Experimenting with Bread

[achookwoman]

Meganjane don't get too cross with DH.   Although I make all kinds of bread I sometimes fell like a toasted cheese sandwich made with "real" bread. 

[Tebasile]

I think allmost all men are the same ..... and love white bread  Let's blame their mother 

[Nay-nay]

I know how you feel MJ - I get that ALL the time!! Sunday DH treats himself to white loaf of rubbish bread and a hot chook. Oh well - at least there is no Maccas or anything like that out here!

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

Meganjane don't get too cross with DH.   Although I make all kinds of bread I sometimes fell like a toasted cheese sandwich made with "real" bread. 

Do you use plastic cheese Chookie?  I am a bit partial to plastic cheese in a toastie with white bread.  Shocking I know!!! 

[achookwoman]

Yes to both, Chelsea.

[meganjane]

Haha! I'm partial to a HJ's whopper every now and then...shhh!!

[meganjane]

Back to the original topic.

I've been reading Richard Bertinet's "Dough", and he bakes bread at 250C for 20 minutes. So, I figured I'd try it! I had a Lauke German Rye mix and it worked brilliantly. I thought the top would burn, but it was deliciously brown and the bread is as light as a feather.

Our German back packer workman loves it!

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

Does he apply that time and temp to most loaves MJ?  Sounds very interesting.

[meganjane]

Chelsea, sorry I didn't get back to this thread. Yes, he does apply it to all his loaves.

I've been baking my bread at 250C for the past month and it makes a deliciously light loaf. I take it out of the tin at 20 minutes and turn the oven off, but let it bake for a further 5 minutes. I have an electric oven and it holds its heat for a long time.

I'm experimenting with Artisan No-Knead Bread today. I have the mixture made and waiting for it to rise so I can chill it and make a loaf.

I used  1kg of flour all up - 4 cups Wallaby White and 2 1/2 cups Rye Flour; 830g of water, which was 3 3/4 cups; 1 1/2 Tbsp salt and the same of dried yeast.

Because I'm using bread flour, I upped the water. I read that high protein flour needs 83% water, so that's what I'm going with.

[Andriani]

Hi... I'm new to all these cooking and thermomix. When you are talking about 250 deg in the oven- is it using fan force or not? Thanks...

[andiesenji]

Don't forget, you can use a probe thermometer to check the interior of any type bread loaf to make sure it is fully done.

The center of a loaf should reach a minimum of 95° C.

If less that this, the center can be underdone and doughy - and actually will not keep as well because of retained moisture. 

[meganjane]

Thanks for the tip andie.

Yes, my oven is fan forced, Andriani.

More recently, I've been baking my bread at around 220C when I do bake. It's too hot here, so I've been buying my bread....

[cookie1]

Yoke, the sourdough lady bakes all her bread at very high temperatures and on a pre heated granite piece too. It seems to make it very crusty. Does yours come out crusty MJ?

[meganjane]

Yes, the bread is lovely and crusty when cooked as such a high heat.

[cookie1]

Thanks.