Two types of bread

Whole wheat bread

I have yet to make a loaf of whole wheat bread that I like, but when 'M' told me about this video on the internet I decided to give it another shot. The surprising thing (to me anyway) about this recipe is that it uses all whole wheat flour, no white flour. I liked this video for a number of reasons:

1. The recipe and the methods used are new to me.
2. It shows how to knead. Even though my Mother made bread ever since I can remember, I didn't pay attention to how she did it (!).
3. The mystery of why I don't like my whole wheat bread may have been solved.
4. I learned that cooling racks aren't needed - the loaf can be simply plopped crossways on top of the pan!

The bread turned out nice looking.

I didn't like the heavy denseness or the taste though. In comparing my loaf to those in the video I noticed that mine was considerably darker. For the first time I realized that my flour was 'whole grain' wheat flour and perhaps this is different from 'regular' wheat flour. Eureka - maybe that has been the problem all along.

It may sound odd, when I didn't care for the bread, to chalk this up as a very positive baking experience, but it was. I look forward to trying it again with different flour.

Hawaiian potato bread

This recipe from the Pillsbury baking book is one I've been meaning to try for some time. First, I had to buy mashed potato flakes. (They still make such a thing? Why, yes, they do.) Another ingredient is pineapple juice.

This bread is baked in cake tins. I tried one loaf with the topping of butter, sugar, flour and nutmeg as called for in the recipe (foreground), and one without (background). I think this picture shows that it suits the topping. By the way, I didn't notice a nutmeg taste with the topping.

Was it supposed to turn out this flat? I haven't found a picture of what it should look like to make a comparison.

The recipe suggests this bread be eaten with butter and pineapple marmalade, and tea or coffee. That makes sense. It seems more of a dessert sort of bread rather than a sandwich type, although it was fine toasted. This bread is soft and quite moist which makes me think it could go bad quickly. I probably won't make this bread again but it was fun to try once.

More adventures in baking

Chocolate coconut mounds

Top-centre and middle row - I saw these made on TV and got caught up in how quick and easy the recipe looked. The mounds were supposed to be either dipped in or drizzled with chocolate (bittersweet to counteract the intense sweetness) but I left the three across the middle plain. Once made, I was too horrified by all sugar to want to eat them!

Christmas shortbread

Top-outside and bottom row - I've never made terrific shortbread but this recipe from Butchart Gardens has 'a touch of rice flour' so I thought it was worth a shot. Theirs are better than mine (I may have overbaked - they're supposed to be all white), and I'd rather have them presented on a platter than have to see firsthand how much butter is involved. And anyway, does anyone make better shortbread than my friend's mother "D"? I don't think so.

Enough of what I don't want to eat. Now let's go on to what I do...

Oat bran muffins

Since I'm trying to get more fibre in my diet, a favourite recipe at the moment is for oat bran muffins. They may not be the best muffins in the world, but with enough raisins, blueberries or cranberries probably most would be edible. I like the fact that there is not as much fat or sugar as with some recipes - this uses applesauce. There is the added bonus of happy childhood memories while mixing the batter because it reminds me of the warm mash I used to mix up for the chickens! Yes, they are rather 'rustic' muffins. I use half the ingredients and make just six muffins at a time.

Italian bread

Glenn's and my favourite bread right now is this easy-to-make Italian bread. Only four ingredients are in this recipe - flour, water, yeast and salt. No loaf pans needed. There is a whole tablespoon of salt, which might be what makes it so tasty. It is especially good warm with peanut butter. Or cold. Or toasted. I haven't quite got the hang of avoiding air holes in this bread.

Interlude - recent baking

Left: My basic white bread has been turning out better than ever lately. If only I knew why.
Right: Light wheat rolls are the first thing I've ever made using whole wheat flour that turned out okay. Thanks 'S' for the recipe.

This recipe for buttermilk bread came from the Pillsbury cookbook. For some reason it's made with two pieces of rolled dough placed side by side in the pan. I named this 'bum bread' because of its appearance while baking in the oven. Quite good - the inside remains soft and chewy even when a slice is toasted.

Another recipe from the Pillsbury book - Quick Sourdough French Bread made with sour cream and a surprising ingredient - a bit of ginger. Glenn doesn't like sourdough bread but he likes this, especially the crust.

Blueberries were on sale so I decided to make two types of lemon blueberry muffins.

Left: with yogurt.

Right: with buttermilk, a bit more sugar, and crushed as well as whole blueberries. And the winner by a nose is, oddly, the lousier looking ones on the right. They're slightly sweeter and we like the crust on them best. But both kinds are good.

Multigrain Bread

'But I still haven't found what I'm looking for' goes the lyrics of the U2 song. And so it is with my quest for a decent loaf of whole wheat type bread.

This recipe included a cup of whole wheat flour (for one loaf) along with some molasses, sunflower seeds, oat flakes and flax seeds. It looked okay, aside from the deep slice I made down the middle that gave it the look of a two-humped camel. Glenn said, "No, it looks like someone fell face first into the pan." Ha - I had to think about that for a moment.

But the texture was disappointing once again. It was too heavy/ chewy/ mucky - just not what I'm trying to achieve. Back to the drawing board or, in this case, the kneading board.

Sticks & loaves

Grissini... sort of... maybe

Following in my friend's footsteps, I decided to try making grissini. I made 3 variations: plain, parmesan, and rosemary & parmesan. This was the first time I've ever used fresh rosemary - sad but true.

Instead of elegant, tall sticks, I wound up with short, stocky ones. So the exercise was not entirely successful. They tasted alright... but I don't care for breadsticks anyway.

Italian bread

I fared better with the Italian bread. Only four ingredients - flour, yeast, water and salt. No added fat! My first result is shown above.

And this was my second. The second batch had a less crispy crust for some reason. I found that putting the bread in plastic bags softens the crust, which must be why baguettes are kept in paper bags. We liked this bread very much, although I have to say, the regular white bread gives off more of that wonderful fresh-baked bread smell.

Bread - never a pair of loaves the same size

There is no reason for this picture. I just like looking at my little creations :-) and our place smells wonderful. This time I kneaded the dough for 8 minutes. And, the same as last time, let it rise 3 times.

Bread - bumpy outside, chewy inside

This week I tried kneading the dough for 9 minutes (one more than last time) and let it rise three times instead of one or two. This bread is definitely chewier. Now we're getting somewhere.

But while the inside is improving... good grief, what happened to cause that krinkly, bumpy outside? It wasn't exactly a beauty queen when it first came out of the oven either, which is when my loaves normally look their best. Maybe I should go back to just shaping the dough before putting it into the loaf pans rather than rolling it as I've done the last couple of times.

"Why did she change two variables instead of just one?" you may be asking. I am asking that myself since I now can't tell whether it was the extra kneading or the extra rising, or the combination, that changed the texture and the loaf shape.

The next question is - what causes the sides to tear like this, as if the top is going to blow right off? Maybe I'll put more butter on the pans next time in case it's a matter of the dough sticking.

Today we stopped in at a bakery near the airport where they make their own flour. None of their loaves had krinkly tops but they sure had some funny shapes. One loaf was a good inch higher along one side than the other, and their loaf ends were no neater than mine. So, I guess I shouldn't worry too much about the shape as much as the taste and texture.

Soon I may try making rye bread, which I like but Glenn doesn't.

Bread

I tried a few variations on bread making this week. First I kneaded the dough for 8 minutes instead of 5 or 6, then let it rise twice before setting it in loaf pans.

For an experiment with crusts, before baking I brushed the loaf on the left with water, which is supposed to give a crispier crust.
The funny shaped loaf on the right was brushed with milk which is supposed to give a soft crust, the same as if it was brushed with butter after baking (or just left it alone, I find).

The bread brushed with milk came out with a few tiny black spots. I don't know why. They weren't there when the dough went into the oven. Also, it stuck a bit to the pan.

The loaf shapes might not be perfect but the texture is more what I'm looking for - chewier rather than crumbly. So, it's getting closer to Mom's bread.... but was it the extra kneading or the double rising, or both?

There really is something marvelous about baking bread. Along with the wonderful smell, I love the way the dough rises and changes, like some creation erupting out of the earth. And every loaf is different.

Bread and Butchart Gardens March 8, 2009

Daylight Saving Time started today. I got up early to get my run out of the way and then baked scones and bread.

Bread
I'm trying to figure out what happens to my bread loaves between coming out of the oven and cooling.

They start out looking alright.

Then, after they cool, the crust wrinkles. One reason for this apparently is that the bread has cooled in a draft. That doesn't apply in our kitchen. "Reduce the amount of sugar" is suggested, but I'm just following the recipe. Another idea is to give a 'mechanical shock' with a sharp knock to the pan after removing it from the oven. I read that some bakers even drop trays on the floor. I tried that with the loaf on the left and it didn't seem to make any difference.

Butchart's

We had time for a quick trip to Butchart Gardens in the afternoon. You may recall that after our last visit a gardener was supposed to get back to us with a name for that small purple and yellow flower. They did and it is Primula polyantha 'Gold Laced'.

My favourite pictures of the day were of the crocus outside.

Orchids are always in the indoor garden but today Glenn was intently studying the interesting patterns and thinking about the steps he would take to paint them in watercolour.

It will be a while before we see lilacs blooming outside, especially with another arctic blast coming our way, but I was glad to see and smell one inside.

Once again I didn't get a good picture of the wisteria, so here is one of rhodos instead. All photos were taken with Glenn's camcorder.

Raisin Bread

I wonder what causes a loaf to sink and wrinkle on the top. This was my first attempt at a regular loaf of raisin bread (as opposed to a rolled type) and it tastes just like the real stuff... especially good with peanut butter.

In the search for bread as good as Mom's

As a beginner bread maker I have only made white bread from one recipe. This week I tried one from the back of the Rogers flour bag. It differs from my usual recipe in that it uses honey & oil rather than sugar & shortening, slightly less yeast, and the ingredients are mixed together differently. Instructions were to let the dough rest 20 minutes after dividing in half; I prefer 10 minutes. Ha, already I have preferences.

Verdict: it stuck to the pans in places, the texture might be slightly finer but it tastes pretty much the same as my usual bread.