Bread Baking

[pushpin]

Things that I've made so far:
-more soda breads
-4 quick breads
-burger buns
-lavender cake

On the planning list:
-baguettes
-more burger buns
-more soda bread (i really, really like soda bread)
-more quick breads to experiment with flavor combining

 

[Judge]

Things that I've made so far:
-more soda breads
-4 quick breads
-burger buns
-lavender cake

On the planning list:
-baguettes
-more burger buns
-more soda bread (i really, really like soda bread)
-more quick breads to experiment with flavor combining

Fresh burger buns sounds great. I always have to freeze them...never fresh.

Just wish I could figure out how to grill a previously frozen bun without having to mash down on them.

 

[Mia]

lavender cake

That sounds lovely, I grew up in a place where there was a lavender farm nearby. At night, in the summer, the lavender scent was in the breeze.

What did it taste like? Was it a sweet cake? It's traditional in that area to use lavender in fine herbs, when cooking.

 

[pushpin]

Fresh burger buns sounds great. I always have to freeze them...never fresh.

Just wish I could figure out how to grill a previously frozen bun without having to mash down on them.

Here's the recipe. And this was my first time kneading, and the buns still turned out great, so this recipe is definitely great for beginners (I don't know if you've baked bread before or not). Homemade Hamburger Buns - How to make your own soft, fluffy buns.

 

[pushpin]

That sounds lovely, I grew up in a place where there was a lavender farm nearby. At night, in the summer, the lavender scent was in the breeze.

What did it taste like? Was it a sweet cake? It's traditional in that area to use lavender in fine herbs, when cooking.

It tasted amazing. It tasted like how lavender smells. I brought the lavender and the milk to a simmer together, so the milk was infused with lavender, making the batter infused as well. It was a sweet cake. I've always like lavender tea. It must have been nice to live near a lavender farm I would love to be able to pick fresh lavender.

 

[Mia]

Does anyone here live at altitude ? I'm at a little over 8,000' and baking anything (bread, cakes, even things like pancakes, waffles & cookies) is a nightmare. The typical 'high altitude' directions on cake mixes & the like typically only apply to and/or compensate a recipe to 6,000' but an additional 2,000' of atmospheric pressure loss above that is a fluff killer when it comes to anything in the leaven based baking realm.....

I don't live at high altitude but I found some information that you may or may not aware of:

Yeast Breads
At high altitude, bread tends to rise much more rapidly than at sea level and changes in ingredients or technique are needed to slow down this action. Some bakers reduce their yeast slightly or use ice water instead of warm water, while others punch down their dough more often, then add extra rises or one overnight rise in the refrigerator. Beware of dough that has risen too much or "over-proofed" before baking; it may warp, droop, or collapse in the oven. To prevent over-proofing at high altitude, only allow dough to rise about a third—not double in bulk—before baking. Never omit salt: At high altitudes, salt is essential not only for flavor, but also to slow down the growth of yeast and the expansion of gases. To achieve good rise and a crisp crust at high altitude, begin baking bread with a pan of boiling water on the bottom of the oven, then remove the water for the final 15 minutes of baking.

Cakes:
above 5,000 feet, cakes typically rise during baking, but may fall or cave in; or they may have a heavy, coarse crumb. Batter may be strengthened by reducing sugar, or adding eggs, egg yolks, or slightly more flour. Acidity helps batter set quickly in the oven's heat, so replacing regular milk with buttermilk, sour cream, or yogurt can be helpful. Leavening is usually reduced, while flavoring agents are increased. Oven heat is sometimes increased 25°F or the temperature is kept moderate (350°F) but baking times increased.

High-Altitude Baking Recipes and Tips | Epicurious.com

Related to changing ingredient requirements:

Liquids
Because liquid evaporates more quickly at altitude and mountain air can dry out flour, adding more liquid (two to four tablespoons, depending on the elevation) to a recipe is often very helpful.

At high altitude, all-purpose flour is preferred over cake or pastry flour because it is stronger, has more protein, and helps baked goods maintain their shape as they cool.

From 5,000 feet to 7,000 feet, baking is often improved by raising the oven temperature 15°F to 25°F because the extra heat quickly sets the batter's cell structure. Between 7,000 feet and 9,000 feet, raising the temperature can sometimes cause over-crusting on the surface of baked goods. Instead, it's best to use a moderate heat and increase the baking time. At 9,000 feet and above, preheat oven about 25 degrees above the baking temperature called for in the recipe. As soon as the baked goods are placed inside the oven, lower the heat to the actual baking temperature called for in the recipe.

 

[pushpin]

High altitude baking tips that I found (don't know if they work as I do not live at a high altitude).

 

[Marmot]

High altitude baking tips that I found (don't know if they work as I do not live at a high altitude).

This is a nice little cheat sheet, but as I mentioned prior, most of these rules of thumb only compensate to about 6,000', and above that it gets so much more complicated.....

Mia's post (just before yours) had some formulas & tricks that went up to 9,000' which would cover me, so I'll print them out & see if they can improve my process any, although I don't even attempt any of the fancy things beyond bread and pancakes & waffles. Another thing that I had a major problem with up here was cooking rice and for this I had to buy a pressure cooker. Half jokingly: Can you bake with a pressure cooker ?

 

[Marmot]

My prior high altitude antics & questions aside (I don’t wish to bore all you sea level dwellers who have it so easy ) let me up the ante with another bread baking challenge: Has anyone ever baked bread outside in a Dutch Oven, using only hot coals, charcoal briquettes and/or a campfire to bake it ?

I’ve been experimenting with a 12” Dutch oven lately and with more errors than successes, I finally mastered baking my family’s cornbread recipe, at altitude using nothing but coals from an outdoor fire to bake it.....

-I don't need no stinking electric oven !

 

[Mia]

Has anyone ever baked bread outside in a Dutch Oven, using only hot coals, charcoal briquettes and/or a campfire to bake it ?

Yes Marmot, I have baked using a wood campfire, not yeast bread, but quickbreads like corn muffins, soda bread, biscuits. Have made cakes as well The last one I made was in a large covered iron kettle, a pineapple upside down cake. While waiting for it to cool I went for a walk. When I returned several forest dwelling raccoons had helped themselves to the cake, they really are bandits. Usually I make a reflector oven or bring the means to make one. Something like this:

Your cornbread looks perfect by the way

 

[pushpin]

I've gotten into sourdough baking, and I absolutely love it. I'm going to try making yeast water as well.

 

[Marmot]

Yes Marmot, I have baked using a wood campfire, not yeast bread, but quickbreads like corn muffins, soda bread, biscuits. Have made cakes as well The last one I made was in a large covered iron kettle, a pineapple upside down cake. While waiting for it to cool I went for a walk. When I returned several forest dwelling raccoons had helped themselves to the cake, they really are bandits. Usually I make a reflector oven or bring the means to make one. Something like this:

Your cornbread looks perfect by the way

I can kind-of / sort-of figure out how that reflector oven would work, but the simple geometry of it: A rectangular bread loaf receiving reflected heat from a side oriented fire seems impossible to be able to heat evenly, even with continuous rotation of the loaf. (ie: I'm very impressed if you can bake something consistently via that method).

For everyone's reference: When you bake with coals in a dutch oven (see my prior pics) you need to rotate the oven (with coals underneath) one direction, and the lid (with coals on top) the opposite direction every couple of minutes to compensate for the uneven heat and uneven surfaces that will naturally occur.

 

[Nick12]

i have never tried baking bread but after reading the posts i might try bread making some day