisan bread baking...another rabbit hole to explore.

https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blo...t-sunday-pizza

[Too Tall]

I made these simple yeast buns for Stuporbowl BBQ.

bun.jpg

[Tom]

Curse you, RW. I didn't need to start reading the King Arthur blog... too little time, too many way cool things to try.

[Too Tall]

Curse you, RW. I didn't need to start reading the King Arthur blog... too little time, too many way cool things to try.

What he said. Reading now, this is good stuff. Of course I've always dreamed of making bread without looking at recipes. This blog is hinting at something that intriguing.

[TMB]

Not a "simple" bread, but once you got going - not too demanding, except for on the machinery.

Hopefully my stand mixer lives to feed another day.

This is what happens when one of your family says "I really like that bread that has 9 eggs, a pound of butter a quarter pound of sugar and just enough flour to hold it all together" (I might be paraphrasing a tad) .....

Perhaps I would have been better to use a larger loaf pan.


Attachment 117823Attachment 117824

[Too Tall]

That's hilarious. Please put that loaf pan in your will for me.

I'm digging the concept of simple dinner rolls. The feeling will pass in a few weeks, until than indulge me with your recipes.

[TMB]

That's hilarious. Please put that loaf pan in your will for me.

I'm digging the concept of simple dinner rolls. The feeling will pass in a few weeks, until than indulge me with your recipes.

I love those loaf pans. They are pressed tin, I don't even remember where I got them but I would sure love to find another couple of them somewhere.